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Talking Points: NASCAR sponsor madness

The Columbian
Published: May 1, 2011, 12:00am

What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:

1

At first glance, the name of Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race might seem a bit excessive. After all, “Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

But here’s the story: Crown Royal every year sponsors an essay contest to name the race. According to MotorRacingDigest.com, Daniel and Matthew Hansen were twins who both enlisted in the Marines. Matthew has been deployed to the Middle East three times; Daniel died in Afghanistan on Feb. 14, 2009, when his foot patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device.

Talk about poignant. Suddenly, “Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400” doesn’t sound excessive, it sounds inadequate.

But here’s the problem.

When the “Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400” is on the same Sprint Cup schedule as the “Helluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400” the poignancy somehow gets lost.

2

The most surprising thing about the Memphis Grizzlies eliminating the San Antonio Spurs isn’t that a No. 8 seed dominated a No. 1 seed. It’s that somebody had the foresight to consider the possibility.

The University of Memphis was scheduled to hold commencement ceremonies in the Grizzlies’ arena on May 7. Now there’s a game scheduled for that night, forcing commencement to be pushed back one day. A stipulation in the contract between the university and the Grizzlies gives priority to the NBA team.

Considering the Grizzlies’ history, who in their right mind ever thought the team would be playing in May? It’s a case of wishful thinking coming to fruition.

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