Sunday is the best - and worst - racing day of the year

The names at the Indianapolis 500 meant so much more 30 years ago.

Rick Mears, Gordon Johncock, Al Unser, A.J. Foyt. Everyone knew those guys, even if you only watched one open-wheel race a year. But on Sunday, Buddy Lazier will line up as the racer with the most experience at Indy – and his national profile is about the same as NASCAR truck series drivers like Johnny Benson and Ron Hornaday.

On Sunday, more people will tune in to watch the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 than the Indianapolis 500. That is a tribute to the success of the Sprint Cup series, but also a statement on just how far Indy has fallen.

For fans of auto racing in America, it’s a day to celebrate success – and to mourn our loss.

 

Piazza has a date in Cooperstown in five years

Mike Piazza quietly ended his big league baseball career Tuesday, officially setting up his Hall of Fame election in 2013.

Piazza, the greatest hitting catcher in history, leaves the game with a record 396 home runs as a catcher – Carlton Fisk is a distant second with 351 – and a .308 batting average. His 1997 season, when he hit .362 with 40 homers and 124 RBIs, is probably the best offensive season ever by a backstop.

The former 62^nd round draft choice of the Dodgers had incredible opposite-field power, and defensively Piazza evolved from clumsy to credible over the course of time.

Few hitters – at any position – instilled fear in pitchers like Piazza did in his prime.

 

Esche finds hockey home in Russia

After just one season playing pro hockey in Russia, Robert Esche has washed away the sour taste of his last National Hockey League season.

Esche, a Whitesboro native who now lives in Westmoreland, will play for a Russian league team in St. Petersburg for the next two years after starring for a Russian league team in Kazan this past season. Esche will be well compensated for his time in Russia – making much more money than he would in the NHL. But this decision appears to be about much more than dollars or rubles.

Esche rediscovered his love for hockey this season, starring in goal for a Kazan team that reached the league semifinals. After a tumultuous season with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2006-07 – and then finding no NHL employers after becoming a free agent – Esche reluctantly went to Russia, only to have his best season ever at 18-2.

 

Now, he’s going back with a smile on his face. No doubt, he’ll leave the Russian fans smiling as well.