I Slept On It...and I am Still Angry

UPDATE 1:23 pm: Read this excellent article from Si.com

I tried to sleep on this last night. I started writing some (most all) of this post last night and saved it because I thought maybe I would calm down. I haven't. So here we go

Sports fans have always understood that certain players get special treatment from other players and officials. I watched a segment a few months ago that had officials talking about why certain players got away with more than others and I was reminded of that this evening. The two players that I remember from the segment were Michael Jordan and Greg Maddux. Everyone knows Jordan got away with everything, especially late in the game and Maddux always seemed to get a little extra room on the strike zone. I remember one ref saying something to the extent of 'you come out there and try and call a foul on Jordan with two minutes left in the game.' About Maddux, one umpire said something like, 'if other pitchers could hit that spot every time, then maybe they would get that call as well.' Giving special treatment to the top players in the game is nothing new and I accept that.

I was reminded of this theory while watching the Daytona 500. But I was confused, because it didn't involved the best driver in the sport. Let's get one thing straight right off the bat, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is not one of the top drivers in NASCAR, in fact, he is Top 15 at best. So why does he get such special treatment and why does he think he should get special treatment. This afternoon Earnhardt Jr. was responsible for ruining the Daytona 500. He was a lap down with just over 75 laps to go and he decided that he would take out the entire front part of the field. He was a lap down and was driving like he was in second place with two laps to go. Brian Vickers was in front of Jr and he was the first car down a lap and in line for the 'lucky dog.' Jr. tried to make a move on Vickers and Vickers blocked Jr's move, which is what anyone would have done. Jr, who doesn't believe that he should ever be blocked, then decided to take Vickers out in front of the entire field, causing 12 cars to be knocked out of contention. Mind you, all 12 cars were in front of Jr in the race and all were in contention to win the biggest race of the year.

So why did Jr decide to take out the entire field? Because he is a baby. He acted like a little kid who didn't get a toy that they wanted. Vickers didn't let the almighty Earnhardt Jr. pass him, so Jr threw a fit and decided to take out Vickers and ruin the day for the top contenders. Jr. isn't good enough to think that he should be entitled to just pass someone who is in his way. We are talking about a guy, in Jr., who missed his pitbox twice during the race and then had the nerve to complain out NASCAR's rules which cost him a lap. Look, if you miss your pitbox, then you get penalized. If you aren't in your pitbox then you hinder those around you from doing their job. But Jr., doesn't think of anyone but himself, so the rules shouldn't apply in him mind. He then thought so much of himself that he decided to blame Vickers for the wreck. I know that Jr's father was one of the best drivers of all time, but hey, Michael Jordan's son had to pay his dues to earn five minutes of playing time at Illinois, so being someone's son, doesn't make you a star. I also know that Jr. can sell products for NASCAR and his sponsers, so everyone loves him, but look, the Geico Gecko sells car insurance for his company, but they don't like him drive a car around the track.

I love watching NASCAR because it is extremely competitive and there are a lot of emotions and a lot of tension. But the best drivers, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Jimmy Johnson, etc. know how to control those emotions and simply beat someone on the track. Dale Jr., isn't one of those guys. Not only did he steal the dreams of 12 drivers trying to win the biggest race in NASCAR, but he also put a lot of guys in danger because of his little temper tantrum. He showed his true colors during the Daytona 500. He showed that he is an immature baby, who isn't even close to one of the top drivers in NASCAR. You are free to disagree with me and I welcome it, but if you do, I have decided to let Scott write the reply to you, so be aware. I am just glad that I am not a Dale Jr fan, because I don't even know how I would have gotten out of bed this morning.