Ho-Hum, Johnson Wins Again

March 4, 2010

I am getting the feeling that the number 48 car driving into victory lane is starting to bore race fans. It seems the current equation of Sprint Cup racing is another race, another victory for Jimmie Johnson, and yet another round of griping about the NASCAR champion's dominance.

That is exactly what happened last week in Las Vegas after Johnson, the four-time defending champion, reeled in teammate Jeff Gordon to win for a second consecutive week. Gordon led for 218 of the 267 laps, so you know he had to wonder what happened. And so did Kevin Harvick, who finished second behind Johnson for a second straight week.

Johnson has already won 49 races at this level. He is making what Gordon did 10 years ago seem like nothing. Speaking of Gordon, it seems incredible that he has not won a race in close to a year now.

Reviewing The Olympic Games

Those who followed the Winter Olympics saw a combination of excitement, shock, euphoria, and tragedy. The shock and the tragedy came early as opening day was overshadowed by the death of a luger in a training-run crash. The excitement came on a daily basis and the euphoria, at least for the host Canadians, came on the final day, the day the Canadian hockey team beat the USA team in sudden-death overtime. The thriller set the stage for a festive closing ceremony that will likely be unmatched.

The hockey win, in the games' final event and in Canada's most cherished sport, gave the host nation a Winter Olympics record of 14 gold medals and set off wild celebrations across Vancouver. Actually, there were plenty of reasons for Canada and the United States to celebrate after 17 days of competition. The U.S. won 37 medals overall, the most ever for any nation in a Winter Olympics.

NFL and Overtime

The NFL is finally looking at changing its overtime rules. It is beginning to look like the owners will be voting on a plan that will ensure both teams will get at least one possession in overtime, unless one team scores a touchdown on the first possession of overtime. A touchdown (either on special teams, offense or defense) on the first possession ends the game. No touchdown means the game goes to sudden death on the second possession. There would still be a coin flip to start overtime, and the winner would still choose whether to take the ball or play defense on the first possession of the extra period.

I, for one, would vote yes. And I did some research to tell you why I would.

First of all, the coin flip is playing too big a part in who wins and loses. Of the 445 overtime regular season games played in the 36-year history of the system, only seven times has the team that won the flip chosen to kick off instead of receive. That should tell you something right there. Can you blame the coin flip winner for wanting the ball? After all, since 1994, the team that wins the flip wins the game 60% of the time.

Secondly, I would like to see a team win in overtime by scoring a touchdown. The proposed system would give us more game winning touchdowns. Surely you agree that a game winning touchdown is more exciting than a game winning field goal. Since 1994, close to 75% of overtime games have been won by a field goal.

Let's hope the owners agree with my analysis and opinion.

Being John Daly

Being John Daly seems to be difficult for John Daly. Copies of the popular professional golfer's PGA file, that was obtained by the Florida Times-Union, reveals some unbelievable revelations.

Here are some of the highlights. The PGA Tour, on seven occasions, ordered Daly to undergo counseling or enter alcohol rehabilitation. The Tour placed Daly on probation six times, and he was cited 11 times for "conduct unbecoming a professional". He was flagged 21 times for "failure to give best efforts".

The final transgression listed in his file, according to the Times-Union, details Daly's six month suspension from the PGA Tour at the start of the 2009 golf season after his October 2008 arrest, in which he was found intoxicated outside a Hooters restaurant in North Carolina.

Daly's personnel file also included accusations that he nearly struck an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent after failing to stop his car at a security checkpoint at the 2005 U.S. Open in Pinehurst, N.C.

Daly, a two-time major champion who took the Tour by storm by winning the 1991 PGA Championship, hasn't won on tour since 2004, but remains hugely popular with fans.