Nissan Open, Daytona 500 both duds

Great to see the 2 most racist sports take a crap!

hiphopgolf, when you have a couple hours free, maybe you will explain what you mean by your post. I am baffled by it.

Johnny was a schoolboy
When he heard his first Beatles song
Love Me Do, I think it was
And from then it didn't take him long
Got himself a guitar
Used to play every night
Now he's in a rock 'n' roll outfit
And everything's alright
Don't you know?

Johnny told his Mama,
"Hey, Mama, I'm goin' away
Gonna hit the big time
Gonna be a big star someday"
Mama came to the door
With a teardrop in her eye
Johnny said, "Don't cry, Mama
Smile and wave goodbye"
Don't you know?

Yeah......

(Chorus)
Don't you know that you are a shooting star
Don't you know
Don't you know
Don't you know that you are a shooting star
And all the world will love you just as long
As long as you are

Johnny made a record
Went straight up to number one
Suddenly everyone loved
To hear him sing HIS song
Watchin' the world go by
Surprisin' it goes so fast
Johnny looked around him and said,
"Well, I made the big-time at last"
Don't you know?
Don't you know?

(Chorus)
A shooting star

Don't you know that You are a shooting star
Don't you know?
Don't you know that You are a shooting star
And all the world will love you just as long
as long as you are

Johnny died one night, died in his bed
Bottle of whisky, sleeping tablets by his head
Johnny's life passed him by like a warm summer day
If you listen to the wind you can still hear him play

(chorus)
Don't you know that You are a shooting star
Don't you know?
Don't you know that you are a shooting star
Dont you dont you dont you dont you dont you know
Don't you know that you are a shooting star

hiphopgolf, thanks for the explanation. It's all very clear now. Next, put down the bong and explain the meaning of that song(?). If it is a song, I hope the music is better than the lyrics.

racism in NASCAR:

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/nascar/2006/02/race_at_the_races.html

racism in golf:

http://www.afrogolf.com/page18.html

Bad Company was a British rock band founded in 1973, consisting of band members from Free (Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke), Mott The Hoople (Mick Ralphs) and King Crimson (Boz Burrell). They consequently took their first inspiration for the band and its name and 1973 radio play hit, also of the same name, from the 1972 classic Western, "Bad Company" that starred Barry Brown and Jeff Bridges. They then became one of the early supergroups of the 1970s. Their first single, Can't Get Enough, which Ralphs had originally written for Mott the Hoople before he left them, was a Top 20 hit in the UK and Top 10 in the US in 1974. The following year they charted with Good Lovin' Gone Bad and the slower Feel Like Makin' Love.

After the release of the album Rough Diamonds in 1982 they disbanded, but reformed in 1986 with ex-Ted Nugent vocalist Brian Howe, in place of Rodgers and Steve Price replacing Boz Burrell on bass. Throughout the 1990s, the band continued with various musicians, with drummer Simon Kirke the only original member. The 2003 line-up of Bad Company includes Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke plus Dave Colwell (keyboards), Rick Wills (bass guitar), and Robert Hart (vocals). Paul Rodgers is currently touring with Queen (2006).

Fuzzy Zoeller

Just as Woods was wrapping up his victory at the 1997 Masters, fellow pro Fuzzy Zoeller created a firestorm of controversy when reporters posed to him the question, 'What do you think about Tiger?' Zoeller responded infamously: "That little boy is driving well and he's putting well. He's doing everything it takes to win. So, you know what you guys do when he gets in here? You pat him on the back and say congratulations and enjoy it and tell him not to serve fried chicken next year. Got it?" Zoeller smiled, snapped his fingers, and started to walk away, but he turned and added, "...Or collard greens, or whatever the hell they serve." Zoeller was immediately called to the carpet for what most considered racist comments; K-Mart, a retail chain that had sponsored Zoeller, quickly terminated his contract. While Zoeller apologized continually for the remarks (and begged Woods to call him so he could personally apologize and offer an explanation), Woods was slow to respond. Three days after Zoeller's apology at the Greater Greensboro Open, Tiger finally issued a press statement accepting Zoeller's apology. The two players would stage a peace offering at a tournament several weeks later, but Woods still harbored resentment over the comments. "I forgive him," he said almost a year later. "But I can't forget.

hiphop, thanks again. Tell me, how do you get all that on a post with such rapidity? I have never heard of any of the people you mentioned but I have no doubt that they are great artists and good citizens of the first magnitude. It's merely a matter of taste, but to me their type of music sounds like caterwauling being played backwards.

NASCAR's march into mainstream American sports hasn't been without controversy. In fact, one might say it has had one controversy after another. However, despite the critics, NASCAR has presented a product to the country that has taken the sporting world by storm, propelling them into the national spotlight and filling the grandstands and infields in a way the sport could never claim in seasons passed.
That growth has brought change to those packed grandstands and infields and the stereotypical NASCAR fan from decades ago isn't so stereotypical today. In fact, if you bring up the topic to the fans of old, you might hear them say they have been abandoned by the sport they held dear in the past, in favor of the more diverse crowd you see today. Young, old, man, woman, almost everyone has heard of NASCAR and is familiar with the top drivers in the sport. NASCAR has gone from a small sport with strong southern roots to a near cultural phenomenon in the last decade. However, it still has some distance to travel.
One of the major hurdles NASCAR has yet to topple is the issue of diversity. This issue has been discussed by anyone and everyone surrounding the sport and condemned by outsiders such as Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Push Coalition, but most recently by the National Association of Minority Race Fans, better known as the NAMRF.
The NAMRF burst onto the racing scene back in September, 2004 with a secretive yet powerful agenda. They planned to force NASCAR into diversity, alleging that the infields and grandstands were loaded with racism and unsafe for minority race fans. Their plan, through protests and trips to NASCAR sponsors was to rid the sport of the unsavory elements and present a diverse and safe atmosphere for women and minorities. Protests were planned at Talladega, but never came to fruition. However, Atlanta Motor Speedway was a different story.
A young man in the Atlanta area named DeAngelo Moore alleges that he was contacted by NAMRF and requested to provide the organization with up to 100 protestors to picket the Atlanta Motor Speedway on behalf of NAMRF. Mr. Moore works in music promotion, and has done some promotion work in the Atlanta area, utilizing street teams that contact local radio stations and distribute flyers for local rap artists. He further alleges that NAMRF agreed to pay each protestor 100.00 per hour. Mr. Moore states that most of his dealings with NAMRF were with the Director of Operations, Steve Parker.
“NASCAR was new to me, begins Moore. “I asked them why are you protesting NASCAR and they said NASCAR promotes racism. He states that after speaking with NAMRF he was told, “We just need like fifteen or so people, and I will pay you 100.00 per hour per person.”
“I just kind of got duped into it. I thought it was a great opportunity for my company and my people.”
Moore then reveals that he was asked if he could secure 100 people for the protest.
“I put the word out and had a meeting for these people so they could tell everybody at one time what the details were about. They were told they would have some posters, and just hold the signs for a couple of hours for 100.00. He didn’t mention anything about the videotape or the documentary (the collaborative effort between NAMRF and NI4NI productions, known as the Dixie 500 or the Jasper 500). That was on Halloween.”
Moore states the group of protestors were given strict instructions not to speak with the media. All questions were to be directed to Steve Parker.
“We had a verbal agreement and all the money that was sent to me was done through Western Union by wire transfer. We were paid 10,000.00 and they still owe us 7900.00.”
“Before we got to the racetrack, we met at McDonalds on Martin Luther King Drive in Atlanta. We met there at 8:00 in the morning. There is when we were told about the media release. They said this would give the production company permission to have them on television. They talked about the documentary and gave everyone some cards, and they had a sign in sheet.“
“At first, (when we got to Atlanta) I guess everyone was already inside. That’s why they asked us to stay the extra two hours, for when the race was over. Everyone was hanging outside and the media was there to cover it and so they sent everybody to the charter bus so that the media wouldn’t speak to us. They went out and bought everybody Wendy’s and got everybody some water and they stayed inside in the air conditioning.
“The media release turned out to be a membership form. I didn’t sign and neither did any of the members of my organization. We went through labor pools and brought people in. Steve also brought in 30 some people from a temp agency in Cobb County.”
Catchfence.com was able to obtain a copy of the form that was presented to Mr. Moore for signing. It does appear to be a membership form, among other things.
Oddly enough, nothing in the form even mentions allowing photographs to be taken for media purposes.
Attempts to reach NAMRF via Phillip Offill, NAMRF’s attorney of record, for comment were unanswered as of the posting of this article.
Meanwhile, Mr. Moore is still attempting contact with NAMRF to recoup the money owed to him for alleged services rendered.
Maybe NAMRF’s efforts are on the level, and not just another senseless shakedown and an attempt to harass the sport. However, with actions such as alleged by Mr. Moore, they aren’t endearing themselves to the fans or the sanctioning body. And, judging from the message board on their site, support for their cause is sorely lacking.
Obviously, true diversity still remains a distance away in our sport. While NAMRF may be attempting to rectify that situation, their efforts might best be suited in other areas. Why not work with NASCAR, which is what they claim they want to do, in a non-inflammatory way, without documentaries, protests and lawsuits and help build the diversity programs that already exist within the sport, seek out sponsorship and really make a difference in proving this sport is ready and willing to move into the mainstream. Sure, the fruits of NASCAR’s efforts haven’t yet manifested themselves into a driver in the upper ranks of the sport, however, there are several key elements to seeing the finished product on the racetrack, including sponsorship, which also has been difficult to attain.
There are minorities at all levels of this sport, from local short track racers to accomplished professionals with ARCA, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series experience that are ready and waiting for the opportunity that will allow them to move ever closer to their goals. Just ask Herbie Bagwell, Ricky Gonzalez, Darin Martinez-Stahl, or Roger Bell. Each one of these men holds a wealth of experience and passion for this sport that, given the right opportunity, could lead to a stellar career. Not because they are minorities, but because they are talented, experienced, and possess all the elements necessary to not only win on the track, but represent their sponsor and the sport in the best possible light.
Some have said that diversity cannot be forced into the sport. That’s a fair statement. However, NAMRF won't be responsible for putting diversity in the sport. There’s no need to force something that already exists. As stated above, the driver pool is there, and continues to grow each season as a new generation is exposed to the sport. The fan base continues to grow as the sport makes their way to new markets and exposes themselves to an entirely new audience of people. Diversity will come, in fact, it’s already here. Be it a fan, a driver, a mechanic, an airplane pilot or a receptionist within a racing organization, there’s something in this sport for absolutely everyone.

hiphop, I have two questions for you. Fuzzy's comments were offensive and that's why he apologized for them. As I recall, he made them after a few cocktails too many. My first question is why would a stupid, ill-conceived remark by a guy like Fuzzy, a remark which received a profuse apology, make Golf a racist sport? Second question: What does that song(?) have to do with this blog?

hiphop, you win! Longest post ever on this board about a non-golf subject!

alcohol is no excuse for racism or shooting big quails!
How many country clubs(on the tour even!) are still white only membership?
Go back to your fantasy world! lol U bore me!

After taking notice of the speed in which these posts are made and their length, I've come to the conclusion that either Tim and hiphop are one and the same person, or they are two persons in collusion. Am I right or wrong?

The most recent black man to win a NASCAR race couldn't accept his trophy in 1963 because officials feared a riot in the stands. The white runner-up took the laurels and kissed the beauty queen that day, and the winner, legendary driver Wendell Scott, was given the trophy unceremoniously a month later.

Four decades later, NASCAR still is one of the whitest of major American sports. In nearly 60 years of pro racing, only five black drivers have revved an engine in a major competition and fewer than 9 per cent of NASCAR fans are African-American, according to the sport's own data

hiphop, I have no idea how many clubs are white only. How many are there? Fantasy world? Take one more hit on the bong and then put it away!

no idea?.... then shut your pie hole! Like those nascar stats???

Woods was supposed to open the sport up to black kids in America and around the world. Yet a decade later, he remained the only black golfer on the tour last year.

racial discrimination was almost monolithic at country clubs up through 1990. That year, the PGA Championship was embarrassed when the founder of its host, the Shoal Creek Country Club in Alabama, admitted to a reporter that blacks could not become members. Such exclusion was hardly unique to the South.

A Chicago Tribune survey in the early 1990s found that all the clubs in the Chicagoland area together boasted less than dozen black members. After that, the tournament organizing bodies imposed a racial quota. Today, clubs that want to host a prestigious pro tournament must have at least one black member.

The situation is better for affluent black golfers today. For example, several black business executives are now members of Augusta National, a club so exclusive that it rebuffed the application of world's richest man -- Bill Gates -- for several years before finally admitting him. Not surprisingly, however, blacks and country clubs remain rather wary of each other.

So, most black men who golf today play at public courses. For example, many blacks in the entertainment industry, such as comedian Cedric the Entertainer, flock to Robinson Ranch north of Los Angeles, where greens fees run as high as $125 per round. This kind of "country club for a day" layout offers fine golf and service without all the hassles of applying for membership.

One disadvantage, though, is that daily-fee courses aren't as good grooming grounds for the next generation as country clubs. Few families of any race want to pay a la carte to have their sons or daughters play 10 or 12 rounds a week all summer long.

Yet, black golfers were once more abundant on the Tour, and that was during a time when racial barriers were much higher than today. The second part of this series will cover the economic and psychological reasons behind the breakdown of the main route that blacks once followed to golf excellence: starting out as caddies for white golfers.

John Z -- you're wrong.

Listen to hip-hop -- he's trying to school you.

hiphop, you asked, perhaps rhetorically, how many private golf clubs were all white. I answered that I didn't know, and proceeded to ask you how many there were. Your answer was for me to "shut your pie hole." How very intelligent of you. You're a typical internet warrior who wouldn't have the guts to say that to my face. Your mother should have taught you better.

When and Where? Mr Internet Tuffy!

HipHopGolf, It's obvious to me that you are quoting verbatim from some publication that may be copyrighted material. As an attorney, I would advise you to receive permission from the source before posting anything further from that source. I seriously question the accuracy of the part about there be fewer than a dozen black members in all the clubs in the Chicago area. You see, I belong to a private country club in Chicagoland. I've been a member since 1994. Our club was founded in 1972. Of the original 50 charter members three were black. We now have 335 voting members of whom 45 are black including three black women. We have eight Japanese and/or Chinese members, and about a dozen from the Indian sub-continent. All these members were recommended by other members and were admitted after the unanimous vote of the membership. We have on occasions played in tournaments with other clubs in the Chicago metro area. ALL of them had several members competing who were either black or Oriental. All of our black members are excellent people, and one is a good buddy of mine with whom I played the majority of my golf last season. The notion of the lily white snobbish country club is one of those insidious urban legends which died a natural death about twenty years ago, but which are resurrected by the liberal press and liberal academia when they run out of material.

The I have a black buddy card? So classic with the racist crowd!! Get a life you loser lawyer! Go quail hunting you turd!

Alex, you were making some good points there for a while, until the end when you came up with the classic, "blame it on the liberal media" sprinkled with the "liberal academia" baloney. The liberal media is the favorite whipping boy of conservatives, who have nothing else to back their arguments, and who ignore the fact that almost all U.S. media today is controlled by conservative ownership.

Also, hiphop makes a good point: your dragging out that, "Hey, I have a black friend" ploy.

Also, as an attorney, you should know that using just one example, your country clubs in Chicago, means next to nothing on a statistical basis. You betray your bias and therefore can't be taken seriously.

HHG, I also have a black son-in-law and three bi-racial grandchildren. Just for my own edification, what are the four languages you speak? Surely you can't count English among them. My guess on your degrees: Sociology and Black Studies. Tim, if this is an example of Hip schooling someone, no thank you.

Alex,
What was your reaction to meeting your son in law for the first time alex?
Did you hear the lambs?
Did he have big hands?

Tim, by saying that I have betrayed my biases and have exposed myself as a racist by referring to my black friend, and thus should not be taken seriously, you have exposed your own biases. And for you to praise the ranting insults of a person like HipHop says a lot about your judgment.

HHG, are those some more lyrics from some goofy song? I just thought I could inject a little calm realism into what had developed into a sort of shouting match. I now know that I was mistaken. Have fun, fellows. Rave on.

Alex,
Your arguement is crap!
Your just a KKK lawyer in a club with "some" exceptions.
WoW! Your club deserves a medal! Proud of yourselves?
Funny how you know every minority statistic of your club! Hummmmm
You exposed yourself by bringing your family into the arguement!
Do u call your son in law and grand kids black or african american to their face?
Is your daughter black by injection?

Alex, you fall into the category "They who would listen, but would not learn," to paraphrase.

The intellectual rigidity of your profession, if you are indeed an attorney, prevents you from thinking in anything but a linear way.

You can't understand anyone who doesn't talk -- or think -- exactly like you.

"Calm realism"?

More like "stultifying banality"

I outta here...Tim went literary gangsta!

I'm Audi like Curt Gowdy!

Tim and HHG, for guys who boast about linguistic ability and academic excellence and who aspire to jobs as journalists, I'd suggest you read your recent posts and try to improve your communicative skills. As for your political views, I don't think they have any place on this board, but since you both insist, it must be tough to be chronic losers. You could both reform but in my opinion it's too late for you fellows.

Alex, I would refer you to my response to another responder who insists on using terms like "winners" and "losers." I believe you fit into that category.

http://www.travelgolf.com/blogs/tim.mcdonald/2006/02/14/dick_cheney_needs_to_replace_hunting_wit

I don't recall boasting, either about linguistic skills or academic excellence. I would also urge you to get a more realistic grip on race relations in this country, if your conservative ideology hasn't completely blinded you.

hiphopgolf, the only ghetto golfer who quotes Bad Company. What a joke. Calling a man racist because he disagrees with your view points, insulting his profession and his family. You sir, are classless. Cutting and pasting song lyrics(bad ones at that) and articles in full(half-assed unproven theories) does not make you smart. The louder you shout, the more the world turns down the volume.

Tim, You don't know me and I don't know you except for repartee on this board. As far as I am concerned, politics has no place on a golf board. But it's too late for that. For what it's worth, I served honorably and amicably with many black comrades in the United States Marine Corps. I have several black colleagues in our law firm. I also have several black friends and one special black buddy at my golf club. I have a black son-in-law of whom I am very fond; he's a good husband and father, and three bi-racial grandchildren that are simply great. For you or any liberal ideologue of your ilk to preach to me about getting a grip on race relations is tantamount to one of two things: Temerity and/or stupidity.

Jimi, alex here's your sign, you might be a redneck!

Oh, I didn't realize you'd been in the Marines. Anybody who's been a Marine has my utmost respect.

HHP--Does it make you feel better to call anybody who disagrees with you a redneck? You and I both know that the world we live in is not so cut and dry. There are many people who will disagree with your take on, history, race relations and society as a whole, doing so does not make them racist or rednecks. You are free to make sweeping generalizations about Lawyers, country clubs and people from the south, just so long as you recognize by doing so you become part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Jimi, you're going to get it now! HipHop's going to make one of his brilliant remarks about quail hunting! Then he'll say you belong to the Ku Klux Klan. And Tim will back him up by saying how insightful HH's comments are. I just love liberalism, It's so tolerant and inclusive.

Tolerant and inclusive only if you believe in welfare programs and a women's right to choose, if you don't then you must be a big business, bible thumping Nazi Republican.