Congratulations Danica

[BILLY D.]

THIS YOUNG LADY IS THE REAL DEAL. INTELLIGENT, TOUGH, SAVY, GREAT DRIVER AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF SHES REAL NICE TO LOOK AT. AND SHES ONLY 23.

HOLY SMOKE WHAT A FUTURE SHE HAS. LYN ST. JAMES MUST BE FEELING EXTREMELY PROUD RIGHT NOW.

DANICA IS JUST A SUPER PERSON. SHE HAS MY TOTAL RESPECT AND ADMIRATION. WHAT ODDS SHE HAD TO OVERCOME TO GET WHERE SHE IS TODAY. WOW.

GO DANICA.:D

[Tater]

I watched about the last 40 laps and it was pretty incredible. She's not a good driver "for a woman", she's a great driver period. Ditto what Billy said.

[popplecop]

She's a Wisconsin girl, what do expect?

[fabsroman]

From what I read, she made a couple of rookie mistakes and might have won it if she hadn't made them. She stalled the car on a pit stop and she also got sideways and wrecked the car. Her crew also had her low on fuel at the end and she had to back off on the last 10 laps. If I were her I would have gambled and if I ran out of fuel so be it. The guy who won ran out of fuel on his cool down lap. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice.

With all that said, I think she is a pretty good driver and will do just fine over time. Like any other rookie, nothing can replace experience.

[BILLY D.]

HEY FABS

I DISAGREE WITH YOUR SCENARIO. I THINK THE SITUATION WAS HANDLED CORRECTLY. YES SHE COULD HAVE RUN FLAT OUT AND FINISHED IN THE BACK OF THE PACK AND THE NAYSAYERS WOULD HAVE BEEN BEATING ON THEIR CHESTS SAYING "ANOTHER BROAD FINISHES #20, HO-HUM".

I THINK RAHAL DID THE RIGHT THING. WITH RAHALS THINKING AND HER DETERMINATION SHE GOT A TOP FIVE. AND DON'T YOU KNOW ALL THE STUDLY TYPES WILL BE IN HER FACE THE REST OF THE SEASON. THIS IS GOING TO BE FUNNNN.

I JUST LOVE THIS KID, SHE CAN TURN ON THE SEX APPEAL AND CHARM WHEN SHE HAS TO, DRIVE LIKE A DEMON WHEN SHE HAS TO AND STILL BE A LADY IN THE END.

I AM JUST AWED.

HEY SPEAKING OF LADIES, YOU GOT A GREAT ONE. ANY WOMAN WHO WOULD CLEAN DOG CRAP OUT OF A GUYS CAR HAS MY RESPECT. SHE IS A REAL KEEPER.

QUITE OBVIOUSLY SHE LIKES YOUR RELATIONSHIP OR SHE WOULDN'T HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT ORDEAL. YOU BETTER TREAT HER LIKE A QUEEN SON. ;)

HAVE A GOOD ONE.

[fabsroman]

Trust me, I know that it would be extremely hard to come across another woman like my fiance. She is good looking, smart, and yet homely and down to earth. She had great values and is pretty frugal.

As far as Indy is concerned, Danica's team might have handled the fuel situation correctly, but nobody will really know except them because they will know exactly how much fuel was left in the car at the end of the race. Plus, it wasn't Danica's call. When her pit tells her that she has to back off, she has to back off. I think her average lap speeds decreased by about 5 mph.

My point is that if she didn't stall the car and she didn't wreck, she would have gained time and maybe had enough fuel at the end to really give them a run for their money.

I also have mixed feelings about women in certain situations. One example is in military platoons. I don't know about car racing yet, but something tells me that we are able to deal with the death of Dale Earnhardt a little easier than if we were to see Danica Patrick go up in a smoke cloud. That would be extremely tragic. Women want to be treated as equals, and in some places they should be and are, but I still believe in saving the women and children at all costs.

[BILLY D.]

I DON'T CARE IF SHE DID MAKE MISTAKES, THATS WHAT BEING A ROOKIE IS ALL ABOUT. SHE ALSO MADE UP 12 PLACES AFTER THEM.

AS FAR AS THE OUT CRY FROM A BAD ACCIDENT, EVERYBODY KNOWS IF YOU PLAY WITH THE BULL YOU MIGHT GET THE HORN. I'M SURE BOTH SHE AND HER PARENTS BOTH REALIZE THE DANGERS OF RACING OR ANY OTHER COMPETITIVE SPORT FOR THAT MATTER. SHES ONLY BEEN DOING THIS FOR 14 YEARS NOW. AND EVEN IF THE WORST DID HAPPEN, SO WHAT, AT LEAST IT WOULD BE DOING SOMETHING SHE TRULY LOVES. AT LEAST SHE WOULDN'T BE HOME SETTING IN THE GARDEN WATCHING THE GRASS GROW AND FADE AWAY. WHO IN THE HELL WANTS TO DIE THAT WAY? NOT ME.

MY OLD SLOGAN: I'D RATHER DIE FROM BURNOUT THAN RUST OUT.

I WANT TO DIE ACTIVE. I DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP SOME MORNING DEAD. IF IT'S MY TIME I WANT IT TO BE WHILE I'M HUNTING OR FISHING OR HAVING :eek: . DAMN IF I WANT TO JUST WAKE UP DEAD. HOW PATHETIC.

ONE OTHER POINT TO PONDER, REMEMBER THERE WERE 29 OTHER CARS BEHIND DANICA SUCKING HIND TIT TRYING TO CATCH UP. AND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN SOME OF THEM HAD YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.

AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED IT WAS A WIN FOR DANICA AND HER CREW AND OWNERS. I WILL NOT BE CONVINCED OTHERWISE. AND I'M A HARD HEADED KRAUT.

ONE OF OUR POSTERS HERE HAS IT NAILED; THE ONE ABOUT ARRIVING AT THE GRAVESITE, BURNED OUT, TOTALLY USED UP, BROKEN AND SLIDING IN SIDEWAYS, AND SAYING "WOW WHAT A RIDE". THATS A LIFE.

I'M LIKE A PIT BULL WITH A SOUP BONE, I WON'T LET GO. IF YOU WANT TO ARGUE SOME LET ME KNOW; I FIGURE I GOT 20 OR 30 GOOD YEARS LEFT TO ARGUE. THAT IS IF THE GOOD LORDS WILLIN'. ;)

[rubicon]

Saw an interview with Danica and her parents yesterday. Seems she comes from a racing family. Both parents raced and her little sister and her have raced go carts since a young age. She came across as a very talented, humble, and intellegent young lady. Gave thanks to her crew, admitted to her mistakes but also said it was the first time for her in a race of that magnitude and she would learn from those mistakes. After all , she did set a record and just like the ladies running the Idetorod I say hats off to them for trying to concour new fronteers.

[gregarat]

Popplecop,

She's a Wisconsin girl, what do expect?
I know what you mean. I got me one of them:D!


Now, I gota convert her from a Greenbay fan into a Steelers fan. If thats even posible.

[BILLY D.]

RUBICON,

I COULDN'T EVEN IMAGINE THE PRESSURE THAT YOUNG LADY WAS FACING. 200,000 FANS HER CREW, HER MOM AND DAD, AND EVERY WOMAN IN AMERIA AND A FEW OF US GUYS, FIANC'E, UNBELIEVEABLE. SHE IS JUST SUPER. SOOOO MANY PEOPLE DEPENDING ON HER. AND SHE PULLED IT OFF.

SHE WILL BE AMERICAS SWEETHEART. I JUST HOPE AND PRAY NOTHING BAD HAPPENS TO HER, BUT THE WAY SHE HANDLES A CAR IS JUST SOMETHING TO BEHOLD.

[fabsroman]

Billy,

I am not saying that she is a bad driver, and I believe I said that above. She has done well but she did make rookie mistakes, I stated that above. Only time will tell how good a driver she is. Let's keep in mind that a lot about car racing has to do with the car and how well it runs. I don't care how good a driver you are, you aren't going to win if you are driving a donkey while the others are in cars.

I will agree that it seems that Danica is a classy lady based upon what comments of hers I have read, but to determine that somebody is classy based upon what we see on TV is pretty shallow. If she were a piece of manure, she probably wouldn't have a ride for very long. Same thing goes for Nascar. Those guys and gals all represent some major manufacturer and no major manufacturer wants a piece of manure to have its name on it.

Do you guys realize what we are doing here? We are doing exactly what the race promoters want us to do. We are jumping on the band wagon because of this. We are paying attention to a race that we normally wouldn't. At least I am. It is quite amusing. I sometimes wonder if things like this are fixed (e.g., allow Danica to have engine mods that are outside the rules). Sometimes I wonder about all of professional sports because there is way too much money involved in them nowadays.

Why is it that her story is so enthralling and you believe she is under a lot more pressure than anybody else out there? Because they want you to think that. Do we know everybody else's story? Maybe one of those other drivers is on the verge of losing his ride. Maybe one of them has to do well to stay in the house his family is in. There is no saying what pressure the rest of the drivers are under because you do not know, and why is that, because it doesn't make quite as compelling a story.

As far as arguing goes, I get paid to do it, so you could kind of say I am a professional.

As far as the post you refer to, I believe it was Rocky Raab that posted that somewhere on here a while ago and I completely agree with it, unless of course you happen to be dead from your actions at a young age and you are leaving some young children behind. My brother is a year younger than me and he is a thrill seeker. Plenty of motorcycle, 4 wheeler, and car wrecks along with broken bones and hospital visits. Something tells me that when he is your age (i.e., 70), he will be wishing that he didn't do all that stuff because that is when he will probably have to deal with the aches and pains. Then again, I am continuously praying to God that he will make it to 70. He has had plenty of near escapes from death over the past 15 years.

There is a fine line between using a body up before passing on and destroying it early and passing on before your time. I could continue on this subject, but won't.

[Rocky Raab]

That wasn't my line - it's somebody's sig line. I forget who.

It's an interesting philosophy, although there's something to be said for gradually developing a contemplative, somewhat bemused outlook as we age.

Physical activity is one thing, and I hope that I'll be capable of it for many decades to come, but what I dread most is mental deterioration.


Geez, look what I went and done - turned an upbeat post about a vivacious young woman into a dirge. To compensate...

She's fabulous. Look how well she did despite making mistakes. Imagine how she'll finish without an error! I hope the media can stop concentrating on her looks and those "pinup" pictures she did. But maybe those were rookie mistakes, too. She'll outgrow them.

[BILLY D.]

FABS

I'LL ANSWER BY PARAGRAPH.

P#1.SURPRISE, SURPRISE. THE BEST PREPARED CARS USUALLY DO WIN RACES. THAT ALSO HOLDS TRUE FOR THE MOST EXPENSIVE AND BEST EQUIPMENT.

P#2. WHAT DO YOU MEAN "SEEMS" CLASSY. SHES NEVER BEEN IN ANY TROUBLE, THAT WE KNOW OF ANYWAY, SHES SQUEAKY CLEAN. WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED.

P#3. YOUR DARNED RIGHT I REALIZE WHAT I'M DOING. I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING INDY CAR RACING SINCE I ATTENDED MY FIRST INDY 500. THE SWEETEST SOUND IN THE WORLD IS A FORD COSWORTH RUNNING AT 11 GRAND TO ME. ALTHOUGH THE RICE BURNER ENGINES HAVE TAKEN OVER. I WAS A FAN OF FORMULA 1 WHEN I WAS STATIONED IN GERMANY AND I WAS AT THE NURBURGRING THE DAY NIKKI LAUDA HAD HIS HORRIFIC CRASH. I'VE BEEN TO MONACO, SPA FRANCORCHAMPS. I LOVE ROAD RACING.

P#4. WHY IS THIS STORY SO ENTHRALLING? YOUR REALLY STARTING TO AGRAVATE ME NOW. QUOTE FROM TOM SELLECK,QUIGLEY.
FIRST SHES A WOMAN, DIDN'T WE PREVIOUSLY COVER THAT?
SECOND SHE IS AN ALL AMERICAN MIDWEST GIRL ALBEIT SEVERAL YEARS IN BRITISH DRIVING SCHOOLS TUTORED BY LYN ST. JAMES AND OTHERS. IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND AS TO TAKE NOTICE THE LACK OF AMERICAN DRIVERS IN THE INDY 500. MOST ARE SOUTH AMERICAN, EUROPEAN, ETC. DO THE NAMES WHELDON, CASTRONEVES, MEIRA, FRANCHETTI MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU? THERE ARE LESS THAN A DOZEN DRIVERS IN THE "INDY" RACING LEAGUE THAT ARE AMERICANS.

AS FOR BEING ABLE TO TAKE PRESSURE, SHE PROVED SHE CAN DO IT.

AS FOR ANY OF THOSE PEOPLE LOSING A RIDE, WELL BOO HOO HOO. I'M SURE SHE KNOWS IF HER PERFORMANCE LEVEL DROPS OFF SHE WILL BE DISMISSED.

THAT WASD ALMOST AS GOOD A STATEMENT AS ROBBIE GORDON MADE TODAY. HE SAID HE WOULD NOT RACE AGAINST HER BECAUSE SHE ONLY WEIGHS 100# AND HER CAR IS LIGHTER AND FASTER. SNIFF. SNIFF. TALK ABOUT WALKING UP YOUR NECKTIE WITH YOUR GOLF SHOES ON. THAT BOY HAS SNORTED TO MANY GAS FUMES.

P#5. N/A

P#6I DID NOT MEAN TO IMPLY I OR ANOTHER PERSON SHOULD BE SUICIDAL IN THEIR LIFE CHOICES, I MERELY MEANT TO SAY I DON'T WANT TO CROAK DO TO PARALYSIS. AND YES I'M STILL REMINDED OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBAL INJURIES, DO I REGRET IT. NOPE.

I'M DONE FOR THE DAY. MY HAND IS KILLING ME.

NIGHTY, NIGHT.

[Classicvette63]

Personally, I was turned off by all the hype in the preceding days. All the talking heads on tv said she should be treated as an equal to men and the same as men, BUT when was the last time anyone cared who came in fourth? I'm glad she did well and she seems like a nice person. I'm a little cynical at the motivations of big business, especially a big business that is in deep trouble like indy car racing. Too much hype and spin in everything these days for my tastes. I do wish her well though.

[fabsroman]

Billy,

Classic understood my point in paragraph #4. Personally, I could have cared less about Indy Car racing or Formula 1 racing. I used to watch the stuff when I was a kid, but not much recently. However, I have been watching a little bit of NASCAR lately including the truck series. The only reason I followed this is because it was all over the internet and people happened to be talking about (i.e., my dad, my brothers, my future mother in-law).

My point about other people losing their rides if they didn't perform was to show that other drivers could have been under immense pressure too, not just Danica Patrick. Other drivers might have had to deal with much more pressure than Danica, but you congratulate her for handling the pressure well. However, only her media induced pressure was advertized because it made the story all the better. Were there any other rookie drivers in the Indy 500? How come we haven't heard about them? Then again, maybe there weren't any.

What I hate is all the press that women get when they are trying to enter the men's category. A Navy fighter pilot was pushed through flight school because the Navy was under pressure to have women fighter pilots. Guess what she did with her F-14 the first time off the carrier? She stalled the plane and both her and her REO had to eject as the plane was spinning and falling. The REO ejected while the plane was at a 90 degree angle to the water and he skipped along it for a little while. The female pilot ejected while the plane was at a 180 degrees to the horizon and she ejected straight into the water. Needless to say, she didn't live.

As I said earlier, women are better than men at certain things and it looks like car racing might be one of them since women in general are lighter than men. I am all for having no more womens leagues and combining all the sports into a single one. Mia Hamm should play with all the guys. There shouldn't be any women's basketball league, etc. If women want to race cars, they should have their own league so there will be no squacking about an unfair advantage. They want their own leagues when it suits them, but not in this case. Then again, with the limited number of fans that follow Indy Cars nowadays, they probably couldn't generate enough interest for a female circuit. How come Danica couldn't race in the NASCAR series which is much more popular? Is that just not her type of racing or is it that she isn't good enough. I also realize that most of the Indy Car drivers are foreigners, but most, if not all, of the NASCAR drivers are American.

What I find hilarious is that you posted only about Danica Patrick and didn't congratulate the winner of the Indy 500. So be it. Yes, Danica is a great driver, but does she deserve all this press for finishing 4th in the Indy 500? NO. Did she deserve all the press she received before the start of the race? DEFINITELY NOT.

Hell, I cannot even remember the name of the winner now. I can only remember that Michael Andretti was the team owner.

[Tater]

I'm with you, Vette: I usually can't stand anything that's been hyped up. The only reason I turned it to the 500 was because I was between episodes of American Chopper and was curious to see how things were going. I'd heard that Danica was racing and was interested to see how she'd handle herself. I was a little skeptical myself but when I saw how she drove I was hypnotized. I think she's just what this sport needs to bring it back to life. Seems like Indy had fallen behind NASCAR in the last dozen years and maybe she can breath some life back into it. God knows I wouldn't mind her breathing some life into me.

[BILLY D.]

FABS

THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT. I COULDN'T RESIST.

THE WINNER WAS ...........................................................................

DAN WHELDON FROM ENGLAND. AN DTHE NEXT TWO PLACES WERE ALSO FOREIGNERS.

[popplecop]

gregarat, Don't even go down that slippery slope. I have a real problem, married to a Wisconsin gal for 43 years, and the ultimate insult: she's a vikings fan. YUK, but after 43 years I grin and bear it.

[fabsroman]

Thanks Billy, that jogged my memory.

As far as Indy Cars catching up to NASCAR, they have a very long way to go. If I am not mistaken, NASCAR is the biggest sport in this country right now and it is probably still growing. NASCAR probably appeals to most middle Americans because it reminds them of themselves with cars that they can possibly be driving themselves. Indy seems to be the rich man's car racing.

By the way, what is CART? Is CART the American league and Formula 1 the European league of open wheel racing? Also, wasn't there a split of the American circuit several years ago which caused the down fall of the sport in America? I think I remember my brother telling me something to that effect.

[BILLY D.]

FABS

GLAD I COULD HELP YOUR MEMORY.

YES THERE WAS A SPLIT IN INDY TYPE RACING WITH CHAMPIONSIP AUTO RACING TEAMS, CART AND THE IRL. AT THAT TIME I WASN'T PARTICULARY INTO THE RACING SCENE, I WAS RAISING 5 KIDS ON MY OWN, DOING MY JOB IN THE MILITARY AND CHASING SKIRTS ON THE SIDE. I'M SURPRISED I'M STILL ALIVE.

FROM WHAT I CAN RECALL THE WHOLE THING STARTED OVER THE COSWORTH ENGINE, BY THE WAY, I AM A RED, WHITE AND BLUE DIED IN THE WOOL FORD RACING FAN, HENCE MY ADMIRATION FOR LYN ST. JAMES AND HER HOOK UP WITH, HERES THOSE WORDS AGAIN, DANICA PATRICK. LYN WAS A GREAT ROAD RACER, AND FORD WAS BURNING UP THE TRACKS IN THOSE DAYS. ALSO THEY DID FAIR TO MIDDLIN' IN NASCAR WITH DRIVERS LIKE ALLISON, PEARSON, YARBROUGH, THE WOOD BROTHERS AND SUCH.

ONE FACTION OF INDY WANTED DIFFERENT BODY STYLES AND RICEBURNER ENGINES AND THE OTHER FACTION NO RICEBURNERS AND ONE BODY STYLE SO THE TWO FACTIONS SPLIT, TOOK THEIR MARBLES HOME AND SPLIT TOTALLY AND CUT THEIR OWN THROATS. NEITHER SUCCEEDED IN BEING AS SUCCESSFUL AS ORIGINAL INDY RACING. TECHNICALLY THEY ARE STILL BLEEDING TODAY.

FORMULA 1 IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALL GAME. ACTUALLY FOR THE FANS IT'S PARTY TIME. THE OLD TRACKS WERE LAYED OUT ON ACTUAL PUBLIC HIGHWAYS THAT WERE CLOSED FOR RACING. THERE ARE SEATS FOR THE FANS AT THE START FINISH LINE BUT OTHER THAN THAT THERE WERE AREAS AROUND THE TRACK AT SPECIAL PLACES FOR CAMPING, VIEWING THE RACE, REFRESHMENTS, AND LATRINES. AT NURBURGRING, THE TRACK WAS, IF I A'M NOT MISTAKEN 17 K LONG. YOU ONLY SEEN THE LEAD PACK OF CARS FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN IT WAS BACK TO DRINKING BEER, EATING BRATWURST AND LISTENING TO THE RACE ON THE LOUDSPAKERS. THAT WAS WHY NIKKI LAUDAS CRASH WAS SO TERRIBLE. IT TOOK SO LONG FOR THE SAFETY AND MEDICAL TEAMS TO GET THERE. AFTER THAT RACE THE SAFETY OFFICALS OF F-1 REASSED THEIR GOALS. THE TRACK IS NOW MUCH SHORTER. I WASN'T A LAUDA FAN BUT AT THE SAME TIME YOU DON'T WANT ANYONE KILLED OR INJURED EITHER. I WAS A JOHN PLAYER SPECIAL FAN AT THAT TIME. THEY HAD THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CARS YOU'VE EVER SEEN, ALL BLACK WITH GOLD OUTLINES AND THAT GREAT FORD ENGINE IN THE REAR. WHAT A TIME FOR A FORD LOVER. LIKE I SAID I ALWAYS LOVED OPEN WHEEL AND ROAD RACING.

I HOPE MY INFO HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT ACCURATE, IF NOT I'M SURE SOMEONE ELSE WILL HELP US OUT. THATS WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR.

WHILE I'M ON THIS SUBJECT......AGAIN, I KNOW THERE ARE A FEW LADIES ON THIS FORUM AND NOT ONE OF THEM HAS JUMPED IN TO HELP ME OUT. GEEEEEEEEEZ, GIRLS, I NEEDED SOME HELP AND YA HUNG ME OUT TO DRY. OF COURSE MAYBE THEY AREN'T RACE FANS. I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT. I WAS JUST LOOKING FOR AN INTERCHANGE OF IDEAS ABOUT THE SUBJECT.

I THINK PLACING DANICA IN THE SPOTLIGHT IS A GOOD THING, CAN SHE OUT ARM WRESTLE THE GUYS, PROBABLY NOT, THATS NOT THE POINT, CAN SHE OUT DRIVE THEM, DEFINITELY.

I THINK ANY FRESH FACE ON THE SPORTS SCENE IS A POSITIVE. ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE SQUEAKY CLEAN. LOOK AT THE UPROAR JEFF GORDON CAUSED WHEN HE BURST ON THE SCENE. OTHER THAN BROOKE PROBLEMS HE'S DONE A GREAT JOB. I HEAR HE HAD A SMALL PROBLE AT THE CUBS GAME THE OTHER DAY THOUGH. :o
MAYBE HE'S JUST NOT A SINGER. BY THE WAY.....I'M NOT A GORDON FAN EITHER.

WELL TIME TO TAKE MOOSEBREATH ON HIS DAILY RUN. THAT DOG IS KILLING ME. OR MAYBE HE'S KEEPING ME HONEST. :D

IF I AIN'T BACK BY 1900HRS CALL 911.......PLEASE. :rolleyes:

[fabsroman]

Billy,

Did you actually name the dog Moosebreath? I thought his name was Fitz or something to that effect.

I will agree that new faces are good for sports. Kind of like Freddie Adu in soccer. There was so much hype about him being great at such a young age and possibly being the next Pele. We'll have to wait and see about that one.

Then there is basketball with Len Bias. He was supposed to bring a spark to the NBA and he up and died from a cocaine overdose. However, Michael Jordan was in the same college graduating class as Len Bias and Michael Jordan turned out to be the big star. Kind of makes you wonder about what it would have been like had Len Bias lived and played against Jordan in the NBA. They should have actually played against each other in college because Jordan was a North Carolina Tarheel and Bias was a Maryland Terp (i.e., both teams were in the ACC conference).

Essentially, sports leagues try to promote the best thing they have going on. For instance, after the early 90's strike in baseball, a lot of fans were pissed off. About the only thing baseball had going for it was that Cal Ripken was on the verge of breaking Lou Gerig's record for the most consecutive games played of something around 3,000. Boy did Major League Baseball hype that stuff up after the strike was over. I won't even get into baseball's extremely lax steroid testing while the home run records were being broken left and right in the late 90's. I remember how wowed baseball fans were that the records were being broken. Now, there are several allegations that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were on the juice when they broke the records. How does their breaking the record compare to the record that Roger Merris held.

As I stated before, sports leagues have way too much money riding on their continued existance. That is why I think there is way too much corruption involved. Hence, the reason I tend to follow a lot less of it than I used to.

[BILLY D.]

HEY FABS

NO I DID NOT NAME HIM MOOSEBREATH, THATS JUST A NICKNAME, HIS NAME IS FRITZ. I SPENT TOO MUCH TIME IN ALASKA. MOOSE ARE JUST COMMONLY REFERED TO THERE. JUST AN EXPRESSION , MOOSE FACE, MOOSE BUTT ETC. THERE ARE MEESE ALL OVER THERE. UNLESS YOU ARE HUNTING THEM, THEN THE BEST PLACE TO TRY IS DOWNTOWN ANCHORAGE. :cool:

MY DAUGHTER HAS PICTURES OF MOOSE AT THE DRIVE THROUGH OF A BANK AND ANOTHER OF A COW AND HER NEWBORN CALF ON THE FRONT LAWN OF THE HOSPITAL. THERE IS ALSO GREAT SALMON FISHING IN THE CREEK THAT RUNS THROUGH ANCHORAGE.

I AGREE ABOUT THE MONEY IN SPORTS AND WHAT A TURN OFF IT IS. I'M NOT NEARLY THE SPORTS FANATIC I WAS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. IT'S ALL BIG BUSINESS NOW. DON'T BLAME YOU ABOUT FOLLOWING SPORTS, LIKE I SAID I'M NOT THAT WILD ABOUT IT ANYMORE EITHER.

AS FAR AS STEROIDS ARE CONCERNED THE RECORDS SHOULD BE ERASED PREFERABLY, OR ASTERISKED. BONDS, SOSA AND MCGUIRE WOULDN'T MAKE A ZIT ON HANK AARON OR MARIS'S BACKSIDE. OR THE BABE EITHER. YOU DON'T HAVE FOREARMS AND GROW THE WAY THOSE GUYS DID BY PICKING YOUR NOSE.

I'M GONE. GOTTA BURN SOME SUPPER. LATER.

[8X56MS]

For all the hoopla, I was not impressed. She is a good driver, but not a Great driver. Maybe in time, but not now.
I like this take on things:
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8232

frankly, I dont care much for driver-ettes though.

[fabsroman]

Pretty good article.

I always find that there is more than one way to spin something. Heck, I have to do that all the time in my profession.

It is amazing what event and league promoters can do.

[LoneWolf]

articles are good but pictures are worth thousands of words (and whistles):D :rolleyes:

http://www.indymotorspeedway.com/danica.htm

[fabsroman]

LW,

I had seen most of the FHM pics after I read an article about her on Yahoo. However, I didn't get to see the one with her spread across the hood of that car. She is definitely smoking in that one.

There is no denying that she it beautiful, in fact, I will go so far as to say she is hot.

However, I was hoping for pictures showing how she lost control of the car at Indy.

By the way, is that a tatoo on her back? My sister got one when she turned 18 and now that she is 25 she wants to get rid of it.

[BILLY D.]

HEY FABS

SHE ALREADY SAID HOW SHE WRECKED. THE GUY IN FRONT CHECKED UP AND SHE SAID SHE WAS OVERDRIVING AND HIT HIM.

IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY SHE APOLOGIZED TO THE OTHER DRIVER.

NOW QUIT TRYING TO GRIND HER INTO THE PAVEMENT AND LOOK AT THE PRETTY PICTURES.:D

MY PULSE RATE WENT UP 30 POINTS. :rolleyes:

LONEWOLF

THANX FOR POSTING THE PICTURES. I THOUGHT ABOUT IT BUT DIDN'T WANT TO LABELED A SEXIST PIG. I FIGURED I'D GET IN ENOUGH TROUBLE JUST CONGRATULATING HER CALLING HER A GOOD DRIVER.

[fabsroman]

Billy,

Imagine how much I would have stirred the pot if you had posted the pictures.

I did read somewhere that she felt as though the car slowed up in front of her, but that she would have to look at the video to figure it all out. Kind of tells me that she wasn't completely sure about it. Plus, what does it matter if they guy slowed up, shouldn't she have seen the brake lights. LOL




I know the cars don't have brake lights, just thought I would pull your chain a little.




For the umpteen time, I will say that she did pretty good for a rookie, but only time will tell if she is a great driver or not. Everybody has good days and bad days, but accomplishments are measured over years, not merely 4 or 5 races.

[BILLY D.]

FABS

MY POINT PRECISLY ABOUT THE PICTURES. I GUESS I'M A LITTLE OLD FASHIONED IN SOME WAYS. IF YOU HAVE TO SELL YOUR PRODUCT WITH SEX YOU HAVE A ADVERTISING AND PR PROBLEM.

I BASED MY ASSESSMENT OF HER FROM THE INTERVIEW SHE HAD WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. #1 SHE DRESSED LIKE A LADY, NOT A HOOKER. #2 HER SPEAKING WAS VERY ELOQUENT, NOT EVEN THE HINT A BAD WORD. #3 HER MATURITY, NO TEENEY BOPPER TALK. AND SHE CARRIED HERSELF WELL. #4, JUST AIN'T NO OTHER WAY TO SAY IT, SHE IS ONE FINE LOOKING HAMMER.

YOUR THEORY ON THE BRAKE LIGHTS IS NOT THAT FAR OFF BASE. THE CARS THAT RUN ROAD RACING EVENTS SUCH AS SEBRING AND LE MANS AND FORMULA CARS HAVE HEADLIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHTS. NO I'M NOT GOING TO USE THAT AS AN EXCUSE FOR HER. SHE SAID SHE BLEW IT. THAT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE ON HER PART ALSO.

I THINK SHE DID OUTSTANDING AS A ROOKIE. AND I HAVE TO AGREE:( WITH YOUR POINT ABOUT IF SHE IS A GREAT DRIVER. AS A ROOKIE DEFINITELY, AS A GREAT DRIVER LIKE VUKOVICH, SWEIKERT, GURNEY, FOYT, ANDRETTI, CLARK, HILL, OR THE UNSERS, NO SHE HAS NOT REACHED THAT LEVEL YET.

ALTHOUGH AT THE SAME TIME CAREER WISE THOSE GUYS WEREN'T AS GOOD AS HER. BUT DUE TO THE CHANGE IN TRAINING AND RACE EXPERIENCE SHE IS AHEAD. THATS NO FAULT OF THOSE DRIVERS. LETS FACE IT THE EQUIPMENT IS JUST SOOOO MUCH BETTER NOWADAYS. DRIVER EDUCATION IS TOO. AND THE PIT CREWS THESE DAYS ARE FILLED WITH ENGINEERING TYPES.
LOOK AT RYAN NEWMAM IN NASCAR, HE HAS A MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEGREE FROM PURDUE. THESE PEOPLE AREN'T THE TYPE PEOPLE WHO PICK THEIR NOSE AND WIPE IT ON THEIR SHIRT.

I SAY DANICA IS A GREAT ROOKIE, WILL SHE BE A GREAT DRIVER OVER THE YEARS, AS YOU SAY ONLY TIME WILL TELL. I AGREE.

BUT FOR THE TIME BEING, SHE IS FINER THAN FROG FUR, AND CUTER THAN A BOX OF SPECKLED PUPS. I ONLY WISH HER THE BEST IN THE FUTURE. SHE HAS THE TALENT, CAN SHE STICK AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO USE IT?

[fabsroman]

Well put Billy, I can't find anything to disagree with in that post.

However, I remember listening to Britney Spears being interviewed on the radio when she was 16 or so. I was in law school so that must have been 7+ years ago. She sounded pretty mature and value oriented. She was saying how she wanted to be a virgin on her wedding day. Now look at her. A complete disaster.

There is another thread on here about responsibility and how the stars lack it. Hopefully, Danica will be able to overcome this problem. Seems like she is on her way by taking responsibility for the accident. I'll be following what she does to see how everything turns out. Hopefully, the open wheel league will be around long enough for her to do something.

[muledeer]

Isn't anyone interested in the '57 Chevy??:D
muledeer

[BILLY D.]

FABS

YOUR REMARKS ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY ARE DEAD ON. IT WILL BE INTERESTING IN THE FUTURE TO SEE HOW SHE HANDLES STARDOM.

WE ARE BOTH FAMILIAR WITH THE OLD ADAGE ABOUT POWER AND CORRUPTION. THE FUTURE WILL BE A REAL TEST OF HER MATURITY. I GUESS I JUST EXPECT SOOO MUCH FROM HER BECAUSE I LIKE HER SO MUCH. I'M OVERWHELMED.

HAVE YOU EVER GOTTEN A CLOSE UP LOOK, IN PERSON, WITH AN INDY OR F-1 CAR? THEY ARE TRULY MARVELS TO BEHOLD. THEIR FRAILITY AND DAINTINESS ARE INCOMPREHENSIBLE. HOW YOU COULD HIT A BUG AT 200MPH AND NOT HAVE THE CAR CRUMBLE IS UNBELIEVABLE. THEY ARE TRUE WORKS OF ART AND PRECISION.

TAKE CARE.

[BILLY D.]

HEY MULEDEER

NOT UNLESS IT'S PRETTY, SMART, DRIVES LIKE HELL AND HAS BOOOOBS. :eek:

LOAD TOADS NEVER CHANGE. LOL