Kevin Harvick Wins the Budweiser Shootout in a Wild Finish

The NASCAR season started under the lights at Daytona International Speedway with the running of the Budweiser Shootout. The woman that sang the National Anthem had a finicky sound system to deal with but the fans made it cool and exciting by singing along with her when the microphone went out temporarily.  Someone fixed it and she was able to go on uninterrupted. It goes to show how cool NASCAR fans are and how we stick together to make the event fun.

Defending Nextel Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson is starting his season off with a quest for something that has NEVER been done.  No one has won the championship four times in a row. He is in the hunt to do just that. Big name drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ran neck and neck throughout the race. Dale Jr’s car was loose throughout the race and was responsible for the wreck that dashed his hopes of  winning the Budweiser Shootout.

One of my favorite drivers, Mark Martin, is back for a full schedule this year. I look forward to good things from him. Bill Elliot is reportedly making a comeback as well. Tony Stewart is expanding his team and Richard Petty has a new driver and his major sponsor is McDonald’s.

The race ended on a caution as Kevin Harvick put the pedal to the metal and propelled himself to the front and never looked back as his fellow racers crashed behind him. It was a wild finish at the end.

NASCAR qualifying for the Daytona 500 is tomorrow. The Daytona 500 is set to run on February 15, 2009.

Yours in NASCAR news,

Joseph R. Mays

PS. In reply to Karman, the singer was Sister Hazel.
PS1. 2009 NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing Schedule

Pittsburgh Steelers Pulled Out Victorious in a Super Bowl XLIII Nailbiter

In what was a show of outstanding body control and presence Santonio Holmes put away the game for the Pittsburgh Steelers with a remarkable catch that will go down as one of the greatest moments in football history. With three defenders around him, Santonio Holmes managed to pull the ball down and maintain control of the ball on the way out into the end zone. Their victory wasn’t without some stirring in their stomach as Kurt Warner attempted to take the Arizona Cardinals down for the score. He was unfortunately made to fumble the ball and the Pittsburgh Steelers recovered it with five seconds to go. At that point the game was over and the Pittsburgh Steelers became to celebrate their victory in earnest.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers on their victory in Super Bowl XLIII. They are the ONLY NFL team to win SIX Super Bowls.

Yours in Super Bowl History,

Joseph R. Mays

Kudos to Jennifer Hudson for Her Outstanding Rendition of the Star Spangled Banner

In what was a stellar return to the spotlight, Jennifer Hudson showed what made her a star in the first place. She showed courage and conviction in the face of the tragedy that befell her family. She moved past that and brought joy to me and the rest of the world with her rendition of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl 43 Halftime show in Tampa, Florida today. The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals were the NFL teams that fought their way to Tampa for a chance to win the NFL’s most prestigious prize; the Vince Lombardi Trophy and a Super Bowl Ring.

Jennifer Hudson belted out a soulful rendition that touched everyone. It is definitely a moment to remember for a long time to come.

Yours in warm and wonderful memories for the future,

Joseph R. Mays

Super Bowl is now set and the Winners are: The Arizona Cardinals and The Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday is that day that some wives dread, but football fans adore. Super Bowl Sunday.

The ritual is repeated each year with adoration and fun. The viewers look forward to the new commercials which advertisers pay a pretty penny to get their new catchy ad seen in front of a large audience. It is their chance at eternal media fame or flopdom. Everyone is seeking the Coke (Coca-Cola) notoriety as in the Mean Joe Green commercial which I still remember to this day.

My predictions for the Super Bowl never materialized. The Philadelphia Eagles were defeathered by the Arizona Cardinals and so too were the Baltimore Ravens by the Steel Curtain defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s deja vu for Kurt Warner as he helped to get the Arizona Cardinals to their FIRST Super Bowl EVER. Quite an accomplishment for the team and they were impressive doing it. As I stated, I have to allow the Arizona Cardinals to represent the NFC for me. It would have been Dallas and then Philadelphia. Well, you know the story already. LOL My Dallas Cowboys are home around the fire with Romo and TO. :-O LOL

Let’s get ready for some fun on Super Bowl Sunday and keep it safe and keep it positive.

A few stories on Super Bowl Ads

blogs.trb.com – Super Bowl Commercial Previews

blogs.trb.com – 9 month old baby creates chaos (not Super bowl Related but funny to watch)

Atlanta Journal Constitution – Pepsico unveils ads for Super Bowl Sunday

LA Times – Advertisers shell out for Super Bowl spots

WDEF in Tennessee – Mean Joe Green Super Bowl Commercial

Yours in hilarious Super Bowl commercials,

Joseph R. Mays

My NFL Predictions – The Super Bowl will be a “Battle of the Beltway”

Fans all across the world are getting ready for the final NFL Championship Games (The NFC Championship Game and the AFC Championship Game). The winners of these two games will be the contenders in one of America’s most publicized championship games; the Super Bowl. This year’s Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLIII, will be held in Tampa Florida on February 1, 2009.

I predict that Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles will emerge victorious. They are located just a short distance from each other on Interstate I-95, hence the name “Battle of the Beltway”.  The Baltimore Ravens are celebrating a great season under the leadership of their new rookie coach John Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco. I am following the Philadelphia Eagles as the NFC East representative, since the Dallas Cowboys fell asleep during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles and was sent packing their bags for the season. I am picking them to win the Super Bowl.

Enjoy the games and have fun.

Yours in NFL Football,

Joseph R. Mays

AFC Championship Game information
NFC Championship Game information

Super Bowl XLIII information

NASCAR Rocks Back on the Scene in 2009 with the Daytona 500

NASCAR fans know that it’s getting close to time for racing when the Super Bowl approaches. The smell of rubber from drivers smoking tires out of the pits or near Victory Lane is one they can live with and connect with very well. The sound of raw horsepower barreling down the backstretch at speeds of over 190 mph gets your motor revving. February means Daytona Beach and the Daytona 500.

Daytona Speed Weeks at Daytona International Speedway is a traditional favorite of fans. Jimmie Johnson will be going for his fourth straight Nextel Cup Championship this year. He is currently tied for first place with three wins with veteran driver Cale Yarborough. I grew up watching Cale race in his Holly Farms car (#11). Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Dave Marcis, Darryl Waltrip and other veteran drivers would battle back and forth in front of the fans and make it a nail biter to the end. I also remember drivers like Elmo Langley (#64) and Buddy Arrington (#67) that didn’t get much stardom, but they were some of my favorite drivers to watch. They kept coming and kept trying and they never gave up until they couldn’t do it any more. I also liked Richie Evans in the Modified Division. He was killed at Martinsville Speedway in a crash. He was the “Richard Petty” of the Modified Division to me. I used to go to Martinsville Speedway all the time. I miss those days. He drove the orange #61 modified Pinto. We lost a great driver in NASCAR in 2001. Dale Earnhardt was killed at Daytona on the last lap of the race. I’ve seen crashes before that looked much worse than that, but when slowed down some, you could see the violence of the crash. We lost a great driver on that day. But I know that he is in Heaven smiling down on the fans and the drivers. He’s spinning donuts in Victory Lane in Heaven.

The economic crisis is good news for NASCAR fans as the prices for tickets have been slashed due to the economic plight of families. If you are lucky you can win tickets to the Daytona 500

NASCAR stars like Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick to name a few are getting ready for a new season in NASCAR. Jimmie Johnson just finished out the season last year with a Nextel Cup Champsionship. This year should be just as exciting.

NASCAR fan forever,

Joseph R. Mays

PS. Some pictures for Memory Lane. I’ll update with some clearer pictures later.

The “Battle of the Birds” is on – The Philadelphia Eagles Defeated the #1 Seeded New York Giants

The Philadelphia Eagles banded together today to defeat their NFC East nemesis the New York Giants. The Philadelphia Eagles repeated what the New York Giants themselves did last year. They defeated the #1 seeded NFC playoff team. The Philadelphia Eagles went up by a score of 13-11 and never looked back. Two key turnovers and defensive stops made the difference in the game. The New York Giants have not played as well as they should have after the loss of Plaxico Burress.

The Philadelphia Eagles now move on to Arizona where they will be hosted by the NFC West Division Champion Arizona Cardinals. The “Battle of the Birds”.

Both teams have played very well recently. It should be a very interesting game next weekend. Kurt Warner and Donovan McNabb are at the helm of their respective teams and will be giving it everything they have to make it to the big dance; Super Bowl LVIII in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009.

I look for the Philadelphia Eagles to take it all the way. Have to stay loyal to the NFC East. Dallas is at home, so the Philadelphia Eagles will do.

Yours in NFL excitement and fun,

Joseph R. Mays

Arizona Cardinals Break the East Coast Hex by defeating the Carolina Panthers 33-13

On Saturday January 10, 2009, the NFL showcased their NFC Divisional game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Carolina Panthers. In a surprising show of football domination, the NFC West Division Champion Arizona Cardinals handily defeated the Carolina Panthers by a score of 33-13.

Most teams that come from the west coast and endure the time change do not usually win on the road on the East Coast. That was a big point that was played out in the news before they played.

At half-time the Arizona Cardinals were up by a score of 27-7. They went on to get two field goals. They had the game in hand at that point. The Carolina Panthers scored a touchdown in the waning moments of the game to give them 13 points on the day. They missed the extra point attempt.

The Arizona Cardinals will face the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants game already in progress. At the moment, it looks like it may be a NFC “Battle of the Birds” (Cardinals and Eagles).

Yours in NFL Playoff excitement

Joseph R. Mays

PS. Super Bowl LVIII on February 1, 2009

AFC Matchup: Baltimore Ravens Defeat the Tennessee Titans 13-10

The Baltimore Ravens kept the lights on in their quest to get to the big show: Super Bowl LVIII. They defeated the Teneessee Titans 13-10 by kicking a field goal in the last two minutes of the AFC Divisional Playoff game. The numbers (stats) don’t reflect themselves in the score. The Tennesse Titans turned the ball over three times. The defenses kept the offenses in check. Hence the low scores in the game. An elated Baltimore Ravens team celebrated their victory and turned their thoughts to next week’s AFC Championship Playoff game.

Tomorrow the Philadelphia Eagles go head to head with the New York Giants in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game. The winner moves forward for their chance to play in the NFC Championship Game. The San Diego Chargers play the Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game. The winner of this game will face the Baltimore Ravens next weekend.

Yours in NFL football championship games,

Joseph R. Mays

Indianapolis Colts Defeated; Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers Advance

Sunday was not a good day for Indianapolis Colts fans. It is not the way I wanted Tony Dungee to go out. However, he did accomplish his mission last year with a win over the New England Patriots. I had also picked them to be the AFC contender in Super Bowl LVIII. So much for that. We move on now to Saturday and Sunday with the final AFC and NFC Divisional match-ups on the NFL Road to Super Bowl LVIII.

Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 26-14 to advance and play the New York Giants on Sunday at 1:00PM on Fox. Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Falcons and advanced to play the Carolina Panthers on Saturday at 8:15 PM on Fox.  San Diego Chargers defeated the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 23-17. They advanced to play the Pittsburgh Steelers. That game starts on Sunday at 4:45PM ET on CBS.

Jeff Fisher’s  Tennessee Titans, the New York Giants, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Carolina Panthers all had first round byes. The Tennesee Titans play the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday at 4:30PM on CBS. The Baltimore Ravens crushed the Miami Dolphins 27-9.

The Super Bowl will be held at Tampa, Florida this year. Super Bowl LVIII Pre-Game festivities start at 0:00PM. Kickoff for the Super Bowl LVIII is at 6:00PM on February 1, 2009.

Yours in NFL news,

Joseph R. Mays

PS. And yes, the Dallas Cowboys are sitting at home where they need to be.