Carolina wins the CWS!

The Carolina Gamecocks are the big winners in this years College World Series. Congratulations to the USC Gamecocks!

Suck it Chicago!

I have spent the week gleefully reading about the Supreme Court decision that ruled Chicago's handgun ban unconstitutional. Washington D.C. suffered the same fate last year, so this is hardly a surprise. The surprise lies in the court's decision to extend the provisions set forth in the Second Amendment to the States and Municipalities. I think that this is a good thing because it keeps the bleeding hearts in Chicago from denying American citizens rights guaranteed under the Constitution. In the long run, it's much better that Chicago learns a lesson than allowing them to terrorize its law abiding residents by making gun ownership a crime.

All set for the weekend

I am all set and ready to go for the Fourth this weekend. I went Fireworks shopping last weekend and have a great show planned. More in this later. I think that I will try and shoot a few pictures this year. If they turn out, I will post.

Two Wheel Tuesday - #3

This past weekend Assen hosted the Dutch Grand Prix. As a Nicky Hayden fan, I had big hopes for this race as #69 has won here in the past. As far as Nicky was concerned, the race was over at lap one.  He had a poor start from 5th and never recovered. He was in 9th at the first turn and that was that. In the post-race interviews, Nicky said that he was folding the front trying to make up time and went as fast as he could under those conditions. Not a very good showing from Nicky during this race. He needs to step it up a notch. The other side of Team Red's garage fared much better as Stoner put the Ducati on the box for the first time this year. Spies led a MotoGP race for the first time and finished a very respectable fourth, the satellite rider's career best finish. Rossi's bike was parked again and once again, the rising star of Lorenzo shone down upon the land. Jorge is in a league of his own. Pedrosa gave him an early run, but Jorge shrugged the challenge off again and laid waste to the field. This championship is his to lose. Sorry for the abbreviated race report, but this race had little drama and wasn't my favorite contest thus far this year.

The drama was reserved for later in the week, when insiders are confident that Rossi has already signed with Ducati for next year. This dovetails nicely with the associated rumor that Stoner has already left the nest for Honda. The rumor mill around Rossi has been spinning tales for some time now. For example, it's been long rumored that Rossi has a decision to make, take €9M from Yamaha or take €15M from Ducati. It's long been assumed that Lorenzo wants €8M from Yamaha and if he wins the title, he will get it. That's too close for comfort for the prized Italian rider and he might bolt for Ducati. If he does that, stand by for a the Italians to lose their minds in absolute ecstacy. An Italian champion on an Italian bike? It's happened before, but it has been a very long time.

Then again, all this talk may be a carefully orchestrated means to get Rossi in the news while he recuperates. Time will tell.

The Mississippi Chronicles

Through the magic of the Internet, I "spoke" with Amanda this evening about their recent relocation to Mississippi. It seems that they have moved into a neighborhood that has another McCormick family nearby. Same name, that's not something you see everyday.

But wait, there's more.

This family also hails from the fair city of Mobile.

But wait, there's more.

The man's name is Rod McCormick (Rod/Ron).

But wait, there's more.

The new neighbors have a daughter named Molly (Molly/Millie).

But wait, there's more.

The Ron and Amanda variety also has a Molly 'family' member, namely their irascible little Dachshund.

There are strange things afoot in Madison, MS.

Wolfpack Fans Unite!

This morning as I was entering the 7-Eleven to buy gas, I ran into Tim. Tim has a daughter in Kara's grade in the same school and lives in a development across the main road. This is important because Tim is an alumnus of N.C. State. We spoke briefly about Tom O'Brien and his approach to student athletics, the recent hire of Debbie Yow as the AD, and recent trips to the motherland. It really made my day to speak, even if only for a few minutes, to one of the Wolfpack faithful. At least someone in this godforsaken, Carolina loving county has some taste.

Monday Roundup - #3

Since school is out and the summer of 2010 is officially underway, the activity of the Clark kids has slowed somewhat. Kellie continues to go to work at the pool and is finding that the daily duties of a Virginia lifeguard include cleaning up disgusting things that end up on the bathroom floors. Ask her about it. She will be glad to enlighten you. Austin continues to train for Cross Country and the Playstation Olympics. Kara got a job working as a Mommy's helper and just finished her first official (paid) babysitting job. The added funds will enable her to continue to operate as a loan institution for her brother and sister. They like to borrow money from Kara in the hopes that she will forget what they owe her and get a free gift. The only problem with that approach is that Kara NEVER forgets who owes her money and how much.

Two Wheel Tuesday - #2

Over the weekend, MotoGP returned to the historic Silverstone circuit for the British Grand Prix. Jorge Lorenzo rode away from the pack for an easy win, but the remaining podium positions were hotly contested. Dovizioso and the surprising Ben Spies took second and third respectively.

Going into the race, we were treated to another Ducati first. Nicky Hayden out qualified Casey Stoner for the first time as his teammate, but Casey's race pace was a clear sign that the qualifying positions really wouldn't matter once the flag dropped. That didn't materialize because Stoner had clutch problems on the start and entered turn one in last place. The fact that he finished fifth was easily the most impressive run through the pack we have seen in years. Casey was a bit of a douche about the matter, publicly throwing his team under the bus about the technical problems. This attitude towards the usually tight knit Ducati teams only served to heat up the rumors that Casey is headed to Honda at the end of the season. Clearly Stoner has not warmed up to the new bike. Maybe it's too rigid in in current incarnation. Rumors are also swirling about the paddock that Ducati has already signed Hayden to a ride in 2011. The fact that they have signed one rider and not the other also gave weight to the rumor that Ducati has made a run on Rossi for next year.  Rumor also says that Rossi has been watching Hayden's progress on the Desmo and had given it his seal of approval. This type of conjecture is normal in any racing series, but it's a little early for this kind of thing in MotoGP.

For the second time this season, Hayden beat Stoner to the checkered flag, but the fourth place position was little consolation for Hayden for several reasons. Hayden was beaten to the podium by a satellite rider (Spies) on the last lap and barely beat Stoner who had to pass nearly everyone on the track. The big news was that Spies passed Hayden on the track and took third away from him. Are we seeing the start of an American rivalry? I hope so, moreso because I never put Spies on the podium this year before Hayden, but that's where we are.

Lorenzo was in a different world and made everyone else loo a little silly in the process. Very impressive. Yamaha parked Ross's bike and did not produce a replacement rider. This is probably a nod to the fact that the Rossi faithful would crucify anyone who dared rider the masters bike or they just couldn't find anyone willing to do it.

Colin Edwards must be feeling a little lost as the nominal lead rider was outshone by a rookie. One factor that hasn't seen much airtime is the fact that only two riders (Stoner/Edwards) had ever ridden there before, so that meant Spies was not at a big disadvantage here and he made the best of it.


Current Standings after 5 races:

Position	Rider	Bike	Points
1	Jorge Lorenzo	Yamaha	115
2	Andrea Dovizioso	Honda	78
3	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	73
4	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	61
5	Nicky Hayden	Ducati	52
6	Randy De Puniet	Honda	46
7	Ben Spies	Yamaha	36
8	Casey Stoner	Ducati	35
9	Marco Melandri	Honda	32
10	Marco Simoncelli	Honda	32

Monday Roundup - #2

The big news this week is that all of the kids are out of school. Kellie is progressing with her new job with ease. Our only problem is keeping her from blowing all her money the day she gets it. Austin spen the last week as a counselor at middle school track camp and Kara just had her camp track meet on Friday night. Right now, all the kids are in Ocean City catching some rays.

2010 Track Camp at Brentsville District High School

Kara attended the evening track camp held at Kellie and Austin's high school all last week. Austin was there as well as a camp counselor. Photographer extraordinaire Chris Robbins was there as well and he took a few action shots of Kara competing in the end-of-camp track meet. Enjoy.

Pictures Link

Schools Out ... For ... The Summer

Summer officially begins today for the Clark kids!

Two Wheel Tuesday - #1

We are four races into the 2010 MotoGP season, but already a few concrete observations can be made and a few major events have already occurred.

Season Recap:
     Race 1: Qatar - Rossi (1st), Lorenzo (2nd), Dovizioso (3rd)
     Race 2: Jerez - Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Rossi
     Race 3: Le Mans - Lorenzo, Rossi, Dovizioso
     Race 4: Mugello - Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Dovizioso

Jorge Lorenzo currently leads the series, followed by Pedrosa (-25) and Rossi (-29).

MotoGP Rider Notes:

Valentino Rossi - By all appearances from the results listed above, the GOAT is off to another fine season and will contend for yet another title. That was true until the final practice at Mugello where Valentino suffered a nasty highside in Turn 4 and fractured his lower right leg. Valentino missed the race and is expected to be out of commission for up to six months. For the first time in a decade, he will not be a factor in the title chase.

Jorge Lorenzo - Jorge is the heir apparent in the MotoGP world as he had given Valentino all he can handle thus far this year. This tension between teammates has fueled several rumors in the paddock regarding rider placement this year. More on this later. The Spaniard has had a spectacular season thus far and is heavily tipped to win the show this year. Yamaha clearly has the flagship team this year. In light of Rossi's medical issues, it's clear that Lorenzo will step out of the considerable shadow of Rossi and become the #1 rider for the first time.

Andrea Dovizioso - Dovi has had a great set of races and seems to be the major recipient of the much stronger Honda engine. He is really pushing Dani through the opening rounds.

Casey Stoner - Casey has already had a pair of DNFs in the first four races, both the result of front end tucks. Ducati considerably changed the bike to ensure that someone other than Casey could ride the beast, but it seems to have affected Casey in a very negative sense thus far.

Nicky Hayden -The changes to the Ducati seems to have met well with Nicky's style in these opening rounds. He finished 4th in each of the opening three rounds before suffering his own front end tuck in Mugello and failing to finish the race. He is clearly more comfortable on the new bike and in Jerez, dealt Casey his first ever straight up loss to a Ducati teammate in which both riders finished. He is currently the highest scoring Ducati rider.

Ben Spies - Big Ben's introduction to MotoGP has not been the Cinderella season that World Superbike was last year. Ben is struggling with the Yamaha somewhat, but has shown flashes of brilliance already. He is clearly someone to watch when he figures this bike and the Bridgestones out.

Dani Pedrosa - Pedrosa is a dick and that's all I have to say about him.

Other Riders of Note:

Troy Bayliss -This past weekend at the World Ducati Weekend in Misano, Bayliss squashed the rumors that he was coming back to the World Superbike paddock. The racing world was abuzz for a few days when we thought that the most popular rider in Ducati's history was coming back. Bayliss said he's retired and he's happy, so no comeback. Then, to add insult to injury, he participated in the Misano test and posted the fastest time of any Ducati rider, including the current factory riders! The man is simply amazing and has left the racing world wondering what could have been.

Rumors -
Rossi's Replacement - No definitive word yet on Rossi's replacement rider. Ben Spies was the supposed replacement rider, but rookies are not eligible for factory rides. Colin Edwards is the likely candidate, so the real issue is who takes over on Colin's bike. Cal Crutchlow from World Superbike turned the ride down, so the issue is clearly up in the air.

Stoner leaving Ducati? - Stoner is heavily rumored to go to Honda next year and either Lorenzo or Rossi are rumored to take the open slot at Ducati because these two roosters can't be in the same garage.

Monday Roundup - #1

I am starting a few new series on the blog that will be published more or less on a weekly basis. Today, I am debuting the Monday Roundup which will highlight the activities and accomplishment of the Virginia Clark kids from the previous week.

Kara, Austin, and Kellie are still in school, but the year is definitely winding down. The teenagers even have a few abbreviated class days this week.

This week, we will go youngest to oldest.

Kara - Kara is finishing her first year in middle school and appears to have made the transition well, so no problems there. Tonight she began a middle school track camp at BDHS, and at this writing, she is still there. Kara is finishing her first year in middle school and appears to have made the transition well, so no problems there. Tonight she began a middle school track camp at BDHS, and at this writing, she is still there.

Austin - Austin discovered that he is a big fan of History this school year, particularly American history and WWII. The proof is in the pudding as he scored a 595/600 on his Virginia Standard of Learning test last week. He is also attending the track camp at the high school this week, but in the capacity of Assistant Coach.

Kellie - Kellie took the SAT's last week and will have to take some SAT prep classes to bring her score up a little before next year. She has started her job as a lifeguard at a local pool and is dying to spend her first paycheck before the enforced savings begin. She remains on the lookout for schools of choice next year. We plan to visit JMU sometime this summer.

World Ducati Weekend

It's been said that there are two motorcycle brands in the world, Harley Davidson and Ducati. The rest are merely motorcycle manufacturers. Regardless of your position on this topic, no one can deny that Ducati fans are among the most supportive anywhere on the third rock from the sun. This past weekend, the annual World Ducati Weekend was held in Misano, Italy.

Nicky looks to be very popular among the Italians.

I think there were a few Ducatis at the event.

I am not sure how to describe this guy, but 'Crazy Bastard' comes to mind.

A Night of Classic Rock

Tracy scored tickets to the Foreigner/Styx/Kansas concert last night, so we grabbed Chris, Bethany, Lisa, and Gary and headed to Jiffy Lube Live. The coolest thing about the concert was seeing a entire audience my age or older. All of these bands came to the national stage in the 1970's, so the 20-30 year olds were few and far between. All the members of the band are old, but so am I, so who cares?

We were treated to 4 hours of 70's and 80's rock and roll. The 1980's remain the golden age of music in the United States and hearing the old stuff kicked ass. Tracy, as usual, made a spectacle of herself, but who could blame her? There is something ethereal about hearing the music from your youth and Tracy let loose.

Predictably, each band closed with their most popular song:

Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
Styx - Renegade
Foreigner - Juke Box Hero

Since the bands are so old (Renegade was released 32 years ago), very few of the original members are still around. That said, the new singer for Foreigner was a dead ringer for the original vocalist and if they had not brought it up during the concert, I never would have known.

 

 Rocking out in Section 303

One Week Later

Today marks one week to the day that the McCormicks moved to Mississippi. That is all.

Are you %$^#ing kidding me? - Episode 1

I am often put in situations where I am with friends and my Indian heritage comes up. Most people are generally interested in what that means, but they are often insulting. This rarely bothers me because they perceived insults are almost always an attempt to use humor or just plain ignorant. Sometime the ignorance reaches levels that boggle the mind and a recent episode is the genesis of this multi-episode series.  Welcome to Episode 1.

Over the Memorial Dy weekend, I had the occasion to meet a friend-of-a-friend and I was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a very peculiar pearl of wisdom. As described above, my heritage was brought into a conversation and my new acquaintance began talking to me about it. As I recall, his best guess was that I was Chippewa, but I corrected that innocent error. I never found out the reason why he went with this particular choice because of what happened next.

I was describing the physical layout of Robeson County and how the white invaders passed over the area due to its apparent lack of any arable land. I went on to describe the large amount of swampland recovered and made into farmland in the years since. It was at this point in the conversation when the stupid bomb hit.

At this point, my new friend informed me that the Lumbees were lucky because all the East Coast Indian tribes were pushed into the uninhabited west. I verbally poked at this statement to make sure that I had heard him correctly, and yes I had. It was his assertion that in the late 1600's and early 1700's, the western half on North America was entirely devoid of human population.

Are you %$^#ing kidding me?

I was polite, perhaps overly so, and made no comment whatsoever. What could I say? I have no answer for such blissful ignorance. If this was a young man, I could have perhaps excused such idiocy, but he was not. In fact, he was older than me. I had heard that the average American's historical knowledge is frighteningly incomplete, but this is absurd. I am not even sure who or what is to blame for something like this. Yes, I have a special interest in this topic and certainly know more about this than the average bear, but let's face the facts. This is pretty basic information that should have been covered in a 4th or 5th grade history class.