NASCAR celebrates 20th Cup race at Indianapolis

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZYKGZesj_Pe1dusDgXXMkBcmO4NAf2CWbmM498MuQ22wVJc9EHx6LINDdTN-ANFy-CgOBplLvlH4ipJ77lIXH2uoZOYhWos9sTPNiA7gn0zxgEqBJLa_FtPTwick-tMZkworb7O8ejI/s1600/nascar+racing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="NASCAR celebrates 20th Cup race at Indianapolis" border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBZYKGZesj_Pe1dusDgXXMkBcmO4NAf2CWbmM498MuQ22wVJc9EHx6LINDdTN-ANFy-CgOBplLvlH4ipJ77lIXH2uoZOYhWos9sTPNiA7gn0zxgEqBJLa_FtPTwick-tMZkworb7O8ejI/s400/nascar+racing.jpg" title="NASCAR celebrates 20th Cup race at Indianapolis" width="400" /></a></div> <h2 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/nascar-celebrates-20th-cup-race-at.html">NASCAR celebrates 20th Cup race at Indianapolis</a></h2> <div> <div> Traditionalists balked and some were downright outraged at the mere suggestion stock cars dare set their fenders on the sacred ground of Indianapolis.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Stage a NASCAR race at the home of the Indianapolis 500?</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> May as well make Indy 500 winners swig orange juice in Victory Lane or have the track install lights for a night race. Heck, make it the Indianapolis 350. None of it could have been worse than big, bad NASCAR storming into their city - an open wheel city.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> ''I think Indy cars belong at Indy and stock cars belong at Daytona,'' 1986 Indy winner Bobby Rahal said more than 20 years ago.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> ''I think it's a big mistake because Indy has all that tradition and romance and I don't believe it should be tampered with,'' said Johnny Rutherford, also a former Indianapolis 500 champion.</div> <div> Romance? What is this, a love story?</div> <div> Well, sort of.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> It's time to pucker up and kiss the bricks once again when NASCAR runs its 20th Cup race Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon are as much a slice of Indy racing history as A.J. Foyt and Rick Mears.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> There's a generation of drivers coming up who dreamed of racing at Indianapolis for 400 miles, not 500.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The Brickyard may not be the marquee race to win on NASCAR's schedule. Rahal was on to something, the Daytona 500 is still No. 1.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> But Indy is a close runner up.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> ''You have the Daytona 500 and then the Brickyard 400,'' Gordon, a four-time Indy winner, said. ''Some people may rank it different than that, but that's how I look at it. There was a time, maybe back in 1994, where I would have ranked this No. 1.''</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Then the next big thing in NASCAR, a 23-year-old Gordon won the inaugural race in 1994. An estimated crowd of 250,000 fans absolutely jammed the place and Gordon recalled the die-hards lined up 10 deep around the garage just to get a peek at the drivers that would soon usher NASCAR into a boom period.</div> <div> NASCAR hadn't just raced at Indy - it took it over.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Dale Earnhardt won in 1995 and then Dale Jarrett started a celebration with his 1996 win that lasts to this day, and even carried over to Indy. Jarrett and crew chief Todd Parrott knelt down and planted a big ol' kiss on the bricks, the start-finish line for the race.</div> <div> Who needs milk?</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> Tony Stewart, a former open wheel champion, never got to fulfill his boyhood dream of winning an Indianapolis 500. But the Indiana native has twice won the Brickyard, putting an emphatic end to his skepticism that a winning a NASCAR race in Indy would never mean as much had it happened in open wheel.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> ''The first time they came, I'll be honest, I was 100 percent against it,'' he said. ''When you grow up in the state of Indiana, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the Holy Grail to you. I didn't want to see anything different come to it. To me, it was the Indy 500 and that's all it was supposed to be.''</div> <div> That feeling didn't last for long. Stewart won in 2005 and 2007 and was won over that NASCAR could truly call Indianapolis home.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> ''It was everything to me,'' he said. ''My whole life, since I was a kid, that's what I wanted to do. Not that I had some fascination with kissing bricks as a child. But my fascination to do it here was pretty obsessive.''</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> NASCAR first kicked the tires of running in Indianapolis in the early 1990s. By 1992, the stock car series was ready to take a dip in the Indy pool with two days of tire testing.</div> <div> An estimated 30,000 fans at the Speedway chanted ''We want a race,'' as the cars roared from the pit past a hand-lettered sign, ''Indy fans love NASCAR.''</div> </div> </div>

NASCAR celebrates 20th Cup race at Indianapolis Traditionalists balked and some were downright outraged at the mere suggestion stock ...

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Ten greatest athletes in Atlanta sports history

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFrLiAfflidEGXbgJcVWbh0iEkEClrm7dVQmDyqymJO1R0LN2f5BubSYzBwzkWFa_n4i5-ZR64Lw-cuPZe70qOF9G56Wq486gRxNmxSz6jWZP_lLrnAjaMFTpa31lByjqavNeXdflFJw/s1600/Ten+greatest+athletes+in+Atlanta+sports+history.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFrLiAfflidEGXbgJcVWbh0iEkEClrm7dVQmDyqymJO1R0LN2f5BubSYzBwzkWFa_n4i5-ZR64Lw-cuPZe70qOF9G56Wq486gRxNmxSz6jWZP_lLrnAjaMFTpa31lByjqavNeXdflFJw/s400/Ten+greatest+athletes+in+Atlanta+sports+history.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <h1 class="headline" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/ten-greatest-athletes-in-atlanta-sports.html">Ten greatest athletes in Atlanta sports history</a></h1> <div> <div> Perhaps overshadowed by being the birthplace of Coca-Cola and the headquarters of CNN, Atlanta is rarely thought of as a sports mecca. However, it should.</div> <div> Without any professional franchises in neighboring states, Atlanta served as the unofficial capital of sports in the Southeastern United States for many decades. Subsequently, fans have been given front-row seats to the careers of many legendary stars.</div> <div> To comb through the laundry list of deserving Atlanta athletes, those qualified to make the cut needed to have great careers while simultaneously being good ambassadors for their sport -- sorry, Michael Vick.</div> <div>  This list could easily be a top 50, but the line had to be drawn somewhere. The fact that Dale Murphy, Pete Maravich and Jessie Tuggle were unable to crack their way in underscores just how many truly transcendent athletes have come through Atlanta over the years.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> Ten greatest athletes in Atlanta sports history</h3> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div> In alphabetical order:</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b>Hank Aaron (Braves, 1966-1974)</b></div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> The Braves currently play home games at 755 Hank Aaron Drive -- need I say more?</div> <div>  "Hammerin' Hank" is an icon in Atlanta and holds nearly every franchise record the Braves have. The true home run king of Major League Baseball played 21 of his 23 seasons with the Braves' franchise, but only nine of them came after the club's move to Atlanta in 1966. His MVP and World Series title came as a member of the Milwaukee Braves. Geographical semantics aside, Aaron hit 335 homers while playing in Atlanta, including recording-breaking No. 715. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b>Tom Glavine Braves (1987-2002, 2008)</b></div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> With 305 career wins and two Cy Young Awards, Glavine was a Braves legend, even though he made the very misguided decision to sign with the hated New York Mets in 2003. Glavine returned to the fold to retire with Atlanta in 2008, and he has now been welcomed back as Chip Caray's part-time voice of reason during Sunday home games.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b>Evander Holyfield (44 wins, 10 losses, 29 TKO, 2 draws)</b></div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> When discussing all-time great Atlanta athletes, it is always nice to be able to include one of the city's native sons. Holyfield grew up in Atlanta, and, in 1996, he was given the honor of representing the entire city by carrying the Olympic torch into the stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Games.</div> <div> Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield remains the only fighter in history to be named Heavyweight Champion of the World five times in his career.</div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> <b>Chipper Jones (Braves, 1993-2012)</b></div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> On a list of Atlanta athletes, Chipper is one of the greatest. Certain players achieve such meteoric success that only one name is required. There is no mistaking Babe (Ruth), Mickey (Mantle) or Cal (Ripken Jr.) -- just as people are not going to confuse the Braves' legendary third baseman with another "Chipper." Chipper had a career .303 batting average while playing all of his 19 seasons in Atlanta.</div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> <b><a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/ten-greatest-athletes-in-atlanta-sports.html">Ten greatest athletes in Atlanta sports history</a></b></div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> <b>Greg Maddux (Braves, 1993-2003)</b></div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> Maddux earned four consecutive Cy Young Awards from 1992-1995. There have been Atlanta athletes more beloved, but maybe none more respected than Maddux. In an era where pitching devolved into a position of throwers, "The Professor" was every ounce the thinking-man's pitcher.</div> <div> With a Rolodex-like steel-trap of a mind for the tendencies of every hitter he faced, Maddux out-maneuvered batters with the deftness of a chess grandmaster. Even after his fastball velocity fell to just 83 mph in his final few seasons, Maddux could still get professional hitters out by being the same laser-sighted target-striker who earned 355 career victories.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b>Dikembe Mutombo (Hawks, 1996-2001)</b></div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div>  Mutombo earns his spot as much for what he has done off the court as for what he did on it. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and creator of the -- now banned -- post-block finger wag, is also the same man who donated $15 million of his own money to build a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mutombo has been mentioned by name in presidential speeches, while his foundation has been lauded for its humanitarian efforts around the world. Considering he also ranks No. 2 in NBA history in blocked shots (3,289), the basketball thing also worked out pretty well for "Mount Mutombo."</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <strong id="yui_3_9_1_16_1374653160831_732" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px;">Matt Ryan (Falcons, 2008-present)</strong></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px;"><div> After the 2013 season, "Matty Ice" will hold nearly every Falcons record for passing. Despite playing in only five seasons, Ryan sits just 4,513 yards and 27 touchdowns behind Steve Bartkowski for the "Dirty Bird's" top spot.</div> <div> With No. 2 under center, the Falcons have turned into perennial Super Bowl contenders. However, Ryan's playoff record of 1-5 will need to change -- winning the first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history would certainly help.</div> <div> <b><br /></b></div> <div> <b>Deion Sanders (Falcons, 1989-1993; Braves, 1991-1994)</b></div> <div> <br /></div> <div>  Even though the lights of "Prime Time" went out after only five seasons with the Falcons, Deion's legend still looms large in the state of Georgia. Not only does Sanders have his No. 21 retired in the Falcons' Ring of Honor, but he also upped his Atlanta status by heading over to the diamond to play baseball for the Braves. Sanders stole 19 bases and hit .276 in 1992 while helping the Braves reach the World Series.</div> <div>  </div> <div> <span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px;"><b>John Smoltz (Braves, 1988-2008)</b></span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.453125px;"><br /></span></div> <div> Few players are as adored by their hometown fans as "Smoltzie" is in Atlanta. During his 20 years with the Braves, the future Hall of Famer helped win a World Series title (1995) and scooped up a CY Young Award for himself (1996). He retired as the only player in MLB history with 200-plus wins and 150-plus saves. Smoltz also has a budding "stand-up comedy" career, which can be heard from the press box on select TBS and Peachtree TV telecasts.</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <b>Dominique Wilkins (Hawks, 1982-1994)</b></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "The Human Highlight Film" gets lost in an era with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, yet Wilkins' mark of 24.83 points per game is only 0.67 points behind Kobe Bryant's career numbers.</div> <div>  His legacy will forever be tied to his dunking. Dominique won the NBA Dunk Contest in 1985 and 1990, and was a part of -- perhaps -- the greatest dunk-off in history when he went slam-for-slam with Jordan in 1988. We all know who really won that contest, had it not been held in Chicago.</div> <div> Anthony Schreiber is a freelance sportswriter. He has penned articles for a variety of online publications and magazines.</div> </span></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> </div>

Ten greatest athletes in Atlanta sports history Perhaps overshadowed by being the birthplace of Coca-Cola and the headquarters of CNN...

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Anthony Weiner, flanked by wife, apologizes for sending more lewd messages after resignation

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntr9WqsHA4KXcjZc8H9DM_kyiOewqVh34rI0SqAkFKJA6dRcWmclzcpt8a8bKei6Jjita39cHTTE79Ybv3x6h3nBNcqW36FNs2BUJ_hUJGibDtjNV7HHA5nma0z70TSJMDIiEdtOsPkM/s1600/imge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhntr9WqsHA4KXcjZc8H9DM_kyiOewqVh34rI0SqAkFKJA6dRcWmclzcpt8a8bKei6Jjita39cHTTE79Ybv3x6h3nBNcqW36FNs2BUJ_hUJGibDtjNV7HHA5nma0z70TSJMDIiEdtOsPkM/s400/imge.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <h1 class="headline" id="yui_3_9_1_1_1374652693554_311" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: 300; line-height: 33px; margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px 10px;"> <span style="font-size: 28px; line-height: 33px;"><a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/anthony-weiner-flanked-by-wife.html">Anthony Weiner, flanked by wife, apologizes for sending more lewd messages after resignation</a></span></h1> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;"> NEW YORK — Anthony Weiner confirmed Tuesday that he was behind a series of newly released explicit messages sent to a woman who was not his wife more than a year after a sexting scandal forced him out of Congress in 2011.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;"> Flanked by his wife, longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, Weiner acknowledged in a press conference Tuesday evening that he continued to send the messages even after he had resigned from Congress,. He said the issue was now "behind" him and that he was no longer in touch with any online paramours.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;"> The generally press-shy Abedin surprised the room by reading a brief statement of support for her husband after Weiner's prepared comments. "Anthony has made some horrible mistakes, both before he resigned from Congress and after," Abedin said, appearing emotional. "But I do strongly believe that that's between us." Abedin added that she's forgiven him after much therapy and wants to move forward. "Our marriage, like many others, has had its ups and its downs."</div> <h3 style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://worldofnews360.blogspot.com/2013/07/anthony-weiner-flanked-by-wife.html">Anthony Weiner, flanked by wife, apologizes for sending more lewd messages after resignation</a></h3> <div> <br /></div> <div> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;">In a statement to reporters Tuesday afternoon, the Democratic mayoral hopeful confirmed he sent the messages, some of which were sent under the name “Carlos Danger.” But Weiner did not address the issue of when the messages were sent until his press conference.</span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></div> <div> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 23.99305534362793px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div> Weiner resigned from Congress in June 2011 after he was busted sending explicit pictures and texts to several women. The former lawmaker largely stayed out of the public eye until earlier this year, when he announced he was exploring a last-minute bid to replace outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The ex-lawmaker made his mayoral run official in May — with a video in which he asked the public for a "second chance."</div> <div> <br /></div> <div> "I made some big mistakes, and I know I let a lot of people down, but I also learned some tough lessons," Weiner declared at the time. "I'm running for mayor because I've been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life. And I hope I get a second chance."</div> </span></span></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;"> <br /></div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px;"> <br /></div> </div> </div>

Anthony Weiner, flanked by wife, apologizes for sending more lewd messages after resignation NEW YORK — Anthony Weiner confirmed ...

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