Tonight, finally, I had some free time to watch the special I had recorded Tuesday. It was very touching, as all of you have already so eloquently stated, so very joyful to see the smiling and laughing Tim as he won races and enjoyed life. I was very impressed with Kyle Petty and not because he is a Petty, but because he very objectively stated the facts and most heartfelt apologized for the ignorance of his fellow racers as to how the matter was handled. I was very impressed with Rick Hendrick and Dr. Jerry Punch for the thoughtful insight they gave to Tim's plight. I was thoroughly disgusted with D. W., not because D. W. disgusts me as a general rule, but his "better than thou, look at me the good old Christian boy" all the while being more disgusting than usual. His jealousy bled through like water coming through a broken dam as he tried to allude to his having been a teammate to Tim as if that put him in the same class of driver as Tim Richmond. The tribute was good by ESPN, for which I am happy and I praise ESPN for the effort. No one, and I mean NO ONE, could do the things Tim Richmond could do with a race car. The number of wins and the number of championships cannot be estimated because to do so would either over inflate the numbers or severely short change the ability of Timothy L. Richmond. The beautiful thing about Tim Richmond is that he lived life to the fullest and lived it on HIS terms. He died a horrible and desolate death, shunned by most of those who should have been singing his praises for what he accomplished. Now, some 20 plus years later, some are coming out of the woodwork to say what was done to him was wrong. Did you catch Ryan White's answer in the show when they asked him about his best friend?
For sure, AIDS and HIV are, even today, scary and back in the 80s were terrifying to all. Robbie was right about the movie "And the Bank Played On". I watched that movie when it came out and to see how the CDC and Red Cross handled the situation only serves to reinforce the incompetence of agencies and bureaus run by egotistical idiots. Which leads us right into NASCAR's place in this shameful part of history. There was no reason, NO REASON, NASCAR could not have let Tim run that last 20 lap event at Daytona, let him have his last hurrah in a race car. I am ashamed to not have taken a stand back then and written a letter to NASCAR's figures of authority instructing them to program their GPS to find the "region of the hot place". I'm not even sure, though, they had GPSs back then. They do now, however, so perhaps they can find the coordinates for such rulings as the Jeremy Mayfield fiasco. A proactive program by NASCAR for Shane Hmiel, rather than banishment for an adiction he could not control, would have made a big difference in the life of that young man but, even now, NASCAR could care less. For sure, I don't want NASCAR to fight the drug problems of the NFL, NBA, or MLB, but it could have a policy to HELP instead of ABANDON.
It has always been NASCAR's stance of "what have you done for me lately". What Richard Petty did in the sixties to bring national attention to the sport is no longer important. It's what mouthy D.W. and that damned rhodent can do for FOX televisiion and NASCAR's rating that matter now. Guess, judging from the grandstands and tv ratings, it "ain't working too good" is it boys? I hate it. I hate Tim Richmond left us way too soon. I hate the way NASCAR treated him. I don't use the word "hate" easily, but, in this instance, it seems appropriate. Those of you who are still alive (Bill, Jr. is gone) who were a part of abusing Tim Richmond as you did, are not forgiven for your ignorance and your inability to function as a caring human, but you are forgiven by the grace of a God who can forgive even the most ignorant. Be sure that you remain worthy of that forgiveness.
Tim
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What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.
