Bleacher Report - Articles by Billy Fellin

Teixeira Brings Back Memories For Yankees Faithful

Billy Fellin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:24:11 -0400

The New York Yankees are back in the World Series again. With American League pennant No. 40 under their belt, as well as the groanings of Red Sox and Angels fans alike as background noise. The Yankees will play host to the Philadelphia Phillies for Games One and Two in the new Yankee Stadium, trying to win World Championship No. 27.

Numbers are an interesting thing to look at come October. While the number 27, both on the back of manager Joe Girardi’s jersey as well as the hunt to put a 27th World Series trophy in the halls of Yankees history, another number comes to mind when thinking about how the Yankees got here.

That number would be 25. As in Mark Teixeira.

Teixeira tied for the American League lead in home runs during the regular season with Carlos Pena of the Tampa Bay Rays with 39 long balls. He led the AL in RBI during the regular season with 122. He finished third in the AL with a .565 slugging percentage.

While Tex’s hitting in the postseason hasn’t been as spectacular as many Yankees fans would have hoped, with him having gone 6-for-27 in the ALCS with zero home runs, his glove has been more than golden.

More like he’s built a brick wall around first base when he’s there.

During the season, Tex only made four errors. He had a fielding percentage of .997.

Tex has made clutch plays practically every game in the playoffs thus far. His diving stop in Game Six of the ALCS that saved a run, his leaping grab that would probably have been a double in Game Three, getting the Yankees out of a jam by making two of the three outs in the inning with smart plays.

One of the smartest plays made during the entire playoffs was when Bobby Abreu hit a double into center field. Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter were out as cut-off men.

Teixeira smartly covered second base and was there when Jeter threw him the ball for the tag out on Abreu, who had gotten greedy trying to stretch the double into a triple.

While that isn’t an amazing play and some might say that “it’s what a first baseman is supposed to do,” it’s what the Yankees needed to make it this far into their playoff run.

They’ve needed smart baseball plays such as the ones made by Mark Teixeira.

When’s the last time Yankees fans were this confident about a ball not getting through the first base side of the infield?

You only need to look down two numbers from Teixeira.

No. 23: Don Mattingly.

Mattingly, like Teixeira, led the American League in RBI, with 145 in 1985. Also in 1985, Mattingly had 35 home runs, which was good for fourth in the AL that year.

The only thing that Mattingly has on Teixeira history-wise, is the MVP award in 1985, six All-Star game appearances, and nine Gold Gloves.

Mattingly also had his number retired and his plaque sits in Monument Park.

I don’t think the Teixeira-Mattingly comparison is that far off. Mattingly was a Yankee his entire career and while Teixeira has played for Texas and Anaheim, the Yankees secured him away for a while with the free agent deal they gave him this past off-season.

Yankees fans may also remember No. 24, Tino Martinez, and his handy field work during the Yankees dynasty run of 1996, 1998-2000.

While Teixeria may not have Mattingly-esque numbers quite yet, or the four rings that Martinez has, he does have a great cast around him with Robinson Cano, Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez.

Mark Teixeira came in with the same high expectations of CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. All pricey free agent acquisitions that Brian Cashman brought in with the hopes that they would lead the Yankees to a World Series title.

I’m not saying that Sabathia and Burnett haven’t been great for the Yankees. But I think that Teixeira’s role in the Yankees regular season and post-season success might have fallen by the wayside with Sabathia’s dominance and A-Rod’s post-season resurgence.

I don’t know if Teixeira will reach Mattingly like fame in New York. Only time will tell on that point. However, Teixeira is only four wins away from winning a World Series title for the Yankees, something that sadly Mattingly never accomplished in his great career.

One thing is for sure though. With Teixeira’s brick wall that he has practically constructed by first base at Yankee Stadium as well as on the road, Yankee fans can breathe a little easier if the ball is hit that way.

All statistics courtesy of mlb.com.

A Fan's Reflection: Derek Jeter

Billy Fellin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:59:57 -0400

I suppose every athlete, fan and writer at some point in time has that moment where they really look back and think about why they care about sports so much. What has manifested this love, to the point of almost obsession for some of us, of a game?

When I was growing up, baseball was my game. I was proud to say that I was a Yankees fan. I remember watching them win the World Series in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 and collecting everything I could that was Yankees related.

But perhaps the biggest reason why I’m so proud to be among the pinstripe faithful is because of Derek Jeter. This article is in homage to a player who I feel is the essence of what it means to be a true “team player”.

Jeter joined the Yankees in 1996. I was eight years old at the time and in my eye, there was no one better at baseball than Jeter. Of course, looking back 13 years later I know that’s a bit of an overstatement, but to an eight-year-old Jeter was, and still is, a huge role model to me.

I joined a Little League and was soon playing baseball. Though my team name wasn’t the Yankees—that wouldn’t happen until I was 13 or 14—I had to be number two. I played shortstop. I modeled my batting stance after Jeter as well.

In my later years of playing baseball, my teammates would even chant “Derek Jeter” after I made a huge play at short.

Jeter is undeniably the face of the Yankees organization. The absolute definition of what it means to be a Yankee. He’s the team’s eleventh captain, which he got in 2003. The Yankees had been without a captain since 1995, the year then captain Don Mattingly retired.

He’s the all-time hits leader for shortstops, second overall in Yankees’ history in stolen bases with 298, fourth in runs with 1,562, first in singles with 1,996 and first in at-bats with 8,565.

And he is eight hits away from being first overall in Yankees history for hits, set to pass another Yankees great, Lou Gehrig.

You wouldn’t know that by what he puts out in the media, however. He has always been very cautious about what he says and does, probably because he knows he has that role model status. He’s never been even thought of for being a PED (performance enhancing drugs) user nor has he ever mixed his personal and professional life.

All Jeter focuses on is winning. He wants to win and wants to be the best there is. The Yankees have the best record in baseball right now and Jeter is a big part of that, himself batting .330 with 17 HRs with 61 RBIs. Possibly an MVP type season.

Jeter’s resurgence and class is just a huge testament to the type of player he always has been. Some may say he’s overrated, some might say he’s one of the most underrated players of all time. What no one can question is the heart this guy has for playing the game of baseball and doing what it takes to win.

I still remember those days when I was that eight-year-old kid, and every year after, when I’d play baseball and put on that number 2 with such pride. As a twenty-one-year old college student, I still wear Jeter’s number 2 on my Jeter jersey with the same pride as I did on the diamond. One day, that number 2 will be among the rest of the Yankees retired numbers in Monument Park.

So for Jeter’s drive, natural born talent, class, character and his love of the game, I salute him.

Giants head to Super Bowl XLIV and 9 other bold predictions for the 2009 Giants

Billy Fellin — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:36:54 -0400

The New York Giants have undergone some significant changes in the short two years since their Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. One embarrassing loss, one receiver in jail, another to Kansas City and one defensive coordinator to St. Louis later and the Giants are looking at a number of question marks coming into the 2009 campaign. Here are 10 bold predictions for the Big Blue this season.

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Kasey Kahne Heating Up as Summer Arrives

Billy Fellin — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:55:24 -0400

As we enter the summer months, both the weather and some of the drivers are heating up on the NASCAR circuit.

One of these drivers is easily Kasey Kahne. After debuting the new Dodge R6 engine at Dover, Kahne has had two consecutive good outings, something that he has not been good at doing so far this year.

At Dover, Kahne qualified second and had a strong car all day long, but did not lead any laps. However, his car looked quite a bit stronger than his car has practically all year long. He climbed back after a misstep on pit road, and managed to finish sixth.

This was Kahne's second best finish of the season.

He only bettered it at Bristol with a fifth place, his only top five of the year.

At Pocono, where Kahne won last year, the Budweiser Dodge has throttle problems at the start of the race, but the team was able to bounce back.

Kahne was in second place to Tony Stewart with around 20 laps to go before he had to stop for fuel. This was very unfortunate for Kahne because he was gaining on Stewart and, if he had the gas in the tank and could have stayed out, might have caught Stewart.

Kahne's car emulated the car's moniker, Charger, as he charged to the front through the Pocono 500. Unfortunately, Kahne's finishing position on 14th doesn't show this that well.

Going into Michigan, where Kahne is the defending champion of the race, he is 14th in the standings, only 60 points out of the 12th place cut line for the Chase.

If Dover and Pocono's strong runs and Kahne's past success are any indication, he very well might be looking at another strong performance for the third week in a row.

If Kahne can come up with a strong performance at Michigan, he very well could find himself above the Chase cut line.

Kahne's performance at Michigan, as well as the rest of the summer swing, very well could be make-or-break for him to make the Chase.

I still think that Kahne will make the Chase, but he really has to be consistent over the next few races, being past the halfway mark to the start of the Chase.

"Won't Get (Swept) Again"-5 Reasons the Yankees will defeat Boston

Billy Fellin — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:22:18 -0400

Back in May, the Yankees were embarassed by the Red Sox, who swept both of the opening series. However, since then the Yankees have caught fire and actually leapfrogged said Boston team and currently sit a game up on them in the lead of the American League East. Here are five reasons why the Yankees won't get swept again.

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California Dreamin': Kasey Kahne at Fontana

Billy Fellin — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:07:33 -0500

Kasey Kahne had a rough Daytona 500. While being able to miss “The Big One”, which in this year’s race was the 10-car pile up that was the aftermath of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brian Vickers tangling up in the front of the pack.

Kahne was not as fortunate to make it through the entire race unscathed, however. In the race’s later stages, Kahne got caught up in a wreck behind the number eight car of Aric Almiroa from DEI. Kahne’s car hadn’t been one of the strongest cars on the day, but he had been making a charge to the front at the time of the wreck.

Kahne was the only Richard Petty Motorsports car not to finish in the Top 10. For the “star” of the team, this certainly needs to turn around and fast.

To be fair of course, the wreck wasn’t Kahne’s fault. That’s just how it goes at Daytona. However, being 29^thin the standings is still 29^th in the standings.

Along comes the Auto Club 500 in Fontana. After Saturday’s qualifying, Kahne will start 22^nd.

Kahne’s career at Fontana has been rather good for him. He has an average finish of 13^th, with seven top 10s, three top 5s and one win at California, according to NASCAR.com.

While Kahne’s starting position certainly isn’t ideal. However, I think that given his history at Fontana, he will be able to figure out the track and probably contend for a Top 10 finish.

Richard Petty Motorsports is coming off a stellar weekend in Daytona for the 19, 43 and 44 teams. The boys for Budweiser were left out on that party, but I think they’ll be celebrating a good finish after the Auto Club 500 is finished.

Kahne still needs to find some consistency if he wants to make the Chase this year. Granted, it’s only the second race of the season, but getting consistently good finishes can never start too early.

This Bud's for You: A 2009 Preview for Kasey Kahne

Billy Fellin — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:02:25 -0500

With the 2009 NASCAR season on the horizon, kicking off with the Budweiser Shootout on Saturday night, I think it is time for a little preview article about my favorite driver, Kasey Kahne.

2008 was a tough year for Kahne. He had two poles and two victories, as well as winning the non-points All Star race and finished 14th in points. However, what he really lacked was consistency.

He started off at with top-tens at Daytona, California and Las Vegas. Then he started to get pretty inconsistent with a 28th-place finish at Atlanta, then seventh at Bristol. He had eight races when he finished 30th or worse.

The team just never hit their groove right to be a consistent threat in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings. After a great weekend in Charlotte where Kahne won the All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600, he finished 31st at Dover.

Then a win at Pocono and a second at Michigan were followed by a 33rd and 30th at Sonoma and New Hampshire, respectively.

Over the off-season, the big news was Richard Petty merging with Evernham Motorsports, creating the new Richard Petty Motorsports. Joining Kahne in the 9 and Elliot Sadler in the 19 are Reed Sorenson in the 43 and AJ Allmendinger in the 44.

I think that this merger can only provide good support and experience for Kahne. The Budweiser Dodge team wants to have a recurrence of Kahne’s six-win, six-pole season of 2006, when he finished eighth in the points and made the cut for the Chase.

With Richard Petty on board to add to the great foundation that Kahne has developed, Kahne can only go up from here.

In the 2009 season, as long as they can get some consistency going early in the year and get off to a good start, I see good things happening for this team this year.

I’m going to predict at least four wins, and you’ll see the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge competing for the championship as he makes the Chase.

I know from a fan and journalist’s standpoint, I am ridiculously excited for the Bud Shootout, the Gatorade Duels, and of course the start of the season on Feb. 15 with the Daytona 500.

The 2009 New York Giants: A Look Ahead

Billy Fellin — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:06:46 -0500

The 2008 playoffs have proven to be anything but what the “experts” predicted they would be.

The New York Giants, highly touted as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, fell Sunday to the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that needed outside help to qualify for the postseason, making them the perfect example of how unorthodox these playoffs have been thus far.

Now, while the Giants are sitting at home, contemplating 2009, Philly and the Arizona Cardinals will be fighting it out next Sunday for the right to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLIII.

Despite earning the No. 1 seed, the Giants certainly have some places on which to improve for next season. The most publicized of these positions would be wide receiver. The Plaxico Burress fiasco left a void in the Giants' arsenal of deep-threat wideouts.

Domenik Hixon did well, but he doesn’t have the obvious height advantage of Burress, nor does he share an uncanny chemistry with Eli Manning. I’m not saying that Burress was the magic that was missing from the Giants’ attack on Sunday, but the five touchdowns Burress has scored against the Eagles since 2006 certainly would not have hurt the Giants’ offense.

Going into 2009, the receiver position will be a focus of the Giants’ front office. Mario Manningham, last year’s second-round pick out of Michigan, Sinorice Moss, Hixon, and Steve Smith will be returning at the position.

While the Giants have Amani Toomer, he is getting older, and retiring is certainly not out of the realm of possibility. What the Giants need is a younger receiver who has leadership and a proven track record. With Burress most likely out of the picture, the Giants might be picky shoppers in the offseason.

One player that would be a great addition to the Giants would be Anquan Boldin, from the Cardinals. He is a young player and has certainly proven to be a difference-making, deep threat-type of receiver.

Another player could be Andre Johnson of the Texans. Either player would certainly cost the Giants a draft pick—and probably more. Ideally, to get Boldin or Johnson, the Giants would have to give up a second-round pick and, potentially, Derrick Ward, since New York won't be able to afford both he and Brandon Jacobs next year.

Ahmad Bradshaw could be on the table as well, but not signing Ward and getting rid of Bradshaw would not good for the Giants' rushing attack. Not only is Bradshaw a great change of pace from Jacobs, but he has proven himself valuable on special teams.

Smith is turning into a very reliable receiver for Manning. He has a nose for the sticks and is a great possession receiver. Moss, more than Manningham, has shown flashes of what could be a promising career in New York. With a young and talented, yet proven, receiver, the Giants’ receiving corps will once again have that deep threat that Burress provided.

In the draft, the Giants will probably look at linebackers. Brian Cushing, from USC, would be a good addition to the Giants' defense because of his quickness and tenacity.

The Giants can certainly use another linebacker to go along with Antonio Pierce. Since the Giants have Manningham, Moss, Hixon, and Smith (all young guys), I cannot see them going with another unproven receiver, especially with their first overall selection.

The Giants' first-round exit from the playoffs this year is no doubt disappointing, but they proved that their Super Bowl championship was no fluke. This is a good, solid team, and with Eli’s continued leadership and confidence, this team will continue to be a threat in the NFC for years to come.

New York Giants: Division Leaders? Yes. Track Stars? Not So Much.

Billy Fellin — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:54:40 -0500

The New York Giants came out of Philadelphia on Sunday night with an NFC best 8-1 record, after beating the Eagles 36-31.

However, the score was much closer than the game actually was. The Giants dominated the Eagles in time of possession, total yards and had a better third down conversion rate.

Apparently, the Giants always want to make games interesting. Or give their fans heart attacks, I haven’t figured out which yet.

Just two weeks ago in the Dallas game, Eli threw the interception that was returned for a touchdown that could have swung momentum right to the Cowboys. The Giants were dominating at that point as well, up 14-7.

However, there is no greater example of how the Giants like to make games interesting than when Brandon Jacobs did his on field try-out for the 2012 Olympic games in London with his hurdling abilities. Granted, it’s quite something to see a 6’ 4” 264 lbs running back jump that high.

However, how USELESS was it? Jacobs is the “Earth” in the three-headed Giants’ rushing attack. He is not “Wind” (that’s Derrick Ward). He SHOULD NOT leave the ground. Instead of hurdling Asante Samuel like he did, he should have lowered his shoulder and ground out the few more yards for the first down. Instead, he fumbles and the Eagles get new life in a first half that was all Giants, despite the Eagles scoring first.

Kevin Boss apparently is also interested in trying out for the U.S. track team with his hurdle later in the game. Granted, Boss actually held onto the ball, not to mention jumping so high that his defender didn’t even touch him. Despite the uselessness of this play as well, the dumbfounded look on the Eagles defender who tried to tackle Boss was rather amusing.

I do have to agree with what John Madden said though. That if you make a hurdle work, you’re a great athlete (Boss). If you don’t (Jacobs), then why did you hurdle? Excellent observation. Chalk that one up to the old board.

Don’t forget that the Giants also had what would have been a nice punt return touchdown by Domenik Hixon called back on a holding call.

However, despite Boss and Jacobs’ hurdling exhibition, the Giants came out as the rough and tumble leaders of the NFC East as well as the conference.

This team will bend, but not break. Eli is making the passes he needs to, when he needs to. Threading the needle to Boss and Plaxico Burress in the end zone were great passes to make.

Speaking of passes, there is still some debate about whether Eli was over the line of scrimmage when he passed to Boss to set the Giants up for an eventual Jacobs’ touchdown.

No matter how many times you look at that replay, the ball is blurry enough that you can’t tell if the ball was out of his hand when his heel was behind the line.

Despite the fact that that was the first time that Eli had done that his entire five year career, I thought he could have easily avoided that whole controversy and either ran for the first down or stopped where he was and threw it to Boss.

With that being said, the challenge by Coughlin was a great one and was a defining moment in the game for the Giants.

The running game really is serving the Giants well and as the weather gets colder, I think that “Earth, Wind and Fire” will continue to see plenty of action in game.

The Giants are the class of the NFC right now, and if Tennessee weren’t undefeated, you’d be hearing a lot more about how the Giants are the best team in the league. Despite that fact that I’m throwing fits during Giants games sometimes, the fact that “Super Bowl repeat” is being mentioned more than “Super Bowl hangover” is something worth being happy about if you support Big Blue.

If you don’t, well you’re in for a long rest of the season.

New Look Giants: 2008 Vs. 2007 Edition

Billy Fellin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:25:46 -0500

Unless you were living under a rock—or are a Patriots fan in serious denial—you know that the Giants won Super Bowl XLII. But what of the 2008 Giants? Strahan retired, and Gibril Wilson and Kawika Mitchell were lost to the AFC in free agency. Are the 2008 Giants better than the same team that won the Super Bowl?

I say yes.

Besides the fact that the Giants have a better record this year than they did last year, 7-1 vs. 6-2, but it just feels like the Giants are dominating their opponents.

Last year, they were staring 0-3 in the face before that goal-line stand against Washington. This year, they have only had one game where they looked completely lost. That was the debacle on Monday Night Football against the Browns.

Eli Manning is continuing to ride the wave of confidence that he has been on ever since the Divisional Playoff game in Tampa Bay. He had three picks in the Browns game, one in the opener against Washington, and one in the Dallas game that was returned for a touchdown. He also had two fumbles in the Dallas game.

Despite these mistakes, he is playing at a much higher level than “old” Eli. He seems much more comfortable in the pocket and is making much more confident throws downfield.

He’s getting more time in the pocket and taking less sacks because of the stellar play of the offensive line, and he’s getting more opportunities to throw to receivers like Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon, who are getting open in opponent’s secondaries because of the attention being paid to Plaxico Burress.

The Giants aren’t winning right now because of Eli. But they aren’t loosing because of him either. 146 yards like he had against the Cowboys won’t cut it down the road. But he didn’t need to work hard to beat the Cowboys either.

However, the heart of the Giants' current claim to the No. 1 seed in the NFC has to be depth.

One of the biggest instances of this has to be in the Seattle game. Plaxico Burress was suspended for that game. What would happen to the Giants passing game?

Enter Domenik Hixon and Sinorice Moss.

Both had huge days, running rampant in the Seattle secondary. Hixon had 104 yards and a touchdown reception while Moss had only 45 yards receiving, but two touchdowns. The Giants walked over the Seahawks in that game 44-6.

No Plax? No problem.

Depth defines the Giants' running attack. "Earth, Wind and Fire," as they call themselves (Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw, respectively) are a great tandem, leading to the No. 1 rushing attack in the National Football League. Jacobs is the starter, but Ward and Bradshaw are put in as a huge change from No. 27.

Jacobs is the hard, downhill runner that will go through more than a few defenders before going down. Bradshaw is a quick back who has the big-play potential and generally goes in during the fourth quarter on a battered and tired defense.

Ward is the mix of the two. He has the ability to break tackles like Jacobs but has the quickness of Bradshaw. Running back by committee used to be the Broncos' trademark. It has migrated to the East Coast.

Another place depth has really been evident is on the defensive side of the ball. The Giants' D was supposed to be weaker because of the retirement of Michael Strahan and the loss of Osi Umenyoria to injury in the preseason.

Again, no problem for Big Blue.

Justin Tuck has risen to the occasion and has been a dominant force at defensive end. Fred Robbins is having a quiet, but very solid Pro-Bowl-type year. Mathias Kiwanuka is back at left end, his natural position from linebacker, and is showing Giants fans why the Giants picked him in the first round three years ago out of Boston College. He’s got six sacks on the year, a career high.

Antonio Pierce has been playing solid at middle linebacker. He sat out a game due to an ankle injury, and the Giants' defense didn’t miss a beat with Chase Blackburn in.

Corey Webster and James Butler have been playing solidly in the Giants’ secondary as well. Young upstart Michael Johnson has had his name in the papers and second-year player Aaron Ross and rookie Kenny Phillips both have had strong seasons as well.

So, are the 2008 Giants better than the 2007 Giants? I say yes. They are playing with a confidence not seen in the Swamps of Jersey since the days Lawrence Taylor roamed the Meadowlands.

The Giants are by and far the best team in the NFC East right now. Their remaining schedule is the toughest in the league, but if they make it through and to the playoffs in a favorable position, it is not far fetched to believe they Giants can win it all again.

NASCAR For Northerners

Billy Fellin — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:17:54 -0500

NASCAR isn’t just for people where “y’all” is actually a word. Believe it or not, NASCAR is a sport and other people outside the South do like NASCAR. I was born in Connecticut and am a huge NASCAR fan.

So here’s why people outside the South can, and do, like NASCAR.

The best part about NASCAR is going to a race. Watching a race on TV is boring because of the commercials and watching cars going around in circles for 3-4 hours on your television can be entertaining for only so long. But being at a race, you get non-stop action. It’s not like football when during TV-timeouts the players just stand there. They keep going, whether they are on air or not.

I have had the privilege of going to a NASCAR race, the Chevy Rock N Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway. The smells, sounds, and seeing the cars race and crash in person is quite the experience. The drunken rednecks running around can also be entertaining.

However, outside of the association of alcohol and NASCAR, whether it be drinking it in the stands or choosing a driver because their sponsor is a favorite brand, there is another fascinating thing about NASCAR that draws in more than just the southern portion of the lower 48.

That would be going fast.

Most of us have gotten a speeding ticket sometime in our lives, including myself, and so watching cars drive at the rate of 180-plus miles per hour is quite the adrenaline rush. Obviously some of the more hardcore fans of the sport take this a bit too far, as I have heard stories with the famous line, “Officer, I wasn’t speeding! I was qualifying!”

Going to a race has gotten a lot easier, with tracks popping up all over the place. There are tracks in California, Las Vegas, Arizona, Delaware, New York, and New Hampshire, states that are known for other things than being home to a NASCAR Nextel Cup track.

Whether it be at the race or in your living room, there is something about watching cars go faster than one would normally see them traveling that draws us into this sport.

So besides actually going to the race, or just enjoying the fact that these machines are flying and not having the police following them, why do people care about NASCAR? The drivers are pretty interesting, the ones that you can understand at least.

Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, two of the more successful drivers in NASCAR, articulate their words and you can understand them in their interviews. But when you get to drivers like Ward Burton, Jeff Burton and Elliott Sadler, forget it. This is one aspect where being a redneck and liking NASCAR comes in handy; you have more of an understanding of what the drivers are saying.

One other thing that should be taken into account is the technology, teamwork and skill it takes to succeed in the sport. Anyone who says that NASCAR drivers aren’t athletes should try getting into a stock car and driving for three or four hours. Oh, did I mention that the temperature in the car more times than not exceeds 100 degrees?

This is a nice transition into the technology of the sport, since many devices have come about to cool the drivers down. Outside of keeping the drivers cool, advanced safety measures as well as the building and testing of the cars themselves has become incredibly advanced and technologically based.

The biggest technological breakthrough in NASCAR as of late has to be the Car of Today, formerly known as the Car of Tomorrow. Anyone who has seen any NASCAR race this year surely has noticed the new cars, the most obvious change being the spoiler on the back. It's not quite NASCAR meets "Fast and the Furious", but it's close.

Teamwork is also huge, since the drivers would have a hard time getting out and changing the tires and pumping the gas by themselves. It is astonishing to watch the pit crew and how fast and efficiently they work. They can change a tire in a few seconds, with all four changed and fuel being added in about 14-15 seconds. Try doing that on the family car that’s sitting in your driveway.

While NASCAR will probably always carry the redneck fan-base stereotype, that shouldn’t drive people away from watching the sport. There is a human fascination with watching things go fast, not to mention the close finishes and brutal crashes, as witnessed in the Daytona 500, Pepsi 400 or the famous "Big One" at either Talladega race.

So watch a race or two, enjoy a beer or Jack and Coke, and witness some talented drivers in America’s fastest growing sport.