Are there sports figures, teams, coaches, owners, executives, or fans that so #### you off that you just want to SCREAM? You think you can't do something about it? You CAN do something about it, right here. You CAN call out the above for their idiocy, arrogance, or just plain dumbassery. In this blog, you can throw them Under The Bus. I have a few that I'd like to throw Under The Bus. You can do the same.

NASCAR

Michael McDowell: he was the cause of the Talladegaesque pileup near the end of the Centurion Boats at the Glen. He saw his opportunity to take David Gilliland out, presumably to teach him a lesson. Only one problem, ####: there were a gaggle of cars following closely behind you. And when you do that, you're going to cause more than a few of them to crash. While he raced ahead, Gilliland and others were part of the carnage. Bobby Labonte, in fact, had to be taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. For making the #### move of the Year, McDowell gets thrown Under The Bus by each of the drivers involved in the crash.

Tony Eury, Jr.: he singlehandedly was the cause of Dale Earnhardt, Jr's relatively poor finish by hanging him out to dry because of bad pit strategy. Rather than pitting with the other leaders, Eury chose to keep his driver out as long as possible. Yes, Dale Jr. led numerous laps, but rather than running the race in reverse, he chose to run a road course race like a normal oval and gamble on fuel strategy. Inevitably, a caution came out well after the other drivers pitted (Dale Jr. had not pitted yet). So instead of staying out, Dale Jr. HAD to pit. He was shuffled to the back of the field and never quite recovered. For his poor strategy, Eury Jr. gets thrown Under The Bus.

NBA

Paul Pierce: the Boston Celtics' star is delusional if he thinks he's the best basketball player in the world. Sure, you won a title and an Academy Award nomination in the same Finals, but NO WAY you're the best player on the planet. Yes, this is a BIT late, but I STILL HAVE to throw him Under The Bus.

Golden State Warriors: they signed Andris Biedrins to a six-year, $62 million contract extension. While Biedrins is a nice player who had career highs of 10.5 ppg and 9.8 rpg last season, WHY do you pay a glorified role player that kind of jack? He is NOT a cornerstone franchise player, e.g. Tim Duncan, David West. THOSE are the players you pay that kind of jack. Biedrins hasn't proven himself in the NBA yet. Perhaps if he has another couple of seasons of improvement, THEN you pay him. But for spending unwisely, IMO, the Warriors get thrown Under The Bus.

MLB

Hong-Chih Kuo: first of all, why wasn't Jonathan Broxton pitching the ninth inning to nail down a save in a CRITICAL division game? The Dodgers were winning 4-3 when inexplicably, Joe Torre opted to keep Kuo in for the ninth inning. Torre deserves some blame as well for putting a pitcher that is NOT used to being a closer in the closer's role. Ultimately, Kuo didn't pitch well enough to allow the Dodgers to win. This while the D-backs won at home against Atlanta. (It seems they have had all but a handful of games at home; wait till September, when their schedule is BRUTAL.) For failing to hold a lead against the hated Giants, Kuo gets thrown Under The Bus. Torre also gets thrown Under The Bus for not putting Broxton in the ninth inning.

Prince Fielder and Manny Parra: Parra gets blame for going into the clubhouse (a HUGE no-no) after getting pulled from Monday night's start. If you're a starting pitcher, and you've been pulled for a reliever, you STAY on the bench and root your team on. Fielder gets blamed for making it public. While I admire that Fielder is trying to show leadership, he handled it wrong. He should have confronted Parra behind closed doors and aired it out there. Perhaps Fielder has learned his lesson. In the meantime, Brewers' fans can throw both Fielder and Parra Under The Bus.

Brett Myers: he's another hothead that doesn't play well with others. He was yanked by Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel after a bad outing. In the dugout, Myers and Manuel engaged in a heated shouting match and physically had to be restrained. Brett, take it like a man. You stunk up the joint; own it. In the meantime, you get thrown Under The Bus.

C.J. Wilson: the Texas Rangers' reliever allowed a grand slam to Richie *(**#$@ Sexson on Tuesday and showed up his manager, Ron Washington, by flipping him the ball after being yanked. Washington, being old-school, didn't take kindly to it. He grabbed Wilson and made him hand him the ball. You don't show up your manager at ANY TIME, especially a red-####, old-school manager like Washington. For showing up his manager, Wilson gets thrown Under The Bus. NOTE: Wilson has a bone spur at the tip of his left elbow. He could get a cortisone shot and pitch again this season, or have season-ending surgery.  

Those are my nominations for the week. Feel free to come in with yours!  

This week, the Crappafoni Pictures crew traveled to Chicagoland. Now that the race is over and the film has been edited, we present to you, deep dish pizza style, this week's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

THE GOOD

Kyle Busch: as this week's winner, he automatically gets first billing. He led 165 of the 267 laps, but had to overcome Jimmie Johnson in a two-lap shootout at the end to win his seventh Cup race of the season. At the rate this season's going, he may be at this spot the rest of the season. 

Jimmie Johnson: his car got stronger as the race went on. Led 15 laps and may have won if not for the last caution (David Gilliland blowing an engine).

Kevin Harvick: night time was the right time for Happy. He started 13th and quickly worked his way up through the field; at one point he was in second place. He finished third, right on Johnson's back bumper. This was a MUCH needed result for Happy; he is currently in ninth place in the points.

Greg Biffle: led 43 laps in this race. At one point he was a lap down but got a much-needed long green flag run to get back into the top 10. Gambled on pit strategy to get track position and a caution shortly thereafter helped lock him in. Finished a strong fourth.

Tony Stewart: the announcement of his future seemed to relax him. He drove like the Smoke of old. Had a great car on short runs but faded on long runs. Spent all but three laps inside the top 10. He'll find Victory Lane soon.

Honorable Mention: Red Bull Racing, Ryan Newman, Roush Fenway Racing, Martin Truex, Jr., Jeff Gordon.

THE BAD

Michael McDowell: as the last place finisher, he gets this dubious distinction. He's a field filler.

Travis Kvapil: just when I was about to be sold on him, he comes up with this turkey of a race. Especially when he's so close to his native Wisconsin.

Sam Hornish, Jr.: he seemed to be out there admiring the track and its scenery a little longer than the other drivers out there. TRANSLATION: he was SLOW.

Terry Labonte: I know he's doing the best he can with crappy equipment. Let's face facts, PE has crappy equipment. He's probably thinking, I came out of retirement for THIS? The only positive is that he has younger brother Bobby for a teammate. Hell, I even put him in the Good category of an earlier GB&U.

THE UGLY

David Gilliland: blew an engine with 8 laps to go to bring out the final caution of the race. He blew it in the worst possible place: right after he passed the entrance to pit road.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: started second and went steadily backwards as the race went on. Although he finished on the lead lap, he was never a factor. His crew totally missed on the setup and when that happens, it's going to be a LONG evening. His car was tight and no matter how much they did to loosen it up, it stayed tight pretty much the whole race.

Denny Hamlin: his car lost power early in the race due to ignition issues. His crew changed the entire ignition system in the #11 FedEx Toyota. When he returned to the race, he was threatening to be the first driver in the Bad category. Through attrition, he gained a few spots, finishing 40th. Took a serious hit in the points due to Harvick, Kenseth, Biffle, and Stewart finishing in the top 10.

Clint Bowyer: he's going in the wrong direction in the points. A few weeks ago, he seemed to be a lock to be in the Chase. Now he's 13th in the standings after a 22nd place finish. Spent only two laps in the top 10. 

Jeff Burton: started third and quickly went backwards. At one point in the race, he was 37th. It took a free pass for Burton to get back on the lead lap. Did manage to finish 19th, but it could have been much worse.

Carl Edwards: was in contention for the win until his splitter broke. He lost a lap under green when he went to the pits to repair the splitter. He lost another lap due to the tremendous aerodynamic disadvantage this gave him.

Those are my nominees for the race! Feel free to come in with yours!  

Crappafoni Pictures presents to you in high definition this week's The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, served with California wines and cheeses. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Kyle Busch: as the race winner, he gets first billing. Had the best car much of the day and as such he's earned his first road course win.

David Gilliland: an impressive career-best second place run by the native Californian, considering he's had a more down than up season.

Jeff Gordon: he turned a crappy car into a top-5 car at his home track. Home cooking has been good to him this week.

Clint Bowyer: excellent run. Was caught in the first caution by bad pit strategy. He decided to pit with his RCR teammates and the caution came out shortly afterward, locking him in excellent track position. 

Casey Mears: like Bowyer, used excellent pit strategy to lock himself in great track position. Took advantage of the wreck that his fellow Bakersfielder Kevin Harvick caused to gain even more positions.

Honorable Mention: Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth.   

THE BAD

Kevin Harvick: a bonehead move not only cost him a top 5 finish, but he's in danger of missing the Chase. His bonehead move was that he went into the turn too hard and took out THREE good cars. The silver lining is that he's coming to tracks that have been good to him throughout his career.

David Reutimann: never felt confident up in the wine country of California. A late race crash was the capper to his crappy week.

Robby Gordon: for someone that was expected to contend, he was never really a factor. Finished three laps down in 36th.

Brian Simo: a field filler. He was the first driver out of the race just 20 laps in. This will probably be the only time this year I'll mention him.

Boris Said: see Robby Gordon. He finished even worse than Gordon, finishing 41st, 18 laps down. 

THE UGLY

Marcos Ambrose: he had a GREAT run spoiled by an accident. The accident damaged his gear box and spewed oil and other liquids all over the track.

Kevin Harvick: rarely does a driver make both the Bad AND Ugly categories, but I must put Happy there. The Ugly being the result of dropping out of the top 12 and having to scramble to make the Chase. He'll make the Chase IF he doesn't make any bonehead moves the rest of the season. He needed a strong run at Sonoma and for the longest time it looked like he was going to be in the top 5.

Those are my nominations for the race. Feel free to come in with yours!

In honor of the last race on Fox, Crappafoni Pictures presents to you the Monster-sized version of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

THE GOOD

Kyle Busch: as the winner at Dover, he gets first billing. He had a stout car all day.

Roush Fenway Racing: four cars in the Top 10, with Jamie McMurray sneaking in to finish tenth. It wouldn't surprise me to see RFR have four drivers in the Chase.

Jeff Gordon: to finish on the lead lap today was astounding, especially with Kyle Busch as stout as he was. He may have cost himself a chance at a win when he stayed out too long on green flag pit stops late in the race.

Martin Truex, Jr.: while he wasn't a factor to win, he had a solid sixth place finish, being the last driver on the lead lap.

Jeff Burton: was consistent again, finishing eighth. He did finish a lap down because Busch was so strong.

Honorable Mention: Jimmie Johnson, Dave Blaney.

THE BAD

David Gilliland: he was the cause of the Talladega-esque 11-car crash early in the race when he got into the back of Elliott Sadler and sent him spinning. Mayhem then ensued. There were a LOT of torn up cars after that one. More on the crash later.

Denny Hamlin: he escalated the crash when he went full speed through the carnage as other drivers were trying to pick their way through. He took out a number of cars in the top 12 in points. More on him in a later blog.

TV Coverage: is it me, or am I sick of the lovefest with Kyle Busch? They were having orgasms when Busch was leading (and eventually won). Perhaps TNT will be more impartial.

Honorable Mention: field fillers (you guys know who you are).

THE UGLY

Lap 17: that wreck was Talladega-esque. Half of the top 12 in the points going in were involved. Denny Hamlin drove like a total ####, going FULL SPEED through the carnage and taking himself out and severely damaging several other cars. WHAT THE HELL WAS HE THINKING??

Kevin Harvick: his car looked like a dune buggy once he returned to the track. Yet through attrition, he gained a couple of spots. (a sub-good among the ugly)

Those are my nominees for the race! Feel free to chime in with yours!

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAA! Spaghetti western meets REAL western in Texas. Today I present to you The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly on a huge plate of beef brisket with a side of spaghetti. Enjoy!

THE GOOD

Carl Edwards: as the winner of this race, he gets first billing. He had the dominant car all day. Had the race gone green the last 100 laps, he'd have put every other car a lap down, that's how strong and dominant his car was.  

Jimmie Johnson: had a strong car all day, but didn't quite have enough to catch Edwards. His early-season woes are behind him and he's running like a champion should.

Richard Childress Racing: another solid performance, with two cars in the top 10 (Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer) and Kevin Harvick in 11th. Harvick was the first car a lap down because Carl Edwards was so strong. Harvick's car got stronger as the race wore on.

Roush Fenway Racing: four cars in the top 20. Except for Greg Biffle's blown engine late in the race, they would have had all five cars in the top 20.

Yates Racing: despite both cars being unsponsored, the #38 of David Gilliland (15th) and Travis Kvapil (18th), had top 20 finishes.

THE BAD

Jeff Gordon: he's still 0-for-Texas. He and Jimmie Johnson share garage space at Hendrick Motorsports. They share information and setups. Yet it was puzzling why Gordon ran so bad and Johnson ran so good. His 43rd-place finish was only the second of his career (Texas, 1999).

Bill Elliott: this former champion as recently as a few years ago was still very competitive. Unfortunately, he's been reduced to nothing more than a field filler for Wood Brothers Racing. When he was driving for Evernham Motorsports, he was frequently in the top 10 and led laps. At that time, I thought, maybe he might have a shot to win another championship, or at the least resurrect his career. I hate seeing how noncompetitive he has been. Could this be the end?

THE UGLY

J.J. Yeley: his crash could have been far worse than what it was. Glad he's okay.

Jeff Gordon: no one is used to seeing him run in dead last. It's only happened once before!

Martin Truex, Jr.: he was very solidly in the Top 10 until his engine blew (again!) late in the race. Did someone put sugar in HIS gas tank?

Those are my nominees. Come on in with yours!!

Now that the race in Martinsville is in the books, it's time to present the spaghetti western edition of this race. Brought to you by Crappafoni Pictures.

THE GOOD

Denny Hamlin: since he won the race, he gets first billing. His car was great the whole race. Good win for Hamlin. Enjoy the grandfather clock.

Hendrick Motorsports: for awhile, I thought they would sweep the top four positions, much like RCR did with the first three at Bristol two weeks ago. All four cars solidly in the top 10.

Richard Childress Racing: once again, all three of their cars finished in the top 15. And they have the top two points leaders in Jeff Burton (leader) and Kevin Harvick (2nd). Clint Bowyer is in 12th place in points.

Michael McDowell: gotta give a shout out to this Cup rookie. In his Cup debut, he was on the lead lap for almost the whole race, finally falling off the lead lap with less than 10 laps to go due to a flat tire. If this race is any indication, he has a bright future.

Jamie McMurray: FINALLY, he has a good week. He qualified very well (third) and finished with a solid top 10. He needed it, now he's solidly in the top 35 in points.

THE BAD

Matt Kenseth: he was the antithesis of McMurray. He deliberately dumped David Gilliland into the wall, earning a trip to NASCAR's Oval Office for his naughty behavior after the race. Earlier in the race, he served a one-lap penalty. For this act of dump and run, he was penalized two laps.

J.J. Yeley: he had the day from hell. I didn't know whether to pity him or yell at my TV to get him off the #### track.

THE UGLY

Transmission failures: it happened to several drivers, most notably Kyle Busch. Ken Schrader had the most heartbreaking, his occurring while he was running in the top 15.

Matt Kenseth: I don't know what he ate for breakfast or if someone pissed in his Wheaties, but he appeared unusually surly. Dumping Gilliland deliberately is very much unlike Kenseth.