King at the rink

Legendary NASCAR driver Richard Petty will be in attendance at Saturday night's Columbus Cottonmouths game the Civic Center as part of what is being marketed as a ''Racin' Weekend.''
That begs the question of: What the heck do NASCAR and hockey have to do with each other?
The sports are more similar than you might think.
Both are played on an oval surface and both place a premium on speed.
Drivers and hockey players rely on uncanny hand-eye coordination and endurance.
NASCAR drivers make multiple pit stops to change out tires and refuel. Hockey coaches make line changes every minute to freshen up lineups that have become rubber-legged from end-to-end exertion.
Some NASCAR fans come to the track to see spectacular crashes in the corners. Some hockey fans come to the rink just to see spectacular crashes too, in which defensemen generally pin a forward's face to the Plexi-glass with a nasty body check.
NASCAR has caution flags and lap penalties, hockey has the penalty box.
Most hockey players lack at least one tooth, which gives them instant kinship with denizens of the infield at Bristol.
And the No. 1 shared trait between the sports ...
The mullet is a perfectly acceptable haircut.

Parting thoughts on Agua-gate

Discussion of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s run-in with Miami International Airport security eventually winds its way to the subject of race.
A few readers who reacted negatively to my recent columns on Vick suggested my views were shaped by racial bias.
Never mind the fact that no quarterback of any shade — Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Vince Young or Byron Leftwich — would have been allowed to carry a 20-ounce water bottle beyond an airport security checkpoint. That's the age we live in. And, it's worth emphasizing that any quarterback -- whether black or white -- would have been subject to a law enforcement investigation if their water bottle had carried a hidden contraband compartment and a stench resembling marijuana.
It's true that Vick was neither detained nor charged with a crime. The Miami-Dade police lab tested his bottle and it tested negative for the presence of drugs. He's in the clear and, frankly, it wouldn't have mattered if he'd been caught using it as a bong. The worst he would have faced as a first-time offender would have been a fine. The Miami-Dade police department doesn't operate like David Caruso's CSI: Miami unit. They don't devote endless scrutiny to possible misdemeanor offenses.
But what so many of Vick's defenders fail to acknowledge is that it still could have been used to hold drugs or used as drug paraphenalia. It's reasonable to ask those questions based on the behavior of Vick and his employer, as well as the Miami-Dade police's erasing of an airport security evidence tape (which violated state law).
Atlanta general manager Rich McKay stated last week that he, team owner Arthur Blank and new coach Bobby Petrino expressed their ''displeasure'' in a meeting with Vick. What could they possibly be displeased with again?
If Vick had told them he was simply the victim of a misunderstanding, they likely would have given him the benefit of the doubt.
The most nagging questions, to me, are created by the silence. Neither Vick or his employer have been heard from since Miami-Dade police completed their investigation. Vick has never said he was unjustly accused and the Falcons haven't come forward to defend their quarterback.
The prevailing sentiment has been one of "Move on, nothing to see here.'' The more it's said, the more it sounds like a carnival barker who doesn't want anyone to peek at what's underneath the big top.
The one truly unfortunate aspect of this surreal situation is that Vick has been branded a ''thug'' in some quarters. That brings us back to the issue of black and white.
This latest incident doesn't make him a thug. In fact, until this season, he'd largely navigated his way off the field without so much as a ripple. The only Vick mentioned in police-related stories was his brother, Marcus.
But the last few months have raised questions about Vick's capacities as a leader. Before the season, he settled a lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed he knowingly gave her herpes. Then came his obscene gesture to Atlanta fans, the second-half collapse of a once-promising season, his awful play against bottom-feeders like Detroit and Cleveland, his silence on the subject of coach Jim Mora's job performance and, finally, Agua-gate.
There's no question Vick is a great talent, but his judgement can apparently use some work.
Vick’s lawyer released a statement saying his client is ready to move on and put the Miami incident behind him.
He now has the chance for a fresh start. He can't afford to fumble it.

Strange week in Atlanta

In the latest plot twist involving Atlanta professional sports, it appears as if Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will be able to stiff-arm any comparisons with Snoop Dogg.
ESPN, citing an anonymous source, reported that Miami police did not find any traces of marijuana in the water bottle Vick tried unsuccessfully to carry through Miami International Airport security last Wednesday. The container, which Vick discarded, reportedly held a hidden storage compartment. According to police, it contained a trace amount of residue that smelled strongly of marijuana.
That led to Vick having a tense face-to-face meeting with team officials, including new coach Bobby Petrino, on Thursday.
If the ESPN report is true, the Falcons will have been saved from an unbelievable headache. An arrest or solid evidence that Vick had used drugs would have likely forced the team to consider unloading a star and absorbing a severe salary cap hit because of his $130 million contract.
Still, it's strange that Vick would have been expected to carry a water bottle with a hidden storage compartment onto an airplane.
The incident marked the most compelling aspect of a good news/bad news week for Atlanta professional sports:
* The good news: Jim Mora got a job in Seattle. The bad news: It's not as the University of Washington head coach, his self-described dream job. He'll coach defensive backs for the Seattle Seahawks, but could emerge as a prime head coaching candidate when Mike Holmgren retires.
* The good news: A Georgia Tech football coach will move to Miami next season. The bad news: It's not Chan Gailey. Gailey didn't get the Miami Dolphins head coaching job, which means the Yellow Jackets are likely doomed for more 7-5 seasons. Instead, offensive coordinator Patrick Nix jumped to the University of Miami to run the Hurricanes' offense.
* The bad news: Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith flipped a couple middle-finger salutes to a booing crowd after being ejected from Saturday's game against Charlotte. Did this man learn nothing from Vick? The good news: It happened at a Hawks game, which means nobody noticed.

Finally ...

The only thing longer than my absence from sports blogging was Alabama's head football coaching search.
My hiatus stemmed mostly from a month-long illness, an accumulation of unused vacation time and the feeling that I needed to add "Blog more often'' to my list of New Year's resolutions.
Alabama's 38-day gap between firing Mike Shula and hiring Nick Saban ended early this morning after multiple declarations from Saban that he wasn't interested in the Alabama job, wouldn't be talking about it now or five years from now and wouldn't be coaching anywhere but in Miami next season.
Saban's misdirection play isn't the issue of this blog, however. Coaches lie all the time.
What I find amazing is that Alabama president Robert Witt, athletic director Mal Moore and several trustees laid an eight-year, $32 million deal at Saban's feet.
This after Alabama trustees vetoed an attempt by lil' brother Alabama-Birmingham to hire LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher for its head coaching vacancy.
They balked at paying Fisher $600,000 a year.
Naturally, they won't so much as issue a single squeak about loading up a Brink's truck on Saban's behalf.
All of which begs the question -- How much is too much for a college coach nowadays?
Saban will become the NCAA's highest-paid coach, elbowing his way past $3 million club members Kirk Farentz of Iowa, Pete Carroll of USC and Charlie Weis of Notre Dame. He'll receive almost double the salary of Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville, which means Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs can expect a visit from Tuberville’s agent (coincidentally Jimmy Sexton, who also represents Saban) if the Tigers beat the Crimson Tide for a sixth straight season.
NCAA president Myles Brand has expressed grave concern over the skyrocketing salaries of college football coaches, but this is starting to look like the old Cold War nuclear arms race. The money involved will only escalate from here.
How much is too much?
What do you think?
Are there too many multi-millionaire coaches and should Alabama have paid so much to land Saban?