This past year has been one of the most eventful years I can remember in the recent past. Continuing a now 3-year tradition, this is the first of three posts that comprise “2008 Year in Review - The Good, the Bad, and the Ridiculous.” I post them in reverse order, so that they make sense when reading them in the archives.

So, let’s look at that the things that went beyond bad (AKA ridiculous) this past year…

• Sarah Palin’s Treatment

In August, John McCain announced his running mate - a virtually unknown Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin. However, she was not unknown to those of us in conservative circles (even if we thought her name was pronounced PAL-inn instead of PAY-lin). In fact, I still credit Cassy Fiano with being prescient on this - she posted about her way back on June 23rd. We knew her story, her accomplishments, and her attitude. Although this was her first national campaign, she already had a nearly 20-year career in governmental leadership. With the opposing party running someone with 120-some-odd days in a legislative office, one would think that she would be dealt with on her merits.

But, as we all know, that’s not how it went down. From day 1, she was called inexperienced. Remember this press release from the Obama campaign, released the day her selection was announced?

Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain’s commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies — that’s not the change we need, it’s just more of the same.

And, it didn’t stop there. The women who get attention from the media, AKA radical feminists, piled on, calling her everything but a woman. I’m not lumping the Saturday Night Live satires in with this; they spoof everyone, and they invited both McCain and Palin to be on the show (and they both did a great job). Her experience was ridiculed, her wardrobe maligned, her children jeered - and the list at this point is charitable. Rumors swirled that Gov. Palin’s special-needs child was actually borne by one of her daughters, fathered by her husband; and the rumor of her daughter Bristol’s pregnancy, while proved true, was played to make her look like a backwards hillbilly redneck. It was all truly despicable, which is why it leads this year’s list.

• Don’t Taze Bail Me Out, Bro!

Government interference in the private sector came to a head this year in a bad, bad way. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, entities that helped provide “sub-prime” mortgages (a euphemism for “loans people can’t really afford”), were providing these loans the same way they were in the late 1990’s, at the crest of the Internet wave. I remember a scare after 9/11, when the housing market really went south - but, we didn’t learn from that. Banks continued making loans they had no business making, to people who had no business seeking out such loans to begin with, for real estate that, contrary to the view of some in this country, is not an entitlement.

The bubble burst! (surprise, surprise) With the downturn in the economy (which even Bill Clinton understood - “It’s a crisis of confidence”), banks were having to foreclose on these loans to get their money, and people were being evicted from their homes (technically “the bank’s houses” at that point). I’m not completely heartless - losing a home stinks; but, the true heartlessness was letting them get it in the first place. Politicians demagogued the issue - how many times did you hear “Owning a home is the American dream!” - and people bought it, literally. With lots of foreclosures and slow sales, this snowballed from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to Lehman Brothers and AIG, and soon we heard about impending financial collapse.

Fast-forward to November - the “big three” auto makers say “Hey, we need a bail-out too!” The CEO for GM actually apologized for their making crappy cars (in a manner of speaking). The cause in this case is related in mind-set to the mortgage problem - an entitlement mentality. The United Auto Workers union had strong-armed these companies into providing compensation packages for their employees that, given their sales and profits, were unsustainable. The UAW refused to match packages that are successful for Toyota, Hyundai, and other manufacturers outside of Detroit, and Congress refused to give them money (quite possibly the best thing this current Congress has done). The Bush Administration has opened up money design for financial loans for these companies - we’ll have to see how that pans out into 2009; GM and Chrysler took it, Ford did not.

The biggest problem with all this is something I’ve been saying for years, which was only confirmed when I took my Microeconomics class last year. Government interference in free markets only causes problems. Oppressive regulations suppress innovation, and incentives create bubbles that cannot be sustained. So, in my opinion, the best way out of this is to let the bubble burst, clean up the mess, learn these important lessons, and move on. These packages, whether you call them “stimulus” packages or “bail-outs,” what they really are is rewarding irresponsible behavior, by taking money from those who have been more responsible.

• The 2008 Olympics

No, I’m not talking about Michael Phelps’ ridiculous display of athleticism. This is more for China and it’s show. The opening ceremony was certainly impressive, to the point of being creepy. Fake fireworks? Isn’t this the land known for it’s fireworks? Just because communist countries get Olympic games doesn’t mean that I have to like it - I remember the USSR games in 1980. But, to watch the coverage of these games, you wouldn’t know about China…

…except for their women’s gymnastics team. Although the IOC eventually determined that all of their team members were 16 years old, I’m not buying it. However, I’m glad they tried it - it brought their “reality is what we say it is” style of heavy-handed government to the attention of many, many people.

• Burma Refuses Aid after Cyclone

In the spring, a horrible cyclone hit Burma (AKA Myanmar), a nation in southwest Asia. Aid workers and aid began to pour in from all over the world, only to be rebuffed by the militaristic governmental dictatorship. Visas were held up or denied for many aid workers, and the government refused to allow aid to go directly to the people; rather, it mandated that all aid be given directly to the government, for it to distribute.

This is absolutely ridiculous. Even when nearly half a million (yes, that’s 500,000) of its citizens have lost their lives, the government continues to keep a stranglehold on this country. By not allowing aid into the country, the after-effects of disease brought on by contaminated water only added to the death toll. Even today, the country is still stiff-arming offers for aid, insisting that things are back to normal. I’d rather live through 100 Obama presidencies than live one day under a government like that!

What did you think was ridiculous in 2008? (Just a note - I’ll have the 2008 election in the “bad” entry…)

The Colorado State University Rams were invited to play in the New Mexico Bowl this year agains the Fresno State University Bulldogs.  They encouraged their fans to buy tickets and donate them for the military and their marching band, and 650 of those tickets went to Kirtland AFB, four of them finding their way to me.

The game was great - Fresno State got the ball first, and marched down the field and scored.  CSU did the same thing on their drive.  It was pretty tight throughout the first three quarters, and both teams played great ball.  However, in the fourth quarter, CSU broke it open, and Fresno State wasn’t able to come back.  We were sitting near the 1 yard line, and had a great view of Gartrell Johnson’s touchdown run late in the game, which gave CSU what proved to be a game-winning margin.

So thank you, CSU fans, for allowing me to attend the New Mexico Bowl; you have a new fan in Albuquerque.  And congratulations, 2008 New Mexico Bowl Champions!

GO RAMS!

Is it just me, or is college football officiating in general (and SEC officiating in particular) this year just atrocious?  I don’t know if the fact that they can review every play has made them sloppy, but the pitiful calls on the field cost Tennessee dearly in Saturday’s 29-9 loss against Alabama.

As the second quarter came to a close, Tennessee was driving.  They pushed themselves back with an ill-advised holding penalty.  Tennessee runs a play and makes a completion that puts them close to a first down - but out comes the laundry.  They call Tennessee for offensive pass interference, and the replay clearly showed no such interference.  This was an additional 15-yard penalty, and the kicker missed the field goal attempt.  Zebras +3.

Midway through the third quarter, Alabama was getting a drive going.  As one of their players was tackled, the ball came loose, and one of Tennessee’s players picked it up and hustled it back 40+ yards for a touchdown.  As the celebration commenced, the referee came out and said “The ruling on the field is that the player was down when the ball came out.”  The review confirmed the call.  Alabama eventually scored a touchdown on that drive.  Zebras +7.  This drive was also a huge momentum swing for what had been a back-and-forth game up to that point.

And, a note to you EPSN announcers - when Tennessee gets called for phantom pass inteference, don’t keep holding it up as a way that “Tennessee just can’t capitalize on these chances Alabama’s giving them.”  How are you supposed to capitalize when you do nothing wrong and are penalized 15 yards?  (Yes, PK Daniel Lincoln is not having his best year, but still…)

So, what do you fellow college football watchers think - has there been a rash of bad officiating this year?  The Tennessee/Alabama game is not the first time I’ve noticed it - Tennessee had a really bad call in the Georgia game too, and even the people calling the game said “Boy, I think they got away with one there.”  And it’s not just games involving Tennessee (though, of course, those hold a special place in my heart).  And, if you’ve noticed this, what do you think is the cause?  Too many rule changes?  Instant replay?  Aging referees with declining eyesight?

I don’t think I’ve done a NASCAR post yet this season, and last night’s All-Star Race gives me a perfect opportunity.

Before the big race, there was a 40-lap, 2-segment All-Star Challenge, where the top two finishers get to race their way into the big race.  For the most part, it was a clean race, although pole-sitter Elliott Sadler got taken out by eventual race winner A. J. Allmendinger, who won his first-ever Cup series race (albeit a non-point event).  Open-wheel veteran Sam Hornish, Jr. came in second, and showed a lot of progress since the first of the year.  After the race, it was revealed that Kasey Kahne, who had finished 5th in the challenge race, had received the fan vote-in position for the big show.

The 100-lap, 4-segment All-Star Race was caution-free (the ones they throw at the end of each segment don’t count), and was one of the fastest ones I had seen.  Each segment was dominated by different drivers.  Segment 1 was led (in its entirety) by Kyle Busch, currently the driver at the top of the standings.  Halfway through segment 2, his engine dropped a cylinder, and Carl Edwards blew everyone away for the rest of that segment.  During the third segment, Carl’s car went away, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. led part of the segment until Greg Biffle caught and passed him.  In the final segment, it was Kasey Kahne who took the lead a few laps in, and held off Greg Biffle to become the first-ever fan vote to win the $1M prize.

Kyle Busch has been blowing away the competition in all three major series this year, but a couple of weeks ago, he and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were racing very hard and got into each other.  “Junior Nation” seems to feel that Busch wrecked Junior on purpose; an unbiased viewing of the replay tapes shows otherwise.  However, now Busch gets booed whenever he’s announced, or even when he wins a race, as he did last week.  But, I thought one of the poorest examples of sportmanship was the cheering of the crowd as Busch’s disabled car was being pushed from pit road to the garage.  Maybe it’s just my upbringing, but cheering at other’s misfortune just seems petty.  Carl Edwards had it right - I can’t find a quote, but it was something like “Man, I hate that he lost his engine.  I wanted to beat him straight-up on the racetrack.”

We have Junior fans in our house - he’s #1 on my middle son’s list, and he’s pretty high on mine as well.  This hearkens back to last year, when Jeff Gordon was getting pelted with things for passing (and saluting) Dale Earnhardt, Sr.’s career win total.  This is the sort of poor sportsmanship that reflects badly on NASCAR as a sport, and poorly on the South as a region of the country.

In the words of Ron Burgundy, “Stay classy, Junior Nation…”

Jeff and his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, welcomed their first child into the world yesterday around 9am. The baby’s name is Ella Sofia. Congratulations, Jeff and Ingrid!

Rick Hendrick and his racing team, Hendrick Motorsports, have been having a phenomenal year. Jimmie Johnson, driving the #48 Lowe’s car, won the championship last year. This year, out of 14 races, they have won 10, with all four drivers having at least one win. This season has been almost magical for them; Rick has said that it’s not so much that they’re doing things to make it happen, they’re just not making mistakes, which puts them in the position to capitalize when others make mistakes. (Of course, that’s part of it, but there is an awful lot that goes into “not making mistakes.”)

But it seems that everyone in that organization is top-notch. Take Sunday’s race at Pocono as an example. After a 3+-hour rain delay, the race gets going. Sixty-five or so laps into the race, a caution flag comes out. Was it Steve Letarte, the crew chief who started as a janitor at HMS, or an engineer who made the call? No - Jeff Gordon’s spotter made a suggestion, followed by the team, that they not pit. Casey Mears, Gordon’s teammate, also followed his strategy. By not pitting then, they needed to pit around the mid-80’s for fuel.

In NASCAR, if a race goes over halfway (100 laps in Sunday’s race), and has to be called for rain or darkness, the race is considered official. By pitting on lap 84, as they did, they had enough fuel to get them to lap 116. They were way back in the pack at that point. However, as the laps came up to 30 from the previous round of pit stops, cars started heading to pit road for fuel. When these cycled through, Gordon and Mears were running first and second. The rain came, and when the race was red-flagged at lap 106, Gordon was still first, though Mears had dropped to fourth. The race never started back, and Gordon got his fourth win of the season.

Then, today, who is going to join the team but Dale Earnhardt, Jr.! Rick Hendrick actually signed him to a contract on a napkin when he was 14 years old. Now, he had a real contract with NASCAR’s most popular driver.

Hendrick Motorsports is having a run like the Yankees had a few years back. It’s a good day to be a Hendrick fan. For the Hendrick haters, not so much.

Benny Parsons, 1973 Winston Cup Champion and NBC/TNT commentator, died today at age 65. I really enjoyed the way he called races - he really knew his stuff, yet his delivery was down-to-earth, understandable, and never condescending. NASCAR.com has more, including details of this NASCAR legend’s life, family, and career. Rest in peace, BP.