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COPYRIGHT 2001 Sporting News Publishing Co.
Stewart doesn't conceal his emotions. Even when he has a legitimate gripe, he often hurts himself by expressing it in an ill-advised manner.
Losing control in competition is nothing new. From the Little Leaguer--or his parents--throwing a temper tantrum after striking out on a bad pitch to Marty McSorley brutally slashing Donald Brashear with his stick and facing criminal charges, anger takes on many faces during the heat of the battle.
In auto racing, that heat is elevated to a higher degree--or at least, a higher temperature. Because there are no timeouts other than a caution period here and there, drivers are strapped into cockpits that are more like saunas for three to four hours. As the race wears on, the blood begins to boil, and so do tempers, especially in the closing laps.
A racecar easily can become a weapon with a nudge here and a bump there, and retaliation is never far away. Because of television replays and pictures, many of those incidents are ingrained in our memories.
For me, the 1979 Daytona 500 stands out. Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison, fighting for the win on the last lap, banged down the backstretch until they wrecked. Then more fighting took place--outside their cars. Bobby Allison parked his car and joined in.
Almost every sport has ugly incidents--Kermit Washington punching Rudy Tomjanovich, Roberto Alomar spitting in an umpire's face, McSorley's slashing--though most are isolated. The offenders are fined or suspended or both, and the games go on.
Only if that offender winds up back in the doghouse or shows a pattern of misbehavior is there potential for a greater problem.
Which brings to mind Tony Stewart, easily one of the top talents...
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