Man. It was a busy weekend. Thank goodness there wasn’t a fight in the handshake line involving an NIT contender or anything. (As classy as that was of Wisconsin to wish Michigan well, the Wolverines are probably safe. Unless…)
Brad Keselowski: Villain Once More
It was a good Daytona 500. The weather held. Nobody died, even if they did really make Harrison Burton confront that possibility. The last few laps weren’t as exhilarating as many we’ve seen, but they were still exciting, and Austin Cindric showed he can handle a Cup car with all the pressure on him (though my eyes did light up when I saw him slide up to block Blaney and open that door for Wallace—thought the 23 had it).
The big story of the day in terms of the grander NASCAR narrative is that Brad Keselowski, who still has his villain reputation but hasn’t been acting as much a villain in recent years, went full heel, pushing guys with vigor all day (he was the one who risked killing Burton) before eventually taking out Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Stenhouse wrecks people all the time (well, with some frequency), so there’s a piece of what goes around coming around here, but also, it was early to be trying that kind of move, and it tore off Bubba Wallace’s fender, which may have cost him in the end (he couldn’t really try to make a pass in overtime with that gaping hole around his wheel). Most importantly, it’s fun to have Keselowski be a villain again. Guy becomes an owner, gets a little older, and decides to withhold what little restraint he had. Kick their asses, Brad, and let us give you some hate.
Burnley: Back to Life
In more love-to-hate news, Brighton fans aren’t too happy with Burnley, whom they called all the hoof ball and other anti-football names before Burnley pulled their pants down and left them with a stinging red paddle mark on their heinies. It was a masterful display by the Clarets, with Wout Weghorst scoring off a nifty Connor Roberts pass to make it 1-0, Josh Brownhill pushing another through later in the half to make it 2-0, and Aaron Lennon putting in the dagger as the game approached its conclusion. Three goals, three points for Burnley, who’ve suddenly made it clear that they, while still slight favorites to get relegated, aren’t going down without a fight.
Around the relegation picture, Newcastle drew with West Ham and Watford beat Aston Villa, but Brentford, Everton, and Leeds all lost, the last coming as I discovered I really hate Leeds, which I think makes me officially a real fan. Big one Wednesday against Tottenham, with Watford playing Crystal Palace and Leeds playing Liverpool at the same time.
Senators: Still the Senators
Not only do I hate Leeds, but I finally watched part of a Sens game, turning Saturday’s on to see them tie it up and lose in overtime. Fun was had.
The Sens lost twice over the weekend, but focus on that and you’re missing the point. This team is still an amphetamine. They’re also still playing all the time right now, with so many Covid makeups ongoing. Next game tomorrow, at home, against the Wild.
NIT Bits
Kind of a quiet weekend in NIT-land, honestly. Miami and Virginia got themselves back into our projected field, but besides that, little calm before the storm. Big one between West Virginia and TCU just tipped off. Go watch it. NOW!
