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The worst kept secret in motorsports was
made public today... Danica Patrick will be moving
to NASCAR fulltime in 2012. She has been running
some races on a part-time schedule when it fit
her Indy car schedule. It will be a joint partnership
that provides cars for her. JR Motorsports, owned
by Dale Earnhardt, Jr, will provide race cars for the
Nationwide series, and Stewart-Haas Racing, owned
in part by Tony Stewart, will be providing cars for
the Sprint Cup level of competition. Danica has yet
to drive in the premier series of NASCAR, and most
experts seem to think next February's running of the
Daytona 500 would be the perfect stage for her to
make her entrance into the series. Go-Daddy, the
website giant, will provide sponsorship for Danica
at both levels of racing. She has shown a great deal
of improvement in the Nationwide races this season
compared to last year. Danica told a press conference
she would be racing full time in the Nationwide series
and would be participating in select Sprint Cup races
until ownership thinks she is ready to compete on a
full time basis..
The Ring of Honor has three new members as of November 6th...Friday Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced the addition of Drew Pearson, Larry Allen, and Charles Haley. Their names and numbers will join the seventeen other Cowboys who have been honored this way.
Pearson played for the Cowboys for eleven seasons and was the primary target for quarterback Roger Staubach. Best remembered for his 'Hail Mary' catch in the playoff game with Minnesota in 1975, Pearson still ranks third on the Cowboys receiving list with 489 catches, for 7,822 yards, and 48 touchdowns.
Larry Allen was arguably the best offensive guard to play the game. He was a mainstay for the Cowboys for twelve years and played every position on the offensive line except center. NFL guru John Madden called Allen the best offensive guard he had ever seen. Allen is currently working with Dallas' first round draft pick Tyron Smith as the rookie makes the starting line-up.
Charles Haley was the premier pass-rusher of his day. He played on five Super Bowl Championship teams, two with San Francisco and three with Dallas. Known as the quiet man, Haley always let his on-field performances do the talking for him. He retired with 100.5 sacks of the quarterback to his record.
The announcement of the latest three members of the Ring of Honor came as fifty former players of the Cowboys showed up to support the trio. All three are still possible selections to the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Canton, Ohio.
There is going to be those that dispute his
enshrinement into the Basketball Hall of Fame,
but because of what he did on the court, Dennis
Rodman deserves to be there..
In the early 1980's I worked in Radio/TV in the
Sherman/Denison area and was privileged to see
Dennis play as a college prospect.....
But let me begin a lot earlier,...Dennis went to
South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas, and was a
less than average player. His sophomore year he
was listed at 5 foot 6 and cut from the basketball
team. By the time he was a senior he had grown to
5 foot 10, still nothing spectacular. In his own family
he was not the best basketball player. Rodman's two
sisters played on national contending college teams at
Louisiana Tech and Stephen F. Austin. After high
school he worked at various menial jobs before a
friend recommended him to the basketball coach at
Cooke County Junior College in Gainesville, Texas.
An average of 17 points per game got the attention
of other coaches and Rodman was given a scholarship
to Southeastern Oklahoma State in Durant, Oklahoma.
This is where I came into the picture. Our TV station
covered the SEOS Savages and I had to work to get
Rodman to talk to me while the TV camera was over my
shoulder. Dennis had grown to 6 foot 10 by this time and
his slam-dunks never failed to arouse the 'standing room
only' crowds to attend Southeastern games. The shyness
finally went away and Rodman was extremely polite and accommodating to my interview requests after games. In 1986 he declared himself available for the NBA college draft and was the 27th player taken in the draft. The Detroit Pistons selected Rodman and I was suddenly overwhelmed by the requests from TV stations in Detroit for some video of their newest player. Dennis would go on to play for Detroit, San Antonio, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas. When he finally retired his resume was impressive! He had played on 5 NBA Champion teams, 7 times he led the NBA in rebounding, 7 times led the NBA in blocked shots, and twice was the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
It is a shame that most will remember Rodman for his tattoos, piercings, and colored hair,...but if you want to select a player for his basketball abilities, you have chosen the right player.. Rodman deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Congratulations Worm !!
