Gentlemen, Drink...Your...Schaefer!

Once again, its time for a new racing season. When the NASCAR season ends each November, I'm pretty well burned out as a fan and jaded about the direction NASCAR is going. But when the calendar hits February 1 again, I get a little pick-em-up in my step and the fever begins again. Of course, the only cure is more cowbell and lots more Schaefer.

Its been a really tough, cold winter for many in the country. While I've been waiting for racing to return, part of my time has been occupied with a traditional, cold-weather sport: hockey. And what did I find through a bit of research? Schaefer!

That's right - Nolan Schaefer played goalie for Providence (RI) College.

Source: http://sports.webshots.com/photo/1238990031059424929qZQPkt

He was drafted by the San Jose Sharks, traded to a couple of other teams, and then landed with the Boston Bruins. From there, he was assigned beginning last season to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.

Source: 560XLS's Flickr Set

When snow and brutally cold temps tried to choke the life out of the Midwest, Atlantic Coast, and New England states, Cleveland's SHOFer Uncle Dave said "screw this" and left for parts unknown.

When I asked him his location when he sent me this photo, his reply was typical Uncle D:

HAD TO CHANGE LATITUDE FOR A WHILE.
DOWN TO THE TROPICAL SUN
SOUTH OF THE BORDER
LEFT NO FORWARDING ADDRESS.
RUNNING FROM THE IRS SPENDING MY TAKE.
DRINKING MARGA-SCHAEFERS AND DOIN' SHRIMP BOILS ON THE BEACH.
MAYBE I'LL BE BACK....

Standing between the Arctic chill of January and the return to Daytona in February was Super Bowl XLV. As expected, the SHOF and SROH had a Schaeferiffic time.

SROH Bruton served up some steak and a loaded tater. Some menu tips for others looking to copy Bruton: Schaefer is mandatory. A-1 on steak is optional.

SROH Rev. Randy rolled with a bit of non-traditional, Super Bowl offering: a healthy meal. Looks like he took in a veggie pizza with a side of carrot sticks.

SHOF co-founder and executive committee member, Philly, introduced Schaefer to a neighbor. I have no clue what the hats are supposed to represent or who provided them. My job is simply to blog the Schaefer experiences.

The game itself was a pretty good one I suppose. Two legendary teams. No true underdog. No real "personal interest stories" emerged. No American hero. No cheerleaders. Just the Cheeseheads vs. Steeltown. If I'd had my druthers, I would have preferred the Chicago Bears made the trip instead of Green Bay. But maybe I'm just channeling my inner Jake or Elwood Blues.

But now its time. The cars have returned. The Shootout and qualifying are over. Dale Jr. is on the pole. All is (temporarily) right with Amp Nation again. The twins run Thursday, and the main event gets underway Sunday afternoon.

So to get settled in that racing zone, crack a Schaef and feel the thunder of engines as they roar to life...

OK, now we're talking. Thanks to John Betts of RacersReunion.com for allowing me to share the above photo of Joe Ruttman's Schaefer/Mechanics Union #45 Pontiac.

So when the grand marshal belts those famous words, Gentlemen - Start Your Engines, I encourage you gentlemen (and the ladies too) to Drink...Your...Schaefer. If you need to bum a couple, I'm sure Bruton will be glad to oblige.

TMC

N(HL)ASCAR

Wednesday, most countries released their hockey team rosters for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games. Friday - New Year's Day - the National Hockey League will play their Winter Classic at famed Fenway Park in Boston.

So this seemed as good a time as any for me to make my pitch for the 2 sports I enjoy the most to get hitched. I grew up watching NASCAR. One of my uncles introduced me to it when I was 9 years old, and I've never looked back.

Other sports are fun to follow I guess. I follow many of them nominally just to stay informed. Baseball, the NBA, or even pro or college football - except to be an admitted fair-weather fan of local teams - has never knocked my socks off like racing. The only thing that now rivals my interest in racing is hockey.

As someone who has grown accustomed to trying to have my eyes follow action all over the track, hockey was appealing from the get-go. The speed of the game, the bone-crushing checks, the improv on both offense and defense, and odd-man rush toward the goal on one end of the ice while a scrum breaks out on the other end, etc. all mesh with my enjoyment of racing.

Over the last couple of years I've wondered about the possibilities of how NASCAR and the NHL can benefit one another. No question about it - both leagues want to expand their market share especially in non-traditional markets for both.

When George Gillett bought Evernham Motorsports and later Petty Enterprises, I was certain an NHL sponsorship package was nearby. Gillett owned the Montreal Canadiens, was a respected sports and business guy, and was now here in racing. But then, Gillett sold the Canadiens, and the partnership never materialized.

Its rare for one sport to use another sport to market/promote itself. In the early years of Joe Gibbs Racing, Dale Jarrett wore helmets with the logos of different NFL teams. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was sponsored a few times by MLB for the World Series and All-Star Game including most famously when he won the summer 2001 Daytona race following his father's death earlier that year.

But I think both racing and hockey are in a unique situation where I think cross-league marketing will work. Both are still considered largely niche sports. Pools for Super Bowl picks or NCAA March Madness Final Four brackets are an annual occurrence. Yankees, anti-Yankees, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Red Sox, etc. still generate a lot of chatter around my workplace. Those of us who debate the Daytona 500 winner or predicted Cup champ number less than a dozen. And virtually no one around our place is bowing up over who is better - Ovechkin v. Crosby v. Sedin or Brodeur v. Kiprusoff v. Nabokov. So both racing and hockey have the opportunity to rub off a bit on each other's fan base and grow the interest level and excitement for both.

Consider the common markets for NASCAR and the NHL. I believe the NHL has a great opportunity to develop new fans within the NASCAR stands by rotating different skins on a car from race to race. For example, consider where NHL teams could be promoted thoughout the 30+ race NASCAR Cup season:

• Atlanta - Atlanta Thrashers
• Charlotte - Carolina Hurricanes
• Chicagoland - Chicago Blackhawks
• Daytona - Tampa Bay Lightning
• Dover - Philadelphia Flyers
• Fontana - LA Kings / Anaheim Ducks
• Phoenix - Phoenix Coyotes
• Homestead - Florida Panthers
• Kansas City - St. Louis Blues
• Loudon - Boston Bruins / Toronto Maple Leafs
• Michigan - Detroit Red Wings - even Brian Keselowski gets it. He ran a Wings scheme in the Nationwide race at Charlotte back in May.

• Pocono - Pittsburgh Penguins
  
• Richmond - Washington Capitals
• Sonoma - San Jose Sharks
• Talladega - Nashville Predators
• Texas - Dallas Stars
• Watkins Glen - Buffalo Sabres, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils
  
• Montreal (Nationwide race) - Montreal Canadiens
  

For NASCAR markets without a nearby team (Las Vegas, Bristol, Martinsville, Darlington, Indy), the NHL could run either a "league" car promoting hockey overall or perhaps rotate one of the hockey markets not otherwise covered (e.g. Vancouver, Calgary, Columbus).

At the grass roots level, Baker-Curb Racing's Nationwide program signed a cross-marketing promotional agreement with the Nashville Predators a couple of months ago. A show car promoting the Predators new 3rd jersey sits in the Nashville Arena.


From what I understand, a Predators car isn't going to hit the track, but there is always hope. And at least its a start.

With the number of competitive NASCAR teams needing sponsorship and the need for the NHL to expand its number of fans, TV ratings, and lines of revenue beyond gate receipts, I think this is a promotional relationship that's well past due.

TMC

Monday's Mumblings

What a weak title. But it's late, and I invested my time in typing the following vs. titling it. Who says Twitter is useless? I won a Best Buy Racing hat on Twitter for my submission of this picture I took of Elliott Sadler's #19 Best Buy Dodge at Richard Petty Motorsports shop back in May. Not on Twitter yet? C'mon and join us. Follow TMC there as well as Best Buy Racing.

  Denny Hamlin had some unbelievable horsepower Sunday at Martinsville. He needed it too with several late race re-starts against Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Juan Pablo Montoya. With his FedEx sponsorship, it was as if he opted for same day air delivery vs. 2-day ground. Dave Despain aired a new Speed TV show Sunday night titled "On Assignment". The debut show featured the building of Talladega. I'm pretty sure, however, the folks at Comcast didn't get the clear message about who visioned and built the track.

Let's see, Little Brian would have been about 7 years old when Dega opened. I'm reasonably sure he could not have accomplished the feat of building the track and then standing up against the gaggle of drivers who refused to race on it. The guy may have been dumb smart enough to develop the Chase for the Championship, but track building at such a young age still seems a far fetched idea. 

Richard Childress recently had an open house at Richard Childress Racing in Welcome, NC. The best quote of the gathering came from MRN Radio's Barney Hall. His quote about meeting Richard Childress for the first time: "He was so green he thought Johnny Cash was a pay toilet." 

Writer Dustin Long recently sat down with Kyle Petty, Larry McReynolds, and Jimmy Spencer to talk about the state of the sport. Some really interesting and candid comments were made by the three of them - many of which didn't exactly make the boys at the beach jump with joy. [Click here] for the 6th and final report in the series. The article includes links to parts 1 through 5. Read 'em all. 

Juan Pablo Montoya continues to impress me with his versatility on the varied Chase tracks. His on-track aggressiveness makes some of the drivers uncomfortable. For me, I applaud it. If it takes a new school driver to return old school racing, so be it. Rarely is anyone else willing to lay the wood to any of the HMS cars so it's good to see JPM and his take-no-prisoners approach. 

It's beyond me how Jeff Gordon can whine about getting roughed up by JPM. Gordon's a vet who remembers racing with Rusty, Earnhardt Sr., Rudd, etc. - or maybe he's forgotten with all the old guard gone by now. 

On the flip-side, Joey "J-Lo" Logano and Brad Keselowski thinks they've earned their stripes enough to run over folks whenever they damn well please. A suggestion to ya boys - 2 words: Ernie Irvan. Don't become him. 

Rick Houston of Stock Car History Online recently recorded his debut podcast. Do you like old school racing - or just want to learn more about the history of the sport and its characters from the past? Sample the podcast at SCHO, then give it a listen with iTunes, and subscribe to future podcasts. 

Our Nashville Predators NHL franchise and Baker-Curb Racing recently announced a cross-promotional marketing agreement. For now, a Predators emblazoned BCR Nationwide car will be at the Sommet Center, home of the Preds.

  Whether a Preds car hits the track itself in 2010 is uncertain. I hope to get by the BCR shop again soon and take some up close photos. Also, I've been planning to blog about my ideas for an NHL/NASCAR cross-promotion relationship for over a year. I need to get that written - perhaps after these last 4 races are run. Stay tuned. 

 TMC

Hockey and Baseball Schaefer

Tuesday I e-mailed the Nashville Predators ticket office to order a block of tickets for a group hockey event. I couldn't help but laugh when the account representative who handled my order was Dan Schaefer.

I e-mailed him the link to this blog's Schaefer posts and told him I would explain later. Before having a chance to do so, he replied with "Schaefer - the beer to have when you're having more than one." The jingle! It was almost like sharing one of those life-long, Greek fraternity secret handshakes.

He said his dad lives in Oklahoma and still prefers to drink Schaefer - because of his name and because he likes it. I asked him to get a specific location where his dad buys it so I could add it to the Schaefer Seller Google map. His reply? "My dad can't get it out there. So I buy it in Nashville and give it to him as a gift for Christmas and his birthday."

I'd expect nothing less from a Schaefer family.

Dan also e-mailed me a 1950s era picture from Ebbetts Fields, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers back in the day. Schaefer sponsored the scoreboard back then, and I knew from my prior research Schaefer had been a prominent advertiser with several Major League Baseball teams.

Dan then shared some trivia I didn't know. When the Dodgers got a hit, the "h" in Schaefer lit up. When an error was committed (I presume by the opposing team), the "e" was lit.

I not only found that nugget to be pretty interesting - I could also relate in a round-about way. I often commit errors of my own when I'm lit on Schaefer.

TMC

The Lonely End of The Rink

My Nashville Predators may not make the NHL playoffs. Because of a scoring drought in the middle part of the season resulting in several losses, their playoff fate is now in the hands of other teams. And that is not a comfortable feeling.

However, teams often have mini-playoffs within the regular season. The Preds won their season series with the Wings 4-2. The wins included:

• 3 Pred wins in a row against the defending Stanley Cup champs
  
• an 8-0 beat down of the Wings in Nashville
• 2 consecutive wins at the Joe including tonight's shootout victory
  

So for my fellow crew chief banktruck and the goalies of the Detroit Red Wings - Chris Osgood and Ty Conklin, I give you The Tragically Hip's The Lonely End of the Rink...



Spare me the reminder that the Wings are the defending cup champs. I know it & I get it. But over the 10 year history of the Preds, its often hard to talk justifiable trash against the Wings. So I'll take it where I can get it.

TMC

Vegas - NHL gets it. Why doesn't NASCAR?

Looks like the NHL is going to move its annual awards ceremony from Toronto to Las Vegas. Admittedly, this is a bit of risky move because the NHL's closest team to Vegas is its troubled franchise in Phoenix. But at least they are trying something different.

Meanwhile, NASCAR still plans to have its season-ending banquet in December 2009 in New York City as they have for about the last 20 years or so.

NYC is often billed as the "city that never sleeps". Apparently that moniker was created before NASCAR came to town because New Yawkers don't give a rip about the Cup guys coming to town.

I understand the importance to NASCAR and its participants of corporate America, big business, sponsor representatives, Madison Avenue ad agencies, blah, blah, blah. But don't those groups all hob-knob enough as it is throughout the year? The rest of the city simply DOES NOT CARE, and the banquet festivities don't move the needle amongst the city's residents or fans in any other part of the country.

Meanwhile, Vegas folks and others from the southwestern U.S. have shown up in strong numbers to the races out there. If planned properly, I think NASCAR could reinvent its annual banquet program - including moving it to Vegas just as the NHL is doing.

I'm not much of a Vegas guy myself - don't gamble, don't pay $200 to see washed-up pop singers, and prefer a bit of moisture in my breathable air. I'm likely in the minority though. I think the sponsor-laden cars, the flourescent decals and paint, loud V-8s, and driver personalities are much better suited to parade around the Vegas strip and various casino autograph sessions than they are at the Waldorf Astoria, reading a top 10 list on Letterman, or ringing a bell on Wall Street.

TMC