 |
 |
| | Friday, November 17 Weber opens up his mailbag | |||||
| ESPN.com If there is one thing ESPN auto racing analyst Bill Weber loves more than being down in the pits for a NASCAR race, it's giving the fans the inside scoop. So he's opened up his e-mail to you, the fans, this season. But Bill took a different approach to this batch of user mail. Most of the questions have to do with the futures of Bill and his colleagues, ESPN, and NASCAR. So Bill decided to address these questions with one complete answer. Enjoy. Q ... "I was thrilled when I read that you, Matt Yocum and Dave Burns are going to still be involved with the races next year. I couldn't imagine who they could have gotten that would do as good a job as you guys. I think you are all great!!!! Allen Bestwick and Benny Parsons also but what about John Kernan? Also it was said that they are looking 40 miles out of Newark for location for a track, do you know exactly where they are talking about? Good Luck Guys!!!! See you next year at the races." Doris Bradley Oakhurst, N.J. "I hate to see ESPN lose its rights to NASCAR coverage, but congrats to Benny, Matt, and you, Bill, for landing at the other network. It would have been a crime to exclude the best in the business from NASCAR. I wish the other networks could have had the foresight to absorb Doc, Bob and Kernan, as well. Good luck to you all in your new endeavors.You're all the best." Jerry Kohl Jamestown, Ohio "Hey Bill, just wanted to let you know that I'm thrilled about you following NASCAR to the other network. It now won't be as bad a transition. Best of luck to you. P.S. -- see if you can talk the Dr. into changing his mind." Mark Becker Germantown, Md. "No question, just a comment: My family and I are thrilled that we will still see you next year on NBC. Your knowledge and dedication to NASCAR are unmatched by anyone in the racing industry." Todd Adams Orange, Calif. "I'm tickled to death to see that you and Matt Yocum are going to work at NBC next year (it's a shame you couldn't bring the good Doctor with you). I had the pleasure to meet Matt in the pits at Dover in September and had a picture taken with him. Unfortunately, the picture didn't turn out, so I hope that maybe next September I can get one with Matt and Yourself. My question is: In your expert opinion, what problem must NASCAR address during the offseason? Thanks," Mike Phillips Salisbury, Md. "Can you please tell me if NASCAR took into consideration when leaving ESPN and the other cable networks the fact that there is another life outside of racing -- not that I would know it myself? During coverage of the Miami 300, I can't tell you how frustrating it is to have the race interrupted because they haven't picked a president yet. Also, in the past there have been many races that you miss the finale because the regular channel has different programming in mind! If I watch a race I want to see flag to flag coverage!" Shannon Carlton Manassas, Va. "What was NASCAR thinking when it made this new TV deal? It may be making them more money, but what about the fans? With ESPN we always knew that we could see all of the race -- even in case of a rain delay -- either on ESPN or ESPN2. We also knew we could look forward to qualifying and Happy Hour and a group of newscasters who knew what they were talking about. I think DW will be great, but what about you, Benny, John Kernan, and Dr. Jerry Punch? ESPN will be sorely missed." Adeline Ricci Pompton Lakes, N.J. "Bill, what is the fate of shows like RPM2Night, NASCAR2Day and TNN's Inside NASCAR, with the new television deals? Hats off to ESPN/TNN/CBS for a great job covering NASCAR for these many years" Sean Phelps Mitchell, Ind. ... & A Well, hello once again everybody. I hope you took the time to read all of the above questions. Instead of answering them individually, I will try to cover a great number of topics in a small amount of time. First of all, this is just a sampling of the letters we have received. Just like my "regular" mailbag, I don't get a chance to see all of the e-mails, and of course, there is not the time or space to answer all of them. We try to get to as many as we can. Second, and perhaps most important, thanks for your kind words via e-mail and at the track. Your friendship and support is greatly appreciated. With one unavoidable exception, I have not discussed my future until now. As many of you have heard, I will be leaving ESPN. My last day with the network will be Dec. 31, 2000. Beginning in January, I will join NBC Sports as a member of their NASCAR race coverage team on NBC and their broadcast partner, Turner Sports. My primary duties being Happy Hour coverage, the pre-race show for the Winston Cup series and reporting from pit road during the Winston Cup races. I will join Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons, Dave Burns, Matt Yocum and Marty Snider on the broadcast team. I am thrilled about this new opportunity, but you should know leaving ESPN was never an easy decision. This has been my home for six and a half years. I have been a part of the weeknight edition of RPM2Night since it went on the air and a part of NASCAR2Day for many years. ESPN offered me a variety of very enticing assignments, but in the end, I feel I belong in that garage on the weekends. I get to continue working with Benny Parsons and with Mike Wells. Mike is one of the behind-the-scenes people that makes TV so successful. He has directed our ESPN Busch and Winston Cup telecasts almost since the beginning. In fact, I remember sitting on my grandfather's knee and him telling me that Mike Wells does a good job! Just kidding, Mike. I am also looking forward to working with Allen, Dave, Matt and Marty. In the same breath, I will miss Bob, Jerry and John, along with a number of the hard-working people on our remote crew at ESPN. Bob will get a chance to cover another sport he loves, open-wheel racing. Jerry's future has not been announced, but he will have a great position with ESPN and you'll see him a lot. At the same time, his travel schedule will not be what it has been for so many years, and he'll have more time to spend with his family. John, as I mentioned in my article this week, has the best seat in the business, and RPM2Night will continue. And if they don't keep up the good work, well, I'll come back and kick some ... but, I know I won't have to. I have said this before, prior to knowing I would be a part of the new TV package, so I am comfortable saying it now. I believe the new TV partners will deliver the high-caliber coverage race fans have come to expect. In fact, I expect them both to take many of the elements made successful by ESPN and weave them into their broadcast. The new partners have invested too much money to let this venture fail, or simply "fill time." So, at the same time, I will remind you, the loyal race fan, that there is a fine line between criticizing and simply being critical. Do you think the coverage is going to be perfect right out of the box? Probably not. Will it get there? You bet. In a hurry. As for RPM2Night, it will continue on Sundays during the offseason and return to weeknights in February. I'm going out on a limb here, but this needs to be said: RPM2Night is the flagship show for motorsports television. Any attempt by anyone to limit the use of video by the show, or limit the access to the track of the show should be met with an uproar from race fans. And we're not talking a mild frown here. Letter writing, e-mails, banners at race tracks. Hopefully, none of this will be needed, but do you remember what it was like before RPM2Night? Not really? Neither do I. It has been a part of the life of the race fan for five years. Sure, people are now going to try and copy it, but nothing will be better than the original. It is a news show that promotes motorsports and gives the fan a chance to meet people they would never meet and go places they might never be able to get to. RPM2Night makes motorsports stronger. Nothing should be done to weaken it's position. I'm taking my RPM2Night T-shirts with me. It will always be a part of me, and somehow, I hope I will always be a part of it. This Sunday, the final edition of NASCAR2Day airs. If you didn't begin every race with this show, you started the race a lap down, he said modestly. Don't miss it this week, and be sure you see the beginning. Finally (I did say I would try to keep this short), I will miss this place and these people. Rich Feinberg and Barry Sacks are two people you'll probably never get to know, but it you love ESPN's NASCAR coverage, RPM2Night or the job I have done, these are the men you should find and thank. Both will be at the track in Atlanta this weekend. I was successful because they gave me a chance. Now they have given me a chance to continue to follow a dream. How do you thank someone for that? Hopefully, you guys can do it for me. I hope you have found this column entertaining and informational. And I hope you never took anything I said too personally. I didn't mean it. Well, maybe sometimes. There are too many people behind-the-scenes to thank here, so I won't, by name, but I sincerely thank all of them.. And all of you, as well. | ALSO SEE Weber's mailbag Weber: ... such sweet sorrow | |||||