Rally

I have been so busy with the baseball playoffs that I nearly missed the press release by the Arizona Diamondbacks announcing the selection of a contractor for the new Spring Training home of the Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

Mortenson Construction was awarded the project to be the general contractor on the Spring Training complex. This is a name that should be quite familiar to Cactus League fans. They recently completed the fields for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox that opened last year in Glendale, Arizona.

The Dodgers/White Sox Spring Training home is one of the most luxurious of all the Cactus League venues. Situated on 141-acres, Camelback Ranch has a stadium with a capacity of 10,500 seats plus an additional 3,000 grass seats. Besides the stadium, each team also has an array of practice fields including a replica of Dodger Stadium field and US Cellular field.

Baseball is not the only activity on the property; a 1,300-foot lake and walking paths with natural Sonoran desert landscaping abound. Given the accolades that Camelback Ranch has received since opening, excitement is building for the new Diamondbacks-Rockies complex.

Mortenson has worked with both the Diamondbacks and the Rockies so there should be few surprises that could hold up construction. That is a good thing since the Diamondbacks and Rockies are both scheduled to vacate their current Spring Training home in Tucson after 2010.

According to the press release site, clearing has begun at the Indian Bend property with formal groundbreaking scheduled for the middle of November. I am not sure who I need to talk to in order to get invited to that party.

I am not looking for a free hand out; I would gladly pitch in and help. I just bought a new shovel (well technically my wife bought the shovel as part of her honey-do list she has for me to do before pitchers and catchers report in February). I would be more than happy to bring my own shovel and I even have a couple of lawn and grass bags left over from mowing the lawn last week.

I’ll also bring my own can of spray paint so we can mark where my seat location will be for Spring Training. I want to make sure that they don’t build Rally Sally’s seat anywhere near me. It is bad enough that I have to deal with her during the season, the last thing I need is to have her waving her flag in my face all spring too.

This could work out great, it could be like an Amish barn raising party but with electricity and fewer beards. Maybe we can get everyone to bring their wives or girlfriends and they can make sandwiches and churn some butter.

The Rockies and Diamondbacks play their cards right and this field could be done before Spring Training 2010, saving them a truckload of money on gas that they can use to get us another front line starting pitcher. This idea is golden or at least Sedona Red.

It's time for this team to wake up the echoes. More rides on the outcome of this game than any game in my memory, and all we have to do is rise up as one, and knock USC off of their lofty perch.

This game is the stuff of legend.

Notre Dame beating the Black Knights of Army on the banks of the Hudson behind the strong arm of Gus Dorais and the soft hands of a young Knute Rockne. The Four Horsemen. The Irish walking into the Rose Bowl and beating Pop Warner's Stanford team. Win one for the Gipper. The 1945 tie of the vaunted black Knights of Army. Breaking Oklahoma's winning streak in 1952. Michigan State "Game of the Century" in '66. The Chicken Soup Game. The Trojan Horse game. Catholics vs. Convicts. '93 Florida State. 2005 USC.

This is the time for Notre Dame to rise again.

We have been through purgatory, and suffered through some of the darkest times in Notre Dame history. The greatest game in the last 25 years was arguably a loss to USC. It is time for this team to take its place back at the top of college football.

This is our greatest rival. Our arch enemy. Southern Cal is a team that once had a proud tradition, but has soiled its reputation by hiring Pete Carroll. The media wants to exalt him as a hero, but he is truly a villain. Growing evidence shows that USC has engaged in behavior that very likely could lead to NCAA sanctions. They willingly have associated themselves with a known pimp, drug dealer, and possible murderer in Snoop Dogg, and indeed have asked him to actively recruit players to Southern Cal.

Where USC may have at one time been worthy of our respect, they are no longer. They have gone to the dark side, and are now truly our antithesis.

Through all of the pain and torment, Notre Dame still holds true to its basic ideals. We do it the right way. Our players are full members of the Notre Dame community. They go to class. They graduate. Often with honors. We recruit our players by the book. And further, we hold our players to a higher standard of behavior. Criminality and immorality will not be tolerated.

Yet still we rise.

This game may not have the glitz and glamour and hype of some of the classic No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups in the past. It may not even be the biggest game of the week. Gameday will be down at the Red River Shootout.

But this game represents a pivotal moment in Notre Dame history.

Win, and the critics are silenced. The Irish take their rightful place in the polls, and earn the right to be in the National Title conversation at the end of the season. Clausen will take his place as the leading Heisman trophy candidate. Weis will keep his job. And, undoubtedly, multiple players visiting this weekend will feel the Notre Dame Spirit and choose to suit up for Notre Dame.

We will be BACK.

Lose, and the Irish fade back into mediocrity once again. Clausen's Heisman hopes are dashed. Weis' job security becomes tenuous at best. The critics grow louder, to almost a fever pitch. And, although we now have the talent to compete, we will probably start anew with a different coach and another hope that the new savior will help us return to glory.

But we will not lose. We cannot.

We are Notre Dame.

Rise and Strike.

Rally sons of Notre Dame,
Sing her glory, and sound her fame
Raise her Gold and Blue,
And cheer with voices true,
Rah! Rah! For Notre Dame.

We will fight in every game
Strong of heart and true to her name.
We will ne'er forget her
And we'll cheer her ever,
Loyal to Notre Dame.

Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send the volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky,
What tho' the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to Victory!

Matt Wilson has found himself frequently maligned both in the motorsport media and amongst World Rally Championship (WRC) fans alike, but the leading British star of his generation suggests his detractors should give him the time he needs to learn and improve – as he reveals his ultimate ambition of becoming World Rally Champion.

Wilson's critics argue that he is only in the WRC thanks to his father, 1994 British Rally Champion Malcolm Wilson who runs both the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team and the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team effort for whom his son competes. However, from the 59 rallies that Wilson Jnr has entered since making his official WRC bow back in 2004, the 22-year-old has garnered just 50 points, and has far more often finished outside of the top eight scoring positions than in.

Moreover, Wilson has yet to ascend the rostrum, with a best result of fourth on the 2007 Rally Japan, but this year the Cumbrian-born ace has been the very model of consistency, scoring points in all-bar two of the ten events so far – missing out only in Portugal, where he retired due to a loss of oil pressure, and in Greece where he came in 14th – to currently sit seventh in the title standings, only six points behind fifth-placed team-mate Henning Solberg.

“You learn to live with it,” he reflected of the criticism, speaking to Crash.net Radio's Adam Drane. “That was more back at the start of my career when I was first setting out; if you did well it was expected, and if you didn't, well why aren't you? It doesn't really come now – I think people can see what we're trying to achieve and the five-year plan that we have.

“When I first started out we'd just lost Colin [McRae] and just lost Richard [Burns], and I think everybody was looking for a new British hope. We started to do world rallies, and everybody expects a lot – and then you realise that you've not really got that much experience and that there's a lot to learn. I think attitudes have maybe changed a little bit, and like I say as long as we keep progressing and making improvements, that's the main thing.

“I think I've improved everywhere; generally you just keep on learning and you keep gathering that experience – and that adds up to improvement everywhere. I don't think you can really look and say 'this is what you need to do differently'. There are obviously so many elements with rallying – you've got the pace notes, the car has to be right, you have to have experience of the rally – that I don't think you can really pinpoint one little thing. Like I say, you've just got to work on all of those areas, and when it does come together that's when the results start to happen as well.”

Results, indeed, are what Wilson needs to keep on producing if he is to advance his career as he so clearly hopes to do – and, more specifically, podiums and wins. Though he knows he still has much to learn and a long way to go in the sport, the man who initially participated in circuit racing for three years – “The plan was always to eventually go rallying, but you can circuit race from 14 and it was just a way of driving, getting mechanical experience and learning about cars, and then when you get your licence on the road and go rallying I think it does stand you in good stead,” he explains – insists he won't be satisfied until he has reached the very top, even if he has his feet firmly on the ground with regard to how long that is likely to take.

“The ultimate aim is to be driving in the world championship for a manufacturer and to be winning rallies and fighting for world championships,” he asserted. “If that leads to being world champion, then that's got to be the ultimate prize at the end of the day.

“You've got to have that determination and have that in your mind to do, or there's no point in competing. We need to keep on making the improvements that we have every year, but it's still going to take time – once you start fighting for podiums and winning rallies, it still takes a long time to get that momentum together to do it for a year and win a championship.

“I think we could be looking at another four or five years maybe before we can realistically be in that position – look at Colin, he was the youngest person ever to win the world championship at 27, and that's still five years away for me. That's got to be the aim, for sure – but we do have time on our side.”

When I was about to get married my father sat me down and gave me two pieces of advice that if I would listen would make my marriage a little better and perhaps keep me out of my wife’s dog house. His first pearl of wisdom was, “Never go to bed angry; even if you have to stay up all night fighting.” At first I wondered whether or not my dad knew what he was talking about but after 28 years of marriage I think he was probably right on this one. As I have gotten older it has been harder to stay up late so I have to now make sure the fights end earlier so I can get to bed.

My father’s second word of advice to me was, “Never forget your anniversary”. There is nothing that will bring the wrath of a woman quite as fast as a husband forgetting an anniversary. My dad tells stories of seeing the dent in his father’s head where grandma whacked him with a frying pan the year he forgot their anniversary. I am allergic to cast iron especially when it is applied to my head so I was going to make sure that I always followed this second tip.

I can only assume that my future mother-in-law sat my wife down and had a similar conversation explaining the rules of a happy marriage. These would of course include never getting between a husband and the remote control especially during October baseball and never suggesting that the children’s dental hygiene was a higher priority than baseball season tickets.

Given these tips for marital bliss, it should come as no surprise that I have circled September 27 on my calendar with a big Sedona Red marker. Within this circle in my handwriting are two important words, “my anniversary”.

I remember September 27 like it was yesterday. I had trouble sleeping the night before. I kept going over the events of the day in my mind trying to grasp the importance of what I was about to do. There was no doubt that I was making the right decision. It was about the only thing in my life that I was really sure of.

This relationship had been one of love at first sight and with each passing day my love grew stronger. Sleep was the last thing I was thinking about as I laid there in bed. I kept glancing at the clock trying to will it to go faster so that the activities of the day could finally begin.

Finally morning arrived and I quickly showered. As I got out of the shower I looked down at the clothes I had laid out. I wanted to look my best for this day. I was surprised at how nervous I was. Even though I was doing the right thing and I had absolutely no reason to question my decision I still wondered whether I would be able to go through with it.

What if I panicked when I walked down the path? What if my partner didn’t show up? What if I got there too late and missed the ceremony? All of these questions rolled over and over in my mind causing my stomach to roll like a grounder down the first base line.

Things all worked out though and none of my fears were realized. Looking back now it seemed kind of silly to worry about this stuff. After all, it worked out perfectly and I am now left with the perfect memories of that joyous event.

Today I again woke up early with sleep the last thing I was thinking about. I got up and quickly showered and dressed in my best outfit. I ran downstairs as quietly as I could so I would not wake my wife. I wanted to get everything ready.

When she got up and came downstairs I handed her a card and kissed her as I said, “Happy Anniversary dear!” She looked quite puzzled and stared at me. After what seemed like an eternal silence she said, “we were married in June”.

Well duh, I knew that. This anniversary is much bigger than that. Looking at her though you would have thought she had no idea what day this was. Finally I started to get a little frustrated. “Today marks the 12th anniversary of when I threw out the First Pitch at the Diamondbacks game” I said.

She still just stood there staring at me. At that particular moment I completely understood my grandmother’s actions with the cast iron frying pan. How in the world could my own wife forget this anniversary? I was flabbergasted. I mean I wasn’t expecting a giant Sedona Red cake with a Rallyback jumping out of it but I was at least hoping for a personalized Los D-Backs jersey that I have been hinting about for the last month.

Clearly this was going to be one of those days where I was going to be going to be up really, really late so that I didn’t go to bed angry. And to think, everyone in my family thought it was going to be me who forgot our anniversary. I guess I proved them wrong huh?

Last weekend was a crucial one in, arguably the most exciting season in the WRC for a long time. (I don't care what the misery guts say....I know you lot argue that Hirvonen only has a chance through Loeb’s mistakes...but duh that’s what sport is all about!).

Anyway, with just three rallies left Mikko Hirvonen was only three points ahead of his arch rival Sebastian Loeb. For both drivers then, the rally of Australia was a crucial one.

Seb did exactly what was needed to keep his title hopes very much alive. The Frenchman was unstoppable and thanks to some great driving and excellent Citroen tactics the reigning World Champion conquered the new stages of New South Wales.

Mikko drove his Focus to the limits and was clearly showing the immense pressure he must be feeling; nevertheless the Fin did exactly what was needed of him and came in a strong second. 

I thought the rally was fantastic; it was exciting, tense, and by the end of it all the Championship contenders were separated by just one point!  However, then came the news that Citroen would be penalised when post event scrutineering found that Loeb's Citroen C4 WRC was fitted with a front anti-roll bar link which did not comply with the homologation form of the car. 

Citroen agreed with the steward's findings and Loeb, Sordo, and Ogier were each given a one minute penalty. This meant that Hirvonen gained P1 and Loeb was set back to P2. 

I can't really explain how I felt when I heard this news. The Hirvonen fan in me was delighted as the Fin’s new five point lead  was extremely welcome. However, the Loeb fan in me felt slightly cheated; after all that excitement and hard work the Frenchman had been let down by his team.

This makes the next round in Spain even more crucial than had previously been thought. This is also where I think the most important man in the 2009 WRC Championship battle will help decide the final standings either way.

For me it all comes down to Sordo this year; to a great extent the young Spaniard has the title in his hands and is one of Sebastian's last chances in 2009 of re-writing the record books again.

In 2008 Citroen dominated the Spanish event and although last year it wasn’t as important, if Dani can wedge his way in between Sebastian and Mikko again the Championship will go right to the wire, which in my opinion can only be a good thing for the WRC.

The promising young Citroen number two has had a mixed 2009. A great start in Ireland with a P2 was followed by mixed results with another P2 in Argentina and a P23 in Italy.  Since his P12 finish in Greece, Sordo has really worked hard and showed us the raw pace he has, finishing no lower than fourth in the last three rallies.

In Australia, Sordo was great with four stage wins and an eventual P3 finish. Last year Loeb and Sordo were untouchable and strong performances from the BP Ford team were no match for the C4's raw pace.  

If Sordo can take his speed and consistency from New South Wales to his home event, this, coupled with Citroen's expected dominance of the black stuff, will make the 2009 Season even better than I previously thought!

I do realise that when all is said and done, if the British Rally gives us the same results as last year, (Loeb P1 and Hirvonen P8), all this pontificating about Spain is pointless.  That’s the thing I love about Rally, there are so many aspects to take into consideration and the smallest error could cost you the Championship. However, Mikko did a great job to fight back to P8 after his day one crash and don't forget his win in 2007. If both Sebastian and Mikko have eventless rallies in Wales they should finish first and second. 

If we think like that, Spain is truly the most important rally of the season.  For me, if Mikko can even get P2 the Championship is his to lose in Wales. But if Sebastian and Sordo can get Citroen’s third one two finish of 2009 in Catalunya, just one tantalising point will be the difference into the final event of the year.  I’m almost certain after his performance in Australia that Seb has the talent to do his job and win the rally.  The Question is can Dani keep Mikko on that third step of the podium?

As I say I love the WRC and there are no drivers I dislike. I have three favourite drivers this season and two of them are in the Title battle.  Perhaps if you pushed me I’d tell you that Mikko is my top driver and for that reason I’d like to see him crowned Champion in Wales. However, I believe that Sebastian’s performance in Australia earned him a shot at the title decider in the final round; realistically, this is only possible if Citroen can get that one two in October. 

Therefore, as of now, it’s not just up to Mikko and Sebastian but more to the man who could now be the most significant driver in the 2009 WRC Title...Dani Sordo!

I must admit that when I was smaller, the thing that drew me to Toyota Team Europe (TTE) was not any loyalty to the Manufacturer, it wasn’t even that I loved the drivers...it was purely due to the fact that I really loved the Castrol liveries and the looks of the Celicas and Corollas!

However, strangely enough my first car was a beautiful Toyota and although I had grown away from the WRC and more into F1 (just like TTE!), my love for the WRC had been re-ignited. 

I went straight to the internet and Rally DVDs and found that in actual fact it wasn’t just the liveries that I loved! Sainz is one of my all time favourite drivers. I love the history of the team and were it not for Britain’s unfair insurance system I would be very much buying a Celica for my 21st (However being a young man, I’d have to pay well over the price of the bloody car to be allowed to drive it!).

Anyway I digress!  I am now well and truly back into the WRC, I love it! However, although the car I passed my test in competes (Ford Focus), I have always loved Japanese cars and unfortunately, when you take away the odd private entry, 2009 has had no official Japanese entrant (due to the exit of Subaru last year).

The problem is, many people now find the WRC totally boring and I know that the current climate probably means that Subaru, Suzuki and Mitsubishi can’t really afford to re-join the WRC that soon. 

The light at the end of the tunnel comes with the 2011 rule changes which will hopefully pave the way for a much bigger entrance list.  I would like to argue that with all the money Toyota is wasting in F1, a return to the WRC makes perfect sense for the World’s biggest car manufacture.

Toyota and the WRC

Toyota’s Rally outfit began life in 1971 when a Toyota Celica was entered in the RAC Rally.  Toyota came 9th, and importantly saw off stiff competition from its Japanese rivals.

Due to the logistical problems of shipping cars from Japan to Europe, Ove Andersson (the driver that had raced the Celica to P9 in 1971), moved the outfit to Sweden under the name of Anderson Motorsport.  Here, Toyota's first European team was born.

In 1975  the team became Toyota Team Europe and in August of that year, they won their first rally.  TTE conquered the 1000 Lakes Rally with a Corolla 1600.

From then onwards the team grew in size and success.  Although Toyota had won many rallies by 1990, their hard work really paid off when, at the end of the 1990 WRC season, Carlos Sainz won the team’s first ever Driver’s Title.  TTE were also proud runners up in the Manufacturers Championship.

TTE then went on to have a glorious 1990s in which with various drivers and cars the team gained a further three Driver’s Titles and Manufacturer’s Titles. Perhaps they could have won even more...if they hadn’t been banned from the WRC for 12 months for pushing the regulations to their limits (or as some people call it...cheating), with an illegal air restrictor.

After their 1999 Manufacturer’s victory, TTE sadly stopped participating in rallying, in order to prepare for a switch to Formula 1 in 2002.

Toyota and Formula 1

Toyota F1 began their life in 2002, piloted by Le Mans star Alan McNish and Mika Salo.  However, for all of Toyota’s money, the team only managed to score two points!  And these points only really came about through other drivers exiting the race!

But let us not be too quick to judge, it was only Toyota’s first year in F1 and at this level, teams need a couple of seasons if they want to be world beaters.  

With new drivers for 2003, despite showing promise the team only managed 16 points. Unfortunately, 2004 was much like 1995 for Toyota who were disqualified from the Canadian GP for running illegal parts. 

The team faced further pressure over a spy gate scandal involving Ferrari. Toyota may well have only finished 8th in the Constructor’s standings, but the arrival of designer Mike Gascoyne and driver Jarno Trulli meant that Toyota F1’s future looked a little brighter.

2005 was certainly a turning point for Toyota with a stronger driver line up and an extension of involvement (supplying Jordan with Toyota engines).  A couple of podium finishes and points in all but two races meant that the 2005 season was Toyota's most successful Formula One season by far.

Although in 2006 the team experienced the second-best season performance in their F1 history, scoring 35 points and finishing in sixth place, the exit of Mike Gascoyne after a management disagreement was a step in the wrong direction for a team hoping to climb the rankings.

Sure enough 2007 marked Toyota’s worst season since 2004.  With a dismal points tally of 13 the team was left simply promising better things to come.

Although the arrival of Timo Glock was a promising development for Toyota, 2008 marked an ultimatum for the Japanese outfit as the team was told it had just two years to turn Toyota into a successful F1 team!

After a topsy- turvy season Toyota finished 2008 with 56 points and ranked 5^th, which was very much a step in the right direction. 

For 2009, Toyota were amongst three top teams, each with a controversial ‘double diffuser’ at the rear of their cars.  It was widely expected that the Title would be between Brawn GP, Williams and Toyota (at least until the other teams caught up with their designs).

However, whilst Brawn GP went on to conquer the early season, Williams and Toyota simply slipped away into the mid field. 

Williams had an excuse; the team was struggling for funds, but in actuality was performing pretty well with Niko Rosberg raking in several top 5 performances.  Meanwhile, Toyota with all their finances, simply floundered like a dying coy carp!

Despite qualifying first in Bahrain, Toyota have shown real promise (with no reward) in some races but at tracks like Monaco and Valencia have looked downright awful!

Toyota currently lie in 5^th place in the Constructor’s standings which, when you consider their promise, is very poor.  The departure of Honda and more recently BMW has led to very strong speculation that Toyota will become another giant exit from F1 for 2010.

Conclusion

Toyota experienced far greater success in rallying than it has in F1.  However, this isn’t the only reason the Japanese car manufacturer should return to the WRC. F1 is simply a money draining sport and without relative success, this money is being severely wasted and your car manufacturer inevitably looks bad. 

Whilst it was a huge achievement for Force India to finish second in Spain, a big team like Toyota should be aiming for podiums in most races.  For the 2008 F1 season Toyota’s expected expenditure was an astonishing $445.6 million! 

Whilst I was annoyingly unable to get a similar budget for Citroen Total World Rally Team, I can tell you that a WRC car costs around $1million.  This may not include the extra cost of spares, sets of competition tyres and several engine and gearbox rebuilds during the season, but I can comfortably estimate that all of that will be far less than $445 million.

A significant rule within the WRC is that competing cars must have the same basic ‘shell’ as the road cars they represent.  Though there are some small aerodynamic differences I think a move to a sport in which the cars look essentially the same as the cars you are selling makes perfect sense.  

This is especially important when you consider Toyota’s green credentials and Citroen’s positive tests with the hybrid car last year.  Remember how crap Honda’s environmental message was in F1 2007 and 2008? Well that was largely due to the irony that F1 could never truly be that green. 

Honda also suffered from a very poor car design which meant that many people wrongly thought that the RA107 and 08 were poor because they were green. 

The WRC has a much greater potential to fulfill its green promises and still make green energy look efficient.  This can only make Toyota look good if they choose to follow that path.  There are even a huge number of talented drivers out there just waiting for a big drive (I’m thinking Chris Atkinson and Petter Solberg to name just two).  Of course what with the current trend of class swapping...Timo or Jarno could always pilot the team!

Yes the WRC doesn’t attract as many viewers as F1 and yes many WRC fans are losing interest in sport at a worryingly fast rate, but in 2011 the super 2000 cars will hopefully bring in more teams, more drivers and revitalization for the WRC. 

If more big companies leave F1 many people believe this will be bad news for the sport, but if that exodus moves to the WRC...good times! 

F1 is doing no favours for Toyota, but if they can join the WRC at the start of something special, who is to say they can’t return to the glory days of the 1990s?

So come on Toyota: Come home to the WRC!

I think my family could probably be considered a typical baseball fan family. Ok let me rephrase that. If I take myself out of the equation, I think my family probably represents a typical family of baseball fans.

Let me explain what I mean. Each season I have a personal goal to attend every Arizona Diamondbacks game. My wife and children on the other hand seem to think that there is something besides baseball (I know I don't understand that either and have to live in this hostile environment).

Before the season starts I typically pencil my name on the calendar next to every Diamondbacks game on the schedule. My wife will come behind me and erase all of the away games and I will get the lecture that there is no way I am going to be able to travel on the road with the team. My kids will then follow and put their names next to each game they want to attend (or more accurately they will put their names next to specific games where they will "babysit dad" at Chase Field). My wife will then follow along and adjust any games for conflicts and finally will put her name in any remaining games that were unclaimed.

There will be certain games with conflicts such as bobble head games, days with cool stadium giveaways, and Opening Day where everyone wants to go. In those instances we will buy additional tickets so the entire family can go.

Every once in a while a game will slip through the cracks where we didn't buy extra tickets but more than one family member suddenly decides they want to go. In that case there could be some negotiation or trading that will take place. If the disagreement gets too bad it usually ends with me buying another ticket.

Finally there is situation such as today. The promotional schedule merely said "80's Night" with no giveaway. It was a game that was left over meaning my wife would be attending the game with me. As this home stand approached we heard from my daughter who had been away at college. She would be coming home on August 15 and was wondering if there was a game.

When I mentioned yes there was and it was "80's Night" she let out a shriek of delight. She definitely wanted to go to that. As her other siblings talked to her on the phone she related the stories of how much fun she had at 80's night last year. As the phone was passed from child to child each would come to me and tell me they wanted to go to the game on August 15.

By the time the call ended every member of the family now wanted to go to the game. It had nothing to do with the Diamondbacks playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. They could care less about the opponent. They were interested in dressing up in clothes from the 1980s and acting like crazed 80's kids.

Personally I had no idea what the big deal was. I lived through the 80's and quite frankly they didn't do much for me. Perhaps my point of view is too subjective considering most of the clothes in my closet which don't have Diamondbacks logos on it are from the 80's.

I am not one to complain if I have to get extra tickets. I would much rather have large crowds at Chase Field than small ones so if I had to add five additional tickets so be it.

As game time approached my kids began to get "into character". As they came down the stairs I stared unbelieving at what I was seeing. It had been nearly 30 years since I had seen that much spandex, neon, leggings, and headbands. Surely we didn't look that bad back then. When the kids stated that they based their costumes on the contents of my closet; I realized that Goodwill was about to get a very large donation as soon as the season was over.

The crowds at Chase Field were unusually large today. The Diamondbacks have been averaging a little less than 30,000 fans this season but today's game looked to be well over 40,000. That might have been good news had it not been that nearly half of these fans were dressed in Dodger Blue.

Those not dressed in Dodger Blue seemed to have also raided my closet. At first I thought I had made a wrong turn and somehow ended up at University of Phoenix Stadium to see an Arizona Cardinals game. I hadn't seen this many shoulder pads since the Super Bowl. In this case the shoulder pads were accompanied by poofy hair and bracelets up to the elbows.

Besides the fans, the Diamondbacks had also procured the services of several 80's entertainers. There were Star Wars storm troopers accompanying Darth Vader (who looks an awful lot like Jon Rauch without the neck tattoo) and R2D2 (who could have been Augie Ojeda's twin brother).

Seeing the cast of Star Wars would have been strange enough but as we continued to walk we also met several Ghostbusters and Robocop. I'm not sure how safe I felt seeing 5 guys and a girl wearing unlicensed nuclear particle accelerators on their backs. I was staring as I was walking and nearly ran into Robocop who had his gun drawn.

I was slightly taken aback at the sights on the concourse but nothing prepared me for coming face-to-face with some guy dressed like Pee Wee Herman. My head was spinning and as Pee Wee Herman began dancing to the song "Tequila" I ran to my seats. Once the game began I would be fine, or so I thought.

The Dodgers jumped out to an early lead and were cruising to what looked like a game-two victory. In the sixth inning the momentum changed led by one of the most frightening things ever seen at Chase Field.

No I am not talking about Pee Wee Herman dancing with one of the Ghostbusters; I am referring to the comeback hit by Diamondbacks second baseman Rusty Ryal that hit Dodgers starter Kuroda directly in the head ricocheting into the stands for a ground rule double. As Kuroda lay on the mound the crowd held its collective breath hoping he would be alright. Although he was carted off the field on a stretcher word came back that his injuries were minor and he would be ok.

With the Dodgers bullpen the Diamondbacks were able to come back tying the game in the ninth inning sending the game into extra innings where Gerardo Parra would come to the plate and deliver a hit that would win the game.

The night was almost perfect. I could have gone home extremely happy had it not been for the camera operators at Chase Field who found Rally Sally and put her on dbTV. For whatever reason, Rally Sally was dressed in a duck costume with a tye-dye shirt. I have no clue what was the significance of the duck costume. All I know was at that exact moment I wished I had an Elmer Fudd costume. I was pretty sure it was no longer wabbit season, it was now duck season.

Everyone has an archenemy. For Superman it was Lex Luthor, for Batman it was the Joker, and for me it is Rally Sally. Oh sure some will say she's not that bad; it's not like she is plotting world domination or anything. These of course are the same people who believe global warming and nuclear waste dumps are good for the environment.

Each night as I go to the game I pray that I won't have to see this diabolical mastermind and her gyrating pompoms. The game is usually going along just fine and then "WHAM!" one of the Chase Field camera guys will flash her picture on dbTV and the dancing begins.

She's like a crack addict. She sits there quietly until her face is shown on the big screen then she jumps up and dances. The naïve crowd doesn't know any different and they start to cheer which feeds Rally Sally like a drug and she starts dancing and freaking out.

Every game it is the same thing. I tried pleading with the fans to please just look away. If they ever saw the ending of Raiders of the Lost Ark they would realize that looking at this embodiment of pure evil will at some point cause all of their skin to melt off like wax.

As her face is shown on dbTV and the dancing begins I put my head down focusing on my scorebook willing myself not to look and have my eyes burn out. The fans around me try to help by telling me when it is safe for me to look up again.

One of the few pleasures of sitting on the first base side of the field is that Rally Sally's seats are directly behind me so I don't have to worry about her getting in my line of sight and causing temporary blindness. Sure I would rather be sitting on the Diamondbacks side of the field but my vision is important to me so I sacrifice.

This ritual of staring at my scorebook while she is on dbTV has been working well until the last couple of games. For whatever reason Rally Sally has not been in her traditional upper deck seats. Instead she has been sitting on the seats that hang over left center field. This means she is in my direct line of sight.

I have already begun to feel the effects. I find my eyes are burning after the game and my wife has commented that they look blood shot. I'm a little frightened and I've considered calling the Diamondbacks to suggest that they have a Safety Glasses promotion at the ballpark and give all fans in Rally Sally's sight lines a free pair of protective glasses.

The one positive thing about this new arrangement is that it is confusing Rally Sally to no end. From these new seats she can't see whether she is on camera or not. As a result she doesn't know when to gyrate and when not to. She looks confused like a mouse being shocked as part of a psychology experiment.

This may just be Rally Sally's kryptonite. If I can somehow develop a defense weapon that neutralizes her vision of the dbTV screen I just may be able to defeat her and save all of the citizens of Chase Field.

I happened to surf over to the MLB web site today and noticed the headline "Players not only ones moving in trades". I eagerly clicked this story. It was my hope that somehow Major League Baseball had come up with a plan that would allow teams to trade fans.

I quickly devised a plan where the Diamondbacks could somehow trade Rally Sally. There is a peanut vendor in Seattle that can throw a bag of peanuts halfway up the upper deck and have them land in the lap of the guy wanting peanuts or perhaps the old dude with the drum that patrols the Oakland Coliseum. Either of those would be a great trade in my mind.

I'd even be willing to throw in a fan to be named later as long as it wasn't me. Oh dear, come to think about it I don't have a no-trade clause with the Diamondbacks. I seriously need to negotiate something. The last thing I want is to find myself in some sort of package deal that sends the two of us to Florida in exchange for Billy the Marlin. I couldn't deal with that.

       2009 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was won for the fourth time in a row by Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima, driving his Monster Sport SX4,
The victory was tempered as “Monster” left the Colorado race feeling somewhat frustrated at failing to beat the illusive ten minute barrier again.
      The win was convincing though as he clearly the class of the field in the Unlimited division, beating the second place team by 1:13 with his time of 10 minutes, 15.368 seconds. The Open Wheel class victory went to Paul Dallenbach in a Chevy, finishing with the time of 10:52.097. This year marks the fourth consecutive overall win for Tajima and his team.
       Monster’s Suzuki Hillclimb Special featured a steel space frame, along with carbon and Kevlar composite bodywork based on the Suzuki’s SX4 Crossover.
      The conditions were credited as the cause for the record not being broken this year with Tajima complaining of much loose gravel on the dirt sections. Later in the day the competitors were hit by sudden downpours with the accompanying thunder and lightning. This caused a few delays and left the tarmac sections of the mountain slippery and treacherous.
      Ford had a difficult time in Colorado with numerous problems throughout the week. The two-time World Rally Champion, Marcus Grönholm had seen just about everything in a rally course . . . until he came to Pikes Peak.  
     Grönholm drove his production based Ford Fiesta rallycross car, to second in the ‘Unlimited Class’ and fifth fastest time overall.  Grönholm also captured “Rookie of the Year” honours as he set a time of 11min 28.963sec up the 12.4-mile, 156-turn course which runs up the famous Pikes Peak Highway.
     Grönholm fought mechanical issues with the turbo charger on his 800-horsepower Fiesta rallycross car which resulted in a loss of power during the crucial final climb to the top.
     "I always wanted to compete at Pikes Peak,” said Grönholm.  "Having been here over the last week I have to admit that it is one of the most challenging events I have ever done in my career.  This is one of those events that you will want to tell people that you came and competed in.
     “I had heard about Pikes Peak and seen the famous film shot on the mountain with Ari Vatanen 20 years ago, but only when you come here do you realise how much of a challenge it is.

Photo: Suzuki
Quote: Ford