Bleacher Report - Articles by Adam Heasley

Confident Brady Means Trouble For His Opponents

Adam Heasley — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:08:52 -0400

Last year the unthinkable happened to New England's superman—Tom Brady suffered a season ending surgery. With Brady out, Matt Cassel took control of the Patriot offense and led the team to an 11-5 record, but no playoff birth.

Now the season has been over for four months and the Patriots are starting their OTAs. Better yet, they enter OTAs with a healthy Tom Brady.

"He's got me running all over the field," said Patriots slot receiver Wes Welker. "Once or twice I been like, 'Hey Tom we had a pretty long season. Let's take baby steps.' But he doesn't want to hear that. When you're on the field out with him, you're out there playing."

With every throw, every snap, Brady gets more loose and more comfortable again. He's closer to being Tom Brady again. Something the AFC East doesn't take as good news.

It's great news for the Patriots organization and Patriots fans.

Brady goes on to say that being at home watching the games made him appreciate the little things about playing football. Things he used to complain about are now things he wants to be apart of.

"...I'll be ready to play, back to playing normally, when the season starts," Brady said.

A normal Brady is an MVP Brady. Pretty scary when you think about it.

"I'm doing everything. Literally everything. There's nothing I can't do."

As a Pats fan, I can't wait for preseason to start so we can get a glimpse of Brady in action. He can't wait either.

Brady says he can't wait until the first game of the season when they play AFC rival, Buffalo Bills. He wishes it were already here.

As we get closer to football season, the Patriots are once again the favorites to go all the way and win, along with Brady being a favorite to win the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award.

It's still the Brady era and it will always be until he retires. According to Brady, he doesn't see that happening for another 10 years.

"I want to play 'til I'm 41," said Brady. "And if I get to that point and still feel good, I'll keep playing. I mean what the hell else am I going to do? I don't like anything else."

The Lost Swagger: Bring It Back, Junebug!

Adam Heasley — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:52:59 -0400

There are certain signature styles about a driver that makes them noticeably different. It perhaps could be being really tall like Michael Waltrip, Jeff Gordon when he drove a rainbow car, or even Carl Edwards' back flips.

As a young gun entering NASCAR's elite series, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a driver with a style nobody had ever witnessed before. He wasn't the typical "redneck" country driver that NASCAR drivers have been known to be.

Nope, not Earnhardt.

He listened to Hip Hop music along with Alternative rock and loved to party.

That alone set him apart from every other driver in NASCAR. But one thing that made 'Little E' noticeable was the backwards hat and short, dyed blonde hair. The backwards hat was a trademark of sorts for Earnhardt.

In a way it showed he was laid back but also very confident, which showed on the race track.

Earnhardt brought a new culture to NASCAR that also brought a younger and hipper audience to a sport that was growing rapidly. One of those people was me. I saw Earnhardt's laid back style with blonde hair and a backwards hat.

It was something I could relate to and led to me becoming a part of Junior Nation. I even went and bought a #8 Budweiser hat, wearing it backwards like my favorite driver.

He made me feel like I could be a part of this sport and still be a city slicker at the same time.

It's now been eight years since his rookie season and he, sadly, seems to have lost a bit of that swagger. Granted he's more mature and older now, when it all comes down to it, I miss the blonde, backwards hat-wearing Earnhardt.

He hasn't completely lost his swagger.

He still listens to Hip Hop and Alternative rock music, but the swagger seems to be gone when he's at the track.

I know that drivers wont necessarily listen to their fans all the time, but...

Dear Junior,

Bring back the swagger! Bring back the backwards hat, the clean face and the short hair. Bring back the ever growing confidence you seemed to have at the track.

Bring out the kid again, the young 20-year-old.

I understand if you don't, Earnhardt. You are more mature and older now. You're a veteran now and not a gun-slinging rookie with nothing to lose.

I miss the swagalicous Earnhardt.

p.s. If anybody knows how to get Junebug to read this, it will be greatly appreciated and will really bring joy to see that hat backwards again.

The Junior Nation Chronicles Part Two (Dover International Speedway)

Adam Heasley — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:50:11 -0400

As NASCAR enters Dover, what we all expected to happen has happened. Tony Eury Jr. was removed from atop the No. 88 team's pit box in hopes of turning around a disappointing season.

Now I'm not going to get into it considering that just about every NASCAR writer here on Bleacher Report has written about. But what I will get into is a Dover race that is sure to be exciting and have many story lines.

Will Earnhardt see success for the first time this year? Will Jeff Gordon drive to the front in a back up car? An will Kryle Busch end up eating his words on HMS and Earnhardt?

Yes, that's right—I wrote "Kryle," because he is always crying about something.

As Sunday inches closer, I'm pumping myself up for this race. What are some ways I'm doing that you might ask?

It started on Thursday when I heard the news of Eury Jr. being removed. It's weird—I almost feel more confident that Eury Jr. is not calling the shots. But nonetheless, I am.

I started by watching a video on Youtube that was dedicated to Earnhardt Jr., accompanied by the song "So Far Away," by Staind.

It sent chills down my back seeing all of Earnhardt's success through his first five years in the Sprint Cup Series.

After that, I posted an Earnhardt Jr. background on my Myspace to show my devotion to Junior Nation.

Also to pump my spirits up for Sunday's race, I have been listening to a song by the raper Fabolous called "It's My Time." The first three or so lines seem like they were written especially for Earnhardt this season.

Here is a short excerpt from the beginning of the song:

"The past is the past you know. Can't worry about the past, that's yesterday. It's a new day bro. I'ma put it on the line cuz its my time. Gotta stay on the grind cuz its my time."

Also to pump myself up, I'm going into Sunday with a good attitude and confidence that this can be the beginning of a turn around.

From all of Junior Nation, we cheer for you to turn things around and get back to your winning ways.

The Junior Nation Chronicles Part One: Talladega

Adam Heasley — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:59:56 -0400

Before I begin I would like to welcome you to the first edition of the Junior Nation Chronicles which happens to start at Talladega this week.

As an avid member of Junior Nation, I will go into my mind and thoughts as we enter each race weekend and as Dale Earnhardt Jr. prepares to take the green flag.

As I look forward to Sunday and a race that's sure to be an action packed Frenzy at Talladega Superspeedway, I cant help but pray that Earnhardt Jr. can come home with a win.

With the media constantly beating a dead cow and showering Earnhardt with questions like: "Where is the success we were all expecting?", or "When will your next victory come?", it puts even more pressure for Earnhardt to come up big with a big fake check and that trophy he hasn't touched since 2005.

Now I'm not here to bash any Earnhardt haters who think he has overrated talent, but I will say this, what will be asked of Earnhardt if he does pull into Victory Lane Sunday?

Will that just cause even more pressure to win now that we seen him in Victory Lane already?

Or will it quiet the media for at least a couple of weeks and the hatters as well?

Now this may not be something I'm proud of, but now I even go into a race weekend almost expecting the worst in hopes Earnhardt will prove me wrong and finish well or even pull off a win.

I guess you can call it reverse psychology, as though it's my fault he's not winning just because I'm a part of Junior Nation.

Should I dismember myself from Junior Nation because its so unbearable to watch week after week and be disappointed?

Should I just stop watching NASCAR in hopes that the curse of my fan hood will leave Junior Nation, and Earnhardt will start seeing more success on the track?

My answer is...HELL NO! I can't think of anything better then watching what my hero and favorite driver pilot his car every week!

And there is no better track to watch Earnhardt do that then the famed Talladega Superspeedway.

At the track that we also like to call home of Junior Nation, Earnhardt has stacked a total of five wins—with four of those wins coming in a row—seven top fives, and 10 top 10s.

I can already here the honorary announcer yelling at the top of his lungs: "GENTLEMAN, STAAART YOOUURR ENNGINNES!"

I can feel the intensity of witnessing the best drivers in the world drive 190 MPH in big packs with absolute control.

I can already see the sea of green and blue rise up when Earnhardt takes the lead or makes it four-wide, and I can also see an Earnhardt victory that's sweeter then watching Kyle Busch wreck himself.

But yet as we gain nearer to Talladega this week, the best I can do until the race is dream and dream big. Not just for myself, but for all of Junior Nation, and of course Earnhardt Jr.

Who knows Earnhardt just might start another streak at Talladega! Now wouldn't that be nice.

NASCAR Headed Back to Talladega: What Should We Expect in Dale Junior Nation?

Adam Heasley — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:40:50 -0400

Every time I think about Talladega I get chills down my spine and goosebumps on my arm. It's a track that nearly everybody in NASCAR Nation can agree has some of the most exciting racing on the circuit.

Talladega never disappoints.

As everyone knows, Talladega Superspeedway is home to Dale Junior Nation, and one thing we do expect is the crowd to look like a sea of green and blue.

But what else should we expect as NASCAR heads to the Alabama track?

Chevy has dominated Talladega more than any other manufacturer in NASCAR. Over the last eight races at the super speedway, Chevy has been to Victory Lane five times, while the last time another manufacturer won at Talladega before Busch and Stewart in 2008 was Dale Jarrett in a Ford in 2005.

Expect to see another Chevy in Victory Lane again this week.

As we saw in both races in 2008, Toyota was the king with all the horsepower and giddy up in their cars, but I don't expect to see the same thing again this year.

The Chevys have closed the gap a lot, and Toyota does not stand alone atop of the horsepower chain anymore.

Which Team Should We Look to for a Win?

Talladega is also a track where Hendrick Motorsports has dominated over the last five years. HMS drivers have a combined 14 wins at the super speedway (Jeff Gordon (6), Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (5), Mark Martin (2), and Jimmie Johnson (1)).

If I'm picking drivers for a fantasy league or for BR's Creature vs Creature pics, I wouldn't bet against an HMS driver.

Their track record is far too strong at Talladega.

Drivers To Look Out For

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Junior has struggled so much this year, and after leading 63 laps at Phoenix, Earnhardt later smashed into the wall after losing control of a very loose race car, resulting in a 31st place finish.

There is no better track for Earnhardt to rebound and give his season and team a jolt than Talladega. Four of Earnhardt's five Talladega wins came back-to-back between the 2001 and 2003 seasons.

Expect to see Earnhardt with a top five, if not a win.

Jeff Gordon

Gordin is another driver who is very dangerous at Talladega and is Earnhardt's teammate at HMS. Gordon leads all active drivers with most laps led and most wins at the 2.5-mile race track.

Expect Gordon to lead a lot of laps, finish in the top five, and be in contention for the win at the end.

Tony Stewart

Stewart is a guy who is always one of the top dogs when it comes to restrictor plate racing, and Talladega is no exception.

Don't let Stewart's one career win at Talladega fool you. Over the last five races at Talladega, Stewart has had one of the most dominant cars, until he would get passed late and be hung out to dry. Stewart has also gotten caught up in other people's wrecks, which has kept him out of Victory Lane.

As we all know, one driver that Stewart always seems to draft with at these tracks is Earnhardt, Jr. Stewart has finished second a total of three times at restrictor plate tracks while he was pushing Earnhardt to Victory Lane.

Don't be surprised to see the same thing happen again, only this time, the order could be flip-flopped. Maybe its time for Earnhardt to be looking at the back of Stewart's car as he crosses the finish line.

Oh, and of course, how could we forget...Stewart did win the last race at Talladega in October of 2008.

The Dark Horses

Kevin Harvick

Harvick has made a habit of creating breath-taking finishes at restrictor plate tracks (i.e. the 2007 Daytona 500).

At the beginning of the race, it's very common to see Harvick at the back of the pack, however, as it gets down to the last 10 laps, it's become common to see him bringing a roaring pack behind him as he crosses the start-finish line.

I would not be at all surprised to see Harvick come home with a good finish this weekend.

Denny Hamlin

You can never leave Hamlin out of the mix when it comes to Daytona and Talladega. You have to remember, he did win his very first restrictor plate race as a rookie in the 2006 Budweiser Shootout.

Jamie McMurray

McMurray is a guy that just has a thing for sneaking through the race without being much of a threat, then BAM!...He's in Victory Lane!

That's what happened at the Pepsi 400 in 2007 at Daytona. He edged Kyle Busch at the line to win his second career race in NASCAR's elite division.

The Driver Most Likely To Cause "The Big One"

Kyle Busch

What?! Why isn't Earnhardt, Jr., on this list?! Because he doesn't make a habit of it. Busch, however, is one driver who does.

Yes, the guy has talent and he's a phenom, but he is also one of the most reckless drivers in the sport of NASCAR. Those are the kind of drivers who will make a move in the middle of the race that should be made only in the last five laps.

There are too many incidents in which Busch has wrecked people purposely or made a dumb move that puts him in the garage along with innocent bystanders just trying to keep their car out of trouble.

You can make predictions, guesses, and think you may know what will happen at Talladega this Sunday...But the truth is, you can't script NASCAR, and you sure as hell can't script NASCAR at Talladega Superspeedway.

Ladies and Gentleman, sit back and enjoy the ride!

MLB Preseason Top Five: NL MVP

Adam Heasley — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:11:50 -0400

With Albert Pujols winning the 2008 National League MVP award last year, he has the chance to defend his crown and go for his 2nd straight MVP award in 2009. However Pujols will have very close company and the NL MVP chase this year and the usual suspects will probably be there again. Here is my top five contendors for the NL MVP chase. (In no specific order)

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A Letter to NASCAR Nation: Please Just Let Dale Earnhardt Jr. Drive!

Adam Heasley — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:52:32 -0400

Dear NASCAR Nation,

The ridicule that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is receiving is nothing less than ridiculous! He's doing all he can; the only thing he can do is drive the car.

I mean, what is he supposed to do? Cast black magic on his damn car and say OK baby take me to Victory Lane?!

I'm tired of people saying he's underachieving, he needs to win, he has no passion, no heart.

OK, first of all, let's just say his last name isn't Earnhardt. Would he still have the pressure of the media and NASCAR fans if his name was Burton or Harvick, or even Martin?

Would he be under the spotlight like he is now? HELL NO! And Burton has been driving longer than Jeff Gordon.

Where's Burton's championship? Where are Burton's wins? Where are Harvick's and Martin's championships? Burton and Martin don't even have a Daytona 500 win!

Earnhardt has the weight of NASCAR, the Earnhardt name, and the pressure to succeed at HMS. I don't know what you think, but any other driver would have crumbled a long time ago.

This guy is driving his heart out, and yet whatever he does is never good enough. I mean, what does the guy have to do? Win 11 races a year and win 10 championships?

How 'bout NASCAR fans and the NASCAR media cut the crap and the drama and let the sport's most popular driver race.

Does that sound good to you? Can we just give it a break?

I bet if the media (this really includes NASCAR on Fox) and the fans lay off, it would just be more pressure off his shoulders.

Maybe then he just might start winning races. Ever think of that?

Shoot, he might even win some championships.

So unless you guys want to see Earnhardt keep "underachieving," get off his ass. Excuse my French.

Bottom line, let him race and be like any other race car driver.

Kevin O'Connell: New England's REAL Future

Adam Heasley — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:57:45 -0400

When it comes to Kevin O'Connell, Coach Bill Belichick is excited about the young quarterback's future with the Patriots, and in the NFL.

"He shows great poise, good arm strength and good accuracy with excellent mobility," said Belichick.

Playing at the underachieving San Diego State University, he was not highly recruited coming out of college even though he set multiple records in SDSU's passing records, and rushing records.

However, O'Connell shined at the NFL combine last year, and it earned him an early-round draft pick with the New England Patriots.

For O'Connell he couldn't have been put in a better situation. Not only was he on a winning team that could compete for Super Bowl's every year, he was going to be mentored by arguably one of the best quarterbacks in the game; Tom Brady.

With Tom Brady's injury, Matt Cassel became the starter and took his team to an 11-5 record. It also got him a starting job with the Kansas City Chiefs.

That leaves O' Connell to be the second quarterback on the depth chart right behind future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.

If Brady goes down again O' Connell is the guy and the Patriots organization has full confidence in his ability to lead this team.

I honestly do not see Brady taking his career past the year 2013. That leaves O' Connell enough time to learn the game thoroughly, and the quarterback position in the NFL.

What will really set him apart from other quarterbacks when he becomes a starter is his speed and mobility.

He reminds me off a Jeff Gracia type of quarterback. Just with better overall qualities and a better skill set.

O'Connell has the potential to be a elite quarterback in this league, and with Bill Belichick in charge I doubt that he wont make it to that level.

The shotgun offense is an offense that will play into O'connell's hands. He has experience as SDSU predominately ran a shotgun offense.

Everything is falling into place for the young quarterback. He just needs to step up to the plate and play like we all know he can and will.

As a Patriot fan I can finally be relieved and not have to freight about the quarterback position when Brady leaves.

Patriot fans be prepared to win a lot more Super Bowls in the future. And to Kevin O'Connell, welcome to the NFL (even though you are not a rookie anymore).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Not Worried, So Why Should Junior Nation Be?

Adam Heasley — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:21:58 -0400

"I'm not worried. We'll be oK. We got the team to do it, so I'm not worried at all," said Dale Earnhardt, Jr. before the Las Vegas race.

After being 35th in the points standings after California, things were already looking grim for Earnhardt and the No. 88 team.

While Junior Nation concerns continues to grow, Earnhardt still had full confidence in his team.

With a rough start to the season at Daytona, and not much better luck the next week at California, things needed to change and things did.

At Las Vegas, Earnhardt acquired his first top-10 of the year and it jumped him to 29th in the standings. Not a good spot by any stretch, but Earnhardt was showing improvement.

After two solid finishes at Atlanta and Bristol, Earnhardt leap frogged many cars, and now sits in the 19th spot in the standings, only 66 points behind Kevin Harvick for the 12th and final spot in the Chase.

With upcoming races at Martinsville, Phoenix, Texas, and Talledega, Junior Nation should be excited of the big possibility for Earnhardt to gain a lot of points, and move himself in to position to get back in to the top 12.

Earnhardt has a combined eight wins at the next four tracks on the NASCAR circuit, with five of those coming at the capital of Junior Nation, Talladega.

Those are comforting numbers to see if you are Earnhardt, Jr., or an Earnhardt fan.

So don't get too concerned or frightened yet Junior Nation. There really is nothing to worry about.

Yes, he did start the season sort-of off slow, but so did Jimmie Johnson last year, and look where he ended up: champion.

There are still 29 races left on the schedule, so Earnhardt is still very much in the thick of things.

Bottom line is, never count out an Earnhardt.

It could come back to bite you.

The Life of a Boston Sports Fan in San Diego, CA

Adam Heasley — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:38:01 -0400

Dear San Diego fans,

I became a Boston Sports fan the day i took my first breath of fresh air on Dec. 25, 1989. The main reason: My mother was from Fall River, MA

Only problem was that I was born across the country in San Diego, CA.

And it's one of the worst places to be a Boston fan, believe it or not. You might disagree, but unless you have lived in San Diego, I don't want to hear it.

I remember the first time I wore a Patriot Jersey to school in the eighth grade. It was two years after the Patriots had won their first Super Bowl against the Rams. That day, I must have been called a bandwagoner at least 10 times, along with being called a traitor because I was a Patriot fan in Chargers territory.

And it didn't get better after their second Super Bowl win in three years. Again, the words traitor and bandwagoner filled the air as I walked down the halls of my high school.

"That's okay!", I would yell back. "Where are the Chargers right now? Oh yeah they aren't in the playoffs are they!" As much love as I have for the Chargers, I was going to get my point across whether it hurt or not.

I remember going to a Padres game at Petco, where they would be facing the dominant Red Sox. While on the Trolley to the game, I was surrounded by Padres fans. It seemed every set of eyes I looked at was staring at me with disbelief that I had a Red Sox hat on.

One lady even asked me if I was from Boston. I replied with no, because I wasn't from Boston. I was born in San Diego. I would then go on to explain to the lady how I became a Red Sox fan. After about 30 minutes of discussion she understood why.

I mean, come on, at least I'm not a Raider fan who has born in San Diego and has no relation to the city of Oakland.

The main reason I was hated for being a Boston fan was because the all the sports teams that belonged to that city are good and CHAMPIONS, something San Diego teams have never seen or knows what it feels like.

I also remember when the Patriots played the in San Diego in the playoffs two years ago. I walked in to Vons with a Patriots jacket. I got dirty looks from everyone, and I mean EVERYONE.

I even had someone tell me to take that piece of crap jacket off. I just laughed and told the man to have a good day.

So I have finally figured out what the main reason for all the hatred is. Jealousy! San Diego fan's are jealous of Boston fan's because we have championships, a LOT of them.

We win, rarely lose, always compete for championship, and most of all they make us proud to be Boston fans.

So San Diego fans, have a good time winning a championship in any sport.

Sincerely,

Adam Heasley

Oh Tony Eury Sr., Where Did You Go?

Adam Heasley — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 18:57:15 -0400

In 2004 it looked like Dale Earnhardt Jr. was starting to become what his father was in a sense, as in consistency and winning. It took Earnhardt 14 less tries to win The Great American Race.

In Earnhardt's first five years in the Sprint Cup Series, he totaled 15 wins and six poles. Tony Eury Sr. played a big role in that.

Eury Sr. was Earnhardt's crew chief through his two Nationwide Series years, in which he won two championships in dominating fashion. The duo was an example of what a good crew chief matched with a good driver can do when they work together, and understand where each other are coming from.

They continued that success for Earnhardt's first five season in the Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR's elite racing division.

Together they showed promise and moments of brilliance, and what was to come for Earnhardt's racing career. They were a match made in heaven.

In 2004, they showed potential to win races by being consistent. With six wins, 15 top-fives, and 21 top 10's after the 2004 season, the duo was an early favorite in 2005 to win the Sprint Cup championship.

Switching equipment with Michael Waltrip's team brought a halt to that, and they finished a disappointing spot in the Cup standings.

The next season brought another change for son of the late great Dale Earnhardt. Eury Sr. was no longer his crew chief, instead it would be Eury's son: Tony Eury Jr.

Nobody knew exactly what to expect from the No. 8 team that year. In Eury Jr's first year as he crew chief, he led his race team to one win at Chicagoland Speedway, and a fifth place finish in the standings.

High expectations were held for Earnhardt Jr., and Eury Jr. the following year in 2007. Unfortunately, those expectations were not even close to being met.

With zero wins, only seven top-fives, 12 top-10's, and an embarrassing 16th place finish in the point standings, things had to change. And they did.

Earnhardt ended up leaving his father's race team (all in part because Teresa Earnhardt is very selfish), and joined forces with a rival, Rick Hendrick.

It had been almost a full year since NASCAR's most popular driver had been to Victory Lane, and his fans were becoming more antsy and disappointed with every race that passed with out an Earnhardt name at the top.

One could blame the under achievement to the equipment Teresa Earnhardt was providing him, even some people were arguing maybe Earnhardt isn't who he was hyped up to be.

But one thing a lot of people noticed was the down fall of Earnhardt's consistency, and lack of wins was the communication between he and Eury Jr. In three years as a crew chief, Eury Jr. had only two wins.

Would the switch to the powerful and dominant Hendrick Motorsports change that?

Could Rick Hendrick get Earnhardt a championship?

Earnhardt Jr. started the 2008 inaugural season with Hendrick off with a bang.

He dominated the Budweiser Shootout, and won his Gatorade Duel race leading up to the Daytona 500.

The duo ended up finishing ninth in the Daytona 500, which was a disappointment to a lot of race fans who expected Earnhardt to win, or at least finish in the top-five.

Through the first half of the season, Earnhardt was one of the most consistent drivers, and ranked third in the Sprint Cup standings.

However, the wins were not there. With the only win being at Michigan—off fuel mileage—and Earnhardt being so dominant at times in the race, it really made me think of why the team had only one win.

It didn't add up to me.

The No. 88 teams should've had at least four wins.

The only thing to point to, was the communication between him and Eury Jr. There were times where it seemed like they were both totally confused on strategies and how to set the car up later in the race.

They are lucky they have the luxury of having such great equipment, because if they didn't they would not be in the top-five in points, that's for sure.

Rarely did I ever see the cousins on the same page. Yes, they were consistent and they were finishing in the top-10 most of the time, but the bottom line was, they weren't winning.

To make a long story short, they made the Chase—ran horrible—and finished 12th in points.

A disappointment if you ask me.

We are now through the first four races of the 2009 race season, and Earnhardt Jr. currently sits 24th in the standings.

Yes, some of his poor finishes he only has himself to blame, but since Daytona where the team possibly had a car capable to win, they have completely been off on his setups for the races.

People say maybe it's a reverse year.

Maybe they will get all their bad runs out of the way now and really hit their mark as they enter the Chase.

If they make the Chase.

Earnhardt and Eury Jr. need to get on the same page, or it's going to be a long season for Junior Nation.

Who knows, maybe they will turn it around.

But until then, people will continue to hear me cry and be heard over the mountains saying: "Oh Tony Eury Sr., where did you go!"

God and Sports; a Way of Celebration or True Religion?

Adam Heasley — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 20:27:42 -0400

Ever since i can remember, I always see athletes point to the sky to thank god for them scoring or the miraculous play they just made. Nobody really thinks twice when they see this.

In fact athletes use it so much now that it's very uncommon to not see an athlete point to the sky in a game or match.

Which brings the question; Has it become a way of celebration or is true religion?

It really makes you beg the question when an athlete points to the sky in a game but you rarely hear them thank god in post-game interviews or award ceremonies.

Why would you show how much you respect and care about god in a game but when it comes to interviews it blanks your mind?

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all athletes are like this, but a large part are.

Some athletes that I have seen do this are; Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, and Alex Rodriguez—not once have they mentioned their belief in god in an interview.

Some athletes that I have noticed are the complete opposite and hve confirmed their faith; Tim Tebow, Tony Gwynn, Curt Schilling, and Larry Fitzgerald to name a few.

The very first person Tebow thanked was god and the lord Jesus Christ after he won his first Heisman. He went on to say the same exact words after he led his Florida Gators to a National Championship recently.

First ballot Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn has aslo procalimed his faith in God and Jesus.

After the San Diego Padres went on to win the N.L. Pennant in 1997 he thanked god for the opportunity to play in the World Series. They would go on to get swept by the then powerful New York Yankees.

Curt Schilling is also another athlete that I have noticed that is a believer in christ. He demonstrated this in an interview after the "Bloody Sock Game" against the Yankees where he pitched miraculously and kept the series alive.

He went on to say he wouldn't of had the strength and courage to go out there and pitch that game if God wasn't with him.

The Red Sox won the World Series in dominating fashion, and broke "the curse of the Bambino".

Fitzgerald, wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, has amazing abilities that I have not seen in a wide receiver since Randy Moss when he first came into the NFL.

Fitzgerald has also been heard thanking god for his god-given talent and abilities.

Those are just a few players that I feel didn't just point to the sky just to do it. They point to the sky with a meaning; to thank god for their abilities, and the life they live.

So next time your watching a sporting event, and you see an athlete point towards the sky, ask yourself, "Is it just a celebration or are they really thanking god?".

Why Jeff Gordon's New Paint Scheme Hits Close to Home

Adam Heasley — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 05:48:52 -0400

When I first heard that Jeff Gordon Was running a National Guard paint scheme, I was stoked to see what the final result would be.

Just from seeing some of Gordon's paint schemes from the past, I knew this would be a special one.

Little did I know that his paint scheme would literally cause my eyes to swell and water up with tears while watching practice for the KOBALT Tools 500 at Atlanta.

Seeing what was on the hood of his car brought back memories of an experience that would change my life forever, and get me on the path to success.

What is it about the paint scheme that brought me to tears you ask?

The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program logo on the hood.

As a young misguided and troubled teenager, I was becoming a heartache to the family and at times a disgrace. I was constantly ditching class my sophomore year in high school, and even did my fair share of Marijuana.

I was what you called a failure, and probably a future high school drop out. My parents had tried everything, from counseling to even anger management problems (even though I didn't have an anger problem).

They were all out of options. One day my mother, who lived in San Luis Obispo, Cal., found out about a program called Grizzly Youth Academy, also known as The National Guard Youth Challenge Program.

It was located at Camp SLO, a military base located no more then 15 miles away from where my mother lived.

I was admitted to G.Y.A in July, and lived there until graduation day for the academy, which was December 15.

The first two weeks was a phase that tested your mental strength. Our cadre was doing just about everything, other then kicking our butt's (even though I probably needed it at the time). It was a big challenge as far as physical exercising.

An easy way to sum up the first two weeks: like hell.

If we were mentally tough enough and physically tough enough to endure the first two weeks, we would move on to a phase called the residential phase in which we would live there for five very long months.

During the course of the academy we had three times when we were able to see our family. One was when they came to the academy and see us, and the other times we got to go home for a total of three days.

Through out my stay at G.Y.A, I learned very valuable lessons in life, made friends, went to school, and really got to know cadre personally. Behind all the no tolerance attitudes, they were normal people like us.

Over the months they opened up to us more and more, and pretty soon we felt as if we had known these people for years. They became more to us then our cadre. They became life long friends.

I graduated that glorious day at Cal Poly College. We performed marching routines for our parents, and then afterwards we had a graduation ceremony where we were presented with our certificates of completion from a five-star general.

Just over that five months, I went from a 1.9 GPA in school, to very respectable 3.5.

I graduated high school with an overall GPA of 3.3, all league honors in baseball and football, and newly found confidence and determination that I didn't know was in me

I was a new person, someone who looked forward to his future and the endless possibilities to make my life something that I could enjoy.

I now live only 30 minutes away from the camp, after recently moving from my home town of San Diego. Living in San Luis Obispo is a constant reminder of the life changes I have made and the memories I will never forget.

As I watched that No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Chevy Impala race around the track in the third practice, it was even bigger reminder to the camp and the military branch that changed my life and set me on the right path.

I am thrilled to see someone such as Gordon represent all of the troubled teenagers that attended Grizzly Youth Academy and graduated. For us, it's just another boost of confidence knowing that there are people out there who care.

To Gordon, The National Guard, my cadre, the military, and my parents: I salute you.

May the best man win the KOBALT 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Red Sox Pitching Staff Cocked and Loaded

Adam Heasley — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:02:12 -0500

Everybody is talking about the Yankees and their off-season pickups, such as C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira. The Yankees are set to dominate the A.L. East and to go to the World Series again.

Funny, all this sounds way too familiar. I think the beginning of spring training last year, I was hearing the same thing along with everybody else.

If you don't mind me asking, how did the Yankees end the season? Oh yeah, that's right, with a third-place finish in the A.L. East and no playoffs.

A very funny story if you ask me, considering all the money Steinbrenner puts into that team.

Just like last year, the Red Sox quietly had a good off-season and so far, a good spring training.

The Red Sox already had one of the best starting rotations in baseball last year, and now they've picked up where they left off.

In the off-season, Boston acquired pitchers John Smoltz and Brad Penny. Over the last decade, John Smoltz has been one of the more dominating pitchers in baseball and a crafty veteran who makes the Red Sox rotation that much better.

Since his rookie year in 1988, he has has amassed 210 wins, a 3.26 ERA, 16 shutouts, and 3,011 strikeouts. Now that's what I call Hall of Fame numbers.

As for Brad Penny, he has been one of the most dominating pitchers over the last three years. In his career since 2000, he has 94 wins, an ERA of 4.06, and 1,032 strikeouts.

With John Smoltz and Brad Penny in the rotation, the rotation should look like this (no specific order):

1. Jon Lester

2. Josh Beckett

3. Daisuke Matsuzaka

4. John Smoltz

5. Brad Penny

That's a pitching rotation I would hate to hit against in the playoffs, especially if they are all healthy. The pitching staff is even more lights-out with Jonathan Papelbon, the most dominating closer over the last two years.

Since closing for the Red Sox, Papelbon has an era of 1.84 with 113 saves and 270 strikeouts.

It also doesn't hurt to have hitters like Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Mike Lowell, J.D. Drew, Kevin Youkilis, and the speedy Jacoby Ellsbury. That's a lineup that has the potential to score at least eight runs a game.

The Boston faithful, myself included, are excited about the possibilities of this year's team and the damage they can cause to opposing A.L. East teams and other teams around the MLB.

The Red Sox pitching staff is cocked and loaded for the 2009 season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Looking to Add to Top 10 at Vegas

Adam Heasley — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:18:38 -0500

With Dale Earnhardt Jr. sitting 35th in points heading into Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this was a race where he needed to finish well.

Earnhardt started the race off a little slow, just hanging around the top 20 for most of the race. Pit stop after pit stop they kept adjusting on the car, and got it running to his liking. Earnardt was happy with his car, and he was starting to run speeds close to the speeds of the cars in the top five.

As Earnhardt made his second-to-last pit stop, he pulled in to his pit stall. As the crew was just finishing with right side tires, teammate Jeff Gordon blew a tire that brought out a caution, biting the No. 88 team in the behind.

After slowly but surely working their way into the top 10, they were caught a lap down because of the caution.

On the restart, Earnhardt was placed at the tail end of the lead lap, in front of leader Kyle Busch. When the green flag finally dropped again he roared out in front of the field and finally showed the rest of the field the AMP sign on the back of his car.

The only problem, was he was on the tail end of the lead lap. Earnhardt was now running the fastest times on the track, and slowly but surely pulled away from Busch.

Earnhardt got the caution he needed, and was back behind the leader, ready to make a charge to receive a better finishing position. Before the race ended, he achieved his first top 10 of the year.

Who knows where he might have finished if the race was maybe 20 to 30 laps longer.

Maybe a top five?

That race gave Junior Nation some hope for the season. One thing I noticed different, was as the race went along the car got better and better towards the end—a task that the No. 88 team struggled with last year and cost them some races.

Now he is attempting to have another top 10 finish at Atlanta. Since 2004, Earnhardt has a win, 28th, third, 14th, and another third place finish at Atlanta.

Last year he felt like he would have won the race if the handling didn't fall off in the closing laps.

This is a race that Earnhardt needs to capitalize on to get him closer to the top 12 in the standings—and he has the car and equipment to do it.

Who knows, we might even see a re-run of 2004 when he dominated and won.

We shall see.

And for Junior Nation, we shall hope.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway: The Race Track That Stole My Heart

Adam Heasley — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:54:06 -0500

Ahhh. It was Christmas day.

It also happened to be my birthday, and I was turning the big 1-8.

Everybody was full of energy and excitement, drinking eggnog, and eagerly eyeing the colorful wrapped presents under the aroma filling Christmas tree. Everybody was waiting for my grandfather to get up.

Finally! Here came my grandfather, walking down the hall on his way to his creaky and ancient rocking chair.

As soon as my tired grandfather sat down everybody started jockeying to get their presents first. It was like the last laps at Talladega—just no money, anger, and betrayal going on (haha).

My younger sister (at the age of 12) would end up winning this race to the finish line, getting to open up the first present of the day.

I can't exactly remember what it was, but I think it was a Boston Red Sox World Champion sweater.

After about 45 minutes everybody was done opening presents. I was totally happy with what was given to me for Christmas and my birthday.

One item that was given to me by my mother was a 1:24 scale die-cast of Dale Jr.'s winning Daytona 500 car with actual race damage and tire marks on the special born on date paint scheme, along with an actual piece of one of the tires that came off that car.

I was sitting comfortably watching Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal go at it on ABC, when my mother walks in with an envelope with the words happy birthday written on front of it.

As she hands it to me I look into her eyes and see a twinkle and kind of excitement I rarely see in my mother.

"What is it?" I asked mother, knowing darn well I was going to have to open it with out her telling me what it was.

I tore open the envelope and in my lap fell two sheets of computer paper with words and emblems on it. As I read the writing, my eyes lighten up. I couldn't believe what I'm seeing.

It read, "Welcome to the Richard Petty driving experience in Las Vegas, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway."

I was going to get a ride in real NASCAR race car at the fast Las Vegas Motor Speedway!

Was I reading this correctly, am I in a dream?

I was tempted to ask my sister—who was sitting on the floor next to me—to slap me just to make sure I was not. Thank God I didn't, because I think my sister would have enjoyed having a free shot at me all too much.

I must have been having a blonde moment (no offense to anybody), because I had finally realized I was going to Las Vegas for the first time.

LAS VEGAS!! The City of Sin, and girls, and...maybe I should stop.

Me and my step dad would end up leaving the next morning on the 26th, and spend a total of four days there, with the ride along at LVMS happening 29th.

We left the morning of the 26th at 9 a.m. and arrived approximately at 6 p.m. in Las Vegas, Nev.

I was finally able to respect the atmosphere, lights, and great vibes being exerted from "the strip" in Las Vegas. It was like nothing that I have ever seen before. I was hypnotized and couldn't keep my eyes from the crowd and action going on in the streets.

The first two days were some of the funnest days ever in my life, but the 29th couldn't come fast enough.

The 29th had now arrived and I was sporting a Dale Jr. sweater, and a Dale Sr. beanie. As we entered the shuttle that would take us to the speedway, we were followed by about a dozen other NASCAR fans eagerly waiting to feel that NASCAR thunder.

On the way there everybody was chatting about their favorite driver and what they were most looking forward to about the ride, but I wasn't. I was still in shock that this was even happening.

The closer we got the more antsy people got.

Finally the speedway came into view, and it took my breath away.

As we drove by the grandstands to get to the tunnel under Turn One and Turn Two, we drove by the Earnhardt grandstand with a banner hanging down from the top with a picture of the legend's face.

Everybody grew quiet to show respect to the fallen face of NASCAR.

We were now entering the tunnel and had then entered the infield of the speedway.

As we all stepped out of the shuttle everybody just stopped and admired the sights and smells of the track.

On TV the track looks small, but oh boy in person was it ever big!

One of the track officials then came to lead us to the pits, where we would suit up with our grey fire suit and open faced helmet.

There were only two cars allowed on the track at once, and they were allowed two high speed laps.

I was third in line.

As I waited patiently, the butterflies started appearing in my stomach. I tried my best to calm my nerves and keep my composure.

"You're up," said one of the track officials to me as he pointed at Kasey Kahne's Budweiser Dodge COT. I slid through the window on the passenger side and strapped myself in.

My driver asked me if I was ready? I gave him a big toothy grin, and a thumbs up. As he started the car the engine's roar sent a tremble through my whole body. He eased on the gas, and we were off.

As soon as we left pit road and entered Turn One, he mashed the gas. I could feel the g-forces pushing me back in the seat. We then raced down the backstretch and into Turns Three and Four.

Right before he came across the start finish line he yelled to me, "Would you like to go faster?"

"Hell yeah!"

He mashed the gas a little harder and dove the car to the bottom of the race track, and played with the throttle a little, along with the brake, heading into Turns One and Two.

As he exited Turn Two, he mashed the gas again. He kept the car up against the wall and then as we entered Turn Three he darted towards the bottom of the race track again.

As we came out of Turn Four he shouted to me, "Who's your driver!?"

"Dale Jr.," I shouted back.

"Well here goes a Dale Jr. move for you," he said as he entered Turn One for the last time.

This time he didn't dive to the bottom, but instead kept the car up against the wall and rim rode it all the way through Turn Two.

As we raced down the backstretch for the last time, I started to think at how gifted these guys are to be able to do this, and not even flinch or think twice, but act as if they've been doing it since they were born.

Again he was right up against the wall all through Turns Three and Four, and as he came across the start finish line.

Whew! I had to catch my breath!!

As we made a cool down lap around the track the driver turned and looked at me and just smiled, and said, "Are your pants still dry?"

I looked at him gave him a little chuckle and gave him the thumbs up.

As we pulled into pit-road I tried to imagine what it must look like on a race day where the crew members are racing over the wall trying to be the fastest pit crew, and get their driver out first.

As I got out of the car—with the assistance from a track official—I noticed how much my hand was shaking.

As I walked towards my step dad, who was getting ready to cross the pit wall and get into Jeff Gordon's Monte Carlo, he looked at me, looked at my hand, and then doubled over in laughter over the pit wall. I even laughed a little bit too.

My hand continued shaking for the next 10 minutes!

After everybody finished their two laps around the speedway, we entered the shuttle again. We then would travel to a shop out of the speedway that carried about three or four cup cars that weren't being driven at the time.

I remember two of them.

One of them was Dale Jr's DEI Chevy and the other was Kyle Busch's Chevy.

We took some pictures, then left the shop and headed towards the gift shop in case anybody wanted to purchase any souvenirs.

As we left the track everybody was talking about their experiences in the car. Again, I sat quiet, but not because of the dream I still thought I was in, but to keep the memories of how the car smelled and felt going around this 1.5-mile track.

One thing I gained from Las Vegas Motor Speedway was memories. But one thing I left at the track was a piece of my heart.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway will always have a place in my heart that no other track can take. Not because I rode in a NASCAR, but because it was the ride of my life.

Kyle Busch: NASCAR's Definition of Dominance

Adam Heasley — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:22:29 -0500

dominance (n): 1. the act of towering above, governing, or controlling.

2. what Kyle Busch does on a regular basis.

This coming from the NASCAR Dictionary that I hold here in my hand.

And if Kyle keeps up his ways, we won't have any choice but to add his name next to the definition of "dominance" in the real dictionary. We'll even have to put a picture of this young gun in there.

To me, he stands out even more than such figures as Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods.

Why, you might ask?

He's not just doing it in one series or level; no, he's doing it in all three of NASCAR's major levels.

Whenever he straps on that seat belt in a Toyota Tundra, he wins. Whenever he straps on a seat belt in a Toyota Camry, he wins in the Nationwide series. And whenever he straps on a seat belt in the Sprint Cup series, he can win every race.

This guy could drive a cardboard box on plastic wheels and still be faster than the competition; no wonder he is sponsored by NOS.

Plain and simple, this guy can drive whatever he gets into. One could even argue that he is the most talented driver in NASCAR.

People will say that he's "immature" or "too young."

Since when does being immature or being too young have anything to do with Kyle Busch winning? Since never.

People will also say he has great equipment under him on the track, and yes, this is very true, but if it's all the car, what happened with J.J. Yeley?

Go ahead and call me crazy, but I see a certain talent in Kyle Busch that I saw in Dale Earnhardt. Both could drive a top-20 car and turn it into a top-10 car just through their raw ability to drive.

Kyle Busch can drive a car that's tight, loose, or has horrible push. I've seen him hustle a car into the corner, almost sideways, and come out faster than a car that is completely stable through the corners.

Maybe he should try his hand in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. He would probably dominate that, too.

Or maybe he could even go race in the Indianapolis 500 sometime. Now that would be something I would definitely watch!

Last year, Busch won 21 races across NASCAR's top divisions and had a 25-percent win rate. That's a figure I still can't comprehend.

The sad thing is that Kyle gets punished for being so good. Fans hate seeing him beat their beloved Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, or Jeff Gordon. And that group of "fans" includes me.

Now, I don't hate the guy (or even dislike him at all). I just hate seeing him beat my favorite driver race after race, and everybody else feels the same way.

Even though Dale Jr. will always be my driver, no matter his stats are on the track, I'm starting to take a liking to Busch.

So how about we stop hating and start appreciating what Kyle Busch is doing in arguably the most competitive sport in America?

Who knows, we might be saying "move over Richard Petty" in 20 years. Yeah, go ahead and call me crazy again.

Kyle Busch is NASCAR's definition of dominance.

P.S. Ben Bomberger, I'm making my pick right now for Vegas, and it's Kyle Busch.

For Robbie Rouse of Fresno State, Size Plays a Big Role

Adam Heasley — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:22:23 -0500

It's always said the bigger the better, but not in this case. For Fresno State recruit Robbie Rouse, being small is an advantage for this running back from San Diego, California.

Rouse is shifty, quick, fast, elusive, and very explosive once he gets in to the secondary.

I know Rouse personally and have played against this shifty running back. In the talks I've had with him, he would tell me that it doesn't matter how small you are, but what does matter is what you do with your size.

Being a 5'6" running back is a great advantage to him, and that's part of what makes this tailback so good. He hides behind the offensive line very well, and you have no idea where he is until you hear the roar of the crowd and he's in the end zone. By then it's way too late.

In his senior year at Madison High, Rouse rushed for 2,632 yards with 37 touchdowns and averaged an insane 219 rushing yards per game.

There have been times where he is in the middle of four or so defenders, and he squeaks out and scampers down the sideline for a touchdown. He does it so much, yet he never ceases to amaze me.

Rouse is also as tough a running back as I have ever seen come out of San Diego County. He played the last four games of the season with a cast on his left arm and still put up big numbers.

If there is even the slightest chance of him playing in a game, he will find that other lower percent and go out there and contribute greatly.

Fresno State picked up a running back that will put up numbers and be a "small" force to reckon with in the WAC.

So, while you're watching Rouse run up and down that football field on Saturdays, really ask yourself this question.

Does size really matter?

Tate Forcier: The Quarterback of the Future for the Michigan Wolverines

Adam Heasley — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:19:48 -0500

Tate Forcier is a home grown San Diego, California boy with exceedingly great talents at the quarterback position.

Michigan and Michigan fans, you guys recruited one heck of a player. I lived in San Diego and played quarterback out there and had the honor of playing against this guy before.

I've never seen a quarterback with the speed, agility, arm strength, and accuracy he has in San Diego before. Forcier also has amazing footwork and is really quick with his feet.

To prove that Tate has speed, he is running a 40 time at 4.4, which is insane speed for a quarterback. Another thing that sets him apart is his scrambling ability. And he throws just as well as he runs, which is sometimes hard to find in scrambling quarterbacks.

As a senior at Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, California, Tate stacked up 771 rushing yards with 11 touchdowns, and amassed 3,331 yards passing with 23 touchdowns.

All together that is 4,102 all purpose yards with 34 touchdowns.

Michigan is not only getting a quarterback who can put up numbers, but a guy who can make plays when there aren't any and has the ability to take over a game on offense.

Forcier had 30 scholarship offers from schools across the nation, such as Arizona, Arizona State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Florida, LSU, Oregon, and Penn State.

Instead he chose the Wolverines of Michigan.

I can't wait to see Michigan vs. Ohio State, Pryor vs Forcier.

Yes, that should be a great matchup to watch, wouldn't you say?

Well, Michigan fans, welcome to the Forcier era.

NASCAR Is "Going Going Back Back To Cali Cali"

Adam Heasley — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 03:52:48 -0500

Yes, the Daytona 500 was very eventful and disappointing at the same time.

So if its so disappointing, how about we forget about it and look forward to the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., because, NASCAR is "going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali" (song made famous by Notorious B.I.G).

Auto Club Speedway is a 2 mile, D shaped oval with multiple racing grooves to make for great side-by-side racing and lots of passing and great speeds.

Since the race starts in the afternoon, and ends under the lights it all comes down to who can adjust to the changes of the track the best.

And history tells us Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards are the best at that (you can throw Kyle Busch in there too). When NASCAR comes to California, it's rare to not see a Rousch-Fenway car or Hendrick car near the front fighting for the lead.

In the last three years, Jimmie Johnson has finished second, third, and second in this race, and Matt Kenseth has an even better record over the last three years with finishes of fifth, first, and first again.

So you would have to say that Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson are the pied pipers of California.

On the other hand, there are drivers who have struggled the most over the last three years, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. with finishes of 40th, 40th, and 11th.

So if there are any three drivers you would want to take it would have to be Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, and Carl Edwards. However, expect Jeff Gordon to be in the mix along with Kyle Busch.

Some drivers you might want to stay away from are Dale Jr., Clint Bowyer, and Casey Mears.

I also would not be surprised one bit to see a Roush-Fenway car in victory lane, such as maybe let's say, David Ragan?

Like I mentioned earlier, this track has always been good to Roush-Fenway Racing, and because of that, Regan could get his first win this week.

So get ready California, NASCAR is coming back to town.

Sky IS the Limit for Buckeyes' Terrelle Pryor

Adam Heasley — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:53:11 -0500

The 6'6 235-pound quarterback from Jeannette, Pa., by the name of Terrelle Pryor is a phenomenal athlete and Jim Tressel knew it, and so did everybody else.

One thing they didn't know was how big of an impact he would have as a true freshman.

In his first-ever college football game, he didn't play much but he made the most when he did play. Pryor completed 4 of 6 passes for 35 yards along with 52 yards rushing on 9 attempts.

Yes, granted it was an underpowered Youngstown State football program but those are not bad numbers for a true freshman in his first-ever game with limited playing time.

The same thing went for Pryor's next game against Ohio, again good numbers with limited playing time. However, the following game would be a gut check not just for the talented Pryor but for the Ohio State football team as a whole.

Who was the team?

None other then the very talented and physical USC team.

On Ohio State's opening drive they would drive all the way down the field, but only to kick a field goal. USC would answer right back but with a touchdown. As the first quarter came to a close it was only a 7-3 game with the Buckeyes still very much in it.

Terrelle Pryor was getting in plays here and there, and might i add he was very affective against the ferocious USC defense.

However he was not kept in long enough to get the offense in a rhythm. Bringing in Todd Boeckman disrupted any rhythm the Ohio State offense had while Pryor was in.

USC opened it up with 14 points in the second quarter and they never let up. USC would go onto win 35-3. It was a very disheartening game for the Buckeyes, who expected to compete and be there at the end of the game with a chance to pull out a win.

But, there was one bright spot for OSU. Terrelle Pryor never did break with the pressure of playing one of the best teams in the nation, and the best team in the Pac-10.

Pryor completed 7 of 9 passes for for 52 yards and gashed the USC defense with 40 yards rushing on 11 attempts. It seemed that even the speedy defense of USC was just a bit overmatched by Pryor's play making ability and elusiveness.

That was the game that opened everyone's eyes to what Pryor's future could hold in his latter years at OSU and possibly the things he could do for Ohio St. that year.

Coach Jim Tressel noticed it just as much as anyone else, and named the true freshman the starting quarterback for the rest of the season.

The next five games, Pryor showed maturity and leadership that hasn't been seen often by a true freshman. Five games after the beatdown USC gave them, Pryor had lead the Buckeyes to a 7-1 record.

Then came the next test.

The Nittany Lions of Penn State.

Everyone already knew Pryor was a very mobile and agile quarterback, but against Penn State, he showed that he could also open it up in the passing game too, with 226 yards passing on 25 attempts with 16 completions.

With time running out, Pryor led his team down to the Nittany Lions goal line. The young quarterback took the snap off center and scrambled around and what quickly became Yess! became No! Pryor had fumbled on the goal line while going into the end zone.

The young quarterback was crushed and grabbed his face mask in frustration and angst.

His true freshman colors finally showed through at the wrong time.

Ohio State still managed to salvage the season and accepted a bid to the BCS in the Fiesta Bowl against a very determined Texas team led by a young quarterback of their own by the name of Colt McCoy.

The game lived up to the hype, and so did Terrelle Pryor. Even though he only completed 5 passes out of 14 attempts for only 66 yards he ran for 78 yards on 15 attempts.

With Ohio State down 16-7 with only a quarter left to play, Pryor did not disappoint.

With 7:26 left in the game Ohio State brings out senior quarterback Todd Boeckman and puts Terrelle Pryor as a receiver wide to the right.

Boeckman takes the snap from center and throws a 5 yard fade route to the gifted Pryor in the corner of the end zone. Pryor out jumps the corner and brings it in for the touchdown.

Ohio State would go on to lose their third straight bowl game, but the Buckeyes knew they had something special as a quarterback slash athlete in Terrelle Pryor.

Terrelle Pryor would go on to finish the season with 100 completed passes out of 165 attempts for 1,311 passing yards with 12 touchdowns, and 631 yards rushing on 139 attempts with 6 rushing touchdowns.

Ohio State has a very bright future with Terrelle Pryor at the reins of this Buckeye football program. He has fans and media excited with possibilities he presumes for himself, Ohio State, and all of college football.

Already he is getting comparisons to the Tennessee Titans' Vince Young who was drafted out of Texas. Let's just hope he doesn't turn out to be the Vince Young of late.

Pryor marks the new generation of quarterbacks coming into college football and eventually into the NFL.

Don't be surprised to see Ohio State ranked No. 1 before the college football season is over.

They are a young team on the rise with no limit to how well they can play and maybe how many titles they can win in the next three years.

Terrelle Pryor is the real deal and a sign of things to come for the talented Ohio State Buckeyes.

Source-Foxsports.com

San Diego State Aztecs Looking to Take a Step Forward in 2009

Adam Heasley — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:04:45 -0500

SDSU Football over the last couple years has been considered a joke, and a stats-raising game to all the teams they play.

The only exception might be New England Patriots quarterback Kevin O'Connell who played at SDSU for four years and was their only bright spot.

Last year the Aztecs were going into the 2008 season blind, and not knowing what to expect.

They started off the season with a very competitive game against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Redshirt freshman Ryan Lindley did not disappoint. Could the Aztecs actually start the season 1-0?

In a heartbreak loss, the Aztecs lost by a field goal in the final seconds of the game.

That game led the Aztecs to start off the season 0-4. It was just another disappointing season for SDSU football again.

Why have the Aztecs been such a disappointment? Is it because they don't have a good recruiting class? Maybe they can't have a good recruiting class because they don't seem attractive with their poor play.

SDSU is looking to change that this year. With nine players returning on offense and eight players returning they have a chance of turning somethings around, especially their record.

It would be a good start with a win at UCLA, who have been really struggling in the past and might look to San Diego native Chris Forcier to play QB if things don't go well from the start. Still for that to happen, they will have to improve somewhat dramatically over the winter and summer.

As much as I might hope they at least win half of their games I'm not necessarily expecting that.

Yes, I do see the Aztecs being possible threats to certain teams—but not to Utah or TCU yet.

The Aztecs are in the middle of a rebuilding process and that takes time. We might not see very much improvement till two to three years down the road. However, I do see Lindley putting up big numbers in the passing game this year and his remaining years at SDSU.

The Aztecs are looking towards sophomore quarterback Ryan Lindley and new coach Brody Hoke to turn things around.

Brody Hoke turned around a once joke of a program Ball St. and took them to a bowl game this year.

Will lightning strike twice for Hoke?

Hopefully for the Aztecs it does. Can the Aztecs rise out of the ashes and elevate to the top of the Mountain West Conference?

The Aztecs can only hope, and so can their fans.

Unexpected QB Situation for the Patriots

Adam Heasley — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 01:11:40 -0500

Nobody in New England foresaw what happened to the Patriots in 2008. In the first game of the season, the invincible Tom Brady was injured and missed the rest of the season.

New England was forced to go to backup Matt Cassel, who had not started in a game since high school. The season of the New England Patriots was up in the air and no one knew what to expect.

After the first five games, Cassel was coming under some heavy pressure from the fans and the media. He had a good record and had the team playing well, but he was not Tom Brady. Cassel was putting up small numbers in the passing game, even though they were winning.

The bottom line is Matt Cassel is Matt Cassel and Tom Brady is Tom Brady. As the season went along, Cassel's numbers were getting better and better. He was putting up Brady-like numbers. In a game against the New York Jets he had a fourth-quarter drive that would rival that of Brady's comebacks.

The Patriots were down by seven with 1:20 left in the game. In a magical drive, Cassel drove his team all the way down to the Jets' 15-yard line. With five seconds left and the game on the line, Cassel scrambles around in the pocket, sprints to the sideline on his right and fires a bullet to the side of the end zone that met Randy Moss's hands and stuck.

New England would end up losing the game, but Cassel played far better then expected. That game had people questioning, "Is Cassel the real deal?" Many people started to believe in the arm of Cassel, and for good reason.

Was it deja vu all over again in New England? Is Matt Cassel the next Brady? I don't think there will ever be another Tom Brady, but Cassel came pretty darn close.

As the season's last five games came to a close Cassel was posting stats that an MVP-caliber quarterback would be putting up.

At one point, Cassel even had back-to-back games where he threw for 400 yards. He led New England to a 11-5 record and a second-place finish in the AFC East, but tiebreakers kept the Patriots from their seventh consecutive playoff berth.

After the season, Cassel won the Vizio Top Value Performer Award. Cassel was now considered a starting quarterback in the NFL with leadership capabilities and the potential to put up big numbers.

What was New England to do? Cassel was a free agent after the 2008 season. Did New England want to risk possibly letting something good go? Did they want to allow risk of letting an AFC rival team to pick up the proven quarterback? Should they just sign him?

No. Instead, they placed the franchise tag on him. He can't go anywhere . . . for now.

Brady's healing process is healing at a decent rate, but will he be ready for the beginning of next year?

If New England does eventually let go of Cassel, it does have the choice of second-year quarterback Kevin O'Connell, who was drafted in the third round of last year's draft from San Diego State, or Matt Gutierrez, a third-year player from Idaho State.

If Tom Brady is not ready for the season's opening game and the Patriots do not have Cassel, they will probably make Kevin O'Connell the starting quarterback.

O'Connell, who played in a predominantly-shotgun offence at SDSU, will be more experienced in New England's offense and be a better fit. O'Connell also has very good speed and mobility for a quarterback, running a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash. He also has a decent arm with even better accuracy.

However Bill Belichick will make that decision if he has to when the time comes. And for New England fans, hopefully it doesn't.

Who Are the Heroes and Villains of NASCAR?

Adam Heasley — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:30:04 -0500

NASCAR is loaded with different personalities and different driver characteristics. Which leads to the question who are NASCAR's Heroes and Villains? Or are some of them neutral.

Here is my list of heroes and villains in Nascar.

HEROES

1. Mark Martin: I don't think this guy has ever really been in an on going altercation with anybody. Mark will race you clean or he wont race u at all. He is one of the drivers that will always be a hero and drivers respect him for that.

2. Matt Kenseth: Yeah he has had altercations here and there, but not ones that could define him as a villain. For the most part Matt will race you really clean and usually is not on anybodies bad side.

3. Bobby Labonte: This crafty ol' veteran likes to win the "right" way. Hardly ever will you ever see Labonte putting a bumper to someone and moving them out of the way. Bobby is probably the ultimate good guy or hero in Nascar. Bobby will go down as one of the cleanest racers ever.

4. Ryan Newman: This guy is one of the nicest guys you will meet off the track and race on the track. When the "rocket man" won the Daytona 500 last year he proved that good guys do finish first.

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Unlike his daddy Jr. wont lay the bumper like his daddy would and he proved that in the 2002 all star race in Charlotte. He had Ryan Newman sideways coming across the finish line with two to go. Instead of wrecking him or flying past him Jr. backed off and let Ryan Newman Get his car back under control and keep his position. Being respectful and letting Newman get control he killed his chances at a second straight all star win. Not to mention it does help being NASCAR's most popular driver.

Possible Heroes in The Future

1. David Regan
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Reed Sorenson
4. Joey Logano

VILLAINS

1. Kyle Busch: Kyle already wasn't a fan favorite before NASCAR traveled to Richmond International Raceway last year, and it didn't help that he spun out a 76 race win less Dale Earnarhdt Jr. on the last lap. Kyle Busch is NASCAR's ultimate bad boy and always will be until he learns to respect drivers and not drive carelessly half the time.

2. Kurt Busch: I guess it runs in the family. Kurt Busch was just like his brother. He got booed everytime he won a race especially at Bristol. He wanted a win no matter what the cost. Even if it meant taking out another driver.

3. Robbie Gordon: I think we can all agree on this one. And it was apparent that Robbie had an attitude problem after being black flagged at Montreal in a NASCAR National Series race he wrecked race leader Marcos Ambrose. He is probably one of the most hated guys on the Nascar Circuit.

4. Denny Hamlin: He has taken the spot of ex-team mate Tony Stewart. Last year when things went wrong ordid not go well it seemed like he was blaming everybody in the Gibbs organization but himself, he even went as far as saying that his teams has a lot of problems THEY need to fix. If he keeps on that track he will be in trouble

5. Kevin Harvick: Harvick is another driver that had temper problems and he showed that at Richmond when he jumped over his car and another just to get at Matt Kenseth. He has also had problems with Kurt Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya ,and Carl Edwards. The question is though, will we ever see that side of Harvick again?

Possible Villains in The Future

1. Scott Speed (just don't have a good feeling bout him)
2. A.J. Allmendinger( i could see him being a hero too)
3. Juan Pablo Montoya
4. Joey Logano (He can be on both sides)
5. Sam Hornish Jr.(Could go either way)

Martin Truex Jr., Mark Martin Take Top Two Spots for Gatorade Duels

Adam Heasley — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:54:03 -0500

It is Bud pole Sunday and the anticipation for the 500 is increasing. Everybody is waiting to see who will take the top two starting spots in the field for the Daytona 500.

The day started off with Jeff Gordon posting a time that was only held untill Mark Martin posted a time of 47.919 and a speed of 187.817 mph.

Other drivers posted good times and good speeds such as Ryan Newman who qualified third, Juan Pablo Montoya who qualified fourth, and Bill Elliot who qualified forth.

It was time for the No. 1 of Martin Truex Jr., the only bright spot for GER Racing. He zipped around the 2.5 mile tri-oval at a speed of 188.001 mph and at a time of 47.872, taking the top spot from Mark Martin.

In a post-race interview with FOX's he seemed unbelievably calm." This is about the most excited a get about qualifying," he said. "We still got a long way 'til the Daytona 500."

We now know the order of the Gatorade Duels that will be run on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET on SPEED.

Here is the lineup for Duel number 1 and Duel number 2

DUEL NO. 1

1. Martin Truex

2. Bill Elliot

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. Aric Almirola

5. Jeff Gordon

6. Tony Stewart

7. Paul Menard

8. Greg Biffle

9. Joe Nemechek

10. Joey Logano

11. Matt Kenseth

12. Jamie McMurray

13. David Ragan

14. Marcos Ambrose

15. Scott Riggs

16. Michael Waltrip

17. John Andretti

18. Brad Keselowski

19. Kasey Kahne

20. Robbie Gordon

21. Casey Mears

22. Kurt Busch

23. Sam Hornish Jr.

24. Kirk Shelmerdine

25. Tony Raines

26. Terry Labonte

27. Mike Skinner

28. Carl Long

DUEL NO. 2

1. Mark Martin

2. Ryan Newman

3. Juan Montoya

4. Travis Kvapil

5. Bobby Labonte

6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

7. Regan Smith

8. Kyle Busch

9. Scott Speed

10. David Reutimann

11. Boris Said

12. Clint Bowyer

13. Denny Hamlin

14. Carl Edwards

15. Reed Sorenson

16. Elliot Sadler

17. Jeff Burton

18. Brian Vickers

19. A.J. Allmendinger

20. David Stremme

21. Jeremy Mayfield

22. Mike Wallace

23. Mike Garvey

24. Kevin Harvick

25. Derrike Cope

26. Kelly Bires

27. Geoff Bodine

28. Norm Benning

Teresa Earnhardt Runs DEI Into the Ground; Sad Story

Adam Heasley — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 02:52:58 -0500

It seemed just like yesterday that DEI was one of the more dominant teams in NASCAR, along with being the most uprising team also.

They were almost unbeatable at restrictor plate tracks such as Daytona and Talladega. At one point, they even won five out of eight restrictor plate races, and in most of those Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr. always seemed to finish one-two, or the other way around. Bottom line: they were a force to be reckoned with.

Here we are about three years later. You're probably guessing they have won a championship, some more restrictor plate races, the whole shebang.

Not.

In fact, DEI was all but torn apart and twisted inside out. Who is to blame, you might ask? Well, look no further than Teresa Earnhardt.

When Dale Earnhardt Sr. started DEI, he had dreams of eventually leaving it for his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., to run it. Unfortunately, Dale Sr. left us way earlier than expected after turn four of Daytona took Dale's life.

Teresa wanted no part of that. In 2007 Jr. fought to gain majority ownership of DEI. It was a very frustrating ordeal for Jr. Not only did it completely destroy his relationship with his father's widow, but it also left him with no ownership and a contract with rival Rick Hendrick.

Things were already going down the drain at the start of the 2007 season, and it just got worse when Dale announced he would be leaving DEI after 2007.

Jr. went to Hendrick and won his first race right out of the gate. He also broke his 76-race winless streak by winning at Michigan. He contended for wins and made the Chase easily.

For DEI, it was the total opposite. They didn't win one race, only finished in the top ten a handful of times, and none of the DEI cars made the chase. They also lost most of their fan base.

Now they had to merge with Gannasi this year, while Dale Jr. is driving in the best equipment and set to defend his Budweiser Shootout title, and is also a threat for the Championship.

All this because of why? Is it because Teresa is selfish, is it because maybe she's just not that smart? Maybe its beacuse she wanted to make more money.

If that were the case, she would have more money because Jr. would have been bringing in millions and millions of dollars.

When I think of DEI, I think shoulda, coulda, woulda.

My 2009 Nascar Predictions

Adam Heasley — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:27:07 -0500

The 2009 Nascar Sprint Cup season is for sure to start everything off with a bang and if I might add I predict a Dale Jr. victory in the shootout. But here are my predictions for the 2009 season. Hope you agree somewhat. Enjoy!

Top Five for the Budweiser Shootout.

1-Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2-Tony Stewart

3-Carl Edwards

4-Jimmie Johnson

5-Jeff Gordon

Top Five for the Daytona 500

1-Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2- Tony Stewart

3-Jimmie Johnson

4-Jeff Gordon

5-Casey Mears

Total Wins(All Star Race in Charlotte added to my list)

Carl Edwards-9

Dale Earnhardt Jr.-7

Tony Stewart-4

Jeff Gordon-3

Jimmie Johnson-3

Kyle Busch-3

Mark Martin-2

Kevin Harvick-2

Casey Mears-2

Greg Biffle-2

Rookie of The Year

Joey Lagano

Top Five for The Cup

1-Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2-Carl Edwards

3-Jeff Gordon

4-Tony Stewart

5-Mark Martin

Yes, Yes. I know I have Dale Jr pretty much sweeping everything, and I honestly think he can. But it's up to Eury Jr. and himself to be on the same page together. If they are not,they are in for another disappointing season. I don't think Jimmie is going to do as good as everybody thinks even though he is one of the favorites. Also Jeff Gordon is going to have a strong year too. And don't be surprised if Martin wins a good amount of races. Good luck to every driver. Have a safe and fun-fulfilled year and I can't wait to sit back and see what happens.

Paul Menard On Pole for Budweiser Shootout

Adam Heasley — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:50:28 -0500

The starting line up for the Budweiser Shootout is set, and Paul Menard will be starting on the pole.

Here is the full line up for the shootout

1-Paul Menard

2-Elliot Sadler

3-Reed Sorenson

4-Scott Speed

5-Denny Hamlin

6-Tony Stewart

7-Brian Vickers

8-Bobby Labonte

9-Dale Earnhardt Jr.

10-Kyle Busch

11-Carl Edwards

12-Kurt Busch

13-Robbie Gordon

14-Kasey Khane

15-Jammie McMurray

16-David Regan

17-Michael Waltrip

18-A.J. Allmendinger

19-Joey Lagano

20-David Stremme

21-Jimmie Johnson

22-David Reutimann

23-Jeff Burton

24-Casey Mears

25-Matt Kenseth

26-Greg Biffle

27-Kevin Harvick

28-Jeff Gordon

Jimmie Johnson: NOT the Favorite?

Adam Heasley — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:03:50 -0500

Jimmie Johnson has won three straight Sprint Cup championships in dominating fashion. So, easily, Johnson is the favorite to win a fourth straight right?

Wrong.

Who is then?

Carl Edwards. How can Edwards be the favorite over Johnson? Jimmie found himself asking the same question.

"Really? I just won three of these things," he said. "I can't believe I wouldn't be the favorite. But there is a lot of racing between now and then."

Jimmie Johnson's teammate Jeff Gordon pointed out that maybe people are just tired of seeing the same person win over and over again.

I mean don't get me wrong, it's just that to be the champion you have to beat the champion, and that champion is Jimmie Johnson.

"The 99 hasn't won a championship," said RCR driver Kevin Harvick, referring to Edwards. "So the 48 in my opinion is the championship-beating car, the car that you have to beat to win the championship."

The media just added even more determination to the 48 team to win the championship for a record fourth year in a row. A scary thought and situation for the rest of the drivers in the Sprint Cup.

Even Carl Edwards is a little skeptical that Johnson isn't the favorite.

"I haven't seen anybody do it yet. Even though we've won three straight, they could have won five straight if things would have went a little better for them," stated the favorite Edwards.

Jimmie Johnson is still the champion, and the favorite , until somebody knocks him off, and that will be very difficult to do.

My Top 10 NASCAR Races over the Last Decade

Adam Heasley — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 05:07:05 -0500

There have been some very memorable Nascar Races over the last ten years. Whether it was the recent Amp Energy 500 or the 1998 Daytona 500. These are my favorite race memories over the last ten years and i am sure the list will not disappoint. Enjoy and feel free to tell me if you would gave done it differently.

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