NBA – Miami Heat defeat the Detroit Piston in Preseason Opener

by Stephen Lars on Oct.09, 2010, under Football, Sports News

Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, finally had their so awaited debut with the Miami Heat. So much had been said about James’ decision to leave behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and take his talents over to Miami, that one couldn’t help but to wonder how the whole thing was going to work out. Where the three players going to be able to put aside the stardom and the big ego’s and actually perform well as a team? Who was going to take the decisive shot? Are all the expectations real, could the Miami Heat really be a candidate to win the NBA Championship?

The big three were on the court for a little over 3 minutes, since early in the game, in a defensive play, Dwayne Wade grab his hamstring and limped off the court. He strained his right hamstring and was soon taken over to the locker room. Head coach, Erick Spoelstra came out to say it wasn’t serious, but one thing if for certain. We are not going to be taking part of the next couple preseason games.

Still, the Miami Heat made it all look easy as they defeated the Detroit Piston 105-89 in the first preseason game for both teams. The stadium filled in with fans expecting to see the big three. By the third quarter, most of the fans where gone. There was no coming back for the piston.

The start was almost flawless for the Miami Heat, had it not been for Wade’s injury. Still, LeBron James began to show his teammates how easy he can make things look like once he is in the field. Bosh, for instance, had 20 points in 8-for-13 shooting, and was key in the rebound department. James, who has been the dominant force in the league during the regular season, recorded 18 points.

Ben Gordon lead the Detroit Pistons with 17 points, but it was still not enough to keep the Heat from taking a 20 point advantage by halftime. James began the game with his little ritual. The big clapping of hands, the white cloud: the repetition of a ritual. But one couldn’t help but to notice that it was all very different.

NASCAR – Clint Bowyer penalized after winning the Chase Opener

by Stephen Lars on Sep.24, 2010, under Motor Sports, Sports News

When it comes to car racing, be it the NASCAR Sprint Series, the Formula One series, the Moto GP, it has always been a matter of how far can you take the technical limitations that are set upon the car to the limit. It has always been a matter of how you can cut the corners inside the legal margins to, at the end, have the fastest car or the fastest bike out there. Let’s not forget that at the end of these 200, 300, 500 mile-long races, it all comes down to a matter of seconds and milliseconds between the winner and everybody else.

Don’t get me wrong here, I do realize this limitations set upon chief mechanics and team engineers are set to keep things fair and let the talent and driving skills of each driver be what makes the difference. Let’s not forget also that some of these limitations are also place to keep the safe being of the racers and spectators as the No. 1 priority.

So yes, if you do make changes that go too far, if you cheat (but that’s not the right word here) and break some regulations to make your car go faster, you and your team should be penalized. But I would go so far as to expect that if as a Driver and a team both Clint Bowyer and Richard Childress Racing should be penalized with such a harsh punishment, then NASCAR should have done so on Sunday, not wait for an extended review and give the punishment on a Wednesday afternoon.

Here is the thing, why did it take so long.  They have penalized Clint Bowyer with 150 points. Ok, Sunday night, after he won the race, Bowyer was 2nd in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Thursday Morining, that same guy now sits 12th over 180 points from the first place and basically without the slightest chance to win the Chase. For a single race infraction, 150 point must be up-to-date the highest penalization any NASCAR driver has received. The thing here is that, as of press time, Sprint Cup officials have yet to make an statement regarding the details of what was it that Richard Childress Racing had done wrong.

They, the evaluative commission who tested the car, have said that it was a matter of how the team mechanics and engineers had arranged the care body over the frame, giving it some sort of aerodynamic advantage. But here is the twist. If the infraction was really worth a 150-point sanction, why didn’t the guys who check the cars after the race noticed that anything was wrong?

Upon further review

Whip Mark Takes Opener at Fairyhouse

Posted by Leigh on September 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

Visiting the winners’ enclosure on his third outing, the Jim Bolger trained Whip Mark stayed on well to record a victory in the opening event at Fairyhouse, the Ratoath Maiden.