Brett Farve to Indy?

Brett Favre as a Green Bay Packer

            There’s a question I NEVER imagined I would have to answer. Then again, after Favre’s (yes that is the correct spelling) drama the past few years nothing surprises me. The whole Favre thing began because Peyton Manning will not play in any preseason games due to his neck surgery, and may not be 100% for the first couple of regular season games.

            

            So on Sunday, Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts “tweeted” (which should never be considered a valid source for any reason) “Brad, I'm in Hattiesburg. . . . is it right or left at the Firechief?''. You would think this was the “tweet heard ‘round the world”. ESPN Analysts and even local news affiliates suddenly decided this meant the Colts were interested in bringing Brett Favre to Indianapolis from his hometown of Hattiesburg. Since Sunday evening dozens of articles have been posted about Brett playing for Indy, from the Indianapolis Star to the Washington Post.

            

            For one, as I said earlier, Twitter should never be taken seriously. Two, who the hell is Brad in the tweet? Third, why would the Colts want Brett Favre? Indy currently has back-ups Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky who are pretty horrible, but would be better than Favre. Favre would have to learn a new whole offense, as well as get timing down with the entire offense. Plus, Brett is not the same Brett he was with the Packers, or even the Vikings.

            UPDATED 8/232011- I just finished Indianapolis Star writer Bob Karvitz's article about all the Brett Favre and Twitter hooplah. He believes the "Brad" in Irsay's tweet is former Minnesota Vikings coach, Brad Childress.

            
            On Monday, Brett Favre’s agent said he has not heard anything from Brett about leaving retirement to play. The last he heard from Brett, he was on his tractor at his home in Mississippi.

            

            
            It is a fact that Peyton Manning’s expected return to the playing field is unknown. It is also a near guarantee that he will not get any time in the next two preseason games. My gut feeling is that Manning will be the starter for the first regular season game on September 11^th. Manning has worked hard his entire career to start every game, and has started 208 consecutive games. There is no way he is going to start that number over.

            

            Manning came off of surgery in 2008 and had a slow start. When he finally got his mojo back the Colts finished the season with nine consecutive wins. The same thing will probably happen for the 2011 season. The Colts and Manning will struggle in the beginning of the season but when Manning gets his timing down and shifts the offense into high gear they will be nearly unstoppable.

NFL Lockout: Day 100

            The NFL has been in a lockout for 100 days (on Friday, June 24). The disagreement is between the owners of the teams and the NFL Players Association. The two are not able to come to terms on who gets what the NFL revenue pie. 

Here is a timeline of what has happened in the past few months:

March 4, 2011- NFL and NFL Players Association mutually agree to a seven-day extension to try and avoid a lockout.

March 12- Lockout begins.

April 25- Judge grants injunction to end lockout.

April 28- NFL Draft.

April 29- Appeals court restores lockout.

                
            There has not been much else happen since April 29. The two sides are talking but are not able to agree on much. The days without football are turning into weeks, and into months. Training camp starts in August, and the regular season in September. Those two months are rapidly approaching.

            
            The people who would be most affected from a 2011 NFL Lockout? Hoosiers. The Super Bowl next season will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our city and state have poured millions into getting ready for the event. If there is no Super Bowl here, that will be millions wasted.

                
            Lucas Oil Stadium, The Conrad Hotel, The J.W. Marriott, and a new football facility on the south side of Indianapolis were all built because the Super Bowl will be taking place here. If there is no 2011 season, and no 2012 Super Bowl, the NFL owes Indiana an apology and hundreds of millions dollars."The effects could be consequential," said Michael Hicks, director of Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research. "We'll probably see a loss of $200 million if there is a lockout."

-After posting this I learned that if there is no 2011 season or Super Bowl, Indy will get to host the 2015 Super Bowl.

2011 Indy 500 predictions

Artist Thomas Kinkade's rendition of 100 years of the Indianapolis 500

           Since 1970, the winner has started pole position 13 times, and the winner has started 2^nd or 3^rd a combined nine times. Going further, the winner has started outside the top 10 in only seven races. That means in the past 29 races, the winner has started in the top 10 23 times. So what does all that mean? I’m not sure, because statistics don’t mean much to me. I just looked all that up to impress you and your friends.

Alex Tagliani starting on the pole has me thinking this might be the year somebody other than Penske or Ganassi gets the win. Most people will have him as an underdog pick, and maybe as the favorite. If you’re making a sensible pick though, you have to go with a driver from one of the two most successful IndyCar teams ever, Penske or Ganassi.

The Penske drivers are: Helio Castroneves, #3, and a three time winner; Will Power, #12, no wins on an oval course; Ryan Briscoe, #6. Castroneves is starting way back in the field, but he’s Helio, and I have confidence that he can win from anywhere. Ryan Briscoe is starting 27^th, and I’m guaranteeing he won’t even finish in the top 5.

The Ganassi drivers are: Dario Franchitti, #10, a two-time winner; Scott Dixon, #9, a one-time winner. Both drivers are starting in the top 9, and have a far better chance of winning than the Penske drivers.

So besides those five drivers, who has the best chance of winning? For me, there are several drivers that have great chances at pulling an upset. They are in order of who I think has the best shot at winning.

Alex Tagliani- #77. Starting 1^st. Obviously has a quick car.

Vitor Meira- #14. Starting 11^th. Finished 2^nd in two Indy 500’s.

Dan Wheldon- #98. Starting 6^th. Former Indy 500 winner.

Danica Patrick- #7. Starting 26^th. Indy is definitely her best track.

Oriol Servia- #2. Starting 3^rd . 3^rd in the IndyCar Championship.

Ed Carpenter- #67. Starting 8^th. Has been fast all month.

Marco Andretti- #26. Starting 28^th. Lost the 2005 Indy 500 by less than one second.

Buddy Rice- #44. Starting 7^th. Former Indy 500 winner.

My three picks for the winner of the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500:

Dario Franchitti, Alex Tagliani, Scott Dixon

-Yes, I picked three. I’m allowed to do that, it’s my blog!

Comment and let me know who you think will get to drink the milk after 500 miles!

Spoiled Rotten

You know who makes the maddest in the sports world? People that complain “season ticket” prices are too high. Really? You’re complaining because you’re paying too much for a WHOLE season’s worth of homes games? You hear this all the time, from NFL to MLB to NBA to the NCAA. My god, I can only imagine how perfect it would be to have the luxury of owning season tickets to ANY sport or team. I would probably kill a terrorist to be able to see every Colts’ game.

               

I have been to:

4 Indianapolis Colts games

5 Indianapolis Indians games (never seen a victory for the Indians by the way)

5 Indiana Pacers games

2 Indiana Ice games

1 Notre Dame game (a gift from my wonderful girlfriend)

 4 races at IMS

2 St. Louis Cardinals games

1 St. Louis Blues games

               

That all may seem like a lot, but compared to the hordes that have been buying season tickets for years, that’s nothing(or the spoiled kids who have parents that buy tickets). Not to mention, of the 24 things listed, 14 were free to me (and my parents).Every one of those sporting events were moments that I will never forget, and isn’t that what a sporting event SHOULD be? It should be something that you can tell your friends or family about. It should be something your child and yourself should remember.

               

For so many, having tickets to a game like the ones listed are just as necessary as having food on the table. I grew up in a fortunate household, don’t get me wrong. But I didn’t see my first Brickyard 4oo until my dad won tickets in 2008, and I live right down the street from the track! I will NEVER forget walking around the track all morning, then sitting next to my dad, watching Jimmie Johnson drive to victory. 

I’m proud of how my parents raised me. I’m proud that I was old enough to truly appreciate going to a Colts and Pacers game.

-still never been to Disney World though!

                

I will always be willing to pay astronomical prices for tickets to sports events, but what about the up and coming fans, or the ones who want to learn more about a certain sport? The kids and people who are curious about a sport but can only see it on television like I once was?

Television can only do so much. You can’t hear the same crack of the bat, or the same referee whistles, or the same squeaking of shoes on a court, or the same roar of the engines. To truly capture the essence of a sport, you have to see it in person, and a lot of people are missing out on that.

The Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  For 100 years it has stood on the Westside of Indianapolis. For 100 years it has seen millions of people from all over the world walk through its gates. For 100 years, it has stood as a monument for the brave and skilled who dedicate their lives to going fast.  It is the greatest race course in the world, and is the home to the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500.

-It’s actually been there for 102 years, but you get the point.

          There is nowhere else in the world I would rather be in the month of May than right down the street from the IMS. I live about a mile north west of the track, right off of Turn 4. It’s an incredible feeling being able to sit in my backyard and hear the cars, being driven by some of the best drivers in the world.

It is even more incredible to sit in the front stretch grandstands at IMS, and see the cars come off Turn 4. Then as you see them get bigger and bigger, you can start to hear the engines screaming. Your seat begins to vibrate, until suddenly the cars go speeding by as a blur and the roar of their engines echo through the grandstands. These are the moments that give you goose bumps.

From Opening Day, to Pole Day, to Bump Day, to Carburetion (or just Carb) Day, to Race Day, the events that lead to the Indianapolis 500 are just part of what makes it such an awesome event. It is an event, or more a “spectacle”, that can only be witnessed in person. Television does not due to justice to the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana”, or to seeing the three-wide start of the race. There is so much rich history and tradition that surround the Indy 500 and the Speedway that it makes it a moment you will never forget.

The Indianapolis 500 will take place on May 29, but I will write a few more articles about the race before then.