Previews

Last weekend brought us previews of what is to come this year. We had Matt and Christine over on Saturday, and they brought a batch of children with them. They also brought pizza, in case there wasn't enough of Ruthie's chicken salad for all 8 of us. This was great for David because he didn't have to take conservative servings of the salad. The plan was for Matt and David to talk about bikes and a future music project, and for Christine and Heather to talk about baby products. We may have touched on these subjects, but in reality, the only thing done constructively was ensuring that everyone's basic needs for survival were met. After the whole event we realized that we have a slightly better idea of what to expect when it comes to the wee little one.

Sunday was the Daytona 500; a preview of this season's Nextel cup. Though we enjoy the occasional NASCAR blog entry, we by no means intend for it to monopolize our subject matter. However, with Super-rookie Tim on his recent NASCAR kick, we may have to continue these sorts of posts so as to rub in how poorly his driver, Jermey Mayfield, has been doing. And of course, to compare that to the respectable standings of our driver, Mark Martin.

So for us, it looks like we're going to have a delightful handful come April, and a good season of racing to boot. For Tim? Well, all we can say is: Neener neener neee-ner!

Busted!

Lonely on Valentine's day? Well don't do what "Mark" (an alias) has done.

I'll take a (rather hefty) partial credit for this one.

The races

Wednesday night was the skyway race. I (David) won't go into too many details as I'm sure anyone who watches the TV news regularly knows all about it. I didn't find observing it to be all that thrilling. The only thing remarkable about it at all was that I didn't see one face there that I recognized. Unless you count the guy I went to high school with that found the whole set up to be a confusing obstacle to his commute home from work. The reason that not knowing anyone is remarkable is because when compared to the Stupor Bowl, it sets up quite a contrast. With the Stupor Bowl, I probably recognized half of the racers (even if I couldn't remember all of their names). Of course, this all seems rather logical, as I suspect that a time trial race (on mountain bikes) wouldn't attract many people I know (especially if it is invitational).

Sunday we noticed that NBC was willing to interrupt their Olympic coverage for some NASCAR qualifying. Our boy got a new sponsor. Though I can't say that I ever had anything good or bad to say about Viagra (the old sponsor), I will say that I disapprove of the change. I'm sure it makes sense for a race car driver to be sponsored by something auto related, but with AAA as a sponsor, it makes it a bit difficult to be an enthusiastically loyal fan. With this being Martin's last Nextel year though, it should be a time of transition anyway. Heather and I may go in different directions on who our next favorite is, but we'll be sure to keep y'all updated. We can both agree however, that it is prudent to point out to Tim (Super-rookie) that his boy Mayfield qualified for Daytona all the way back in the 21st spot. If that wasn't bad enough, he is right next to Jeff Green, the guy who habitually takes out as many drivers as possible at the start of a race. You might as well draw some dents and smoke on your pictorial Mayfield jersey now, Tim, then you'll have an accurate-looking jersey while you watch the race on Sunday.

Obligatory Stupor Bowl post

There are all sorts of pre- and post events surrounding the Stupor Bowl this year. The stops for the event have also been listed. But I'm not going to echo all this information, as it is already quite abundant elsewhere. Rather, I (David) am just here to extend an invitation to any potential spectators or to those who might want to spend a small portion of Saturday socializing with yours truly while I wait at my post to stamp the manifests of frantic racers.

Unfortunately, I can't publicize where my post will be. It is top secret. I was going to put one of those clever St. Paul Medallion Hunt – type clues in this blog entry, but seeing as how some racers might read it, it would put them at an unfair advantage when it came to the challenge of completing the entire duration of the race. So if you aren't a racer, and do want to spectate or socialize, then give me a call and I'll tell you where I'll be.

As for the other bike race happening next week, I am no longer certain if I will be attending that one. As it turns out, the Secondhand Ska Kings have a gig at approximately the same time. Attendance of the bike race still has some advantages in that it is closer and will end before I have to go to work. But attending a good concert has been on my to do list for awhile.

And since we're on the subject of races, my picks for this year's NASCAR Nextel championship series are:
1st place Elliot Saddler
2nd place Mark Martin
3rd place Tony Stewart
with Matt Kenseth coming in 9th.

I know some people might question my 1st and 2nd place picks (and I would like to as well), but the psychic forces have spoken, and this is where you should place your money. Don't get discouraged when Saddler flips his car in both the second and third race of the year, he'll make a comeback by the end of the season.