I was listening ESPN radio (1190 in the STL) on the way back from lunch today and they were talking about what sports should and should not be in the Olympics. There was a joke that if equestrian events are allowed, than why not NASCAR. So, to stay with our NASCAR theme for the week, I thought I would briefly talk about the pros/cons for adding NASCAR to the Olympics.

Pros:
1. Mechanically aided sports are already in the Olympics—examples include bike riding and rifle shooting.

2. While the specific implementation of stock car racing is currently isolated to the US, the sport of car racing has international appeal.

3. It is not as ridiculous as some current Olympic sports—synchronized swimming, shooting, kayaking, etc.

4. It has a passionate, loyal fan base.

5. It features a unique combination of team (think pit crew) and individual athletics in a single event.

Cons:

1. Its NASCAR.

So, that is my list of pros and cons. What do you think? Should NASCAR be in the Olympics?

With some luck and waiting in line, we were able to get our hands on one of the first NASCAR Washer’s sets we saw in the store.  So, we took this opportunity to fully document its unboxing. A few pictures and our initial reactions follow.

Obviously, the packaging is a sterling example of Fundex minimalism.

After removing the packaging, we are left with a clean black box.  The NASCAR labeling stands out, but does take away from the overall design.  The box itself feels substantial. And, it does not appear that Fundex cut any corners in its construction.

When we open the unit up, we are pleasantly surprised by the attention to detail.  However we can’t help but notice the stunning design similarities taken from our friends up in Cupertino.

Conclusion
It looks like Fundex has a winner on its hands here.  The attention to detail taken during the design of the product its obvious.  And, it is readily apparent that the designers did not sacrifice quality while rushing the product to market.  While the design of the device itself is not entirely original, I am sure this will not bother long time fans of the company.  At $25, the NASCAR Washer Set is a perfect compliment to your backyard barbecue.

Stay tuned for a full review.  We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Busch Light and Brats so that we can put this device through more thorough scrutiny.

Thanks to Engadget for providing images of the Apple TV for comparison.

Wifflefest 2008 went out without a hitch. Jeremy made a well engineered field featuring a custom strike zone and zones for each hit.  The first playoff was won by a team featuring Train, Rengel, Ebel, and I.  The second playoff ended as a draw featuring a pitchers duel between Jeremy and Duely.  No one wanted to go to another round of extra innings in 90+ degree heat.  The achiever award went to Duely for his performance in the final game of the day.

Pictures are online at flickr.  They are available to friends and family only.  So, email me at matt@matthewsmith.com if you fit that category.  Stay tuned, because there are already talks for another Wifflefest with possibly Rengel as the host.

Sportsmanship.  While watching the NBA finals the last week, I saw an event that repeated itself over-and-over again.  When the Lakers attempting a three-point field goal near the Celtics bench, you could see members of their bench yelling at the shooter and even jumping and clapping their hands to simulate a blocked shot.  More often than not, this behavior was done by Sam Cassell—an NBA veteran with 14 years of experience.  Now, to be fair this could have occurred when the Celtics were shooting; I do have a pro-Lakers bias. 

With that said, the fact that this is happening is troubling for the NBA.  This practice demonstrates an obvious lack of sportsmanship and is a poor example for youths competing in leagues around the country.  I personally have lost a lot of respect for Sam Cassell, and it has really cast a bad light on the Celtics franchise, as a whole.  A blog post like this should not have to be written.  Players, organizations, and ultimately the league should self-regulate this behavior.

Now, I would like to say this is an isolated problem for the NBA.  But, with players constantly yelling at refs (Rasheed Wallace) and giving cheap shots after plays (James Posey), this seems like the rule and not the exception for the league.  I think a lot needs to be done in the area of sportsmanship, before I will seriously consider watching it on a regular basis.

Deep in the heart of Cardinals’ country, there are still a few fans of the NBA—although, you wouldn’t think so by listening to sports talk radio in St. Louis.  But after the LA/Boston game last night, I might be starting to turn away from the sport.  Last night should have been a great game, but for the most part it was ruined by poor officiating.  When you have a team like the Lakers, who get the majority of their points in the paint, have a -28 free throw disparity, something is wrong.  To make matters worse, the officials have taken it upon themselves to call needless technicals when players complain. 

So, what can be done?  I have a simple solution to the problem:  officials should call the first 46 minutes of a NBA finals game like they call the last 2 minutes.  (1) Get rid of the needless technicals.  (2) Only call touch fouls when they disrupt the nature of the play (we should never see a touch file in the first 14 seconds of the shot clock).  (3) And finally, allow contested shots.  It seems that the criteria for what is a clean defensive play changes in the last 2 minutes of the game.

If the NBA officials would follow this simple rule, I think the NBA would put a more entertaining and engaging product on the floor.  It would shift the focus from the officials back to the players where it belongs.