Book Review: The Swinger

Rusty takes a break from NASCAR to look at Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck's new novel, The Swinger.


If you don't pick up on it reading the dust jacket or reviews like this one, you will just a few pages into the book. This is Tiger Woods' story. The Swinger, a novel by Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck is a work of fiction, though any sports fan will quickly see the parallels between the book and reality.

The story is told from the vantage point of down-on-his-luck sports writer, Josh Dutra. Dutra makes the move of his career when he joins the team of super star golfer, Herbert "Tree" Tremont Jr. Tree has carved out a nearly picture perfect existence at the top of the U.S. golf game, including a hot trophy wife, perfect kids, and more money and endorsements than Donald Trump. From the inside, Dutra watches Tree's life spiral out of control when his perfectly manipulated public image is shattered.

Even though this book was as nearly predictable as a children's comedy, it kept me turning the pages, and quickly. Bamberger and Shipnuck have crafted an inside view into the modern world of sports media and golf. Their easy writing style and goofy humor - Tree's home is called Tree House - make this an easy-to-read page turner. The story balances between real life and complete fabrication seamlessly. Tree's little marital fracas involving a fire poker was lifted right from the headlines. How he ends up dealing with his ultimate downfall is complete fiction, though, and in my opinion the best part of the book.

SPOILER ALERT

After he hits complete rock bottom and has been outed as a promiscuous pill popping sex freak, Tree takes his writer friend to rehab and undergoes a transformation never before seen in real life. Throughout the book, the authors keep you turning the pages looking for the next shoe to drop or the next scandal to unfold. At the end, though, they tell us a story of how life could and should be. It becomes a story of forgiveness and redemption. You turn the pages with a smile on your face and hope in your heart.

Don't get me wrong, the book doesn't have a fairy tale ending with Tree and Dutra marching off into the sunset. His pain and suffering remains real. His redemption is stronger though, and the authors make that clear as they weave the final threads of this great story.

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Rusty Reckons: Kentucky Gets an F

This weekend's race at Kentucky was a complete dud! Tens of thousands of fans were mired in traffic for hours upon hours just trying to get to the track. Here's one sad story of some fans who left almost 6 hours before the green flag to travel just over 30 miles to the track, and they didn't even make it. Not that I would say the on-track action was worth much anyway. The Shrub won the race in absolutely dominating fashion. At one point, he had an 8 second lead and there were less than 20 cars on the lead lap. BORING!!!!

The thousands of poor fans who tried in vain to reach the track were left sorely disappointed. This was supposed to be one of the highlights of NASCAR's summer. A new track with an energized fan base. An entire state was fired up about this event. I was fired up too. I had been looking forward to watching this Saturday night event on TV all week. I had announced to my wife more than once that I would be retiring to the man-cave for hours of interrupted left turns under the lights of the blue grass state. Little did I know that would be all I got. Yeah, there was a small bit of excitement when the track reached up and bit fan favorite Dale Jr with less than ten laps to go (further adding to my displeasure). This brought out the caution and gave us a lap or two of excitement before the Shrub pulled back out in front.

Now, Rusty is well aware that NASCAR can only do so much in regards to the action on the track. In fact, when it comes to monking with the racing, I maintain a hands-off approach. However, they should take a good hard look at traffic issues before adding a new track again or coming back to Kentucky. The fans deserve better, especially if that track is going to produce a snoozer.

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Rusty Reckon: Shop Talk with Martin Truex Jr.

Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #56 Napa Auto Parts Toyota Camry took some time out while in Daytona to chat with HHR's own NASCAR fanatic, Rusty. In just a few short minutes, Rusty and Truex covered it all, from his recently launched campaign as a spokesman for the new Schick Xtreme3 FitStyle Refresh to being part of the storied NASCAR family tradition. Truex is pretty psyched about his chances this coming weekend. The #56 team has unloaded a good car and thinks he and teammate David Reuitmann should be able to work well together in the draft. The new surface at Daytona has got a lot of grip, and under the guidance of team owner, Michael Waltrip, who's found victory lane here twice, ole Rusty thinks the #56 might find itself towards the front Saturday night. Oh yeah, and white tail dear of New Jersey? Watch out! Listen to the full interview, below.

Blogs with Balls Show - Episode 32 by Blogs with Balls

Schick Xtreme3 will join Truex’s No. 56 Napa Auto Parts Toyota as an associate sponsor beginning with this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway, where Schick Xtreme3 Refresh kicks off the first of 10 in-field activations that will provide refreshing experiences to NASCAR fans.

The new Schick Xtreme3 FitStyle Refresh is the first scented men’s razor in the US, and is designed to help invigorate guys’ shaves and fully refresh them for the day ahead. Truex will serve as the brand spokesperson throughout the launch campaign.

-posted by Rusty

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Rusty Mourns a Basketball Legend

NC State's improbable run to the NCAA Tournament Championship was THE Cinderella story of March Madness. Dubbed the "Cardiac Pack" for their penchant for 2nd half heroics, the 1983 Woflpack squad capped their memorable run with a last second slam dunk to beat the heavily favored Houston. To the casual observer, Lorenzo Charles' buzzer beating slam was the pinnacle of basketball perfection. A more astute fan might tell you he was out of position and just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The look on his face after putting in the winning basket might lend credence to that take on events. Regardless, he was the hero of the team. His shot can still be seen on the video lead-in to CBS's annual tournament coverage.

Unfortunately, Charles life was cut unexpectedly short yesterday when he was killed in a bus accident outside Raleigh. Wolfpack nation and any fan of college basketball now mourns the loss of a real legend of March Madness

This clip still gives me goose bumps!

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Rusty Reckons: HOF Inductees - It's About Dadgum Time!

Yesterday, NASCAR announced the latest class to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Included in this year's inductees are Darrel Waltrip and Cale Yarborough. It's about dadgum time! The younger fans may know Waltrip as the comical fellow from Fox Sports who hollers, "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity" at the start of the race. Before his stint in the booth, though, which fortuitously began at the Daytona 500 in 2001 where Dale Sr. died and DW's little brother won the race, Waltrip was known as the flamboyant driver tied for 3rd on the all time wins list with Bobby Allison. Jeff Gordon's recent win at Pocono now add him to that esteemed group in third.

DW gives a celebratory fist pump - Springsteen style!

DW's fellow inductee, Cale Yarborough won three consecutive championships, a feat unmatched in NASCAR history until the new superman, Jimmie Johnson reached number four in his current streak of five and counting. Cale is also the guy who in 1979 got into a little "altercation" with the Allison brothers in the infield at the end of the Daytona 500. It was the first live broadcast of NASCAR, and that little incident has been credited by many as helping fuel part of NASCAR's reputation over the years.

Why it took three years for these boys to make it, Rusty will never know. However, I'm sure glad they did.

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Rusty Reckons: Consistent Inconsistency

Over the years I've waxed poetic about NASCAR's bizarre rationale behind issuing penalties. The only consistency appears to be inconsistency. I mean in what world does saying a dirty word warrant a points deduction and arguably the lost of the championship, but using your car as a weapon only gets the amorphous "probation." As far as Rusty is concerned that makes about as much sense as a screen door on a submarine.

Yesterday, NASCAR ruled from on high about the recent fracas between Kyle "Shrub" Busch and car owner Richard Childress. You see, Childress is a man of principle. He doesn't take too kindly to some rascal from out west getting Johnny Ringo crazy and wrecking his race cars. After the recent dust-up between Shrub and Childress's flagship driver, Kevin "Happy" Harvick, NASCAR put Busch on probation, and Childress issued a very clear directive, "do it again, and I'm going to whup ya!"


Well, this past weekend, the Shrub was back at it again, putting his fender where it don't belong. This time it was after the race and in the Truck series (the trucks are like the 3rd tier series of NASCAR). So, Childress threw Kyle into a headlock and delivered his punishment. So, you'd think that using a truck like a weapon while on probation from another such incident would warrant a violation of said probation, right? NOPE!

NASCAR said Kyle was blameless. Big old meany Childress attacked him unprovoked. Instead of dealing with the one who time and again seems to be at the center of these issues, NASCAR laid one heck of a beat down on Childress for sticking to his guns, and doing what Shrub's daddy should have done a long time ago . . . give him an old trip to the wood shed!

Make sense to y'all? Me neither.

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Rusty Reckons: Happy Dale Earnhardt Day!

Rusty and all the folks at HHR would like to wish you a very intimidating Dale Earnhardt Day. Today, the man who forever changed the face of racing would have been 60. Something tells ole Rusty he's spent the last 10 years happily turning laps at the big race track in the sky. So, be sure to make an extra left turn or two on your drive home today in tribute.

-- Rusty

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Rusty Reckons: Junior Thumbs his Nose at the Year 2011

I don't mean to only post on Junior, but I saw this today and it just stuck in my craw. Apparently, Junior sees it as too much work to connect with his fans.


Jeff Gordon does it (@JeffGordonWeb), Jimmie Johnson does it (@JimmieJohnson), Kevin Harvick does it (@KevinHarvick), and if you're on Twitter, I highly recommend following Kevin. He and his wife's antics are quite humorous and well documented. Kevin's also known around the garage for being a bit of a prankster, and many of this tom-foolery is also well documented via Twitter. It's a hoot.

Look, Rusty understands the pressures of being the most popular at anything. I regularly have to beat back a hoard of attention starved fans (Hi, mom!), myself. However, seems to me there are costs associated with being voted the Most Popular Driver in NASCAR year after year after year. Get on Twitter buddy. It ain't that hard. Give us a peak into what goes on in that head.

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Rusty Reckons: Is Junior Back?

I know we're only three races into the 2011 season, and it's too early to really get a sense of who's going to be in contention come November. However, you have to be mildly impressed and hopeful with the results from the 88 stable. Hendrick made some big swings this off season trying to fix the issues for NASCAR's most popular driver. He put Steve Letarte on top of the pit box, and moved the 88 team into the same garage as the 48. Improvement by osmosis was the hope. Now, Junior's still marred in a long nearly 100 race winless streak. However, he is currently sitting 10th in points and has piled up two top 10 finishes in the last two races. If not for an unfortunate late race wreck, he probably had a top 10 car at Daytona, as well. Possibly a winning car. We'll never know. Also telling is that Junior appears to be having fun again. Make no mistake about it, when he's not running up front, he's a miserable cuss. If he's having fun, though, he can be a force to be reckoned with. The biggest problem with the 88 team and even going back to when he drove the 8 for DEI was an inability to adjust the race car throughout a race and get a good finish. He often could run well at the start or through the middle, but would always fade at the end. Communication from the race car to the pit box was the big issue. This is the biggest change and improvement for the affectionately nicknamed June-bug, this year. He's talking to Letarte and they are able to adjust the car to make it better and get good finishes. I'm not completely sold that he'll be able to sustain the Mo and be in the Chase this fall. However, I remain cautiously optimistic. There appears to be some life in him, yet.

On another somewhat related note . . . apparently, someone is trying to sell the hearse that carried Junior's old man, the late great Dale "The Intimidator" Earnhardt Sr. to his final resting place. Cryptic . . . yet intriguing.

- Brandon "Rusty"
Follow me on Twitter, @bkke.

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Rusty Reckons: Power Rankings Part 3

The summer has certainly heated up and so has NASCAR. Over the last few months, Rusty's been holed up in his cool basement watching the fastest sport in America. During this cave dwelling experience, I've noticed a few things that's made NASCAR exciting. Here's a short list.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 02: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #3 Wrangler Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway on July 2, 2010 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

1. #3 in Victory Lane

There are a few, and I mean a very few things that have the slightest inklin of bringing a tear to a NASCAR fan's eyes. After the tragedy of the 2001 Daytona 500, an Earnhardt behind the wheel of a #3 Chevrolet in victory lane is one of them. A few short weeks ago, we were treated to just that . . . and at Daytona, no less, the site of one of the greatest tragedies in NASCAR history. In honor of his father, Dale Jr. piloted a Nationwide car with his old man's #3 Wrangler blue and yellow paint scheme. With his usual restrictor plate aplomb, Dale Jr drove a great race and found victory lane for the first time since 2008. Once in victory lane and filled with his usual post-victory emotion Dale Jr declared he did what he wanted to do and that he would probably never again pilot the #3. His swan song, if it remains that, can surely go down as one of the best in sports history. Essentially, he drove it from victory lane, into the history books. That my friends, is certainly the #1 thing on Rusty's power rankings for this part of the season.


2. Chip Ganassi

There is no triple crown in auto-racing, but if there was, Chip Ganassi would get the honor. This year, Chip Ganassi, co-owner of the #1 car with driver Jamie McMurray in NASCAR and owner of the #10 car driven by Dario Franchitti in the Indy Series, won the top 3 races in America. In just 5 short months, Ganassi cars have found victory lane at the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the Brickyard 400. Rusty's certainly one to argue that there's a good deal of luck in racing, especially NASCAR, but unless Ganassi's been buying rabbit's feet by the truck-load, I think we can say he's got a few things figured out. Currently sitting at 17th in the points, it's not looking too bright for McMurray's chances to make the Chase, but of any of the tracks to win at, Indy is the most indicative of a driver's championship success. Only a handful of winners at the Brickyard have NOT won a Championship. McMurray added his name to that short list this year . . . for now, but Ganassi might just have another trick up his sleeve, yet.


3. David Reutimann

Who? Exactly! Unfortunately for David, up until this point, he's essentially been considered an also ran. A teammate of the sponsor-lovin Michael Waltrip, Reutimann has had minimal success at best. He's never made the Chase, and honestly has never really been close. He had won before last week, but in a rain shortened event. I know, I know, a win's a win, which is true, but Reutimann arguably wasn't going to win that race without a little help from the man upstairs. This time, it was a different story. Reutimann's win in Chicago was done with the usual moves seen by the sports top contenders. Reuti, as we've learned is his nickname among friends and growing fan-base, led a total of 52 laps and made the right moves toward the end of the race to finally take the checkers in a full NASCAR Sprint Cup event. Time will only tell if this springboards a promising career for the driver of the 00 (pronounced double zero) Toyota, but Rusty doesn't think we've seen the last of him.

4. ESPN's coverage

As a general rule, ole Rusty's not a fan of the cable sports giant's coverage of actual sporting events. Rather than having some national know-it-all flown in 10 minutes before the game and handed a single page dossier on the teams, I'd rather have local or regional guy who actually follow the teams call the game. ESPN's NASCAR coverage is the exception, however. Though I'll miss the lovely Lindsay Czarniak, the ESPN team truly does an excellent job. Further adding to ESPN's stellar work is the cut-away car segments. Now, usually I'm not a fan of anything that gets away from the actual action on the field, but racing's a little different. Discussions about the intricacies of the modern NASCAR race car are greatly aided with the ESPN cut-away car. Sure, Fox, and NBC, and TNT all have similar things, and ESPN wasn't even the one to invent the concept, but according to this avid fan, they've perfected it. The level of detail and knowledge base provided by this little aside is what makes ESPN's coverage of NASCAR make the current power rankings.

5. Greg Biffle/Jack Roush

The "bug-eyed-dumby" made it back to victory lane. The #16 3M Ford from the Roush stable ended a long winless drought stretching back to 2008. It was also Jack Roush's first win since last fall at Talladega. The win couldn't have come at a better time for the Cat in the Hat, either. Just before the Pocono race where Biff found victory lane, Jack was involved in a rather serious airplane crash. The wily old man was piloting his own private plane when it got a little hairy on landing. Roush was able to walk-away, but has been through several surgeries since. Having one of his teams find victory lane the Sunday he had to watch from a hospital bed, I'm sure helped in the recovery. Biffle's currently sitting at the 11th position in points, not a shoe-in for making the Chase, but this victory certainly helped, and if he does make NASCAR's version of the playoffs, those 10 bonus points will sure come in handy, too.


The Rusty Old Jalopy award: Carl Edwards

It's time to park, Mr. Ed. I've always been a fan of letting race drivers settle their business on the track. Let'em race, and let'em race hard. In recent years, NASCAR's been quick to punish overly aggressive driving in order to polish their image. This year, they let the gloves come off a bit, but maybe a little too much. Carl makes this week's jalopy award for his kindergarten behavior at a recent Nationwide race (oh, and let's not forget earlier this year at Atlanta). Brad Keselowski and Edwards have never been fast friends, but regardless of any rivalry, Keselowski didn't deserve to be outright wrecked on his way to the checkers like Edwards did a few weeks back. This isn't the first time Edwards has gone a little berserk either. After a wild race in Martinsville a few years back, Edwards came up and physically threatened teammate Matt Kenseth during a post-race interview, a teammate! Even more notable was his Cole Trickle-esque bumping of Dale Earnhardt Jr. at a Michigan Nationwide event. Junior got into Edwards towards the end of the race. Mr. Ed expressed his displeasure at Junior's move by ramming his car during the victory lap at the conclusion of the race. Junior escaped losing his hand by mere inches. Rusty's always been a fan of the bump-n-run and letting guys get aggressive. I'm an Earnhardt fan, for crying out loud. But there's a line. Using your car as a weapon and means of exacting revenge is over that line. Carl continues to cross it, and should be parked. Period.

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Rusty Reckons: Breakfast Advice; "Eat Your Wheaties, Jr!"

As we head into NASCAR's All Star weekend, Wheaties has announced that Dale Earnhardt will be featured once again on the front of its famous box of bran cereal goodness. This will be the second time the Intimidator's face will great cereal lovers the country over. It's been scheduled to coincide with with Sr.'s induction into the first class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. It's also notable coming during the middle of his son's long winless drought. Maybe Jr. could be more like his dad on the track if he ate his Wheaties. Rusty's not sure, but it's sure worth a shot.

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Rusty Reckons: Power Rankings Part 2

Well, another six races have come and gone and we are now officially 1/3 of the way through the season. As I sat down to pen this installment of Rusty's power rankings, I began to think about the good ole days of the sport, when brawn seemed to reign over brains, and TV deals didn't matter as much. Lucky for me and some of the more traditional fans, though, there are a few peeks at some of those old traditions in NASCAR lately, and this power rankings reflects just that.

Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

1. Happy Harvick - Last time out, I highlighted the resurgence of the entire RCR team. Well, ole Happy must be reading HHR, cause he's gotten even better since then. At Talladega last month, he broke his two year winless streak, not having found victory lane since Daytona in 2007. In fact, since a 13th place at Phoenix, Harvick hasn't finished outside the top 10 and has led at every race except Texas and Dover. Harvick's contract at RCR is up at the end of the year, and after Shell/Penzoil announced it was moving to Penske just a few weeks ago it looked like he might be saying goodbye to the only team he's ever known at the Cup level. However, with his recent success on the track, a deal with RCR should be inked in the coming weeks.

Getty Images

2. Hamlin's knee surgery - The joke's always been that NASCAR is a backwards redneck sport, and maybe there's some truth to at least the first part of that. In most other sports, a torn ACL will sideline a player for months if not end a career. Not for Denny Hamlin. After winning at Martinsville, Hamlin had surgery to repair the ACL he tore playing pick-up basketball in January. He was right back in the car two shorts weeks later in Phoenix. That first race back was a struggle, and Hamlin wheeled the car home in 30th. Since then, though, he's been on a tear. The FedEx #11 found victory lane one week later in Texas, and has since rattled off a fourth and 11th place finish before finding completing the sweep at Darlington two weekends ago. It was the first sweep at Darlington in 17 years. Apparently, even with a recovering knee, the 'Lady in Black' is not 'too tough to tame' for the boy from Rusty's neck of the woods (Chesterfield, yee haw!).

3. The #3 back on the track - Well, we've been waiting for almost 10 years. Ever since the horrific tragedy at the Daytona 500 in 2001 where we lost Earnhardt, every fan has speculated about if/when we might see the #3 back on the track. The next week after the tragedy, Earnhardt's team and car were back on track, but with a new number and driver (the #29 piloted by Happy Harvick). Not having the 3 on the track is like college basketball without Dick Vitale. Yeah, it's a little more peaceful and quiet, but it just ain't right. But now, the 3's going to be back, even if for just one short race. Junior's going to get behind the wheel of a car with his daddy's number on the side, and even his old paint scheme on the hood. The Nationwide race at Daytona this summer will feature the legend's son driving the Wrangler #3 in a partnership with JR Motorsports, RCR, and Earnhardt Gnassi racing. And as far as this old purist is concerned, that's pretty dadgum awesome!

4. Talladega spring race - Dubbed "the most competitive race in NASCAR history", the boys in Alabama put on quite a show last month. After the asphalt debacle at Daytona, plate track fans like yours truly were hoping for a better race at Dega, and boy did the Aaron's 499 deliver. By the time the race was over, a series and track record 88 lead changes had been recorded, and those were just measured at the line. All across the track, the total probably approaches 200 over the course of the 499 mile race. To top it off, the race was won with the #29 using one of the most recognized moves in NASCAR, the sling-shot. Harvick kept tucked in behind race leader Jamie McMurray until just at the right moment, before pulling out and passing him for the win. A little shake . . . and bake! How's your mind? Blown!?! Ricky would be proud.

5. Sibling rivalry - The story of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon is made for a Hallmark Channel special. A few years back, a little unknown guy named Jimmie went to one of the most winningest drivers in NASCAR to ask some advice. Instead of advice, he got an offer to come drive the 48 with Hendrick Motorsports. Since then, the 48 team has emerged as one of the most dominant in the history of the sport. During all this time, Gordon and Johnson have maintained one of the best friendships in the garage. However, with the 48 struggling since the re-introduction of the spoiler back to the car, things have gotten heated between these Hendrick brothers. A minor fracas at Texas turned into a downright hullabaloo at Talladega, when the 48 and 24 seemed to be playing bumper cars on the track. With Happy, Smoke, and Kurt Busch on their best behavior, NASCAR is in need of some 'drama' and feuding. Jimmie and Jeff are providing just that, and maybe even more.

The Rusty Old Jalopy award: And finally the award for what's been smelling up NASCAR like my daughter's stinky diapers, Stewart Hass Racing. Last year was the first year for Tony Stewart's newly formed team, and it was quite a success. Both cars made the Chase, and Smoke was able to find victory lane 4 times. While the #39 piloted by Ryan Newman was never the first to take the checkers, it wasn't due to the team's failure but rather a streak of some really rotten luck. Take note Earnhardt Jr. fans, he might not be the only one who needs a rabbit's foot from time to time. In 2010, though, both the #14 and #39 are struggling and currently sit outside the crucial top 12. Stewart has only had 4 top 10 finishes in the 14 car, and has finished 23rd or worse 5 out of the last 7 races. Newman's finishes have fared slightly better, and he's even won a race, but a very slow start has hampered the 39 team, and they are still 13th in points, out of the top 12.

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Rusty's Reckons: Power Rankings Part 1

Well, we are now officially six races into the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and as NASCAR takes its annual Easter break, the brain-trust at HHR thought we'd bring you a new feature, Rusty's Power Rankings. Every so often, I'm going to reach back into my bag of tricks and pull out some gems as I ruminate and pontificate on the best and the brightest in NASCAR, and I won't be just discussing drivers in these rankings. As you'll see this week, this ranking is going to include all elements in the sport. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the first installment of Rusty's Power Rankings.

1. Jimmie Johnson & Chad Knaus - Sigh! Don't these guys ever take a day off? So far this season, the 48 team has won HALF of the races (3 of the 6)! As you might imagine, the 48 team finds itself in a familiar position, atop the points standings. Usually, Knaus and Johnson find their streak towards the end of the season. Just like in individual races, they make adjustments, and get hot coming down the home stretch, leaving the competition in a cloud of dust. This year, they seem to be hitting their stride early. Too early? Time well tell, but it's hard to imagine the dominant force that is the Lowe's team beginning to struggle after such a great start.


2. NASCAR - Rusty's going to tip his hat to some big changes this year from NASCAR, all of them so far working out great. First, they got rid of the restriction against bump drafting, like it did any good. A penalty for bump drafting was about as likely as getting a travel called on Kobe Bryant. It won't gonna happen, folks. Nevertheless, it was a rule that allowed them to wag their fingers at the drivers four times a year. Second, they are going to be getting rid of that ridiculous wing and going back to the more traditional spoiler. That stupid wing looked like something out of Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Stock cars were meant to have spoilers, and I'm glad they are coming back. Lastly, the new green-white-checkers rules. In the past, they only allowed one shot at a green flag finish with the green-white-checkers system, which is NASCAR's version of overtime. This year, they are going to give it 3 shots, a much better idea! I mean, just look at Martinsville. Jeff Gordon conspiracy theories aside, what an ending!

3. RCR - What a resurgence from the team who didn't field a single car in the Chase last year. Currently, all three drivers are in the top 12 (the top 12 make the Chase after Richmond in the fall). For Happy Harvick, this could be partially due to the fact that his contract's up at the end of this year with RCR. There's been rumors flying about where he might go, and whether or not he's going to stay with the team who brought him in to finish out the season after Dale Earnhardt's passing. He's cooled off over the past two weeks, but the 29 came out of the gate with four consecutive top 10 finishes, two of which were runner-up. Teammates Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton are also sitting comfortably in the top 12. Bowyer amassed 3 top 10's before struggling with a 23rd and 40th place showing. He righted the ship somewhat this past week with a top 10 in Martinsville. While Burton hasn't had the finishes of his Childress teammates, he has been consistent, which has gotten him to where he is. Being in the top 12 after 5 races is a really good predictor for those who end up in the top 12 at Richmond. If this holds true, RCR would be ecstatic to have all 3 drivers in the Chase, after last year's drought.

4. Paul Menard - Who? Exactly! Menard pilots the 98 Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports. Prior to this year, his career had him bouncing around teams as a weekly also-ran. His highest career finish was 5th at Talladega in 2008. Last year, he finished 31st in points, his best finish being a 13th place at Texas. This year, driving for a new team, though, has lit a fire under the cheese-head from Eau Claire. Menard's already matched his career best with a 5th at Atlanta, and has consistently finished in the top 20 earning him a standing of 11th in points. While maybe not a serious championship contender, if he keeps this up, Menard could be a force to be reckoned with in the Chase. In the right equipment, he's shown an ability to handle a race car and wrack up consistently good finishes. A bit of a surprise to this point in the season, Menard may continue to fly under the radar and surprise some people.

5. Bump-n-run - One of Earnhardt Sr.'s favorite way around a short track like Bristol or Martinsville was the technique dubbed the bump-n-run. Earnhardt would put a fender on a car, get'em loose, and as he drifted up the track, shoot underneath for the pass. His use of this little move helped earn him the nickname The Intimidator. In fact, it got to the point where he wouldn't have to actually touch a guy. They see that #3 in their mirror, and just move over for him. Well, those who pine for those good old days got a good taste of it this past Monday at Martinsville. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth showed us just what the bump-n-run was, and more importantly what it looks like after the race is over (read: The Real Housewives of NASCAR city). As noted above, NASCAR's made a real concerted effort to try and bring back some of the lost aspects of the sport. The bump-n-run is certainly one of those that's back in full effect, and kudos to that!


The Rusty Old Jalopy award: Track conditions - It seems like ages ago now, but that race in Daytona felt like it took ages to complete on account of two long stoppages to fix the asphalt. Sure, with all the snow we got here on the East Coast this winter, there's going to be a pot-hole festival in nearly every city, but that's no excuse for Daytona. The Daytona 500 is the Super Bowl of NASCAR. The track, therefore, has a responsibility to the sport and its fans to put on the best possible show it can. Not having a track that's up to snuff is like having a big dead spot in the outfield for the World Series or a loose board on the hardwood at the Final Four. The racing at the 500 this year was great. It's just unfortunate that it was great racing bookended by long periods of sheer boredom watching asphalt dry, literally.

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Rusty Reckons: New Year's Resolutions 2010

With a little over a week till the green flag drops on the 2010 NASCAR season, Rusty has emerged from his winter slumber to pontificate on the goings on and what's in store for the coming year. I've also emerged to shovel the nearly 2 feet of snow on the back deck! Tonight we'll get our first taste of racing this year with the preseason Bud Shootout. Even though the rumblings of NASCAR don't make national headlines, there are big changes already in store for stock car enthusiasts this year. So, without further adieu, let's begin to fill your heads with the ramblings of a true wanna-be redneck.


One of the biggest changes for this coming year is the addition of a pretty face. After having a bit of a mediocre career in IRL (let's be honest, she's only had 1 win in 5 seasons), racing's #1 sex symbol is coming to stock car. Danica's now going to really show what she's got behind the wheel of JR Motorsports #7 Chevrolet, owned by none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. In her first year in NASCAR, Danica's only going to be running 13 races in the Nationwide series, but she'll be sure to turn the heads of a few beered up infield hooligans . . . including yours truly.

But, speaking of Junior . . . mark my words, Dale Jr will go winless again in 2010. Until NASCAR shortens the race or goes back to the old system, NASCAR's most popular driver is going to continue to struggle 'closing the deal'. Coffee and trophies go to closers, sorry June bug. Junior's got the talent and equipment, but for whatever reason, he's not found his groove or been able to keep up with the changes to the sport. A few years back in a different points system with the older car, I think he could have really been a perennial championship contender. Regardless, the stands will still be filled with more 88 fans at Daytona and Talladega this year than anything.


Chad Knaus gets jealous of Jimmie's new found fame and the 48 team finally shows they are human.

Over the last four years, Chad, Jimmie, and the 48 team have been heads above the rest of the competition. Watching the other 42 drivers try to compete against the 48 was like watching an arthritic one legged dog try to win a butt kicking contest. You rooted for that old mutt, but you just knew it wasn't going to happen. Well, this year the one legged dog's going to win. It took four years, but I think Jimmie's hit his peak. Even people outside of NASCAR are recognizing the soften spoken clean cut guy from California.

JJ wins AP's Man of the Year. This means he's only got one way to go, down. He won't slip far and he'll finish in the Top 5 in points, but no 5-peat for Jimmie.

That ugly wing stuck on the back of an otherwise sweet looking race car is going the way of the dodo.

Since going to the COT, fans and drivers alike have fussed about the tricked out looking rear wing on the back of the new race car. It's made the cars more squirrelly and thus, according to some people, made for less passing. So, the big boys up in the tower listened. NASCAR is working with a few teams next month to test a spoiler similar to the one used on the old car. The goal is to get a little more downforce on the cars and hopefully make for better racing. Rusty thinks this is a great idea, but we'll have to wait and see how it transpires.

Unlike previous years, I'm not going to be making any wild predictions on who's going to win the title. I think there are several strong contenders, including Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart. Carl's been close several times, and if it wasn't for the 48 team would have at least 1 title already if not two. Since I'm thinking the 48 isn't going to win it this year, I could easily see the 99 taking the crown. Don't count out Tony though. Stewart had an amazing year last year with his upstart race team. Many people thought he would struggle including yours truly, but he proved us all wrong. If he can avoid a sophomore slump of sorts, he should be at the front and challenging for his third career championship come November.

Last year was a good year, but this year's going to be great (as long as you aren't a Junior fan). So, stock the fridge, get some bean dip, and let's get ready for another season of the world's best stock car racing series.

Hammer down!!!!!

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HHR Signing Day Special: The Curious Case of Harrison Beck

(Regular HHR contributors Rusty and The Cynic are born-and-bred fans of the North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Nebraska Cornhuskers, respectively. The one thing they have in common is having been suckered into recruiting hype. In time for National Signing Day, we at HHR thought it might be good for them to provide some perspective. Enjoy.)

Ah, signing day—the pedophile’s national holiday. Seriously, isn’t it just a little disconcerting hearing a bunch of pasty middle-aged white dudes describing 17-year old boys as “physical specimens?” You know, the ones who drool over YouTube videos of high school game films and know just a little too much about his chosen school’s recruiting targets? While I understand wanting to get the top players for your team, with some of these guys there’s a very fine line between Rivals and kiddie porn.

Anyway, recruiting is, at best, an inexact science. Sure, getting a bunch of 5-star guys probably helps your team’s odds overall. But it’s certainly not uncommon to see those same guys leaving school or riding the pine a couple of years later while players with less talent but better work ethics run onto the field. Plus, it tends to be somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy (Recruit X has offers from Texas, Alabama and Florida, therefore he must be a top player, right?). So before you get too excited about where your favorite team’s recruiting class ranks on Scout.com, let us give you a brief cautionary tale.

So much talent. Now what?

The Cynic: Harrison Beck was on everybody’s 2005 recruiting radar. Rated as the third-best pro-style QB recruit in the nation (behind Mark Sanchez and Jonathan Crompton; 12 spots ahead of Colt McCoy), he chose Nebraska over offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss and North Carolina State, among others. When he arrived in Lincoln, Beck was supposed to be the savior—the one who would take Bill Callahan’s West Coast Offense by the reins and resurrect a declining Nebraska program. But after a disappointing freshman year, in which he saw very limited action and finished just 1-10 for 21 yards and an INT, cracks in Beck’s seemingly invincible armor began to appear.

Fast forward to two-a-days in August 2006. Beck skipped a couple days worth of practice. Reports circulated that he was upset with his lack of playing time (having dropped to third on the depth chart) and was looking to transfer. However, he supposedly had second thoughts and had asked for (and received) Callahan’s permission to rejoin the team. Then it happened. And by “it,” I mean Harrison’s mom. A Lincoln paper quoted Evelyn Beck-Bothwell as saying that Harrison was being treated unfairly and that, if he was given a fair amount of repetitions in practice, he would be the starter.

While there were few positives about the Bill Callahan era at Nebraska, most Husker fans would agree starting QB Zac Taylor was one of the toughest SOB’s to ever put on the scarlet and cream. He was the unquestioned leader of that 2006 team, popular with both the fans and the players. So to say that Mrs. Beck-Bothwell’s comments badmouthing Taylor and #2 QB (and eventual starter) Joe Ganz were not well-received would be a massive understatement. Once the comments became public, too many bridges had been burned and Coach Callahan quietly told Beck that it would probably be in everybody’s best interest if he were to continue his career elsewhere.

My mommy says I'm special.

So Beck packed his bags and headed back east, eventually landing at North Carolina State.

####

Rusty: Harrison Beck’s tenure in Raleigh was as stable as an episode of MTV’s The Real World. Beck was mired in a post-Rivers stable of mediocre quarterbacks. After sitting the mandatory first year required by the NCAA, Beck was narrowly edged out by NC State legacy Daniel Evans for Tom O'Brien's debut as the Wolfpack coach. Evans' first game under O'Brien wasn't pretty, and Beck soon found himself with the starting job. However, his two touchdowns thrown in
relief of Evans would be his only ones of the season. Despite his Hulk Hogan arm and cocksure swagger, Beck helped the Wolfpack stumble to a basement dwelling 1-4 start by throwing 8 interceptions in 5 games. His only win as a starter that year came against lowly D1-AA Wofford.

In his second year in Raleigh, Beck would only get the starting nod once, having bee relegated to the backup role for soon-to-be-named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Russell Wilson. His one start was certainly one for the record books--3 picks, no touchdowns, and a completion percentage of less than 30 percent. Much to the delight of Wolfpack nation, it would be the last action he saw in the regular season, though rumors circulated that his mother was fashioning vodoo dolls of Coach O'Brien. In fact, by that point relations had soured so much between the formerly heralded recruit that, when he did see action again in the Papa John's Bowl, he seemed to relish completing his only pass of the game . . . to the Rutgers secondary. The other players in red-n-white didn't find Beck's 16th interception to only 119 career completions nearly as funny. (For you math whizzes out there, that means he completed 13 percent of his passes to the guys wearing the other uniform over his career for the Wolfpack.)

Sadly, even after leaving NC State, Beck remained defiant, basically saying that his poor performance wasn't his fault and seemed to outright endorse the idea that he was more interested in throwing deep balls and making SportsCenter highlight reels than executing the coaches' game plan: "That's [deep passes] a little different than what I've ever had [at NC State]. It was always, 'Don't lose the game,' 'Don't throw that,' 'Check it down to the fullback, throw it short, take that stuff.'" Quite the team guy.

Action shot of Beck not checking down.

####

After washing out at two BCS conference schools, Beck accepted an offer to play for new coach Terry Bowden at Division II North Alabama. In fairness, he did have a solid senior season: Beck threw for 31 TDs, more than 3,800 yards and finished sixth in the voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy, the D-II equivalent of the Heisman. But, in typical Beck fashion, he managed to throw his former coaches and teammates under the bus, saying his success was due to having receivers and a coach who "understand who I am as a quarterback."

Beck taking one for the team. Or not.

####

Still, this one year of D-II success is a far cry from the lofty visions that Beck, his mom and the various recruitniks around the country had for him in 2005. Beck may have been talented, but his ego and inability to play the coach’s game that kept him on the sideline and ultimately on the bus to Alabama.

But don’t cry for Harrison Beck. He’ll always have a place in history—as the only player whose mommy ever got him kicked off the team.

Ticket out of town.

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Preserving History: Jimmie Wins Record 4

After each major sporting event, HHR takes a look at how it is portrayed in news print in some of the nation's leading dailies. Part out of curiosity, and part to preserve the dying medium.

While it might not have been huge news in the Northeast or West Coasts, JJ's record stetting Cup win was huge down South.

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RUSTY VS. REV: Red River Shootout Edition

The Rev's take...

To this point in the season, Texas has quietly – but impressively – built an undefeated 5-0 record and no. 3 national ranking. After an overly impressive one-loss season in 2008 (where Texas was left out of the national championship game only because of a quirk in Big XII conference tiebreaker rules), the 2009 Longhorns have picked up right where they left off last year.

Critics are quick to point out that Texas hasn’t played anyone yet – as Rusty points out, the Longhorns best win so far came against an underachieving Texas Tech team. But before you turn your nose up too far, take a look at the numbers: Texas has a top ten offense, rolling up 480 yards and 47.2 points per game. The defense? Just as good: Texas is yielding just 233 yards and 15 points per game.

Now, all of that will be put to the test in the Longhorns’ biggest game of the year against their hated rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners. Even though the Sooners already have two losses, they came by a combined two points. And that was with their 2008 Heisman winning quarterback, Sam Bradford, on the shelf with a shoulder injury. Bradford returned last week against Baylor and hung 389 yards on the Bears – and most observers say that was a bad game for him! You can easily make the argument that this team would be undefeated had Bradford not gotten injured, and you know that he’ll be ready to go for this rivalry game.

Fortunately for Texas, they’ve got a superhero of their own in QB Colt McCoy. Perhaps no other person to have ever played QB for Texas has been so aptly named for the position. The gunslinger is the heart and soul of the Longhorns, and he absolutely plays his best on the big stage. Remember, it was McCoy who outplayed Bradford in this contest last year, leading his Texas team to a win over the Sooners. McCoy has put up gaudy numbers again this year, and he will challenge OU with both his passing and scrambling ability.

Oklahoma is an extremely good team, and even with two losses, they are still in position to win the Big XII South with a win against Texas. Texas, on the other hand, has unfinished business from 2008, and they need a win to stay in the national title hunt. This is always one of the best college football games of the year, and tomorrow’s matchup should not disappoint.

Texas is a 2.5 point favorite, and I think that’s a fair line. Watch for the Longhorns to squeak by the Sooners, 33-30.

Rusty's Take...




The Red River Shootout, one of the best and most storied rivalries in all of college football. In recent years, it's been a Big 12 Championship play-in game. You have to go all the way back to 1998 to find a team other than Texas or Oklahoma that made it to the Big 12 Championship game from the South. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, it's been this play-in game that's kept Texas out of the Big 12 Championship game for a number of years in the early 2000's. In fact, since 2000 the Sooners have posted 6 Red River wins to only 3 Texas victories, and have only gone to the Big 12 title game twice (2001 & 2005).

This year coming into the weekend's big noon kick-off, Texas may find itself with another large hurdle to leap and I'm not talking about Sam Bradford. Texas's top 2 RB's, Junior Vondrell McGee and freshmen Tre Newton have combined for over half of Texas's rushing attack this season, but will be watching the action from the bench with injuries this coming weekend. Their replacements, co-starters Cody Johnson and Foswhitt Whitaker have combined for only 123 yards on 29 carries, so far. The good news is that they have combined for 7 of the Longhorns 14 rushing TD's, but they've gotta get close to the goal line before they can score.

On the other side of the ball, the Sooners injury report looks a whole lost more promising. 2008 Heisman winner Sam Bradford came back last week in a warm-up game against Baylor. He looked a little rusty, but was still able to pass for almost 400 yards in a win. I imagine with a big game against his new buddy Colt McCoy this coming weekend, Bradford will be back in full force. In last year's losing effort, Bradford tallied 387 yards and 5 TD's, but it was a poor rushing attack that really sealed the deal. This year's attack looks a bit stronger, averaging almost 200 yards on the ground per week.

Make no mistake about it. OU's got a tough contest against Texas. Texas sports a top 10 offense, and top 5 defense. But unlike Oklahoma, who has played 2 ranked opponents, Texas only real competition so far has been Texas Tech, who hasn't exactly matched its previous year's success.

Now, before you start calling ole Rusty a hypocrite for picking against the Sooners just a few short weeks ago, realize the vastly different situation. Against, Miami, the Sooners were without Bradford, halfway across the country in hostile territory against an unknown team. This week, in Dallas, they face an opponent they are all too familiar with and Bradford's 100%. I anticipate a hard fought contest, but a clear OU win. Rusty's going with the Sooners, 31-24.

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Rusty Vs. Rev: Florida Vs. LSU

Each week, HHR's Southern Gents, Rusty and Rev. Shaw Moore, will steal a page from NASCAR.com and go Head2Head and argue the winners of one of the week's upcoming marquee games.

Rev Takes LSU


For LSU, the start of SEC play has been heart-stopping to say the least. Against lowly Mississippi State, the Tigers needed a spectacular punt return for a TD and a last-minute, goal line stand to hold off the Bulldogs. Then, last week against the Bulldogs from Georgia, LSU got the biggest, most undeserved early Christmas present in the 2009 season when the refs handed out a completely bogus excessive celebration penalty on UGA wideout A.J. Green in the closing minutes of that game. I don’t know what exactly was excessive about the celebration, but the penalty did move LSU into great field position for a winning TD run by Charles Scott.

It certainly hasn’t been pretty – but in all reality, SEC football rarely is. The important thing for LSU is that they are still undefeated and keeping pace with Auburn and Alabama in the West. And while their first two SEC games haven’t been picture perfect, they’ve got a great shot to polish their image with Florida rolling into town this week.

What’s astonishing about LSU and Florida that the winner of this game has gone on to win the last three BCS championships. Now consider that Florida has been an odds-on favorite to make it to the championship since the start of the season, those hopes would have been in major jeopardy had this game been played last week. Human battering ram Tim Tebow was battered himself, sidelined with a concussion he received against Kentucky. As for the rest of the team, they were all fighting the effects of a flu virus that apparently spread through that locker room like the plague in Middle Ages Europe. Fortunately for Florida, last week was their bye week, so they got a week to recover and prepare for the biggest game on their 2009 schedule.

Still, with that week off, there are lingering doubts as to Tebow’s condition and availability. He’s apparently still a game-time decision, and it’s anybody’s guess how well he could play coming off the concussion. Keep in mind, Tebow is usually the one handing out the punishment. Now with soup for brains, it will be interesting to see if Tebow is able to keep that same aggressiveness that has been his trademark these past 3 ½ years.

Tebow’s injury status aside, LSU will still be up against their biggest challenge to date. The Tigers have been positively horrible on offense – as a unit, they rank 99th out of 120 teams. It doesn’t make matters any easier considering Florida has the number one ranked defense in the country. I don’t expect LSU to score much at all on offense against UF, so special teams will be absolutely critical for the Tigers. Mighty-mite Trindon Holliday will have to have a big game returning kickoffs and punts to maintain manageable field position for LSU. Plus, he’s got the combination of speed and elusiveness that makes him a threat to take one to the house at any time.

While LSU may be slightly less talented overall than Florida, they do have one major factor working in their favor: the Tigers are damn-near unbeatable at home. The crowd at Death Valley on Saturday nights can be a crazy deranged mob, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Mix in a chance of rain and way to much whiskey in the stands, and you know it will be the most inhospitable environment Florida will face all year. I’m calling this one for LSU: 17-14.

Rusty Takes the Gators


While the college football world tries to read the tea leaves and determine if His Excellency Tim Tebow will start tomorrow against the LSU Tigers, Rusty isn’t going to worry about it. With or without Tebow, the Gators are still the best team in college football. Tebow's good (see an earlier post before the game against Tennessee), but he's not everything. The Florida offense has not shown any real weakness this year, scoring less than 40 points only once; a 23-13 win against Tennessee. In the other 3 games, Florida has tallied an amazing 159 points.

By facing cupcakes the likes of Troy and Charleston Southern, Urban Meyer's had a prolonged preseason to get his team warmed up and ready for the serious play in the SEC. As the Rev said, the winner of this game has gone on to win the BCS the last several years. Make no mistake about it, the coaches, players and everyone involved know that. So, while LSU's had to battle to get here, Florida's bowled over a few opponents and is hitting 4th gear coming into this weekend's game.

The Florida offense ranks #3 in the country, amassing an average of 526 yards a game. When the Gators make it into the red zone, they score over 90 percent of the time, and over two thirds of the time it's for 7. These boys from the Swamp know how to score. Now, granted, Tebow has accounted for a considerable portion of that offense, but it's not the passing attack that's propelling the Gators to the top. Florida is only ranked #58 in passing efficiency, but the Gators possess the #1 rushing attack with two great backs carrying the load with Tebow. Sophomore Jeff Demps and Junior Chris Rainey have combined to average well over 100 yards a game. Against a rushing defense that's giving up over a hundred yards every week, I would imagine this dynamic duo to keep racking up respectable numbers against the Tigers.

On the other side of the ball, Florida's been even more dominant. The Gators are bringing the #1 Defense in the country into Tiger Stadium tomorrow night. This is a defense that is giving up less than 215 yards of offense a week. Opposing teams have only seen double digits once against Florida, and that was Tennessee who only scored 13. Finding the end zone is going to be tough for LSU, no matter how many screaming Cajuns are bussed into Baton Rouge.

So, with an offense that's just hitting it's stride, a defense that able to crush opponents, I expect with or without Tebow, the Gators will win this weekend on their way to a 3rd national title. Florida wins 24-17.

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Rusty Vs. Rev: Miami Vs. OU

Each week, HHR's Southern Gents, Rusty and Rev. Shaw Moore, will steal a page from NASCAR.com and go Head2Head and argue the winners of one of the week's upcoming marquee games.

Rev Takes the Sooners


I respect what Miami is doing and I’m glad they’re climbing their way back to respectability. You’ve got to give them credit for playing such a daunting early opening schedule – 4 ranked teams in their first 4 games is ridiculous! However, don’t count me as one of the kool-aid drinkers that thinks this team is a serious national power or title contender just yet.

Consider: the ‘Canes were celebrated for knocking off Florida State, but that just doesn’t mean anything anymore. FSU might be the most bipolar team in college football – on one hand, they absolutely blitzed BYU, blasting the Cougars 54-28; on the other hand, the ‘Noles barely survived (at home) against FCS team Jacksonville State, and then they end up losing (again, at home) to South Florida. In those two games, Florida State scored a total of 26 points. That’s another way of saying they’re terrible.

The other marquee win on Miami’s schedule came against Georgia Tech. Again, I don’t know how much that means. Georgia Tech shocked the ACC with their option-attack last year, catching many teams by surprise – Miami included. Against Miami this year, the GT scheme looked to be figured out - Miami’s athleticism and speed advantage neutralized the Yellow Jackets’ offense from the start. Tech’s got a nice team, but their offense is completely one-dimensional - after getting down early, there wasn’t a chance the Jackets were coming back.

All you really need to know about Miami is found in their losing performance against Virginia Tech last week. You could say that Miami was the superior team talent wise in their first two games; against the Hokies, they clearly were not. Predictably, Virginia Tech mopped the floor with the ‘Canes, 31-7. Miami couldn’t move the ball on offense and definitely couldn’t stop anything on defense.

And that was against a team inferior to Oklahoma. Simply put, the Sooners are a match-up nightmare for Miami. They’re big, just as fast, strong, score in bunches, and play defense like crazy … which is crazy when you think about it, considering they’re a Big XII team...

The obvious elephant in the room for the Sooners is the loss of last year’s Heisman winning QB, Sam Bradford. Bradford was hurt in OU’s opening season game against BYU, which the Sooners lost 14-13. Clearly, that game was a clunker for OU – it was their first game of the year, at a neutral site, and their QB was banged up to boot. So throw it out.

Redshirt freshman Landry Jones has stepped in for Bradford and will start against the ‘Canes. While he obviously showed a lack of polish against BYU, he and his offensive mates have gone absolutely crazy since, ringing up 64 points on Idaho State and 45 points on Tulsa. In the win against Tulsa, Jones passed for a school record 6 TDs – which is crazy, considering past Heisman winning QB Jason White or Bradford himself has never accomplished that feat. Equally impressive, the defense has recorded two straight shutouts, allowing a measly 156.5 ypg and recording 5 takeaways over the two games.

Two years ago in Norman, the Sooners absolutely pasted Miami 51-13. Miami has the luxury of playing in front of the home crowd this year and I expect the game will a bit closer this time around. Unfortunately for the ‘Canes, the result will be the same. Look for the Sooners to win going away, 35-13.





Rusty Says the U is Back

First, let me apologize to fellow HHRer, DC Special Agent Blue Pulaski, a diehard Sooner’s fan, but the whole 2004 Jason “Knee-less Wonder” White Heisman debacle has forever put a sour taste for OU in Rusty’s mouth. C’mon, Philip Rivers, anyone? But I digress. Saturday’s match-up between the #8 ranked Oklahoma Sooners and the resurgent #17 Miami Hurricanes is a great match-up of two powerhouse programs, one on the rise, the other teetering on the precipice of decline. 0-5 in BCS bowls since 2003, sheesh!

Miami’s entry to the ACC was supposed to bring football strength to the nation’s premiere basketball conference. Instead, Miami has struggled mightily with a horrific helmet swinging melee a few years back that left the Hurricanes at the absolute bottom of the barrel of respectability. This year however, Miami is showing some of the play that made them one of the better teams in the first part of this decade, and it all starts with quarterback Jacory Harris.

Harris has been putting up great numbers against solid defenses so far this year. Over 3 games, Harris has a respectable 152.6 quarterback rating. He’s completing almost 60 percent of his passes, and has thrown for at least 150 yards in each game. His worst game was his most recent, a loss at Virginia Tech. Playing against a top 10 pass defense in the pouring rain on the road is a tough challenge, especially in Lane Stadium. This week, the Hurricanes get to come back to sunny south Florida against a secondary that has allowed opposing teams to complete more than 50 percent of its passes, including over 300 yards in a season opening loss to BYU. Facing the Sooner secondary at home, and wanting to get back to form, I expect a big game from Harris.

On the opposite sideline will NOT be Heisman winner Sam Bradford. After practicing all week, Coach Stoopes decided to go with freshman signal caller Landry Jones. Bradford’s recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in the season opening loss against BYU. Now, Landry had a whale of a game last week throwing for six touchdowns, but that was against Tulsa. Don't expect him to be able to do the same against Miami on the road.

Miami is also rounding the final turn in one of the toughest schedules to start the season. Oklahoma is Miami’s fourth consecutive ranked opponent, the second straight team in the top 10. The fact that Miami’s offense is averaging almost 380 yards per game against ranked opponents speaks to the Hurricanes offensive prowess. Meanwhile, the Sooners have posted respectable numbers, but against sub-par competition, BYU, Idaho State and Tulsa.

Lastly, let’s also not forget that BYU beat Oklahoma, and then lost to Florida State a team that lost to Miami. So, just looking at the who-beat-who line, Miami is the clear favorite in this game. With Jacory Harris at the helm, expect Miami to continue its trek up the hill of college football with an upset win over Oklahoma on Saturday. Miami wins 24-17.

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