Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Bob Lobel: The Crazy Weekend of Rory, Tony and Robin


By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

1. Unsuspecting victim?
2. Brutal killer?
3. NASCAR’s answer to how the Romans made their blood sport at the coliseum the most popular thing going?
4. Perp for vehicular homicide
5. Giving NASCAR the brutal truth in how to become more popular than NFL football.
6. Demonstrating how a bad reputation can make you guilty even if you're not, or how a good reputation can save you in tight situations?
7. None or all of the above. 

It has become Monday night NASCAR. It finally happened! 

Sports talk radio has become wall to wall with NASCAR calls. All this even before we have declared it a sport, or the Tony Stewarts of the world athletes. Kinda like asking the question, “are golfers athletes?” Or lump them together, are NASCAR drivers, golfers, bowlers and hot dog eaters really athletes? 

Well, the key to that rhetorical question is popularity. Tony and Rory were the sports stories of the weekend. Are their crafts sports and are they athletes? Doesn’t really matter, but they both checked in with extremely high visibility marks for totally opposite reasons. 

First Rory! Amazing, but no Tiger. Not yet. Maybe never. 

Still great and still worth watching for sure, but there is only one Tiger. Not liked by many at this stage of his career, many people are rooting for him to fail. He may for the rest of his days, but he already succeeded at being the attraction of all attractions when it came to golf.  

Rory might, but he is too well liked to really become popular. 

My advice, go have an iced tea named after you and enjoy your happy life.  Tony Stewart is a superstar in his world.  The problem is the world he lives in is not big enough yet. More days like yesterday and growth will no longer be an issue. I think the phrase is, “by leaps and bounds.”  Golf is touting its resurgence on the ratings from the PGA this weekend.  Delayed by rain was the best thing that happened to them, besides having the common sense to become like everyman on national TV by playing a championship in the dark. 

Car lights were not far from illuminating the 18th green. All in all it was an amazing weekend.  Perhaps, the supermoon was responsible.  I'm willing to go there… There need to be a couple more things put down on paper here.  The ice bucket dump is the right thing to do.  Trying to understand Robin Williams' death is another issue. 

Funny doesn’t mean happy, that's a sad lesson we learn over and over again.  Happy doesn’t necessarily make you funny. Sad stories and Rory, what a weekend. 

Only three preseason games left. Lucky us.

Ed. Note: Check out Bob doing the Ice Bucket Challenge below.

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