Las Vegas Preview

Las Vegas, Nevada is the third stop for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide series. The track is a 1.5 mile tri-oval just outside of the city. Matt Kenseth is 2 for 2 this season after winning last week in California. This should make him the favorite to win this race. Look out for Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards. Johnson has 3 wins at the track while Edwards is the defending winner. This could also be the week of the David. Can David Ragan or David Reutimann win their first career cup races? Both look fast this season and both should get a win.

My picks:
Sprint Cup- Kyle Busch, he is hungry. After a third place finish last week, he will do anything to win. I would get out his way.

Nationwide- Brendan Gaughan, at least 1 Georgetown basketball player will have success. He is from Vegas and his car is fast.

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Albert Haynesworth

Photo courtesy NFL.com
Albert Haynesworth is now a Redskin. Early this morning, the Redskins and Hayneswroth agreed to a 7 year $100 million contract including $41 million guaranteed. In 5 hours the skins have invested $154 million into the defense. To clear up space, the team released Shawn Springs. Don’t expect Haynesworth to have 10 plus sacks. As an interior lineman, he will be subjected to double teams. This should help out the ends. If Jason Taylor is retained, he and Andre Carter should have great seasons.

A press conference is scheduled for 5 pm at Redskins park.

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NFL Free Agency

The NFL Networks Adam Schefter reports the Redskins and CB DeAngelo Hall have agreed to a six year $54 million deal, $22.5 million guaranteed.

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Manny Update

Manny has rejected the offer from the LA Dodgers.

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Who’s It Gonna Be?

Just under 4 hours remain before the start of free agency in the NFL. The big question is will the Redskins stick with their plan to build through draft, or are they going to make a big splash in free agency. Last year, I was hopeful that the team was changing their philosophy and draft players they need. Now all I hear is Dan Snyder has his check book ready. Lets call it the Dan Snyder Stimulus Plan. As every second ticks away, I fear that the Redskins will be the top story on Sportscenter. On the bright side, most NFL fans would love to have an owner like Snyder. He isn’t scared to spend money. In DC we observe two ways of building a team. The Washington Capitals gutted their team and started over. Now they are one of the top teams in the NHL. The Skins just throw away money, and hope for a 9-7 or 10-6 season and a wild card spot. Whatever happens, happens. I will still watch the games and support my team.

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Random Ramblings

Spring Training games have started and Manny isn’t signed. The Dodgers seem to be the only team interested in the outrages outfielder. Today they offered him a 2 year $45 million contract. The first year will be worth $25 million and the second will be worth $20 million. Manny can opt out of the second year. Call me crazy, but $25,000,000 is a lot of money. Is he even worth that much? He is not a strong fielder, but he has one of the best bats in the league. From a marketing standpoint, signing Manny is imperative. After the trade, attendance at Dodger Stadium increased. Everybody bought jerseys and dreads. Just sign the deal, fire Scott Boras and enjoy your money.

North Carolina, Wake Forest, UConn and Pitt have all been ranked #1 in college basketball this year. No team has been able to stay there. Almost instantly after being ranked, they lose. UConn will probably be ranked #1 in the next poll. Where is the love the Oklahoma? Yes, they have lost two straight, but it happened without the best player in college basketball. Blake Griffin makes the Sooner almost unbeatable. When he returns, they will be the top team in college basketball.

There is a rumor that President Obama will be at the Wizards game Friday night. The Wizards will face his Chicago Bulls. If anything, this shows Obama is a true fan. Even though the Bull are still in the playoff race, both teams are under .500. Lets hope the Wizards can at least stay competitive.

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F1 Update

Big news coming from Charlotte NC. Courtesy of USF1.com.

Ken Anderson, Peter Windsor and all at USF1 would like to thank everyone for the amazing response we have received since news first broke about our project on February 4, 2009.

Proving that American technology, American drivers and the American competitive spirit can compete and win on the F1 global stage has been our mission for several years now. And, judging by the overwhelming response we have received from F1 fans both in the US and worldwide, from within the F1 industry and from the US hi-tech industry, we think that many of you agree with us.

We will be officially announcing the team in a special show on Speed TV on February 24 at 12:00 EST.

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California Preview

Race 2 of the 2009 NASCAR season brings us to Fontana, California. The Auto Club Speedway of Southern California is a 2 mile, low banked oval. All three series will be in action with the trucks and Nationwide series on Saturday and the Cup guys on Sunday night. Carl Edwards won last years spring (winter) race. From what I have read and heard, the track has weathered and it is in great condition. This can make the racing multiple lanes wide. Brian Vickers is on the pole for the Cup race and Kyle Busch is on pole for the Camping World Truck Series. The Nationwide Series qualifies tomorrow morning. Contrary to what was talked about in the preseason, each series will have full fields (43 in Cup and Nationwide, 36 in Truck). The Auto Club 500 will be at 6:30 pm in the east. FOX wants to put the race against the Academy Awards on Sunday night.

My Predations:
Cup: Jamie McMurray, Roush has had great success at Fontana. JMac is poised to have a big season and he has a fast car. He starts 3rd. Keep an eye on AJ Allmendinger, he has received so much support from NASCAR fans. He is only scheduled for 8 races, but the team is looking for a deal. After finishing 3rd at Daytona, if he can keep it up, he should have no issue finding sponsorship. I wouln’t be shocked if he made the chase.

Nationwide: Jason Leffler, After receiving a 5 lap penalty for “aggressive driving” last week, he has a fire to win this week. He is 9th quickest in practice. For him to win, he will still have get passed the Cup regulars. Kyle Busch was shutout last week an d he could sweep the weekend. Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, and Kevin Harvick will be tough.

Trucks: Kyle Busch, He was shutout last week, it won’t happen this week.

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CSN Eddie Jordan Interview

The Washington Wizards are having a terrible season. It is hard to believe that last year this team was top 4 in the East. The man who coached the that team was Eddie Jordan. After am awful start, Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld decided enough was enough, and Jordan’s tenure as coach ended.

I didn’t and I still don’t like this move. We knew that after losing Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood, it was going to be a long season. Eddie did so much for this team. He led the Wiz out form the MJ project and into the playoffs. It became a regular occurrence, but he couldn’t get the team past the first round. Comcast Sports Net Mid-Atlantic’s Chick Hernandez interviewed Jordan. The line that explained it all was, “We were always waiting on injuries.” That quote sums up Eddie’s time in DC.

Here is the interview courtesy of Comcast Sports Net Mid-Atlantic

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FOX or WTTG, What Happened?

First off, I don’t want to take anything away from the race itself. I don’t know if this was an issue with FOX Sports or my local Fox affiliate WTTG, but what was up with the HD channel. I am assuming it was an issue with WTTG and it is unacceptable. The problem was the HD signal wasn’t being used. The entire pre-race show and start was an analog picture with side bars. It didn’t get worked out until around lap 25. According to the TV guide, the coverage was suppose to start at 1:30pm in the east. From 2pm until just before I was trying to get in contact with the station. Nothing! This would never happen for a football game. I am not angry that the HD wasn’t working, I’m mad about the fact I couldn’t get in contact with the station and they wouldn’t acknowledge there was a problem. Part of thinks there actually was a problem, but I also think that there is a strong possibility that someone just messed up and wasn’t paying attention. If I wasn’t the only one that had an issue, please comment or email me at courtsidesports@gmail.com. Other than this problem, FOX/SPEED do a great job covering NASCAR. Their product is the best of the three companies (TNT, ESPN).

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