You know this: Ryan Dungey is looking really, really good for this Monster Energy Supercross Championship. Marvin Musquin and Cooper Webb have a level of command over the 250SX Championships, as well.
But there's more to life than racing results (barely, though). As always with the Word On..., we skim through the best of the rest of the world so you don't have to. You're welcome.
Cheese, Death Metal, Dirt Bikes
Krystal, basically the White Castle of the South, specializes in small, square sliders with steamed-in onions. Like we said, the White Castle of the South. They apparently also specialize in making funny, dirt-bike related commercials. We approve, although the two-stroke sounds are questionable.
10 on the Landing
Privateer Andy Winkler had a crazy crash in practice Saturday in Detroit. Winkler cased a triple, got bucked, and basically did a handstand front flip. We give the landing a 10!
Golf Channel Experiments with Drone
Last week we told you about Fox Sports experimenting with drone coverage in Monster Energy Supercross in Indianapolis. Well, they aren’t the only network trying to get their feet wet with drone usage. The Golf Channel has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to use one this weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, reports Awful Announcing. Last week, they got some footage with the drone and it’s spectacular. Awful Announcing has more.
Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out
Adam Horovitz, better known as Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys, life has taken on a different role recently. With the Beastie Boys on indefinite hiatus following the death of Adam Yaunch, a.k.a MCA, Horovitz has turned to acting. In a recent profile with the New York Times, Horovitz talks about his new, more relaxed lifestyle. Horovitz appears in the upcoming Ben Stiller comedy While We’re Young. From the NY Times.
In truth, Adam Horovitz, 48 and better known as Ad-Rock, hasn’t set foot on a skateboard in a decade. “It’s way too much work,” he said. He doesn’t rage the way he did in the old days, either. “I’m certainly not going to take ecstasy and hit the club and listen to whatever, like, electronic dance music hit,” he said. “I got no business going to a club. I’m a terrible dancer. I got a bad back.”
Read the full profile here.
GoPro Vine is all Kinds of Crazy
GoPro, the leaders in “Oh, wow, that was cool” moments, has always been at the forefront of innovative videos. Recently, I found out they also release dope stuff on Vine. While I don’t use Vine, most companies link to their Twitter profiles and it usually produces pretty cool stuff. Check out a recent GoPro Vine of Tim Swartz “Flipping Out.”
Boomshakalaka
NBA Jam is the greatest basketball game ever released. Please don’t try and argue the point. You will lose. [Speaking of losing, Weege tells us he spent all the money he made working at the boardwalk on the Jersey Shore jamming quarters into NBA Jam during the summer of 1993.] Last week the Houston Rockets paid homage to the classic video game with a Throwback Thursday video showcasing the teams best moments complete with catchphrases from the original game, fun sound effects, and retro visuals. It’s awesome. Thanks Rockets social media team! Sincerely, Racer X!
Boomshakalaka! The NBA Jam Rockets #tbt video just shown in-arena. https://t.co/Qgw4CzyLJY
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 20, 2015
Skier Saves Friend Following Avalanche
Fighting with your best friend? You may want to reconcile. Recently, an avalanche in Switzerland hit a group of friends and one of the skiers was buried under the snow before a friend came to the rescue. The morale: go hug your best friend. He may one day save your life.
[Warning: Video does contain graphic language.]
The World of a WWE Announcer
Paging Jason Weigandt. In his weekly column “Media Circus”, Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated focuses on the ins and outs in the world of sports media. This week, Deitsch spoke at length with WWE announcer Michael Cole. Before coming to the WWE in 2003, Cole worked for CBS Radio Network covering the presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton, Steve Forbes, and more. He also covered Yugoslav Wars. In a sport with predetermined outcomes (sorry, kids, wrestling is fake), how does announcing differ from say football, baseball, or supercross? Is Cole aware of the outcomes? From SI:
How privy will you be to knowing what the specific storylines viewers will see at WrestleMania?
If I wanted to know, I could know everything. But I don’t want to know and especially at WrestleMania. A perfect example was last year with the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar. When Undertaker’s streak was ended by Brock, oh, my God, I was as shocked as the people sitting at the stadium that night inside the Superdome [New Orleans]. I had know no idea in a million years that was going to happen, and that was the reaction you got out of our call hopefully. I was expecting The Undertaker to kick out and I did one of my normal "One, two…" and I was expecting to say kick out and all of a sudden it was three. I looked at John and he looked at me and I mouthed to him off-air, "Is it over?" His eyes were big and wide and I said to myself: "Okay, the streak is over." I want those moments to happen.
FYI: Wrestling announcer is Weege’s dream job. He says he has VHS tapes of a backyard wrestling league he announced fifteen years ago but the tapes are not fit to be seen by anyone. But you can read the entire interview with a real WWE announcer here.
Cool Tricks, Bro
Remember last week when we showed you a motorcyclist deciding to take a trip through the mall while evading police? Well, this next one may take the cake. According to SB Nation, a motorcyclist in California decided to do stunts while the police were in hot pursuit. Style points for the tricks, bro. He was later arrested. SB Nation has more.
More Hockey
GoPro is the best thing to ever happen to hockey. Not only does it get non-fans (like myself) interested in the sport, it truly shows the unique talent set their players posses. Maybe Matthes was onto something? Check out the latest featuring Chicago Blackhawks teammates Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.
Brand Stats
Riders aren’t the only ones using social media. Teams and manufactures are also heavily involved. Hookit has tracked the major brands on Instagram through the month of March and KTM is currently leading the charge with just over 477 thousand interactions. Yamaha is next with just over 161 thousand. Check out the rest below.
[Note: The stats below are only for Instagram. Facebook and Twitter did not factor in.]