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Understanding The Sprint All-Star Race

2012-05-16T14:30:50Z

It's All-Star week!

The stars of stock car racing shine brightest under the lights of this weekend's Sprint All-Star Race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Saturday night shootout marks the 28th-annual running of the fastest exhibition in all of sports. Unlike other sports, where the venue for the All-Star event changes every year, Charlotte has hosted the race for all but one of the previous 27 incarnations. Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted the 1986 race, and a meager crowd saw Georgia legend Bill Elliott win the event. The poor crowd (hey, I woulda been there, but I was born seven months later, so...) sent the race back to the hub of NASCAR, and it has remained there ever since.

A common annual venue is not the only thing that sets NASCAR's All-Star race aside from other sports' big night. Whereas other leagues - I'm assuming, seeing as I only follow NASCAR and Major League Baseball - have fans vote on their game's participants, the Sprint All-Star Race is an exclusive, invitation only event. To make the field, one must have won a race during either the 2011 season or the opening 11 weeks of 2012, have claimed a Sprint All-Star race victory or Sprint Cup title in the past decade, be one of the top-two finishing drivers in the Sprint Showdown - a preliminary featuring all drivers in the top-50 in 2011 Sprint Cup points and those who've run a 2012 race who aren't already All-Stars - or win the Sprint Fan Vote (which seams all but certain to go to Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the second-consecutive year).

This year's All-Star race differs from past events in that there will be five segments, more than ever. The first four segments, all 20 laps in length, will set the top-four starting positions for the final 10-lap dash for a $1 million payday. The winner from each segment will line up in positions 1-4, ahead of the rest of the field as they run at the conclusion of segment four. The field - or what is left of it, as the race often lends itself to carnage - will hit pit road for a mandatory stop before that last 10-lap run.

Carl Edwards won last year's Sprint All-Star race - and destroyed the nose of his No. 99 Ford in the front-stretch grass afterwards - and headlines the grid of drivers already guaranteed a starting spot in the race. Defending Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart won the 2009 event and figures to contend again this year. Jeff Gordon is in the midst of a career-worst season, but he and the late Dale Earnhardt are the only drivers with three-career wins in the race. A record-fourth could jump start his season as he tries to claw his way back into Chase contention.

Four drivers who were not qualified for last year's race made themselves eligible later on in 2011. Unadilla's David Ragan won the Sprint Showdown to transfer into the starting field, but he is already locked in this year courtesy of his win at Daytona in July. Marcos Ambrose and Paul Menard also recorded their first-career wins later in the year. Brad Keselowski, who finished second in the Showdown to transfer along with Ragan, won two weeks later in Kansas and has a total of five victories - including two this season - since last year's All-Star event. Only Stewart with seven wins has more in that span.

The Showdown's entry list, meanwhile, includes 22 drivers. Earnhardt Jr. of course is the headliner and will almost without question transfer from the event, either via a top-two finish or the Fan Vote. Martin Truex Jr., who is off to a hot start in 2012 and seems to be a victory waiting to happen, will be a definite factor in the 30-lapper as he seeks to transfer into the All-Star race for the third time since 2007. A.J. Allmendinger, the 2008 Showdown winner, will likely be another contender.

All told, Saturday will be a packed, thrilling evening of on-track action that will only serve to further solidify the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race as the most exciting All-Star night in all of sports.

Braves Vs. Marlins: Game 1 Preview, TV Info And More

2012-05-16T12:57:51Z

Mike Minor will try and continue righting his rough early season against the Marlins on Wednesday night. After taking the win against St. Louis on Friday, Minor and 6.59 ERA will look for back-to-back wins for the first time this year. The Braves enter the series with a half-game lead on the Nationals, and a 3.5 game lead on the Marlins, thanks to wins in four of their last five.

Freddie Freeman is officially listed as day-to-day with scratches in both eyes. Freeman sat out Tuesday and will be reevaluated on Wednesday.

Date / Time: Wednesday, May 16, 7:05 p.m. ET

Location: Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: Sports South

Radio: WNNX 100.5, WCNN 680

Probable Starters: Mike Minor (2-2) vs. Mark Buehrle (2-4)

For more on the Atlanta Braves, check out Talking Chop. Miami Marlins news and info can be found at Fish Stripes, and all your MLB news and info is available at Baseball Nation.

Braves vs. Marlins Preview: Giancarlo Stanton, Jose Reyes Arrive In Atlanta For Brief Series

2012-05-16T12:18:20Z

Despite already playing nearly 40 games this season the Atlanta Braves will take on the Miami Marlins for the first time in 2012. The Marlins were big spenders in the offseason, but their record of just 19-17 has left a few surprised about their lack of success thus far. Miami appears to be hitting their stride at the right time, though, and will provide the Braves with a very tough two-game series this week.

Omar Infante has been quite the story this season. Infante, who was one of the two players dealt to Miami two years ago for Dan Uggla, is hitting .325/.350/.598 (holy slugging percentage from a second baseman!) and has been their most consistent force offensively. Giancarlo Stanton was pretty awful in April but has really turned it on in May, hitting six homers and posting an OPS of 1.130 in 14 games thus far.

Jose Reyes was the biggest free agent addition for the club and he has struggled to this point, hitting to the tune of a wOBA (read more here; think of the numbers on a scale of on-base percentage) of just .336. Emilio Bonifacio leads all of baseball with 19 steals, which is seven (seven!) more than anyone else. Keeping him off the bases is an absolute must.

The Marlins rank 10th as a team in runs scored. This isn't a great lineup, but they've been hot recently and have some very talented hitters throughout.

Start Times & Pitching Matchups:

Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. - Mike Minor (2-2, 6.59 ERA, 4.40 FIP) vs. Mark Buehrle (2-4, 2.81 ERA, 4.16 FIP)

Thursday, 7:10 p.m. - Brandon Beachy (4-1, 1.60 ERA, 2.71 FIP) vs. Ricky Nolasco (4-1, 3.65 ERA, 3.99 FIP)

Team Sites: Check out Talking Chop for Braves coverage, Fish Stripes for the Marlins.

Atlanta Braves Split Brief Series With Reds, Prepare For Marlins

2012-05-16T12:01:18Z

The Braves have an odd schedule this week, playing two two-game series against different opponents. First up were the Cincinnati Reds, who entered Atlanta playing their best baseball of the season. The clubs split the two games, with the Braves winning the series finale on Tuesday night.

Game one was closely contested throughout. Homer Bailey and Randall Delgado both pitched well enough for a win, but it was not until the eighth inning when the Reds scratched across two runs against Jonny Venters on their way to a 3-1 win.

Game two was not close. Despite a perfect record of 4-0 entering the game, the Braves smacked around Johnny Cueto in the early innings and held the lead late on their way to a 6-2 victory. Catcher Brian McCann hit his first homer in nearly two weeks as Tim Hudson picked up his second win of the year.

The Braves now shift their focus to the Marlins for a two-game series that is set to begin Wednesday evening at 7:10 from Turner Field.

For more on the club, check out Talking Chop.

Atlanta Falcons Depth Chart Preview: Wide Receiver

2012-05-16T12:00:32Z

Is there a cost too steep to get a player you believe in? What if it's someone who you believe will be a focal point of your offense for the next decade? These are questions fans of the Washington Redskins will be asking in the years to come, and a question Falcons fans got to try and answer over the better part of a year.

The whole story of the 2011 draft may never come to light. Rumors that Atlanta had their sights set on A.J. Green still abound, causing some to speculate that the organization 'settled' on getting the second best WR in the draft in Julio Jones. There's no denying that Green is a stellar receiver in his own right, but when the dust settles it could be Jones who emerges as the best WR in the class.

Yes, I know Green had more receiving yards (98, to be precise), but it's important to remember that Julio Jones missed three games due to injury, while A.J. Green played fifteen games. Jones also had a higher yard per catch average, and more touchdowns. Granted, he had more talent around him and a QB with a better arm, but in terms of a pure receiver there were few who were more electrifying that Jones. In any other season he'd run away with the rookie of the year, but 2011 was no ordinary year.

The receiving corps for the Falcons in 2012 is likely to look much the same as last season. I wouldn't be surprised if Jones passes Roddy White as the team's #1 receiver, but in terms of keeping everyone happy I doubt the team will make any such announcement. Out of the gate the Falcons have one of the best tandems in the NFL- provided they can learn to compliment each other. Perhaps it was the shortened off-season, but there was a distinct air that White and Jones didn't quite know how to play together yet. If they can pull it together in 2012 they'll be fighting the newly forged duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd as the class of the NFC.

At the 3rd WR spot Harry Douglas has always been criminally underrated. He's not a game changing player, and he's not often asked to do much- but he's always there and constantly contributing. In this offense Tony Gonzalez is the true third receiving option, with Douglas the forth and Kerry Meier a distant fifth. It's Meier who could be unseated by one of the team's UDFA players. Both James Rodgers and Cody Pearcy are small statured guys, but each have the ability to play on special teams, which gives them a shot. Ultimately I think only one makes the 53, and I'm going with Rodgers.

Projected Depth Chart

WR1: Roddy White/ Harry Douglas/ James Rodgers

WR2: Julio Jones/ Kerry Meier

2012 Falcons Offseason: Rookies Take Part In 'Falcons U'

2012-05-16T11:40:56Z

Rookie camp ended for the Falcons on Sunday but the transition from being a college player to a professional continues. Atlanta was the first team to begin its orientation process on Monday putting its rookies through what is being called "Falcons U".

The program will last three days and is designed to help rookies be successful on and off the field and deals with areas such as handling success and failure the right ways. Among the speakers on Monday were owner Arthur Blank and general manager Thomas Dimitroff as well as a presentation from Leadership Success International CEO Dr. Earl Sutter.

Sutter's presentation dealt with practicing positive thinking and also focused on making good decisions during their pro careers. Falcons U will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday with a focus on good financial practices as well as social media tips.

For more on the Atlanta Falcons check out The Falcoholic. For more NFL news and notes head over to SB Nation's NFL page.

Georgia Tech Football Recruting: Donovan Wilson Is Yellow Jackets' Second Commitment For 2013 Class

2012-05-16T11:26:15Z

Dublin Ohio's Donovon Wilson became Georgia Tech's second football commitment for its class of 2013 on Tuesday. Wilson is a 3-star running back and also had offers from Purdue, Boston College and Ohio.

Wilson had taken an unofficial visit to Tech earlier this month and was waiting for a scholarship offer. That offer finally came on Tuesday and it took Wilson a mere three hours to pledge his commitment.

"This was the offer I had been waiting on, I went through my practices, thought about it hard, talked to my parents, and made the decision to commit."

Both of Georgia Tech's commitments for the 2013 season are running backs with Wilson joining Lovejoy High's Travis Custus. Those worrying that the Yellow Jackets are way behind in recruiting this offseason should recognize that they are only expected to sign about 15 recruits this season due to roster limitations.

For more on Georgia Tech Football head over to From The Rumble Seat.

Braves Defeat Reds Behind Strong Performance From Tim Hudson

2012-05-16T03:07:40Z

The Braves split their two-game series with the Reds on Tuesday night, claiming a 6-2 victory. Tim Hudson put forth his best start of the season -- he allowed just two runs over seven innings of work -- and the offense battered Johnny Cueto, who entered the game with a perfect record of 4-0.

Brian McCann got things going early for Atlanta with a solo homer in the sixth, his first in nearly two weeks. Martin Prado and Chipper Jones hit back-to-back RBI-singles in the third inning, and Prado came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Dan Uggla. Jason Heyward then broke the game wide open with an RBI-double to center field to give the Braves a 5-0 lead. Prado added yet another run with an RBI-single in the fourth.

The Reds scored their two runs in the seventh inning, but Hudson got a deep fly out from Brandon Phillips to end the threat without any more harm done. Kris Medlen worked a scoreless eighth inning. Craig Kimbrel walked two in the ninth, but he battled back to work a scoreless ninth inning as well.

The Braves will now face the Marlins for a two-game series beginning Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. from Turner Field.

For more on the Braves, check out Talking Chop.