Tim Duncan Forgets He Has Arms Rediscovers Them to His Own Amazement

We re about to discuss Tim Duncan finding his arms for the first time ever. So if you re not down with T.D.E. (Tim Duncan s Extremities) it s time for you to bounce.

That being said Tim Duncan discovered his arms on Saturday night. It was a moment of sublime Duncan ness that one person noticed and chose to give back to the world where Deadspin picked it up.

Duncan was sitting on the sideline doing strange Duncan things during Game 3 against the Grizzlies when creeping Jehoshaphat Arms Basil What are these

One viewer noticed the revelatory moment and uploaded the footage with the title Tim Duncan Realizing He Has Arms thus adding yet another delicious layer to Duncan s bone deep goofiness.

The footage is pure spun gold. Duncan who d finished the game and was sitting on the bench with his killer stat line on full display begins brushing his arms with a towel only to start gawking at them as if he had been expecting crab pincers instead of man arms and opposable thumbs.

The same appendages he d used all night to help build the Spurs a 104 93 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies were a mystery. One that he accepted with a shrug that said Welp guess I m a person.

Not to rain the parade or suggest that the video can t plausibly be a 37 year old man noticing his limbs for the first time but perhaps the towel was covered in cat dander. Nothing is worse than sitting in cat dander except perhaps sitting in experimental hair plugs.

I m looking at you Manu Ginobili.

Articles Source here

Blackhawks Win Again to Force Game 7 Vs Red Wings

Michael Frolik skated toward Jimmy Howard faked a wrist shot and flipped a backhander into the net. Now it's on to Game 7.

Frolik's penalty shot proved to be the winning goal Monday night giving the Chicago Blackhawks a 4 3 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 6 and forcing a deciding game between the Original Six rivals in their last Western Conference postseason series.

Frolik became first player in league history to score two goals on penalty shots in the playoffs.

I was kind of surprised that I was the first one in history Frolik said. It's a little bit special.

He hopes his latest goal on a penalty shot in the playoffs helps the Blackhawks more than the previous one did. Frolik scored on a penalty shot on April 24 2011 to pull Chicago into a third period tie with the Vancouver Canucks who went on to win the game.

Vancouver bounced back to beat the Blackhawks at home in overtime of that Game 7 handing them their first of two opening round exits after they hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2010.

The NHL's top seeded team hopes home ice is an advantage this time when its hosts seventh seeded Detroit on Wednesday night in Game 7.

The Red Wings meanwhile are counting on playing with confidence after beating second seeded Anaheim on the road in Game 7 of their first round series.

We've been there before Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. Now we just have to do that again.

Corey Crawford didn't let the Red Wings score again after allowing a fluttering puck to go from the top of the left circle past his glove and into the net.

I pretty much told myself it can't get any worse Crawford said.

It did for Detroit.

The Blackhawks picked up their crestfallen goalie by scoring three times in the first half of the third period to win a second straight game after trailing 3 1 in the series their last against Detroit because it will play in the East next season as part of the NHL's realignment plan.

We've got that momentum Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. We want to keep it.

The Blackhawks seized it when Michal Handzus tied the game in the opening minute of the final period and kept it when Bryan Bickell scored about 5 minutes later.

Frolik's goal on a penalty shot at the 9 43 mark put the Blackhawks ahead 4 2 and silenced the once raucous crowd.

Chicago needed that cushion because Damien Brunner scored with 52 seconds left to pull Detroit within one. The Red Wings pulled their goaltender but they were unable to score with the extra skater.

Red Wings coach Mike Babcock though refused to sound disappointed that his team has failed on its first two chances to eliminate the Blackhawks.

We've got a chance to push them out of the playoffs Babcock said. It should be a lot of fun.

The Blackhawks shifted the series back to Detroit with a 4 1 victory in Game 5 and then jumped in front on Marian Hossa's goal in the first period of Game 6. Patrick Eaves tied the game late in the first and Joakim Andersson put the Red Wings up 2 1 with a long wrister 10 11 into the second period.

Toews won the first faceoff against Henrik Zetterberg after the penalty was called and ended up with an assist on Hossa's goalmouth scramble 3 53 into the game.

Eaves who revived his career during the lockout delayed season after having a concussion scored for the first time this postseason off a rebound 18 51 into the first.

Articles Source here

Grizzlies face key personnel calls after Spurs sweep

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (left) and small forward Tayshaun Prince (right) react on the bench in the second half of game four of the Western Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at FedEx Forum.(Photo Spruce Derden USA TODAY Sports)

MEMPHIS Tenn. There was a moment right before the Western Conference Finals began when the NBA's least glamorous franchise became its trendiest team.

Devoid of star power with no championship pedigree and the league's second smallest media market the Memphis Grizzlies had suddenly become a popular pick not just to beat the San Antonio Spurs but potentially give the Miami Heat problems in the NBA Finals.

Coming off a powerful series against the Oklahoma City Thunder the Grizzlies seemed perfectly positioned to do something special against the Spurs a team they'd beaten two years ago in the playoffs. Memphis' frontcourt combination of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph appeared practically unstoppable. Grit and Grind a local anthem had become a national phenomenon.

SCHEDULE Conference finals breakdown

GRIZZLIES What went wrong for Memphis

And then when the Grizzlies finally arrived at the most jubilant and promising moment in franchise history it was over. Almost as soon as it began.

They didn't let us up for air at all Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said.

Memphis' season is now finished having been done in by the Spurs in a conference finals sweep that hardly anyone could have seen coming. The Grizzlies so powerful and gritty and composed in the first two rounds of the playoffs competed only in the sense that they made the Spurs work hard for the last three wins of this series.

But that was little consolation for a group that saw all its weaknesses exposed at the most important moments. Though two of the four games went to overtime the Grizzlies only damaged the Spurs in two of the series' 16 quarters.

They taught us a lesson how to play at this stage this far into the season this far into the playoffs Grizzlies center Marc Gasol said. They taught us a lesson in how to execute how to play how to read schemes. They taught us a lesson all around and I think we're going to be better because we played against to me one of the greatest teams there's been in the past 15 years.

PHOTOS Grizzlies Spurs series

Last SlideNext Slide

But before the Grizzlies can move forward from their conference finals flop there are several key personnel decisions that will determine their course.

First and foremost Memphis will have to figure out how badly it wants to bring back Hollins whose contract runs out at the end of June. Hollins has led the Grizzlies to three straight playoff appearances and his value as a free agent has never been higher. With several openings around the league notably the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers new Grizzlies owner Robert Pera and team president Jason Levien could be forced to decide whether they want to be involved in a bidding war over a coach they didn't hire in the first place and who publicly disagreed with the decision to trade Rudy Gay to Toronto.

Meanwhile shooting guard Tony Allen will be an unrestricted free agent and likely in line for a raise over the $3.3 million he made this season. Guard Jerryd Bayless who averaged 8.7 points off the bench has a player option for next season at $2.9 million and is probably a good bet to test the free agent market. And given the Grizzlies' perpetual shooting struggles they were 32.2% from the 3 point line in the playoffs they will undoubtedly be searching for help in that area via free agency.

The problem of course is that Memphis already has $57.5 million committed to eight players (not including Bayless). With the luxury tax threshold expected to be around $70 million that doesn't leave a ton of room to re sign Allen get legitimate shooting help and fill in any other holes.

NBA Tracy McGrady is headed to Finals

MORE Best pass of Western Conference Finals

In the meantime there will be a lot of chatter about whether the Grizzlies might make another move to increase their financial flexibility perhaps even trading Randolph who had a poor series against the Spurs and turns 32 this summer.

Randolph even hinted that he's heard the speculation saying after the game he plans on living permanently in Memphis if I get traded or not.

You never know. (The offseason) is important Randolph said. We have to be hungry and hope this core stays and comes back next year and adds more pieces some shooters and just come back hungrier and more focused and determined.

In other words the Grizzlies could come back next year and look very much like the same team that just made a run to the conference finals. Or they could have a new coach and major roster turnover.

Either way the hope would be that Memphis can stay relevant by building around Gasol and point guard Mike Conley who are 28 and 25 respectively and coming off the best seasons of their respective careers.

Whether that means the Grizzlies' championship contending window is just now opening or a one time shot this season will very much depend on how the roster is shaped moving forward. And how much the returning players absorb from the clinic the Spurs just administered.

I think our guys really dug deep to get as far as we did guard Quincy Pondexter said. San Antonio is a tremendous team and we're going to take a couple pages out of their book and move on.

Articles Source here

Obama offers salute to Korean War vets as Afghanistan War winds down

(CNN) President Barack Obama gave a special salute Monday to Americans who lost their lives fighting in the Korean War noting the upcoming 60th anniversary of the conflict's end and asked Americans to remember the troops' work in Afghanistan as that war winds down.

Last Memorial Day I stood here and spoke about how for the first time in nine years Americans were no longer fighting and dying in Iraq. Today a transition is under way in Afghanistan and our troops are coming home the president said after laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. This time next year we will mark the final Memorial Day of our war in Afghanistan.

He delivered Memorial Day remarks the week after addressing America's controversial counterterrorism strategies and a rash of sexual assaults in the military that he said could threaten national security.

Calling Virginia's Arlington National Cemetery a monument to a common thread in the American character Obama asked the audience not to forget the men and women who are willing to give their lives and lay down their lives for the freedoms the nation enjoys.

A serviceman recently wrote the president to say he feared our work in Afghanistan is fading from memory Obama said. And he's right. As we gather here today at this very moment more than 60 000 of our fellow Americans still serve far from home in Afghanistan. They're still going out on patrol still living in spartan forward operating bases still risking their lives to carry out their mission.

Alex Burgess gets emotional at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Monday May 27 as he visits the grave of a friend who was killed in Iraq. People across the country paid tribute to fallen military service members throughout the Memorial Day weekend. President Barack Obama greets people while visiting Arlington National Cemetery on May 27. Obama delivers Memorial Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery on May 27. This time next year we will mark the final Memorial Day of our war in Afghanistan he said. Crowds listen as Obama honors U.S. military service members on Memorial Day. He called Arlington National Cemetery a monument to a common thread in the American character. Obama lays a commemorative wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Friends and family gather at Arlington National Cemetery on May 27 to visit the grave site of Army Capt. Ronald George Luce Jr. He died in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan in 2009. Flowers honor the memory of a veteran at the National World War II Memorial in Washington on May 27. More than 400 000 Americans died during the war. Desiree Neal visits the grave of her grandfather Army Sgt. Lyle Johnson with her daughter Sophia and her husband Ryan during a Memorial Day weekend service at the State Veterans Cemetery near Little Falls Minnesota on Sunday May 26. Johnson was a Korean War veteran who died in 2011. Korean War veteran Bob Pellow 84 carries a flag during the ceremony at the State Veterans Cemetery near Little Falls on May 26. People make impressions of a name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington on May 26. A group participates in a Memorial Day parade on May 26 in Waterbury Connecticut. A couple dressed as Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln embrace while waiting for the Memorial Day parade in Waterbury to pass on May 26. Members of the Mattatuck Drum Band billed as the country's oldest fife and drum band warm up before joining the Memorial Day parade in Waterbury on May 26. Jim Cloyes salutes riders taking part in Rolling Thunder's Ride to the Wall on May 26 in Washington. Every Memorial Day weekend thousands of motorcyclists gather in the nation's capital and make their way to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Motorcyclists wave American flags during the Rolling Thunder event in Washington on May 26. Participants remember veterans during a Memorial Day weekend ceremony on May 26 in Williams Township Pennsylvania. Children warm up with their instruments before joining a Memorial Day parade May 26 in Waterbury Connecticut. Phillis LeSage left and Julie Foret play a game during a living history event in observance of Memorial Day at the Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery in Chalmette Louisiana on May 26. Patricia Corral makes calas deep fried rice cakes that were a popular breakfast dish in New Orleans dating back to the 1800s during the living history event May 26 in Chalmette. Boy Scout Patrick Mach places an American flag on a veteran's grave in Moore Oklahoma on Saturday May 25. The annual project took place in Moore Cemetery which is next to a neighborhood that the May 20 tornado heavily damaged. James Venable 82 carries flags to place on veterans' graves at Bayview Cemetery in Jersey City New Jersey on May 25. Jahvanni Gifford 4 walks through Bayview Cemetery in Jersey City on May 25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Photos Memorial Day weekend President Obama hopes to reset agenda Memorial weekend in D.C. Honoring the troops Obama Hold fallen heroes in your hearts

And when they give their lives they are still being laid to rest in cemeteries in the quiet corners across our country including here in Arlington.

Obama cited a handful of troops by name who were buried at Arlington after making the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan

Capt. Sara Cullen a West Point graduate and Black Hawk helicopter pilot died after a crash during a training mission near Kandahar.

Staff Sgt. Frankie Phillips a combat medic was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol. He was so humble that his parents never knew how many lives he had saved until soldiers started showing up at his funeral from thousands of miles away Obama said.

Staff Sgt. Eric Christian served five tours of duty because he felt responsible for his team and was determined to finish the mission. He was killed escorting a U.S. official to meet with Afghan leaders.

For those of us who bear the solemn responsibility of sending these men and women into harm's way we know the consequences all too well Obama said. I feel it every time I meet a wounded warrior every time I visit Walter Reed and every time I grieve with a Gold Star family.

Chuck Hagel a former Army sergeant who volunteered for the Vietnam War and is the first enlisted combat veteran to hold the post of defense secretary told CNN's Barbara Starr that he remembers soldiers who served alongside him including a captain who was killed 14 days into his tour. Hagel was next to him when he died he said.

Anybody who has ever been in combat remembers the names remembers the faces remembers the fun remembers the uniqueness of every person the defense secretary said.

Obama arrived at the cemetery amid a 21 gun salute and was met by Hagel cemetery Executive Director Kathryn Condon and Maj. Gen. Michael Linnington commander of the Army's military district of Washington.

Linnington escorted the president to the tomb where Obama laid the wreath and observed a moment of silence before speaking at the Memorial Amphitheater.

Home and Away Remembering those we have lost

The president who used last year's occasion to pledge his support for Vietnam War veterans spoke Saturday about the 1% of the American people (who) bear the burden of our defense.

They are heroes each and every one he said. They gave America the most precious thing they had the last full measure of devotion. And because they did we are who we are today a free and prosperous nation the greatest in the world.

What to know about Memorial Day

He continued They risk their lives and many give their lives for something larger than themselves or any of us the ideals of liberty and justice that make America a beacon of hope for the world. That's been true throughout our history from our earliest days when a tiny band of revolutionaries stood up to an empire to our 9/11 generation which continues to serve and sacrifice today.

Obama further urged Americans to do more than remember to care for the loved ones the fallen soldiers leave behind to ensure that veterans have adequate care jobs and benefits and to support military missions at home and abroad.

By the numbers Memorial Day and veterans

The speech comes at a time when the administration is dogged by controversy. While facing tough questions about the alleged IRS targeting of conservative groups and his administration's response to the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi Libya Obama also answered questions last week about the use of drones the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention center and sexual assault in the military.

In a Thursday speech he said drones are a necessary evil but one that must be used more judiciously as the American security situation evolves. About Gitmo he said he would push Congress to allow him to shut down a facility that should never have been opened.

On Friday responding to a Defense Department report that the number of cases of unwanted sexual contact had jumped 35% between 2010 and 2012 Obama said the attacks threaten the trust and discipline that is the military's backbone.

That's why we have to be determined to stop these crimes. Because they have no place in the greatest military on Earth Obama said during remarks at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Opinion In Ohio signs of soldiers' sacrifice

Articles Source here

Bachelorette Recap Desiree Hartsock Finds Her Fiance On Season Premiere

Tweet The Bachelorette is back Desiree has totally forgotten about Sean and she is ready to find love with one of the many eligible babes on the show. Hooray Desiree

Desiree Hartsock is the coolest Bachelorette ever Sean Lowe totally missed out but all is good because Desiree is back and she has a bunch of hot guys competing to be her husband. On the May 27 premiere of The Bachelorette Desiree began her journey to find love and she met some seriously eligible bachelors including her future fiance

Desiree Hartsock Reflects On The Past

The episode began with Desiree reflecting on her past and how she missed out on a chance at love with Sean. Cue the sad music and pensive stares. Thankfully Desiree is totally over Sean and she is ready to have 25 hot guys vying for her attention Desiree and Chris Harrison sit down and chat about what her ideal man would be like and Desiree just wants someone she can wholeheartedly give my whole heart too.

That s not too much to ask

After rollerblading while wearing a stripper hat and chasing some seagulls Des was ready to meet her men.

Desiree Hartsock Meets Her Contestants

Des meets her 25 eligible dudes and they are some serious characters. There s Michael who nearly falls into the fountain Zak arrives shirtless and gets compared to a stripper and also Kasey who only talks in hashtags. shutup.

Des meets Ben who brings his son Brody. What a move Des is weak at the knees but I think Ben may turn out to be this season s Tierra LiCausi.

She meets hunky Brooks Juan Chris and the annoying magician Nick. Shirtless Zak jumps in the pool and he and Ben get first impression roses.

I really thought the girls were bitchy on The Bachelor but the boys are so much worse Sexy doctor Larry has a bee in his bonnet because he is not getting alone time with Des while Jonathon tries to force into the fantasy suite resulting in him getting sent home early. Good call Des

At this point my biggest competition is the remaining guys who don t have a rose Mikey T says deeply.

Elimination At The Rose Ceremony

Des sends home Diogo Nick Dr Larry Micah and Mike R.

Oh well

Between the boys bitchiness and Des one liners I think this is going to be an awesome season.

And we know that Desiree finds a fiance

What do YOU think HollywoodLifers Did Desiree send the right guys home

WATCH Desiree Hartsock Soulja Boy Her Contestants Rap

Eleanore Hutch

More Bachelorette News Bachelorette Trailer Desiree Hartsock Meets The Contestants Bachelorette Spoiler Eight Of Desiree Hartsock s Hot Contestants Bachelorette Spoiler Two Of Desiree Hartsock s Final Guys Revealed Take Our Poll

Articles Source here

Memorial Day in Oklahoma City

Eric Thayer for Time

Members of the veterans group Team Rubicon work on storm damaged homes in Moore Okla. on May 26 2013.

I spent Memorial Day weekend with Team Rubicon the great veterans disaster relief organization. We fought the battle of SW 7th Street in Moore Oklahoma.

We deployed in the post apocalyptic shadow of the local Imax theater. The landscape was the sort of thing you d normally see inside the theater total sometimes incomprehensible post tornado devastation. There were car doors in trees two by fours javelined into the sides of houses a hospital crushed strip mall banality interrupted obliterated by the awesome power of the storm and then resumed a quarter mile down the road. The Martians had attacked here. Godzilla had stomped the suburbs of Oklahoma City. I half expected the occupying army of aliens to come marching or floating down I 35.

Instead the occupying army consisted of relief workers local first responders exhausted but still humping it a week after the storm church groups from all over the country funny how you don t see organized groups of secular humanists giving out hot meals and there in the middle of it all with a purposeful military swagger were the volunteers from Team Rubicon. They looked tough mega tatted in camouflage pants gray t shirts and white hard hats. They moved with swagger and spirit equipped by Home Depot which has done brilliant work locating and funding the very best veterans service groups with an impressive array of chain saws power tools wheelbarrows tarps and wood.

(PHOTOS Honoring the Fallen One Photographer s Witness to 490 Dignified Transfers)

The Rubicon volunteers came from all over the country but most in this first phase of the deployment were from the midwest. This was a smaller operation than their last major mission Hurricane Sandy when 350 Team Rubicon members had organized 10 000 civilian volunteers.

The civilian volunteers in this case were a handful of locals a cadre of first responders cops from Ipswich Mass firefighters who seem particularly attracted to the Rubicon style a chaplain from Florida and me. My team leader Chad immediately gave me a nickname Grampa (ouch) and a wheelbarrow. We worked our way down SW7th street clearing debris and piling it on the streetfront (hence my wheelbarrow) chainsawing trees covering broken windows with boards nailing tarps to shattered rooftops. (Another group of Rubicon volunteers went high tech going door to door with smartphones equipped with Palantir software that enabled them to report on the condition of each house and submit emergency work orders from the owners. They did more than 1000 of these reports in 3 days the information was relayed to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.)

This was the first disaster relief deployment for about 40% of the Team Rubicon volunteers by my very unofficial count and it was a matter of joy and relief for them. These were enlisted men and women. Many of them had been feeling lost and alone back home. More than a few were suffering from post traumatic stress all of them missed the comraderie of the service a comraderie that sadly dangerously does not exist in civilian America. I feel blessed to have a mission again Isaiah Johnson of Oklahoma City an Army veteran told me. This feels like home. I m out here with my people.

Isaiah and his very extremely close friend Megan McKee a Navy Rescue Swimmer were part of a work team headed by Master Sergeant (Ret.) Michael Washington a 50 year old Seattle firefighter known as Top to his troops of course who lost his son in Iraq. Top was one of those guys you just follow. He radiated a natural authority taking the lead on the toughest jobs while puffing on a very complicated looking pipe. At the end of our Saturday labor Top called his work team together and told them This was a great team. We really learned how to do this work today. We may not work together tomorrow but you are all leaders now. You can do this.

These are magic words for most Team Rubicon members. Most have not heard that sort of praise or encouragement from anyone since they came home. The members of Top s team nodded at each other silently dirty sweaty and satisfied. As Top later told me it was good for him too like being out with his son s comrades (indeed during Hurricane Sandy he actually found himself working with kids who had served with his son in Iraq). I m in this for good Top told me. I m anywhere they want me.

At night back in the Team Rubicon barracks a not so nearby high school gymnasium the volunteers would often for an evening debrief. Some would talk about the day s work others would talk about how they d been feeling alone stressed angry passive back home and how being part of a unit once again part of something larger than themselves really mattered.

(MORE Memorial Day A Whole New Meaning)

On Sunday night as we sat in the dark bleachers of the high school s softball field a warm soft breeze blowing in from the Gulf an incredibly courageous Army Staff Sergeant named Chris Dominski remembered not just the men who had died under his command in Baghdad in 2004 but also the precise date and circumstances of their deaths the names of the wives and children they d left behind. He spoke softly. The effect was mesmerizing. Chris said he d had a hard time with survivor guilt after he came home. He said he d tried to commit suicide twice. I guess I wasn t too good at it but what I wanted to say here is that you Team Rubicon you saved my life.

On Monday there was a Memorial Day service this morning at the Team Rubicon Forward Operation Base in the parking lot of the Home Depot on SW 19th Street. Top led the service. He read the Gettysburg Address in a taut sharp military manner in a way that brought power and emotional resonance to the words.

Regular readers know that normally I post a poem an ode to service and sacrifice on Memorial Day. But Lincoln s words are I think better than any poem. And as you read them think of Master Sergeant Mike Washington chanting them with his son in mind

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battle field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But in a larger sense we can not dedicate we can not consecrate we can not hallow this ground. The brave men living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth.

After that Top reciting the names of dead comrades ending with that of his son. The flag was raised in honor of Team Rubicon co founder Clay Hunt and Taps was sung.

And then we all went back to work. The march down SW 7th Street continued and this time the men and women of Team Rubicon were winning their battle house to house.

MORE Iraq War Legacy Are Today s Vets Better Off

Articles Source here

Monday NASCAR recap Harvick fittingly wins bizarre Coca Cola 600 NASCAR ...

With a falling TV cable damaging cars and injuring spectators to a multitude of mechanical failures and accidents sidelining many a big name Sunday's Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway was as bizarre a race as NASCAR has seen in quite a while.

Which is why when the smoke wafted away and the damage cleared from the 4 hour 35 minute marathon it seemed appropriate that it was Kevin Harvick who best withstood 11 caution periods and two red flags alongside a team he has already announced that he will be parting ways with at year's end.

This is one of those nights you just know going into it you got to grind away lap after lap Harvick said following his 21st career win. Just keep yourself on the lead lap not make any mistakes.

At various points Kyle Busch Matt Kenseth Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne each looked like the driver to beat. However NASCAR's longest race is about more than raw speed it's an endurance test for both man and machine unlike any other event in the sport.

And as Harvick bided his time each contender slowly succumbed to various maladies.

While leading Kyle Busch's chance at victory took a major hit literally when his car was struck by part of the tethering system used for one of Fox's overhead cameras.

His team was allowed to make repairs during an unusual 15 minute break granted by NASCAR but more trouble soon followed.

Yet again an engine issue proved to be Busch's undoing as a sour motor ended his night just past halfway.

In the last 18 months engine reliability has been Joe Gibbs Racing's biggest Achilles' heel. And no one has been more affected than Busch who missed the Chase last season in large part because of reliability concerns.

I've got more f blowups than I do wins Busch vented to his crew as he limped to the garage. There's nothing to fix It's f broke It's pointless.

The successful night for Kenseth who led 112 laps went by the wayside when an untimely yellow put him in the back of the pack where he was subsequently collected in a multi car wreck involving Jimmie Johnson.

As for Kurt Busch he was in the lead when a dead battery necessitated an unscheduled pit stop.

So with 14 laps left the taxing race left just two challengers standing Kahne and Harvick with the former clearly having the superior car.

But instead of pitting during what was the evening's final caution Kahne stayed on the track while the rest of the lead lap cars hit pit road for fresh rubber.

The decision left him a sitting duck on the sprint to the finish and wouldn't you know it there was Harvick a lame duck riding in second ready to pounce.

You know coming into this particular race it's going to be a long night. You're going to have to survive Harvick said. We had some strange circumstances with the cable.

Just a great night. Gil (Martin crew chief) made a great call at the end we were able to put ourselves in position and survive until the point of when it was time to go.

He wasted little time and by the time the field sped down the backstretch Harvick who is joining Stewart Haas Racing in 2014 was in the lead and pulling away for his second win of the year.

Inevitably with SHR in the midst of a slump there is conjecture whether Harvick is making the wisest of decisions leaving Richard Childress Racing.

But the deal is already done and neither driver nor car owner cares to speculate on the future and the end to their 13 year partnership.

You look at what we're doing and we're focused on this year Harvick said. We go out and race week to week do the things that we do to try to win races win a championship.

Whatever happens in the future we'll work on some other time. Right now we're working on winning next week's race.

The mindset is no different than how they approached the 600 Just survive and focus on the present while letting circumstances dictate the rest.

Thus far despite the chaos that may surround them it's a formula that has worked seamlessly.

NASCAR made the correct ruling under difficult circumstances

NASCAR has long been accused of making decisions that serve its best interests rule book be damned and worrying about the justification of those decisions later.

But there are times when deviating from standard operating procedure is the correct call. Sunday night following a TV cable falling onto the racing surface and severely damaging cars was one of those instances.

By way of fate Busch Mark Martin Marcos Ambrose and others had been dealt a cruel blow one they were not responsible for causing. My f car is killed Busch radioed his team.

Having been put in the unenviable position through no fault of its own NASCAR was facing a dilemma of having one of its crown jewel races decided by outside circumstances.

So officials did what was fair calling for an extraordinary 15 minute break to allow teams to fix their damaged machines.

This wasn't just ignoring the rule book this was rewriting it midstream.

The easy thing for NASCAR to do would have been to throw up its hands and give the time tested statement of That's racing citing how luck plays a large role in who wins and losses every week.

This was the thought process when in 2004 at Martinsville large chunks of concrete punctured a hole in Jeff Gordon's radiator while he was leading. Matt Kenseth even cited this very scenario during the stoppage.

I can't believe they're (NASCAR) doing that Kenseth told his team over the radio.

Although it may have been unprecedented it was also appropriate.

This was different than Martinsville however where something outside of the field of play directly interfered with the outcome. Using sportsmanship as its barometer NASCAR correctly realized the situation needed to be corrected.

We felt it was best to give the guys time to make the repairs Robin Pemberton told USA TODAY Sports. It wasn't their fault. You can't always do that but this time we thought it would be in the best interest of the competitors and the fans.

While the move wasn't necessarily popular even those who disagreed understood the reasoning.

The guys that were running well and didn't have any damage the last thing you wanted was to see 15 minutes of free open minded work on other competitor's race cars said Jimmie Johnson. But I really think it was the right thing to do. They handled it correctly.

Of course once you open Pandora's Box it's hard to go back with a precedent having now been set.

And the next time some unusual occurrence takes place and it will considering in the past 15 months we've see races interrupted due to a jet dryer exploding and a camera apparatus collapse teams will reference Charlotte as to why they should be allowed a break.

When this predictably occurs NASCAR will follow the same script it always does simply tossing the rule book aside doing whatever is deemed in its best interests at that particular moment. The difference was that Sunday the correct call was in the best interests of everyone involved and not just NASCAR's.

Articles Source here