June 9, 2007
By Jim Fitzgerald

So, FOX has broadcast their final race of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Season. Finally. Not a moment too soon. The fat lady has belted her final note. Elvis has left the building.

I’m apologizing to you up front for this trash you’re about to read, as it is purely self-serving and just me venting. Consider yourself warned.

Let me preface by saying that it is not the ENTIRE FOX team of broadcasters that I dislike. In fact, I like Darrell Waltrip and I like Jeff Hammond. I like Larry McReynolds and I like Mike Joy.

Simple math now….who is left?

Without naming names, I cannot stand him. He only serves as a moderator in the Hollywood Hotel, and fuels the fires between Waltrip and Hammond. I think Waltrip and Hammond have decent chemistry, but is there a possibility of too much chemistry?

At least once per 'Hotel' segment, all three of them are talking over each other, laughing and talking like school girls in the bathroom, and unless you have your secret decoder ring, you can’t figure out what any of the three are saying, which is probably no big loss.

The pre-race “festivities” should be a few words from the announcers, the National Anthem, the command to start engines, the line-up during pace laps and then the green-flag. Why do I have to sit through everyone’s baby pictures and the hell of the Moderator asking Waltrip and Hammond questions, just so they can talk over each other for fifteen seconds?

Back to the moderator. If I hear “I kid because I care” one more time, (Insert empty threat here). I think his racing presence is limited, and anyone could fill that role, but it needs to be someone who doesn’t have the mindset of a game show host. Where is Hut Stricklin? How about Ernie Irvan? What is Derrike Cope doing these days?

I warned you up front this was not going to be pretty.

Do I hold any animosity toward the Moderator? No, but I’ll stand firm in the fact that I don’t think he should have the job he has. Go do Baseball or Arena Football...Pro Wrestling, I don’t care. Just get out of NASCAR, because there are times that he actually angers me during the broadcast. Do I need to bring up the fact that he made jokes about fans throwing things onto the track? Not funny.

In the great words of Popeye, “I’ve had alls I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.” Good thing I don’t have to deal with it any more, at least not until next year. Maybe someone at FOX will look at some tapes and realize that he just doesn’t have it. Not for me, anyway.

Thanks for letting me vent…

Until next week…