J-Hill’s Two Minute Drill

Opinion

Welcome back to The Drill. March has already arrived, meaning that another month of crazy sports action is in the books. Let’s see what’s trending in this week’s news:Disaster and Drama in the Daytona 500 – This year’s Daytona 500 will stand out in people’s minds for several reasons, but there are three specifics aspects that will stick with me. The first is the rain which reeked havoc on the track, postponing the race from Sunday to Monday morning and then again to seven in the evening. The next is the fire that broke out on the track at lap 160 when Juan Pablo Montoya lost control of his #42 Target Chevrolet and crashed into a jet dryer that was brought on the track to clear debris, almost immediately sparking a fire that burned the track surface and caused a two hour delay in the race. Many assumed the fire would cause NASCAR to call the race forty laps early, which would have given Dave Blaney the victory. Blaney is the darkhorse of all darkhorses that could win a race like the Daytona 500, as in 398 races in the Cup Series Blaney has recorded a grand total of 0 victories. Unfortunately for Blaney and Tommy Baldwin Racing, the race was eventually restarted. The most entertaining part of the race could have came from Brad Keselowski, who found the red flag as a great chance to tweet a picture of his view of the Montoya fire from his car. Keselowski’s Twitter followers immediately skyrocketed, leading to plenty of laughs throughout the NASCAR community. Although Matt Kenseth went on to win the race, the 2003 champion should find himself lucky to be remembered by the fans that saw fire and rain and a raceday that they thought would never end.

Free For All in All-Star Game
– The NBA held their All-Star weekend last Saturday and Sunday, and while the skills’ competition were a bit of a dud, the actual All-Star game was quite intriguing. In the end, the West beat the East 152-149, but it didn’t come easy for the best that the Western Conference had to offer. Lakers legend Kobe Bryant took a shot in the face from Miami Heat hero Dwayne Wade, which led to a broken nose for the five-time NBA champion. Despite having to wear a mask a la Rip Hamilton due to the injury, Bryant garnered no ill feelings towards Wade, saying “It was very simple. He didn’t mean to do it. He’s not that kind of person. He’s a nicer guy than I am.” While some of Kobe’s teammates have called out Dwayne for the way he played in the All-Star Game, I see nothing wrong with the way Wade played seeing as Kobe, the player injured in the situation, saw no issue with it either. The All-Star Game may mean little in the grand scheme of things, but it’s important to keep in mind that Wade and Bryant are two of the fiercest competitors in basketball, and sometimes the drive to win overrides the thought of just taking it easy.

Worry in Westwood
– It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that Ben Howland and the UCLA Bruins were consistently playing in the Final Four and winning conference titles, but lately all news coming out of Los Angeles concerning the power blues have been nothing but depressing. Already mired in another season that will end in the NIT Tournament at best, allegations concerning player misconduct, which includes constant drug use, have arisen, adding even more heat on Howland’s seat. UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero is already dealing with a coaching change on the football side of the school, but the program’s rich basketball history may call for a chance on that side to be made as well. Howland hasn’t done an efficiently policed the program like a head coach needs to, and that coupled with a losing record in my book should lead to his firing.

Nationals Manager Says It’s Now or Never
– The Washington Nationals have been the little guys in the NL East for quite some time now, constantly adding new pieces in hopes of making a run to the playoffs, something the Nationals/Expos haven’t been a part of since 1981. Apparently Nationals manager Davey Johnson thinks this year’s squad won’t be like those that the fans have been accustomed to seeing year after year, as the former Mets and Orioles manager made the bold statement that the team should fire him if they fail to make the playoffs this season. I understand that Johnson, who currently holds a 40-43 record as Nationals manager, wants to spice things up a bit and show his guys that he believes they have the makings of a special team, but making such a statement in what will be his first full season with the team is a bit of a stretch. Major League Baseball has added a second Wild Card to both leagues, but it would more than likely take two or three more Wild Cards in order for this Washington team to still be playing meaningful baseball in the last month of the season.

Rams Ready to Move Down?
– The 2012 NFL Draft is now about a month and a half away, meaning that speculation on what big moves will go down will only build up from this point forward. Most eyes are currently focused on the St. Louis Rams at the #2 overall spot, as new head coach Jeff Fisher made it clear that the team is looking to move down on draft day. Making their stance known this early could just be a bluff by the team in order to see what they could possibly get, but I sincerely think that the Rams’ bigshots know that they have more talent than a 2-14 record would indicate and that they can only get better by moving down. With St. Louis moving down, the real question is which team will have enough pieces to move up to presumably choose Robert Griffin III from Baylor. I believe that it will come down to two teams: the Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns. However, my final prediction is that the Browns, aided with extra picks thanks to the Julio Jones trade the Falcons made with them in last year’s Draft, successfully make the deal to jump up to #2, setting themselves up to bring RG3 to CLE.

Sports Quote of the Week

“I should have named my kid Tidewater.” – Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, after learning that Atlanta Braves’ third basemen Chipper Jones named his son Shea due to his success at Shea Stadium

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