A giant in midget cars
Imagine Tiger Woods showing up in disguise at a club tournament, then taking off the disguise after winning it.
That’s sort of what two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart did a year ago when he competed unannounced in a 60-lap U.S. Auto Club midget-car race in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Stewart’s entry was never announced because he wasn’t sure he would be able to compete after he and some friends came up with the idea during a poker game. They all threw in a few bucks to buy an old car and sponsor it.
“Tony had a few laps in practice,” USAC spokesman Dick Jordan told the Associated Press. “The thing was popping and banging like it was going to blow up. (But) they dialed it in and got it working.”
Stewart easily won the race and when he took off his helmet in Victory Lane, the announcer said, “That guy looks like Tony Stewart.”
It was announced last week that Stewart would be back to compete in the same event Dec. 29-30 – in the same car.
As it turned out, only Rose crashed
Pete Rose is not eligible for the Hall of Fame, but his name invariably comes up when new ballots are passed around. Bernie Lincicome of the Rocky Mountain News recalled the time the Phillies’ team plane encountered turbulence, creating panic.
Rose, as the story goes, stood and yelled, “We’re going down, and I’m the only one taking a .340 average with me!”
Warming up to new angle
The PGA Tour’s season-opening Mercedes Championships at Kapalua on Maui has lost its luster. Among those who probably will not play, citing fatigue, are Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington.
Said Kapalua Vice President Gary Planos, trying to remain upbeat: “We’re not running a funeral – we’re running a championship. We’re going to show Kapalua to a freezing mainland.”
The Houston Trojans
On the 1-12 Houston Texans’ hiring of former NFL coach Dan Reeves as a consultant, Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times commented, “Most observers, though, say the team’s only chance at a turnaround would be an unprecedented performance at the upcoming college draft – like, say, drafting USC.”
Slicing up Barkley
Tiger Woods, a guest on FSN’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” said Charles Barkley is the worst celebrity golfer he has every played with – “by far.”
Said Woods: “When I first played with him, he was able to shoot in the 70s. That’s nine holes, not 18.”
Hope they don’t have a flat
Noting that Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti seems intent on “rebuilding the Dodgers brick by Giant brick,” Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle says it’s a risky strategy.
“That’s what trading for old players often is,” he said, “gambling that you’re getting rid of bald tires while the guy you’re dealing with still thinks he can see a little tread.”
Not the Riviera
With the soccer World Cup taking place in Germany next summer, England’s Observer newspaper thoughtfully provided a city-by-city guide to the 12 venues.
Well, perhaps not so thoughtfully. Here’s what the paper had to say about Gelsenkirchen, where the U.S. team opens against the Czech Republic:
“Have a wander and you’ll soon be asking, ‘How the hell did this place become a World Cup host city?’
“This is a heavily industrialized area. … The biggest attraction is the slagheap, the Halde Rungenberg. The view from the top is spectacular. Looking across to the nearest slagheap, you can count 42 pipes and chimneys and a dozen billowing steam clouds at one factory alone.
“Don’t book a week here.”
On an expensive note
What’s the difference between Babe Ruth and Eddie Layton? Only about $4,000, according to one measure.
A sports memorabilia company in New Rochelle, N.Y., recently sold a Babe Ruth jersey for $30,000, while receiving $26,000 for the Yankee Stadium organ played by Layton from 1985 to 2003.
The last word
British comedian Michael McIntyre wonders if there is not something effeminate about boxing. Said McIntyre: “They’re always fighting over belts, and there’s all this talk of a purse.”