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By Adam Rosenberg | Digital Trends – 

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Busch twice appeared destined to destroy his race car, and twice used breathtaking saves to keep on running around Daytona International Speedway.

He probably shouldn’t have been in position to race with the leaders. Yet there he was, bearing down on the finish line with a shot at winning Saturday night’s exhibition Budweiser Shootout, and with a slingshot pass on the outside of defending NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, Busch pulled off a miraculous win in the first event of 2012.

Not too shabby of a start to the season.

NASCAR has every right to be giddy about Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500, a pivotal race in sparking interest at the start of a very long season. A rain-shortened event in 2009 set the tone for a rocky year, and two lengthy delays to fix a pesky pothole in the track surface impacted the 2010 season.

Then came Trevor Bayne’s upset victory last year, and NASCAR never looked back. The 2011 season ranked among the best in years, and ended with a phenomenal race between Stewart and Carl Edwards for the Sprint Cup championship. The two ended the season tied in the standings, with the title going to Stewart on a tiebreaker.

All that momentum meant NASCAR could tweak very little during the offseason. Why mess with a good thing, right?

Well, not everything was sunshine and roses.

NASCAR officials said earlier this month that more than 80 percent of fans polled “hated” the two-car tandem style of racing that had taken over at Daytona and Talladega. Such a strong opinion forced NASCAR to spend a significant chunk of the offseason tinkering with the rules package in an effort to recreate pack racing before the Feb. 26 opener.

The Shootout proved NASCAR made the right moves, and the drivers seemed overwhelmingly in favor of the racing.

“It’s pretty wild and crazy, but, I mean, I like this better than what we had last year, definitely,” said four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who rolled his car several times and wound up on his roof for what he said was the first time in his NASCAR career.

Gordon’s night ended seconds after he nudged Busch, triggering a chain-reaction crash that also led to Busch’s second save of the race. It was one of three multicar crashes — the wrecks collected 23 total cars, set up a green-white-checkered overtime finish and resulted in the closest finish in race history. Busch’s margin of victory was a mere 0.013 seconds, and his driving awed his competitors.

“I was right behind him … and he had to catch it three times before he saved it,” Stewart said. “When you get 3,400 pounds moving like that, to catch it one time was pretty big. To get away from him and catch it a second time was big. The third time was big. That’s three big moments in one corner. He just never quit driving it.

“There’s a lot of guys that wouldn’t have caught that. I’m sitting there and the green is still out. I’m going, ‘Man, that’s the coolest save I’ve seen in a long time.’”

It was a redemption of sorts for Busch, who had to fight hard to keep his sponsors intact at the end of last season. Suspended by NASCAR for intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in a Truck Series race at Texas, primary sponsor M&M’s told Joe Gibbs Racing it didn’t want Busch in its car the final two races of the year.

His career was at a crossroads, and Busch worked hard during the offseason to repair his reputation. He referenced M&M’s, which was back on his car for the first time since the company pulled itself off the No. 18 Toyota for the final two races of last season, during his Victory Lane celebration.

“First race back in the M&M’s car, and we’re back in Victory Lane. Pretty cool,” Busch said.

There are other feel-good stories heading into NASCAR’s biggest race of the year.

— Danica Patrick will make her Daytona 500 debut, and the series is thrilled she’s made the full-time move to NASCAR.

— Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver, had his best season in five years in 2011 and is excited about his chances in the Daytona 500.

“I like this kind of racing better. At least I know what to expect,” Earnhardt said. “I feel like I have a better chance with this style than I did last year for damn sure.”

— Edwards bounced back from his loss to Stewart in the title race by winning the pole for the Daytona 500.

— There’s already some controversy, as the car for five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson failed inspection before it ever got on the track. Crew chief Chad Knaus will likely be penalized after the Daytona 500.

It’s all setting the stage for Sunday, which is shaping up to be a strong opener for NASCAR. The race probably won’t be 500 miles of three-wide racing, but if it’s anything close to the Shootout, it’s bound to be entertaining.

Jenna Fryer covers auto racing for The Associated Press.

Suspended NASCAR driver Mayfield indicted

CATAWBA, N.C. (AP) — Suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield has been indicted by a grand jury in North Carolina on charges of possession of stolen goods stemming from a Nov. 1 search of his property.

Mayfield calls the charges in Catawba County “baseless,” saying the goods were his property and adding that he has been cooperating with investigators.

Mayfield is charged with three felony counts of possession of stolen goods from Fitz Motorsports, Red Bull Racing and office equipment from DEA Ventures. Law enforcement officials seized more than $100,000 worth of goods that had been reported stolen. They also found 1.5 grams of methamphetamine, and Mayfield was indicted on a felony drug possession charge in November.

Mayfield believes Catawba County authorities have been coordinating with NASCAR officials about the investigation.

IndyCar

Teams still learning safer, faster cars

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) — Dario Franchitti and the rest of the IndyCar drivers and teams are still in the homework phase a month from the season opener, getting a handle on new cars that are deemed safer and swifter.

“Right now, it’s not so much an itch to get racing, it’s an itch to figure out, OK, how are we going to make this car work?” Franchitti, the three-time defending points champion, said Monday on a break from testing at Barber Motorsports Park. “All the teams and all the drivers and engine manufacturers are still in that stage of not really fully understanding everything we need to.

“We understood the old cars so well and we’re learning things in leaps and bounds here. When the first race comes it’ll be pretty typical racing but at the same time there’s going to be lots of unknown things.”

That first race will be at St. Petersburg on March 25, marking IndyCar’s return to racing after last season ended with Dan Wheldon’s death in the finale at Las Vegas.

The new cars have more horsepower and more grip, along with new safety features to protect against side impacts and three inches of extra foam around the driver’s seat and one inch of foam underneath to reduce injuries.

“I think it’s definitely safer,” driver Scott Dixon said. “It’s evolved a lot from the old car that we had. Technology that was six or eight years old is a big difference. It’s a lot safer in some areas.

“Whether you can eliminate freak kind of crashes … With Dan’s, I don’t think any kind of car could have stopped what happened there.”

In the meantime, Dixon said every test brings “page-long lists” of things to work on leading up to St. Petersburg.

The cars aren’t the only things that have been altered with safety matters at the forefront.

IndyCar has also said double-file restarts won’t be used at Indianapolis, Texas or Fontana in another change designed to make the sport safer.

“It’s just safety to me,” driver Will Power said. “At Indianapolis, it was just insanity the speed we were doing with the double-file restart on that front straight.

“That’s a good compromise to me.”

The series will also experiment with three 30-lap qualification heats at Iowa, which both Dixon and Power think will be “pretty cool.”

“It’s a sport that’s very competitive but it’s also a show, and it’s got to be interesting for people to watch,” Dixon said. “We’re going to do our best to put on a great show. I think the heat race idea sounds pretty cool. It’s nothing that we’ve ever done before. I remember doing it in Go-Karts when I was like 8 years old. I think it’ll be fun, and definitely be a huge show (pre-race) Friday for the people in Iowa.”

The predominant issue leading up to the season has been safety, though, in a high-speed sport regrouping from tragedy.

“I hope it will be (safer),” Franchitti said. “Racing is naturally a dangerous sport; we try to make it as safe as possible. Hopefully we’re making progress with that.”

– John Zenor

Formula One

Caterham F1 team brings in Russian sponsor

HINGHAM, England (AP) — The Caterham Formula One team has followed its signing of Russian driver Vitaly Petrov for next season by bringing in Russian petrochemical company Sibur as a sponsor.

Caterham team principal Tony Fernandes announced an agreement with Eastern Europe’s largest petrochemical company just three days after bringing in the 27-year-old Petrov to replace Jarno Trulli.

Fernandes says “F1 is a truly global sport and Sibur’s investment in our sport is proof of the value F1 can bring.”

The first Russian to drive in F1, Petrov was released by Renault after finishing 10th in the world championship standings in his second season in the sport.

Caterham was formerly known as Team Lotus.

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Busch twice appeared destined to destroy his race car, and twice used breathtaking saves to keep on running around Daytona International Speedway.

He probably shouldn’t have been in position to race with the leaders. Yet there he was, bearing down on the finish line with a shot at winning Saturday night’s exhibition Budweiser Shootout, and with a slingshot pass on the outside of defending NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, Busch pulled off a miraculous win in the first event of 2012.

Not too shabby of a start to the season.

NASCAR has every right to be giddy about Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500, a pivotal race in sparking interest at the start of a very long season. A rain-shortened event in 2009 set the tone for a rocky year, and two lengthy delays to fix a pesky pothole in the track surface impacted the 2010 season.

Then came Trevor Bayne’s upset victory last year, and NASCAR never looked back. The 2011 season ranked among the best in years, and ended with a phenomenal race between Stewart and Carl Edwards for the Sprint Cup championship. The two ended the season tied in the standings, with the title going to Stewart on a tiebreaker.

All that momentum meant NASCAR could tweak very little during the offseason. Why mess with a good thing, right?

Well, not everything was sunshine and roses.

NASCAR officials said earlier this month that more than 80 percent of fans polled “hated” the two-car tandem style of racing that had taken over at Daytona and Talladega. Such a strong opinion forced NASCAR to spend a significant chunk of the offseason tinkering with the rules package in an effort to recreate pack racing before the Feb. 26 opener.

The Shootout proved NASCAR made the right moves, and the drivers seemed overwhelmingly in favor of the racing.

“It’s pretty wild and crazy, but, I mean, I like this better than what we had last year, definitely,” said four-time champion Jeff Gordon, who rolled his car several times and wound up on his roof for what he said was the first time in his NASCAR career.

Gordon’s night ended seconds after he nudged Busch, triggering a chain-reaction crash that also led to Busch’s second save of the race. It was one of three multicar crashes — the wrecks collected 23 total cars, set up a green-white-checkered overtime finish and resulted in the closest finish in race history. Busch’s margin of victory was a mere 0.013 seconds, and his driving awed his competitors.

“I was right behind him … and he had to catch it three times before he saved it,” Stewart said. “When you get 3,400 pounds moving like that, to catch it one time was pretty big. To get away from him and catch it a second time was big. The third time was big. That’s three big moments in one corner. He just never quit driving it.

“There’s a lot of guys that wouldn’t have caught that. I’m sitting there and the green is still out. I’m going, ‘Man, that’s the coolest save I’ve seen in a long time.’”

It was a redemption of sorts for Busch, who had to fight hard to keep his sponsors intact at the end of last season. Suspended by NASCAR for intentionally wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in a Truck Series race at Texas, primary sponsor M&M’s told Joe Gibbs Racing it didn’t want Busch in its car the final two races of the year.

His career was at a crossroads, and Busch worked hard during the offseason to repair his reputation. He referenced M&M’s, which was back on his car for the first time since the company pulled itself off the No. 18 Toyota for the final two races of last season, during his Victory Lane celebration.

“First race back in the M&M’s car, and we’re back in Victory Lane. Pretty cool,” Busch said.

There are other feel-good stories heading into NASCAR’s biggest race of the year.

— Danica Patrick will make her Daytona 500 debut, and the series is thrilled she’s made the full-time move to NASCAR.

— Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver, had his best season in five years in 2011 and is excited about his chances in the Daytona 500.

“I like this kind of racing better. At least I know what to expect,” Earnhardt said. “I feel like I have a better chance with this style than I did last year for damn sure.”

— Edwards bounced back from his loss to Stewart in the title race by winning the pole for the Daytona 500.

— There’s already some controversy, as the car for five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson failed inspection before it ever got on the track. Crew chief Chad Knaus will likely be penalized after the Daytona 500.

It’s all setting the stage for Sunday, which is shaping up to be a strong opener for NASCAR. The race probably won’t be 500 miles of three-wide racing, but if it’s anything close to the Shootout, it’s bound to be entertaining.

Jenna Fryer covers auto racing for The Associated Press.

Suspended NASCAR driver Mayfield indicted

CATAWBA, N.C. (AP) — Suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield has been indicted by a grand jury in North Carolina on charges of possession of stolen goods stemming from a Nov. 1 search of his property.

Mayfield calls the charges in Catawba County “baseless,” saying the goods were his property and adding that he has been cooperating with investigators.

Mayfield is charged with three felony counts of possession of stolen goods from Fitz Motorsports, Red Bull Racing and office equipment from DEA Ventures. Law enforcement officials seized more than $100,000 worth of goods that had been reported stolen. They also found 1.5 grams of methamphetamine, and Mayfield was indicted on a felony drug possession charge in November.

Mayfield believes Catawba County authorities have been coordinating with NASCAR officials about the investigation.

IndyCar

Teams still learning safer, faster cars

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) — Dario Franchitti and the rest of the IndyCar drivers and teams are still in the homework phase a month from the season opener, getting a handle on new cars that are deemed safer and swifter.

“Right now, it’s not so much an itch to get racing, it’s an itch to figure out, OK, how are we going to make this car work?” Franchitti, the three-time defending points champion, said Monday on a break from testing at Barber Motorsports Park. “All the teams and all the drivers and engine manufacturers are still in that stage of not really fully understanding everything we need to.

“We understood the old cars so well and we’re learning things in leaps and bounds here. When the first race comes it’ll be pretty typical racing but at the same time there’s going to be lots of unknown things.”

That first race will be at St. Petersburg on March 25, marking IndyCar’s return to racing after last season ended with Dan Wheldon’s death in the finale at Las Vegas.

The new cars have more horsepower and more grip, along with new safety features to protect against side impacts and three inches of extra foam around the driver’s seat and one inch of foam underneath to reduce injuries.

“I think it’s definitely safer,” driver Scott Dixon said. “It’s evolved a lot from the old car that we had. Technology that was six or eight years old is a big difference. It’s a lot safer in some areas.

“Whether you can eliminate freak kind of crashes … With Dan’s, I don’t think any kind of car could have stopped what happened there.”

In the meantime, Dixon said every test brings “page-long lists” of things to work on leading up to St. Petersburg.

The cars aren’t the only things that have been altered with safety matters at the forefront.

IndyCar has also said double-file restarts won’t be used at Indianapolis, Texas or Fontana in another change designed to make the sport safer.

“It’s just safety to me,” driver Will Power said. “At Indianapolis, it was just insanity the speed we were doing with the double-file restart on that front straight.

“That’s a good compromise to me.”

The series will also experiment with three 30-lap qualification heats at Iowa, which both Dixon and Power think will be “pretty cool.”

“It’s a sport that’s very competitive but it’s also a show, and it’s got to be interesting for people to watch,” Dixon said. “We’re going to do our best to put on a great show. I think the heat race idea sounds pretty cool. It’s nothing that we’ve ever done before. I remember doing it in Go-Karts when I was like 8 years old. I think it’ll be fun, and definitely be a huge show (pre-race) Friday for the people in Iowa.”

The predominant issue leading up to the season has been safety, though, in a high-speed sport regrouping from tragedy.

“I hope it will be (safer),” Franchitti said. “Racing is naturally a dangerous sport; we try to make it as safe as possible. Hopefully we’re making progress with that.”

– John Zenor

Formula One

Caterham F1 team brings in Russian sponsor

HINGHAM, England (AP) — The Caterham Formula One team has followed its signing of Russian driver Vitaly Petrov for next season by bringing in Russian petrochemical company Sibur as a sponsor.

Caterham team principal Tony Fernandes announced an agreement with Eastern Europe’s largest petrochemical company just three days after bringing in the 27-year-old Petrov to replace Jarno Trulli.

Fernandes says “F1 is a truly global sport and Sibur’s investment in our sport is proof of the value F1 can bring.”

The first Russian to drive in F1, Petrov was released by Renault after finishing 10th in the world championship standings in his second season in the sport.

Caterham was formerly known as Team Lotus.

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Darron Cummings/AP

Catcher Buster Posey, seen here during a spring training workout Sunday, has been told by the San Francisco Giants that he should avoid blocking home plate. Posey broke his leg on a scoring play at the plate last season.

Major League Baseball’s spring training has begun, as catchers and pitchers have made their way to Florida and Arizona to prepare for the 2012 season. Games in the Grapefruit League and Cactus League won’t begin until early March, when all players will report to camp.

Storylines so far include young stars Buster Posey (who has now been asked not to block homeplate) and Stephen Strasburg (who had Tommy John surgery) making their returns to the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals, respectively.

The St. Louis Cardinals will attempt to defend their World Series title without retired manager Tony La Russa and slugger Albert Pujols (who reported to the Los Angeles Angels’ training facility in Arizona at the crack of dawn Monday).

In New York, the Yankees have completed their trade of pitcher A.J. Burnett to the Pittsburgh Pirates, in exchange for two minor-league prospects — pitcher Diego Moreno, 25, and outfielder Exicardo Cayones, 20. The Yankees also signed former Phillie Raul Ibanez.

And the Boston Red Sox will have to do without knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who retired Friday after 19 seasons.

Baseball lost one of its best clutch players last Thursday, when former catcher Gary Carter died of brain cancer. Carter, who spent most of his career with the New York Mets and the Montreal Expos, was honored in a pre-game ceremony by the Montreal Canadiens Sunday night.

From the AP, here’s a guide to key dates for the 2012 baseball season:

• Feb. 24: Voluntary reporting date for players other than pitchers, catchers and injured players on teams other than Oakland and Seattle. Mandatory reporting date for Oakland and Seattle.
• March 2: Mandatory reporting date for teams other than Oakland and Seattle.
• March 2-11: Teams may renew contracts of unsigned players.
• March 19: Last day to place a player on unconditional release waivers and pay 30 days termination pay instead of 45 days.
• March 28-29: Seattle vs. Oakland (exhibition games in Tokyo).
• April 2: Last day to request unconditional release waivers on a player without having to pay his full 2012 salary.
• April 4: Opening Day: St. Louis at Miami. Active rosters reduced to 25 players.
• June 4: Amateur draft.
• July 10: All-Star game — in Kansas City, Mo.
• July 13: Deadline for amateur draft picks to sign.
• July 22: Hall of Fame induction, Cooperstown, N.Y.
• Sept. 1: Active rosters expand to 40 players.

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WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – The City of Wilmington is considering using a mix of public and private funding to bring a baseball stadium and a minor league team to the Port City.

This weekend, both supporters and opponents gathered within eyesight of each other to spread their opposing messages.

Supporters of a possible baseball stadium hope that if the city and county decide to build it, it will become a large tourist attraction. Saturday afternoon, they picked up their bats, baseballs and gloves for a game of softball in a downtown field near PPD, where a stadium could possibly be built.

“It’s always the nice memories the time with your family your friends,” said supporter Bryan Adams.

Adams says he grew up in Wilmington, and some of his fondest memories were at baseball games, adding that baseball is too big of an opportunity for the city to pass up.

“The money’s going to be massive,” he said. “I mean, Wilmington is definitely rebounding right now after these tough couple few years we’ve been going through here.”

Chuck Kuebler is from the pro-baseball website portcitybaseball.com. He says the Atlanta Braves want to set up a minor league team in Wilmington by 2014, and it he said it takes about a year and a half to build a baseball stadium.

So, Kuebler says he thinks it’s something the city needs to get behind.

“If we bypass on this issue, the Braves will find another partner probably or another city,” said Kuebler.

He says baseball is an economic engine, but New Hanover County Commissioner Rick Catlin disagreed.

“I think we need to call it what it is,” said Catlin. “It’s an amenity, and if you’re going to use taxpayer money for that, you need to let them vote and let them tell you and decide that’s what they want.”

Around the same time baseball supporters gathered, Catlin joined others at a protest against a tax-funded stadium in Wilmington. 

The protest was behind the Wilmington Convention Center, which is about 1,000 feet away from where supporters of a stadium had their softball game.

Protestors had petitions for people to sign, asking city council to create an ordinance not allowing any public funds to be used on a stadium.

“I think the net benefit will not outweigh the net cost,” said protester Jason Spencer, who signed the petition.

Spencer says he’s not against bringing baseball to the Port City — he’s just against using taxpayer money to fund it.

“If private investors or private enterprise ultimately decide to have a stadium here, then so be it,” he said. “I might even come out to a game.”

Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved.

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by Anthony Gimino – Feb. 17, 2012 10:32 PM
tucsoncitizen.com

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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Gary Carter, who backstopped the New York Mets to a World Series championship in 1986, passed away Thursday. Former managers, teammates, and young players remembered his passion.

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Local baseball legend Mike Roberts was overwhelmed when he was surprised at the first-ever Poker Baseball reunion to commemorate everything he has done for the program.

“I’m so touched. I appreciate everybody who came here tonight,” said Roberts, shortly after he walked through the doors at the Heron Bay Marriott in Coral Springs. Roberts founded the Pokers Baseball program in 1990.

Nearly 125 former players, coaches and peers got together to honor Roberts and the magnitude of his dedication to area youths.

“It was the players who came up with the idea of this reunion. He’s so deserving of this and has devoted so much time, energy and knowledge to the kids of the Pokers,” said Roberts’ wife Faline. “He has helped guide so many kids and has made such an impact on their lives today.”

Roberts was instrumental in helping his players get to the next level of baseball, but more importantly, he helped them get to the next level in life.

“Baseball is the name, education is our game,” is the motto which was coined by Roberts

He has been a man of his word ever since the program’s inception, and was an integral part of assisting players going to college. Roberts networks with various baseball coaches from around the nation and has seen more than 300 players earn scholarships.

“He purposely scheduled games on college campuses to get us in front of scouts. If a coach was interested in us, coach did all the leg work,” said Von Stertzbach, who pitched for the University of Central Florida and was drafted by the California Angels in 2003. “He was part of the entire process and allowed us to get exposed.”

But success under Roberts’ tutelage was no accident, nor was it a walk in the park. Tim Burton, who played for Roberts from 1992-1994, can vouch for that.

At the reunion, Burton reflected on Roberts’ guidance from years ago.

“He demanded a lot from us. If we didn’t meet his expectations, he’d let us know about it,” said Burton, who played for the University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University and inside the Seattle Mariners organization. “At the time, I didn’t realize it, but I now know it was for our own good.”

The culmination of more than 20 years touched Roberts’ heart in a manner in which he will never forget and he will use it to propel even further with his mission.

“Coaching is all I want to do,” said Roberts, with joyful tears in his eyes. “It’s a lot of mental teaching and it’s all for our kids.”

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[unable to retrieve full-text content]One of Taiwan's most respected baseball coaches admitted Thursday to having leaked confidential information about his team to a ring of illegal gamblers, prosecutors said.

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That Lance Berkman is such a dreamboat.

(Credit: Baseball Boyfriend)

Spring training has barely begun, but Baseball Boyfriend already has people thinking about which player they would most like to “date” this season.

Shiver me timbers, there’s a pirate version. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit: Baseball Boyfriend)

Baseball Boyfriend is a $2.99 mini-game add-on to CBS Sports’ fantasy baseball offerings. (Disclosure: CNET is published by CBS Interactive, a unit of CBS.) Users choose a single draftee and collect points based on the player’s performance. You can keep or dump a draftee, depending on his stats and your level of emotional attachment.

The app offers three looks: clean, original, and pirate. The original look could have been cobbled from a love-struck preteen’s Justin Bieber scrapbook, complete with little hearts scribbled around. The pirate look adds eye patches and a bit of pirate-speak. Yarrr.

There has been a mild kerfuffle over the app concept. Is it demeaning to pander to ladies with dating metaphors and puppy love trappings? Do women need man candy to be interested in baseball?

I’m chiming in as both a woman and a Cubs fan. I’m not about to fantasy-date Ryan Dempster, but I’m not bothered if somebody else wants to.

Baseball Boyfriend players still have to be part of a regular CBS Sports fantasy league. That would imply that they are more than just casual fans drawn in by hunky beefcake photos. Theoretically, they have to understand stats like RBIs, saves, quality starts, and stolen bases in order to excel at the game.

So go ahead, ladies. Draft yourself a baseball hunk, but don’t keep him around just for his good looks. He’d better have a good batting average too.