A Note To Whom It Won’t Concern

Not that anybody actually read this, but if you happen upon it by mistake and wonder, no there won’t be many updates between now and the middle of November. There’s an election coming up that’s taking too much time.

My guess is there will be two more F1 posts and that’s about it for the next month and a half or so.

So my apologizes for making you accidentally stumble upon a blog that’s on life support.

It’s Bernie’s World, We Just Live In It

Ecclestone on a collision between Alonso and Hamilton:

“It would generate a lot of publicity. Imagine if that happened on the last lap of the last race, then the guy that was leading at the time, points-wise, would be the winner. So it would be a controversial end to the championship.”*

What was that line from The Usual Suspects? The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world he didn’t exist?

We’re looking in you general direction Bernie.

*And oh yeah, it’s the only way Ferrari could get back in it.

Japan Grand Prix Thoughts

As I write this there are 8 laps left in a very rainy race at Fuji. Why it’s still running is open for interpretation (FIA hoping Lewis will spin out and give Kimi a chance to catch him. Yeah, I really am this tired of the FIA being completely in the bag for Ferrari.) but it appears it will run to completion. At any rate Lewis Hamilton has run a masterful race, overcoming contact to dominate the race building a 14 second lead in an absolute downpour. Kimi is running 3rd, Massa languishes in 8th, and Alonso is out of the race with a destroyed car; so Lewis is in excellent shape to come out of this race with a healthy increase in his points lead.

Also healthy is his new contract a reported 5 year $110 million contract to stay at McLaren. Which is great news for him, McLaren is the only team he’s ever wanted to run for; and also gives McLaren long term stability. Regardless of what happens with Alonso McLaren has assured itself that it will have the services of a world champion caliber driver.

Kimi and Kovalainen just had an amazing finish, run in near zero visibility that can’t be missed. If you didn’t see it live find a repeat it’s that amazing.

Alonso Says He’ll Stay at McLaren Next Year

Fresh off throwing a season long hissy fit over not being given number one status, accusing the team of supporting Lewis over him, and finally trying to extort Ron Dennis into benching Lewis for the rest of the season to give him a clear shot at the title Alonso is now saying he will return next year. This brings a few questions to mind. First, does McLaren really want him back? If Hamilton can compete for the title, do you really need Alonso and all his baggage?

Second, why would he want to come back? Other then the money that is. Things aren’t really going to be any different next year, Hamilton will still be there with a season under his belt. A season that he performed remarkably on tracks he’d never seen before and without the drama the drama of Alonso. Alonso will never be the clear number one at McLaren as long as Hamilton is there, if anything the odds of Hamilton getting the subtle pushes from the team Alonso has accused him of is more likely to happen as time goes by. Alonso is in his prime, Hamilton is just started and they’re neck and neck. That really has to eat at Alonso.

But it comes down to what I wrote about a few months ago; Alonso has nowhere to really go. Ferrari and BMW are locked in, Renault has an open seat but may not be willing to buy out Alonso’s contract. So Alonso is faced the choice of not racing (something he claims to have pondered in the past) or trying to make the best of it at McLaren. How that goes may be the most entertaining thing about the ‘08 season.

Things I’ve Come to Accept

Holly is the most talented person I know (on the internet).  I envy that she can take the nonsensical ravings of lunatic minds and turn them into pure genius.  Sadly the best I can do is to read them and laugh along with every one else.

Really Late Movie Review: Man of the Year

So I somehow ended up watching Man of the Year yesterday (DSL wasn’t working, I think I’ve said enough about my feelings re: Verizon already) and felt the urge to write about it.  Not to defend the movie; while the first part is an ok political comedy the second section is a shitty political thriller.  No, I felt urged to do what is these days unthinkable; to defend Robin Williams.

Somewhere along the line Robin Williams has become a caricature, when we think of him all that comes to mind is an overly emoted Patch Adams meets Mork.  And in some movies this is true.  But not Man of the Year, while very few parts of this film felt right, his portrayal seemed subdued and as close to realistic as the idea of Robin Williams winning a presidential election could be.  Barry Levinson is to blame for this piece of shit movie; but for once Robin Williams might have been the best thing about it. *

*After Laura Linney.

Happy Birthday Texy

Finally Somebody is Thinking of the Children

My hat’s off to the Marion School Corporation of Marion, Indiana for finally standing up and saying “enoughs enough!”  To what you say?  Rogue school buses!  Finally officials have heard the voice of the little man, the voice that says “how do I know if that person is a school bus driver?”  No longer will citizens have to live in fear of whether the large yellow bus with bold black lettering denoting its’ ownership is in fact a school bus or a pirate bus.  These pirates buses have been allowed to pillage our neighborhoods for far too long, but no more!

Dad, Lewis is Sitting on My Side of the Car!

So Ron Dennis says if Alonso can’t hack sharing the limelight at McLaren with Hamilton he’s free to leave. What’s he care right? Hamilton is leading the championship as a rookie, and Dennis figures there’s more where that came from having signed half the 13 years old in England (and apparently a few in China as well) to development contracts. If Lewis is going to be competing for championships what do you need Alonso for?

While Dennis probably isn’t bluffing, he did fire Montoya mid season after all, I also think he said it knowing that there aren’t many places Alonso can go. Ferrari? Probably not given that Massa has really stepped up this year, and Kimi is still touted as the most talented driver in the paddock. Williams? Its been awhile since Sir Frank has fielded a championship contender, and with Toyota power and chassis that don’t respond well that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. Honda? Probably not when Super Aguri is outrunning them. Back to Renault? Maybe, he’d have to spend the rest of his career groveling to Flavio, and the car has been out to lunch at a few tracks.

Which leaving out the minnows, the also running big boys, and the debuting ProDrive team (who would spend the money on a marque name, but is rumored to be a McLaren customer, what’s the point of marching out the front door just to slip in the back door?) leaves one team; BMW. Which makes sense, they’ve been producing unreal horsepower for years; and the cars have really made a leap forward this year jumping to a comfortable 3rd this year in the constructor’s championship. Considering after two seasons they’re well ahead of Honda and Toyota you have to believe there will be another considerable leap forward again next year. Sure Heidfeld and Kubica are nice drivers, but neither are double world champions either. So would BMW make a play for Alonso if he declared himself a free agent? That remains to be seen.

But I expect him to stay at McLaren, why wouldn’t he? He’s not being told to take the second seat to Hamilton, just that Hamilton isn’t going to give way to him. Why would he walk away from a team leading the championship that gives him a chance to win every week and a chance to compete for the championship every year? Would a true champion give that up for a team that give him preferential treatment?

I’m Pretty Sure Jesus Wouldn’t Do This

A 15 year old girl was tied to a van and dragged behind it after she stopped jogging at a Christian boot camp.  The camp is run by what I think might be the most ironically named entity ever, Love Demonstrated Ministries, and is part of the San Antonio Young Offender program.

Well she probably won’t ever end up breaking the law again, after all the lawsuits are settled she’ll be too busy spending her millions.