Looking for Someone to Blame After a Bad Weekend

This is the Statt Mann Baby. Time to Scatt a little bit.

Many, many years ago – maybe in the 1970s – I had a meeting with an executive at the fabled drag strip Orange County International Raceway.

When I walked into his office the immediate elephant in the room was a big black fish swimming laps in his thirty-foot tank along one side wall. I don’t remember the kind of fish, only that it was big, black and ate living things. And it looked mad.

In the conversation the man mentioned he came in one Monday morning and the fish had jumped out of the tank and was lying in a puddle on the floor. He said he picked it up and threw it back into the tank where it floated on top for a while appearing dead. But at the end of the day, it was back to swimming laps. Angry and looking for something to blame for a bad weekend.

I said all that by way of wishing happy anniversary to the American Rally championship in its 50th year of survival this year. Few know how or why the rally championship keeps going.

It considers itself a professional series of sportsmen drivers and tired Subarus. The organizers are often unclear of their mission. But it continues. Constant rumors of its pending demise are always wrong.

A celebration is planned in Southern Ohio in June. There are rumors a Hall of Fame is planned. The invitation promised a cash bar.

Meaning there’ll be no one to blame for a bad weekend.

Peace.