Greenies.
Steroids. Jet Fuel. Video Tape. Unapproved Wings. Wide Receivers
Pushing Off. Running Over the Commitment Cone. Sports Fans Wonder:
"Where is the Line?"
Words need to have meaning.
Words like cheating.
In sports, much like in relationships there are rules and people break those rules all the time.
Since the entire steroids scandal in baseball, the word "cheating" has been getting thrown around at the drop of the hat.
That leaves me wondering if that word has lost meaning.
So I've got to ask: where is the line between breaking rules and cheating?
Here is what I mean....
At Texas last weekend, Greg Biffle ran over the pit road commitment cone while trying to avoid a wreck and get onto pit road.
Running
over that cone is against the rules. He got hit with a black flag and
had to start at the end of the longest line on the restart.
Is that cheating?
How about getting a Hummer from an intern who is built like an H2?
Is that cheating?
Just for the sake of argument, let's say that one would be considered cheating.
Could there be mitigating factors (hypothetically speaking) that
would allow it be viewed as a simple rules violation (like leaving the
seat up) if the recipient of said SUV happened to be married to the
person who is going to be our next president?
What if instead an intern in a blue dress, the Hummer was coming from F Da Eagles Heather? Whether it's cheating or not, I could at least understand it.
This
is about what he did on the field. Irvin is in the Hall of Fame today
because of his ability to push off of covering defenders without
getting caught. Is that cheating?
This
year in NASCAR there have been a number of major penalties handed down.
The year started off with Michael Waltrip getting busted for having "a
jet fuel like substance" found in his manifold (after further
investigation, a cone of silence settled upon the NASCAR enforcers and
on Michael Waltrip Racing about what really happened). Is that cheating?
Later,
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. got popped for using an "unapproved" wing mount on
his car. Shortly after that, Hendrick Motorsports got nailed because
both Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon had bent there fenders to give them
more down force. Is that cheating?
Even the Michael Waltrip incident doesn't even come close to an entire laundry list of things the late, great Smokey Yunick managed to pull off. Say what you will about Smokey. The man was an innovator. An amazing, genius of an engineer.
My
favorite Smokey story is the one when NASCAR pulled his gas tank after
an inspection (this was pre-fuel cell) and he was able to THEN start
his engine and drive away. Smokey had found away OUTSIDE the rules --
not AGAINST the rules to get more gasoline in the car by having a
longer fuel line. Is that cheating?
There is a line out there somewhere. It's just that I'm not sure anyone cares where it is.
It's just easier to slam somebody by calling them a cheater.
Okay. You are married. You take another woman (not your wife) to dinner and a movie and you have sex with her. THAT IS CHEATING! I don't think being innovative or working in the grey area is cheating. BTW, what is up with the "illegal" lugnuts in the Busch race? That's a new one on me. Great post as always.
In the case of Wild Bill C... his is a marriage of convenience.... a business arrangement if you will. So he was not cheating.... he was simply "exploring other options."
NASCAR was founded and built by the old moonshiners of yesteryear. Their whole claim to fame was to build cars fast enough to elude capture during the process of committing a felony.
THEY BROKE THE RULES TO GO FAST!!!!
With that being said....... there ain't no cheatin' in NASCAR. There is only "following a great and grand tradition!"
Let them boys race.
ccr1d3r
I do believe in the case ol' William J he misunderstood the question ? Is there really a difference between #### sex and and ther actual sexual act of procreation as in meaningful penetration. Only a friggin' lawyer could and would come up with that one.
As for the supposed distinct rules within the NLF. They're dictated by what they believe to be a distinct advantage of the perceived act. Pray tell what advantage did the Pats' gain against the Jets in Spygate ?
Personally I see cheating where you're obtaining a distinct advantage over the opposition through an illegal act. That in effect is knowingly to the detriment of the game. But then again it's not only happening within the realms of sport. But also in all walks of life. And that's something that willingly or unwillingly aren't always prepared to acknowledge.
If you should have the time as way of an invite check out my latest piece titled I's Got's Mine's Whose Got's Your's ? Let me know what you think as to the merits of the piece ?
Is it cheating? Well that depends on your view. Is the glass half full or half empty? Again depend on your view. However without the innovative genius of a number of our predecessors, NASCAR may not have evolved to quite the sport it is today.
I am playing devil's advocate here and challenging everyone to think about what that word means. My entire point here is that it is being thrown around so much that it has lost meaning.
In fact, by your definition TH, Michael Irvin deserves a HOF asterisk more than Barry Bonds does.
What? Bonds steroids use took place at a time when it was not against baseball rules and by all evidence was in widespread use by other players -- including pitchers he was facing. In other words, Bonds did not break the rules of the game (if anything, baseball encouraged use of performance enhancing drugs) and did not get an unfair competitive advantage. If Bonds never takes the Balco drugs he is alleged to, he makes the HOF.
Irvin on the other hand did violate the rules of the game and did get an unfair competitive advantage. If he had not developed a technique to allow him to push off of defenders and get away with it, he would not be in the HOF today.
Cheating is as Cheating does.. If you get caught, it is cheating. If you get away with it you can consider your self not cheating. I like to think of it as creative manipulation to gain an edge..
Nice blog - on a subject that NASCAR seems to bend when ever they want to fit how they want it to be seen to the public. A driver has had his win taken away many years ago, when his car failed post inspection.
Now because of all the sponsors in victory lane they won't take it away. So Once you qualify for the Daytona 500, you can bend & strech all the gray in the rule book. Cause if you win and faile post inspection, you get a fine and lose some points, but you keep that Daytona win.
Last edited by Forensic2 on November 10th at 4:03 PM.
The thought is you're not cheatin' then you ain't trying. Now if you're witnessing what's going on in life you're seeing what's how you can either win by cheating or just being above board.
Politicians have it down pat and they can get away with it. And we're told that they're going about doing the nation's business.
The Black Flag is NASCAR NEXTEL Cup news, information, commentary and humor. CCR1d3r provides his irreverent, out of the box thought provoking perspective on stock car racing at the highest level.
