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Is it really fair to call NASCAR a Sport?’ ■ Rule-changing and obnoxious fans make racing more of a joke It’s that time of the year again. If you’re like me, it’s the beginning of college baseball season. If you’re like me, it’s almost time for college basketball’s March madness. But unfortunately, if you’re like most people in the southeastern part of the United States, it’s NASCAR time. I can almost smell the familiar scents of chewing tobacco and body odor in the air. There is • _ -. _ nothing else JAKE quite like BROOM NASCAR, and I for SECOND-YEAR POLITICAL otle am SCIENCE thankful. STUDENT Where else can you see grown (physically, maybe not so much mentally) men doing everything possible to show their undying devotion and support for something going around a track with “Viagra” painted on it? Where else can you see grown (physically ... very, very grown) women squeezed into acid-washed Jordache jean shorts, black Reebok shoes and tie-dyed tank tops holding up signs proposing marriage to some guy who makes more money than I ever will by pressing his foot slightly downward and making one continuous 500 mile left turn? I just don’t see the appeal here. Do these people not realize they are paying money for tickets and wasting time watching races on television just so they can watch the basic equivalent of commercials for hours at a time? The participants are nothing more than car-shaped billboards being driven by walking, talking promotional actors. Drivers won’t even do post-race interviews without their sponsor’s hat proudly on their head and their sponsor’s beverage of choice firmly planted in their hands. Many of them won’t even refer to their car as their car — it’s the “Skoal Jack Daniels Napa Auto Parts Doritos Chevrolet." The drivers might as well be Toucap Qim nr fko flpirn nnnmna the corks from champagne bottles in victory lane, because they are nothing more than tools being used by very smart companies to sell products to very dumb people. This “sport” was born on lies — rednecks running from the police to get back to grandma’s house with their backwoods, homemade alcohol. Despite the fact that the origins of the so-called sport come from dishonesty, NASCAR is constantly trying to change the rules and inspect the cars to ensure that everything is as fair as possible. They change the rules more than their fans change underwear, although that might not be saying much. What other sport constantly changes the rules to make sure the best participant doesn’t always w»n? If the people at NASCAR ran the NBA, LeBron James would be forced to pretend he was as athletically average as the most uncoordinated person in the league (I vote for Shawn Bradley). They would force Yao Ming to cut his Unc nff it Lnppc - that wav Kp O ' doesn’t get the unfair advantage of being taller than Earl Boykins. Isn’t the object (in part) to make your car faster than the rest of them? If so, why make rules specifically to prevent that from happening? Why make such a big deal out of the car’s maker if the technology involved is limited to make everything even? Another aspect of racing that doesn’t make sense to me is the pit crew. Why am I here spending thousands of dollars and at least four years of my life in college when these schmucks are making a living changing tires and holding up a gas tank every few laps? How can they sleep at night knowing there are certain species of dogs that, if properly trained, could make their purpose in society obsolete? I just don’t get it. I guess that is just what it all boils down to in the end: I just don’t get it. 1 mean, don’t get me wrong — the thought of spending time watching gtown men circle a track for three hours driving mobile billboards used to appeal to me. And then I turned 8. CHARLIE DAVENPORT/THE GAMECOCK A USC diver competes in an event earlier this season. The women’s diving team took second at the SEC Championships. ■ KENTUCKY Continued from page 14 “Maybe the experience of not being able to do it, maybe it was the home crowd, ’ Odom said. “1 give our crowd a lot of credit." When asked where his level of play came from, Tisby simply said, “I don’t know." “It’s a great win," Tisby said. “Hopefully it’s a jump start for all of us." The Colonial Center swelled with excitement as the team encouraged fans to storm the court, while officials tried their best to hold fans off. Neither the fans nor the team would be denied the sweet taste of victory, as the celebration in Columbia got started. “I’ve never felt something like that in my life," freshmen Mike Calagna said after the game. “I’m still speechless. I don’t know what to say." Comments m this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gwm.sc. edu KATIE KIRKLAND/THE GAMECOCK Tarence Kinsey crows after USC’s 73-61 victory over No. 3 Kentucky on Tuesday night at the Colonial Center. ■ HILLYARD Continued from page 14 When Powell began his pregame ritual of turning to a random page in the Bible, he knew this was his night. “I flipped the Bible open, and the first thing I turned to was David and Goliath," the senior leader said. “I read the story before I came here and I said, ‘Yeah, it’s gonna be a good night."’ The Carolina hoops team did exactly what we all expected them to do — play a great first half of basketball. So here comes the letdown, here comes the patented UK run, here comes the heartbreak, right? No, this one just had that feeling. Every time the Wildcats did something they always seem to do there was a Carolina answer. When sophomore point guard Tre’ Kelley had a shot blocked out of mid-air and a fast break ensued, we all thought: “Here it comes." Enter Tisby, who responded by emphatically blocking the shot of the 6 foot-10-inch Randolph Morris. Kinsey seemed to have ice in his veins, hitting three after three, and he also said he just* r—---—,-, ... --— had that feeling. Finally, the inevitable had arrived. With a more than 10-point lead and less than two minutes left, we all but knew it was finally here. The real christening of the Colonial Center. The upset we all had that feeling about. Two or three security guards were not going to* hold back a mob of USC students who stormed the court in the wake of the team’s biggest win in years. As I met up with Gonner after the game he smiled, and I asked him, “Did you have that feeling?" He smiled and said, “I felt it Saturday night. I knew there was no way we were going to lose this game." More importantly than the feeling of victory that many of us experienced for the first time is the absence of the feeling we all know too well. How many times have USC fans watched as not only the basketball team but other sports have come so close to that win that we can all say we will always remember? That win came Tuesday over what was, “was” being the key word, the third best team in all the land. I don’t know about you, but I’ll never forget that feeling. Interested in taking The Gamecock Challenge? If you can beat the editors, you’ll win a free Gamecock T shirt. Send your picks to gamecocksports@gwm.sc.edu by 2 p.m. Thursday. We’ll select ONE person’s picks, at random, to be our Reader of the Week. i ms week’s games: Florida at LSI) Clemson at 4 UNC Auburn at Georgia 9 Syracuse at 6 Boston College Tennessee at Ole Miss Texas Tech at 8 Oklahoma State Arkansas at Vanderbilt 5 Wake Forest at 7 Duke Mississippi State at 3 Kentucky USC at 16 Alabama ♦ FOR TIE-BREAKING PURPOSES, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR SCORE FOR THE AUBURN GAME. AND DON’T , FORGET YOUR NAME! i Diving teams take 2nd, 6th in Gainesville showdown By JASON SCHNEIDER THE GAMECOCK The first portion of the SEC Championship in swimming and diving took place this past weekend in Gainesville, Fla., as the USC men’s and women’s diving teams looked to make a large, figurative splash with a small, literal splash. Led by senior Lauren King, who finished second on the 3-meter board, along with equally solid performances from senior Holly Hodges and junior Tracey Richardson, the women were able to place second with 75, second only to Kentucky’s 112. “Overall, the women’s group was excellent," USC coach Don Gibb said. “We’re sitting in second before the swimming even starts." The men look to be in a tougher spot heading into the swimming portion of the event, finishing with 45, good enough for sixth overall. “That’s about what I expected," Gibb said. “Their emphasis isn’t so much on the SEC championship as it is on the NCAA. That’s where their focus is. They weren’t really peaked for this." Focus on the NCAA Championship is certainly a warranted notion for this squad, whose leader was last year’s NCAA runner-up and looks to be one of the favorites this year. This competition is still only half over, however, as this weekend in Gainesville the swimming portion of the championship will take place. The atmosphere will be slightly different when the Gamecocks enter the pool. While the diving team is, for the most part, a seasoned group of individuals comprised mostly of upperclassmen, the swimming team will rely heavily on the strokes of freshmen to carry the load. “There’s an enormous amount of freshmen on both our men’s and women’s side, and we’re really looking forward to seeing how they adapt to this kind of pressure because this will be their first really big test against this caliber of competition," Gibb said. Being the only senior on the women’s side, All-American Carolynn McHugh will have to be on top of her game, not just in the pool but outside of it as well, as freshmen and “Overall, the women’s group was excellent. We’re sitting in second before the swimming even starts.” DON GIBB use DIVING COACH underclassmen will certainly look to her for guidance. There is an equally obvious lack of upperclassmen on the men’s side, and the freshmen will have to step up much in the same manner as their female counterparts. As mentioned, the SEC Championships will conclude this weekend in Gainesville, and it will certainly take mighty efforts from both the women and men to make a run, or ♦ perhaps more appropriately a swim, toward an overall victory. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecocksports@gW7n.sc. edu SEC News & Notes _ Rawl garners weekly honor USC senior Aaron Rawl was named SEC pitcher of the week Monday for his performance in last Friday’s season-opener against Longwood. Rawl pitched seven innings, allowing just four hits and one earned run. In rolling to his 27th career win, Rawl gave up no walks and had five strikeouts, while facing the minimum number of batters during the first five innings. It marked the first time Rawl had earned SEC pitcher of the week honors. As a junior, Rawl went 13-4 with a 4.22 ERA and 98 strikeouts to just 17 walks. ..- " BRUCE NEWMAN/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Jonathan Modica grabs a rebound Feb. 5 against Mississippi. Modica earned his first SEC honor last week. Modica earns recognition Arkansas guard Jonathan Modica was named SEC player of the week after averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting more than 60 percent last week. The junior led the Razorbacks to wins over Georgia and LSU as part of a three-game win streak. Modica score 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting in the win against Georgia. Against the Tigers, the 6-foot-4 guard put up 25 points on 10-of-l6 shooting from the field. The Smackover, Ark., native also pulled down nine rebounds in the contest. The award was Modica’s first. The junior was the first Razorback to win the weekly honor since Jan. 28, 2002. Experience the World Without Leaving Home! Carolina’s Global Community Invites You to an OPEN HOUS Wednesday, February 6-9pm South Quad Lounge ♦ Learn about the community ♦ Enjoy some refreshments ♦ Take a tour ♦ Talk to residents ♦ Pick up an application w **■ &