Did drivers diss Danica at Daytona 500?

Danica Patrick was in the mix as the white flag waved at the 2013 Daytona 500, lined up in third behind Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle.

Patrick didn’t make a move. Instead it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. who dove down, leaving Danica boxed in and finishing eighth.

“I feel like I had a little bit of help today here and there. I felt like if I were to dive low, I had a feeling I was going to get freight-trained,” Patrick said in a post-race interview.

Candid statements there, essentially calling out the field. Patrick had no confidence in her fellow drivers - and maybe she was right.

But was it because she’s a woman?

Patrick is breaking new ground in the sport, the first woman to win the Daytona 500 pole and highest finishing woman in the big race. She had a fast car throughout speedweeks and took a step in proving herself with this finish.

She still has a way to go though and it has nothing to with her gender.

NASCAR, especially at the plate tracks, is about trust, cars separated by inches going at speeds just shy of 200 MPH. The slightest slip from the car in front of you and your day (and that of many others) is done. You don’t want to get behind a driver you’re not certain about.

Trevor Bayne won the 500 last year as a rookie but that’s an anomaly. The yellow stripe affixed to the back bumper of the first-year drivers’ cars has a meaning. It’s a big stamp that says ‘new driver, proceed at your own risk,’ a signal more obvious than a freshman on a college campus with lanyard tethering from neck.

Danica is a woman but she’s also a rookie, Sunday her first Daytona 500.

Would Dale Jr. have joined Danica had she dove down to the bottom of that final lap? Who knows. He very well may not have but it’s all hypothetical.

Patrick obviously felt Jr. or one of the many drivers behind him wouldn’t make that move, so she played it safe and got a good top 10 finish out of the day. It’s a split-second decision to make in that moment. Any driver could have taken that dive and risk being “freight-trained” to the back of the pack, as Patrick articulated she would have.

Patrick’s race was historic and a definite building block, one that will rightfully make women proud.

Taking a dig at her competitors, however, is not the tone to strike in the race’s aftermath. At the end of the day, she’s blazing new ground in the sport but she’s still a rookie, just like Timmy Hill or her boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse.

After winning the Daytona pole, Patrick said, "I was brought up to be the fastest driver, not the fastest girl."

Next week at Phoenix will be a test in proving she belongs, on a track where you really have to drive your car. Doing well there will probably raise Danica’s credibility in the garage - and it will have nothing to do with her being a woman, but a racer, just as she wants it.

Is end of BracketBusters good or bad sign?

This weekend marked the annual ESPN BracketBusters, a made-for-TV sampling of televised mid-major battles.

2013's edition was the last Bracketbusters and I'm trying to decide if I should be happy or sad.

In one respect, there's not much of a need for Bracketbusters anymore. In its infancy, mid-majors were still a bit of a novelty. That has all changed.

We live in an era now where Butler vs. Gonzaga was an ESPN Saturday night showcase game. We've had a final four with two mid-majors and Butler representing "the little guys" in the title game two of the past three years. No stunts needed for attention there.

With conferences constantly shuffling and the playing field leveling, the concept of mid-majors being forgotten is rapidly evaporating. 

The idea of Bracketbusters was - and still is - a fun one. It can produce some fun matchups too. I'll never forget Bubba Walther going nuts from three and Ohio knocking off George Mason at the Convo when I was a student. The OZone was rocking that day and there was a big-game energy that sometimes disappears during stretches of brutal MAC West opponents.

Kent State fans surely have vivid memories of Al Fisher's electric 2008 BracketBuster performance on the road against a top 25 St. Mary's team, taking over that game and probably elevating the Flashes' NCAA tourney slot, a 9 seed that year. 

Conference season can get monotonous, especially when the league is top-heavy, as the MAC is this year. You have Akron, Ohio and everyone else. The Bobcats have been in some tight finishes but all-in-all this isn't the most exciting MACtion we've ever seen.

That's why Saturday's matchup against Belmont was cool (despite the Bobcats' ugly performance). The Bears have a high RPI and represented a stiff road challenge outside of the MAC. 

In the grand scope, the loss doesn't hurt the Bobcats. A win may have helped when it comes to seeding but the fact is the MAC is still a one-bid league. You play well in Cleveland and win the tournament or watch someone else go dancing. 

When Bracketbusters was conceived, some saw it as a way for teams to get a significant win on their resume and elevate their tournament stock. That was an idealistic viewpoint but one that has rarely come to fruition. 

Entertainment-wise these games give you some appetizing matchups like Creighton/St. Mary's this year. Ultimately though their impact is low. 

Maybe there isn't a real need for BracketBusters now with smaller leagues on TV way more, ESPNU gaining more carriage and non-powerhouse programs strengthening. 

I'll miss these games though for the intrigue a good matchup can provide and standout performances on a big stage like those of Walther and Fisher.

You remember those as a fan and they do have nostalgic value, even if their meaning is lacking in the grander picture. 

Post-Super Bowl SNL-style cold open: Lights Out

[The lights infamously went out in the Superdome Sunday at Super Bowl XLVII, causing a 34-minute delay. This skit is a take inspired by that.]

DIANE SAWYER: Breaking news this morning, people across the country waking up without lights, an electrical outage of EPIC proportions....a HUMONGOUS 'you can’t see me.'..a COLOSSAL calamity, the effects of which are being felt WORLDWIDE....
----
Text on screen Green Park, Missouri...see suburban home with sound of birds cawing, cut inside, woman in nightgown lying in bed next to husband, rolls over to turn on lamp, which doesn’t emanate light.

Wife: Honey, Why aren’t the lights turning on?

Husband: I don’t think there was a storm last night....

Text on screen Missoula, Montana....Old woman in nightgown in living room frantically pressing television remote buttons

WOMAN: This damn DirecTV. I’m gonna give them my two cents. Aww they don’t even deserve that much. [Throws remote through television] I’m sorry Kathie Lee and Hoda!!!

Text on screen New York City, working woman walks into her kitchen in black suit ready to begin her work routine

WOMAN: What the [BLEEP]. My Keurig’s not working. [BLEEP], guess I’m trekking to the Starbucks next door this morning, since my Starbucks Keurig WON’T start up.

Text on screen France, 'indie' people sitting around in dark coffee shop.

MAN: French sentence...[said condescendingly, rolling eyes] Americans...

-----
Fade in to Beyonce and Jay-Z's home, in the bedroom of their child Blue Ivy:

BEYONCE: Jay, put some more light on for Blue. She needs to grow and that’s the only way her beautiful mane is going to keep on flourishing.

JAY-Z [in rap form]: B, we’re wasting elec-tri-city -

BEYONCE: When Blue Ivy came out of my womb, she lit up my life. It’s all I can do to make sure she is in the spotlight every single day of her life.

JAY-Z: I got you girl. But I think we might need to cut back a bit. I don’t even use this much light at my Barclays Center in Brooklyn. I own the Nets in case you didn’t know [chuckles proudly to himself]

BEYONCE: My baby girl is not going to be afraid of the dark - I won’t have it.

JAY-Z: Well, we could get her a nightlight...

BEYONCE: She HAS a nighlight....HIT IT, ladies

On come hundreds of lights, string lights, white and colored, around the crib and walls, lamps pop on. Two random backup singers wrapped in glow lights emerge as Beyonce starts singing Ave Maria

Mid-song [about 10 seconds] music cuts, enter AL GORE

GORE: Stop the music, STOP THE MUSIC! We have a serious issue going on here Mrs. Z. You’re draining half the world’s supply of power in this home alone. I mean take the front of your house for example.

[Cut to crazy shot of a house from Christmas with hundreds and thousands of lights on the house and in the yard flashing]

GORE: You are sucking our resources dry and fueling global warming.

BEYONCE: Mr. Gore [pause], I respect you very much [pause] but quite frankly, I don’t need you to tell me I’m hot.

GORE [blushing]: At this rate, by 2030 -

BEYONCE [cutting off Gore]: Blue Ivy will be on tour with her mama lighting up the stage, heating up this great earth with our soulful LIVE duets (drops her mic) Any questions?

GORE: Well yes - yes I do actually, do you take the blame for your actions?

BEYONCE: Blame? Yes, I take full blame for being a female version of a hustler, bootylicious and LIVE FROM NEW YORK....It’s Saturday night!

Predicting the future: Super Bowl XLVIII

Today is Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. I'm not here, however, to make a prediction about that game. Instead, I'm looking a year into the future at what will become a grim reality (again) for Jets fans.

It's Super Bowl XLVIII, outdoors in the winter chill of New Jersey here at MetLife Stadium, the home of both the Jets and Giants, it's the New England Patriots representing the AFC, and the New York Giants, the NFC Champions....I'm Joe Buck.

Prepare yourself now, Jets fans. This will happen. 

Why?

Because it's the most nightmarish scenario possible for the Jets - a Super Bowl at their shared stadium between their back page and division rivals, both hated to different degrees by most fans.

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Can't you imagine it now?

Tom Brady is having one of the greatest games in Super Bowl history but Eli Manning gets the ball again, with a chance to stifle the Patriots' title dreams once again with 1:39 left.

Settle in... 

It's all down to this for the Giants...4th and 14...Manning pressured and moving right, heaved across the middle, off the hands of McCourty and - caught - by Jerrel Jernigan, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

Jerrel Jernigan? He was on the 2013 Giants? 

First down Giants at the New England 37, 48 seconds remaining, the Giants down by three and nearing field goal range. 

Here we go again...

Manning to Cruz, finding daylight through the middle of the Patriots' defense, TOUCHDOWN, Giants lead Super Bowl XLVIII.

You're not going to win either way as a Jets fan.

Brady is SACKED, as time runs out on the Patriots and the Giants will defeat New England again, Super Bowl champions in their own stadium.

Disaster for the Jets, as the Giants get to celebrate in front of a crowd of many of their own fans at home. Eli Manning wins another Super Bowl, the Giants' third this decade, in a season in which the Jets continue to be called a circus after Mark Sanchez starts all 16 games and finishes with the worst quarterback rating in the league. 

Does it sound all that unbelievable, Jets fans? 

Come back a year from now and see if you're not left shaking your head.

47 reasons to watch Super Bowl XLVII

If the big game prestige is not enough to draw you in, here are 47 reasons why you really need to watch Super Bowl XLVII:

I. Harbowl 

What other way to begin than with this fun tidbit that’s way under the radar: two brothers are coaching against each other! They’re Jim and John and their last name Harbaugh lends itself to many Super Bowl puns. 

II. Ray Lewis 
If you also hadn’t heard, this will be the Ravens’ linebacker’s last game. Lewis likes dancing and making motivational speeches, so you can expect those if the Ravens are hoisting the trophy. He’s also involved in Super Bowl week’s weirdest storyline (so far). 

III. Linebacking linchpins 
There will indeed be other linebackers besides Lewis patrolling the field Sunday. A few are quite talented and fun to watch, in fact. Ravens teammate Terrell Suggs will work to contain the Niners’ option rushing attack. The Niners have a fearsome tackling tandem in the middle of the defense with Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman. 

IV. Lipsync or live? 
All eyes and ears will be focused toward Beyonce when she performs the Super Bowl halftime show. Will she sing live after the inauguration backlash? (That's a mystery). Is this a prop bet in Vegas? (Not yet but there are others ). And will it be controversy-free? (Most likely not, judging by recent history ). 

V. Kaepernicking 
Because you haven’t made it as a sports star until your name becomes an -ing verb that can be trademarked for the purpose of tons of memorabilia. I’m kissing my non-existent bicep just thinking about it. 

VI. Celebrity girlfriends 
Katherine Webb became an Internet sensation after college football’s title game, so much so that she’s now covering the Super Bowl. Someone's galpal could be next though it definitely won't be Manti Te’o’s girlfriend (because we haven't heard enough lame jokes about that in the past couple weeks).

VII. O.J. Brigance 

One story surrounding this Super Bowl you really should check out if you haven’t yet. Brigance was the Ravens' special-teams captain when they won their first title. Now the team’s senior advisor to player development, he  has ALS and speaks through a computer. 

VII. Rice and Gore 
Sounds like one for the political junkies but it’s really two ground grinders who can have game-changing impacts. Both teams are at their best when they remember running backs Ray Rice and Frank Gore set up big passing plays. Sometimes that seems to go by the wayside.

VIII. Commercials 

Always a fun part of the watching experience, 2013's crop looks to have some doozies. 

IX. Gold rush 
Aldon Smith’s 19 1/2 sacks left him three shy of the single-season record. The mark for most sacks in a Super Bowl? 3 by Reggie White in XXXI and Darnell Dockett in XLIII. 

X. Milestones 
History could be made as San Francisco goes for an NFL record-tying sixth Super Bowl victory. The Ravens are 1-0 in Super Bowls and will try to keep their mark unblemished. 

XI. Flacco for real? 
Winning a Super Bowl helps ascend quarterbacks to greatness. Joe Flacco has faced a knock of inconsistency through his career but a title can change that notion - just ask Eli Manning.

XII. New Orleans 

The Big Easy provides a backdrop full of character, hosting its first post-Katrina Super Bowl. NOLA loves throwing big parties and they’ll get another when Mardi Gras begins Wednesday. 

XIII. Alex Smith 
He’s the NFL version of Wally Pipp, the Yankee who missed a game, was replaced by Lou Gehrig and never got his job back. Smith suffered a concussion, had to sit and so began the Kaepernick era. It was by no fault of Smith's, who had resurrected his career and was having another strong year. He’ll watch from the sidelines Sunday. 

XIV. Wings, pizza, drinks 
Food is half the fun, especially if you don’t care who wins. There’s no better excuse for indulging on a work night than Super Bowl Sunday. Just make sure to put some Tums on the shopping list - and check out our list of Super Bowl deals . 

XV. Shannon Sharpe 
The former Ravens tight end and CBS analyst is not afraid to be honest, notably taking on Bill Belichick for being a sore loser after declining a postgame interview after the Patriots’ AFC Championship loss to the Ravens. 

XVI. Big Apple references 
Next year’s Super Bowl will be played outdoors at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, setting up the possibility for cold, wintry conditions. You’ll probably hear plenty about how problematic this could be, so naturally expect unseasonably warm temperatures. 

XVII. It’s not the Pro Bowl 
Enough said. 

XVIII. David Akers 
If you revel in the possibility of drama, Akers could be a good bet. The kicker who had been a model of consistency for years took a volatile turn in 2012. He could be the next Scott Norwood - or Adam Vinatieri. Glory or goat’s a common theme with kickers in the big game. 

XIX. Justin Tucker 
The Ravens’ rookie kicker has been the anti-Akers this season, connecting on 90 percent of his field goal attempts.

XX. Redemption 
Somewhere Lee Evans, Billy Cundiff and Kyle Williams will be watching and can feel a little better after their costly miscues factored in these two teams falling one game short of Super Bowl XLVI. Evans dropped a potential game-winning touchdown, then Cundiff missed a game-tying field goal to crush Baltimore’s hopes. Williams fumbled not once but twice in crucial situations, the second setting up the Giants in field goal position for an OT win.

XXI. Falling confetti 

Losing players, like ESPN analyst Herm Edwards, call it the worst part of the game – watching the other team revel in title glory, colored paper falling on the field.

XXII. Best receiver debate 

49ers receiver Randy Moss made some waves at Media Day when he said he was the great receiver ever . Apparently he hasn’t heard of 49er great Jerry Rice or his bevy of records.

XXIII. New Blood 

It’s the first Super Bowl since 2002 without Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Ben Roethlisberger. 

XXIV. Saved by the Bell to Super Bowl 
Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh made a cameo on Saved by the Bell back in the day. Tell me he’s not cooler now. 

XXV. Predictions 
You want to be the one that’s right about everything regarding the Super Bowl from the final score to amount of chips Billy eats in the 3rd quarter.

XXVI. Obama on head injuries 

For the fourth consecutive year, the president will be interviewed in the pregame coverage, this time by CBS’ Scott Pelley. Obama’s comments this week about player safety have put even more scrutiny on the issue.

XXVII. Lombardi Trophy 

It's always special seeing the prized trophy on display - that is unless you can't stand the team that's on the podium celebrating with it.

XXVIII. Streaks 

The NFC has won the last three Super Bowls but that's still a long way to go from the conference's 13-year Super Bowl dominance from 1984-1996.

XXIX. Twitter talk 

If you're bored, pull out your smartphone and you'll be sure to find plenty of Super Bowl buzz on social media. Last year's Super Bowl set Twitter records for tweets sent per second.

XXX. “The NFL won’t exist in 30 years” 

Enjoy it while you can, so says Ravens safety Bernard Pollard at least. In the wake of calls for change due to head injuries, Pollard went on a scattered rant in which he opined that the game is becoming watered down and fans will get fed up. 

XXXI. Michael Phelps 
The most decorated Olympian of all-time hails from the Baltimore area and is a big Ravens fan.   

XXXII. Vernon Davis 
Explosive and athletic, Davis is often an enigma. He sputtered through most of the season but then blew up in last week’s NFC Championship game. Atlanta couldn’t cover him but Baltimore will have to devote attention to the player former coach Mike Singletary once called “uncoachable.” 

XXXIII. Puppy Bowl 
Just in case someone at the party needs a football break: The "Puppy Bowl" airs from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday on Animal Planet and repeats until 3 a.m. 

XXXIV. Youth vs. experience 
Young quarterbacks typically struggle against the Ravens D that includes mainstays like Lewis and safety Ed Reed. Super Bowl XLVII will be just the tenth start of Colin Kaepernick’s NFL career. 

XXXV. Art Modell 
Scorned in Cleveland and savior in Baltimore, Modell will be in the news this week months after his death. The Ravens will wear a black “Art” patch on their Super Bowl XLVII jerseys and the Hall of Fame will announce Saturday if the man who moved the Browns will be enshrined in Canton. 

XXXVI. Unsung contributors 
One on each team’s offense who make can make an impact: Ravens fullback Vonta Leach makes a difference everywhere he goes, a lead blocker who fuels top run games. 49ers tight end Delanie Walker isn’t the athletic freak like Vernon Davis but if you don’t pay him attention, you will pay. 

XXXVII: Clay Matthews 
The Packers linebacker will be an analyst for CBS’ pregame coverage. Will he be as entertaining on set as on the gridiron? 

XXXVIII. Ravens receivers 
Torrey Smith was electric in Denver, schooling all-pro corner Champ Bailey multiple times. Jacoby Jones also made his mark in that upset, inexplicably getting past the Broncos’ secondary for the game-tying touchdown late in regulation. Veteran Anquan Boldin took over in the AFC Championship win last week in New England. If you’re looking for a Super Bowl MVP candidate that’s not a quarterback, Boldin or Smith could be in the running by game’s end. 

XXXIX. Hard-hitting safeties 
San Francisco’s Donte Whitner and Baltimore’s Bernard Pollard can both lay the lumber. Pollard has a particular pension for doing just that when New England is the opponent. Whitner, an Ohio State grad, has flourished for the 49ers after a disappointing start in Buffalo. 

XL. Big men 
2,760: The total weight of San Francisco’s linemen and tight ends used in a goal line package in the NFC Championship. 

XLI. KaeperTats 
You can look like Colin Kaepernick thanks to this website that sells temporary tattoos that replicate the quarterback’s. KaeperTats do not, however, promise increased speed, athleticism or arm strength. 

XLII. There must be a winner 
In Week 10, the 49ers and Rams finished in a 24-24 tie (they almost did again in their second meeting of the season too). Super Bowl IX was the last time a team with a regular season tie won the title, when 13-3-1 Pittsburgh defeated Minnesota. 

XLIII. Papa knows best 
Peyton won’t be on the field but you’ll still probably see him on your TV chatting with Papa about pizza. If you go on the Papa John’s website and correctly predict the coin toss you can get free pizza. Maybe it will taste better if you don’t have to pay for it.

XLIV. Alicia Keys 
Beyonce showed us the national anthem can actually be unpredictable. Keys will do the honor before Super Bowl XLVII and brace yourself now, she says it will be a "new" version.

XLV. Speedy Duck
This is definitely not referring to Chip Kelly who was anything but swift in his decision-making about heading to the NFL. Another former Duck LaMichael James is fast on the field and has proven a solid second option to Frank Gore in the Niners backfield.

XLVI. Jim Caldwell
The Ravens' new offensive coordinator has worked out so well that fired Cam Cameron called it a "brilliant move." The switch came when the Ravens were struggling and has paid dividends, the offense racking up more than 400 yards a game with Caldwell, the former Colts head coach, at the helm.

XLVII. Magic moments
You can’t predict them but you had to be watching to say you saw “Wide Right,” “The Helmet Catch,” or “One Yard Short” live. The lesson here is don’t go to bed early - you might miss something awesome.