Ask Ping!
What did your boy Moss do to piss off David Bailey? He and Weege were unloading on him during the entire broadcast of the Steel City race. It was kind of funny at first but then it just got to be disrespectful.
James Oerton
Madison, WI
Dear James,
I didn’t watch the race on television but I heard all about it on Monday. Jake called me in a huff looking for Bailey’s number and he was not happy. Apparently David and Weege made some jokes about him being a little ragged and said something like, “He looks like they pulled a spectator off the fence and gave him a factory ride for the day.” It’s no secret that Mossy hangs it out. And in the process he has been known to make a mistake or two (hundred) and even hit the ground occasionally. But that is something that I personally love about the guy. You know that every single time the gate drops he is going to give you 100%. He doesn’t make excuses and he isn’t going to leave anything on the table. He doesn’t settle into a position and he genuinely believes that he can win any race he lines up for. Those are rare qualities these days. To Bailey’s credit he did call Jake this Thursday and sincerely apologize to him. I listened to the message myself and you can tell he really felt bad about what he said. They were having some fun at his expense and what was intended to be a joke came off the wrong way. It was a classy move on Bailey’s part to call like that. Be all of that as it may, you might want to take a step back away from the fence the next time you see Jake coming through. I’m kidding. Well, maybe just a couple extra feet back.
PING
Hey Ping,
I recently graduated from law school with an emphasis in sport law. I used to ride quite a bit back in the day and thought it would be great to get back into the racing scene as an agent for the riders. Being a past racer and current team manager I am sure you have much insight in this subject. It's my understanding that to represent athletes in the NFL and MLB you have to take an exam and then be certified by the league. Is there such an exam for Supercross and Motocross? Also, an agent can expect to make between 4-10% of the negotiated salary of his client. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Hienrich S.
Dear Heinrich,
Slow down there, Jerry McGuire. I have some good news and some bad news for you. First the good news: There is no test required to be an agent in this sport. Any knucklehead off the street can throw on a polo shirt and some pressed khaki’s and call himself an agent. There is no law degree or education in sports management required whatsoever. The bad news is that we already have a slew of agents in motocross. The worst news is that money is so scarce right now if you aren’t representing one of the current champions you aren’t going to make much scratch. Ten percent of crap is unequivocally crap. But, hey, don’t let me discourage you. You write yourself a mission statement and go be the best little agent you can be. Good luck.
PING
Hey Ping!
Congratulations on such a stellar year. I hope it only gets better for you, you deserve it, if only for your no nonsense attitude! Here's my question: Where do the European guys that ride for American teams get their bikes and equipment when it comes time to race the MXoN? For instance, is Roger DeCoster going to set up Reed and Byrne with their race bikes to compete against his own team? There seems to be somewhat of a conflict of interest there. Keep up the great work, you are the man!
Michael W. Smith
Dear Michael,
Thanks for the nice words. With the way things are going we might be racing out of a couple shopping carts and an old tarp this year. Maybe I can find a nice hobo to drive our transporters by pushing the carts from track to track, kind of like Happy Gilmore did with his caddy. If not, maybe we can all just stay home and join a fantasy supercross league. That would be the cheapest way to do it. Anyway, you bring up a good point. And I know in the past the American teams have supplied the bikes. Last year when Brett Metcalfe raced for Australia Mitch Payton supplied his race bike for him. And Reed/Byrne will no doubt be riding their race bikes from this year when they go to Italy. Does that mean Roger is a dick? Is he trying to sabotage the U.S. crew? I don't think so. He has obligations to take care of each of them persoanlly and he has obligations to Suzuki to make sure they put their best foot forward at that event. And really I wouldn't want it any other way. If our guys can't win straight-up against everyone else on their best equipment it doesn't carry the same weight. That race is supposed to be our best against the the worlds best on an even playing field. May the best man win. Go USA!
