"Start and Park"

My family has been into NASCAR since the MLB strike in 1994. They became fans of Jeff Gordon and Darrell Waltrip and a few others over the years. NASCAR was fun to watch back then but now the traditional NASCAR fans are upset and moaning about cars that race and then park.

These cars are referred to as "Start and Park" cars. They qualify for a race and then once they have run say, 20 laps, they bring the car in for a malfunction and then they park the car to collect the purse for finishing 43rd or whatever position they end at.

NASCAR "purists" (I call them purists but they are more into wining about things) say by allowing these drivers to continue to drive is a travesty to the sport. They "dilute" the sport and make it watered down in their eyes.

This is where I disagree, many of these teams are driving to pay for the few pit members that they do have and don't usually carry a major sponsorship. They get by with used parts from the other teams and just try to make it.

Some drivers use the "Start and Park" to pay for other things like their Nationwide program or Craftsman Truck program. One thing that really got the purists goat's was when Tommy Baldwin Racing sold their lock in the Daytona 500 to Stewart/Haas Racing so they could assure Danica Patrick with a ride for Sunday. Personally my take is most NASCAR fans don't want to see Danica do good. They get upset for all the publicity that she gets for racing in the big race but you know what, Tommy Baldwin sold his spot for money because they needed the money to pay for better equipment to compete with.

Let's look at what NASCAR can do to fix this problem:

1) Reduce the field down to 35 cars. I personally don't like this idea because I like the drivers that do "Start and Park" but this is one solution.

2) Make the super teams only have 3 cars a piece. This will spread the sponsorship out to more teams and give those teams less of an advantage out their on the track. This will also make the playing field greater for the lower funded teams.

3) Revenue share: Split up the money from the pot. Don't like that idea but it's still an idea. Just saying. Won't work because their isn't an added incentive to winning.

4) Leave it like it is. It doesn't really hurt the sport because those drivers don't get in the way of the competitive teams. They are usually out of the way before they could become a wreck factor and thus they aren't hurting anything. As long as they are within the rules of NASCAR then they are doing fine. Hey, maybe NASCAR could get some of these teams a sponsorship.

Drivers that are blamed for "Start and Park" or underfunded

1) Joe Nemecheck : 87

2) Bill Elliot : 97

3) Tony Raines : 26

4) David Reutimann: 93

5) J.J. Yaley : 49

6) Robert Richardson Jr. : 23

7) Terry Labonte : 32

8) Mike Wallace: 37

9) Michael McDowell: 98

10) Landon Cassill: 83

2005 Recruiting Class

Here is the class that took Mizzou to a place that it had never been to in a long while. Let's take a look back at this class.

Jaron Baston	DE	6'2"	250	4.8	3	5.5	####	1 video
Matt Casaday	K	5'10"	190		2	5.4	####	2 videos
Brock Christopher	LB	6'3"	215	4.6	3	5.5	####	2 videos
Chase Coffman	TE	6'7"	210	4.8	3	5.6	####	9 videos
Tarell Corby	DE	6'4"	210	4.5	3	5.5	####	3 videos
Chase Daniel	QB	6'1"	214	4.5	3	5.7	####	13 videos
Connell Davis	RB	6'3"	210	4.5	3	5.5	####	4 videos
Jon Gissinger	TE	6'3"	230	4.6	2	5.3	####	1 video
Kurtis Gregory	DT	6'6"	287	5.5	3	5.5	####	2 videos
Evander Hood	DE	6'4"	230		3	5.5	####	1 video
Chris Hudgins	TE	6'4"	250	4.8	2	5.2		1 video
Herman King	DE	6'3"	215	4.6	2	5.4	####	1 video
Chad Marshall	DE	6'2"	240	4.7	3		####	1 video
Louis Pintola	OL	6'5"	310	5	3		####	5 videos
Hardy Ricks	DB	6'1"	180	4.4	3	5.5	####	1 video
Matt Russell	OL	6'5"	310		3		####	1 video
DeMarcus Scott	DE	6'2"	270	4.8	3		####	1 video
Jamar Smith	DE	6'2"	270	4.7	3			2 videos
James Stigall	OL	6'3"	300	5.2	3	5.5	####	1 video
Darnell Terrell	DB	6'3"	210	4.4	4		####	4 videos
Jason Townson	DT	6'4"	285	5	2	5.4	####	2 videos
Chad Washington	DB	5'11"	192	4.5	3	5.5		2 videos
Dain Wise	OL	6'4"	270	5.1	3	5.6	####	1 video
					2.826087
Total: 23

Well first and foremost we need to recognize Chase Daniel, maybe the best quarter back in Mizzou history. Chase went undrafted and now backs up Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. Chase finished his Missouri career with 12,215 passing yards and 101 passing touchdowns. Chase was a great player for Missouri and in 2007 was a runner up for the Heisman Award.

Evander "Ziggy" Hood is the next notable player in this class. He played DE and had the most notable tackle against Todd Riesing in the Kansas game. You know the turf helmet one. Ziggy was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and plays DE for them. He is still on the team.

Chase Coffman was the TE from Kansas City. He ended up being Mizzou's all time leader in touchdown receptions by the time his career was over. Mostly know for his acrobatic catches, Chase was ended his career with 256 reception, 2651 yards and 30 total touchdowns. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals and was not signed back after the 2011 season.

Kurtis Gregory was a defensive player that was changed to the offensive side of the ball. Kurtis was a good lineman and still does the radio for the Football postgame show with Gary Link. Kurtis was voted in as the Lowe's Senior award and Kurt still does many things around the program.

Honorable Mentions: Brock Christopher and Jaron Baston - Both were good players but didn't extend thier careers after Mizzou.

This class was loaded with talent that helped Mizzou to become better off as far as the football landscape goes. This class also shows that you can find players that are good that the experts don't think are that good. Mizzou has a system and if a player can fit and thrive then they will be better off. Ex: Chase Daniel, 3 star.

2004 Recruiting Class

Head Coach Gary Pinkel's class in 2004 was the first sighting of some of the future Stars that made up the nucleus of the team the went on to be ranked #1. Let's take a look at them.

Van Alexander	LB	6'1"	210	4.5	4
Brian Barmann	TE	6'4"	205	4.6	2
Mack Breed	ATH	6'2"	195	4.4	2
Julius Denzmore	ATH	6'2"	185	4.5	2
John Dirk	OL	6'3"	285	5	2
William Franklin	WR	6'1"	175	4.5	3
Earl Goldsmith	RB	5'10"	182	4.5	2
Jerrill Humphrey	WR	6'4"	210	4.5	4
Darrell Jackson	QB	6'2"	215	4.6	3
Jimmy Jackson	RB	5'9"	197	4.5	2
Domonique Johnson	DB	6'2"	190	4.5	2
George Lane	DT	6'3"	280	4.8	3
Ryan Madison	DT	6'5"	255	4.9	2
William Moore	WR	6'2"	200	4.4	3
Alvin Newhouse	LB	6'2"	220	4.6	2
Aaron O' Neal	RB	6'2"	210	4.6	2
Chase Patton	QB	6'4"	205	4.7	4
Steve Redmond	DB	6'0"	200	4.5	2
Kyle Riggs	OL	6'5"	303	5.2	4
Aaron Saunders	OL	6'7"	282	5.3	2
Stryker Sulak	DE	6'5"	230	4.7	2
Tony Temple	RB	5'10"	192	4.4	4
Chris Wade	DE	6'6"	220	4.7	2
Trenile Washington	WR	5'11"		4.4	2
Calcius Williams	DE	6'4"	210	4.5	2
					2.56
Total: 25

First let's start with Aaron O'Neal. He was the DB that passed away untimely during his time at Mizzou and couldn't help but start with him. He may have not made a big difference on the field but may have changed Gary Pinkel to being more of a players coach then ever before.

Van Alexander was a good linebacker for the Tigers and played very well. I don't believe he made it to the NFL but Van was a good player for the Tigers.

Will Franklin was the leading receiver from this class that played in the Cotton Bowl for the Tigers. He was drafted by the Chiefs but as many Chiefs fans know, without a great quarterback Marvin Harrison may have struggled in Kansas City. Named honorable mention Big 12.

Jimmy Jackson "The Pride of Caruthersville" was a North to South pounder for the Tigers. Undersized for the Halfback position, he was Mizzou's bulldozer in the red zone.

Ryan Madison was a great O-line guy for the Tigers and did a great job for them. In a offensive scheme that requires those guys to be mobile Ryan is well suited for that type of ball.

Willy Mo is probably the biggest surprise in this class. He is in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and plays defense. Willy was a leader and was a good run stopper as well. Finished Tiger career with 284 tackles, 11 career interceptions, 3 sacks and hold the record for 4 interception returns for a touchdown

Stryker Sulak was a defensive end for the Tigers that was a good player. Second team Big 12 and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders. He was cut before a contract was signed and his last action was 2009 with the Packers.

Tony Temple was a running back for the Tigers that went to Rockhurst in Kansas City. Temple was the hero in the Cotton Bowl and ran for 281 yards and four touchdowns. Hopes were lost on Tony when the NCAA didn't grant him an extra year for the 2008 season. Tony was a free agent with the Browns but was later released.

Looks like to me that the Coaching staff started to really do a good job with it's recruits this year. Most of these players were red shirted as well. These guys plus some kids from the 2005 class came in and helped to put Mizzou Football in a place that it hadn't been in 20 years.

2003 Recruiting Class

In Gary Pinkel's third full year of recruiting we begin to see the types of players that he would like. This is the senior class that helped the team be successful. Let's take a look at the players that year.

Josh Barbo TE 6'6" 252 4.8 4

Greg Bracey WR 6'3" 190 4.4 3

Gartrell Cooper DE 6'5" 220 4.7 3

Brad Ekwerekwu DB 6'3" 190 4.4 3

Xzavie Jackson TE 6'4" 230 4.5 3

Tyler Luellen OL 6'7" 275 5.2 4

Damien Nash RB 5'11"205 4.4 4

M.J. Norman OL 6'5" 280 5.2 3

Emmanuel Phillips DE 6'5" 250 4.5 3

Marty Raab OL 6'6" 280 3

Jason Ray WR 6'2" 190 4.5 3

Martin Rucker TE 6'5" 205 4.7 3

Victor Sesay TE 6'7" 260 4.7 3

Lareno Seymour DB 6'0" 180 4.5 2

Adam Spieker OL 6'3" 275 5 3

Darnell Terrell DB 6'3" 200 4.5 4

Zane Tomlin DT 6'4" 276 4.8 3

Phinney Troy DT 6'5" 245 4.9 2

Lorenzo Williams LB 6'2" 235 4.6 3

Nino Williams DB 6'2" 190 4.5 3

Alex Woodley RB 5'11"185 4.5

Marcus Woods RB 5'8" 180 4.4 3

Monte Wyrick OL 6'5" 308 5.2 2

Total: 23 3.000

Looking at this class, you have some names that just pop out. T Ruck is one that has had some success. He is a really good player and is on a practice squad in the NFL. Zo Williams comes up as another player that did well for the Tigers.

Tyler Luellen started games for the Tigers and was a good road grader for the offensive line. Damien Nash did okay at Mizzou and it's a shame how that whole situation dominated by a tragedy.

Brad Ekwerekwu had an okay college career but mostly you can hear him and Gary Link do the Tiger post game show after Mizzou plays on the radio. Brad does a great job, by the way.

Xzavie Jackson, I believe changed positions and wasn't a tight end but a defensive end. Xzavie did a good job there.

As you can see though the Tiger coaching staff started to turn the corner and more stars were coming to the team and we are starting to see a budding team. Come back again for the 2004 recruiting class tomorrow.

2002 Recruiting Class

As many of you know Gary Pinkel and Company get a great amount of criticism for the recruiting classes that Mizzou has had over the years. In the next few weeks I am going to go over the classes and we will see exactly who we remember playing and what stars they were. You will be interested in many of the things that have gone on.

Name	Position	Height	Weight	Stars
Fabian Bean	DE	6'3"	270	4
Howard Brissette	OL	6'6"	315	4
Joel Clinger	OL	6'7"	275	3
Brandon Coleman	ATH	6'3"	195	3
Mike Cook	OL	6'3"	315	2
Atiyyah Ellison	DT	6'4"	290	4
Todd Gohsler	K	6'0"	190	2
Marcus Guerrero-Bacon	DB	6'3"	190	3
Dedrick Harrington	ATH	6'4"	225	4
Josh Hibbets	QB	6'3"	190	3
DeQuincy Howard	TE	6'4"	215	2
Emmett Morris	LB	6'0"	210	3
David Overstreet	QB	6'2"	180	3
Alex Pettersen	K	6'4"	180	3
Steve Sanchez	OL	6'5"	300	3
Brian Smith	DE	6'3"	220	3
Corey Taylor	RB	6'0"	200	3
Phillip Tizzio	OL	6'6"	285	2
Mau Uiagalelei	LB	6'3"	235	3
Zach Ville	DE	6'2"	270	3
Mario Whitney	RB	6'0"	190	4
Zach Zwilling	TE	6'6"	250	4
Total = 22			Average: Stars	3.090909

Looking at the list I see 4 names that I remember hearing on the radio broadcasts.

1) Joel Clinger

2) Atiyyah Ellison

3) Dedrick Harrington

4) Brain Smith

Of those four, Ellison made it to the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and played some games for the Jaguars. He was cut by the Pats and isn't currently with a team.

Dedrick Harrington was a big time recruit from Mexico, MO and Pinkel even mentioned that he was just as nervous for the DGB signing as he was for Dedrick. Dedrick picked MU over Notre Dame. Doesn't have any stats from the NFL.

Brain Smith is still the Mizzou career leader in sacks with 31.5. This kid here was the most underrated player but the good news is that Pinkel and his staff can get good defensive play out of undersized players because we have good coaches.

Even that said you can tell that Mizzou was starting to make it's way up as you will see but the true help came from "diamonds in the rough." But those come in later classes so I will post 2003 when I get a chance and then 2004 all the way to this year.

If you root for Kansas you are un-American?????

I read that statement on Tiger Board the other day. Apparently it was a article written by a writer from Kansas City on a publication called the Atlantic. I don't get stirred up by blogs about sports because they are generally slanted one way or another. Much like the Bleacher Report, which is a terrible source for sports, it is just a bunch of opinions written by many homers and fans of specific teams.

He said that if you were to root against Kansas that you hate America. He also went on to say that if you root against Kansas than you hate president Obama because he picked them to win. Yes, you read that correctly. One thing to point out, I don't like our President because of things that he has done to our country in the last for years but that's not what were talking about so let's just move on.

He also said if you root for Kansas, you are in favor of slavery, cheering for racism, oppression and war. So I generically gather that this post was written for Mizzou fans. He also goes into the Kansas history of the border war and how they were defending the Border Ruffians (Missouri's Bushwhackers) from people making Kansas a slave state. He was also saying that you should because they were playing the Richmond Spiders and Richmond is the former capital of the confederacy.

He starts to name all the things and items that Kansas basketball has brought to the sport. This is a funny outlook because he claims that if we hate Kansas, that we hate the NCAA Tournament, because Phog Allen started it. Apparently, because Phog Allen made the game global by bringing it to the Olympics that he hates all international players in the NBA.

He also talks about how the Kansas fan base is insanely committed to basketball. Way to committed to basketball.

Also, this post was started by another Tiger Board member who was told by a Kansas fan that they represented Midwest values. What Midwest values?

1)Cheating

2)Lying

3)Racketeering

4)Moral values

That's why Mizzou fans really don't like Kansas because they run around acting like an elite team but then they don't hold their selves to a higher authority. Kansas basketball gets away with cheating all the time and various NCAA violations but yet the NCAA continues to protect them. They lie about games that they have won and conference championships. You haven't won 7 consecutive championships because you have Co-Championships with Texas and Oklahoma, not outright. Don't mislead people. The ticket scandal was a Racketeering scandal and well Tyrel Reed's dad will tell you all about it. Moral values is something that their players don't exhibit because they aren't Midwestern kids. The Kansas kids are but outside of that they are crying babies that curse and show their emotions on their sleeves.

I am a Mizzou fan and I don't want our team compared to that, ever. I don't care about all the Championships that they claim. I don't want to win dishonestly. It just wouldn't feel right and it would be much better to do it honestly.

Article Link: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/03/march-madness-if-you-root-against-kansas-you-root-against-america/72991/