"Stupid risks are what make life worth living."--Homer Simpson
Yes, this is still a hockey blog. But it's also still off-season. Many hockey fans coped with summer by turning to baseball (not fun for Pittsburgh sports fans). Some enjoyed the World Cup. Some are thrilled that football's back. And then there are a few of us who like NASCAR, meaning that we always get to watch at least one sport we enjoy.
I was a NASCAR fan first--took me a couple of years to stop referring to a hard check into the boards as "putting him into the wall"--and the love of my sports-watching life is Tony Stewart. Yesterday he had one of the strongest cars at the Loudon, New Hampshire race track. He came painfully close to winning, but he and his crew had taken a gamble on fuel, and he ran out on lap 298. Unfortunately, it was a 300-lap race, and stupid Clint Bowyer won it. Stewart came in 26th at 5 mph on fumes. Of the 12 drivers eligible to win the Sprint Cup championship this year, Stewart starts the Chase for the Championship, a/k/a "playoffs", in 11th place. Y'all better believe I cried.
I like many of the same things about the Penguins and Tony Stewart. Stewart thrives on adversity, even if he has to make it himself. His face is easier to read than the Cat in the Hat, a quality I also love about Sidney Crosby. He's quirky and funny. He'll piss me off, break my heart in three places, make me shake my head, but never, ever bore me. And then there are those lovely occasions when he cuts the bullshit, summons up his abundance of natural talent, and wins big. That makes days like yesterday worth it.
How boring would it be to watch a driver, player, or team who didn't make you sick occasionally? If you don't want your emotions taken from the mountaintop to the ocean floor and back, don't watch Tony Stewart or the Penguins. Don't watch racing or hockey, for that matter. Try Dancing with the Stars or some lame nonsense like that instead.
Oh, yes, and there's a recipe. This is what I've been drinking most weekends this summer. Who else would I name it after?
Driver 14
About 5-6 ounces cherry soda (Boylan's, Cheerwine, and Dr. Brown's are good)
2 ounces Captain Morgan Lime Bite
Lime wedge
Crushed ice
Half-fill a large tumbler with crushed ice. Pour in the rum, then the soda. Stir gently. Squeeze juice from lime wedge into drink.
Next post is about pre-season hockey--hell yeah!!!!
Penguins Update: Let’s Get Physical
2 hours ago
I let football do that to me. The Cleveland Browns do an excellent job of tying my heart in knots and perpetually frustrating me. When they lose (which is often) they often lose with small margins, keeping it close to the bitter end-- teasing me by leading the game by large margins going into half-time only to forget how to play in the 2nd half and see them frantically snatch defeat from the jaws of victory time and time again.
ReplyDeleteOn the Pens, Fleury is the guy who gives me fits the way Crosby does to you. There are games where he's bloody brilliant and other games where he might as well lay a welcome mat in the goal crease and skate over to the bench to watch the game.