NASCAR words and phrases that must end

The one thing I truly love about living in the Volunteer State are the four distinct seasons. We get to enjoy winter, spring, summer, and fall. Its also our privilege and obligation to gripe regularly about the current season and pine for the seasons to come.

I think NASCAR TV coverage has become a bit like Tennessee's seasons. When FOX is covering the races, we all complain and wait anxiously for TNT or ESPN to come on the scene. But then when the season of Ken Squier or Jerry Punch returns, then its "oh my, how soon before Mike Joy and those guys are back?"

With FOX (Cup) and ESPN (Nationwide) back on the air and a handful of early-season races already broadcast, its line-up of commentators has reminded me yet again of several words and phrases that simply must be eliminated from the lexicon of NASCAR TV coverage.

The Rabbits (all the time)

• Bad fast - DW, Larry Mc, Steve Byrnes
  
• Bad loose - Larry Mc
• Bad boy - Jeff Hammond, DW
  
• Boogity, boogity, boogity - Nuff said
  
• Reach up thar, and pull them belts just one more time - Ditto

Mid-packers (frequent but not incessant)

• Rocket (sometimes Rocket Ship) - Numerous announcers and drivers (originally created by Buddy Baker on TNN as a lispy "rocket thip")
• Shootout style - Larry Mc, Kenny Wallace, Randy Pemberton, Jerry Punch, John Roberts - From what I've seen on FOX and ESPN so far this year, this one fortunately seems to be fading. I may soon be able to classify it as a "start and parker" for 2010.
  
• All heck breaks loose - Rusty Wallace (Rusty, George Carlin told us the 7 words that can't be said on TV. "Hell" wasn't one of them.)

Start & parkers (the occasional but annoying)

• Junebug - DW
• Hisself - Larry Mc
• [Anything said] - Hollywood Hotel's Jeff Hammond

Honorable mention

• Know what I mean? - Kyle Petty - this one is more of a verbal tic than an overused, self-serving phrase. But KP does say it ... a lot.
  

This is just a short list of what comes to mind. Comment here about others to add to the list.

TMC

ESPN - NASCAR Friend or Foe?

Anyone checked out the changes to the front page of ESPN.com lately?



Notice anything missing? How about a direct link to NASCAR? This change is courtesy of 1 of the 2 major supporting networks for NASCAR TV coverage. Actually, I'm not so much offended by the dropping of NASCAR from the main sports bar as I am by their inclusion of SOCCER. Are you kidding me? Are we gonna have THAT debate again?

To link to NASCAR coverage, the user needs to click All Sports and then NASCAR in the 2nd column. Yes - there it is - in the same column as prep sports, MMA, and the WNBA. But at least it didn't land in column "C" amongst poker and bass fishing so the France family at least has that going for them.



I visited FOXSports.com - NASCAR's other major TV partner - to see what it looked like these days. NASCAR still merits real estate amongst the big boys of sports at their site. They also had some story about "Change We Need". I didn't read it, but I've got a pretty good hunch its not about ESPN.com's re-design.



TMC

New Year's Eve Daredevil

Only my son & I made it to midnight last night to see in the new year. Daughter was put to bed early in anticipation of a long night tonight at the Nashville Predators hockey game. Wife fell asleep on the couch around 10 PM never to return.

I've never enjoyed the NYE network shows - Dick Clark or anyone else who has taken his place. Bunches of people standing around in the cold in New York does not make for interesting television - nor do those terrible, awful, trendy musical "artist" they trot out annually. I always feel obligated; however, to watch the ball drop in Times Square because...well, just because. But again, its somewhat of a joke because the ball drops midnight eastern time, and we're in central time.

So for a change, I kept my eye on ESPN's much-hyped Robbie Madison motorcycle jump in Las Vegas. He raced up a long ramp, soared to the top of the 100 foot high replica Arc de Triomphe, landed perfectly, wheeled around, and then drove off the friggin' edge to free fall the 100 feet down to a landing ramp. Unbelievable.

I grew up as a big Evel Knievel fan. I got sucked in with the whole Snake River Canyon stunt, and I had my heart in my throat during some of those mega-crashes Evel had - especially at Wembley Stadium.



But this guy Robbie Madison - holy moley. It was much-hyped, but it was much-cool. I've been to Vegas and to the Paris casino resort. I've seen how high the Arc is, and to launch a bike to the top it and then drop back off of it is stunning.



TMC