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Hendry, pensive

The sports equivalent of the kiss of death was delivered to Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry this week. New owner Tom Ricketts wanted him to know where he stood in time for the mid-summer classic, of course. The Cubs have one All-Star, Hendry’s centerpiece of last offseason, Marlon Byrd. Outside he and Carlos Silva (whom everyone who’d seen el hipopótamo pitch the past two seasons assumed to be dead weight), no one else on the $145 million roster deserved consideration.

How does that happen?

Somehow, Hendry has assembled a team built around the long ball, but can’t hit home runs. With these mismatched parts, the Cubs have managed a dreadful 3-9 record against the perennial worst team in the National League, the Pittsburgh Pirates. In fact, the Pirates actually are the worst team in the National League right now. The Cubs at 39 wins and 50 losses are looking at the NL Central-leading Cincinnati Reds, who are leading the division and look to be a contender for the first time in a decade, running 9.5 games ahead. But even if the Cubs had managed to beat the Bucs two-thirds of the time like the rest of the league, the 3.5 game gap might still seem unsurpassable with an offense that wishes it were as robust as an argument that Barack Obama should be made King.

Aramis Ramirez hit .317 with 43 strikeouts in an 82-game, injury-shortened 2009. He has 53 strikeouts with a .207 average in 62 games played in 2010.

I would forgo a rundown of the stats, but Aramis Ramirez’ production is so mind-blowingly terrible that he has had to hit .361 so far in July to bring his average up to .207. It simply must be written to be believed. But it would be a mistake to blame the entire debacle on a man who has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball the past several years. As a team, the Cubs are eleven points below the league average with runners in scoring position at .252. But it gets worse. They are hitting .229 with men in scoring position and two outs. Even the Royals think that’s awful. Overall, the team hasn’t hit, but not only that, they haven’t hit in crucial situations. To kick a dead horse, the team, just over a month into the season had six regular starters hitting over .300 (Byrd, Soriano, Soto, Theriot, Fukudome and Lee), but were in the lower third of the league in runs scored. The Cubs have blown more quality starts than I can count on two hands thanks to both poor offensive production and middle relief pitching, but the starting pitching isn’t without blame. They’ve only helped their (nearly) lights-out closer, Carlos Marmol, get 19 save opportunities in 89 games.

So we’re about to begin the second half, and it’s time for most Cubs fans to start pointing fingers. Lou Pinella has been less than outstanding as manager, but he can only make use of the players the organization has under contract. I doubt that after spending $600 million just this past winter, Tom Ricketts is interested in looking in the mirror and wondering  if he’s good enough, or smart enough.

New Cubs Owner Tom Ricketts (center-left) and his sibling partners enjoyed their new toy. But that was before the season began.

Hendry has good reason for that mess in his pants, even considering his positives. He’s begun to resuscitate a minor-league system that had nearly flat-lined when management gave away Old Trusty’s heart pills, desperate for a championship run after the Bartman incident in 2003. But today we have Tyler Colvin, Andrew Cashner and, certainly foremost in the minds of most, Starlin Castro, who appear to be the real deal and look forward to being solid contributors.

And the contract situation? Ted Lilly has earned his money. Ryan Dempster has been good. Ramirez wasn’t a bad deal, even including his atrocious season so far. It was an under-market deal at the time, and his 2010 wasn’t something that even the greatest of baseball minds predicted. And to say that Marlon Byrd is a solid professional would be on par with describing the death of George Steinbrenner as merely the passing of some baseball guy.

Marlon Byrd - File Under: Great Signing

Milton Bradley - File Under: Terrible Signing

But then there’s Soriano. Alfonso is still producing like a respectable major leaguer (if you discount his defense… deeply), but is not worth anything near his contract. Hendry can thank Carlos Silva for bailing him out of the Milton Bradley fiasco (lest we forget how hopeless that situation looked at the end of last season). All things are now normal on planet Zambrano after his meltdown and decommissioning. The crazy bastard isn’t performing near the level to make him worth the headache of having him in the clubhouse, let alone take home an ace’s salary. We continue on to Fukudome (who many fans love, but just can’t put together a complete season), Jason Marquis, John Grabow (only a two-year deal), Scott Eyre, et al.

Considering the evidence, Hendry shakes out to be an average baseball GM with an above-average budget. Given a lower limit on payroll, he probably would have made the same mix of good and bad deals with different players. It’s not like he wandered over to the Cubs front office while the Pirates were in town. The average MLB GM tends toward below-average results. Results that, as they say, are good enough for government work. Tough they claim otherwise when addressing the ticketholder, organizations tell us all exactly what they consider acceptable by revealing the amount they’re willing to invest in their product (See: Los Angeles Clippers). The average MLB payroll in 2010 is $86,761,528. Cubs ownership has budgeted Hendry for nearly twice that, and he is about to find out that when you spend $145 million of someone else’s money, every year, “good enough” tends to last about as long as Mel Gibson in South Central. We should know better than to ask, “What’s that smell?”

Perhaps it’s just me, but these shenanigans have turned me sour on a man to whom I previously had no emotional reaction.

Really? An hour special on ESPN is required to break the hearts of everyone in a town who has grown up loving you? An hour special is needed to announce the signing of the biggest name in basketball who hasn’t won anything? Last I checked, Peyton Manning knows better than to pull a stunt like that with his next contract, and he has won a championship. And last I checked, he was an icon of his sport and an endorsement cash machine, too, LeBron.

This is just another shameless all about me ploy from an over-coddled, superstar athlete, with no sense of his place in the world. We’re working on a parade for the time when we get unemployment back below nine percent, and Mr. James thinks what the world needs is a full hour dedicated to him and how much money he is about to make? Disgraceful. And that counts for the fans who sat watching with bated breath, as well.

LeBron has shown himself to be a callow creation of his day in age, fully costumed in whatever way would bring he and his associates the most money… straight from your pocket. And you’re expected to thank him for it as well. Every day, we’re faced with another revelation of a former child athlete who wants everyone to think that they “get it,” but only as far as you’re holding tight to that image will inflate not only their pocketbook, but their never-say-boo-to-me ego as well. Tiger Woods, anyone?

And that isn’t to say that LeBron owed anything to Cleveland. Is he a better story in Cleveland? Yes. Would it build a bigger legacy if he brought not only one, but several championships to Cleveland? Yes. So if this move is not about LeBron, but “winning” why bolt? Even if he does win in Miami with his superteam backing him (which is not assured, as I believe that at present, the Heat barely have enough players under contract to field five for tipoff), how will that build Brand LeBron? How does that fit into the legacy? He just wasn’t given what he needed to win in Cleveland, you say? Anyone who paid any attention to the series against the Celtics could have seen that the debacle wasn’t on the supporting cast. For someone who wants to be the next or even surpass Michael Jordan pulled a pancake in ways that I don’t think Jordan ever saw even in his nightmares.

Regardless, even in your departure, Cleveland and her fans deserved better than you felt obliged to bestow.

In pre-July 8, 2010 America, this guy could have probably won a popularity contest with Jesus. How about today? Give it at least a moment of consideration before answering. The stroke-session we saw last evening, oiled by the smooth lotion of Stu Scott and friends, narcissism front and center, may be LeBron James enduring image. It’s at the very least an image that sports fans will long remember. I doubt a championship of three will erase that travesty from the minds of true and pure fans and historians.  And I hope that Mr. ‘Bron, sir, you considered that risk into your calculations, as your greatest gamble could prove to be a tragedy of Oedipal proportions. And I, for one, will not shed a tear.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Ryan Hunter-Reay (RHR) can add his name to the long list of great drivers that have been in victory lane at Long Beach. It is no secret that I have been a big fan of RHR. He hasn’t had the easiest career in the IICS which makes me appreciate what he is doing out there even more. Things look promising for RHR when he won his first IndyCar race at Watkins Glen in 2008 driving for Rahal-Letterman racing. When that team failed to secure primary sponsorship for the 2009 season, RHR found himself as the personal spokesperson for IZOD without a ride. Tony George quickly tried to salvage the situation and put a second car together for him at Vision Racing but it was too little too late. His car was painfully slow at the IMS throughout the entire month of May. He barely put it in the field (some of the most dramatic bump day qualification efforts that I have personally seen). When the 2009 season came to a close an opportunity at Andretti Autosport opened as Hediki Mutoh left the team. He is finally at a good team and I expect him to grow into one of the series stars. He still doesn’t have a full-time ride at Autosport but I wouldn’t be surprised if IZOD made an announcement this week or early May that RHR has earned his full-time ride.

Another winner is Andretti Autosport. The last time this team tasted victory was when Tony Kanaan won in Richmond 2008. That is a very long time for one of the “big three” teams to race and not bring home a victory. TK is only going to benefit and get better with having RHR on the team. I look at RHR as more of an equal with TK than his other two teammates and they can build off of each other. The past two seasons saw TK in more of a team leader role that I believe held him back. Look for the both of them to lead this team by example throughout the 2010 season.

Biggest Step Forward:

Here is something impressive. The 6th place finisher beat two Penske drivers, a Target driver and started in the 15th position. What’s even more impressive, the 6th place driver was Mario Moraes. I guess when he is not focused on taking out Marco he can post some good results. He also needed this finish as a momentum builder going into the ovals. Remember last year, his #5 KV Racing machine was scary fast on the ovals. He is not the pilot of the same #5 car, but I would assume KV Racing can apply the same racing set up. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the young Moraes in the top ten again next weekend.

Biggest Step Backward:

So what’s up with Danica? I know she doesn’t like Road/Street racing and would rather be out on an oval but I cannot understand as to why she not producing somewhat better results. She qualified an embarrassing 20th and advanced 4 positions to finish 16th. With all of the hype and hoopla she created before the season when she dipped her toes into the NASCAR water, she has had a cold and quiet start to the 2010 series. Let’s face it, the IICS needs for her to make big splashes (good and I guess even bad) to keep ESPN interested in showing racing highlights on Sportscenter. Let’s see if a change of racing will help her out.

Wanker Move of the Race:

I do not want to be hard on Alex Loyd as I am personally a fan of his however he didn’t help build his fan base on Sunday. I can understand why he was racing hard in front of RHR to remain on the lead lap but once he was passed, he needed to get out-of-the-way of the lead cars. He cut down on Justin Wilson (running second at the time) breaking Wilson’s front wing forcing him to make a pit stop. Wilson was able to recover and finish second but he should have never been put into that position. Alex is off to a tough start with Dale Coyne racing and oval racing is only going to present another challenge for him.

Fist Pump Worthy Pass of the Race:

Will Power may be dominating as of late but Justin Wilson was having none of that with 19 laps to go as he brilliantly set up and passed Will coming into turn 1. There is no question that Justin is one of the top road/street course drivers. I will be shocked if he doesn’t win at least one race this year.

Overall Dissertation:

The IZOD IndyCar Series needed RHR to win this season. I don’t think it could have happened at a better track (outside of IMS). We now have a new star (and who is American) on the rise. It will be interesting to see how IZOD rallies behind him.

As for the race itself, Long Beach was O.K at best. I enjoyed watching the party and the outcome but I am in need of speed and action. I found myself bored during this race and considering that I am an IndyCar fan, I am sure that average viewer either took a nap or did some channel surfing. I do not even know where to start on fixing that because I do not think there is necessarily something ‘wrong’ with the race but it was simply not exciting. Thankfully, the road/street racing is behind us as the series returns to the ovals the next four races.

Next Race: Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 (Kansas City, KS) May 1st at 1:30pm EST.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Another victory for Team Penske but this time it wasn’t Will Power (who started from the pole but finished 4th) as Helio Castroneve’s pit strategy played out perfectly. Don’t get me wrong, Helio was fast the entire race. He raced Marco Andretti (more on him later) hard throughout the race and it could have gotten interesting if Marco would have been there at the end. Above all, I think the smiling Brazilian needed this win as we head into the month of May. Let’s face it, when Helio is running strong heading into the 500, he is the early favorite. It also shows that he is still ‘the man’ at Team Penske as he has now proven he can also win on a road course. And just wait until you get him on an oval….

Biggest Step Forward:

Scott Dixon’s second place finish (although he insists that he was screwed by race control who called him back after taking two positions at the start of the race) was strong and much-needed. He made two uncharacteristic errors at St. Pete and made up for it with a solid run here. If the track had a few more passing areas than turn five, he might have been able to make a run at Helio near the end of the race. When Scotty D is driving well, he is scary good and this result is only a momentum builder.

Biggest Step Backward:

WTF Dale Coyne racing? What are you guys doing out there? They finished 22nd and 23rd out of 25 cars! I threw out enough heat at Milka in my last post so I do not need to repeat myself here again. It is now apparent the cars they are putting on the track are complete rubbish. Alex Loyd has talent and I wonder if he is starting to second guess his decision to leave Target Ganassi for this joke show. The road courses are supposed to be the equalizer between the racing teams but DC seemed to be far off the mark. I don’t even want to imagine what sort of circus show the first oval is going to be like…

Wanker Move of the Race:

After some thought about this, I really couldn’t think of one driver, or one particular move that was ‘wankerish’ – whatever the hell that means – so I am going to give this distinct award to the new Marco Andretti IZOD IndyCar series commercial. It is beyond cheesy and his pimp walk at the end is comical at best.

Fist Pump Worthy Pass of the Race:

Putting that commercial aside, Marco had one of the most impressive runs of any of the drivers on Sunday and on lap 15, his well-timed move on Helio for the lead was Fist Pump Worthy. He also led 58 laps and if a caution would have come out towards the end of the race, victory would have surely been his. I am curious to see if he builds some confidence from this race and puts up another strong effort at Long Beach this coming weekend.

Overall Dissertation:

I did enjoy watching this race. It didn’t get me as excited as the previous two races but it was fun nonetheless. Overall, I was impressed with the course at Barber. Yes, there needs to be more passing opportunities available, but the layout was flat-out gorgeous. And from the looks of it there was a huge crowd out there which, with Barber being right smack dab in the heart of NASCAR country, was great to see. Penske won again, but it was the crowd favorite and most popular driver (not named Danica) that ended up in victory lane. Other than the IRS, how can you not like Helio and his fence climbing celebration?

I am looking forward to Long Beach, but man, we need to get these cars back on an oval track ASAP. I need to see 200mph again and soon!

Next Race: 56th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 18th at 3:30pm on VERSUS.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Speaking of 2 for 2, this Aussie is on it! Will Power was the driver to beat the entire weekend. He grabbed the pole with a dominating qualifying time and was near the front the entire race. He drove a very smart and determined race that guided his #6 Penske machine to victory lane. At the beginning of the race, his car was not there as he was quickly swallowed up by Marco and Dixon in the opening lap. Instead of pushing his car when it wasn’t quite there, he patiently waited for the track conditions to improve to make his plays. His passes were all perfectly time and executed. Will clearly has proven that he will be the one to beat on the road/street courses this season. However as we move forward with the remainder of the season, the big question is: What can he do on an oval? The quick answer; he is driving for Penske. Enough said.

Biggest Step Forward:

There are two drivers that come to mind. We all knew that Justin Wilson was going to take the DRR team on his shoulders and carry them throughout the season. He didn’t disappoint on Monday. He clearly is a very talented driver on these courses and it is not a question ofif he will win a race for DRR this season, but when will he win a race for DRR this season. Another great showing on Monday, was Alex Tagliani (racing for team FAZZT) as he finished a strong 6^th. Although this is FAZZT’s first season in the IICS, they are going to make things interesting for the ‘big three’. Plus, has anyone seen Alex’s wife? ESPN/VERSUS, get a damn camera on her! We are trying to improve the ratings here aren’t we?

Biggest Step Backward:

Scotty D, I don’t think St. Pete likes you all too well. Make that three years in a row that you have posted a DNF. Not only did you give the boot to Sato (ending his day) but you decided to dry hump the turn 9 wall (putting an abrupt end to your day, and probably some server chafing). Yeah, Yeah – You started last season the same way and was still in the hunt for the championship. However can you remind me how that ended up for you? (Why, I wrote this like Scott is actually going to read this? I have no idea. But if he does… he can give me credit for helping him turn his season around and all of you can be extremely impressed.)

Wanker Move of the Race:

Sometimes, I think to myself that I could go out there and drive an IndyCar. I lie in bed, imagining what it would feel and look like to pilot one of those machines. I think to myself, “yeah…. Dude, you could sooo do that!” That fantasy is quickly shattered every year at the first open practice session while sitting in the IMS infield and I witness that first IndyCar to come off the back stretch into turn 3 at 220mph (for those of you who live around Indy during the month of May, you probably just got goose bumps. Your welcome). HOWEVER, I am positive that I could navigate an IndyCar around the track of St. Pete DURING a parade lap without any incident. That same thing cannot be said about a professional race car driver currently in the series. Milka Duno is a joke and it is only a matter of time before she takes out a contending driver (as you read this, I am on Wikipedia updating the information on CITGO which now reads “Venezuelan word for slow”)

Fist Pump Worthy Pass of the Race:

Early in the race, on lap 32 Helio pulled such a quick “where the f*ck did he come from” move on Rahal that I think it Graham is still trying to figure how exactly did that happen. It’s moments like this that make you appreciate the guts that some of these racecar drivers possess.

TV Coverage:

I had two different viewing experiences. I tried to watch the race through the Live Video Streaming on indycar.com. It kept crashing (insert another Milka joke) and I had to restart it a few dozen times. When I was able to watch the taped ESPN version at home, some of the excitement had worn off. The coverage itself was what I have come to expect from ESPN. It is not as a complete of coverage as what VERSUS provides, but it was nothing really to complain about. I love watching those onboard camera shots (helps with the visualization during my bedtime fantasies…)

Overall Dissertation:

I am really enjoying the IZOD IndyCar Series this year. This race may not have been as exciting as the Brazil race, but none the less it was a good one. I am not sure if it is because the season is so young, but it feels like the overall competition is a lot closer this year. There were 10 – 13 drivers that could have won that race on Monday.

Before I wrap this up and let you get back to your life, I wanted to comment on the cars of Rahal and Hunter-Reay. I REALLY like the last names on the spoilers. I know, I know. That is a prime spot for sponsors but, from a fan’s perspective I view it as if were the name on the back of a football or basketball jersey. One of Randy Bernard’s goal this season is to make these drivers into more recognized stars. Here is one small change that could have a big impact.

Next Race: Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on April 11^th, 3:00pm EST on VERSUS

Then I found these 6 other definitions, by random bloggers:

Definition: A “mid-major” is any team outside of the Big 6 power conferences.

Definition: Any team outside the 11 Division 1-A football conferences is a mid-major.

Definition: Any team in a conference that is below the red line drawn on Mid-Majority.com (the premier small conference basketball site on the web) is a mid-major. The red line is the dividing line between conferences whose members have an average annual athletic budget of $20 million or more and those conferences who don’t. Thus, there are 8 conferences that are considered high-majors, the big 6 conferences, the Mountain West, and C-USA.

Definition: Mid-major conferences can be determined quantitatively in many different ways. Example # 1: If your conference has averages less than 2 tourney bids per year, then it is a mid-major. Example # 2: If your conference averages less than 1 tourney win per year, then it is also a mid-major.

Definition: There are 31 conferences in Division 1, and there are 3 categories we much create. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to me to divide the conferences in thirds. The top 10 RPI conferences are the high-majors, the next 10 are the mid-majors, and the final 11 are the low-majors.

Definition: Quite simply, a “mid-major” is any underdog that we fall in love with in March. There are no exact specifications or parameters. We just know it when we see it.

So, what is the true definition? Or, more to the point, why does it have to be defined? Argumentatively: Cornell, Butler, Northern Iowa and Saint Mary’s are all “mid-majors.” I would include Baylor and Xavier in this classification. Six of the “Sweet Sixteen” are “mid-majors.”

Maybe it helps us tell the story better. David vs. Goliath. Little guy vs. the big guy. But, if almost half the teams left in the tournament field are from a “mid-major” classification, isn’t it time to start re-classifying them as just “another team from the Horizon League,” or, “another team from the Ivy League.” Just like, “another team from the Big 10?”

It just seems like using the term “mid” is attempting to place a degree of inferiority upon these teams. I’d even wager to say that these teams and schools probably like that label going into a big game. I’m sure the pep talk is very “Hoosier-esque” ala’ Gene Hackman wanting his players to know what flavor of gum their opponents are chewing from guarding them so closely. (Or, another favorite scene… measuring the height of the goal in a different gym. I get chills just thinking about it. Ahhhh, Class basketball, I digress, that is a debate for another day…)

I think the best argument to be made about a mid vs. a major is all about the “dolla’ dolla’ bills ya’ll.” More scholarships, more TV exposure, better facilities, etc. But, when I see a field of 16 filled with almost 50% from “lesser facilities, with less scholarships and less TV exposure,” it sure makes me think… maybe there is more than corn in Indiana. There are actually a lot of great ballers that just don’t pick a school because Lebron and the President come talk to your team. There are a lot of kids that didn’t go to private High School Basketball U’s. There are a lot of kids that stand out on their driveway and shoot free throws as the sun sets and their mom calls “time for dinner.” For every Lebron and Durant, there are 10 more kids that just want the opportunity to play in college at a “mid” university.

Regardless of classification, this has been one of the best NCAA Tournaments I’ve seen in years and the reason for this is the fact that it is not “all chalk.” Mid-majors remind me of kids with dreams and aspirations… proving that they can come true with hard work, desire and dedication.

This is the first IZOD Indycar race recap that I have done. The following is the format that I will follow throughout the season. Relive and enjoy!

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner:

Although, I was on the edge of my seat cheering RHR on, it was great to see Will Power bring this home. Yes, it was still a Penske victory, but it was the comeback story of the race (more on Vitor below) and it felt good . After surviving that scary crash at Infineon Raceway, who knew what sort of ‘racing’ shape would be in when he returned. He was the comeback story of the race. Not going to lie, his post race comments about “lying in the hospital bed” was a near tear jerker. I guess all you need is a banana n honey sandwich mid race and your good to go!

Biggest Step Forward:

RHR took the biggest step forward. He had the best car out there the entire day and he continuously pushed it to the edge. I am sure that he raised some eyebrows over at IZOD and I wouldn’t be surprised if the IZOD execs don’t cut a check for the entire season sponsorship before the green flag drops at St. Pete. Could this be the start of the Andretti Autosports turnaround?

Biggest Step Backward:

Initially, I considered giving this to Marco Andretti but he really could have done nothing to prevent Mario Moraes’s car from dry humping his helmet. Instead, I am going to give this to Ryan Briscoe. That sort of mental lapse in judgment is what lost him the championship last year. He is extremely talented but he keeps having these moments. I have a feeling it is going to be another close race for the championship this year, he can’t afford too many of these mistakes if he wants to bring home the hardware.

Wanker Move of the Race:

There is a tie for the inaugural ‘Wanker Move of the Race’ award. I am not sure what Takuma Sato’s plan was but at some point while driving 140mph in blinding dust, in the back of your mind, you must consider breaking for the first turn. The resulting melee ensued. The other Wanker move was made by Dan Wheldon. Although Dan posted a great result for Panther Racing, he punted the hard charging Alex Tagliani right into the rear of the crowd favorite Tony Kanaan, essentially ending the day for both drivers. Both of those drivers were in contention and it was a shame they were knocked out like that. I was very impressed with the initial showing from the FAZZT Race Team. Alex has loads of talent. Wouldn’t that be something if this team sneaked a victory in this year?

Fist Pump Worthy Pass of the Race:

That wild and crazy pass that RHR pulled on Simona De Silvestro while she was in the lead (impressive showing for the female rookie, by the way). He got airborne. Sparks were flying. Bold move. Fits pumps were flying at my house.

TV Coverage:

We have come to expect great things from VERSUS and they delivered once again. Yes, there were a few quirky things said in the booth, a few of the camera shots were blurry at times but given the circumstances (first race of the season, different country, hurricane weather) it was a good showing. The biggest complaint that I read about was that DirectTV still didn’t have VERSUS. We can go ahead and RIP that issue.

Overall Thoughts:

This was exactly the sort of race that we needed to start the season off with. The racing was fast and exciting. There were new faces (with their new teams) running at the top. Some great storylines played out during the race. It was really great seeing Vitor Meira get on the podium and have the best result out of all of the Brazilian drivers. There is no doubt that Foyt Racing made the right decision by sticking with their man. It will pay off and I truly hope to see Vitor get his first IRL victory this year. I am still not sold on street/road courses as I am still a huge fan of oval racing, but if anything, this race has made me a bigger fan of IZOD Indycar racing as a whole.

It’s finally time to go racing. Enough of the silly offseason which saw an interesting game of musical chairs, announcement of IZOD as the Indycar Series sponsor, new leadership and the release of possible chassis designs for 2012 (which if the DeltaWing is chosen, I am not certain I would be comfortable being in the same room with my mom while 20 of those ‘women pleasers’ race on TV.) All that is over with and it’s time for racing! There are 24 drivers officially registered for the first race in Brazil and I am going to focus on a few of them here. Plus, as ESPN has taught me, there is nothing more fun than speculating and over-analyzing the ‘game’ before the show begins.

#2 Raphael Matos – Luczo Dragon Racing/de Ferran Motorsports: Besides that horrific accident in Indy, where he collected Vitor Meira, Raphael had a solid rookie season and I suspect with the addition of Gil de Ferran as co-owner, his Sophomore season is going to be even better. Expect to see him running in the top ten throughout the year.

#3 Helio Castroneves – Team Penske: What a year 2009 was for Helio. It was not hard to pull for this guy after everything he went through at the beginning of the season (sticking it to Uncle Sam) and then coming back to win his third Indy 500 (which, according to Paul Tracy’ recent twitter posts, is still debatable). However, after a strong start to the season, he ended on a flat note. A month removed from the 500 victory, he saw the 2009 championship get to far out of reach. I do think the tax evasion trial’s mental toll finally caught up with Castroneves. It is hard to believe, but with the talent of his teammates, Helio finds himself defending the unofficial title of current ‘best Penske driver’. Regardless, Helio will drive/dance his way to 2 or 3 victories this season. When the month of May rolls around, he will be the main attraction (that is not Danica).

#4 Dan Wheldon – Panther Racing: Beside the constant and distracting shine from his pearly whites, I wouldn’t have noticed him. Yes, okay he did get a second place finish at the 500, but how far has Panther Racing fallen ever since Hornish left to race those crapwagons? Wheldon still is a talented driver and should be able to get this team back in victory lane. If all else fails, he can rest at ease knowing he has the best looking teeth in all of Great Britain.

#6 Ryan Briscoe – Team Penske: It’s great to see him successful at Penske. Being a part of team Penske, one is never really considered an underdog. However, when you not only survive a terrifying crash at Chicagoland, but come back and dominate the way he has, it is hard not to see him in that light. Now, if we can only make him more interesting on Twitter, I can only handle so many pictures of his dog. I want to see some evidence of heavy partying with the boss, Roger. I know they exist. Post them damnit.

#7 Danica Patrick – Andretti Autosport: Must be a rookie, never heard of the name before. I hope she is at least good looking.

#8 E.J. Viso – KVRT: Last year, it was no secret that I didn’t like EJ. To me, he was one ‘transition’ drivers that was getting in the way of the other drivers. However, he began to show some signs of talent late last year and his personality is something this series needs. He recent twitter fight with PT was a classic. The series needs this, but on the track. Not ‘on the track’ NASCAR style, but a good ol fashion competitive feud with some good smack talk sprinkled on top.

#9 Scott Dixon – Target Chip Ganassi Racing: Complete class act driver and obvious contender for the 2010 IZOD Indycar series Championship. I just wish there was more too him. I am not questioning his skills or talent as he is simply one of the best open wheel drivers to ever compete, but the passion that he possesses is rarely seen on TV. He is just ‘there’, winning races. I even met Scott in a Broad Ripple bar one night during the off season and he was the exact same way! I was tempted to call him an Aussie to see if I could get a rise out of him.

#10 Dario Franchitti – Target Chip Ganassi Racing: I like Dario. I really do. I hope he keeps doing well. I, however, cannot stand the post race interviews with his wife, Ashley Judd! If ABC/ESPN is airing the race, I do not have to worry about it as much as they will cut away to women’s golf as soon as the checkered flag is waived, but if the race is on Versus you better be prepared for the ramblings of Mrs. Franchitti.

#11 Tony Kanaan – Andretti Autosport: TK is the man. He is one of the studs of the series. He needs to have a big year and rebound. Last year was a big disappointment for TK as he didn’t win a single race and finished behind teammate Danica Patrick. Of course he drives better and can post better results when he is not on fire or sitting there along for the scariest ride of his life.  He will be the main reason Andretti Autosports turns this it all around. I really hope he can as there needs to be someone else consistently competing with the Penske and Ganassi cars to make things more interesting.

#26 Marco Andretti – Andretti Autosport: When is he going to embrace the fact that he is a race car driver and get serious about racing? To me, I feel like Marco is punching into work his 8 – 5 job shift. He has one of the most powerful last names in all of racing but he has failed to reach any of the expectations or hype. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that he has a comfortable seat, in that I doubt his Dad will ever fire him (or even disagree with him on any on track incidents as we have seen). I want to like Marco, but at this point I just can’t. He needs to have a big year and at least get another victory or that comfortable seat might feel a bit warmer next season.

#Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Autosport: What a roller coaster of a ride this guy has had. He had everything going for him at the end of the 2008 season only to see all of that fall apart prior to the start of 2009. He experienced probably one of the worst month’s of May in recent history a driver could have. I really hope things are different this year. He doesn’t have a full time ride with AA confirmed as of today, but there is a good possibility it will be. He is on with a decent team and I think he could be someone that can make some serious noise this year, on and off the ovals.

There are other drivers and maybe I can touch base on those remaining prior to the start of the next race, but these are the drivers that I am watching this year. Enjoy the Brazil race!