During his great racing career, Tony Stewart would get so angry at NASCAR, you wondered how long he’d wait before speeding to the exit ramp.
But after leaving the seat, he remained involved as co-owner of the Stewart-Haas race team, but spent less and less time with the circus and more time with his other racing-related ventures, including track ownership.
Then came his infatuation with NHRA drag racing, fueled largely by his infatuation with Top Fuel racer Leah Pruett, who would become his wife. He formed Tony Stewart Racing, raced in an NHRA feeder series last year, and this year replaced his wife on the Top Fuel team while Leah hopes to start a family.
THRU THE GEARSO'Ward, Keselowski, NASCAR fans left heartbroken, try being Kyle Larson! The King and the Prez meet up.
A remarkable career arc for the most complete racer of the generation.
Industry insiders suggest the four Stewart-Haas race teams will sell for somewhere between $20 and $30 million … Each!
Do the math every which way, and it always adds up to one helluva parting gift.
Hey, Willie!
1. If MLB wants to save even more time, they should get rid of the automatic checked-swing appeal. The home-plate umpire handled that call himself for over 100 years; he can do it now.
2. Guys throwing over 100 mph don’t need to do it downhill. Lower the mound again. If that seems like too much, give something back (below) …
3. Bring back the high strike. Note that the strike zone "box" on TV essentially goes from the waist to the knees. To be fair, that is probably the strike zone most umpires call. But it is not the MLB strike zone. The MLB strike zone is from the shoulders to the knees, though from the letters to the knees would be good.
MIKE, FLAGLER BEACH
HEY, MIKE!
1. You quickly put yourself in a no-balls, two-strikes hole. First, it’s not automatic; the catcher (or manager) must request that the home-plate umpire ask for a second opinion from the first- or third-base ump. And frankly, you’re talking about shaving two seconds off the game time.
2. Oh, make it more like cricket?
3. Since the made-for-TV boxes have come along, I’m amazed at how good the umps are on balls and strikes, regardless of where you think the actual zone should be. An old theory says if you want more of something (in this case, good ball-strike calls), start measuring the output. I wonder how well Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine would’ve fared when not allowed to live six inches off the plate.
Big Red is a big loss
The loss of Bill Walton is a tough one for folks of a certain age, who grew up watching him redefine the position of center on the basketball court. In many ways, the legend grew even larger during his post-playing life as a broadcaster and, generally, Mr. Happy.
Two of the best things you’ll ever hear said of a person were said of Walton, once when he was at the peak of his physical gifts, and one this week after he was gone.
Legendary coach Jack Ramsay, after Walton carried his Trailblazers to the 1977 NBA title ...
“I’ve never coached a better player, I’ve never coached a better competitor, I’ve never coached a better person than Bill Walton.”
And this week from fellow legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ...
“My very close friend, fellow Bruin and NBA rival Bill Walton died today. And the world feels so much heavier now. On the court, Bill was a fierce player, but off the court, he wasn’t happy unless he did everything he could to make everyone around him happy. He was the best of us.”
Hey, Willie!
In a recent fishing column you asked where bottom feeders are welcome. I would have thought the answer would be obvious, even to a sports writer: Washington D.C.
BUBBA, NSB
HEY, BUB!
Sorry for assuming some things are obvious without being said (or written).
All the same, though, after that comparison, you should probably apologize to the nearest catfish.
Lexi Thompson needs a break
Lexi Thompson said she’ll retire from professional golf at season’s end, at age 29, after about two decades of high-pressure golf. Yes, 20+ years, counting her earliest success at the junior level.
Remember, she played her first U.S. Open at 12. Two years later she added the Sally Championship in Ormond Beach to her amateur trophy haul.
She talked about the mental stress involved with competing at the highest levels in today’s world of constant glare and the accompanying critiques on “social” media. This comes on the heels of PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray’s suicide, and man, it really gets you thinking.
Sometimes thinking one way, sometimes the other.
There’s an obvious upside to modern society paying more attention to mental well-being. How many long-ago lives could’ve been dramatically improved — or even saved — with improved sensibilities to such things.
On the other hand, when every other TV ad discusses mental struggles — and when many of those are tied to pharmaceutical pitches — it gets you pondering the big push. It probably comes down to the old theory: If something is worth doing, someone will overdo it.
Lexi didn’t rule out returning to tournament golf after this year, calling it a day-by-day process.
When Dave Cowens needed a break at the height of his Boston Celtics career in the ’70s, he sold Christmas trees at the family farm in Kentucky, and occasionally drove a cab in Boston.
Different era, indeed. Lexi’s loose plans include a possible fitness app.
Hey, Willie!
A sign outside a bait shop in my neighborhood said, “Wild caught sandfleas.”
Hmmm. Are some of them farm-raised?
TERRY, NSB
HEY, TERRY!
With the occasional scarcity of that blue-ribbon bait in recent years, you might’ve stumbled upon a surefire business venture. I’ll have our accountant, Barry N. Debt, look into any sandflea farms seeking investors.
— Reach Ken Willis at ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
