AQUINas THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2007 SPORTS 11 Has NASCAR stalled out? Lady Royals, Royals BY Ray BUCK tel Cup races, from July 29 through AQ Briefs MCT Campus Sept. 2. ESPN on ABC (read: free TV) will finish out the season, in- prep for semifinals Long known as America’s cluding all Chase races. fastest- growing sport, NASCAR seems to be hitting a speed bump. _It gets much easier for the net- Wrestling With TV ratings and attendance works once we get into the 10-race down, NASCAR made a number Chase for the Cup schedule. (0-8) of moves in an attempt to keep FICTION. The elephant in the the Nextel Cup Series running full room is still the NFL. It’s not coin- Scranton continues its tough -throttle. cidental that in Week 1 of the NFL season with another loss, this Only time will tell if the moves regular season, the Chevy Rock & time, dropping a 53-0 decision pay off, but all the fresh hype Roll 400 from Richmond Interna- Feb. 10 to New York University. makes it the perfect time to play a tional Raceway will be brought to This marks the eighth straight little NASCAR Fact or Fiction. you (by ESPN on ABC) on Sept. 8 loss for the Royals. The NYU _ a Saturday. team won all ten of the match- _The hottest sport on the plan- ESPN’s Brent Musburger, who es in varying weight catego- et has turned tepid. will host NASCAR coverage, said, ries, including three Scranton FACT. Race fans have spoken. “I think NASCAR has to target the forfeits and four pins. The Met- In 2006, NASCAR’s three networks major metropolitan markets. If ropolitan Wrestling Conference (Fox, TNT and NBC) combined I were to guess where the (2006) Championships will be held for a 6.5 percent decline in view- ratings stagnated, I’d take a look Sunday, Feb. 18, at The College ership, as 32 of the 36 races pro- at (markets in) the heart of the Na- of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J. duced a drop-off from the previ- tional Football League. There’s no ous year. NBC (no longer in the reason why someone who enjoys mix) dropped 10 percent, Fox 7 the NFL, like I do, can’t also enjoy Men’s percent and TNT 5 percent. NFL and the Nextel Cup Chase.” Basketball _NASCAR doesn’t take backslid- _NASCAR has lost its aura of ing lightly. invincibility. FACT. NASCAR has cooked up FACT. No track is exempt from (18-5/9-3) a stack of new entrees to attract PHOTOS BY DENNIS MONAGHAN lagging attendance figures. De- new race fans and keep the old spite enormous success at TMS The Royals downed Dela- Danzig’s Royals and Strong’s Lady Royals both face diehards coming back. ESPN is over the past 10 years, track presi- ware Valley Feb. 10 in a stifling Lycoming and DeSales by the end of the week, just be- fore Freedom Conference Tournament Semifinal action new after a six-year hiatus from dent Eddie Gossage can now look 90-59 win. Junior guard Randy Wednesday night, Feb. 21. the sport, and it’s already full- at NASCAR and say: “We’re not Arnold scored a game-high 18 The men’s team goes into the semifinals action just throttle. Toyota and the “Car of bulletproof. I think everyone in points and made seven steals behind King’s College, while the Lady Royals continue to Tomorrow” are here. Formula One our sport realizes that.” to lead the Royals to victory. dominate, grasping first place in the Conference with both star Juan Pablo Montoya is a NAS- The days of TMS squeezing in With the win, Scranton still hands. CAR rookie who brings a large His- 220,000 customers with the help remains one game behind first- panic following to the sport. The of 15,000 temporary seats are place King’s College. The victo- Nextel Cup Chase points system gone. Last year, TMS drew an es- ry over Del Val also marked the has been tweaked. Even the “Dale timated 185,000 for its April Cup 100th win for Head Coach Carl Jr. vs. Teresa Earnhardt” soap op- race and an estimated 181,000 for Danzig, now in his sixth year at era appears to be getting amped its November Cup race. The latter The University. up for another round of NASCAR is the third-from-last Chase race, family entertainment. so it’s not for a lack of drama that seats are going unfilled. _Sunday’s Fox Sports telecast of It’s hard to complain when, Women’s the Daytona 500 will quickly tell twice a weekend, twice a year, us if NASCAR has corrected its you’re still drawing two times a Basketball ratings swoon. Super Bowl crowd. But facts are FICTION. Not so fast, Fireball. facts—and Gossage isn’t one to (21-2/12-0) Nextel Cup was off and running rest on his old gate receipts. with 37 million viewers tuned in The Lady Royals pulled off a to NBC to watch last year’s Day- _Even with 36 races, there sure- come-from-behind win against tona 500. That first race weekend ly isn’t an overexposure issue for Del Val Feb. 10, 64-60. Seniors in 2006, NASCAR posted record NASCAR tracks. Taryn Mellody and Allison Matt numbers with an 11.3 household FICTION. It’s a simple case of aided Scranton in a comeback rating and a 23 share for 2006. But supply-and-demand. There’s a rea- effort. Mellody made two key all that sizzle quickly fizzled. son attendance has fallen at TMS steals and scored 11 points to since it received a second Nextel help the Ladies overcome a 10- _NASCAR is happy to get NBC Cup race in 2005. Fans no longer point deficit with just over 3:30 out of the rotation. have a 12-month wait if they miss remaining on the clock. Matt FACT. NBC (Nothing But Com- one.A number of NASCAR venues hit three foul shots within the mercials, as the gearheads were experienced an attendance dip in last 12 seconds of play to give calling it) received criticism for not 2006, although most track officials the final score on the board. “YANKEE” ContinuED Philip Hughes. Hughes has been promoting the sport well enough. would rather reveal personal bank Senior center Tiffaney Wil- FROM PAGE 12 unanimously ranked as the top But keep in mind that ESPN reach- statements than give that infor- liams also added 16 points and pitching prospect in major league es 19.2 million fewer households mation out. Some blame NASCAR’s 13 rebounds to the Lady Royals’ ond half of the season. Like baseball. A 2004 first-round draft than “free” TV. The all-sports cable super high-tech telecasts of Busch effort. Henn, Villone has experience pick, Hughes emerged as the network is in 92.3 million homes; Series and Nextel Cup races for a starting games and can serve as a game’s top pitching prospect in NBC, 111.4 million homes. drop in track attendance. The pro- spot starter if necessary. 2006. But look for ESPN to generate duction is... well, almost too good. Last season, Villone posted a “There’s some chance [Hughes] new viewership with its multi Said Gossage: “Fans now have 5.04 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 80 can make the team out of spring platform programming. NASCAR an alternative that wasn’t there innings, but pitched better than training. I would never count is every day now at ESPN2. While before,” and, apparently, that’s Athlete Honors his statistics imply. Before the All- someone of his ability out,” Yan- ESPN will televise all Busch Series staying home and watching the Star break, Villone has a 2.27 ERA. kees’ Vice President of Baseball races, it will cover only seven Nex- race from your couch. Operations Mark Newman stated. Prior to the game against Perhaps the most aggressive Expect Hughes to start the sea- Del Val, senior guard Darren spring training battle will be son in Scranton, only because of Cannon received the John “Les” the competition for the backup the surplus of starting pitchers, Dickman Award, an award pre- catcher’s spot. Last years Triple- and the organization’s desire for sented annually to the Royals A catcher, Wil Nieves, is the cur- Hughes to increase his durability MVP. In this game against Del rent front-runner, but the Yankees Tired of reading before joining the major league Val, Cannon’s third start of the invited seven catchers to spring club. season, he scored seven points, training, so expect the competi- made two rebounds, three as- tion to be fierce. Considering that “MCT Campus”? sists and a steal in 19 minutes the backup catcher position is not Players Invited to Spring Training: of playing time. one that requires a top notch of- Todd Pratt (C), Andy Can- fensive player, Neives could win nizaro (SS), Angel Chavez (SS), Your article could be on this page! Mellody was named to the the job. He spent 81 games behind Raul Chavez (C), Tyler Clippard ESPN The Magazine District II the plate in 2006, hitting .259 with (P) , Ben Davis (C), Eric Duncan all-academic team for college 5 home runs. His bat has never (1B) , Brett Gardner (CF) , Sean Write for fun, a class or experience division student-athletes. To drawn interest, but Nieves is Henn (P), Phil Hughes (P), Steven earn this honor, a student ath- probably one of the better defen- Jackson (P), Ben Kozlowski (P) , lete must be at least a sopho- sive catchers in the Yankees farm Ramiro Pena (2B), Ross Ohlendorf more, be a starter or key re- system.