Friday Grab Bag: MSG to Close? NASCAR on the Move

Hewlett-Packard may be looking to double down in the tablet space as rumors are emerging that the company, already having re-entered the space, is now looking to head to the low end by offering an affordable $99 tablet.

According to DigiTimes, HP will team with Walmart to sell the 7-inch tablet that HP will have built in China. It will be targeted at the back to school market and will be the second offering in the 7-inch space from the company.

NASCAR on the move-to NBC
NASCAR and broadcaster NBC have signed a multiyear, multi-billion dollar deal that will see the racing league move from its longtime homes of ESPN and Turner Sports, while Fox Sports will maintain its portion of the coverage.

The details of the deal have not been released but Sports Business Daily has said that it is estimated that the deal is 50% greater than the existing deal that was valued at $2.74 billion for 8 years. The new deal will start with the 2015 season.

Will 2022 World Cup move to November?
If you wondered why FIFA awarded the 2020 World Cup to Qatar, a nation that being in the desert tends to be very hot during the summer when the tournament is played you were not alone. Now FIFA appears to be rethinking its clever plan.

Increasingly reports are emerging that the governing body is looking to move the tournament to the fall or winter so that it does not have dozens of players falling from heat stroke. However this will have a huge impact on most of the major European leagues’ seasons so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Nate Silver to ESPN
Stats guru Nate Silver has just moved to ESPN, leaving the New York Times. Silver cut his teeth in sports prior to moving to the Times and developed PECOTA, something that most baseball fantasy players will be aware of.

Hopefully in his new role he can help bring realistic use of statistics to the World Wide Leader. Does anybody really follow its quarterback rating system and does anybody remember its ill-fated productive out stat? Here is an interesting look at some areas he has impacted in the past and could in the future.

Madison Square Garden to close in 10 years?
Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks’ home, is slated to close in 10 years as New York is looking to renovate Penn Station, the mass transit terminal upon which sits the sports arena. Currently Penn Station is the busiest transportation hub in the United States.

The news cannot come as good news to the team which has been in the midst of a 3-year renovation that, according to Yahoo, will cost an estimated $968 million. The team had been applying for a permanent permit for the arena.

NASCAR Names Hewlett-Packard a Technology Partner

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Hewlett-Packard has expanded its relationship with NASCAR, originally formed last year, which will partner the two in devising ways that HP technology can enhance and advance the sport of auto racing with a focus on both engaging fans more closely and bring advertisers to specific segments of the fan base.

The move is part of a growing movement among sports teams and leagues to partner up with leading technology companies to take advantage of their expertise in a range of areas from fan engagement to operational efficiencies.

NASCAR has named HP an Official Technology Partner in a 3-year deal that will have the two engage in developing and using technologies that NASCAR says will catapult the sport to a new level via the adoption of cutting edge technologies.

Under the terms of the new agreement, NASCAR has named HP as an Official Technology Partner, underscoring a joint commitment to accelerate innovation and the adoption of cutting-edge technology across the sport of NASCAR.

While the details of the agreement are vague, expect to see enhanced digital presence at NASCAR tracks with high speed wireless capabilities. NASCAR has a huge following but has seen a steady erosion of attendance at its events. Long traffic lines, limited views and none of the advanced ambiance that fans are now expecting at football and baseball stadiums can take its toll in term of attendance.

That will probably change, and for that matter has already started to change with the original agreement between the two last year that lead to the formation of the Fan and Media Engagement Center (FMEC). The FMEC is a tool that measures and analyzes information from a wide variety of media including video, social media, digital, television, print and radio. It takes the information derived from all of these sources and uses it to help further engage fans with NASCAR.

NASCAR has said that it is already seeing results from the FMEC with information tailored for specific segments of the NASCAR audience that can be used by NASCAR and its partners. The new deal will in part be an expansion of the FMEC effort as well as looking at new areas that the two can develop solutions.

In the past sports entities went about moving into the digital age quietly, adding a bit of Wi-Fi, a Facebook page or a mobile web site. They had partners for these efforts but they remained in the back ground for the most part. Now the partnerships are at the forefront as the advantages that the tech partner brings, as well as the prestige of the name, help increase fan awareness of the moves that the team or league is undergoing. Expect to see more along these lines such as the recent SAP/San Jose Sharks deal.

‘Tweeter’ Keselowski Wins Sprint Cup Championship

I’ve got to admit, I had never really known who NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski was until he sent the tweet heard round the sports world last February. Turns out not only is the guy social-media savvy, he’s a pretty good driver too, capturing his first Sprint Cup title Sunday.

Though the Chase to the Championship was tense, Sunday’s finish was decided early when top contender Jimmy Johnson went basically out of the race with 40 laps to go. That pretty much allowed Kesolowski to coast to the overall win with a 15th-place finish, and after he was done of course the first thing he did was send off a tweet.

Since Daytona, we’ve been following Keselowski and I have to say he has made the sport more enjoyable for me during the season, with his quick post-race comments and regular humor. While NASCAR wisely embraced his Daytona fire-picture moment (and quickly sealed a deal with Twitter to help promote the sport even more), there seemed to be signs of a backlash with NASCAR’s recent $25K fine of Keselowski for tweeting. While some think the fine was more of a punishment for Keselowski’s profanity-laced response to the crashing and fighting at Phoenix, NASCAR should back off on the tweet-fines because the social media world will reject you as quickly as it followed you if you show even the smallest signs of “not getting it.” (MSR free marketing suggestion: Why not partner with GoPro and have automated cameras where the drivers and crews can send auto-tweets and video clips during races?)

Right now, Keselowski certainly gets it, from Twitter to the race track. Enjoy the title, No. 2 car.

(And a big race-fan thanks to senior editor Greg Quick for compiling the weekly Watching NASCAR posts!)

Watching NASCAR: Fight to the Finish in Miami

A change at the top with a week to go means good news for somebody, in this case Brad Keselowski, and bad news for someone, obviously Jimmie Johnson. Johnson’s drive for a sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup title hit a wall last weekend.

Wrecks abounded, some accidental and some intentional, and the result was that Johnson had a blown tire on the track forcing him into the pits at a moment when his top rival, Keselowski had just moved to the front of the pack. Keselowski could not maintain the top position, Kevin Harvick won the race in nice fashion after a pair of late restarts, but the sixth place finish was good enough for a move to the top spot and a 20 point lead. If he manages to finish 15th or above this week the title is his.


Following Harvick across the finish line was Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, then Kasey Kahne in forth followed by Ryan Newman. Johnson finished 32. There was some bad driving, questionable decisions on NASCARs part and the settling of past grievances all of which made for a day of interesting, if ugly racing.

You knew that tempers would be on edge last week but the fight between Jeff Gordon and Clint Boyer was amazing. Or rather between their pit crews. This came after Gordon intentionally hit Clint Boyer’s car late in the race last week, a move that cost Gordon 25 points and $100,000 and a rest of season probation (really?). It also eliminated any chance that Boyer could contend for the title. Not really clear how Gordon avoided a suspension, but he did.


With Boyer saying that he might retaliate this week, I am sure NASCAR will be keeping a close eye on him and this could turn out to be like hitting someone in the NFL, the second guy always seems to get the big fine. As an oddity to the race Keselowski was fined $25,000 for having an on-board computer in his car. You know, a cell phone.

This Week: Ford EcoBoost 400
All of the chickens will come home to roost this week at the Ford EcoBoost 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Drivers are still looking for bragging rights, enhance standing with existing or future teams and let’s not forget prize money. Also I would not be surprised if a few grudges are settled early in the race. Or late for that matter.

Broadcast: Nov. 18 at 2 pm ET on ESPN

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Sprint Cup Standings

1) Brad Keselowski
2) Jimmie Jonson -20
3) Kasey Kahne -50
4) Clint Boyer -52
5) Denny Hamlin -62
6) Matt Kenseth -74
7) Greg Biffle -78
8 ) Kevin Harvick -86
9) Tony Stewart -87
10) Martin Truex Jr. -111
11) Jeff Gordon -115
12) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -160

Nationwide
Joey Logano once again proved that he is the man in Nationwide racing, winning last week to give him nine wins this season, Points leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is probably burning a candle in thanks that Logano did not get a full season in.

Stenhouse moved from a tie for the lead with Elliott Sadler to a commanding 20 point lead after a strong finish in the race and only needs a 16th place or better finish to repeat as the Nationwide champ. He finish third in the race with Brian Vickers finishing just in front of him and was followed by Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne.

Sadler continued his run of misfortunes late in Nationwide races, this time causing a three car accident very late in the race that greatly harmed his chance to win the title this week. The accident sent him to the pits, from which he never returned.

This Week: ForEcoBoost 300
Broadcast: Nov. 17 4 pm ESPN 2

Nationwide Standings
1) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2) Elliott Sadler -20
3) Austin Dillon -25
4) Sam Hornish Jr. -107
5) Michael Annett -162

Watching NASCAR: Johnson, Keselowski to Duel in Phoenix

Two weeks ago Jimmie Johnson passed Brad Keselowski to move into the top position in the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship and last week he passed him in a two lap shootout to remain the top dog in the Chase.

In what I am sure Johnson hopes is a portent for the last two races and Keselowski hopes does not, the two were side by side on a restart on lap 334 in the 335 lap race, and Johnson outsprinted Keselowski and then held on to win the race. The third restart in the last laps ensured that it would go one extra lap, but after the first half lap Johnson was in control and stayed there.

The two were very close the entire race, as witnessed by the side by side banging that occurred late in the race but others played a major role in the race, including the drives that continually caused all of the late restarts. Third place finisher Kyle Busch led for 80 laps and was followed by Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart taking fifth.

This week: AdvoCare 500 at Phoenix International Raceway

The second to last race of the season and the point differential is only 7, but that can be a lot to make up. However a number of drivers such as Busch have been shining of late and I am sure that they would relish a spoiler role.

Broadcast: Nov. 11 at 2 pm ET on ESPN

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Sprint Cup Standings
1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Brad Keselowski -7
3) Clint Boyer -36
4) Kasey Kahne -58
5) Matt Kenseth -72
6) Jeff Gordon -72
7) Denny Hamlin -73
8 ) Tony Stewart -80
9) Martin Truex Jr. -80
10) Greg Biffle -83
11) Kevin Harvick -101
Dale Earnhardt Jr. -151

Nationwide
The chase to win the Nationwide title got a great deal tighter as Elliott Sadler has company in the top spot as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has tied him for the lead by managing a fourth place finish last week in what appeared to be a very badly handling car.

First let’s not forget that Kevin Harvick had a dominating performance at the track, leading 127 of the 200 laps to win the race. With just a few laps to go Sadler started to fade from his sixth position after a restart and ended up finishing 11th. The top five was filled out with Ryan Blaney in second, Kyle Busch in third and Denny Hamlin taking fifth.

Good news for Danica Patrick fans. She has signed to do two ads for GoDaddy that will run during the upcoming Superbowl. There had been some question if the company’s new advertising agency would retain her services.
This week: Great Clips 200 at the Phoenix International Raceway
Broadcast: Nov. 10 at 3:30 pm ET on ESPN

Nationwide Standings

1) Elliott Sadler
2) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
3) Austin Dillon -21
4) Sam Hornish Jr. -95
5) Michael Annett -157

Watching NASCAR: Watch out Texas, Here They Come

There is something very familiar about this week’s standings in the Chase — Jimmie Johnson is back on top. However not by much as Brad Keselowski has shown that he is not going away as the two of them appear to be making the Cup Championship a two-man event.

The two have been close and Johnson winning last week in the Tums Fast Relief 500 managed to finally dislodge Keselowski from the top spot in the standings. All things considered Keselowski had a solid day, starting in the back of the pack and working his way to a brief stay at first before fading to a sixth place finish. Johnson ran a strong race and got bonus points for most laps led, among others. Kyle Busch took second followed by Kasey Kahne, Arix Almirola, and Clint Boyer. Dale Earnhardt Jr., back after missing two races due to a concussion, finished in 21st.
http://youtu.be/AhjCtHOfWf8

In other news it looks like Dodge may return to NASCAR. ESPN reported that Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of the SRT Brand and Chrysler Group LLC told the sports broadcaster that the manufacturer is looking to return and that it saw NASCAR as a very good investment. After its lone team, Penske, said that it was moving to Ford earlier this year Dodge announced it would depart NASCAR next year. Now it has to go hunting for a team.

This Week: The AAA Texas 500

Broadcast: Nov. 4 at 2 pm ET ESPN

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Sprint Cup Standings
1) Jimmie Johnson
2) Brad Keselowski -2
3) Clint Boyer -26
4) Kasey Kahne -29
5) Denny Hamlin -49
6) Jeff Gordon -54
7) Martin Truex Jr. -63
8 ) Matt Kenseth –65
9) Greg Biffle -69
10) Tony Stewart -71
11) Kevin Harvick -88
12) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -140

Nationwide

No race last week.

This Week: O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway

Broadcast
: Nov. 3 at 7 pm ET ESPN


Nationwide Standings

1) Elliott Sadler
2) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -6
3) Austin Dillon -26
4) Sam Hornish Jr. -98
5) Michael Annett -150

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