plus 2, Back to business as usual at AT&T Park - San Francisco Examiner

Back to business as usual at AT&T Park - San Francisco Examiner
Catching Up with Hall of Fame sprint car driver and promoter Shane ... - Daily Oklahoman
Off-road racing dog has need for speed - Daily Oklahoman

Back to business as usual at AT&T Park - San Francisco Examiner

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 09:40 PM PST

Even though Giants pitchers and catchers don't report for spring training for another couple weeks, it's officially baseball season at AT&T Park.

Since Tim Lincecum and his teammates hung up their spikes following last season, AT&T Park has been used for various events, including college football and dirt bike racing.

The latter of those events wrapped up competition Saturday night, which sent the grounds crew into action to convert the field back to suitable condition for baseball.

Bulldozers on Sunday were removing seven inches of dirt from the field at AT&T Park following the American Motorcycle Association Supercross event. Nearly 6,000 cubic yards of soil has been trucked to a lot about a mile away to preserve it until next year.

"It's a combination of events. Hopefully we play baseball to football, then football to motor sports," said Sara Hunt, Giants Enterprises booking coordinator, whose stadium also hosts the Emerald Bowl college football game. "They transform our facility into a completely different venue for the motor sports experience."

But it will take at least two weeks of some tender, loving care before the field is ready for Pablo Sandoval and the rest of the Giants.

Since 2003, race organizers have been redefining the field in about four days with two layers of dirt, one more rock based that's topped by one more clay based.

Now the soil is sandbagged, covered and stored near Pier 54 on Terry Francois Boulevard. The field will be aired out until FanFest on Saturday. Then, the topsoil will be peeled off and sold to a company for compost and reused as premium dirt.

Meanwhile, more than 13,000 rolls of grass — about 80-square-feet each — will be trucked from Stockton so about 15 people can restore AT&T Park to its picturesque self.

"You get a lot of rolls, but it's a really quick process. There really isn't too much to it," head groundskeeper Greg Elliott said. "It's just kind of nice to be able to host a lot of different events."

kkelkar@sfexaminer.com

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Catching Up with Hall of Fame sprint car driver and promoter Shane ... - Daily Oklahoman

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 09:54 PM PST

Shane Carson has been in involved in racing, whether it be motorcycles or cars, for most of his life.

Father Bud was a promoter for many years, mostly State Fair Speedway. Shane's mother, Mary, was the name and elbow grease behind "Mar-Car Racing," which promoted hundreds of dirt track events. Shane's brother, Scott, was an excellent race car driver.

Bud, Mary and Scott have since died, but Shane Carson carries on the family racing legacy. The 55-year-old Yukon resident was a championship driver and promoter, earning a spot in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. These days, Shane is serving as a consultant for the World of Outlaws pro circuit. He once promoted a twice-a-year Outlaws stop in Oklahoma City."I took an operations position with the World of Outlaws in 2005, when they were located in Norman. In 2006, the company relocated to Charlotte, N.C., where I have been commuting for the lastfour years.

"As my job title changes, my responsibilities to the sport stay the same. I'm now a consultant for them and other racing series. I office out of my home in Yukon and travel to events all over the U.S., giving advice and direction in an effort to keep the sport healthy is my primary focus these days.

"After racing as an amateur since 1973 and professionally since 1977, my sprint car team owner, James Helms, passed away in 2000. While the adjustment of not racing was not an easy one, we liquidated the team and I was at a crossroad in my career.

"Less than a month later, I got a call from the Richard Petty Driving Experience based out of Charlotte, N.C. It was perfect for me, and as an instructor, I worked withdrivers, some that have gone on to race professionally.But most of the time, I was called upon to do the ride along-program. They would strap them in with me for a high-speed ride-along in a two-seat NASCAR-type car. That is priceless to see their look when we come off the track.

"I would also work corporate events at NASCAR tracks around the U.S. While pavement racing was never my favorite, it had many challenges that I didn't expect and it filled the void of not racing for a living anymore.

"To say we (Carson family ) 'lived it' is an understatement. My brother Scott, Steve and I all grew up at the Fairgrounds Speedway. All of our friends did also. My heroes came from there, and I am very disappointed with the city and the fair's decision to just give up. While unfortunate, it's not unexpected.

"We have a race in Knoxville, Iowa, every year now called the 'Masters Classic.' We allcall it the old timers race ... you have to be over 50, and I was lucky enough to win it a few years ago and will probably try it again. I also race in a series in Texas called the SST, (a) great group of guys. I look forward to racing with them a few times this year, when time allows."

Sports Photo Galleriesview all

Thunder-Nuggets basketball game: Friday, Jan. 30, 2010

View photos from the Thunder-Nuggets basketball game: Friday, Jan. 30, 2010

17 photos

OU vs. Iowa St.: Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010

College men's basketball game between the University of Oklahoma and Iowa State, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010, at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla. Photos by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman

10 photos

Thunder vs. Bulls: Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010

NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Chicago Bulls at the Ford Center on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010, in Oklahoma City, Okla. Photos by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman

21 photos

OSU vs. Texas A&M: Wednesday, January 27, 2010

NCAA college basketball game between the Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, January 27, 2010. Photos by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

15 photos

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Off-road racing dog has need for speed - Daily Oklahoman

Posted: 31 Jan 2010 10:01 PM PST

PERRIS, Calif. — Opee is only 8, but he's already a popular mainstay in the down and dirty sport of motocross.

He can pull 6 Gs. He's been the centerfold for Cycle News and poses regularly for fan photos. He's a survivor of the grueling Baja 500 and has racked up more than 10,000 hours on a dirt bike.

Sometimes, you can barely see the 70-pound pooch — a blue merle Australian shepherd — through the dust on his goggles and his custom helmet, complete with cam.

"I am his biggest fan," said Mike Schelin, Opee's owner, race partner and a purveyor of used motorcycle parts from a shop next to his mobile home.

Schelin got the dog in 2001 shortly after his divorce. He raises him with other dogs and two horses at a spread he calls Miracle Flats. Known as "The Dogfather" to some in the sport, Schelin always takes a backseat to Opee.

"He was my instant best friend," Schelin said. "He slept in my tool bag. There was something about him. He's had charisma since day one. I knew I had a dog who could make a difference."

Schelin, 41, realized he had a four-legged motocross fan as a pet when he started riding in the desert with Opee on the chase.

"I felt bad for him, he would run so long." So, Schelin bought a four-wheeler, and they went desert riding together. The dog didn't like the dust in his eyes, so Schelin got him goggles. One day, Opee ditched the four-wheeler and hopped on the motorcycle tank, where he's been ever since, Schelin said.

If the bike isn't moving, Opee will just fall asleep on the tank. They keep it bare because they've never found a covering that's comfortable for the dog, Schelin said.

Reaction to Opee was magic. He was an instant canine ambassador to off-roading. Finding sponsors was no problem, and soon Opee had his own custom gear, including a specially made neck brace, inflatable vest, backpack, water supply and several jerseys. He got his American Motorcycle Association card and his SCORE International card, the latter so he could race in Baja.

The dog does lots of other things, too. He's been a search-and-rescuer, a California assistance dog and visits children in hospitals with Schelin. They regularly work crowds at races in the area, including the Supercross in Anaheim.

Opee appears to be Schelin's biggest fan, as well.

"From what I see, he loves Mike and would go anywhere with him," said Ricky Johnson, a seven-time national motorcycle champion who owns Perris Raceway near Schelin's place.

Opee and Schelin race, but not to win. Because they're different and for safety's sake, they always start in the rear, and they only compete with the cyclist in front of them, Schelin said.

Schelin's greatest triumph came when his five-member team — with Opee in the driver's seat for 276 miles — finished the cross-country Baja 500 with 10 minutes to spare — in 17 hours, 49 minutes, 36 seconds — and ahead of half the pack.

"The average person races eight times before he finishes," he said.

In the beginning, Schelin had trouble seeing around Opee, but they worked out shifts and leans, and it's seldom a problem now. Schelin also uses voice commands.

"When we come up to a jump, I tell him to set it up, and he will drop down and give me more of a view," Schelin said. If they're at the bottom of a cliff or big hill and there's too much weight, he just tells Opee to get off and meet him at the top.

Schelin doesn't go racing without Opee these days. "I can't go as fast without him. I can't jump as far without him. I don't feel as safe without him. He's become a natural part of the bike with me. We have this natural rhythm."

Even the most skilled motocross racer has a plaster-cast past, and Opee is no exception. His worst crash came in the 2006 Baja 500.

"We took a spill at 75 mph in the dirt and went into a 40-foot skid," Schelin said.

The dog isn't attached to the bike or Schelin in any way. He skinned his nose and scraped his paw. Schelin sliced his leg. The injuries weren't enough to put them out of the race, though.

"I would never do anything to hurt my dog," Schelin said. "Opee keeps me in check at all times. If he doesn't jump up on the bike, we don't go."

Schelin is not only racing partner but stage dad for his dog, with a few goals for the future: do a back flip with Opee into a foam pit ("he would hold on the same way I do — gravity"); see Opee recognized as the fastest dog on the planet (he's written to the Guinness Book of World Records); take a tandem skydive; and see Opee in a major motion picture.

Schelin answered a Hollywood agent's TV ad three years ago, but he hasn't heard back and is looking for representation. Opee, he said, is too talented to go undiscovered.

"The only thing missing is the cape."