Well my man Bobby Hamilton Jr. gave me a little bit more to cheer about on Friday night at Bristol. I was pretty excited when he used a gas mileage strategy to get to 5th place at one point in the race.
A gas mileage strategy at Bristol sounds like an oxymoron. But with the new track configuration that is what he did. That is some pretty smart strategy right there. And in the end it gave him a top 15 finish which isn't bad when there are as many Buschwackers out there as there were on Friday.
Never Give Up! The three words that best describe the effort of McDonald’s NASCAR Busch Series driver Bobby Hamilton, Jr. during Friday Night’s Food City 250 race. After qualifying in the 39th position, Hamilton very easily could have settled in for a long night of racing on the half mile speedway. Instead, he reached down deep and found the ability to pilot his No. 35 Team Rensi Motorsports machine to the front.
“We are happy to start as far back as we did and come home with a 12th place finish,” Hamilton said. “Chris and all the guys on the McDonald’s team gave a strong effort, allowing us to pass so many cars. We needed this run tonight and now we can go to California with some momentum.”
With the 12th place finish, Hamilton remained in sixth place in the season long Busch Series Point’s Championship.
Amazing.. Now we got a few weeks of Busch and Cup running on the same track. Why don't NASCAR just rename the Busch series as the CUP JR. series with a little BUSCH mixed in.
14Falcons
One can see the relevance of the Busch series. But in no way shape or form is it given the sort of exposure it deserves by the network or whatever outlet that now has the monopoly on showing NASCAR. Afterall that's where many of the prominent NASCAR stars cut their teeth before graduating to Cup series racing.
As for Hamilton I'd barely know him if he came up to me whilst we're both walking along the street.
14Falcons
Obviously not the sort I'd like to meet on a darkened street then ? As for him kicking my as* we'd have to see who'd come out on top on that score. I don 't and won't back down from anyone unless they've got a gun in their hand aimed at me.
I've a new post up titled Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen ! Check it out and let me know what you think as to the merits of the piece ?
14Falcons
I don't think that I'd be the one to look to kick someone's as* unless they're deserving of it. I've too much time vested in my approach upon life. I've seen to much over the years and wouldn't want to go down that road. Having served in the military for five years. And having travelled through much of Europe and N Africa I'm at peace with myself now. Having seen some ungodly sights in many of those countries before working in London for a major financial concern. I'd like to think I can make a difference in some way. Now living here in the States I think I've come full circle.
Much of my weekends are now spent teaching martial arts to kids and tutoring when I'm not at work or out socially with friends.
That's what I love doing above everything else next to my love of sports. And offcourse the company of a good woman !
14Falcons
I know it's a joke but I've seen far too much carnage over the years. Not only that now I've got a younger brother returning to Iraq leaving behind a wife and young kids.
I for one am hoping that he'll return safe and sound to the family. Since he's been there he's lost several of his buddies and it hasn't made one bit of difference overall. As for myself I guess ny concern is for him as he's my younger brother , best friend and confidante.
Miss him ? Yes offcourse but at the same time I understand he's got a duty to do and not until it's completed can he return home. It's the way I'm feeling at the moment more than anything else. I'll get over it !
My apologies !
14Falcons
So who's your pick for Sunday's race ? I think Gordon needs to get back into the thick of things by either winning or at least placing in the top 5.
He's still my pick to win it all. Which I hope he does.
Tell your younger brother I think he is making a difference. Tell him I am behind him 100%. Tell his wife and kids I thank them too. If there is anything we can do for them, let me know.
It may be futile as hell from what he has seen. But the world is watching us. It is crucial that we stand for something and do the best we can to leave that whole situation in the best shape that we can.
I have even heard liberal media types return from Iraq saying things are looking better in areas they were in versus the same areas they were in a year or two ago. However, overall the media is not going to paint a pretty picture. They are only going to forecast gloom and doom, unfortunately, because that is what a lot of people, including their friends, want to hear.
Cheers!
Sunday? California? Cookie Cuttter Track? Probably a Cookie Cutter Team. Gordon is a good pick.
14Falcons
I hope for Gordon's sake he geta crack ' a lackin' and get somethin' done ! It's about time after repeatedly spinning out recently in successive races. That's not the usual Gordon we all know.
As for the Iraqi situation I'm not so pessimistic but I do believe we're fighting the enemy on the wrong front. We're no closer to catching Bin Laden than we are to catching a rainbow. Afterall he was the main pperpetrator behind the 9/11 bombings wasn't he ?
And we're waging war in Iraq while he looks on from the hills of Peshawar.
Tell me we now what the hell we're doing in Iraq ? 'cause I sure as hell am not too sure what we're doing at all. We're now seeking to bring democracy to a country that's existed longer than the US. I for one don't recall them asking to be invaded or freed from tyranny. I was always taught that if you seek independence you fought for it. Afterall wasn't that how the US came about and evolved as a nation ?
tophatal
Last edited by tophatal on August 30th at 2:08 PM.
Busch could not, in his opinion, stop at striking back at only the perpetrator of 911 Bin Laden and the country that allowed him to build a terrorrist organization within his borders, Afghanistan. In Busch's mind, he needed to go on the offensive and take out who he believed the next terrorist would be that would attack us in Saddam Hussein. To do that he had to change the regime in Iraq. Busch felt that if he stopped at Afghanistan, and we were attacked from somewhere else, that he would be faulted for that. I believe he is right and that if he had stopped at Afghanistan and we had been attacked from somewhere else that the Democrats would have had him for lunch.
As it went down, Busch getting involved in Iraq proved to everyone that at least we had bitten off as much as we could chew and nobody is faulting Busch for inaction on that front today. In fact, the Democrats have been forced to take the other tact, that is, we shouldn't have gotten into Iraq and we need to get out. They were not able to use that to their advantage to defeat Busch, so I believe he did the best he could in his mind to protect the country. Granted, the country was deeply divided over it at election time in 04 with about half of the people agreeing with what happened and half not. And the fact remains, nobody else has attacked us on our soil.
Last edited by 14Falcons on August 30th at 3:26 PM.
Personally, I would have called the destruction even after Afghanistan and called it good. But I said at the time that Busch had more information on hand than I did and that if he thought we needed to get involved in Iraq, that I supported him and I still support my President today. Yes there are still some of us out here.
I have a nephew that came home from Iraq with a purple heart early this year and married his High School sweetheart this summer. The tank he was commanding was hit by a car bomb. The next car bomb didn't get that close before he took it out. So I know it is scary. God bless you and your family.
14Falcons
I know that it wasn't poltical expediency that led to this war. More Anti Arab resentment more than anything else. It was a stupid move on his path. The majority of the 9/11 terrorists were of Saudi Arabian and Egyptian extraction but the thought was to attack Iraq. Where's the sense in that. The US befriended the Taliban and Al Qadea whilst they fought against the Russians. Funded them and trained them in their fight for freedom of Aghanistan and then abandoned them once the war was over.
Tell me where the foreign policy and the benefit of that action has now got us ?
We're now fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda and are no nearer to defeating them.
They control 2/3's of the country of Afghanistan and their President is at a loss as what can be done. Even with the UN and US soldiers fighting side by side with the Afghani's we're still bogged down there. And it's about to become the same way in Iraq. We were under the impression that this would be swift exercise in a battle that wouldn't last all that long. As Cheney said we'd be greeted as liberators. To my mind that was an assinine thought. Shows the lack of overall knowledge he has on world affairs ! Much like the rest of the State Dept for that matter.
14Falcons
I've a new post up entitled What's A Man Suppose To Do ? It might be of interest to you the subject matter ?
With regard to this weekend and the game that matter in the NL. Atlanta's series against the Mets will be an interesting one. They'll either prove that they've got what it takes to make the playoffs or they'll succumb to the play of the Mets once and for all.
I don't think it was race based. It may have been personal to George W. given the threat Saddam made on George H.W.'s life, but I don't think it was racial.
I am not necessarily saying it was expedient either. I am saying that it was a tough chice that Busch had to make. And he came down on one side of it.
Was it a choice made out of fear? That's possible.
I disagree that it was stupid, At the time the choice was made the entire free world felt Saddam was a threat.
One problem with American foreign diplomacy is it is hard to maintain a consistent policy. So after H.W. Busch, the policy is changed by Clinton, then it is changed again by W. Busch.
I think we are doing as well as we can with Al Quaida and the Taliban. We have used all the resources that are politically available to us realistically.
Can they ever be wiped out in their entirety? No. Have we defeated them to a point where they are not necessarily a threat to our home country anymore? Yes.
I have to disagree with you regarding the Taliban controlling 2/3rds of Afghanistan. That is not the current situation as I understand it.
We are not bogged down in Afghanistan. Is it a tough job to find a needle in a haystack? Yes.
Neither are we bogged down in Iraq. Is removing the opposition from a city with millions of people in it and the last of several provinces difficult? Yes.
Last edited by 14Falcons on August 31st at 8:43 PM.
I do not remember being told it would be a swift excercise. Quite the contrary, I remember Busch saying from the start that it would be a long hard battle and that it would take awhile to win the war. People that thought it would be a cakewalk were idiots.
We were welcomed as liberators. Don't you remember the films of everyone cheering when we tore down the statute of Saddam. What Iraquis resent is that we are still there. The problem is we can't just leave and expect everything to be alright because it will not be. Therefore it is imperative that we stay as long as it takes and finish the job.
If we need to bring some soldiers home lets close our bases in Germany immediately and bring 70,000 home tommorrow.
We can then deploy these troops as needed in Iraq and Afghanistan reducing the burden on other soldiers being deployed there.
14Falcons
There was a "No Fly Zone" in place covering much of Iraq. Their military was at a stanstill and thier weapons antiquated to say the least. And you're telling me it was the right thing to do ? Will it still be the right thing ten years down the line and with billions of dollars spent ? And lest we forger we're not getting much cooperation out of Iraqi government that this administration so extravagantly at first told us they could work with. Ther incompetency of the administration is leaving much of the country bewildered.
I'm looking forward to much of the sporting weekend. But I'd like to think that the Bravves can take advantage of the Mets' malaise at present.
The Busch and Cup series' races will be good entertainment allround.
Tennessee, Cal should be a great game !
I think that Cal can pull out a win in this one. But I wouldn't be surprised if they lost to Tennessee.
Too much hype surrounding "The Irish" and in particular Claussen the quarterback.
14Falcons
The UN and US forces barely have any control beyond Kabul. The Taliban are able to move within regions of the country and are allowed to do so by many of the warlords that are in control of the mountainous regions.
Yes there was a no fly zone protecting the north 1/3rd (Kurdish) part of Iraq. But were we supposed to keep that up forever?
Was it the right thing to do? Now you have taken me into a whole another arena. I define right based on Biblical principals. Freeing a country from an evil dictator will always be right based on those principals. And cost is no object in that argument.
Any Iraqui governmenet will be extrmely difficult to work with. They have no experience running a dmocracy. And their way of thinking is so different from ours that we will find it extremely difficult to understand even after they have had a hundred years of practice with a democracy.
The mountainous regions in Afghanistan are too rough for anyone to control. Therefore, totally eliminating all terrorist from the area is impossible.
Based on it, I would say the NATO coalition controls 100% of the country.
However, based on the mountains you could make an argument that we control much less. Still, you can't say the "Taliban" control it either. The better argument is that nobody can "control" all of the territory in those mountains. Therefore, it is easy to conclude that the Taliban may always survive there. But if you control the lowlands, what they can do from the mountains is limited.
Last edited by 14Falcons on September 1st at 1:50 PM.
14Falcons
I didn't bother to watch Notre Dame Georgia Tech game. As I knew it'd be a blowout. A for the Michigan, Appalachian St game. Who the hell saw that result coming ? Lloyd Carr's as* ought to be in a sling roundabout now !
That team was abysmal on the field and as for their national title hopes. The doors have been blown right off as far as that's concerned. They don't stand a cat in hell's chance of making up from this loss.
Check out my latest post titled What's A Man Suppose To Do ? And then also If He Can't Get No Love The We Ought To Show Him Some Love. Let me know what you think as to the marits of both pieces ?
I didn't even get to check in on Georgia Tech but I saw they dominated all three Nortre Dame quarterbacks including Clausen III, ha ha ha. I agree Fulmer mistreated Clausen II though. If he would have been nicer to Rick we might have got III to sign.
Carr is in a tight. But big upsets happen. Michigan will have to prove itself within its conference. They definitely have Defensive issues. Maybe Carr needs to fire his Defensive Coordinator Monday and make immediate changes.
Last edited by 14Falcons on September 1st at 7:53 PM.
14Falcons
Each year with Carr it's ither going to be a great year for his teams. Or turn out to be an abysmal failure. There's no iin between for a Michigan team whatsoever. They've come to expect and are deserving of high expectations. But with a loss like this it sets back the program. It wasn't just that they played badly but also that they showed a complete lack of heart. Totally unexpected of a Michigan team coached by Carr.
14Falcons
They'll turn up to play but it's also about the coaching and the commitment shown by both parties. And for the likes of the Wolverines and Irish. They showed that they don't have either commitment or the coaching at present. And that above all is hard to believe when you take into account who the respective coaches are.
Check out my most recent posts and let me know what you think as to the merits of the following pieces ?
P T Barnum Please Step Forward Please !
What's A Man Suppose To Do ?
Oh How The Mighty Have Fallen !
If He Can't Get No Love Then We Ought To Show Him Some Love !
A diverse segment of pieces for you to peruse.
Michigan and Nortre Dame will show up to play on another day. I don't like either one of them really. But I sure as heck wouldn't want to have to play them next either.
14Falcons
Both teams are overhyped and have only their notoriety to go on. It's not as if they're pertinent amongst the teams that'd be challenging for a national championship anyway. Their recruiting for this year has been less than stellar. Both Weis and Carr will be under the proverbial soptlight for the rest of the year after these monumental losses.
I can't believe Michigan is that bad. I believe they will come back. Norte Dame is not the powerhouse they once were, and could have a bad year, but they are usually pretty tough.
With these two teams it's been their recruiting. When they hit it big then all bets are off. But as of late they're nothing to write home about. Wolverines have got Chad Henne , Mike Hart, Mario Manningham and a whole host of seniors that are very good. However they underestimated the resolve of Appalachian St. And that led to thier demise.
14Falcons
Overlooked , underplayed , underestimated . I guess you can call that the trifecta of stupidity on the path of Carr and his coaching staff as well as many of the players. They were probably thinking about the Big 10 championship rather than the game at hand.
Carr and his staff will ebd up being lynched if they should lose more than two or three games this season.
14Falcons
And tell me why it is that they're favored to win a Big 10 championship ?
If they can't even tackle much less run the ball then they'll be doomed.
14Falcons
They couldn't have fallen any faster had they been pushed out of a window. It's that bad
for the Wolverines. Like I've said one can't be sure who's the most unpopular person inthe state of Michigan , Loyd Carr or Lions' GM Matt Millen ? At this time they'll probably
share equal billing.
14Falcons
Five years in charge as the Lions' GM and they've become about as relevant as gnat on a dog's as*. For the dog it too becomes a real pain as it's also irritating. And you know for the fans it's become real irritating that the team fails so miserably year after year.
tophatal
Last edited by tophatal on September 6th at 10:47 PM.
"But all this must be suffered by those who profess the stern order of chivalry" Most Interesting Blog, June 16, 2008 and six other occasions. Lisa awarded him Best "breaking news" blogger March 31, 2008. Blog of The Day, Christmas Day, 2007. edhardiman wrote, "Falco's tribute to Rocket Richard reminds us all the stars of today stand on the shoulders of giants..." October 23, 2007. Three Golden Swirrly p00p Awards (Hockey, NASCAR and Use of Graphics), FlyingPig, July 18, 2007. 2007 Memorial Day Weekend Trifecta sponsored by williamwilman . Featured on WFORacingFans April, 2007. "Stylin'" award, Dusty, February 07. "One of ten new bloggers to watch" Dudski, January 2007.
