By Staff
There are certain phrases in life you never think you'll hear. For example:
"Wow, the New Kids on the Block are getting back together!"
"The Yankees are trailing in their division … and the Cubs are sitting in first place in theirs."
"Mark Martin will join Hendrick Motorsports and run the full NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule in 2009."
Please. We may have been born at night, but not last night. Right?
Wrong. It is time for us to learn a couple of valuable lessons. One, never assume, and two, spectacular things sometimes happen.
NKOTB had their first reunited performance in Los Angeles on May 13. Although it's almost too bizarre to believe, the Yankees really are treading water somewhere in the middle of the American League East standings, while the Chicago Cubs just keep on winning.
And Mark Martin announced on the Fourth of July that his teammates next year would be Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Mark Martin is an unlikely superstar. Everything about him seems contradictory.
Although he may stand head and shoulders above most others where talent is concerned, he doesn't physically stand out in a crowd. Wiry and compact, you have to be deliberately looking for Martin to spot him in a group.
Martin isn't known for histrionics and fiery outbursts. He is more reserved. When he offers his words to his fellow drivers, they tend to be words of advice rather than recrimination. He walks softly through the garage, but carries a big and very well-respected reputation.
At the age of 49, Martin isn't old by any means, but in racing terms, he isn't exactly a whippersnapper, either. In fact, the combined ages of Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers still fall a couple years short of Martin's. (Busch is 23; Vickers is 24.)
A perennial contender and one of the most talented drivers of our generation, he has never won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, although he has come as close as it gets. The four-time series runner-up has learned the hard way what bridesmaids have known forever, that those ugly dresses are there for a reason – to make the bride look good.
This concept can also apply to NASCAR. If the guy who finished immediately behind you in driver standings at the end of the season is named Mark Martin, that makes you look better than good. It makes you look like a champion.
A true blue Tarheel, I still cringed when Michael Jordan came out of retirement, for what? The third time? Yeesh. I fear Brett Favre is getting ready to do the same thing. Who's next, Seabiscuit? Enough already.
An emphasis on youth is by no means exclusive to NASCAR, but it is definitely prevalent in the sport. Entire advertising campaigns have been constructed around it, with the Gillette "Young Guns" being a notable example. No one really wants to dwell on it, but we have seen more than one driver keep on trying to race long after they have ceased being truly competitive. We still support them and remain faithful to the end, but sometimes that end is bitter and hard to watch. A hero should go out on top.
In a popular country music song, George Jones told us, "I ain't ready for the junkyard yet/ 'Cause I still feel like a new Corvette/It may take a little longer, but I'll get there/I don't need your rocking chair."
Amen to that. The very best thing about rules is that they always have exceptions. Mark Martin is exceptional. He can still go door-to-door with anyone. He is a potential race winner every week. He is cool, classy and competitive … and fast. In other words, he is the perfect NASCAR driver. How wonderful that he is giving us one more chance to see him in action each and every week.
My hope for Mark Martin is that he will indeed need that chair George Jones sang about. He can set it by the fireplace and sit there rocking away with a grandchild on his lap, and together, they can look up and fondly smile … at the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship trophy, gleaming on the mantel.