Wednesday 29 February 2012
Queen Elizabeth II to open 2012 Olympics (Yahoo! Sports)
Ben Patrick rescues some folks who were trapped in an overturned van
Patrick was in his Lamborghini on I-17 near Phoenix when he saw a van overturned. Without even a lot of thought, Patrick, with the help of some friends and strangers, stopped and helped pull people from the vehicle. From Jennifer Thomas at azfamily.com:
[Patrick] said he could smell gas leaking from the van and knew he had to act fast.
"My first thought was just to help the people on the inside," he said.
Patrick ran over and started pulling people out of the vehicle.
"I ran over and I looked in the front window and everybody was laying sideways and I debated on kicking the window in, but I didn't want to get glass over everyone," he said.
So Patrick and some other people teamed up and helped pull everyone out of the van. They even left the windows intact. It was a selfless act, done for people who were frightened and in need. The word "hero" would not be inappropriate.
As for Patrick's career, well, recently, it hasn't been as noteworthy as his exploits in altruism. After spending three years with the Cardinals (which included a touchdown reception in Super Bowl XLIII), Jones was out of football last year. He signed briefly with the Giants, but then retired five days later.
He's now unretired and says he's hoping to sign as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers and make the Charlotte, N.C., roadways that much safer.
Boxer suspended 1 year for doping-rules violation (AP)
Family not told of riot shooting
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-england-17208397
US shares hit pre-crash landmark
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/17198839
Life's Too Short up for Rose d'Or
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/entertainment-arts-17189002
Tuesday 28 February 2012
Re: http://www.mrpaparazzi.com/post/18091
blimey i did not realise that had happened,thats well scary to all involved
Source: http://www.mrpaparazzi.com/post/18091#comment-451399040
Hot/Not: Monday night NASCAR works for 36 million people
The list ? rather, a laundry list to befit NASCAR's use of Tide to save the end of the race ? of reasons why NASCAR's foray into the unknown territory Monday night ? when, for the first time, it held a race in prime time�? is almost as long as the red flag caused by the exploding jet dryer.
It could include things like the lack of promotion about the rescheduled time for the Daytona 500, a TV network pre-empting popular shows, competition from other primetime slots and general unawareness that the race ? NASCAR's most-watched by the general public ? was going green on a non-NASCAR night after a Sunday full of dashed hopes and disappointment.
[Related: 2003 champion Matt Kenseth claims second Daytona 500 victory, holds off Dale Earnhardt Jr.]
But instead, the Sunday rain showers that created a first in Daytona 500 history by delaying the race until Monday also presented NASCAR with their first great opportunity to try what many have long hypothesized: racing on�a weeknight.
And did it ever. The numbers exploded like ?and no doubt assisted by ? the raging�Turn 3�inferno Juan Pablo Montoya's car inadvertently caused by destroying a jet engine used for track cleaning and drying purposes.
36.5 million people in the United States saw some portion of the 54th Daytona 500 during it's six-hour broadcast window, making it the most-watched NASCAR broadcast ever for Fox and the second-most watched Daytona 500 in history. Only the 2006 race on NBC was seen by a half-million more people. The Great American Race averaged a whopping 13.7 million viewers during its entirety.
The total audience represented a 22-percent jump from the 2011 race that went off without a hitch and saw young Trevor Bayne take the checkered flag. And, most importantly, Fox led the prime-time pack in the Adults 18-49 category and likely influenced a 10-percent drop in last week's Monday winner "The Voice."
[Dan Wetzel: Danica Patrick's Daytona 500 dream turns into nightmare]
The weeknight race even worked at the speedway. NASCAR estimated a healthy 140,000 people came back after sitting through the deluge of rain Sunday and early Monday despite the logistics of air travel, hotel rooms, rental cars and work schedules being a bona fide mess. Sure, that's not a capacity crowd and it's probably an inflated number, but it's still larger than any Super Bowl crowd ever.
These numbers are important for NASCAR because they show that the marquee events can still remain marquee events even away from the traditional Saturday night or Sunday slots. And those numbers are a direct result of less than 12 hours of promotion, as NASCAR announced at 10:15 a.m./ET Monday that they'd race at 7 p.m. Monday night. That fact alone says volumes about NASCAR's embrace of social media that all but sent the news of a Monday night NASCAR race virally across the internet.
But logistically, NASCAR moving to a format that showcases even one or two races per season on a weeknight is a tough flower to blossom.
The largest obstacle, late in NASCAR's season when interest would ideally grow the largest, is the behemoth that is the NFL. Any attempts for NASCAR to rival that with a Monday night race ? and even a Thursday night race ? would be feeble, at best. This sport needs substantial and sustained growth before that conversation would ever be realistic.
[Related: Juan Pablo Montoya sets Daytona track ablaze after hitting jet dryer]
That leaves us with early and mid-season races at tracks that can handle four important things: race at night, draw a near-capacity crowd, provide consistently exciting action and influence a new audience of NASCAR fans to take note. Simply racing on a weeknight to race on a weeknight is not a smart business idea; growing the level of interest and total audience is.
To me, that leaves a few possible ideas for race locations that would include Daytona, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Texas, Richmond, Atlanta, Bristol�and Darlington. My most ideal candidate would be Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, despite the current lack of lights at that facility. Change that obstacle and racing at the venue on a weeknight makes a ton of sense.
There'd be sure-fire close racing, certain raised tempers and most likely a dramatic finish. Plus, it's a close venue for teams and has a relatively small seating capacity ? making a one-day show for the Sprint Cup Series easier to fill for appearance�purposes.
Save for repeating the Daytona 500 on a Monday night ? if a rain-delayed edition can be wildly popular, then a scheduled one has the chance to be�even more�epic ? racing on Thursday nights may be best. It would afford opportunities for fans to stay in the event of a rain postponement, and may work well as a way to lead off a weekend where the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series could take center stage at the venue.
[Related: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has another second-place finish at Daytona, winless streak continues]
Thursdays, however, are notoriously popular television nights for most networks, and following a Monday night scheme already laid down by the NFL might be just as smart. Capitalize on a weekend of support series action and feature an improved qualifying system for Sprint Cup teams to generate interest, and then light the candle for a 300- to 400-mile race Monday night that tucks nicely in a three-hour window.
Two days ago, the idea of weeknight racing seemed more far-fetched than the idea of one car beating two in a tandem to win the Daytona 500. Now that we've crossed that bridge ? and more importantly ? seen how well NASCAR's biggest event can do with shoestring promotion, it's time for NASCAR to explore the options.
The sport has a chance to grow on a special weeknight format. There's no better time to try it.
Did you like seeing the Daytona 500 in Monday night primetime? Let me know below. But before, here's a my musings of the best, worst and just OK from the weekend that literally scorched in to our memories.
HOT: 200 gallons of jet fuel exploded and later burned in the form of 20-foot flames at the top of a steep bank of pavement Monday night in Daytona Beach. Not a soul was seriously injured, millions focused their attention to the incident in a lighthearted fashion good for the sport and the race was able to carry on. That those facts can be put together is a true testament to some incredible work by the safety officials on scene for the Juan Pablo Montoya vs. track jet dryer incident.
[Dan Wetzel: The 2012 edition of the Great American Race was anything but ordinary]
That said, it's apparent NASCAR is going to need a stronger contingency plan for jet fuel fires. I have no doubt they will, and today remain grateful for the collected effort and intelligent snap decisions of those charged with resolving the situation. That was cool to see.
HOT: Realize that Monday's race could very well be this generation's "And there's a fight!" moment, just as the 1979 Daytona 500 engaged viewers who had never given NASCAR more than a passing thought. It wasn't perfect, but no race is. Monday was damn memorable, and I know I won't be forgetting it. I'm glad to have ridden the roller coaster that this last week was in Daytona.
NOT: Dale Earnhardt Jr. insisted after the race that "NASCAR can't catch a break", and listed the rain delays, the 2010 pothole and the The Great American Jet Fuel Burning incident as sorrowful incidents.
I'll cede him the rain and maybe the pothole, but Monday night's fire ? after it was resolved with minimal injury and continued great racing ? was the best thing to happen to NASCAR during its smartly done Monday night experiment. Millions tuned to the race to see what the hubbub was about, and a chunk of those hung around until the end. Millions more saw it across television networks and web content, while still others made it their first point of conversation at work Tuesday.
Turn 3 exploded at the Daytona 500 on live television. Everyone lived. They saved the day with Tide, a standard garden spreader, leaf blowers and later another jet dryer.
What's more engaging to red-blooded Americans than that? Let it ride, June Bug.
HOT: Joining the track safety workers in the "deserving a steak dinner" category is the entire Roush Fenway engine department. In the era of identical NASCAR race cars, they captured the entire Daytona 500 front row, won a Gatorade Duel qualifying race and held serve for most of the Daytona 500 before easily strutting to victory lane.
That's all about strong, reliable motors. Kudos.
NOT: Two people were hurt by parts flying off Joey Coulter's fence-ripping crash in the Friday night Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona, primarily because they were located so close to a pack of heavy machines streaking by at 185 miles per hour.
I get that liability in those scenarios tends to fall on the race fan who agreed to sit there knowing the risks, but NASCAR should insist fans sit�much further away from the track surface. The image liability of having fans dying from a nasty crash is not worth it.
HOT: Speaking of fans, how impressive was the attendance Monday night? I'd be willing to bet fewer people will purchase tickets to July's Sprint Cup race at Daytona than returned for a rained-delayed show. The loyalty was just awesome.
NEUTRAL: I personally thought the�hybrid racing NASCAR created by limiting tandem drafting in the Sprint Cup Series was a much better show than last year's event. That said, passing seemed to be a premium objective that was hard to accomplish.
[Jeff Passan: Passan: Brad Keselowski triples his Twitter followers during long Daytona delay]
As the Daytona track surface ages, handling going away from drivers during a run will help alleviate that issue. Until then, NASCAR might need to make another round of slight adjustments to increase passing opportunities.
NOT: It's a good thing Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran second in the Daytona 500, because otherwise many would have forgotten Hendrick Motorsports even showed up. The team didn't earn a front row spot, didn't win the Budweiser Shootout, didn't win a qualifying race and failed to finish three of its four Sprint Cup teams. Daytona Speedeeks can be seriously crazy.
HOT: Brad Keselowski tweeting during the red flag and immediately after he crashed was amazing cool, and NASCAR did the right thing in not leveling obscure penalties on the sport's best user of social media. As long as he and other drivers are smart about their in-car social media transactions, NASCAR could make some big strides on other sports on athlete connectivity.
NOT: The #DaytonaHostageCrisis Twitter hashtag used by drivers and media alike was shortsighted. Fans who paid hefty sums of money weren't able to enjoy this once-a-year event thanks to circumstances out of their control. It doesn't reflect well when the people who are paid to be there act like waiting for the race to start is a horrible thing, even in jest.
Grin, and bear it. Or just go home.
HOT/LAST: This is was first time to work directly alongside my Yahoo! colleagues, including the talented list of Nick Bromberg, Jay Busbee, Jay Hart, Jeff Passan and Dan Wetzel. Every minute was a joy, and I learned a lot about how they have been so successful in this fun world, mainly by being able to identify the most interesting part of any story for fans and not getting lost in the minutiae. Those guys work really hard to produce great and engaging content, and I was honored to work alongside them during my fourth trip to NASCAR's iconic race.
That said, this post figures to be my final for this great section of the blogosphere we call From the Marbles. It's a fact of life in this industry, and I'm still holding out hope that something new can be worked out that allows me to rejoin this great team. In the meantime, thanks for all of the fun live chats, comment sections and Twitter back-and-forths. I've enjoyed writing for you, and I hope you've been able to handle me hanging around. Enjoy the excitement of a new racing season!
Follow Geoffrey Miller on Twitter (@GeoffreyMiller).
Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
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Sixers C Hawes out at least 2 more weeks (AP)
Bethenny Frankel -- Skinnygirl in a Bikini
Source: http://www.tmz.com/2012/02/27/bethenny-frankel-bikini-body/
Combine Notes: Ryan Tannehill, the third man, will have to wait his turn
INDIANAPOLIS -- Certainly, all the talk about quarterbacks at this year's scouting combine has been about Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. Neither of those top prospects will throw in Sunday's positional drills, leaving a lot of face time for the next level of quarterbacks -- names like Brandon Weeden, Kirk Cousins, Brock Osweiler, and Nick Foles. While one or two of those guys may move up based on their performances, it's the man between the top and the bargain bin -- Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill -- who will have to shine it on until his Pro Day on March 29. The young man who wants to be an orthopedic surgeon after his football career will have a lot of time to study foot structure in the meantime -- the January injury to the fifth metatarsal bone, suffered while preparing for the Senior Bowl, will have him sitting out all the drills in Indianapolis.
Thus, the man who would have been the one to watch -- Tannehill could have cemented a first-round grade by most NFL teams with a strong combine showing -- has to watch and wait.
"It happened on the second day down in Florida for me, right there in January," Tannehill said of the injury. "I was rolling out to my left, just a normal rollout quarterback drill. Turned my shoulders to make the throw and felt a pop in my foot. So it's kind of an unfortunate thing, very frustrating at the time. Come to find out, I probably had a stress fracture there that was kind of a ticking time bomb and just waiting for the right moment to pop. So it was very frustrating the fact that it happened, but it was kind of a blessing in disguise at the same time, because I was able to get it fixed. I'm going to be able to have a full Pro Day and prepare for an NFL season. When it comes down to it, that's what we're preparing for is to play in the NFL, not just the combine. So I'm excited about the rehab and where I am right now and getting ready for my Pro Day."
Tannehill will be preparing with quarterback guru Chris Weinke at IMG in Florida, where Weinke did great things for the mechanics of Cam Newton and Christian Ponder before the 2011 NFL season. He's an intriguing quarterback with an impressive set of skills, but not everything has come together just yet. Though Tannehill played quarterback in high school, he spent his first two years at A&M at the receiver position, increasing his throwing reps halfway through the 2010 season. The athletic and mechanical aspects of his game are very solid, but the fine points might take a while. Still, ex-head coach Mike Sherman is a big believer in Tannehill's future.
"He was a receiver for us for two and a half years. He had over 1,000 yards receiving," Sherman said of Tannehill, who caught 112 passes for 1,596 yards and 10 touchdowns at his former position. "Like all good quarterbacks, he had great poise. Very confident in any system, west coast or not," Sherman said. "Any quarterback has to be confident in his own skin and believe in himself. They always say a great quarterback makes those around him better. I thought [Brett] Favre did that. I think Aaron Rodgers does that. I think Tannehill does that as well."
Tannehill saw himself as a quarterback all along. "It was kind of a unique experience changing positions," he said during this Thursday combine press conference. "I went to A&M as a quarterback. I redshirted as a quarterback. I went into camp my freshman year as a quarterback and was going to be third on the depth chart and they moved me out to receiver. I ended up having some success that day and about two days later, I was in the starting rotation at receiver. It was a quick turnaround. I was frustrated by the fact that I didn't get to play quarterback. It's what I always what I wanted to be. So I was frustrated by it, but blessed by the opportunity to be able to play another position. Not a lot of people get to contribute in another way to help their team. It was exciting for me to be able to do that. I learned a lot about the game, got a lot of experience.
"Even though it wasn't at the quarterback position, I did get experience playing football and seeing the game out there. I learned a lot from it, and fortunately I was able to get back to where I wanted to be under center."
One personnel executive who agrees that Tannehill is on the right track is Seattle general manager John Schneider, who pointed to Tannehill this week as the perfect example of the kind of player he wants running his offense -- as much an athlete as a quarterback.
"First and foremost, that's what we're looking for," Schneider said on Thursday. "Especially at that position. Guys that have always been in the quarterback schools, the special camps, and all that kind of stuff. They make me a little nervous to a certain extent. This guy is a real football player. He played defense. You could see him last year when he stepped in, he just went out and played. He had this natural toughness about him that the players really rallied around and went on a winning streak and he did a great job. I felt like this year, he had well over 60 drops. He did a nice job."
His former coach is impressed. The NFL is waiting. And Ryan Tannehill, the third man in this year's quarterbacks class, will have to be patient, see a month go by, and then have the league descend on him to roll the final grade.
41 killed Tuesday in Syria, but official claims regime cares about civilians
Source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_latest/~3/VyN_0Enh3a4/index.html
Villas-Boas targets Porto's Hulk
Monday 27 February 2012
Deal struck may keep Kings in Sacramento (AP)
Whitney Houston's Final Movie -- Preemptive Strike to Prevent Leak
Source: http://www.tmz.com/2012/02/27/whitney-houston-sparkle-movie/
Maryland pulls off hidden ball trick in NCAA lacrosse tournament
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The hidden ball trick, a custom of Little League fields and inspirational sports movies for decades, made an appearance over the weekend in an unlikely place: the NCAA lacrosse tournament.
Maryland players pulled off the trick play during a first-round game against ACC rival North Carolina. You may have to watch the clip a few times before you see how they did it, which is probably as good an indication as any that it was executed successfully:
The exchange from seniors Grant Catalino and Brian Farrell was described as "lucky" by the Associated Press. That seems to be demeaning characterization of a play that took planning, skill, patience and execution. Nobody saw it coming! It worked like a charm! They deceived everyone! The trick was the lacrosse equivalent of the end of "The Sting."
Maryland went on to win the game, 13-6.
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Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray Files Appeal
Murray will represent himself as he contests involuntary manslaughter conviction for which he faces up to four years in state prison.
By Kara Warner
Dr. Conrad Murray
Photo: Pool/ Getty Images
<P>As expected, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/jackson_michael/artist.jhtml">Michael Jackson</a>'s former doctor <a href="/news/articles/1673957/conrad-murray-appeal-verdict-michael-jackson.jhtml">Conrad Murray has filed an appeal</a> to challenge his involuntary manslaughter conviction. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:708788.id:1673923" width="240" height="211"></div><p> According to <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2011/12/02/conrad-murray-files-appeal-involuntary-manslaughter" target="_blank">TMZ</a>, Murray filed the petition in pro per, which means he has decided to forego hiring legal representation and represent himself. He reportedly listed "Men's Central Jail" and his booking number in the space on the appeal document where a lawyer would normally list a firm's name or contact information. TMZ also reported that although Murray seems to be without a lawyer, he is still in communication with Nareg Gourjian, one of the attorneys who represented him during his manslaughter trial. "This case presents a gold mine of issues for any appellate lawyer," Gourjian told TMZ. "Dr. Murray is confident that the Court of Appeal will vindicate him." Following the guilty verdict, Murray's lead defense lawyer Ed Chernoff told CNN, "What matters most right now is trying to keep Dr. Murray from taking up a prison cell in this community. That's what we're focusing on right now, and we'll deal with an appeal after that." <a href="/news/articles/1675062/conrad-murray-sentence.jhtml">Murray was sentenced to four years</a> in jail Tuesday, but due to overcrowding, he's unlikely to serve his full term. </p>
Related Videos Related ArtistsSource:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1675343/conrad-murray-conviction-appeal.jhtml
New York based Princess Madeleine moves in with financier boyfriend
Source: http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/201202237287/princess-madeleine-moves-in-with-boyfriend/
VIDEO: 'Chain of protest' held in Moscow
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-europe-17173261
Sunday 26 February 2012
Princes William and Harry ask Gary Barlow to get top US and UK talent for Diamond Jubilee concert
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Why Is This News 35: Hal Needham, stuntman, NASCAR owner, 'Smokey & The Bandit' director
Now 80 years old, Needham has done more in one life than most men have done in ten. He's just published a book, Stuntman!: My Car-Crashing, Plane-Jumping, Bone-Breaking, Death-Defying Hollywood Life. And in it, he recounts his days doing one or more of the following:
? Stunt-doubling everyone from John Wayne to Kirk Douglas to Burt Reynolds.
? Jumping trucks and boats, leaping out of buildings and off of planes, and breaking many, many bones.
? Orchestrating a team that drove broke the sound barrier.�
? Creating a NASCAR team from scratch, racing against Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, and doing a pretty damn fine job of it.
? Driving in the Cannonball Run, then creating the movie of the same name.
? Writing and directing Smokey and the Bandit.
That's not bad. We discuss all that and more in our chat. He's a hell of a lot of fun, and this podcast'll put hair on your chest. Even the ladies, so listen with caution. And after the jump, check out a couple of Needham's trademark stunts.
We, as always, are Jay Busbee, the editor of From The Marbles and Devil Ball, and Kevin Kaduk, the editor of Big League Stew, and you are our reader/listener, and we thank you for that.
To play the podcast, click the link below or save it on your computer. You can also click on the iTunes button below (or right here) to subscribe through iTunes, or the RSS button below (or right here) to run the feed to other players. And if you can't get enough, you can follow us on Twitter at @jaybusbee and @bigleaguestew for further updates.� �
Why Is This News, episode 35--Hal Needham, stuntman and director of Smokey & The Bandit
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/post/Why-Is-This-News-35-Hal-Needham-stuntman-NASC?urn=top-333735
Apple cuts push email in Germany
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/technology-17152225
Whitney Houston -- Family 'Disgusted' by Casket Photo
Source: http://www.tmz.com/2012/02/25/whitney-houston-casket-photo-dead/
Shimer, Bakken, Eagan headline bobsled HOF class (AP)
Saturday 25 February 2012
Mailbag: Trainer Freddie Roach marvels at his new-found reality-TV celebrity (Yahoo! Sports)
The veteran trainer wonders why viewers find him interesting, but his pearls of wisdom are priceless.
'Artist' Dog Bites (Little) Man
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The Help & Modern Family PRs honoured at Publicist Guild Awards
Source: http://feeds.hollywood.com/~r/hollywoodcom_recent_news/~3/cU_-n05rCuE/18350278
Re: http://www.mrpaparazzi.com/post/18050
Source: http://www.mrpaparazzi.com/post/18050#comment-448647809
Defiant Braun says 'truth prevailed' (AP)
His voice self-assured, Ryan Braun stood a few feet from the batter's box and hit back at those who he feels tarnished his name and image. The NL MVP insisted Friday that he always believed his 50-game suspension for a positive drug test would be overturned and that he would be able to suit up opening day along with Milwaukee teammates who never doubted him.
Uhleander of US wins women's skeleton WCup (AP)
Elation as Sweden welcomes first royal baby in three decades
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Friday 24 February 2012
Travis Pastrana sets 2012 NASCAR Nationwide schedule
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. ? The 40 places that Travis Pastrana shattered his right ankle and foot last summer have healed enough to get the action sports superstar back in NASCAR this season.
Pastrana, the 11-time X Games gold medalist, will make his first Nationwide Series start April 27 at Richmond International Raceway in what's currently known as the NASCAR Nationwide 250 ? though you can bet potential race sponsors will be more interested now. It'll be the first of seven starts in the Nationwide Series for Pastrana, with races at Darlington, Charlotte, New Hampshire, Chicagoland, Indianapolis and Atlanta joining Richmond ? and maybe more.
"The wait has been grueling," Pastrana said Friday at Daytona International Speedway. "This is one of the toughest things I've ever done. But we're ready to go now. We have seven Nationwide races planned but if we can secure some additional sponsorship we'll run more. If it were up to me, we'd run every race after Richmond. I'm ready to get this thing going."
Pastrana's foray into the Nationwide Series was postponed in 2011 after a motorcycle jump two nights before his scheduled debut at Indianapolis' O'Reilly Raceway Park went awry. Pastrana shattered his right ankle and foot in a gruesome landing during the Moto X Freestyle event, canceling his NASCAR debut. He had tried to attempt a "TP Roll", or a 720-degree spin off a large jump.
Pastrana managed to get clearance from X-Games officials to compete three days after the injury in the RallyCross event in a car modified�with hand controls.
His first NASCAR-sanctioned start of 2012 will come at Bristol Motor Speedway in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series March 17 ? part of an 11-race schedule in that series for Pastrana. The St. Patrick's Day date figures to be wrought with exposure for NASCAR's new crossover stars, as Danica Patrick will make her first start at NASCAR's most famous half-mile. Patrick is making the full transition from IndyCar to NASCAR this season, running the entire Nationwide Series schedule and select Sprint Cup Series events.
For those of you who aren't the X-Games type, Pastrana is wildly popular in action sports circles. Boasting 3.3 million "likes" on his Facebook page and over 320,000 followers on Twitter, Pastrana has raced about everything imaginable, from motorcycles to monster trucks and even made his debut in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona this year.
The Richmond Nationwide Series debut should make sponsor executives at Boost Mobile, his primary sponsor, sleep a bit better at night, too. Pastrana will likely again be at the 2012 Summer X Games, held in Los Angeles from June 28 to July 1 ? even though he's said he'll only participate in the Rally Car Racing events and give up the Moto X Freestyle competition.
For those of you looking to catch Pastrana in NASCAR action, here's a list of scheduled dates:
Travis Pastrana 2012 Nationwide Series Schedule
Richmond�?�April 27
Darlington�?�May 11
Charlotte�?�May 26
New Hampshire�?�July 14
Chicagoland�?�July 22
Indianapolis�?�July 28
Atlanta�?�Sept. 1
Travis Pastrana 2012 K&N Series Schedule
Bristol Motor Speedway (Bristol, Tenn)�? March 17
Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Easley, S.C.)�? March 31
Richmond International Raceway (Richmond, Va.)�? April 26
Iowa Speedway (Newton, Ia.)�? May 19
Bowman Gray Stadium (Winston-Salem, N.C.)�? June 2
Langley Speedway (Hampton, Va.)�? June 23
Iowa Speedway (Newton, Iowa)�? Aug. 3
Greenville-Pickens Speedway (Easley, S.C.)�? Sept. 3
New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Loudon, N.H.)�? Sept. 22
Dover International Speedway (Dover, Dela.)�? Sept. 28
Rockingham Speedway (Rockingham, N.C.)�? Nov. 3
OMG! VIDEO Did Zac Efron really drop a condom on the red carpet at film premiere?
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Anthony Shadid followed the Green Bay Packers, with love, from a distance
Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony Shadid, who distinguished himself with amazing coverage from the fighting in the Persian Gulf for over a decade for the Washington Post and New York Times, succumbed to a fatal asthma attack on Thursday at the age of 43. Shadid suffered the attack while covering an insurrection against the Syrian government. It was a sad and somewhat ironic end for a man who so often put himself directly in the face of danger for a deeper version of the story in a very dangerous part of the world.
Shadid was shot during a demonstration in 2002, and he was one of several Times reporters detained in 2011 by forces loyal to Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi. He survived those dramas with extreme distinction, and his coverage was a beacon for those who wish to get to the very heart of a story, no matter the circumstances.
In his rare off-times, Shadid had a very interesting passion -- he was obsessed with the Green Bay Packers. In a recounting for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in 2011, Shadid explained how he came to love the team, to the point where he racked up outlandish telephone bills, using a satellite phone to pick up Packers games by radio.
I realized it had become a problem in Baghdad. 2003 wasn't even that great of a season, at least early on. (The glories of Brett Favre on Monday night in Oakland and Al Harris' pick in overtime in the playoffs against Seattle awaited, as did the post-traumatic stress I still bear from fourth-and-26 in Philadelphia.)
For a fan, though, loyalty is never about wins and losses. It's about being there, and from thousands of miles away I managed to be, by way of a breathtakingly expensive satellite phone that brought me the radio broadcast.
"You're not going to believe the phone bill," my bureau chief, as alarmed as he was unknowing, declared to me right around the time the Packers had a 4-4 record.
I looked at him, shaking my head in insincere sympathy.
"Can they tell which computer ran up the bill?" I asked.
They couldn't.
Perhaps his love for the Packers gave Shadid, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a sense of home away from home. Whatever the reason, as he told it himself, he took his football team with him wherever he went.
I've worked as a foreign correspondent for 15 years, and I feel like the Packers were there on every assignment, from Cairo to Islamabad. On my way back from Egypt, after landing at JFK in New York, I listened in disbelief to the radio in the taxi as Terrell Owens snagged the game-winning pass with three seconds left. Three. In a brutal winter in Kabul, I logged on to the slowest Internet connection in the history of the Afghan capital to see that we had lost to the St. Louis Rams, 45-17. Next to a wood-burning stove, still in my sleeping bag, I asked myself whether Favre really could have thrown six picks. Six.
In 1995, Shadid would spend a few hundred dollars to stay at whatever five-star hotels had the kind of transmissions that would beam the Packers to him. When he won his first Pulitzer, his Washington Post bureau chief gave him tickets to a Redskins contest. His response? "Forget the Pulitzer! I'm going to the game!"
Shadid, as he put it, "dragged" his wife and two children to Lambeau Field in December of 2010 for a Packers-49ers game. His family didn't lock in, but the journalist remembered the scene as only a journalist of his kind could.
I then sat by myself, basking in frigid temperatures, gazing at the occasional flurry and sipping the tastiest beer ever, as time seemed to slow, just a little.
In the end, Shadid seemed to see his Packers fandom as he saw his work and art. It was better to take the hard way if necessary -- perhaps the difficulty even added to the experience when the game (or the story) finally came through.
It's not so hard to watch the game these days abroad, as long as you set your alarm for the occasional 3 a.m. You can actually stream them on the Internet from anywhere in the world. I even have a satellite dish that offers ESPN and Fox Sports. But I guess I feel a little less worthy as a fan. Without all the effort, losses don't hurt as much. Wins are not as jubilant. It all feels a little more ordinary.
One senses that watching a game with Anthony Shadid would have been anything but "ordinary." When a person spends his life searching down the marrow for every possible experience ... well, life is made more extraordinary in the presence of such people. We can only hope to echo such legacies through time, in their honor.
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