It is official: Formula One will indeed be heading to Austin on November 18, 2012. Hallelujah. Sanity prevailed in all of this. Circuit officials reached an agreement with Bernie Ecclestone just hours before the World Motor Sports Council confirmed the 2012 F1 calendar. The race organizers survived the last gasp extension from Ecclestone. All systems are go once again. Whew.
Though no official contract details have been released, the rumor mill is full of reports of anywhere from $25 to $35 million per year. The original contract proposal from Ecclestone – while Tavo Hellmund was an integral part of the planning – was $25 million per year, a relative steal in F1 terms these days.
But when Bernie talks, people listen – especially if they are intent on bringing a Formula One race to their locale.
I think that the true colors of the 2011 Longhorns made an appearance in Waco this past weekend.
First of all, the harsh reality: Baylor 48, Texas 24. Ouch. Baylor now has a two game winning streak against the Horns. Double ouch.
Perhaps it is fitting that the Horns ended the season at 7 – 5, just two games better than the nightmare of last year. Maybe they were “better enough” to keep the Longhorn Nation in suspense throughout the offseason and to keep Mack Brown off the hot seat. Maybe.
This game was, in fact, a pretty fair barometer of the season – even if they were beaten by a should-rightfully-be Heisman Trophy winner.
I have been a true fan of Formula One for a very long time. My exposure to it all started when I was a youth. I had an uncle that went to England to race Formula Fords and build fiberglass moldings for, well, a number of teams, Formula One included if my memory serves me correctly. Of course, this was in the day when cars were still made of aluminum and fiberglass, not carbon fiber – circa 1971 or so.
That year, Bernie Ecclestone became the owner and team manager for the Brabham F1 team. His power in the sport expanded to being the chief executive of the Formula One Constructors Association in 1978, now the President and CEO of Formula One Management. He is, without question, the most powerful man in Formula One.
I have been witness to 40 years of Formula One history. When you stand back and take a look at the big picture, it becomes readily apparent to this F1 aficionado there are four rules that must be obeyed in order to get an F1 event in any locale. Circuit Of The Americas (COTA), please take note.
This past summer of 2011, on a trip to Sacramento, I decided to head to the coast for a little sight seeing. I drove to the north side of the Golden Gate bridge, then headed through San Francisco.
I have always had an interest in the cultural changes that took place during the Sixties. With that in mind, I thought that a return trip through Berkeley was in order.
I drove along Telegraph Avenue towards the UC-Berkeley campus. A turn to the right and I was driving past People’s Park, site of the Bloody Thursday protest in 1969. That was the fateful day when Governor Ronald Reagan declared a “state of extreme emergency” and sent in 2,000 National Guard troops. Why? The 3,000 to 6,000 activists who did not want People’s Park to be destroyed.
For many, People’s Park was the epicenter of the counterculture. Now, it is a husk of its former self.
Fast forward 42 years - to 2011. Students have set up camp at Zuccotti Park in New York City to protest Wall Street. But that’s not the only protest. Imagine a peaceful sit-in on the campus of UC-Davis that was met with a barrage of pepper spray. The responses to the Occupy protests are growing more violent.
The ideological roots to Occupy Wall Street run deep and wide. Has the counterculture found its way to the new millennium?
There was a college football game yesterday in College Station, one of great social implications if you live in the state of Texas. Actually, there were two games being played. For those who may have missed the excitement, here are the scores of the games:
Texas 27, Texas A&M 25
Big Money In College Football 1, College Football Fans 0
There was plenty of action on the field, as there always is during the Lone Star Showdown. But what is most important in all of this is the latter score: how money won out and a 118 year-old rivalry lost. It is a sad day in college sports – the football fan and the student athlete both lost today.
Today’s Rhubarb Report really isn’t about rhubarb. Come to think of it, it really is about rhubarb, the kind you would consume on a day like today – Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving in Canada is actually Columbus Day in the United States. Many things remain the same: turkey dinner, time with friends and family, and pumpkin pie. Don’t forget the football games.
Back in my youth, we would often spend Thanksgiving with my father’s parents. My grandmother would always create a huge meal. Fresh vegetables would come from her own garden. Dinner was always tremendous, but dessert was second to none.
Of course, when in the United States, do as your fellow Americans do, and that means celebrate Thanksgiving in November. And as I would always say, if it means an extra turkey dinner, celebrate it on Canadian Thanksgiving as well.
Seriously though, this day is about so much more than just turkey and football. It is about giving thanks. So let’s throw away the standard format for the Report, and get down to what is really important on a day like today.
Kansas State University has our number these days. The Longhorns have lost to the Wildcats four straight times now after this past weekend’s 17 – 13 thriller. Coach Bill Snyder should be getting a Coach Of The Year award with his AARP benefits program and Family Stadium named after him. Collin Klein has moments when he looks like Tim Tebow revisited, without the fanaticism and Heisman.
Oh, wait. This post isn’t about the Wildcats – it is about the Longhorns. Unfortunately, the news hasn’t changed much around the Forty Acres over the past few weeks. But there are some very intriguing plot lines developing.
If your defense holds a team to 17 points, especially if that team is #16 in the country, then you have done your job. Two weeks in a row now, that has happened. The Longhorns defense has been dominant.
The Longhorns offense, on the other hand, is in neutral.
Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sports, education, and health care. Read more about Allan here.