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August 21, 2010
David Newton - ESPN.com
BRISTOL, Tenn. -- He began the night being called an ass and ended it being called "greatness."
Welcome to the wacky world of Kyle Busch.
Love him or hate him, there's no denying Rowdy or Shrub or whatever you call him is the most spectacular driver in NASCAR today. His victory in Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway concluded the most dominant -- and some might say unusual -- weekend in the sport's history.
It started with Busch winning Wednesday night's Truck series race after starting 35th because of an engine change after qualifying.
It continued Friday night with him intentionally "dumping" points leader Brad Keselowski to capture his 10th Nationwide Series race of the season.
It really ramped up during Saturday's prerace introductions when Keselowski told the near-sellout crowd "Kyle Busch is an ass" to turn jeers into cheers.
It concluded with Busch becoming the first driver in the history of the sport to sweep NASCAR's top three series in one weekend.
Greatness.
Spotter Eddie D'Hondt obviously thinks so.
"We are in the presence of greatness," he said as Busch took the checkered.
Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs reluctantly thinks so, too.
"I never quite use those terms," he said with a laugh. "I would say this: He's pretty good at what the does. That [greatness] probably was appropriate for what he did."
Busch may have taken his greatness to a new level by refusing to address Keselowski's comment as hard as reporters tried to goad him. Such maturity we've seldom seen in this 25-year-old phenom.
"Who?" Busch said, shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, I don't know who you are talking about."
Uh, the driver of the No. 12, he was reminded.
"I saw it," Busch said of Keselowski's car, which finished 19th, one lap down. "But I passed it."
This was a moment for celebration, not retaliation.
First Busch drove his No. 18 Toyota along pit road and high-fived all of his crew members. He then took the checkered flag and bowed to all four corners of this half-mile madhouse where fans booed him the night before and during introductions. He was so hoarse after screaming throughout his victory lap that he barely could do his first interview.
"Swept the weekend at Bristol, baby! Oh, yeah!" Busch yelled.
Greatness.
"Pretty remarkable what he's been able to do this weekend, especially owning his own Truck team," third-place finisher Jamie McMurray said. "Obviously, Nationwide, it's amazing how many races they win in that car. But then to come out tonight and win again. ... It's really impressive what Kyle's been able to do."
This was Busch's 16th victory in 2010 -- three in Cup, 10 in Nationwide and three in Trucks -- and 78th of his career between the series.
What's funny is Busch didn't feel he had a car capable of winning this race or even the Nationwide race listening to him talk before each. He was in such a down mood after a horrible first Cup practice Friday that when asked about his Chase chances, Busch said, "We're playing defense. Every week we seem to fall further and further back. Hopefully, we make it."
Busch will make it.
If you believe in what comes around goes around, he could win it. Busch won eight of the first 26 races two years ago. Many were crowning him the champion before the Chase began. Then he started the 10-race playoff 34th, 43rd and 28th and faded into mediocrity.
He's seemingly been there ever since.
Until this weekend.
Maybe this will be the turning point for a season seemingly in reverse the last nine races -- an average finish of 20.4 and no finish better than eighth. Busch was frustrated, so down 24 hours earlier when asked if he had the ability to "turn it on" once the Chase began, he bluntly said, "Not right now."
Funny how one race and one four-day stretch can change an outlook. Busch is now third in points, within 72 of second.
Greatness.
Just look at how Busch took the lead from four-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson before Johnson's night turned sour with a crash on Lap 264. He dropped back on the restart to give up his inside position and then went high to force three-wide with Johnson and Reutimann on a track where three-wide once was unheard of.
OK, so Busch admittedly made a mistake. But he turned something bad into something good, something few can do without crashing.
Then on Lap 428 of 500, Busch showed the patience it takes to be great, battling Reutimann for the lead. After a handful of laps, exchanging sheet metal a couple of times, he got a run on the low side and then pulled away.
"Great patience, bud," crew chief Dave Rogers radioed.
No, greatness.
Busch doesn't always display this. He at times lets his greatness get him in trouble.
But on weekends when he puts it all together, there's nobody better.
"Kyle's a special driver," Rogers said. "In my opinion he's the most talented driver on the circuit. I told him before the race there are some guys booing him and some wise guy saying things that are unprofessional.
"But it's an absolute honor to work with Kyle Busch."
What makes Busch really great is he doesn't get caught up in his press. He doesn't let all the accolades that will come his way from this unprecedented moment go to his head.
By the time Busch gets home this win will be forgotten and he'll be focused on Wednesday night's off-road debut. If he finishes second there or in next weekend's Truck race at Chicago, he'll be mad.
"That's kind of the way I am," Busch said. "That's what you've seen the years since I've been here and hopefully for years to come."
And when somebody calls Busch great, his response is to ask why, not say thank you.
"First he'll argue with you," Rogers said. "Then he'll start back with you, 'Why do you say that?' We've got to keep him pumped up. He won Bristol here tonight. He's probably five minutes away from forgetting about it and trying to figure out how to win this Baja race Wednesday."
Greatness.
Sounds much better than ass.
August 15, 2010
ESPN.com
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- Martin Kaymer's name is etched on the side of the Wanamaker Trophy.
A far more compelling image from this PGA Championship was Dustin Johnson taking one last look at his scorecard Sunday before turning over his pencil to use the eraser on his final hole.
The 5 turned into a 7.
It kept Johnson out of a playoff, which Kaymer won over Bubba Watson, all because of a tiny patch of sand well right of the 18th fairway where Johnson gently placed his 4-iron behind the ball, unaware that it was part of a bunker.
"It never crossed my mind that I was in a sand trap," Johnson said.
The resulting two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in a bunker -- outside the ropes, where thousands of fans had been walking all week -- turned a thrilling final hour into a controversial finish that will be debated for years.
Whistling Straits has so many bunkers -- more than 1,000 -- that not even architect Pete Dye can count them all. Perhaps it was only fitting that one of them played such a pivotal role in the season's final major.
"It was very tough to see what is a bunker and what is not a bunker," said Kaymer, who won the three-hole playoff with a tap-in bogey. "I think it's very sad he got two penalty strokes. He played great golf. He's a very nice guy."
Kaymer won his first major in a PGA Championship that will be remembered as much for the guy who tied for fifth.
It was the cruelest end to a major since Roberto de Vicenzo signed for a higher score than he actually made in the 1968 Masters, which kept him out of a playoff against Bob Goalby.
Johnson had no excuses. The peculiar rule about every bunker being treated the same had been posted in the locker room all week. And he offered none when a PGA rules official stopped him walking off the green and said, "We've got an issue."
His first reaction when told he might have grounded his club in a bunker: "What bunker?"
Johnson didn't even bother going to the TV truck to study the replay. He knew he grounded the club. He just didn't know that he was in the edge of a bunker, figuring it was grass that had been killed under so much foot traffic.
Thinking he had a chance to win, Johnson missed a 7-foot par putt on the 18th to seemingly slip into a three-man playoff. Instead, the two-shot penalty turned his 71 into a 73, and instead of going to a playoff for redemption from his U.S. Open meltdown, Johnson tied for fifth and headed home.
As Johnson was leaving the course, Kaymer was coming up clutch again.
The 25-year-old German holed a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole in regulation for a 2-under 70 to join Watson (68) at 11-under 277. One shot behind in the playoff, Kaymer made another 15-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 17th, then watched Watson implode.
Watson went from the right rough into the water, then over the green into a bunker. His bunker shot hit the flag, and he tapped in for double bogey. Kaymer chipped out after seeing Watson go in the water, and he hit 7-iron to 15 feet for a two-putt bogey.
Kaymer earned $1.35 million, went to third in the Ryder Cup standings for Europe and moved to a career-best No. 5 in the world.
Watson was only disappointed for a few minutes until learning he had played his way onto the Ryder Cup team.
For Johnson, this might take far longer to recover from than the U.S. Open, where he had a three-shot lead going into the final round, took triple bogey on the second hole and shot an 82.
The final major of the year proved to be the most thrilling over the final hour, even with Tiger Woods long gone before all the excitement began. Woods closed with a 73 and tied for 28th.
August 15, 2010
ESPN.com
BROOKLYN, Mich. -- He already had horsepower, handling and the points lead.
Now Kevin Harvick has a win this season at a track other than Talladega or Daytona.
Harvick passed Denny Hamlin with 11 laps to go Sunday, then held on to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup series race at Michigan International Speedway.
It's yet another sign that Richard Childress Racing is back after a disappointing 2009, and Harvick is the championship favorite with only three more races left before the Chase.
"Everybody was embarrassed last year, and we've really been running pretty well since probably the last six or eight weeks of last year," said Harvick, who formally clinched a spot in the Chase. "It didn't just happen today."
Harvick's No. 29 team gambled by staying on the track instead of making a pit stop during a late caution. It paid off with Harvick's third win of the season and his first this year on a non-restrictor plate track.
The victory was another significant step in the resurgence of Richard Childress Racing -- and it came at a track where RCR typically hasn't been very strong.
"Somebody's got to beat Jimmie [Johnson] this year, and it might as well be RCR," Childress said.
Hamlin finished second, followed by Roush Fenway Racing drivers Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth.
Team owner Jack Roush was back at the track this weekend, days after his release from a hospital following serious injuries in a plane crash.
"It's great," Edwards said. "We really wanted to get a win for him today, but that's a strong performance for us."
Edwards has finished seventh or better in six straight races and he likes his chances going into the Chase. But nobody has been as consistent as Harvick this season.
"I really don't see how he can't be, really, the favorite going into it," Hamlin said.
With the Chase looming, Hamlin acknowledged that his Joe Gibbs Racing team is lagging behind Harvick and RCR.
"Those guys, they're tough," Hamlin said. "They've really got everything working right now. Their cars are handling really well, and they've got horsepower. Those are two things that are tough to beat."
Harvick isn't embracing the role of championship favorite, saying Johnson is the driver to beat until somebody actually beats him.
"Until you beat that guy, there's no reason to put that pressure on yourselves," Harvick said.
It was a rough day for several Chase contenders. Kurt Busch blew an engine, Mark Martin damaged his car early and spent most of the afternoon running outside the top 30, and Jeff Gordon was in the top 10 when he had a flat tire with 47 laps to go.
Gordon finished 27th, Martin finished 28th and Busch finished 40th.
Ryan Newman and Joey Logano tangled on the track, then had to be separated by NASCAR officials after the race.
"He races me way too hard, he races everybody too hard," Logano said. "I'm not the only one that complains about it every week."
Newman was not available for comment.
Leaders Tony Stewart and Harvick stayed on the track instead of making pit stops when a caution came out with 32 laps left -- leaving them at the front of the field with most other drivers on fresher tires and 28 laps to go on the restart.
Hamlin took the lead from Stewart with 23 laps until the end, but Harvick stayed on his tail and finally got past him with 11 left. Stewart slipped to sixth at the finish.
Busch sustained a "catastrophic" engine failure, slipping from fourth to 10th in the points.
"We didn't get it done," Busch said. "We'll bounce back and be back next week. We should be OK in points."
Things didn't go much better for Martin, who had to spend extra time in the pits after scraping his car's nose early in the race. Martin slipped to 13th in the points, now one spot behind Clint Bowyer for the final Chase-eligible spot in the standings.
Gordon appeared headed for a good finish, then a tire went flat in the middle of heavy traffic. He avoided heavy contact with other cars or the wall but fell far back in the field.
It was a much better day for Harvick, who won't be under much pressure the next three weeks.
August 12, 2010
DBraves.com
BLUEFIELD, W. Va. - After their longest losing streak of the season, the Danville Braves appear to have righted the ship, taking the first game of their series with the Bluefield Orioles, 4-1.
Winning their sixth of seven meetings with Bluefield, the D-Braves improve to 26-24, but remain two and a half games out of first in the Appalachian League East, thanks to a Pulaski win. The Orioles remain at the bottom of the east with a record of 17-33.
The Orioles were the first to get on the board tonight on an RBI single by second baseman Dudley Leonora off of Braves reliever Lucas La Point in the third inning. Right-hander David Filak got the start tonight for Danville, throwing just two innings, and allowing no runs on one hit, with three strike outs.
With a single swing in the top of the fourth, however, the D-Braves jumped in front of the O's, thanks to a two-run blast by catcher Evan Gattis. The home run off of O's starter Jacob Pettit was his third of the season, and at 25, he remains second on the team in RBIs.
After Gattis put two on the board, first baseman Joey Terdoslavich decided to step up to the plate, and put up two of his own. With two on and one out in the top of the sixth, Terdoslavich reached on a force out that scored third baseman Barrett Kleinknecht. Leading 3-1 heading into the ninth, the infielder struck again, this time with a solo homer to right field off of Bluefield closer Dustin Carder.
Leaving the mound after the eighth, La Point threw five shut-out innings, after giving up a single unearned run in the third. By the time he was relieved, the righty had struck out nine Bluefield batters - a personal best on the season - while allowing only three hits. And, with a one, two, three inning by D-Brave closer Nate Russ, the club got their second-straight win, 4-1.
On the hill when Danville nabbed the lead, La Point was awarded his third win of the season, while Russ recorded his first save since joining the roster earlier this month. Pettit took the loss tonight, after throwing for six complete innings, and allowing three runs, though only one was earned, on six hits.
Gattis led the way at the plate for the Braves, going 3-for-4, with a run, homer and two RBIs. Leonora, the only Oriole to put a tally on the board for the club in the ballgame, finished the night at 1-for-4.
Game two between Danville and Bluefield is tomorrow night at 7 p.m., as the two face-off for the eighth time this season. Right-hander Aaron Northcraft will get his ninth start of the season, entering the game with a 5-1 record, and faces off against Bluefield's Jarrett Martin.
After the series comes to a close on Saturday, Aug. 14, the team returns for a quick two-game home stand on Aug. 15-16 against Burlington, in what could be a battle for a spot in the 2010 Appalachian League Playoffs. Featured in this upcoming stand is Dollar Dog Monday. Don't miss out on all of the action here at American Legion Post 325 Field, while enjoying these great promotions!
Fans can follow all Braves play-by-play action for home games on WMNA 106.3 FM or on the Braves' website at www.dbraves.com. For other information on the schedule, tickets, group nights, and/or partnership opportunities please contact the Danville Braves office at (434) 797-3792, info@dbraves.com, or log on to the D-Braves website.
August 08, 2010
ESPN.com
CANTON, Ohio - The NFL icons who entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame the previous day could not have been comfortable with the action at Fawcett Stadium on Sunday night, when Dallas beat Cincinnati 16-7 to open the preseason.
The offenses generally sputtered all night and there were eight sacks in a sloppy affair. Clearly, none of the aura of the NFL's career leaders in rushing and receiving rubbed off.
Dallas picked off three passes and recovered a fumble; Cincinnati also recovered a fumble.
Nobody could be impressed by the slew of penalties, 16 overall, 12 by Cincinnati for 90 yards. Then again, it was the preseason opener.
Most of the regulars worked short shifts. At least the Cowboys' starters looked sharp during their minimal stints.
Tony Romo led them to the Cincinnati 2 with a steady opening drive before they stalled and David Buehler kicked a 20-yard field goal. Romo was 5 for 10 for 59 yards.
Dallas certainly needs better protection for its quarterbacks after Cincinnati had five sacks, including two by linebacker Michael Johnson.
The Bengals made plenty of offseason news with the additions of Owens and Pacman Jones, who was not signed by any teams last year because of his previous off-field issues and missed the season. Neither former Cowboy had much impact, although Owens caught two passes for 18 yards and was thrown to four times by Carson Palmer.
"We're a work in progress," Owens said. "We're getting there. It felt just like practice."
It often looked like it, as well.
Buehler added field goals of 34 yards in the second quarter and 23 yards in the third. The last kick was set up when linebacker Brandon Williams returned an interception of Jordan Palmer -- Carson's younger brother and Cincinnati's third-string quarterback -- 36 yards to the Bengals 9-yard line.
Dallas capped the one-sided victory when Brandon Sharpe picked off Jordan Palmer's fourth-quarter pass and dived untouched into the end zone for a 6-yard score.
Bengals rookie Jordan Shipley ran back a punt 63 yards in the final minutes, and Jordan Palmer hit rookie tight end Darius Hill for a 1-yard TD with 51 seconds remaining.
Cincinnati's best player was punter Kevin Huber, who averaged 46.4 yards on 10 punts.
August 08, 2010
ESPN.com
AKRON, Ohio -- Hunter Mahan is doing things he never imagined possible, on and off the golf course.
He thought it was "crazy talk" when friends told him he would know immediately when he fell in love, until he met former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Kandi Harris in December and proposed to her in June.
How about beating Tiger Woods by 30 shots at Firestone?
"I never, ever thought that would be possible," Mahan said Sunday, stifling a laugh at the absurdity of it all. "It never crossed my mind. It's definitely different."
Some six hours after Woods finished off the worst tournament of his career, Mahan looked better than ever in the Bridgestone Invitational. He ran off five birdies on the front nine to make up a four-shot deficit, delivered three clutch pars down the stretch to protect his lead and closed with a 6-under 64 for a two-shot victory over Ryan Palmer that brought plenty of perks.
Mahan earned $1.4 million to lock up a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, one of his primary goals this year.
He won his first World Golf Championship title and moved to No. 12 in the world ranking, a big step toward joining the elite in golf. And he won for the second time this year, becoming the fifth player this year with multiple victories on the PGA Tour.
"The last couple of weeks, the game has been good," said Mahan, who won the Phoenix Open in February by shooting 65 in the final round. "I knew it was there. I know I just had to keep going and keep trusting it. This weekend, I definitely just kind of let everything go and just had some fun."
It was anything but that for Woods.
He had won seven times in his last nine starts at Firestone. He had not shot over par since 2006. But in a week that showed just how lost he is amid a personal life in chaos, Woods shot 77 on Sunday to finish at 18-over 298. It was his highest score on the PGA Tour as a professional or an amateur. He tied for 78th in the 80-man field, his worst finish ever.
He wasn't even sure if he was worthy for the Ryder Cup.
"No one would help the team if they're shooting 18-over par," Woods said before flying up to Whistling Straits to sneak in a practice round for the PGA Championship next week.
Phil Mickelson looked just as bad Sunday. With his best chance ever to replace Woods at No. 1 in the world -- Mickelson was tied for 10th and needed to finish alone in fourth -- the Masters champion sprayed shots all over Firestone on his way to a 78.
It was the first time since the 1998 British Open that Woods and Mickelson both shot 77 or higher in the same round.
"It was a rough day, if you couldn't tell," he said.
For Mahan, it was mostly smooth sailing.
His 64 was the lowest final round by a winner since the Bridgestone Invitational became a WGC event in 1999.
"This is one of the bigger tournaments we play all year," Mahan said. "And it's definitely the best win of my career."
The birdies were brilliant. The pars won him the tournament.
The 28-year-old still managed to make it interesting, especially on the par-5 16th, which always seems to factor in this tournament. It's where Woods has delivered so many pivotal shots over the years, where Padraig Harrington took an 8 in the final round last year.
Mahan was in the fairway, 227 yards away on a hole that had been shortened to 602 yards for the final round. He figured the only place he couldn't miss was short -- in the pond. To go long and right into the gallery would still leave him a simple shot to the green.
"I did not count on hitting it right and long, and into a flower bush," he said.
That's where he went, over the bleachers, over everything, and into a flower bed. Because it was deemed to be part of the cement cart path complex, he was given a free drop in the walkway to the 17th tee. He played it safe, chipping through the green and into the fairway, then putted to 3 feet to save par.
Before that, he holed a 15-foot par on the 15th. On the next hole, he saved his most intense fist pump for an 8-foot par on the 17th.
Palmer couldn't catch him.
Two shots behind, he missed a 12-foot birdie on the 16th and a 20-footer on the 17th to end his hopes. Palmer closed with a 69.
"I can't be disappointed," Palmer said. "I played good today being under the gun. You've got to hand it to Hunter Mahan. He went out and did what I expected somebody to do, and shot a low round. I didn't lose the golf tournament."
Retief Goosen, the 36-hole leader until a triple bogey on the opening hole Saturday, closed with a 65 and tied for third with Bo Van Pelt, who shot a 67. Sean O'Hair, who shared the 54-hole lead with Palmer, shot 71 and wound up alone in fifth.
Since winning in Phoenix, Mahan had only one top 10 and missed four straight cuts. Part of that might have been related to proposing to his fiancee at Pebble Beach a week before the U.S. Open, and planning for a wedding in January.
Indeed, this is shaping up to be quite a year.
August, 08, 2010
ESPN.com
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Juan Pablo Montoya finally had a race without a mistake, and he proved invincible.
The hard-driving Colombian erased 113 races of futility Sunday, winning a duel with Marcos Ambrose and the Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International.
"It's about time," Montoya said after celebrating with his crew in Victory Lane. "We've lost a lot of them, gave away a lot of them. It gets frustrating, everybody fighting. There's so many things I have to learn. I still make a lot of mistakes. It's experience. We've just got to learn from it."
Frustration mounted when crew chief Brian Pattie's pit strategy backfired at the previous two races. A late four-tire call likely cost Montoya a win at the Brickyard 400, and he finished 16th a week ago at Pocono after starting second, another questionable pit call the culprit that led to harsh words over the radio.
A pre-race talk at Watkins Glen with team co-owner Chip Ganassi helped clear the air. Montoya went out, withstood repeated stalking and challenges from Ambrose and won going away.
Montoya led 74 of 90 laps and beat Kurt Busch to the line by nearly 5 seconds for his second career victory, the other coming on NASCAR's other road course at Sonoma in 2007, 113 races ago. Montoya gave Earnhardt Ganassi racing just its third victory of the season.
Ambrose was third, his third straight top-three finish at Watkins Glen, followed by AJ Allmendinger and pole-sitter Carl Edwards. Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top 10.
