We’re well into college football season, and I work in college athletics, so… yep it’s safe to say I’ve been pretty busy. But never fear PinkCleat faithful , I’ve got you covered on the top stories. We’re going to try a new format for this post- ”three and three.” I get three sentences to describe the headline, and will provide you with three sentences for use in conversation if the topic comes up at your tailgate, and you have no idea what to say. This will be a challenge for me, as I lovelovelove to talktalktalk (or writewritewrite), but this can be your go to link this weekend if you want to sound sport savvy. So, here goes…
The Death of Dan Wheldon
Story: Racecar driver Dan Wheldon (33) died following a 15-car wreck on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The death of the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and father of two, has been attributed to blunt trauma to the head. The debate following Wheldon’s untimely death is whether or not open-wheel, open-cockpit, IndyCars are safe on oval tracks like the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
What to say: Even NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson is opposed to racing IndyCars on oval tracks. The cars just go too fast for the oval track, which causes turbulence. I heard Danica Patrick and Dario Franchitti are leaving IndyCar racing for NASCAR.
College Football Conference Re-Alignment
Story: Conference realignment is a big story in college football. The better the conference you are in, the more money you earn from lucrative conference-wide television deals and from split bowl payouts. Many feel there will be a “natural selection” phenomenon of sorts, in which the strongest conferences gain members and the weaker conferences become extinct.
What to say: The SEC wants a new TV market, so that is why they offered membership to Missouri (who will likely make the move) over the better cultural fits of Clemson or FSU. The ACC will become an even more dominant basketball powerhouse by adding Syracuse and Pitt. TCU going to the Big 12 makes more sense than their original plan to join the Big East, which by title, doesn’t make sense for a team from Texas.
NBA Still Locked Out
Story: The NBA is still in a lockout, but nobody is really paying attention because it is football season. A portion of the season has already been canceled and more games could be called off if there isn’t a resolution soon. Twenty-two of the 30 NBA teams are losing money, so the owners want to have a cap on amount of dollars that can be spent by each team toward salaries, take home more of the shared revenue, and axe guaranteed contracts, while the players are obviously against all of these points.
What to say: Looks like the NBA owners want a collective bargaining agreement that is more like the NFL model. Considering the NFL is the most successful sports league in America, maybe it isn’t such a bad plan. I mean, why should players get guaranteed contracts and make millions even if they don’t pan out?!
The Handshake Dilemma
Story: After San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz got into it during their post game handshake, football enthusiasts are debating whether the post game handshake should become a tradition of the past. Vanderbilt coach James Franklin and UGA Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham also had to be separated last weekend. Apparently even grown men cannot be civil in the heat of the moment.
What to say: I think the handshake is essential to teaching their players about the importance of sportsmanship and also how to handle a loss with grace and humility. However, this is an emotional sport and sometimes losses, especially close ones, hit hard. Maybe they should keep the tradition with a twist and have them shake hands in the media room after cooling off in the locker room.
2011 World Series
Story: The St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers will go head-to head in the 2011 World Series. The Rangers are headed back for their second consecutive year. On the flip side, the Cardinals are on this crazy run which saw them getting a wild card spot in the play-offs and now has them headed to the World Series.
What to say: I’m not necessarily a fan of either ball club (unless of course you are and then you have better lines to spout out than me) but you have to like both of their stories. The Rangers took 50 years to make a World Series game (2010) and now they are back for their second time in as many seasons. The Cardinals have the ultimate underdog story where they barely made the play-offs and many are saying they are lucky to even be here, but hey- they could now win a World Series!
