Benny Phillips named sixth Squier-Hall award winner

Radioactive: Sonoma - "I"m driving like an [expletive] right now..." - "NASCAR Race Hub"

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 2, 2016) NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame today announced longtime High Point (N.C.) Enterprise reporter and sports editor Benny Phillips as the sixth recipient of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence.

Phillips spent 48 years with the Enterprise, serving as its sports editor for 32 of them. He will be honored during NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony festivities on Jan. 20, 2017 and featured in an exhibit in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In addition to his time at the Enterprise, Phillips wrote for Stock Car Racing magazine for 27 years and spent 12 years with TBS. The prestigious Squier-Hall Award is the latest in a long list of accolades bestowed upon Phillips during, and after, his exemplary career. Phillips was named the NMPA Writer of the Year seven times, won the NMPA Joe Littlejohn Award in 1977, the IMHOF Henry T. McLemore Award in 1978, the Buddy Shuman Award in 1986 and the NMPA George Cunningham Award in 1988.

Phillips, who battled polio throughout his life, died in 2012 at the age of 74.

"Benny Phillips told the engaging stories that transformed our drivers into heroes, and with it developed a deserved reputation as a trusted confidant whose determination and affable personality made him a beloved fixture in the NASCAR garage," said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. "Benny delivered the stories of our sport to millions of NASCAR fans on a daily basis through newspapers, books, magazines and television. This award has been given only to the giants of his industry, and unquestionably, Benny was exactly that."

Phillips penned four books, including Dale Earnhardts autobiography "Determined," which he co-authored with fellow NASCAR reporter Ben Blake.

Phillips was among eight nominees voted upon by a panel comprised of NASCAR and NASCAR Hall of Fame executives, journalists, public relations representatives and former competitors. The Squier-Hall Award was created in 2012 to honor the contributions of media to the success of the sport. Legendary broadcasters Ken Squier and Barney Hall, for whom the award is named, were its initial recipients. Chris Economaki, Tom Higgins and Steve Byrnes have since won the award.

The other seven nominees were:

Norma "Dusty" Brandel:The first woman to report from inside the NASCAR garage.

Russ Catlin:One of the best-known early racing writers and historians, served as editor of "Speed Age" magazine.

Shav Glick:Covered motorsports for the Los Angeles Times for 37 years, bringing NASCAR coverage to the West Coast.

Bob Jenkins:Served as the lead NASCAR lap-by-lap anchor at ESPN from 1982-2000.

Bob Moore:Spent more than 20 years as a NASCAR beat writer including stints with the Daytona Beach News-Journal and The Charlotte Observer.

T. Taylor Warren:Best known for his three-wide photo of the 1959 Daytona500 finish, he covered every Daytona500 until his death in 2008.

Steve Waid:Covered NASCAR for more than 40 years for the Roanoke Times & World News, NASCAR Scene and NASCAR Illustrated.

Source: http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2016/7/2/nascar-squier-hall-award-winner-benny-phillips.html

Continue Reading ..

Caroline Aherne dead at 52: The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show to her credit

R.I.P Caroline Aherne
Caroline Aherne as Denise in The Royle Family.

Bafta-winningBritish actress Caroline Aherne has died of cancer at the age of 52.

The star was best known for her work in The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show and The Fast Show.

"Caroline Aherne has sadly passed away, after a brave battle with cancer," Neil Reading, her publicist, said on Saturday.

"The Bafta award-winning writer and comedy actor died earlier today at her home in Timperley, Greater Manchester. She was 52. The family ask for privacy at this very sad time."

Comedian DavidBaddielpaid tribute on Twitter writing: "The talent, you all knew about. But she was a really lovely woman. Vulnerable and complex and damaged but ... lovely."

Britain"s Got Talentjudge andLittle Britaincomic DavidWalliamsadded: "Absolutely devastating news about CarolineAherne. A true comedy genius, her work was equally funny & touching."

Aherne, who was the narrator of hit Channel 4 show Gogglebox, had been battling lung cancer and had previously been treated for bladder and eye cancer.

A smoker, she had struggled with health problems for years.

She had fought depression and drink problems and spent time in the Priory clinic following a suicide attempt, before moving to Australia to avoid the glare of publicity.

The star also had a string of failed relationships - her marriage to former New Order guitarist Peter Hook ended and she began a romance with TV researcher Matt Bowers.

They split but she was devastated when he died of cancer at the age of 28.

Aherne admitted alcohol was an attempt to block out her problems.

Born to Irish immigrant parents in London, Aherne grew up in Wythenshawe in Manchester.

She was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the retina as a child, like her older brother Patrick before her, and the local Catholic church raised funds to send her to Lourdes in search of a miracle cure.

She was left with severely impaired sight in one eye.

She gained public attention as the Checkout Girl in The Fast Show but became a household name as blue-rinse granny Mrs Merton in The Mrs Merton Show, which first aired on BBC Two in 1995.

In 1996 she was voted best female performer at the British Comedy Awards but gave a rambling and slurred acceptance speech.

The Royle Family was born after she and friend Craig Cash, who played gormless Dave Best in the show, threw themselves into their work after a suicide attempt, which she described as her lowest ebb.

The show was the toast of the 1999 British Comedy Awards, scooping four trophies including best actress for Aherne.

The Mrs Merton Christmas Show won the best talk show Bafta in 1997 while The Royle Family took home the best sitcom award in 2000 and 2007.

Aherne was nominated for Baftas for her performance in both shows, as well as her directing of The Royle Family in 2001.

PA

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/tv-comedy/caroline-aherne-dead-at-52-the-royle-family-the-mrs-merton-show-to-her-credit-20160702-gpx9j7.html

Continue Reading ..

"A Prairie Home Companion": Garrison"s Last Show

A Prairie Home Companion"s 40th Anniversary Broadcast - July 5, 2014

Garrison Keillor will be hosting A Prairie Home Companion for the last time Saturday, July 2. We think this calls for a celebration to honor Garrison!

Event Update 10:30 a.m. 7/2- The weather looks like it"s going to cooperate so we"re planning on having the event at the Parade Grounds at the front of Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester. Please remember to bring a chair or blanket, your picnic basket and good cheer. See you there!

Join your fellow Prairie Home fans and VPR staff for a listening party starting at 5:00 on the Parade Grounds at the front of Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester. VPRs Reuben Jackson and Ric Cengeri will be our hosts.

Bring a picnic and your rhubarb pie to share with the crowd. Depending on how many pies show up we may even have a contest for the best pie. We"ll play trivia games and then listen to the show together at 6:00.

That"s Saturday, July 2. Picnicking starts at 5:00 at Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester. If it rains the party will move indoors and will be located at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction in the Blue Pavilion.

PLEASE NOTE:

DIRECTIONS Fort Ethan Allen is located on Route 15 at the Colchester/Essex Junction line. The Parade Grounds are located on Dalton Drive. See the map here.

Our rain date location at Champlain Valley Expo is also on Route 15 in downtown Essex Junction. From Fort Ethan Allen drive east on Route 15 for 1.5 miles and the fairgrounds are on your left.

PARKING in Fort Ethan Allen will not be allowed on Dalton Drive. Please park in the Saint Michaels College lot at King St. and Ethan Allen Ave. Champlain Valley Expo parking is plentiful and free.

SEATING- Please bring chairs and blankets for Fort Ethan Allen. If we are going to be at the rain site at Champlain Valley Expo tables and chairs will be provided.

NO TRASH- The listening party is a PACK IN/PACK OUT event. Please come prepared to remove your own picnic trash regardless of which location at which we gather.

DOGS- Well behaved dogs on leashes are welcome at Fort Ethan Allen. Dogs are not allowed at Champlain Valley Expo.

Are you thinking this is a sad occasion? Dont despair! We will hear Garrison Saturday nights all summer in rebroadcasts just as we have in years past. Then we can all look forward to October 15 when musician extraordinaire Chris Thile will take over for Garrison as the new host of A Prairie Home Companion. Chris" wide range of musical taste, paired with his vast network of famous and talented friends, will draw new, diverse talent to the show.

Source: http://digital.vpr.net/post/prairie-home-companion-garrisons-last-show

Continue Reading ..

Remember When Bill Simmons Wrote A Bunch Of Bullshit About OJ Mayo And Kevin Love?

2016 NBA FREE AGENCY OJ MAYO BANNED! DWYANE WADE LEAVING MIAMI HEAT? AL JEFFERSON TO INDIANA PACERS!

O.J. Mayo received an at-least-two-year ban from the NBA today, for repeat violations of the leagues anti-drug program. This is not exactly important news for the NBA, because O.J. Mayo is busted and terrible and probably was on a plane to China when the decision was made anyway. However, its an occasion to remember the time back in 2007 when Bill Simmons, then at ESPN, wrote a lot of really amazingly dogwhistly s**t about O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love, then in high school.

The blog post, titled Down with the O.J. Mayo Era, is pegged to the pairs appearance in the McDonalds All-American Game. In it, Simmons labors to draw some, uh, suuuper duuuper dogwhistly-as-h**l contrasts between Mayo, who has a legitimate chance to replace Vince Carter as my least favorite NBA star of all-time (Side note: Who the f**k hates Vince Carter????), and Love, Simmonss new favorite incoming recruit. Its really something! I encourage you to read it. Here are some of my favorite passages.

On the possibility of a rivalry between the two (emphasis added):

The bigger picture: With Mayo joining a loaded USC team and Love playing 20 minutes away for a Final Four team, thats looming as a dynamite rivalry and the most intriguing media subplot for the 2007-08 season. After all, Love represents everything good about basketball (unselfishness, teamwork, professionalism) and Mayo represents everything weve come to despise (showboating, selfishness, over-hype).

Heres the very next part!

If Love were black, this would be a much easier topic to discuss. But hes white. So even though theres a natural inclination to embrace Loves game and disparage Mayos gameyou know, assuming you give a c**p about basketball and care about where its headed as a sporttheres also a natural inclination to hold back because nobody wants to sound like the white media guy supporting the Great White Hope over the Black Superstar Du Jour.

On their relative appeal to various, uh, demographics:

Like it or not, Mayos style of game resonates with a certain demographic, with his final high school dunk symbolizing the divide between traditional fans and the budding generation that was weaned on Slam Magazine and me-first superstars like Stephon Marbury and Vince Carter (neither of whom has played on a 50-win NBA team, by the way). Head over to YouTube and youll find an unedited clip of the dunk that makes Mayo look like an attention-seeking punk, as well as a heavily edited clip of the same dunk that lionizes it. Is it alarming that a 19-year-old kid throwing himself a halfcourt alley-oop in the final minute of a 40-point win, dunking it, tossing the ball into the stands and getting thrown out of his final high school game, then soaking in a standing ovation could be considered a beautiful moment by some people? Probably not. Thats just our culture now. Rappers sing songs with their own names as the chorus. Wannabe celebrities intentionally leak s*x tapes to make themselves famous. Rich teenagers make fools of themselves on My Super Sweet 16" and dont even get that theyre the joke.

(It was nice of him to throw in veiled but instantly recognizable references to notable nonblack attention-seekers Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, there. Of course theyre both women, but, uh, at least theyre not the blacks!)

But the sport of basketball is headed for a crossroads of sorts, personified by the fact that Kobe Bryants recent streak of 50-point games received far more national attention than the incredible Suns-Mavs game two weeks ago.

Hey, who were the two stars involved in that Suns-Mavs game? Notable whites Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.

Nobody wants to be the next Steve Nash; everyone wants to be the next LeBron James, the next Gilbert Arenas, the next Vince Carter.

Everyone wants to be notable me-first glory-hog LeBron James, quite possibly the best passer and all-around player in NBA history.

Again, its not a black/white thing as much as a philosophical thing

Oh for sure man.

Which brings me back to that McDonalds game. When Mayo bricked the game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds left and soaked in those scattered boos and a few ov-er-ra-ted chants, do you think he was more upset that his team lost, or that he would have been the hero if he made the 3? Call me crazy, but Im going with the latter. Meanwhile, Kevin Loves team came out on top. He finished with 13 points and six rebounds and jump-started at least five-six fast breaks that directly led to layups or dunks. Looking at the stat sheet, youd never guess that he was one of the key guys in the game. But he was. And thats why Im looking forward to the Kevin Love Era and preparing myself to hate everything about the O.J. Mayo Era.

Its not a white thing or a black thing ... its a basketball thing.

Just a coincidence then!

[ESPN]

Source: http://deadspin.com/remember-when-bill-simmons-wrote-a-bunch-of-bullshit-ab-1782967931

Continue Reading ..

O.J. Mayo hit with two-year ban from NBA for drug violation

O.J. Mayo Dismissed, Disqualified from NBA for Violation of Drug Policy | 2016 NBA Offseason

NEW YORK O.J. Mayo has been dismissed and disqualified from the NBA for violating the terms of the leagues anti-drug program.

The NBA said Friday the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 draft out of USC is eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.

Mayo spent the past three seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged 7.8 points in 41 games last season, including 24 starts.

According to rules of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, information regarding the testing or treatment of a player cant be disclosed by the league, his team or the union.

2016 by Associated Press

Heres the official release from the NBA:

NEW YORK, July 1, 2016 The NBA announced today that free agent O.J. Mayo has beendismissed and disqualified from the league for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-DrugProgram.

Under the Anti-Drug Program, Mayo is eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.

The NBA, NBA teams, and the Players Association are prohibited from publicly disclosinginformation regarding the testing or treatment of any NBA player under the Anti-Drug Program,other than to announce a player"s suspension or dismissal from the league.

Abby Chin crunches the numbers and explains which teams are better for Kevin Durants wallet.

Eric Frede and A. Sherrod Blakely discuss whether or not AlHorford will be enough to get Kevin Durant to join the Celtics.

A. Sherrod Blakely, Abby Chin and Eric Frede discuss the signing of Al Horford and what it means for the Celtics.

Source: http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/oj-mayo-hit-two-year-ban-nba-drug-violation

Continue Reading ..

Grades: Lakers add veteran leadership by signing Luol Deng

Luol Deng Full Highlights 2016.02.20 vs Wizards - 27 Pts, 10 Rebs, 4 Assists

L.A. has agreed to sign unrestricted free agent forward Luol Deng to a four-year, $72 million contract, according to ESPN.com and Yahoo Sports. Deng, 31, averaged 12.3 PPG, 6 RPG and 1.9 APG while earning $10.2 million for the Heat last season. The two-time All-Star has won both the NBAs Sportsmanship Award and its Citizenship Award during a 12-year career that has seen him appear in 62 playoff games and make multiple deep postseason runs in Chicago and Miami.

Unlike the Lakers signing of center Timofey Mozgov, which came at a steep price and raised major stylistic and fit questions, its easy to see where the Lakers are going with this one. L.A. was terrible on defense last season, it has major minutes to fill on the wings, and it needs a mentor for 2016 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Ingram. Deng is up to all three of those tasks, as he turned in a typically solid season in Miami (15 Player Efficiency Rating, +1.89 Real Plus Minus), can still play starters minutes, and shares a Duke pedigree with Ingram, who should develop into the face of the Lakers franchise.

Grading the biggest free-agent deals so far|SIs free agency tracker

From a fit perspective, Dengs versatility is helpful: he should be able to find success regardless of how fast the young Lakers want to play under new coach Luke Walton and he is accustomed to playing off the ball as a complementary option, ensuring that Ingram, DAngelo Russell and Julius Randle get their fair share of opportunities to learn on the job. Defensively, he can take the Kevin Durants and Kawhi Leonards of the world, allowing Ingram to ease into his new life competing against the Wests A-listers.

The big concern clearly is giving four years worth of starter-plus money to a player who has 29,000+ minutes to his name and who will be 35 when the deal reaches its conclusion. But the Lakers have bigger concerns than giving an extra year or two on a slightly inflated number to a proven professional. Namely, they need to rebuild a winning culture, they need to ensure that Ingram reaches his full potential, and they need to fix a once-sterling reputation that has been damaged in recent years. Deng isnt a miracle worker, but hes a step in the right direction on all of those counts. Walton, for one, is surely pumping his fist about this addition.

Source: http://www.si.com/nba/2016/07/02/free-agency-grades-luol-deng-los-angeles-lakers

Continue Reading ..

Tour de France 2016 route and map: Riders face one of the toughest courses in years

EXCLU VIDEO Tour de France 2016 : la chute d"Alberto Contador en Normandie

A Bastille Day climb up Mont Ventoux highlights one of the steepest and toughest Tour de France routes in a long, long time.

If there"s one word to describe the 2016 Tour de France route, it"s steep. This year"s race features 56 categorized climbs, some of them the hardest the Tour has featured in some time. This year"s route gives all the more reason to think the ultra climb-y Nairo Quintana might be able totake the yellow jersey away from Team Sky leader Chris Froome. That assumes the young Colombian rider makes it to the end, however.

The crown jewel of this year"s Tour is smack dab in the middle of the race on Stage 12. On July 14, Bastille Day, riders will climb to a mountaintop finish on Mont Ventoux before heading into Switzerland and the Alps. Mont Ventoux has been featured in the Tour de France 16 times, most recently in 2013 when Froome summarily left his opponents behind to win the stage and take an iron grip on the yellow jersey that he wouldn"t relinquish.

Mont Ventoux is big. Riders climb to a height of 1,918 meters -- a net distance climbed of 1,758 meters -- and take one of several stretches of gradients greater than 10 percent. The landscape is vegetation-less -- bald, nothing but exposed limestone -- exposing riders to bike-stopping winds. Whoever wins the stage will have etched his name among some of the greatest to ever do this sport.

And then there"s more. Stage 12 arguably isn"t even the hardest of the Tour. Below is a map this year"s route, courtesy ofthe Tour"s official site:

After Mont Ventoux, the Tour squirrels around the Alps in France and Switzerland. Stages 19 and 20, the last two stages of pure racing, are utter climb fests that could determine the yellow jersey very late along the route. Stage 19 ends on a mountaintopand is my vote for the queen stage of the Tour. It looks like this:

Zero respite.

The Tour will start much more innocuously this Saturday at picturesque Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France"s great Northwest. From there, it transitions to the Pyrenees, where it will climb the famed Col du Tourmalet before paying a visit to Andorra and Spain. Then it"s eastward, to Ventoux, the Alps, and eventually Paris for Champagne and a leisurely ride around the Champs-lyses (assuming you"re not a sprinter).

For more on the Tour de France, visit the lovely people atPodium Cafe. Their mountains preview takesan in-depth look at all the pain in store for this year"s riders, and their viewer"s guide lets you knowwhich stages you can and absolutely cannot miss.

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/2016/7/2/12086350/2016-tour-de-france-map-route-climbs-mountains-preview-mont-ventoux

Continue Reading ..