Bee Sports Editor/Opinion
In the wake of Jimmie Johnson winning his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup title, there have been the inevitable comparisons to other great athletes and great sports accomplishments.
We've also heard the same tired statement from some fans: Stock car racing is not a sport.
Yes, NASCAR has been called "43 guys turning left." Those 43 guys are turning left at an average speed of 180 mph. They are coming within inches of making contact – and less when they're trading paint. A flick of the wrist, and a dozen cars could be against the wall.
There's no such thing as an overweight NASCAR driver. All are the fittest athletes and have incredible hand-eye coordination.
Go ahead, call stock car racing boring. But Johnson's achievements are on par with anything Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods has accomplished. It's just that Johnson's sport uses a bigger piece of metal than Tiger's.
What to surf
www.nascar.com/drivers/dps/jjohnson00/cup/index.html: The numbers don't lie: Check out Johnson's career statistics.
What to watch
NBA: Kings at Hornets, 5 p.m., CSN: A Big Easy visit is no longer a walk down Bourbon Street.
What to do
Men's college basketball: UC San Diego at Pacific, 7 p.m.: Gas is cheaper, so drive to Stockton to see this year's Tigers. Tuesday's results
NBA • Grizzlies 109, KINGS 94 • Warriors 111, Blazers 106 • Magic 103, Raptors 90 • Pacers 113, Hawks 96 • Heat 94, Wizards 87 • Mavs 100, Bobcats 83 • Celtics 110, Knicks 101 • Cavs 106, Nets 82 • Nuggets 114, Bucks 105 • Lakers 116, Bulls 109
Area men's basketball • UC Riverside 61, Sac St. 49 • Cal 87, USF 74 • Stanford 103, CSU Northridge 85 • San Diego 65, Nevada 51
Area women's basketball • BYU 81, Nevada 63 • Oregon 76, Pacific 71
Today's poll
Who is the area's best major leaguer? • Jermaine Dye, White Sox. • Derrek Lee, Cubs. • Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox. To vote, go to www.sacbee.com/sports.
Tuesday's poll results
Should Kings coach Reggie Theus be on the hot seat? • Yes. 20% • No. 80% Total votes: 311.
Talk amongst yourselves
What you're discussing on www.sacbee.com/forums: • Kings forum: "Should Reggie Theus be on the hot seat?"
The last word
What you're saying on the sacbee.com comments: • "A first-round pick like Ricky Rubio and a superstar free-agent signing will bring life back to Arco and Sac town." kingsfeast on "Theus wants Udrih to be more aggressive"
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