Mark Wright’s Blog

You can always tell when it is getting close to Long Beach Grand Prix time.  Streets start getting blocked off, bleachers are erected and barricades are everywhere on the course.  The Grand Prix is one of the funnest events I have been to since I’ve been here. 

This week is the Formula Drift competition.  For those who don’t know, drifting is a form of racing where most of it is done in a slide.  It is actually pretty cool.  I hope to be attending the event this weekend as well as attending the Grand Prix the next week.  However, there is one problem with this, the noise.

Both events are run through the streets of downtown Long Beach.  It would be an understatement to say that these cars are very loud.  The Blue Sand offices are on the 10^th floor of a complex in downtown Long Beach.  You would think being that high up and in an office you wouldn’t be able to hear them.  That is not the case.  It is only Tuesday and already the cars are on the track practicing. 

You are fighting a few impulses.  First you want to stop and look at them and second you want the noise to cease.  It will only get worse over the next couple of weeks.  While my thoughts are on website design and SEO, all you can hear sometimes is the roar of engines. 

The Indy Cars will be even worse.  I can hear those from my apartment complex and on that weekend, it usually is my alarm clock.  The engines are different so instead of a roar it sounds more like a herd of angry bees. 

It is worth the aggravation because the events are truly top notch.  As a racing fan, I love nothing more than the roar of the engines, just not when I am trying to work. 

I live on my cell phone.  I am constantly using it in my job and for personal uses as well.  When cell phones came out, I thought they were gratuitous.  I swore I would never become so self important that I had to carry a phone around with me.  However, over time I broke down and got one.  Now it has become a part of my life.  The convenience of it is wonderful and it has become one of my most useful work tools. 

One of the things I’ve noticed is with anything, you get abuse.  You get people who are constantly talking on them.  They are taking personal calls on the job, keeping airplanes from taking off because they won’t get off the phone after they have been told to do so by the flight attendants or having loud conversations that are annoying to those around them. 

In India, they are taking this problem very seriously.  The government has noticed in increase in public rudeness and are looking at adopting measures that would put the most serious offenders in the clink.  In addition, they are looking at installing cell phone jammers at schools to keep students from talking as well as installing devices that would not allow cell phone use on roadways.  An even more interesting possibility would be to jail civil servants for talking on their phones during office hours. 

Now I don’t know if all of that is necessary but I do find it interesting.  When I use my cell phone, I always try to be as respectful as possible.  When I go to the movies, I turn it off.  When I talk on it, I usually try to find the most private place to have the call.  Now that is not to say that I haven’t had a few social faux pas when using my phone. 

So for those of you out there that continue to abuse your cell phone privileges, beware.  You never know when the day might come when you get thrown in cell phone jail. 

With the current financial crisis, everyone seems to be complaining about how much money people are making.  I have never had a problem with how much money someone made.  If someone is willing to pay it, then you should be willing to take it.  People complain about athletes in particular.  Are the salaries incredible?  Without a doubt but if someone is willing to pay that amount, chances are they believe they will collect on their investment.

One of the big stories as of late is the huge contract that basketball coach John Calipari signed to take the helm for the University of Kentucky program.  The thought is that as states are taking federal money during a tough economic time and then paying Calipari a boatload of money. 

Here is the issue that most people don’t understand.  College basketball is a business.  If the program has the right coach, the university can fund pretty much most of their other sports programs, even the ones that don’t generate revenue. 

The University of Kentucky is one of the most storied basketball programs in the country.  It generates a ton of revenue for the university.  The investment in Calipari will ultimately pay huge dividends, if he wins.  Besides, the majority of his contract is paid through sponsorships, radio and television contracts as well as conference revenue sharing.  Only about $400,000 is actually paid by the university.    

I know of a similar situation the University of Texas with their football coach Mack Brown.  People in Austin were constantly complaining about how much money he makes but the reality is that he is probably underpaid.  The Longhorn football program generates millions of dollars.  It is one of the richest programs in the country if not the richest in terms of generating revenue. 

Yes there are a lot of professions that are underpaid.  Teachers and law enforcement are two that come to mind quickly.  However in this case, I don’t think this was a bad investment for Kentucky basketball.  If you are generating revenue, you should be paid accordingly.  Do I believe there are people out there that are overpaid?  Absolutely!  However, some people are worth the money.

I saw something today that I have seen numerous times in the past few years.  I saw NASCAR driver Kyle Busch throw a tantrum.  For those of you who don’t know, Kyle Busch is a race car driver.  He is one of the best the sport has seen in recent years.  The kid can flat drive the wheels off a car, truck and probably anything else that has wheels.  I’m sure if he was piloting a Rascal, he would be fast.  He is also one of the biggest sore losers in the sport. 

During Monday’s truck race at Martinsville, Virginia, he was nudged out of the way by Kevin Harvick with about 10 laps to go after leading for most of the race.  With Martinsville being the smallest track on the NASCAR circuit, there is a lot of beating and banging.  What Harvick did was completely acceptable and knowing Busch’s reputation in the past, he would have done the same thing had the tables been turned.  This put him in second place.  With a couple of laps left, a caution came out and while Busch was trying to rub up against the wall to dislodge a crunched in fender, he was penalized for a commitment line violation so he was placed back in 17^th place where he finished the race. 

The race finishes with Harvick as the winner and then the fun begins.  The camera goes to Busch who takes off his helmet and gloves and throws them on the truck.  He then goes tromping across the racetrack and leaves the track.  I guess he needed to be somewhere.

This is the most recent of many occasions in which Busch has shown less than good sportsmanship.  Heck, I don’t even want to call it sportsmanship.  It is more than that.  It is more about not being a jackass and embarrassing yourself.  I’m tired of people trying to defend Busch say that he just really wants to win.  Every driver out there wants to win.  You don’t see Jeff Gordon doing it.  You don’t see Tony Stewart doing it.  Ok bad example with Tony but I like him and he has mellowed out considerably. 

I’m not going to get into the whole role model thing because I think it is highly overrated.  More than anything else, I feel bad for the guy because he comes across as a petulant child.  It doesn’t seem to bother him but it should. 

I can’t imagine having something bad happen at work and venting by throwing computer keyboards and notepads across the room.  People would think I was a nut.  I can understand the guy not liking to lose and even getting upset about it.  However, have the self respect throw your tantrums in private.

There have been many comparisons of Kyle Busch to the late Dale Earnhardt.  Other than they win a lot and weren’t afraid to driving aggressively, I don’t see much of a comparison.  Earnhardt didn’t complain or throw tantrums.  He would get even on the track by winning.

Right now, Kyle Busch, in my opinion, is the most talented driver in NASCAR.  He is fearless and can do things with a race car or truck that defy physics.  Anytime he crawls into a car or truck, he is a favorite to win.  He is still young so hopefully he will grow out of the tantrums.  I’m sure he is probably a pretty decent guy.  I know he works with charities and when things are going well, he can be, dare I say, charming.  I like that he is cocky and that he doesn’t endear himself to the fans.  When he does his bow after winning a race to thousands of booing fans, that makes me laugh.  However the tantrums have got to go.  You are too good of a driver to be acting like a little kid.