Hey everybody, I'm George Michael and welcome to the Sports Machine.
Tonight through the use of the Sports Machine, the new Poles may not list them as number one,
but North Carolina puts on an awesome display.
After five years without a win, Peter Jacobson now puts back-to-back victories.
Tonight you'll meet the extreme of the extreme skiers,
the man with America's most fashionable mohawk and from the sandy beaches of Daytona,
and the fireball Rex.
How NASCAR has become a billion dollar business.
Well the players I think probably had more fun in the 45th annual NBA All-Star Game
than maybe some of the fans did.
In fact, a few boos could be heard at various times this evening.
West All-Stars crushed the East Hover 139 to 112.
There were many moments that were bright.
First of all, let's go out to Phoenix, Arizona where no game can start until the Gorillaz starts it.
From the catapult, into the air.
Oh, what a great shot.
Yo Gorilla, you are the best. Go get him, man. Now we can get on with the All-Star Game.
The Knicks, Patrick Ewing with the basketball.
Stolen by Latrell Spreewell.
Spreewell will bring it up and then make a real nice pass on the bounce to Charles Barkley.
Sir Charles with 15 points.
The West led virtually the entire ball game.
They would make it a blowout by the time we'd get to the end.
In fact, the West, they got the benefit of a lot of turnover.
Some sloppy play, John Stockton with the basketball.
Working with the mailman, Carl Malone.
This is just pretty.
The mailman of the Jazz, up high, 15 points.
The West led 72 to 56 at the half.
There were a couple of moments in the second half that were especially fun.
Here comes a Shaq attack. You don't normally get to see him do this.
The big guy from the Orlando Magic takes it the length of the basketball court
and then drives right into the face of Dravid Robert-Davidson.
I'm not getting in the way of that runaway freight train.
22 points for Shaquille O'Neal and the MVP of the game would be the Sacramento Kings, Mitch Richmond.
Mitch with 23 points, here hitting one of his three-pointers.
He's the first member of the Kings since 1969, Oscar Robertson.
To be the MVP as the West beats the East.
139, 112.
Gonna talk with a Western NBA All-Star in just a moment.
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What, is this your idea of excitement?
Let me tell you about exciting, OK?
Driving around a racetrack at over 200 miles an hour, that's exciting.
These are just flakes.
Well, what do you think?
These are really good. They're crispy, too.
Really?
Yeah, they're mighty good, even with nothing on them. What are they?
Hey, Charlie!
Yeah?
Kellogg's cornflakes?
How could I be so dumb?
You got 500 miles to think about it.
Kellogg's cornflakes. Taste them again for the first time.
Funny how the most inexpensive thing in this commercial is the car.
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Safety is an attitude.
There are things all around us that can cause harm.
It is important to make choices that will keep us safe and protect others as well.
So be safe.
Be aware of where you are in traffic.
Always wear a bicycle helmet.
Always wear your seatbelt properly.
Safety saves lives. Choose to be safe.
NBA All-Stars. The Western Division wins big over the Eastern Division.
Joining us tonight is David Robinson.
He's a dear friend that we've known for a lot of years.
David, I guess the first thing I want to ask you is,
it seems that so many players say the All-Star game is nice,
but they would rather not have to actually play the game.
No, I love the game.
Every year it's a new game. It's a new city.
It seems like new players every year.
I love it. It's been a fantastic experience every year.
Hey, Dave, in the fourth quarter tonight, the fans got a little bit bored.
I heard some booing out there tonight, didn't I?
Well, it was a blowout, and I think some of the guys were trying to do something they couldn't do.
They just needed to stick with their games.
But it was a great game in the first half until it got to be about 20 points,
and then it kind of got a little wilder.
Hey, you know, you and the Spurs at times this year have looked very good.
You're three and a half games behind the Jazz.
It would seem that with Bob Hill, you all are finally getting into a groove,
and maybe this is the year that the San Antonio Spurs will go deep in the playoffs.
Yeah, no question.
I think we've got the team, we've got the ingredients now to do that.
I like the way our team is going. Bob Hill's been great.
He's been one of the best coaches in the NBA this year.
So I think we're going to have a good chance to advance in the playoffs.
Hey, Dave, next year the All-Star game is going to be in the Alamo Dump.
Fans want you for MVP. You know that.
Can you be MVP next year?
Oh, that's going to be fantastic.
Maybe I'll get a chance to play a little more, a few more minutes this year, next year.
But San Antonio is going to be, the weather is going to be great.
The city is going to be excited. They're going to love it.
David, as always, I thank you for joining us. Congratulations.
All right. Well, thanks a lot, George.
David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs.
Well, in the world of college basketball,
number one ranked North Carolina Torheels probably will lose their number one ranking this week.
But boy, did they bounce back big from their midweek loss to Maryland.
Rashid Wallace, 27 points, as they do in Georgia Tech, 18th ranked Georgia Tech, 85 to 81.
Georgia Tech with a 15-game home winning streak in the ACC.
Georgia Tech in white, first half, lose the basketball inside North Carolina's Jeff McGinnis.
We'll go to Rashid Wallace. Rashid Wallace had seven of those things.
Seven assorted jams for Rashid Wallace, who also had 20.
Look at Bobby Kremen's defense, guys. Defense, do you know what that is?
Can we play a little of that?
Tech's Drew Barry with a real nice move and then the pass to Travis Best.
Travis Best goes past Rashid Wallace,
then around Jerry Stackhouse, the off-balance left-handed shot.
Georgia Tech was leading North Carolina, 44 to 38 at the half.
Bobby Kremen's happy. Dean Smith's saying, come on, I can't lose two ACC games in a row.
Second half of the game, Donald Williams to Rashid Wallace.
Folks, this guy Rashid played a heck of a game today.
Up high, I don't know if he's going to go pro or not next year, but for this year,
he sure makes North Carolina forces. North Carolina beats Georgia Tech, 85 to 81.
Meanwhile, in Syracuse, the Syracuse orange man in white, John Wallace, his shot, no good.
On the rebound, it's Connecticut in blue, looking to run.
On the rebound, they go to Doran Sheffer, Sheffer with a real good bounce pass,
to Donnie Marshall, to Ray Allen. Allen with 18 points.
Jim Beheim and Syracuse lose their case as they fall to Connecticut, 77 to 70.
All right, so you want to make Connecticut the number one team in the nation?
It's very possible come poll time.
Referee says, Jim, I've heard you, you still lose. Thank you.
In Tucson, Arizona, California in blue versus 9th ranked Arizona, we're tied 72-72.
You see the time left, almost nothing left on the clock.
The ball into the hands of KJ Roberts. He hadn't scored all day.
He puts up the shot. It's his only basket of the game.
It's the game winners. California upsets 9th ranked Arizona, 74 to 72.
To the world of golf, second round leader Bob Murphy, he won the seniors challenge.
It was rain short and they were rained out today.
Peter Jacobson has now put back-to-back victories together on the PGA Tour.
Let's take you out to San Diego, California.
This is Mike Halbert. Now he uses a one-handed putting style.
Well, he would tie Peter Jacobson on the third hole with this unorthodox style,
then drop back and finish four shots back.
Meanwhile, this is the eventual winner. This is a tough shot.
This is a left-to-right break. That is a tough shot.
And he gets it to fall as pretty as can be. Good shot, Peter.
Nicest approach of the day.
John Huston, who had a great shot on Friday, here on 17.
Do you realize this thing was about in? In fact, it does go one, two, and right in, and bounces right back out.
Man, that is a great shot.
John, I don't know how you managed to be seven shots back today.
The best putt of the day on 16. This is Ben Crenshaw from the Fringe with a real nice shot.
Ben didn't do any celebrating. He finished 11 shots back despite that good-looking shot.
Peter Jacobson wins the Buick Open in San Diego, his second win in two weeks.
Peter, it's your good luck charm. Throw it to the water. Hallelujah. Peter Jacobson's on a roll.
The Football Hall of Fame, the Pigskin Palace, the House of Helmets, the Shangalows,
the Shangalow shin pads.
All set, Mr. Red and the Worship? Yeah.
Wait, where's the McDonald's?
We're sharing the temple with touchdowns away.
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They're not going anywhere. Are you kidding? They're made of bronze.
I always said I'd come back here, and my arthritis pain wasn't going to hold me back, not as long as I have my ultra-strength Bengay.
It has three pain relievers. They only have one.
It's the strongest Bengay ever for deep, penetrating warmth right where it hurts to help the pain go away.
Because to me, retirement has nothing to do with doing nothing.
Ultra-strength Bengay, nothing stronger.
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Shriners help kids get back on their feet. How do I know? I'm Diane Amund.
And thanks to Shriners Hospitals for Triple Children, I'm on my college volleyball and track team.
I play basketball and softball, and I'm more active than many of my friends.
The fact that I was born without most of my left arm hasn't slowed me down one bit.
Shriners Hospitals provides some of the finest medical care in the world, totally free of charge. To learn more, call this toll-free number.
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You know, Dale Earnhardt all but owns the Bush Clash. Earnhardt led 18 of 20 laps, captured his sixth Bush Clash title in nine appearances.
Let's take you to Daytona International Speedway. You can't start the race without the pace car.
But guess what? The car is locked and someone's lost the keys. No one knew who had the keys.
So they had a Jimmy their way into the thing. Hey, you think you're the only one that's ever lost his keys?
First lap of the very first lap of the Bush Clash. We're in turn three. Not even one full lap.
Greg Sachs is clipped by Loy Allen. Into the wall goes Greg Sachs.
Now, if you're Greg Sachs, what do you think you can see? You can see zero. It's blind man's luck.
If Greg Sachs is, oh baby, I hope I don't get anything, Greg Sachs came getting to an uneventful halt. He was out of the race.
As far as Dale Earnhardt, he was the overall winner. He led 18 of the 20 laps of the Bush Clash.
It's his 25th victory at Daytona without ever winning the Daytona 500. I know, Dale, I wouldn't mention that you didn't win it, but I did.
In the ARCA 200, just four laps to go in the race, Andy Belmont will be tapped.
He'll go airborne on top of two-time ARCA champion Bobby Bousher. Look at this. He's on top of the car.
He's on top of Bobby Bousher's car. Andy Belmont would flip seven times. Over and over he goes.
Andy Belmont comes to a rest and then says, like a wild ride.
If anybody ever goes north to Great Adventure, they need to go on the Batman ride because that's just what that crash was like.
Go ride Batman about three times in a row. That's what it's all about.
But I'm okay. I appreciate you guys coming over and looking after me.
You know, it's mom's birthday was yesterday. That was a hell of a birthday present, I'll tell you what.
Happy birthday, mom. Most people, I think, have a healthy fear of heights.
But Glenn Plake is a man who has conquered any fear he had long ago. In fact, he literally lives life on the edge.
The edge of life on the edge. The edge of mountains. Let's go to Mammoth Lakes in California.
He is the most extreme of America's extreme skiers. 30-year-old Glenn Plake of Lake Tahoe.
Show him a 30-foot cliff and he takes it with the grace of a ballet dancer.
He is famous for his reckless abandon. He gives his respect to the natural forces of the world.
I think two things rule the world and that's one of them is gasoline and the other one is gravity.
And there ain't nothing you can do about neither one of those. They're the biggest forces in the universe.
Bring a helicopter, create a new jump. For this extreme skier, no challenge is too great.
The greater the challenge, the greater the thrill. If you can create a jump, if it can be done on skis,
then Glenn Plake will face the challenge. For in his world, there is no room for fear.
I don't really address fear too much. I think fear is a breakdown of the thought process.
I think if your head's clear and you're always thinking and you know what's going on, then fear shouldn't be a factor.
Fear usually can be turned into something else as opposed to letting it just become fear.
Glenn Plake never saw a roof he didn't want to turn into a ski jump.
Even if some jumps don't turn out the way he had hoped.
He is the ringleader of the sport of extreme skiing. He eagerly accepts the challenge of the steepest and the most unskiable slopes.
In his world, he is indeed a celebrity.
There may be other skiers who can challenge his talent, but there's no one that can match him as far as income or size of his mohawk.
The secret behind the 17-inch high mohawk is very simple. You mix the Knox Gelatin solution,
have your wife, in this case Kimberly, take over, and work this mohawk until it stands up as its own 17-inch mount.
I don't have any desire to cut it off. Everybody said, hey, when are you going to get rid of the mohawk?
I don't know. I kind of like it. I really like it.
I guess when I do cut it off, I'm going to cut it off up so that I can have it.
Be able to put it on and stuff.
The man with the mohawk, he was born to ski.
In fact, Glenn Plake started skiing at about the same time that he learned to walk.
He's 30 years old. He's making a phenomenal living. And as far as he's concerned, he will ski till he dies.
I'll always live pretty free and easy.
I truly believe skiing is a life sentence, and therefore I'm skiing for the rest of my life.
Glenn Plake, living life the way he loves it, on the edge. He is the most extreme of the extremes.
Love that hair, Glenn. I'm jealous. Our Sports Machine Play of the Week salutes the other stars of this NBA All-Star Weekend.
Let's go back out to Phoenix, America West, in the slam dunk contest.
Last year's champion, Isaiah Ryder of the Timberwolves, he would finish second in the slam dunk competition.
Everybody said, hey, that is good. Scottie said, wow, man, that is bad.
Harold Minor of the Miami Heat, who had won two years ago, captures it all with this slam dunk.
Nice move, Harold. Oh, and then come around with the left-handed slam.
You thought that was the best? Well, Harold Minor will take the trophy as the slam dunk champion from All-Star Weekend 95.
But the star of them all was neither of those gentlemen, rather it was this man, Bear of the Utah Jazz.
No, not for his striptease routine. Let's not get carried away here. I've ever a little erotic and never heard anybody.
Oh, anyway, moving on. Bear of the Utah Jazz, are you ready for this?
Now, you know he's got to do something good. So the Utah Jazz Bear, from off the springboard, inside, out, overhead, reverse jam.
Bear, you get our Sports Machine Play of the Week. Come back soon, buddy.
How can I be a worthy mother when all I want is my children's cereal?
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes just for kids? Brave adults say no.
My wife said she'd do anything to help. I told her to get me a spoon.
Now, more than ever, these adults are stepping forward to admit they love that sweet, delicious crunch.
My passion finally led to a marriage of convenience. He's a milkman.
Come on, give in. Frosted Flakes are the taste adults have grown to love. They're great!
When the music's over, so's the party.
That's why Magnavox makes a great-sounding mini-system that plays seven CDs for over eight hours of nonstop music.
Hey, we make technology people want. Magnavox. Smart. Very smart.
Lauren Bangert, Ford, Dodge.
Lauren Bangert, Ford, Dodge, and a Suzou truck located in Columbia Center Auto Park in Richland came to the Tri-Cities over 30 years ago and established high-quality, low-low-priced cars and trucks.
Here's an example. 1994 Ford Tempo GL four-door loaded, Lauren Bangert discounted price $79.95.
Remember, folks, if you don't shop Lauren Bangert, Ford, Dodge, and a Suzou truck before you buy, you'll pay too much.
And that's my personal guarantee of over 30 years.
As great as all outdoors, the 1995 Central Washington Sportsman Show, February 17th, 18th, and 19th in the Sundome in Yakima.
See Lee Bridge's awesome display of trophy mule deer and the Horn and Antler competition.
Catch underwater fishing action in the new Bass Bin Tank.
Take in hunting and fishing seminars and displays, a new mini-3D archery shoot, and kids' fishing pond.
Enter to win a four-day trip for two at British Columbia's unique St. John's Fishing Lodge.
All at the Central Washington Sportsman Show in the Sundome in Yakima.
You see, Toastmasters not only teaches you how to speak, but it teaches you how to listen and how to think.
What Toastmasters does is let you develop the skills that you need to do a really good job in those other organizations.
It seems to me that even when you go to a four-year college, they never teach them how to communicate.
And in my opinion, communication is the most important part of human life, really.
Welcome back to the Sports Machine.
You know, earlier we mentioned Dale Earnhardt having won the Bush Clash six times.
I think that Dale would gladly trade any of those victories for just one Daytona 500 victory,
because after all, Daytona is the one race everyone wants to win.
It's NASCAR's most prestigious event, and its history will take you back to the very beginning,
but it's also the most important race in the history of the nation.
And NASCAR's most prestigious event in its history will take you back to the very beginning of NASCAR.
Let's go to Daytona Beach, Florida.
Daytona Beach, Florida. It's 1947.
This is the birthplace of the National Association of Stuck Car Racing.
It was on the sands of Daytona Beach that NASCAR was born.
The race was run on these sands until 1958.
It was chaotic, unpredictable, and a long way from the modern tracks and super speedways of today.
For those who drove on the beach in NASCAR's early beginnings,
their memories are hardly anything filled with glory.
Well, I tell you, it wasn't too easy when we was doing it.
We look back now and say the good old days, a lot of fun and stuff, but it was tough.
I mean, really, really tough.
You look at now, the way we do from the old school, hey man, look how nice these people ride in airplanes,
get into the racetrack and run into these air conditioned trucks with trailers on the back of them.
You know, they live, stay in a motel room that's got a shower and beds.
We didn't do that kind of stuff. I mean, that's how far back it was.
The Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR's premier track.
But one year after it opened in 1960, it was the scene of a 37 car pileup.
Some said, let's go back to the beach.
But there was no going back.
It's 1984, the Bush clash, Ricky Rudd coming around dangerous turn four when airborne.
He suffered only a black eye.
It was the same year that Nat Peters and Jim Hurlberg were involved in the Arca Fireball.
Daytona will rough up the biggest of NASCAR stars.
It's 1988, Richard Petty has won the Daytona 500 seven times.
But in 88, he had one of the worst wrecks of his career.
Victory in Daytona does not come easily.
But it's the victory everybody wants.
Dale Earnhardt, number three, a seven time Winston Cup champion.
But he's never won the Daytona 500.
He was on his way to winning it in 1990 when he broke down.
Once again, Daytona success would elude him.
It's the one you want to win. It's the race to win.
There's guys that haven't won championships and won this race and they've made their mark in racing.
So we want to win the race.
Richard Petty's won the race. Why can't we?
Dale Earnhardt, once again a favorite to win the Daytona 500.
He's won $24 million.
He, like everyone else, owes a debt to those early drivers.
Drivers like Ned Jarrett. He raced 340 times.
He won 50 races. He earned $296,000.
By contrast, his son, Dale, has won only three races.
But has earned over $3.7 million.
Ned Jarrett has won 47 more races than his son.
But his son has earned 12 times as much money.
When my son, Dale Jarrett, won the Daytona 500, I think it was like the fifth race of the year.
A sports writer did a little bit of research and said when Dale Jarrett takes the green flag in this race number five,
he will surpass his dad's career earnings this year.
Only in the fifth race of the year that he would surpass everything that I did.
And of course I only ran about six and a half years in what is now Winston Cup.
But I won two championships and 50 races during that period of time.
And yet in five races he surpassed my total winnings.
In those hectic early days, NASCAR had some of the most loyal fans in the world.
Every weekend they would travel down tobacco roads.
Today it's a major industry. More than four million fans attended 30 races last year.
That increases the total amount of prize money.
That increases the pressure. And that increases the danger and the drama.
It has become a billion dollar industry.
Those who were with NASCAR in its humble beginnings feel that the future is limitless.
Basically there's no limit in the sense of the word that you say,
okay you'll never be as big as baseball or basketball or football, but why not?
Everybody has got to live a fair with the car.
And the situation is how we package ourselves to the general public.
Because very few people that ever go to a race or see a race that doesn't like it.
It's like watching a football game. You might not know what's going on,
but you enjoy the excitement and hola hola blue. Racing is the same way.
I think we can go anywhere in this country. I believe we can go anywhere out of this country.
And when they said NASCAR Winston Cups coming to town, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliott, Darrell Waltrip are coming to town.
Buddy you draw a crowd. I don't care if it was running in the streets.
When they drop the green flag on the Daytona 500 next Sunday, it will start another NASCAR season.
Back in 1947, no one would have dreamt that a stock car race could be as big as the Daytona 500.
But it is a race for dreamers. And next Sunday, one of 42 drivers will have his dream come true.
We're out of time. Thanks for joining us. Look forward to seeing you next Sunday on the Sports Machine.
I'm George Michael. Have a good week everybody.
The George Michael Sports Machine is brought to you by McDonald's.
What you want is what you get at McDonald's today.