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Let me begin by telling you about an incident that happen to me around two weeks ago that will hopefully make a point.
I dropped by my local grocery to pick up the weekend version of the USA Today which I try to do each Friday because of their excellent Sports section and other stories going on around the world. Newspapers in this store are always in a section near the front--about six or seven versions from around the area including some national ones. As I approached the area, an older lady stood right in front of the papers with her cart, just thumbing through a few papers. No big deal, I've done the same thing at times, although I try to be brief, figuring I could be in the way. Since I was in a hurry and kinda in the way of other people myself, I said, " Excuse Me, I just need to grap the paper. " Most people reply back they are sorry and back out of the way. This lady did not and appeared not to pay attention, so I said a little louder, " Excuse me " and I just darted my way in and grabbed the paper. She seemed not to notice and at that point, I don't think I cared. As I went back through line to pay, I looked over her way to see what she was doing. It was no big surprise that now she was holding up and reading a paper--still in the aisle and with her cart.
I kinda laughed as I drove away in my car but it made me think---maybe it is nice to have time to just stroll through the store, look through the papers, with probably not a care in the world, at least not enough of one to be in any hurry.
However, a little later, it brought something else to mind to me, maybe some people are just in their own little worlds and don't care much what goes on around them.
Let me bring this into NASCAR. I have recently read where some media writers and commentators on the daily NASCAR beat are really belittling the writings and comments by individuals that are not really covering the sport like themselves. They claim they are truly " beating the bushes " for stories and that a lot of " amateurs " out there are just making things worse for everyone by starting rumors or being very inaccurate.
Granted, they are right on some points. The daily beat writers deserve a great amount of respect for their hard work and excellent material. Working in the trenches day in-day out is tough and it is easy to criticize them for things we fully can not or will not understand.
However, it is also just as important to recognize that many of the so-called " bloggers or amateurs " do a responsible and sensible job of reporting their opinions or factual articles that appear on websites much like this. Most are incredibly dedicated, well-read, and are very conscious about the work they do. Matter of fact, some of the people I am talking about are every bit as good, sometimes better, than the writers you see or hear each week on the airwaves or see in print.
While I may agree or disagree with many articles I see, the respect I have for fellow writers in NASCAR is very immense. When most of us post an article, we take pride in what we try to do. Some will like it, many will not, but if we may you think, we've normally done our job.
Sometimes I believe a few of these national writers feel like the little lady in the store: kinda in their own world and thinking they can just stand in the way. Sometimes, they act much like the drivers and owners they seem to cover that appear not to be dealing with the realities that go on outside of the garage. They believe the show revolves their quotes, comments, and opinions. Not all of them, just a few.
It reminds of a second story that happen in that same grocery store a few weeks before the above tale. It was a late evening and I dropped by the store to pick up an area nightly paper---a nice way to wind up a long day by reading all the happennings. As I was paying for the paper, the check out lady commented that I must like to read--which I do. She asked me something along the line that you wouldn't ever think about returning a paper, would you? I affirmed that I would not, but she mentioned that one time an older lady bought a paper and later returned it and wanted a refund, saying their was nothing worth reading in the issue.
It made me wonder if I indeed encountered the same lady along the way. Then again, sometimes I read NASCAR articles and wish I could get my time or money back.
Jeff@insidethepitbox.com
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