I just want to say a couple of things regarding this Pick the Winners
controversy. Maybe a few.
1) We're not voting for Prom Queen.
2) Writers for SportsCar were asked to submit their picks long before there
was even an entry list.
3) NAP suckered a really nice guy into doing this for nine years because no
one else has enough balls. He's pretty isolated down in Georgia, but I think
he does a fair job regardless. :)
4) Rita Wilsey is more than deserving to be mentioned as a contender in BSP,
though I haven't seen her name on the entry list yet. Adam Popp is too, as
are many, many other fine folks in that class. I ran in BSPL a few years
ago, and I know the talent in that class, and I know Rita, so I can say with
great confidence picking Rita is hardly a slam on the other competitors. I
can hardly fault Dick Berger's selection. I just hope she goes!
5) If we really knew who would win Nationals, we wouldn't even bother going
to Topeka. This is supposed to be for fun! It's just something to add a
little drama before Nationals, to increase our excitement (and anxiety)
levels to such an extreme that it's all we can think about.
I really wish people wouldn't take this stuff so seriously. And I can speak
from both sides, being a picker, and even sometimes a pickee. I understand
the psychological ramifications of not being picked to win when you think
you have a shot. On the other hand, this is really just some people being
very silly, trying to create some hype.
It's like this story Dick Berger told me a few years ago. He picked some guy
to win in EP, some guy in an Audi. Howard Wolf, who eventually won the class
that year, asked Dick, "Who is that guy, Dick? You really think he's going
to win?"
And Dick said, "Possibly, in a hurricane, he might have a chance."
"Well, then why'd you pick him?"
"Because now you know who he is, and for three minutes at the Solo II
Nationals this guy's going to be noticed."
Sometimes, being human, we don't just pick whom we THINK we win. We pick
whom we'd like to SEE win. I know for my SportsCar picks, I picked some
people who on paper didn't look as good as some more obvious choices, but I
also know who they are and what they're about, and I know they have the
potential and the desire, so there you go. It it MY FAULT they decided not
to go to Nationals this year? Cut me some slack, please! God forbid if Solo
II ever becomes televized, when our media can no longer perform this sick
and warped practice of rooting for underdogs, which I am all for, 100%.
Which reminds me. I have to go back and vote for myself.
Katie K.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Adam Popp [SMTP:raft321@fuse.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 1999 4:48 PM
> To: autox@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: Pick the winners?
>
> If Gary Milligan changed his mind and came back this year for the
> nationals, they should put the cone rule in affect for him so they can
> make AM competitive, because the past three years his phantom and him
> have won by about 4 seconds more every year.
> And what's up with SportsCar and North American Pylon. Why do
> they make the picks whith out knowing all the facts. They pick Rita
> Wisley in B/SP??? What's up with that? She's a good driver, but I don't
> think she will win B/SP. My brother comes into mind. I think SportsCar
> doesn't put enough effort into their picks and North American Pylon
> doesn't either. It seems like they pick the same people every year.
> Using the words of Dennis Miller, of course that's my opinion and I
> could be wrong. I'm out!
> >
> > Jeff Winchell wrote:
> > >
> > > >Like in AM, Gary Milligan is not on the list. I think a lot of
> > > > people will pick him, if he is on. Unless the Milligan pick is to
> easy
> > > > and u r not putting him on there because of his phantom.
> > >
> > > Well SportsCar picked him even though he is not going to be
> > > running.<s> The Phantom is staying home this year.
> > >
> > > And SportsCar and NAP picked John Ames in ESP and I don't think
> > > he's run an ESP event this year (he ran in SS at the NT this
> > > weekend). There were other examples of that in the recent
> > > SportsCar and NAP articles.
> > >
> > > I like how they do it based on who's registered so far, plus you can
> > > update your choices when more registrations come in.
> > > Jeff Winchell
> > > http://PonyCar.Net
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