The View From The Hairpin - 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series

I'm doing this off memory (forgot to bring my printouts from TF with me to the library), so it may not exactly match the TF list.

This list counts as confirmed entries per the official Indy 500 entry list (released today - 4/21)

FULL-TIME
AA - 4 (Kanaan, Patrick, M. Andretti)
Penske - 3 (Castroneves, Briscoe, Power)
KVRT - 3 (Moraes, Viso, Sato)
Ganassi - 2 (Dixon, Wheldon)
Coyne - 2 (Lloyd, Duno)
D&R - 2 (Wilson, Conway)
Conquest - 2 (Romancini, Baguette)
DF/LD - 1 (Matos)
Panther - 1 (Wheldon)
Foyt - 1 (Meira)
FAZZT - 1 (Tagliani)
HVM - 1 (De Silvestro)
NHL - 1 (Mutoh)

EXPECTED FULL-TIME
AA - 1 extra (Hunter-Reay)

POSSIBLE LATE-START FULL-TIME
Lotus - 2 (Carroll, Rossiter)

PART-TIME
Fisher - 2 (Fisher/Rahal, Howard) Fisher/Rahal - 10 races, Howard - 5 races
AA - 1 extra (J. Andretti) Kansas, Indy
KVRT - 1 extra (Tracy) Indy, Toronto, Edmonton
DF/LD - 1 extra (Hamilton) Indy, texas, one more oval
D&R - 1 extra (Beatriz/Scheckter?) Brazil, Indy (Indy driver unconfirmed)

POSSIBLE PART-TIME
HVM - 1 extra (Strous) Indy + post-Indy RCs
SFR?/NHL? - 1 extra (Rahal) Kansas, Indy

INDY ONE-OFFS
Foyt - 2 extra (Foyt IV, J. Lazier)
RLR - 1 extra (Servia?/Rahal?)
Vision/Panther - 1 (Carpenter)
D&R - 1 extra (both Beatriz and Scheckter?)
AFS/AA - 1 (Hildebrand)
BHA - 1 (Saavedra)
FAZZT - 1 extra (Junqueira)
3G - 1 (Antinucci)
SSM/Ganassi - 1 (Bell)

AAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let's see where we are as Cleveland sports fans:

Indians - The Tribe are no longer even picking up options on players. If the next CBA goes the players' way, look for Dolan to sell. He seems to be a good man and I'm all but certain that he cares, but he's in over his head. Still, I'd rather have him owning the team than someone who had the team contending, but was looking for a new ballpark already or trying to move the team. Dolan is to the 2000s what Mileti was to the 70s (at least in regards to the Tribe).

Browns - This is an absolute train wreck. I would say that it can't get any worse, but this season has taught me to never say never, especially on the downside. The NFLPA is investigating the coach, the GM has been fired after 1/2 of a season, the team barely sold out a MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAME!, the road unis now include ugly, stripeless brown pants, and are underdogd to the Detroit Lions. Holmgren may be able to turn this around, but if he can't, I have no idea about the future of football in Cleveland.

Cavaliers - Almost losing to an 8-man Warriors side last night notwithstanding, this is the city's lone major league bright spot. As long as they resign Lebron (and any other team with the cap space are counting on Lebron taking less $ to go to a worse team), the future at the Q looks bright.

Next time, a look at Cleveland minor league sports at the twilight of the 2000s.

Is nothing sacred anynmore?!

This rant is something of an update to my prior post. Like all holidays, Crewsmas (Columbus Crew home opener), has drifted from it true meaning. Just as Christmas has morphed from a celebration of the Savior's birth to an occasion to sell "executive gifts" (i.e. dollar store toy mini pool tables with a particleboard casing) and the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln (and MLK to an increasing extent) have ceased to be about celebrating the lives of great Americans as much as about getting a good deal on a mattress, Crewsmas has ceased to be a celebration of the massiveness of the Crew, and has become an excuse for Canadians to riot. But aren't Canadians a peace-loving people? As a rule, yes. But one needs look no further than the supporters' groups of Toronto FC to find the exception. Throwing flares ans smoke bombs on the field, destroying South End seating, and antagonizing Columbus' finest. As if that wasn't enough, there are rumblings that they want to sue the Crew and the City of Columbus. I'm no expert in the American legal system, but I'm pretty sure it's the ones who were attacked, intimidated, and had their property destroyed that have standing to sue, not the perpetrators. Crew matches often become spirited affairs, especially when DC United or Chicago Fire is visiting, but the wannabe-hooligan antics of Pyromaniac FC have raised the crap to the level that I feel comfortable breaking out a four-letter word that makes the US soccer establishment uncomfortable: riot. There I said it. Toronto's supporters incited a full-blown soccer riot on Saturday. For that, they should be placed under a complete travel ban. Harsh, you might say. Thus it is, but flagrant violations of the law and general order deserve harsh punishment. If they can't keep their shtick to nonsensical chants of "This is our house!" (memo to TFC fans: It's not even your country.), they shouldn't be allowed to travel around MLS stadia looking for a fight.

On a brighter note (almost anything would be), the IndyCar Series will have 22 entries for its opener Sunday in St. Pete and 23+ (I'm hoping for and predicting +) at it's second round two weeks later in Long Beach. Both races will air on the Versus network (check your local listings for times).

Until later, good bye from the Woodchuck Hole and remember: chanting - good, throwing flares and destroying seats - bad.

Sleep, Need Sleeep...

Whew! Sleep deprivation does not do much for my mind. Two nights ago I got 3 hours of sleep and last night I had some weird dreams (including one where open records law proponents created a drinking game centered around the evening news to promote their cause, as I said - sleep deprivation = poor brain function, even while asleep)

Another IndyCar season is nearly upon us, hopefully some of the currently questionable entries materialize this week and we'll be able to see 22-24 on the grid next Sunday at St. Pete.

Man, I can't wait for May!

Finally, I'd like to wish any Columbus Crew supporters reading this a MASSIVE CREWSMAS. I'm heading south down I-71 in about an hour, see y'all at Hunt Park!

Until then, goodbye from the Woodchuck Hole and remember, You can fool all of the people some of the time, and you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. However, former Cuyahoga County Sheriff Gerald McFaul came as close as anybody I've seen so far.

I'm back again!

Sorry for not posting for so long, but I'm back (fall semester was rough).

Look for updates soon!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

Sorry for the long layoff. I was on vacation followed by getting re-acclimated to grad school. I'll have my thoughts on the Olympics and the political conventions in later posts (If you think I'm re-hashing the mess that was Browns training camp, you're nuts!) Today's post will just be a few random thoughts.

Congrats to:

- City for winning the Second Division title
- The Captains for making the playoffs
- The Aeros for being two wins away from the EL title (Game 3 tonight at 6:05 in Trenton and on 1350 AM with pregame at 5:50.)

- Sarah Palin may be just the boost McCain needed to energize the GOP's conservative base and take the election.

- NASCAR is all set for the chase. This should be fun. Granted, it would be more fun if they were running the old "aero" cars and had a true points race, but it's all that's left to watch in the way of 1 mile+ oval racing now that IndyCar's season is over (there is a non-points race Oct. 26th, but that's a street race).

That reminds me: Congrats to ICS Champion Scott Dixon!

That's all I can think of right now. By the way, some of the Hairpin's handiwork will be on display in Downtown Cleveland beginning next month. Along the new "Euclid Corridor HealthLine" transit line on Euclid Ave., there will be touch-screens with pictures and sound bites on Cleveland history. The sound bites on the Cleveland Arena are from an interview I conducted and I was heavily involved in the photo selection process.

That's all for now, see ya soon!

Pro Football HOF weekend

The HOF game was pretty interesting this year. There was the sheer irony of Peyton Manning missing a game in NE Ohio (think week 17, last season), the Colts onside kick to start the game and the new year of professional outdoor football, and the colts frantic attempt to come back at the end. Friday was pretty cool, too. I visited the Hall of Fame (If you haven't been there recently, it's worth another visit. There's been a lot of changes in the past year.) and attended the Browns scrimmage, which was awesome until it degenerated into karaoke night between the scrimmage and the fireworks show. I have this strange feeling that Paul Brown would never have stood for the Browns field being used in such a way.

By the way, the hall had an excellent exhibit on pro football and patriotism (players/owners in military, NFL in wartime) that will be on tour soon. No specifics on when and where yet, but I'll keep y'all up to date.

Speaking of historical displays, I should be able to divulge details soon of where you can see a historical exhibit for which I was, in veeeeeeery small part, responsible (this was my secondary project, my primary project is a little farther from yielding any public displays).

Earth to Ryan Garko, Earth to Garko, do you copy?

I have narrowly averted two sports debacles in the past month. I was seriously considering attending Crew v. West Ham (West Ham fans started a melee in the section where I was going to sit) and the Brickyard 400 (the saddest excuse for a stock car race EVER due to worthless tires) but changed plans at the last second.

NBA schedule is out. Cavaliers open 10/28 @ Boston, the Bobcats are in Cleveland two nights later for the Cavs' return to the Q. Celtics are here 1/9 and 4/12, Lakers are here 2/8, and since I know that at least one Jazz fan reads this blog, Utah's at the Q on 11/15.

talk to y'all later!