LeRoy At The Glen

By: Ace, NASCAR Columnist

This past weekend the LeRoy Crew traveled to Watkins Glen, NY for NASCAR’s Heluva Good Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. One of only two road courses on the NASCAR schedule, The Glen is NASCAR’s only stop in New York State. For 26 years Watkins Glen has been one of the most exciting races on the schedule, but more importantly it is also NASCAR’s biggest party. Most NASCAR fans you talk to, whether casual or die hard, will put The Glen on their bucket list of must see races for this one of a kind experience. Here’s a brief summary of what we experienced in our first trip to The Glen.

Even though this was the Crew’s first time at The Glen this wasn’t my first rodeo. I am a seasoned NASCAR fan who has been going to Watkins Glen for nearly 20 years. I’ve pretty much seen it all, but this year I was finally able to talk my friends (the rest of the crew) who are casual fans into going. To get the full Glen experience we decided that we wanted to camp at the track for the weekend. Planning for the trip began six months in advance (something I would strongly recommend as this is a very popular event). We purchased an unreserved camping pass and tickets through the SPEED TV deal that included a grandstand seat and a cold pit pass. The total cost for four people was a reasonable $358.

Camping & Partying

We arrived at The Glen Thursday evening to setup camp. We were surprised to find that most people had already setup shop, some as early as Wednesday morning. While setting up camp we enjoyed listening to some of our neighbor’s southern folk music (which was far from politically correct) and watching a gentleman known as “skinny weaver” fire up his lawn mower to mow the front yard of his campsite (I can’t make this stuff up folks). At that time we also met the infamous Kenny, a young man from Penfield, NY and a seasoned veteran of The Glen. As we later found out, Kenny was one of the wildest partiers on the property. Each evening we walked around the camp (which was about 2 square miles) looking for the party. We didn’t have trouble much trouble finding them. Any campsite playing good music quickly found a group of 500 to 1000 people joining in the party. Overall people were fun and friendly. We saw no major incidents that weren’t created by the county sheriffs. The whole camp was one big festive party. The only downside was the lack of sleep one would get. Loud partying would last until about 5am and we were only able to get a good 2 hours of sleep before “skinny weaver” fired up his loud generator at 7am.

Wild Wreaks & Great Racing

We saw great racing all weekend from all three series (Grand-Am Rolex Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, & NASCAR Sprint Cup Series). In the Nationwide race we saw brothers Kyle and Kurt Busch battle for a win in the closing laps with Kurt ultimate taking the victory. Sunday’s Cup Series race was delayed and eventually postponed until Monday due to rain. But, the wait was well worth it. The race featured a series of wild wreaks and a late battle for the lead between Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, and Marcos Ambrose. In the end road racing ace and Australian native Marcos Ambrose captured his first career Sprint Cup Series win. Our overall experience was great, the rest of the crew is hooked, and we can’t wait to go again next year.

All-Star Selections

It's almost time for the Midsummer Classic again in the year 2011.  The All-Star rosters were announced today (save for the 34th spot which will be decided by the Final Vote) and once again, as in years past, the selections were royally screwed up by both the fans and the respective managers in each league (Texas' Ron Washington in the AL and San Francisco's Bruce Bochy in the NL). 

We'll start with the fan voting in the AL.  Once again American League fans have demonstrated their lack of knowledge for the game with their selection of All-Star starters.  Okay, Alex Avila, Adrian Gonzalez, Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, and Jose Bautista were all perfect - and no doubt - selections.  And I really can't argue David Ortiz as the DH, though I would have preferred Michael Young.  Overall though, AL fans get an F for their selections of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Josh Hamilton to the starting nine.  And yeah, you may as well lump Ortiz into that mess as well.  I have a feeling most of his votes came courtesy of his status in Red Sox Nation as opposed to the fine season that he's having.

Now onto Ron Washington.  Give Washington credit for his cream of the crop selections.  They're all there.  Granted, Avila, Gonzalez, Cano, Granderson, and Bautista were all voted in by the fans.  But the fans screwed up, as mentioned above.  But Washington made sure not to snub Adrian Beltre, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Michael Young.  For his cream of the crop selections, Washington gets an A +.  Well done sir!

Now let's talk about his pitchers (he opted to carry eight starters and five relievers).  He selected Jerad Weaver, Justin Verlander, James Shields, C. J. Wilson, and Felix Hernandez to anchor his starting corps.  But then he selected Josh Beckett, David Price, and Gio Gonzalez to finish out his rotation.  But let's give Washington a break on Gonzalez, he had to pick someone from Oakland.  And that means that one starting pitcher will get snubbed.  Looking at the numbers now, it looks like that pitcher was probably C. C. Sabathia.  But Beckett and Price?  Price is having a good season, but does he rank in the top eight starters in the AL?  I don't think so.  And Beckett isn't even having a good season.  He's not among the league leaders in wins, innings pitched, or strikeouts, and fans don't vote for pitchers, so why is he on the All-Star team?  Only Washington can answer that question.  Unfortunately, Scott Baker and Dan Haren - who deserve to be on the team - will now have to watch from home.  As far as the starters are concerned, Washington gets an C for his selections of Beckett and Price.

How about the relievers?  Well, Washington selected Mariano Rivera, Chris Perez, and Jose Valverde to the team, all who deserved to be there.  Then he picked Brandon League and Aaron Crow.  League is a dominant closer who is having a good season, but is he a top five closer this year?  No.  Do you, blog reader, know who Aaron Crow is?  To be honest, neither do I.  Washington's justification is that Kansas City and Seattle don't have All-Stars so snubs was forced.  Don't have All-Stars?  How about Melky Cabrera and Alex Gordon in Kansas City?  For that matter, how about Mike Aviles and his .213 batting average?  He's got to be as good as Crow, doesn't he?  You want an All-Star from Seattle?  His name is Ichiro, he's probably a Hall of Famer and he's having another strong season.  How about Miguel Olivo, who leads all AL Catchers in home runs?  Both are more deserving than League, who's not a bad player.  The bad news is that Washington snubbed two players who didn't need to be snubbed.  Looking at the numbers, those players were probably Kyle Farnsworth and Jordan Walden.  He gets an F for his bullpen, and a D for his pitching staff as a whole.

Now let's take a look at his secondary players.  Pardon my French, but holy fucking shit.  One secondary player got picked to the All-Star team, and that guy - Ortiz - got voted in by the fans.  You have got to be kidding me.  Let's start with the catchers.  First off, Russell Martin.  He plays for the Yankees.  He didn't get voted in.  He's in the mix, definitely, at catcher this year, but both Miguel Olivo and A. J. Pierzynski have been better.  He also carried Matt Wieters as his third catcher.  Now Baltimore doesn't have an All-Star, so a snub had to take place.  That player was probably Olivo.  Oh by the way, newsflash moron, if you need to carry an unworthy backup catcher, how does Martin make the team?  All you do there is create another snub.

Miguel Cabrera at first base?  He's not even having that good of a season.  Where the fuck is Mark Teixeira and his 25 home runs?  Anyone?  Do I need to go into further detail?  I don't think I'm going to, but should I?  No.  He's on pace for 50 homers.  How is he not an All-Star?  More importantly, how does Washington pick Cabrera over Teixeira?  There's definitely more questions than answers here.

Howie Kendrick at second base?  What about Dustin Pedroia?  Not great, but you need to carry a load of backups, and Pedroia's probably one of those guys in the AL this year.  Howie Kendrick?  Another baffling selection.

Michael Cuddyer and Matt Joyce?  I really have no explanation for Joyce.  Washington went on record as saying that Kansas City had no All-Stars, which was a pretty good indication that MelkyIchiro was headed for a snub.  And Cuddyer?  Washington thinks that the Twins also lack an All-Star.  Evidently he's not aware of the season that Scott Baker's having.  Once again, he has created an unnecessary snub.  Condolences for Jhonny Peralta, Elvis Andrus, and Bobby Abreu, who were snubbed in favor of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Josh Hamilton, who were voted in by the fans.

Washington had a tough time with his bench.  He didn't have much choice but to snub Jhonny Peralta, Elvis Andrus, Bobby Abreu, and Miguel Olivo.  Horrible fan voting and Baltimore's lack of an All-Star are beyond his control and he can't be faulted for that.  And Carlos Quentin was a good pick.  But Russell Martin, Miguel Cabrera, Howie Kendrick, Michael Cuddyer, and Matt Joyce have no place on the All-Star team whatsoever.  He gets an F for his bench.     

Overall Washington did okay.  He gets a C- for his roster.  His elite players were all there and his starting pitchers were okay.  He had two bad snubs with his bullpen and his bench was terrible, but the majority of the players who should be here are here.

Let's talk about the fans in the National League.  The fans were able to distinguish the top-line players pretty well, voting in Brian McCann, Prince Fielder, Placido Polanco, Jose Reyes, Ryan Braun, and Matt Kemp.  I had a feeling that Rickie Weeks might get elected, because he got off to a torrid start and amassed a lot of votes early in the voting, but he's tapered off since then and doesn't deserve to be an All-Star now.  Lance Berkman isn't an elite this year, but it's hard to downplay his selection because he's having an All-Star season and has had a great career.  The fans get a C for their voting, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. 

Now let's talk about Bruce Bochy's selections.  Like Washington, his cream of the crop selections are all here, with Brian McCann, Prince Fielder, Brandon Phillips, Placido Polanco, Jose Reyes, Ryan Braun, Matt Kemp, and Hunter Pence all on the team.  He gets an A + for those picks.

Bochy took a step back with his starting pitchers.  Jair Jurrjens, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and Clayton Kerhsaw were all rightfully selected.  But then Bochy got stupid and greedy.  He selected Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, and Ryan Vogelsong - all three on his team - to the All-Star team.  You won't find Cain and Vogelsong on the leader boards in very many categories this season.  Lincecum is having a good season, but he's not a top eight pitcher.  The bad news is that he snubbed Tommy Hanson, Anibal Sanchez, and Ian Kennedy to show off the "superiority" of his own rotation.  For those last three selections, Bochy gets an F for his rotation.

How about his bullpen?  Well, Joel Hanrahan, Heath Bell, and Brian Wilson (this is one Giants pitcher who actually deserves the nod) were all rightfully selected.  But then he selected Tyler Clippard and Johnny Venters to round out his relief corps.  What?  Those are selections of the Aaron Crow magnitude.  Where are Francisco Cordero and Ryan Madson?  Gone getting snubbed, that's where.  Bochy gets an F for his bullpen and an F for his pitching staff as a whole.

Now onto the secondary players.  Lance Berkman made his way onto the team courtesy of the fan voting.  Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, Troy Tulowitzki, and Chipper Jones all rightfully got picked by Bochy.  Ryan Roberts probably got snubbed in favor of Rickie Weeks who was voted in to start by the fans.  Brian McCann has performed a one-man show behind the plate in the NL this year, so you really can't argue with Yadier Molina as the backup catcher.  He's just as worthy as Jonathan Lucroy or Miguel Montero.  The Cubs don't have an All-Star, and that's where Starlin Castro comes into play, and that's where Michael Bourn got snubbed. 

And then, what?  Gaby Sanchez?  Evidently Bochy views Florida as a team without an All-Star, probably because he snubbed Anibal Sanchez in favor of Tim Lincecum.  Well, that selection resulted in the snub of Danny Espinosa. 

Carlos Beltran?  He's having a good season, any Mets fan (like myself) can tell you that, but is he an All-Star in the NL this year?  I say no, and quite frankly, I was surprised any Met other than Jose Reyes got selected to the All-Star team.  Even worse, Beltran's selection resulted in Drew Stubbs' snub.  Matt Holliday?  He's not even having a good season.  What's worse, he got picked in favor of the now-snubbed Andre Ethier.  Justin Upton?  He's having a good season, but he's not an All-Star in the National League this year.  It appears that Bochy believes that Arizona doesn't have an All-Star and that Upton is here by default.  Well, you could have gone with Miguel Montero as the backup catcher, and if he didn't get greedy, Ian Kennedy would have been on the All-Star team as a starting pitcher.  The real crime here is that Neil Walker got snubbed in favor of Upton when he shouldn't have been. 

He gets a D for his bench.  He had a tough time with fan voting that resulted in a snub, with the Cubs who appear to lack a true All-Star, and with National League catchers who have not played well this season.  But his own idiocy in selecting his starting rotation and bullpen caused chain reactions which caused him to snub players who would have been on his bench.

Overall, Bochy did okay with his roster.  Give him some credit, the cream of the crop in the National League will be in Phoenix on July 14, and his bench includes a lot of worthy players.  But he could have done better with his pitching staff.  The real shame is that it looks like Bochy was able to distinguish who most of the All-Stars were (with Beltran over Stubbs probably being his lone misevaluation of talent), but he chose to ignore them in favor of his own players and the chain reactions those misguided selections caused.        

Beato Injured

The Mets have placed RHP Pedro Beato on the 15-day disabled with tendinitis in his right elbow.  This comes as a blow to the Mets, as the Rule V Draft pick has probably been their best reliever thus far.  To replace him on the roster, the Mets have purchased the contract of LHP Michael O'Connor from Buffalo.

Mejia Tears MCL at AAA

Buffalo Bisons RHP Jenrry Mejia has torn the medial collateral ligament in his right elbow, according to an MRI by Dr. David Altchek.  Surgery has been recommended but he will seek a second opinion first.  Mejia, a former top prospect with the Mets, was off to a trememndous start at Buffalo.  He was signed as an undrafted amateur free agent in 2007.

Paulino, Cervelli Return from DL

The Mets have activated C Ronny Paulino from the 15-day disabled list.  He had been on the disabled list since April 10 with anemia.  Paulino had a setback during rehab which caused his stay on the DL to be extended by about a week.  Before being placed on the DL, he finished the final eight games of a 50 game suspension stemming from a failed PED test late last season.  To replace him on the roster, the Mets have optioned C Mike Nickeas to Buffalo.  He played well enough in his time in New York to be a suitable backup catcher but didn't open any eyes beyond that point.

The Yankees have activated C Francisco Cervelli from the 15-day disabled list.  He has not played at all this season due to a fractured left foot.  To replace him on the roster, the Yankees have optioned C Gustavo Molina to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  He was largely ineffective during his time on the roster.

Carrasco Optioned

The Mets have optioned RHP D. J. Carrasco to Buffalo.  Carrasco was signed to a two-year contract this past offseason and his demotion comes as a surprise.  It is expected that he was optioned so that RHP Dillon Gee can remain with the team as a long reliever.  No corresponding move has been made yet, but Carrasco's roster spot is expected to be filled when RHP Chris Young returns from the 15-day disabled list tomorrow.  Carrasco is still on the 40-man roster.

Emaus Returned, Pagan Disabled

The Blue Jays have re-acquired Rule V Draft pick 2B Brad Emaus from the Mets for $25,000.  As a Rule V pick Emaus had to remain on the Major League roster all season.  While most Rule V picks filter out in Spring Training, Emaus' chances of being a long-term Met looked good as he won the second base job out of Spring Training among a plethora of candidates, but he only lasted three weeks on the job, ceding the way to IF/OF Daniel Murphy and IF Justin Turner.  Emaus was assigned to the (AAA) Las Vegas 51s by Toronto.  In other Mets news, CF Angel Pagan has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled left oblique.  To replace him on the roster, the Mets have purchased the contract of OF Jason Pridie from Buffalo.  Pridie is a Minor League veteran who is well-liked in the organization and is a former top prospect with Tampa Bay and the Twins.  He is a good fielder in the outfield and a speedy base runner but has struggled at the plate in his brief Major League appearances.