Welcome Back Podcast

Finally Verb and I are back on the air with our weekly podcast. This weeks episode is about 35 minutes and we discuss plenty.

• Matt Holiday a Cardinal
• Roy Halladay going anywhere?
• X-Games chatter
• Jeremy Mayfield vs Nascar
• Lance and the Tour de France
• NFL Draft Schedule change
• Michael Vick...should he be allowed back?
• and The UFL

Honestly the longest segment there was definitely about Vick.

Take a listen and let us know what you think.

Wait.....What??

A couple days ago Verb tried to tell you that there is stuff going on in sports. He is full of it.

We all know that February, along with July, are the worst months for sports in the entire year. And honestly August isn't too much better but it helps that football is right around the corner and at least there are preseason games to get a minute or two of football each week.

I mean what you could possibly be excited about right now?

The Combine. Please. It is the biggest farce in the whole draft process. Every year a player comes in and puts on this great show and is all of a sudden a can't miss prospect. And half of the players don't even do anything anymore. They would rather save themselves for their schools pro day in the spring where the conditions are more favorable for them.

The NBA. Why now? If you have a favorite team and you follow them than sure you are excited all season. But for anyone else the NBA doesn't matter right now. Hell just look at the trade deadline yesterday. All month we had heard rumors about big names on the block and then the day came and went with nothing much happening.

And the games are relatively boring. I mean this is the most top heavy league in all of sports. You have about 5 teams that have a legitimate shot at the finals and everyone knows it. And the thing with the NBA is that upsets don't usually happen in the playoffs. The favorites generally make it. So why watch the season?

The NHL. Same as the NBA. If you have a team that you follow it will surely be exciting but for the most part fans are waiting for the playoffs. Add to that the limited number of fans and you have no excitement.

Nascar. Yawn!! I enjoy a little racing from time to time. Usually I can watch the races at tracks like Daytona or Talladega because they are exciting the whole time. But this past Sunday I couldn't even stay awake for the Daytona 500. And the damn thing ended halfway through. The sport (or whatever you want to call it) is barely watchable.

College Basketball. Is it March? We all know the regular season of college basketball is pretty meaningless. I enjoy watching a few minutes of a few games but for the most part there is only 1 game per week that is really worth watching. Now in a few weeks it will be the most amazing thing going on but right now.....Yawn!

Baseball. Who cares about A-Rod? I mean other than all the talking heads on tv does anyone else care? Sure Red Sox fans are in heaven and Yankee fans are pissed but me...I don't give a damn. Half the players cheated in that time frame and it doesn't bother me. But then again I am not a traditionalist and couldn't care less who the home run king is.

And spring training hasn't truly started yet. Like College BB this sport really gets going in March. Until then...let me sleep.


Other than that what is going on? Someone give me something. Come March the excitement returns but February might just be the 2nd worst month for sports all year.

The GM Says....2/9

A-Rod is a former steroids user.....you surprised?

I am sure you have heard about this and you surely have your own opinion. But here is mine. Steroids were all over the place when this happened (2003) and it doesn't bother me at all. If these guys wanted (or want) to mess up their bodies and futures with steroids than by all means go ahead. The only problem I have with it is with young kids taking it. So illegal is good for me. My problem with THIS particular story is that ARod hasn't admitted it yet. Today ARod should come out and apologize and accept that it happened. IF he does that it will be much better for him and baseball.

Kobe outperforms Lebron in Cleveland.....so what!

I still say Lebron is better. Sure he struggled from the floor and Kobe's team won. But look at the stats. Lebron did more for his team than Kobe. Lebron scored 16 points and had 12 assists meaning he participated in 40 points for the Cavs. Kobe scored 19 and had 2 assists for 23 points. And you throw in the rebounds (8 for Lebron and 3 for Kobe) and you see that Lebron did more than Kobe. The Lakers won cause Lamar Odom had one of his few good games per season.

Warner says Boldin's decision will make his easier......have fun in retirement Kurt!

Kurt Warner told the media yesterday that if Anquan Boldin decides to stay with Arizona then his decision will be easier. *translation - If Boldin comes back, Warner comes back.* But I don't think Anquan wants to stay in Arizona. Why would he? I mean after maybe one or two more seasons in the league Kurt will be gone and Matty Leinart will be the man. Would you want to stay there when other teams want to pay you more?

Tiger welcomes second child, a son.....the future savior of golf arrives.

Come on Tiger get the kid some clubs already. If you could get him out there on the course soon you could make millions, oh wait you already have millions. Well you could do good for him. Congrats Tiger, and thank you. Raise him to be a golfer so we can all enjoy the sport after you retire. Without him golf will never survive.

NASCAR season started this past weekend....did you tune in?

I did for a couple minutes. Saturday night was the Bud Shooutout with is just 28 cars for 75 laps at Daytona which is one of two tracks, the other being Talladega, where the action is actually enough to keep me awake for HALF the race. After watching that race I have this to say, if you like crashes...tune in next Sunday for the 500. Cause there are gonna be lots of em. Oh and Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. will be on the front row to start (which means absolutely nothing at Daytona).

2008, What a Year!

2008 was a crazy year in the sports world! There were so many big stories and touching stories that it would be impossible to talk about all of them in one post. If I tried to do that, it would take me 3 hours and you would never be able to get to the bottom because it would just be too long!

I decided that hear on Jumping Offsides, I would do a countdown (I love countdowns) of the top 5 stories of the past year.

I am sure there will be some great stories left off and well, if you would like to tell me what I left off, feel free to leave a comment and I will tell you why it didn't make the countdown.

So, without further ado here is my list of the top 5 stories of 2008 starting with number 5.

5. Jimmie Johnson wins 3rd straight title

• Kyle Busch dominated the Nascar regular season this past year but when it was time to get serious, Jimmie, Chad Knaus and the rest of the 48 turned it on once again. If anyone else would've won the championship, I don't put this story anywhere near the top 5. The fact however is this: In any other sport, a team that won 3 championships in a row would be considered a dynasty. Many sports fans have been reluctant to do this for Johnson and his team but I am not. This team is a dynasty and should be considered one. To beat the best guys in the world 3 years in a row is a huge feat. Whether Nascar is a main stream sport yet or not, this story was big and winning 3 straight titles in anything is a huge huge deal.

4. The Phillies end the drought and win one for Philadelphia

• The World Series itself could be the headline here. The Phillies winning the series was a huge deal but the other half, the Rays could be just as big of a story. Winning the AL East over the Yankees and Red Sox was unbelievable. Then their run through to the World Series was just as amazing. But let's be honest, the Phillies were the much better team and the city of Philadelphia had not had a world champion since 1980. I think that fact alone really added to this story. Cole Hamels was amazing throughout the playoff run. Coming from behind and passing the Mets late in the season and then beating the Brewers, Dodgers and then the Rays and clinching the title at home was an awesome way to bring a title back to Philly.

3. Tiger Woods win the Open on One Leg

• Really? No one knew how bad the injury really was until after the tournament, but for that guy to play through that pain and force an 18 hole playoff and then win the playoff on the 19th was incredible. There really aren't words to describe how good that really was! Those are the best golfers in the world, trying to play their best golf and Tiger beat them with only one working knee. The game is hard enough with all working body parts. He is coming back better then ever in his eyes which is incredible. He could win a major this year by 20 shots but nothing will ever be better then him winning and dealing with all that pain.

2. The Giants beating the Undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl

• The Patriots had beaten the Giants in week 17 and were heading into the playoffs undefeated. The Giants were a wildcard team and really no one thought they had a chance. Then these two teams won their conference and it was really hard for me to think this game was even going to be close. Oh it was and it may have featured the best fourth quarter in Super Bowl history. The play everyone will remember was the Eli avoiding the sack, scrambling out and completed the pass as David Tyree made an incredible catch with Rodney Harrison hanging all over him. Then the touchdown to Plax in the corner of the end zone that put the Giants up 17-14. What a game! What an upset!
  

1. Michael Phelps Wins 8 Golds and Sets a New Olympic Record

• I don't think there is any question here. The summer Olympics featured two amazing athletes. Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps. Usain Bolt proved he was and is easily the fastest man on foot on the planet but in my eyes there was no better story in the sports world this year then Michael Phelps winning all 8 gold medals, which set the Olympic Record and achieving a total of 15 career golds which is also a record. He dominated some of his races but the one I will always remember was the one where he won by about a centimeter and they showed it from underneath in the water. It was truly an amazing performance by Phelps. To be the dominate in some many different races in such a short amount of days. I don't ever expect we will see something like that again. There are no other words then Amazing!

2008 was an amazing year for sports and I am sad to see it go. 2009, I am sure will provide us with other great stories some that probably will compare to these five. There will surely be surprises, some good ones and some bad, but all in all, I expect it to be another great year and we can only hope that it is as good as 2008.

Happy New Year!

Verb's Blurb's - 12/29

Verb's Blurb's is going to be a column that gives me the chance to write about things that may not be coming from the big 3 sports or in some case's may be coming from there but may not be worthy of an entire post.

It will be things that are note-worthy but may not appeal to all of you fans. Stuff that I see or read or hear about that I think are worth sharing but if you don't see or care about it, I totally understand.

Today will be my first episode of hopefully many to come.

Here goes nothing!

MMA - I saw the Forrest Griffin/Rashad Evans fight last night and it was good. I think I am losing interest in the whole cage fighting thing. I thought I was a big fan of Griffin's but last night I watched what probably will be seen as a great fight and I was only slightly entertained. The best part of the night for me was the interview with Griffin afterwards. If you get a chance to see it, its hilarious!

College Basketball - Gonzaga played great against Connecticut and then went out and lost to Portland State. Really? Is Gonzaga overrated? How can this team really be considered a top team in the country when it loses to teams like Portland State. I really thought the Zags were that good but now I really wonder. Mark Few better get his team back together or the Zags might not win their own conference.

NBA - I tried watching the NBA on Christmas and it was a real struggle for me. However, the Celtics had won 19 in a row before then and were off to the best start in franchise history. They went to L.A. and Kobe and the Lakers ended that streak. The interesting thing for me now is whether or not the Celtics can stay on pace to be the best team ever and whether or not they will win 70 games. I do think this year's team is better then last years and that spells trouble for the rest of the league.

Baseball - Mark Teixiera reportedly went to the Yankees and asked if he could play there. The Yankees had reportedly withdrawn their offer. I don't buy any of it. The Yankees have now signed arguably the three best free agents on the market to ridiculous contracts. I think its stupid as I have said before and I hope they lose every game they play!

Nascar - AJ Allmendinger is replacing Elliot Sadler Gillette Evernham racing. I knew Allmendinger was going to get a ride but I did not see this coming at all. In the same report, Ray Evernham may be leaving the organization. I don't know if they are directly related but man, this is a huge change for a team that really hasn't done much since they have started.

The GM says....

• So is Rafael Furcal a Dodger or a Brave??? A couple days ago he was back in Atlanta and now they are saying he is back in LA. I don't know what is going on but you know what....it is only December and we really don't care about baseball anyways.
• Where will Mark Teixeira end up playing next season? Where ever it is will tell you a lot about the importance of money in sports. If he goes to Baltimore or Washington because they will pay him more than he deserves the losing that will come with it. Go to Boston or Anaheim so that you have a chance of winning!

• Peyton Manning was damn near perfect last night as he only threw 4 incompletions in the game. The Colts clinched the 5 seed in the AFC with their win over Jax. And if Tennessee wins on Sunday next weeks Titans/Colts game will basically be a preseason game for both teams as none of the starters will be in at all or for very long.
• The Vikings are going to go ahead and start Tavaris Jackson Sunday against the Falcons. If Gus Frerotte is healthy than I think Brad Childress might want to be fired. Atlanta is going to play better defense than the Cardinals and Jackson IS NOT better than Gus.
• Alex Smith is willing to take a pay cut to stay with the 49ers. I am one of the few out there that still thinks Smith can be a good quarterback in the NFL. And with the quarterback situation in San Fran right now I would say it would be worth their while to give him a nice sized pay cut and let him earn the backup job next season.
• Adam "I don't wanna be Pacman anymore" Jones will NOT miss the rest of the season with an injury. This is twice now this year that we all thought we were done with Jones, his suspension and then his injury. But he is still here. Maybe if he breaks a team rule like punching Terrell Owens he wouldn't come back.

• The BCA might take legal action to get more black head coaches in college football. It is frustrating to see all the coaches getting bypassed if it is race related, which it seems like it is. Would a Rooney rule work? Not sure but it couldn't really hurt anyway. Even if it helps just 1 or 2 get coaching jobs it would be worth it...wouldn't it?

• Nascar gave Mauricia Grant a bunch of money to basically go away now. The terms were undisclosed but she was suing for 225 million because she was the subject of racial and sexual discrimination. I am not saying she shouldn't have brought charges but $225 million??? Really? Why not just ask for the company instead?

Gettin Loose...11/20

Well that's a wrap! Jimmie Johnson wins the championship part 3. I predicted at the beginning of the chase that he would finish third and for that I am in idiot. There was no reason to pick him not to win and there is no reason not to pick him to win next year too. The tracks are the same, the cars will be the same, the team is the same, everything is the same. The competition might be a little better because Carl Edwards was damn close this year but it's going to be incredibly hard for me to pick someone other then Johnson again next year.

This brings me to my next point. Something has to change in the chase. Jimmie Johnson is a great driver and he has a great team but I really think that him winning three in a row is hurting NASCAR. This year especially because everyone knew the title was his with 3 races left. People stop watching when they know who is going to win, even in NASCAR. I don't think changing the tracks is a real good idea because they are all pretty much the same excluding the road courses and I definitely don't want them involved.I have thought of two changes that might make it a little better and more competitive.

First: Have a bigger spread in point values between places. Not just from first to second. This would give the guys a better chance to make some points up if they do have that one or two bad finishes during the chase. It might not have mattered this year with the way the 48 team ran but at least its a step in the right direction.

Second: During the chase have the chase drivers have their own points system. For example if a guy finishes last in the race he finishes 12th among chase drivers and doesn't lose as many points. This would make it ultra competitive. There would have to be a good size spread within the positions but it wouldn't make those bad finishes so bad. You would be able to make a mistake or two and you would be fine.Those are my two ways to change things up just to make it interesting again.

I really think NASCAR needs to do something or else it will begin to start losing fans and that wouldn't be good. It was finally becoming a major sport and to lose its status because it doesn't make some changes would be silly.

This past season was a tale of two seasons. The regular season was dominated by the 18 team and Kyle Busch and then the playoffs by the aforementioned 48 camp. There are some major changes happening next season with the biggest one so far being the combination of Ginassi/DEI teams. I am sure there will be many more to come as I am sure some drivers will change teams and what not.

I really don't have many awards to really give out.

There are only like 3 or 4 you really can give out.

So the 2008 JO NASCAR awards are:

Rookie of the Year: ummmmm, Sam Hornish, I guess. This one doesn't really matter.Biggest

Disappointment of the Year: This is a tie. First, Juan Pablo Montoya finished 25th in the standings. Not good! Second, Kasey Kahne missed the chase again. Soon this guy needs to contend for a championship.

Biggest surprise of the year: David Ragan. This guy was great this year and easily finished as the best non-chaser and definitely made a name for himself. Finished 4th in my Driver of the Year voting.

and finally...

Driver of the Year: This came down to three. Here was my final ranking. 3. Kyle Busch. He had an awesome regular season but when it counted, he fell apart. 2. Jimmie Johnson. When it counted he obviously stepped up. Wasn't a standout during the regular season however.

and the winner is...

Carl Edwards. Was the best throughout the whole season. Second going into the chase and second coming out. Dominated at the beginning of the year and really was the most consistent and best driver of the season.

I personally can't wait for Daytona in February.

I thought this was a great season and I look forward to another one like this one next year.

Remember when Ryan Newman won this past 500. Let's see if he can do it again next year.

Until February, race fans, keep your lugnuts on straight and keep your peddle to the floor.

We'll see you in Daytona in February.

Gettin Loose...11/4

So I decided to change it up a little bit this week for "Gettin Loose" in that I am going to do it today instead of doing on Friday of last week. I know I didn't get to pick a winner or a sleeper for last week but that will start up again at the end of this post for Phoenix.

First lets talk about Texas and the amazingly gutsy call by Carl Edwards at the end. To try to make it 69 laps on one tank of fuel is crazy. That craziest thing about it was that his crew chief told him that he should pit. He took it on himself to slow down and make sure he had enough to make it to the end. What a call and what a driver! It allowed him to gain 60 points on Johnson and now he is back and has a real chance again. That's the kind of driver Carl is. He is racing for the win. If he would have run out of gas he would've taken himself out of the chase. He is a go for broke kind of driver and it paid off big time on Sunday.

Johnson finished 15th and I am not really sure why. I wonder if he was points racing and just figured a decent finished would have sealed it up. And ya know what, maybe it did. He is up 106 with two races left but with Edwards winning two in a row I wouldn't be points racing just yet. I don't know, maybe his car just wasn't that good but I know that he better race a little harder if he wants to rap it up early.

A few other side notes from Sunday in Texas:

-For the first time ever, that I have seen anyway, a driver intentionally wrecked another. That's right, David Gilliland pretty much intentionally wrecked JP Montoya and then in an interview said it was an accident. HAHA! yea, did he watch the replay. What an idiot!

-With his 6th place finish, Kyle Busch is now not last in the Chase points standings.

-Denny Hamlin is now last in the Chase points standings.

-Jaime McMurray got his 3rd straight top 10 and is really making himself look good coming down the stretch.

Now lets talk about next week. The guys go to Phoenix. Its a flat fast 1 mile speedway. The favorites are all going to be the guys at the top of the standings. Johnson, Edwards, Biffle, Gordon, Burton, Bowyer and Harvick have all done very well at the track in the past. Its going to make for an incredibly exciting race. A few big questions are going to be: How conservative is JJ going to be? Can Carl win again? Will there be a sleeper that comes out of nowhere and gets a win? Can Gordon get a win for the first time all season?

We are coming down to the end and I think that's going to make for some incredible racing. Let me make my picks so that you can tell all your friends how smart I am come Sunday afternoon.

Lock of the Week: Jeff Gordon. He has historically run really well here and along with Edwards, he made the right decision to stay out last week. He finished 2nd and that momentum along with the need to win this year will propel him into victory lane this week in Phoenix.

Sleeper of the Week: Kevin Harvick. Harvick likes this track a lot and he has been running very consistently all year but hasn't' had that memorable win yet. He is going to be right there this week and may be able to pick up a win and start his run at next year's title.

Gettin Loose...10/25

pIts time to start gettin loose for real. We are down to the last four races and Jimmie Johnson is really close to locking this thing up. Biffle and Burton are trying to tell you its still a competition but they will need JJ to "get loose" in a big way for that to happen. 3 titles in 3 years is impressive.

Elliot Sadler actually compared to the 48 team to the 49ers of the 80's, the Cowboys of the 90's and Michael Jordan's Bulls. Those teams were dynasties. This is a foreign idea in the NASCAR world because no one really ever thought this would happen. Everyone thought there were way too many good teams for a team to win 3 straight championships. I am one of those. I didn't think this could happen. Now, I know its not over but its darn close. Am I willing to call it a dynasty. Yes I am!

I don't care what sport it is, if you are the best at what you do for 3 straight years, you are a dynasty. JJ has it figured out and the best part is that this year, he didn't turn it on until the last third of the season. He made sure he got enough points to be fine going into the last few races before the chase and then he went for it. He knew that when the chase came he would be the best guy out there. It's amazing!

This brings me to the next point. If NASCAR doesn't do something, this could get very repetitive. Other then Jimmie's fans', I don't think many people like this kind of domination in this sport. They need to change the tracks they race on or something but I think if they don't do something they are going to lose a lot of casual fans.

It's Atlanta this week and Biffle and Burton need to do something to make this interesting or I may not be able to say its not over next week. Of course, qualifying was rained out again so starting positions and pit positions were assigned by points. This again, only gives Jimmie an advantage and its going to take a good effort to beat him again. Its a fast track and the Roush guys usually do well so we'll see what happens. Here is what I think.

Lock of the Week: Jimmie Johnson. I don't think I need to explain this. He is on fire and starting on the poll.

Sleeper of the Week: Am I allowed to pick any other driver other then Johnson. I guess not but Earnhardt Jr. is my sleeper this week. There are only a few guys that aren't sleepers right now and Jr isn't one them.

Gettin Loose...10/19

We are Gettin Loose once again but this week its in Virginia. Martinsville to be exact. Its the shortest track NASCAR runs on and that should make for some exciting racing. Jimmie Johnson is the defending champion of this race and this is where he started a streak of three straight victories last year. This was where he began his run at the title and no one could stop him once he got serious.

This year Johnson comes into the race with a 69 point lead of Jeff Burton. Greg Biffle is a close third only 17 behind Burton and Carl Edwards is fourth. Edwards needs to really pick up his game after a 29th and 33rd place finished the last two weeks. He has dug himself a big whole, but not one he can't get out of. The other two guys just need to run the way they are capable and just hope that the 48 team runs into some bad luck sooner or later.

This week qualifying was canceled and in the 4 weeks since I started "Gettin Loose" qualifying has been rained out twice. I understand weather is something we can't control but I am not sure I like the way NASCAR handles starting lineups when they don't qualify. The rule now is that driver and owner points are what decide who starts where. Now don't get me wrong, right now its making this chase even more dramatic every week due to all the chase drivers starting up front. This, I believe, has given Jimmie a major advantage. He gets to start on the pole and especially here is helps him get those five bonus points right away. I am not saying he wouldn't lead the race at some point anyway, but at a short track like this, starting on the pole is definitely an advantage. Do I have a solution to the issue? Nope, no I don't. Drawing out of a hat really doesn't do anything for me because then you are bringing luck into it way more then it should. You could change one of the practice sessions into a qualifying session. If the drivers knew that was the rule then they would understand. Or change the Nationwide qualifying session into the cup qualifying session and let them start by points position. Like I said, I don't know what the best solution is but I do believe it needs to change.

Getting back to this week at the Tum's quikpak 500. I think its going to be a very interesting and competitive race around like short track in Martinsville. This is the other major question mark for a lot of the drivers in the chase. They are all trying to keep their noses clean and make sure they get out of their with a solid finish. After this week, I really believe that we are going to figure out who the true contenders are for the title. It would not surprise if one or two more drivers really gave themselves a chance after today.

My lock of the week is Denny Hamlin. He won here in the spring and really never runs bad here. He will have a strong car and this is a track he really likes. He is looking for some momentum going into next year and I think he gets it here today.

My sleeper of the week is Jamie McMurray. He likes short tracks as well and lately he has been running good. He would also love to win just to build some momentum for next year. He has always had the talent now lets see if he can put it all together and get a win.

Gettin Loose...10/11

Its week 3 of Gettin Loose and boy do I have a lot to talk about. Lets start with restrictor plate racing. I know there was a NASCAR record for amount of different leaders and some crazy number of lead changes but really, couldn't we just have done that in 30 minutes and 20 laps. All the chase drivers decide to "hang back" so they would avoid the big one. Well guess what, not only was there 1 big one there were actually 2 big ones. Only 2 chase drivers finished the race at full speed. So much for that idea. The crazy part was is that as soon as the guys decided to go they all got to the front. I really don't understand why they didn't just do that the whole race. Anyway, back to restrictor plate racing. Everybody in Talledega and watching at home knew that the only two important laps were the last two. I personally think its stupid now and something needs to be done. One lap you are in first and the next you are in 25th because you got out of line.

The one good thing about restrictor plate racing is bump drafting. Well that is if you know how to do it right and when to do it. I am not saying Carl Edwards doesn't know both of them but some of the guys in the garage do think that. One is particular is my boy Kevin Harvick. This is hard for me because Carl Edwards is my boy too. Everyone seemed to take the real big one last week pretty easily especially after Edwards was man enough to step up and say that it was all his fault and that it was a stupid move on his part. Everyone was fine with it until yesterday that is. Edwards wanted to talk to Harvick about it and things were said and done and it turned into a bit of a scuffle. No one really knows what happened but there is a picture with Edwards' hand around Harvick's throat and its rumored that at some point Edwards' was in a headlock. I personally love this because NASCAR needs rivalries. I smell one starting and this is going to be good because these guys are both great drivers. In a fist fight I would take Harvick but on the track, man, its close!

In other big news, they actually did race last week and Tony Stewart won! (kinda) Tony Stewart is the official winner of last weeks race, which is huge because Stewart was flirting with his first winless season in the big leagues of racing. I say kinda because Tony was not the first one to cross the finish line. Regan Smith actually crossed the finish line first but actually finished 18th. How is this you ask? Well Regan Smith technically cheated because he passed Stewart below the yellow "out of bounds" line. The rules are the rules but I applaud Smith for going for it because this was his chance and he came dag gone close.

This week we go to Lowe's for the Bank of America 500. Charlotte always has good racing especially under the lights. Qualifying was cancelled so they are starting by points. 12 chase drivers starting as the top 12. I am interested in 2 things. First of all, can Edwards and Biffle regain some of the points they lost last week and I want to see if there is anything between Edwards and Harvick on the track. I am sure these two are sick of each other so I think its going to be interesting.

My lock for the week is Greg Biffle. He always runs good there and needs the points back that Edwards cost him last week.

My sleeper for the week is Mark Martin. He also always runs good and is starting right outside the top 10. He has nothing but wins to race for and he could get one tonight.

I am going to skip the top 10 this week because last week to me was a wash because of the venue. Let's see what happens this week and maybe the top 10 will make a comeback next week. Until then, lets strap em up and get em loose!

Gettin Loose...10/4

Hey race fans, this weekend is race 4 of the chase and its in Talladega. The big one, the one that all the drivers had circled coming into the chase, the real make or break race of the chase. Its go hard or go home time for some of the top guys in the Sprint cup and its going to be good.

Talladega can either make the chase for some guys or break the chase for some guys. A few guys that have already had their chase broken are the Gibbs boys. Hamlin, Stewart and Kyle Busch are 10th, 11th, and 12th respectively in points right now and it seems as though they are pretty much done. I don't really understand what happened. I thought Denny had a good shot at being right up there at this point and with as good as Kyle had been running I really thought he would be right there also. Stewart on the other hand has pretty much lost all interest in racing for Gibbs and you can tell he is already looking forward to next year.

The reason I bring them up is that usually you would consider them among the favorites this week at the 2.66 mile track but I don't really think they are right now. I know its hard to really make anyone a favorite because this track is such a crap shoot but NASCAR is a sport of momentum and none of them have it right now, so I am ruling them out. It kills my fantasy team as you see I have dug myself a huge deficit, however not insurmountable.

Oh, one more thing before I really dig deep into my analysis for this week. Last week, I said I would be gettin loose every Friday, well I think after one week of that I learned my lesson. After writing the post on Friday (before qualifying) I picked Tony Stewart to win. Well fans, I knew I was in trouble later that afternoon when he qualified LAST! I would've changed my pick but I knew you would all understand this week after I explained myself a little bit. I moving the "gettin loose" series to Saturdays and I should have a little bit better luck picking the race.

Lets strap them belts tight and talk some Talladega locks and sleepers. I think the Hendrick boys will all run real well as they usually do at the super speedways. DEI will be strong as well. They showed that in qualifying with 4 out of the top 10 spots. I just have a feeling the Edwards and Biffle will end up right around the front at the end and the RCR guys are good too on the big ones. I need to narrow this down because I pretty much told you that all the drivers could end up doing well.

My sleeper for the week is Kurt Busch. He is great on the big tracks and finished 2nd and 4th at Daytona and was running great until he wrecked at Talladega in the spring.

My lock for the win this week is Dale Earnhardt Jr. He is the master and he has the stuff to put him in position. He will be racing the car he had at the 500 that won the 125 and finished in the top 5 in the race. His only disadvantage is he will be starting at the back because of a blown tire in practice. It won't matter, Jr. wins!

Onto the new top 10!

10. Kyle Busch - I really think that at this point in the season it should only be chase drivers in the top 10 which means one Gibbs guy has to make it. Based on the entire season Busch is the guy here.

9. Clint Bowyer - 12th last week at his home track was good but this late in the season and being in the chase, 12th really isn't good enough.

8. Matt Kenseth - He started the chase badly but has two straight top 5's. On the right track but the first two races might have cost especially with the top 3 running the way they are.

7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - Last week he finished 13th. See Clint Bowyer. I pick him to win this week but that's just a pick, if he goes out and does he will jump some but for now he is down here.

6. Jeff Gordon - Biggest mover this week because he was sick as a dog last week and drove the thing into 4th. That's incredible. He said it was the sickest he had ever been while driving. The guy has been doing this a long time and he isn't out of it yet. Needs a strong finish this week.

5. Jeff Burton - Currently 4th in points and finishes really good every week. Unfortunately, right now, really good isn't good enough. The top 3 are running great, every week so even if he finishes in the top 6 or 7 its not good enough. He is a great driver and 5th right now is really good. See the trend?

4. Kevin Harvick - 9 straight top 10's. That's awesome! He is the fourth best driver in the Sprint cup right now. The unfair part for Harvick is that he is really far from being in the top 3. Its not over by any means but the top 10's need to turn into top 5's the rest of the way for him to have a real shot.

3. Greg Biffle - He is third in points only 30 behind. What's crazy is that in the three chase races he has 2 wins and a third. It's crazy that he isn't winning but he is right there and obviously has a real shot at winning this thing.

2. Carl Edwards - He is really 1A but because he is 10 points behind I put him second. Its really close right now between him and Johnson and this week could really tell a lot about the way the rest of this is going to turn out.

1. Jimmie Johnson - Its crazy that right now he is leading the previous two guys. When the chase comes Johnson puts on his game face and obviously when he does this not many guys can really compete. Its just unbelievable how insanely consistently great this team is during the chase. Again, needs to stay out of the big one this week to keep up the momentum.

There is always a big one at Talladega so keep your fingers crossed that your guy doesn't end up in it. This is one of the key races during the chase and the guys who come out of here with their cars in one piece will be taking a giant leap forward in putting themselves in contention for the championship.

Lets go racing boys!

Gettin Loose...9/26

Since I am the resident NASCAR expert, well, I am supposed to be anymore, you can't tell by the fantasy standing right now, I am going to be doing a weekly post about anything and everything that has to do with the coming week in NASCAR. Probably give you a top 10 or so and some predictions for the weekend and if anything else big happens I will talk about that too.

If you have any questions relating to NASCAR just email it to me and I will definitely address right here on the homepage of the blog on Fridays.

I know there is only 8 weeks left in the season so you are probably asking why start now and there are two reasons. One is that its chase time so what better time to start and two this is a good practice season for next year so I can go racing with all of you when they get to Daytona in February.

So lets drop the green flag on Gettin Loose and get after it!

This week's stop for NASCAR is Kansas Motor Speedway in the heartland of America. Greg Biffle is the hottest guy on the circuit right now being that he has one the last two races and has jumped all the way to a tie for second in the points with Jimmie Johnson just behind Carl Edwards. If you read my only other post on NASCAR I actually picked Carl to win the points so that is not unexpected to me. Biffle's strong runs however are but I don't see him stopping this week. Greg has been great on this track in the past and I definitely think he will be vying for his third straight win come Sunday afternoon.

Some other drivers that I think will contend this weekend are Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Johnson and Carl Edwards.

Clint Bowyer loves these flat D shaped ovals so I can definitely see him running well. Jeff Gordon has won here twice in the past and needs a strong run to stay in contention. Kyle Busch has to run well one of these weeks, right? Jimmie Johnson runs good at every track, especially when its crunch time and Carl Edwards, I just feel is dialed in right now and will definitely be there at the end.

The driver I think will win this weekend's race however is Tony Stewart. Stewart won this race in 2006 and is flat-out due to win. I think this is a track Tony is good at and he would love to get one final win for Gibbs before he leaves to start his new team next season.

The top story off the track this week was Red Bull racing parting ways with A.J. Allmendinger and signing Scott Speed to take over the 84 car next season. I am not sure if this is a huge deal only because team Red Bull isn't a serious player yet in NASCAR so I am really not sure if anyone would do well in this car. From what I understand Speed has been doing well in the truck series and is a young, brash, volatile personality that Red Bull likes. Fair enough, I guess. Sprint Cup and truck are two totally different animals however. Allmendinger has never really impressed me but from watching some shows on tv this week he has impressed some people in the garage, so I expect he will get a ride next season. The 41 car in the Ginassi stable is the most likely place according rumors circulating right now.

Now onto my top ten heading to Kansas!

10. Matt Kenseth - A second last week has him moving up, so a strong run this weekend is much needed.
9. Jeff Gordon - 7th place last week helps but he needs a few good runs in a row to really make any noise.
8. Kyle Busch - Two bad finishes but before that he was the man and that counts for something.
7. Tony Stewart - He has been consistent and if I'm right this weekend he will be right there.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - All he needs is a few good runs because this team is right there and wants it bad.
5. Kevin Harvick - 8 straight top 10's. Who knew? I did and he is right there as well.
4. Jeff Burton - Another incredibly consistent year. Just needs a win and we would be talking way more about him.
3. Jimmie Johnson - 2 straight titles and 10 points away makes it seem crazy that I have him at number 3. Tells you something about the top 2.
2. Greg Biffle - 2 chase races, 2 wins.
1. Carl Edwards - Even with Biffle winning two in a row he is still winning the points and this weekend should be another top 5 run.

Like I said fans, if you have any questions or think my top 10 is crazy send me an email at jumpingoffsides@aol.com. I will talk to you next week when we are on our way to the Talladega!

The Chase is on!

The Chase for the Sprint (Not Nextel or Winston) starts this weekend race fans! This week the teams are in New Hampshire at Loudon International Raceway.

The seeds are set like this (From 12 to 1):

12. Matt Kenseth
11. Kevin Harvick
10. Jeff Gordon
9. Greg Biffle
8. Tony Stewart
7. Jeff Burton
6. Denny Hamlin
5. Clint Bowyer
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Jimmie Johnson
2. Carl Edwards
1. Kyle Busch

The seeding is based on the resetting of points with a base of 5,000 and 10 bonus points for each win in the first 2/3's of the season. For example Kyle Busch won 8 times so he has 5,o8o points and from Stewart down to Kenseth, they didn't win at all so they all start with 5,000.

Every one has a chance as 80 points really is not difficult to make up in 10 races.

So here is my preview from 12 to 1 of how I think these guys will finish the chase and why.

12. Matt Kenseth. I just can't see him winning much in the next 10 races. He may get a few top 10's but that won't make him a key player really. He will also not finished 1 or 2 races and that's why he is down this far.

11. Clint Bowyer. This is his second straight chase and as much as I would love to see him improve from last year, I can see Clint pushing the envelope a little this year which could cause some dnf's.

10. Tony Stewart. Tony is a great driver. One of the best in the sport but right now I feel as though he is focused on something else. He will be consistent but will not win at all. Tenth isn't bad Tony, but go get em next year. I think that's already on your mind anyway.

9. Greg Biffle. Nice comeback from last year biff. I just don't see him improving much in the chase from how he has run all season. He might come close to a win or two but nothing that will put him in contention come Homestead.

8. Jeff Burton. This is another guy that all year has really just been consistent and never spectacular. That's not the way to win the chase.

7. Kevin Harvick. I have him jumping so high because I feel as though he is going to win a chase race this year which puts him ahead of the rest of the other guys below him. That's about all that will happen though as every other finish is probably going to be top 15 or so.

6. Jeff Gordon. He also will win once but I can see him getting a DNF late in the chase which bumps him down a few spots late in the season. He will win one of these chases though. Maybe next year Jeff.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. He really has no momentum right now and that is a much bigger part of this sport then people think. I don't think the chase racetracks set up very well for little E but that's why they go out and race. I really hope he does better then this but I just don't see it this year.

4. Kyle Busch. What a year for this guy, right? 8 wins already, a lot more in the two other series. Why do I have him finishing so low? He will have not one but two bad races coming down the stretch. So why so high? He will win two races coming down the stretch and you can't be that up and down and hope to win the championship.

3. Denny Hamlin. He has three straight 3rd place finishes starting the chase and he really likes some of the chase tracks. He won't win it all this year but look out in a few years down the road. He will be very close and have a chance with 2 races left but just won't have enough to pull it out.

2. Jimmie Johnson. He is threatening to make this another boring chase with how he is running right now. This is exactly how it went last year. He played around with them in the regular season and right before the chase and during the chase he just flat-out dominated. He will be close but fall just short. Homestead will decide it.

And your 2008 Sprint Cup Champion is...

1. Carl Edwards. He will win 2 or 3 of these and the ones he doesn't win will be all top 10 finishes. He has the most top 10's in the series right now and the guy can drive anything on any track. Like I said above, it will come down to the last race and two or three guys will have a chance but I just think Edwards will pull it out and back flip his way to the Championship.