ESPN Sr Writer, Marty & McGee, NYT bestselling “with” guy,
#Bottom10
pollster, YT-1300 pilot. New book! Welcome to the Circus of Baseball. Order link below!
Filed to ESPN: Reggie Bush's Heisman Trophy return is another sign of an evolving college sports world. But are we opening the door to a deluge of "What I did was bad then but wouldn't be bad now" demands for retrofitted fixes?
I think probably the biggest shock about this whole thing is that the scientists have been right and that guy I went to school with who posts on Facebook all the time has been wrong.
You know what, you racist worm(s) who put that noose in Wallace's garage? Thanks. Thanks for your cowardly attempt to elicit fear. Because it led to this. In 25 years of covering NASCAR I never thought I'd see this. A literal circling of the wagons to support a racer of color.
Filed to ESPN: The Confederate flag is finally gone at NASCAR races, I won't miss it for a second, and don’t even come at me with “Heritage Not Hate.” My family history is what it is, so I know the difference.
Clemson L
SC L
N Greenville L
Wofford L
The Citadel L
Coastal Carolina L
SC State Lx2
Presbyterian L
Erskine L
The last time the state of South Carolina had a weekend this bad was because of Sherman.
When there is a Ryan Newman update to give, we will give it. I so appreciate the stress and helplessness of waiting. But until there is actual information, speculation does no good.
#Daytona500
Sources are telling me that after his
#NFLCombine
workout UGA's Jordan Davis is going to skip the NFL entirely because he's been asked to join the Avengers.
Here's why the Sarah Fuller story is awesome, whether she plays today or not. My teenage daughter came downstairs just now and immediately said, "Let's check in on the Vanderbilt game."
Denny Hamlin just now, talking with us for SportsCenter: "The finish, the history, that's all great. One day it will all sink in. But right now all I'm thinking about is Ryan Newman."
In honor of the last ACC Tournament on Raycom (and yes, Jefferson-Pilot) any middle or high school teacher on Tobacco Road worth their teaching certificate needs to be rolling these into classrooms this week.
Friendly tip. If you're mulling over Ryan Newman's statement today, that he suffered a head injury and is awaiting medical clearance, and you're thinking, "Man, I wish I knew more about NASCAR and head injuries..." might I recommend some research material?
Twitter used to be a place of real discussion, actual fun and genuine friendships made. Now it's that one loud drunk guy at the party who ruins the night for everyone else.
Airport security. Gentleman in WWII vet hat & wheelchair. TSA agent: “Sir, can you stand to go through screening? It’s ok if you can’t.” Him: “Tell me there’s Nazis on the other side of the machine. Maybe that’ll work. Never had any trouble standing up to them.”
#hero
Ridiculous props to
@chrishemsworth
. Celebs are at
#Indy500
every year. Never seen one work the autograph/selfie line for 45 minutes like he just did. Thor rules.
Mike Leach had his detractors. He was certainly not without controversy. Honestly, he kind of dug both of those facts. But no matter where one stood on Leach, there is one fact that is indisputable: The world is going to be less interesting without him in it.
LOL at
#NASCAR
Twitter. Country artists do pre-race concerts at like 25 events per season. Wiz Khalifa does a short "halftime" performance at an exhibition race in LA and now the whole sport has been ruined forever. Y'all are soft.
Find yourself a friend who says, "Hey man, it's your birthday weekend, so instead of racing to the airport like we usually do on Saturdays, let's stay, go to an awesome football game and see how many people in Oxford will hand us drinks."
Filed to ESPN: Hey, here's an idea. Instead of spending your holidays ripping bowl games (too many, too meaningless, blah blah blah), maybe lighten the hell up and enjoy the abundance of college football. That's what I do.
BTW to the "You're rooting against football" and "You just want to be right about the virus" crowd, go kick rocks. I'm gutted by the idea of no CFB, personally and professionally. It's as much a part of my DNA as water. I'm just reporting.
Am I surprised at the reaction from some people to NASCAR’s prerace address on racial inequality? No, I’m not. Every animal reacts with fear and confusion when they’re outnumbered in their old safe havens and extinction suddenly feels like a possibility. Racists are no different.
This thread is all you need to know about Edward Aschoff...and also all you need to know about Katy. Amazing people. Amazing couple. Strength plus strength, smiles plus smiles.
(1/12) Hi everyone, this is Katy Berteau, Edward’s fiancé. I want to say thank you to everyone who has expressed their sympathies, condolences, and prayers for me and his family and friends.
In honor of
#FathersDay
, please take a few minutes to watch the story of Dan Bryan, who is surviving every parent's worst nightmare through the healing powers of playing catch.
ICYMI: Here's the facts of the Bubba Wallace noose case. But if you don't want facts & you'd rather listen to insane people who've never been to a racetrack & are on Twitter just to poke everyone with a stick until they fight, that's cool too.
#NASCAR
I am 100% confident that those people have the ability to enjoy the race just as much while flying an American flag. If the absence of the flag of a dead nation makes them hate the sport they've always claimed to love then they've never loved the sport as much as I have.
@ESPNMcGee
Its inclusion to a new demographic but theyre pissing off the demographic that made them who they are in the 90s to early 00s. I guess we will see how attendance goes
It is hard to imagine our world without Sherry Pollex in it. But now she can finally rest, and do so knowing that she leaves the corners of the world that knew her as much better places because of the time she lived in them. True heart of a warrior.
#NASCAR
Am I saying that stealing a Taco Bell sign and hanging it on the balcony of your dorm room is the right thing to do? No. But am I saying that this is a total boss move and I wish I had thought of it when I was in college? Yes.
I once rode in a helicopter with NASCAR licensing and its partners as they searched the speedway grounds for illegal souvenir sales and they shut them down like a machine. So, if they really want to enforce this, they totally know how to.
You know it's Rivalry Week when you receive a text from a friend asking where he can find the Clemson postgame radio show online because he's a South Carolina alum and he's wants to get drunk while listening to it.
This ol’ boy at the grocery store in front of me just bought a half a pound of turkey, one Bud Light tallboy, and a pack of little Debbie donut stix. He caught me looking at it and said, “We party at my house, brother.”
I say it all the time. What Stoops has done with
@UKFootball
has been like moving a bluegrass covered mountain. Winning big games is no longer a novelty in Lexington. It's expected. A lot of programs need to study UK. Not something most ever expected to say about the Cats. 👏🏻🏈🇺🇲
Everyone all the time: "I need some more hammer-down passion out of these guys like Earnhardt would've done!"
Also, them after Ross Chastain's wall-riding move that got him into the
#NASCARPlayoffs
Championship 4: "There oughta be rules against that stuff!"
The moment we hit Fayetteville, AR town limits yesterday you could instantly sense the energy level. SO MANY old school fans, including several who were at the legendary '69 Texas-Arkansas game, got emotional telling me how excited they were. Unreal atmosphere tonight.
#TEXvsARK
Phil Fulmer saying "recruiting has been good" during a press conference to announce a coach has been fired for recruiting violations is the most Fulmer thing that's ever Fulmered.
My lasting image of Vince Dooley will be this, him standing on the field in Indianapolis as the Georgia team celebrated around him. Smiling. Confetti on his shoulders. Then being embraced by Kirby Smart. It was perfect. Godspeed, Coach.
This is Maya.
She has cerebral palsy and this video shows her three years ago.
And then it shows her now.
Perseverance.
That smile.
I’m here for all of it. 🌎❤️
My college roommate at Tennessee went on to become a literal rocket scientist and helped develop the software that tracks every manmade object orbiting the Earth. I’ve reached out to see if it has located Blake Burke’s homer.
Pretty damn cool. I've been around long enough to see a lot of famous people say they're committed to NASCAR ownership, only to fail, quit quickly or never really try. MJ is committed. Finally got to visit Victory Lane with his team.
Filed from Daytona: Being an auto racing fan is all about feeling something. Monday night brought back feelings
#NASCAR
hadn't experienced in a long time. And I hadn't missed them.
One of the most incredible days I’ve witnessed in this job was sitting next to John Clayton on an NFL Sunday. He broke news stories in Buffalo, Dallas and San Francisco…while watching the Seahawks and Panthers in Charlotte. The most non-big-time big-timer. I will miss him.
Those of us in the motorsports media world have dealt with this situation so many times and it always feels impossible. The greatest respect to my MNF colleagues as they have navigated this tonight. Cancel the damn game.
NASCAR response to Trump's Wallace tweet. “We are proud to have Bubba Wallace in the NASCAR family and we commend his courage and leadership. NASCAR continues to stand tall with Bubba, our competitors and everyone who makes our sport welcoming and inclusive for all racing fans."
Friends are texting me saying that I'm having a bad night on Twitter. 1. My "mute this conversation" button works just fine. 2. Hell, I'm not having a bad night by any measure, digital or otherwise.
Statement from NASCAR's Steve O'Donnell: Ryan Newman was transported to Halifax Medical Center. He is serious condition but doctors said injuries are non-life threatening.
I am really excited to be a part of this project for
@CollegeGameDay
. My old racetrack friend Eli Gold is back in the booth in Tuscaloosa after an unthinkable year fighting off cancer and death. "The Gold Standard" airs Saturday morning from Tuscaloosa.
I bought this for Godzilla-obsessed
@AschoffESPN
for Christmas. Didn’t have the chance to give it to him. So I’ll wear it for him today at
#NationalChampionship
.
I very much appreciate what Kim Mulkey has accomplished in her chosen profession. But she’s the cousin at the funeral who leans over during the eulogy and asks aloud “When the hell do we eat?”
In 72 years of NASCAR only 32 drivers have won 26 races. He's one of them. 2 Daytona 500s, All-Star Race, 2 Xfinity titles, 4 straight Talladega wins & shouldering the mourning emotional load of an entire sport at the age of 26. But yeah, he was popular, so sue him.
Derrike Cope cuts a tire in Turn 3 during the Lap 3 Dale Earnhardt tribute. I'm not saying that The Intimidator's ghost just got revenge for 1990. But I'm also not saying that it didn't.
#DAYTONA500
I lost a couple thousand Twitter followers today. Sadly, it appears my longtime core fan base of scantily clad Eastern European women with ten or fewer followers and hi-def webcams isn’t as loyal as I was led to believe.
Not sure how the "I'm a man I'm 40" guy who was screaming to protect players from what he felt was slanted media coverage became the guy who has alienated his best player for wearing the logo of a actually slanted media news outlet...but here we are.
I will not stand for this.. This is completely insensitive to everything going on in society, and it’s unacceptable. I will not be doing anything with Oklahoma State until things CHANGE.
Northwestern administrators, who have long rightfully touted the abilities of those who are taught in the hallways of their journalism school, seemed to be caught off guard by the amazing reporting abilities of those being taught in the hallways of their journalism school.
Real conversation. We’re at my daughter’s freshman orientation and I said to my wife “I remember being so impressed by my first visit to the campus infirmary.” She responded: “You mean the clinic? Did you really say the infirmary? Did you go there after fighting at Gettysburg?”
Looking out the window at a bunch of happy neighbors standing in a big wad and talking on a beautiful spring day. Going to look for my bullhorn so I can scream into the cul-de-sac "SO GREAT TO SEE Y'ALL BUT I WANT COLLEGE FOOTBALL THIS FALL SO SPREAD THE F OUT!!!"
I have been traveling to college football stadiums my whole life. The Penn State White Out is EASILY one of the greatest environments I've ever seen.
#AUBvsPSU
He is fast. He is a winner. He will be a winner in the Cup Series one day. But this is what makes Bubba Wallace great. Lot of heads stuck in the sand right now. Not his.
Real conversation just now at store. Guy: "Hey Ryan, why you wearing that stupid mask?" Me: "Because I want to." Guy: "Well, I think you look dumb as hell." Me: "Good thing I don't care what you think." Guy: "Fair enough...anyway...I love y'all's show." Me: "Thanks for watching."
NASCAR also sent along these notes re: Trump saying "That & Flag decision has caused lowest ratings EVER!"
- FOX is up 8% in ratings since NASCAR’s return on May 17
- NBC’s rating for yesterday’s race at Indianapolis was up 46% from last year’s event at Indy.
Dude in front of me at the gas station just bought a carton of cigarettes, an extra large black coffee and a dusty quart of Phillips 66 oil. I couldn’t get a clear look at his ID, but I’m pretty sure it was a reincarnated Dick Trickle.
Quick
#DAYTONA500
recap: In 15 laps there have been two cautions, a red flag, a two-car wreck, a 16-car wreck, a lightning delay, a downpour and the crowd was already limited because of a plague. It's the Old Testament 500.
That one grandparent who always watches your little league games from the outfield so he can give you a thorough, undistracted performance evaluation later...
Here’s our feature on Eli Gold from
@CollegeGameDay
this morning. This one was personal. We always remember who was good to us when we were young and just getting started in the real world. Eli was so good to me.
I'm actually impressed with how NASCAR is going about this. Previous administrations would have taken the "make it go away" route. But Phelps & Co. are running toward it. With their fists clinched.