The first Christmas after Ann and I were married, our then 12-year old son wanted a “real Christmas tree” in the house. I knew a lady with some 70 acres of land on which there were many cedar trees, which make good Christmas trees. He and I went to the land and walked through the woods for several hours looking for that perfect tree. We did find a cedar about 8 feet tall and full. We cut it down, took it home, put it in the stand, filled the stand with about a gallon of water, decorated the tree and it was really beautiful. At some point during the night, the tree fell over and, of course, the gallon of water saturated the carpet in that corner of the den. That was a disaster.
This past Friday night, NASCAR held its annual Awards Banquet in Las Vegas. The host of the evening was Howie Mandel. NOW THAT WAS A DISASTER OF A HUGE MAGNITUDE. Howie Mandel is a Judge on America’s Got Talent and also has hosted the previous game show “Deal or No Deal” and now has another new show premiering in January, also a Game Show. Howie is also a self-proclaimed “germ-o-phobe”. He refuses to shake hands, as you probably witnessed if you saw the Banquet, and generally acts as though he is not to be touched or even have his three-foot circle of protection invaded. Ann and I have watched America’s Got Talent and would give Howie a passing grade as a fair Judge, for the most part. However, his performance Friday night would have resulted in ALL THREE “X” marks within the first 10 minutes and he would be gone. As for his game show, I saw about 20 minutes of “Deal or No Deal” once and believe me, for me, it was a huge NO DEAL. As for Howie Friday night, again, NO DEAL.
If you watched the show, you saw a Howie Mandel who now professes to be a huge NASCAR fan although without the teleprompter, he was lost. His appearance in a fire-suit to advertise his new game show was as huge an affront to intelligence as I have witnessed lately. Why NASCAR would have thought Howie Mandel to be a good host for such an important event baffles me. But then, so does “The Chase” so I guess the powers that be in Daytona see things differently. I did take exception to Howie’s attempts at off-color humor in at least three instances. Not only did those attempts fail, but Howie even reiterated one of the supposedly humorous lines when he thought the audience didn’t get it. They got it, but apparently, like me, considered it poor taste and crude. Why, with talent like Alan Bestwick, Mike Joy, Barney Hall and Krista Voda, does NASCAR bring in such a person as Howie Mandel? Makes no sense to me. And while we’re on making no sense, the Cirque du Soliel performance, if that is what you want to call it, made no sense, was ridiculous, and came very close to making me turn off the television. If that is Las Vegas entertainment, I’m glad what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Speaking of the audience, I kept close watch every time the camera panned the crowd just to see who I would recognize. Repeated shots of Richard Childress had me convinced he was experiencing severe indigestion but then I discovered they hadn’t even eaten yet. As for poor Jack Roush, he obviously forgot his application of Preparation H and was suffering terrible pain as the result. The expression of his face in every shot was most painful to watch.
I had managed my time all day so I could sit for the entire four hours and watch the event. First time I’ve done that since probably 2005, as the scripted and controlled speeches were more than I could take. This year, I suspected that Brad Keselowski would make it a good evening. On that note, I was correct. In fact, both Brad and Roger Penske spoke without a teleprompter and their speeches were more coherent and heartfelt than any others I heard. Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer did well. The usual guys, Jimmie, Jeff and Tony showed their experience at the Banquet. As for Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth, God bless them. They were as awful reading a teleprompter as anyone I’ve ever seen, although that Major League Baseball player, Johnny Damon almost surpassed Kenseth. Let’s remember, some guys are good at driving racecars but making acceptance speeches should not be included in their job descriptions.
I do hope NASCAR will consider trimming some of the fluff, such as that “Red Carpet” parade and some of the talent acts before next year. But, as I said, I hadn’t watched in 5 or 6 years and would not have this year were it not for Brad. Whether I will sit through four hours next year to hear the repeated “thanks to the fans” which even Howie managed to utter at least a dozen times, remains to be seen. Mike Helton, you did an admirable job behind the microphone and without a teleprompter. Let’s see a little more of your involvement and less of the contrived entertainment.
Now, I want to switch gears to something very important. Please, each and every one of you listen closely to the next few minutes to what I have to say. I don’t think you will regret it.
Next Tuesday, December 11th, Stocks for Tots will hold its annual event at The NASCAR Institute in Mooresville, North Carolina. Stocks for Tots was started in 1989 and is committed to raising funds and awareness for child abuse prevention and parenting. Just take a minute after the show and go to www.stocksfortots.com and check out the list of driver and celebrity appearances starting at 5:00 p.m. and continuing through 9:00 p.m. Don Miller, the retired President of Penske Racing, from what I understand, is the driving force behind this event and will be on hand Tuesday. Penske Racing! Cup Champion this year. When you are on their website, there is a list of all drivers and personalities who will appear. Read the names there. A virtual “Who’s who” of current stars and pioneers of the sport. Sure, this is not a free event, but net proceeds go to Iredell County SCAN, which is the acronym for “Stop Child Abuse Now”.
When you have looked at the list of those appearing at the event, then look to the left on the Home Page of Stocks for Tots at the names of more than THIRTY kids, from age ONE Month to TEN years, who have died at the hands of their caregivers just this year. Not just injured and abused, but DIED. For each one of these kids who died, there are probably a couple hundred more who are abused daily and have no recourse but to take it. What Stocks for Tots does for the efforts to stop this mistreatment of children is worth more than any award that can be given to the founders and supporters. Having been there last year, I can tell you that literally thousands of folks come to meet their heroes. I talked to four college guys from Pocono, PA, who drove down that afternoon, stood in line for over two hours to get autographs, and were driving back to Pocono that night for class the next day. I talked with a couple in their 70s who drove in from Indiana for their 12th consecutive year for the event and would be staying overnight after the event. The lady told me they come to see all their heroes, but more than that, they feel that the little they have to give may save the life of a child and that is priceless.
All the lines, all the crowds, and every face, I repeat EVERY FACE, had a smile. The folks signing the autographs and the folks getting the autographs were one huge, happy group of people. After all, the event is always held in December, close to Christmas and Christmas is the time of year for joy. For the majority of society, a child brings joy... great joy. For some, as you can witness by the list of children who lost their lives before they could even begin to live, a child is a commodity to be abused and disposed of. More than giving a gift to be under the tree on Christmas morning, your participation will help ensure some child may wake up on Christmas morning to a better life than he or she could have expected, thanks to the work done by this group of dedicated folks. For some, it will mean life itself.
I saw a Christmas movie once on The Hallmark Channel, I think, in which Richard Thomas spent the two hours trying to discover the “first gift of Christmas” in order to obtain wealth from a dying woman. [The Christmas Box; Richard Thomas, Maureen O'Hara, Annette O'Toole] He finally, correctly, determined that the “first gift of Christmas” was a child. We all know of that child. He came wrapped in swaddling clothes inside a manger. A child. How appropriate is the connection of that gift to the Stocks for Tots event? The first gift of Christmas gave life to mankind. Those who contribute to the Stocks for Tots effort will, quite possibly, give the gift of life to one of those ONE month old kids somewhere. Or the six year old. Or the ten year old.
Jeff and I will be there in Mooresville on December 11th, at The NASCAR Institute starting at 5:00 p.m. I hope to see many of you there. It may just be the best gift you will get this Christmas!
-Tim
Email: legendtim83@yahoo.com
Twitter: @legendtim83
If you've enjoyed your visit so far, we invite you to check out the Stock Car RacersReunion site by clicking here. By simply creating a log-in you will have access to over 100,000 vintage racing photos and thousands of articles, stories and conversations, some with legendary participants whose names you will recognize. As part of our racing family, you are free to enjoy the Chat Room and all Forums will be open for discussing your passion for racing with others of like mind. RacersReunion truly is where legends and fans unite.
(Editor’s note: Tim Leeming is a member of the regular cast of the Tuesday evening racing show ” Racing Through History”, presented on Zeus Radio Network by RacersReunion®. Archives can be found by following the link. Live broadcasts can be heard from 7:00-9:00 PM every Tuesday. Please feel free to join us in the RacersReunion® Chat Room for the show.)
