So the racing season got off to a pretty nice start when the Grand-Am's Rolex 24 of Daytona came right down to the last lap, with the number 58 Brumos Porsche holding off the number 01 Ganassi Lexus — the team that's won the event the past three years.
The "24" in the race name signifies 24 hours, meaning it was crazy to have the top four cars finish on the lead lap, let alone running nose to tail for the last 3-plus hours. It may well have been historic.
It was definitely entertaining, especially as the car I was rooting for took the win. The win was a long time coming for the Brumos team in Grand-Am, and former Formula 1 star and current Nascar racer Juan Pablo Montoya — piloting the second place Ganassi Lexus — definitely made them earn it.
Broms also came home third with the number 59 car, which included sports car racing legend Hurley Haywood in its driver lineup. A suggestion to Brumos on the 59: Get rid of the heinous florescent green spot color on the windshield and sidesills. It was there last year, and I was disappointed to see it back.
If the 58 has florescent red, how about a blue? I guess it's there so spotters can more easily pick out the car from afar, and to differentiate it from its sister car, but surely there's a more eye-pleasing option. That green is ruining the classic Brumos white with blue/red stripe paint job.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Brumos def
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Bird crap
I said as much over at Will We Ever Win, but here's my reaction to yet another Eagles loss in an NFC Championship game, with some bonus venting thrown in for good measure.
The Eagles were still getting good luck from some refs' calls and screw-ups by the Cardinals, and just didn't do anything with it.
The Cardinals' last drive for a TD felt inevitable. It's like their offensive coordinator woke the hell up and went right back to what worked in the first quarter.
The long pass to DeSean Jackson where he bobbled the ball while walking into the endzone had me laughing out loud. That was pure joy. Didn't last, of course.
The Eagles are down 14-3 and driving in the first half, inside the Cardinals' 30, I believe. And they call a momentum killer in a quick pass to Greg Lewis right on the line of scrimage, where he's supposed to deek the defender one-on-one. Has that play ever, ever worked with Greg Lewis? Ever? Needless to say he got thrown for a 2- or 3-yard loss. PATHETIC!
Kevin Curtis has to catch that fourth-down pass that basically ended the game. If he was touched it did not impede him. It's football, people touch you.
McNabb isn't bothering to say he, himself, came up short, when he clearly did. Big surprise.
Brent Celek is clearly a better player than L.J. Smith, like most fans have said all season. We were smarter/less stubborn than Andy. Again.
I continue to maintain the drafting of DeSean Jackson was a complete fluke. Reid lucked into that draft pick like the Eagles lucked into the playoffs. Jackson and Celek were studs Sunday.
I thought all year there was more talent on this team than the record and play indicated. They were lucky as hell to even get into the playoffs, where it was evident they could have been in the Super Bowl. Who then is to blame for being a mediocre team all year, being gifted into the playoffs and then coming up short in crunch time? Mostly Andy Reid.
Can't say I didn't enjoy the game, once the Birds started the comeback anyway. Down as they were at halftime, I thought they could come back. And they did, taking the lead. And then ...
Maybe the Phillies winning the World Series softened me up, but I'm not outraged or anything. I'm not going to be calling for Reid's head or to move McNabb, because that's been futile for years now. It's just really disappointing realizing you were that close to the Super Bowl, and would have gotten there in incredible fashion. All for naught.
UPDATE: Ron Wood on the above-mentioned Greg Lewis play. "That horrible play call to Greg Lewis on 2nd and 2 was from the 13 and was the worst play call of the game."
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Free at last
Actor Patrick McGoohan died Tuesday, and I've been avoiding online discussion of the final episode of The Prisoner all day as I have yet to see it.
Incidentally, AMC has all the original Prisoner episodes available on its Web site in anticipation of its new miniseries. But I may just have to spring for the DVDs. I've seen about half of the original 17 episodes, and they are indeed weird and awesome.
As he himself has said, he'll always be best known as "Number Six" from that series, but he was pretty great any time I saw him. I especially liked him as the warden in Escape from Alcatraz, and as Longshanks in Braveheart. He also won two Emmys for his work on Columbo. Pretty much any Columbo episode is good times, but those I saw those episodes in syndication many years ago and they definitely stood out.
R.I.P Number Six.
UPDATE: AV Club's Zack Handlen posted a good write-up on McGoohan, which linked to another blogger's reaction. Interesting reads.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Clear the set
Baltimore photog The Hood Watch posted photos from a former soundstage used for The Wire, aka the best TV show ever. I can't believe all this cool stuff is going to waste. I would fill my apartment with this useless junk, after clearing it of the current useless junk.
The Baltimore Sun newsroom was an awesomely realistic set, and the photos of it here kind of look like my former place of employment ... while there were people working there. I wouldn't be surprised if it looks exactly like this pretty soon.
Via.
