Is There An Exotic Car Heaven (Or Hell?)

Where Do Exotic Cars Go After They’re Smashed Up?

FATE NUMBER ONE: They are shipped off to some foreign land with lower standards than America. I see this happen a lot. There are many cars that get in accidents where Carfax reports relatively minor damage, and then they’re immediately sent off to Russia, or Southeast Asia, or West Africa, or South America, or the Middle East. It is amazing to me — truly amazing — how many early- to mid-2000s Rolls-Royce Phantoms that were originally sold in America are now Hong Kong or the United Arab Emirates. 

Here’s why: in places like South America, they didn’t get very many Phantoms or SLRs or Ferrari F430s back when those cars were new. Hell, that’s even true of Dubai, which was entirely constructed during four warm December nights in 2006. So what they do is, they buy them off Americans when we’re done with them. 

More importantly, in places like South America and Dubai, they don’t have Carfax. So a damaged 430 that was then repaired relatively well is, to those folks, just as good as a regular used one. It’s not like there’s going to be a Caracas Concours d’Elegance where you’ll park your 430 next to nine others and judges will try to assess if the panel fitment was done correctly.

Here’s the other reason why this happens: because a LOT of high-end sports cars came to America, and so we can be picky about which ones we want. So while a Venezuelan may be all over a heavily discounted accident-repaired Ferrari F430, Americans will pass in favor of one of the dozens of other 430s currently for sale on Autotrader or eBay.

FATE NUMBER TWO: If there’s serious damage, these things are parted out. It’s hard for some car enthusiasts to hear, or to believe, but a lot of high-end enthusiast cars really do get dismantled and cut up for parts if their accidents are severe enough. This is especially true if a mid-engine car faces severe front-end damage, or a front-engine car gets severe rear-end damage. At that point, the smashed up hulk’s value is almost entirely tied up in its engine and transmission.

I discovered this a few sad months ago, when I was reminiscing about my old cars. Bored on Thanksgiving weekend with my family, I entered the VIN of my old Cadillac CTS-V Wagon into Google. I knew that this car had been in a serious accident only a few weeks after I sold it, but what I was shocked to find was the engine—just the engine, with no car in sight—listed on eBay in South Carolina. Even an enterprising Venezuelan will never be able to make that car whole again.

(Jalopnik.com)

My Life, My Life, My Life

(BroBible.com)

How To Get Your Masters Fix All Of Next Week

Masters Announces TV Schedule, Offers Virtual Reality Experience

COMPLETE TV SCHEDULE (ALL EST)
Monday

• Masters on the Range, CBS Sports, 12 p.m.-2 p.m.

Tuesday

• Masters on the Range, CBS Sports, 9-11 a.m.

Wednesday

• Masters on the Range, CBS Sports, 9-11 a.m.
• Par-3 Contest, ESPN, 3-5 p.m.

Thursday

• Masters on the Range, CBS Sports, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• First Round Coverage, ESPN, 3-7:30 p.m.

Friday

• Masters on the Range, CBS Sports, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Second Round Coverage, ESPN, 3-7:30 p.m.

Saturday

• Masters on the Range, CBS Sports, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Third Round Coverage, CBS, 3-7 p.m.

Sunday

• Masters on the Range, CBS Sports, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Final Round Coverage, CBS, 2-7 p.m.

Check out more of GOLF.com's Masters coverage here.

(Golf.com)

I Like This New Change

Most players under 50 no longer eligible for World Golf Hall of Fame

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Phil Mickelson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012 at the age of 41.

If the new requirements for nomination were in place then, he would have had to wait nine more years.

The Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday that the minimum age for induction has been raised from 40 to 50, with one exception – players who are five or more years removed from being active on their respective tours.

The new rule affects the status of Tiger Woods, who met the final requirement under the old system when he turned 40 years old in December. Woods, who has won 79 PGA Tour titles and 14 major championship, now can't be nominated until 2026, unless he retires from golf at least five years before that.

Lorena Ochoa, on the other hand, is eligible for nomination this year at the age of 34 under the exception to the 50-year-old requirement. She retired from the LPGA in 2010 after winning 27 tournaments.

One criticism of the Hall of Fame was the 40-year-old minimum, which elevated players such as Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh when they were still in their early 40s. Even players who went in soon after turning 40 had reservations.

(PGA.com)

It's About Time This Happened

USWNT stars accuse U.S. Soccer of wage discrimination in EEOC filing

In the latest labor salvo between the World Cup-winning U.S. women’s national team players and the U.S. Soccer Federation, the five most prominent members of the USWNT have filed an action with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (a government agency) accusing U.S. Soccer of wage discrimination in relation to the money the federation pays to the U.S. men’s national team. 

In a press release announced Thursday morning, lawyers for the five U.S. players—Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn—argue that the USWNT is paid almost four times less than the USMNT, despite producing nearly $20 million in revenues for U.S. Soccer in 2015 (per U.S. Soccer’s recently released annual financial report).

The U.S. Soccer pay figures for the men and women (numbers from documents obtained by SI.com are presented in the table below) were agreed to by the players as part of separate collective bargaining agreements, but the U.S. women’s team argues that its CBA has expired.

U.S. Soccer, for its part, has maintained that the CBA with the U.S. women’s players is still in effect through the end of 2016 due to a memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides in 2013. In an effort to get a court to decide if the CBA is still in place, U.S. Soccer filed its own separate action in February in Chicago. Discovery for that case was set to be completed on Thursday, with oral arguments on the motions set to take place before the Chicago court on May 25.

(SI.com)

A Sad, Sad Day For Our Friends Up North

Woe Canada. No playoffs this year north of border 

Country shut out for first time in 46 years

For the first time since the 1969-70 season, the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be contested entirely south of the 49th parallel. And, as salt in the wound for patriotic Canadian fans, Commissioner Gary Bettman will present hockey's Holy Grail to the captain of a U.S.-based team for the 22nd consecutive season.

Canada may stake claim to the invention of hockey as we know it, but teams from this country clearly didn't bring their Eh-game in 2015-16.

With 11 days left in the regular season, all seven Canadian-based teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Philadelphia Flyers' 2-1 shootout victory against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday officially eliminated the Ottawa Senators, the last Canadian team that had any shot to make the postseason.

(NHL.com)

Happy Double Snowman's, Mr. Hockey

As Gordie Howe turns 88, he's still hockey icon 

Legendary Hall of Fame member spending birthday with family

Howe will mark his 88th birthday Thursday in the company of his family, the cornerstone in his life.

His health is much more delicate than it was the day we met in Montreal in 2012. But he still loves the attention he's paid, and he enjoys nothing more than kibitzing with the small fry who know of, if not much about, a man who is a legend in every sense of the word.

(NHL.com)

Why Nissan, Why?

Nissan design boss says no chance for Toyota 86 fighter

"You need a proper platform because it has to be light and small and also affordable," he told Auto Express. "In reality that is not easy to find. It also has to be rear-wheel drive – if we make it front-wheel drive it would be cheating. It is expensive and we are struggling."

Nakamura's statements are the final nails in the coffin for Nissan's affordable sports coupe, but this was practically a foregone conclusion already. The company debuted the IDx in two forms at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, and they initially looked likely to hit the market. By mid 2014, Nissan started walking back those plans as part of a strategy to increase its volume. Later, an exec confirmed the project was dead, and Nakamura told Autoblog last year he thought the project was over, too.

(AutoBlog.com)

Some Engine Porn Courtesy Of Nissan

(CarThrottle.com)

Yup

(BroBible.com)

Hell Yah They Are

(BroBible.com)

True

(Bits&Pieces.us)

Probably

(Bits&Pieces.us)

Uh, How 'Bout No

(Bits&Pieces.us)

Great Ad Or Crime Scene?

Find out what caused this carnage in the upcoming video that drops later today!

(CarThrottle.com)

Depends On Which Fan Boy You Talk To

Is A Lexus IS300 Better Than A BMW E36 M3?

Is an E36 BMW or a Lexus IS300 a better drivable tuner car? How many Jeep tattoos is too many? Why are off-road sports cars so hot right now? All this and more discussed on this week’s Smoking Tire podcast, featuring Jalopnik!

(Jalopnik.com) 

The IIHS Is Finally Realizing This In 2016

Why So Many Of Today's Headlights Suck

The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety says nearly half of all fatal crashes in the U.S. occur in the dark. To combat this, they’ve just introduced a new headlight safety test. And after rating 31 midsize sedans with their new methodology, the safety lab in Virginia has concluded that many modern headlights need to step up their game.

(Jalopnik.com)

Hollywood Hot Rods, Keepin' It Real, Old School Style

History Reimagined: We test drive Hollywood Hot Rods' 1932 Ford

Troy Ladd of Hollywood Hot Rods makes the closest thing to the original that I've ever driven. What's more, he builds them like works of art that are composed of individual works of art

Ladd needs 1.5 years to build such a barely anything, and art is expensive – $100,000 is a starter kit price. The $220,000 MSRP of the hot rod we drove is worth a Lamborghini Huracan LP 580-2 with a few options, but the two aren't remotely comparable. Hollywood Hot Rods delivers what no Lamborghini can: the fifties itself,resonating Hitchcock and Brando and Eisenhower, Peanuts cartoons and Playboy, the space race and the very first McDonald's, and, yes, long braking distances.

(AutoBlog.com) 

I'd Buy One

Porsche sells a $6,570 office chair


(AutoBlog.com)

Sorry, But This Has Been Said Since The 70's

If Our Generation Doesn't Learn to Wear Earplugs at Concerts, We'll Pay for It Later

Tucked in the northeast corner of Miami's Ultra Music Festival near the UMF Radio stage, dozens are unabashedly grabbing condoms courtesy of the Florida Department of Health. Most pick up the flavored ones that come in pineapple and strawberry varieties, and there are the confident few who grab the Magnum XLs. (Just a reminder, kids: Set your ego aside and make sure the condom fits properly.)

However, the table next door is giving away an even better form of protection: earplugs.

"The response has been so great. We can't keep them on the table," says Dr. Tricia Scaglione, an audiologist at the festival with the University of Miami Health System. She, along with Dr. Dana Libman and a handful of volunteers, wants to educate Ultra's attendees about hearing loss.

Their table isn't exactly buzzing with activity on Saturday when I stop by to speak with them. They admit that at first people hesitate to approach, perhaps a little afraid to face the truth: The volume levels at festivals like Ultra often exceed 100 decibels, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), can cause damage after more than 15 minutes of exposure. (Even at 85 decibels, WHO says exposure should be limited to no more than eight hours a day.) Ultra lasted for three days, more than 30 hours of exposure.

With a decibel reader installed on my iPhone, I measured decibel levels from 96 to 107 at the various stages around Ultra. However, Libman warned me that the mics on smartphones usually cancel out background noise — a feature that helps the call quality but can prevent decibel-level apps from picking up the bass, meaning that the levels were probably much higher than what my phone could pick up.

So, with levels so dangerously high, why aren't more people concerned about hearing loss?

"I believe the most common misconception about using earplugs is that they will interfere with the enjoyment of music," Libman says. "This can be absolutely true if the wrong kind of plugs are used. There are different types of hearing protection for different types of sounds."

(LAWeekly.com)

Both

(Jalopnik.com)

This Is An Interesting Picture

(BroBible.com)

Damn, She's Still Got Game

Caitlyn Jenner Embraced at LPGA's ANA Inspiration Pro-Am

Caitlyn Jenner made her first appearance at a tournament pro-am post-transition this week at the ANA Inspiration. The famously competitive golfer didn’t disappoint, holing out for eagle on the first hole. American soccer star Abby Wambach, part of Jenner's group, cheered her on. 

(Golf.com)

I Enjoyed This Topic's Discussion

Should sports networks cover WWE? Dan, Danettes weigh in


(DanPatrick.com)

Scouts' Takes: Breaking down each American League roster - SI.com

Los Angeles Angels

Lineup & Defense

Mike Trout is a true manimal. He and Rickey Henderson are probably the two best bodies I've ever seen in the game.... You would think they'd have a firmer grip on a leftfielder. Craig Gentry is an extra guy, a platoon player. He couldn't play for an A's team last year that was terrible. I'd take Daniel Nava over the rest of their choices there, but how could they not sign Justin Upton?

Albert Pujols is saying he's healthy. He'll spend a lot more time at DH than first, and you have to do everything you can to protect him.... Johnny Giavotella turned it up with the bat last year. Defensively he can get a little erratic and look confused at times, but he's going to give you 120%.... Andrelton Simmons is one of the best defenders in the game: range, hands, feet, quick first step, a real good anticipator, always in the right position.

Rotation & Bullpen

There are question marks in the rotation. Garrett Richards can be unhittable, and then there are times where it just seems like nothing will work for the guy. But he has ace-type stuff.... Jered Weaver is pitching at 82–84 [mph], but he has more guts and guile than anyone. He's always been able to create deception and move the ball. Do I think that'll work this year? No.... The back of the rotation could go a couple of ways. Andrew Heaney is a guy they really like, Hector Santiago was an All-Star in 2015. Matt Shoemaker throws 87 and occasionally touches 90, but I think his good run last year was probably an aberration because his stuff is not great.

That farm system is very lean right now. Righty Victor Alcantara was probably their top prospect last year and he was nowhere near ready. At the Double A level, where prospects typically are, I don't think there's one guy on their team who's a better than average player.

Oakland A's

Lineup & Defense

Yonder Alonso is a much better first baseman than a lot of people thought. Real good hands, real good feet. The only knock is he doesn't hit for much power.... It's the same happy-go-lucky Billy Butler, jersey pulled out over the top of his pants so you can't see what bad shape he's in. But look at the back of his baseball card, it says he always hits.... Marcus Semien led the world in errors last year, so they brought in Ron Washington, one of the best defensive teachers in the game. Everyone you talk to raves about the great person that Semien is: very attentive, wants to get better, hard worker.... Josh Reddick is a different kind of cat, but he's a pro. Once he got healthy, recovered from his wrist problems, he started using the whole field again. I expect him to have a big year.

Rotation & Bullpen

This year what has always been their strength could be their biggest concern: their starting rotation. I call it Sonny Gray and the What-Ifs.... Rich Hill had only a small sample size in Boston last year when he was very good, but the A's do a great job of gambling on guys like that.... Jesse Hahn pitched well last year, but he had elbow issues, and that was attributed to him throwing the slider. He has a serviceable curveball and a changeup, but he's eliminating the slider, so will he be able to have the same level of success?

Kendall Graveman is a deceptive guy, long arms, real good feel for pitching, probably a legit No. 4 type, but another guy where health is a concern.... The ace in the hole is Henderson Alvarez, he's been throwing great on the side, he's ahead of schedule after shoulder surgery.... Until Sean Doolittle touches 96, I don't think you can say that he's back. They're talking about him adding a pitch, but what's made him successful is throwing that fastball by guys.

Complete list (SI.com)

Way To Screw Up Your Short Lived NBA Career

Lakers ‘isolating’ D’Angelo Russell after leaked Nick Young video

Some Los Angeles Lakers players are upset with rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell for recording a private conversation between himself and forward Nick Young, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes and Marc Stein report.

The video was leaked to a celebrity gossip site last week. Though it is unknown how the site obtained the video, it has caused tension among Lakers players, according to ESPN.

“It’s bad,” a team source told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “It’s about as bad as it can get. There were trust issues already. Now there’s no trust.”

(SI.com)

The Way Of Roy

Patrick Roy: the modern NHL’s most influential player?

But there is no player who has had the impact on hockey like Patrick Roy has during the last three decades. If you watch any game, on any night, you will see Roy hallmarks more than any you might associate with Orr or Gretzky, and it is not even close.

For the simple reason that Roy, you might say, brought modern goalies to their knees. In a good way. From an efficacy standpoint. Aesthetically—well, there might be some grumbling there.

Roy's game is now essentially the game of every goalie in the league, and if you want to score, you better love yourself some deflections, some dirty goals, rebounds and scrambles, and have a knack for putting the puck just under the bar, because shots have a hard time gaining sweet ingress otherwise. Goalies, the criticism goes, don’t make saves any more, they let the puck hit them. And they’re better at that than ever.

(SI.com)

Are The Ecto-1's 2 Of The Top 5 Most Famous Caddy's Ever?

Ghostbusters' new Ecto-1 is an oddly uninspiring '82 Caddy 

Goodbye fins and hello squared-off corners.

The Ghostbusters, or at least the movie franchise, will emerge from Hollywood's cobwebs this summer, but instead of the iconic 1959 Cadillac known as Ecto-1 that delighted big screen audiences in 1984, the new model may leave some scratching their heads.

That's because this latest Ghostbusters draws its vehicular inspiration from a decidedly less interesting period in American automobile production: the 1980s. Starring alongside Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones is a 1982 Cadillac DeVille hearse.

The studio dressed up this tired Caddy to look the part, but something's amiss. Instead of the flamboyant fins and shiny chrome, the '82 is decidedly pedestrian and uninteresting. Even in 1982, it was kind of a dull choice for luxury car buyers. There's a reason Murilee Martin deemed the '70s and '80s the "malaise era."

Built a couple of years before the original, Academy Award-winning Ghostbusters hit cinemas, the '82 DeVille represents one of Cadillac's lowest points bar the Cimarron.

(AutoBlog.com)

Only $200 & Free Shipping?????

(CarThrottle.com)

This Is Why You're Always Going To Be Out Of Shape

Out-Of-Shape Blogger Tried To Figure Out Hollywood’s Fitness Secret To Getting Shredded — This Is What He Learned

Sure, hard work is part of it, but all the hard work in the gym won’t mean a lick of shit if your diet is constantly sabotaging you

(BroBible.com)

In The End, It's Not Really Worth It

Why you should not restore a classic car

If you want to save yourself a lot of grief, lapses of monetary judgment, and years of cuts and bruises from head to toe, then do not even think about purchasing an old car to restore. Stand back from that body filler enhanced beast and be sensible.

(AutoBlog.com)

The Winner Is A Suprising Answer

Here's the Most Expensive Rental Neighborhood in L.A.

(LAWeekly.com)

Hell Yah

(CarThrottle.com)

I Need 2 Pair

Nike to Release Air Force 1 Style Golf Shoes on April 1

(Golf.com)

NHL Power Rankings: Surging Blues challenge Capitals - SI.com

6. Anaheim Ducks

• last week: 6
• record: 42-23-10
• Monday's 2–1 win in Edmonton lifted the Ducks to a 3-1-1 mark on their five-game Canadian road swing and pulled them to within a single point of Los Angeles for the top spot in the Pacific. Brandon Pirri chipped in four points on the trip, including the game-winning goal against the Oilers. Just another genius pick-up by GM Bob Murray.

7. San Jose Sharks

• last week: 5
• record: 42-28-6
• The Sharks pulled out of their three-game home-losing skid at the most opportune moment, knocking off the Kings on Monday night to secure their return to the Stanley Cup playoffs. With four of their final six games featuring a non-qualifying opponent, they still have a shot at earning home ice for the first round.

8. Los Angeles Kings

• last week: 3
• record: 45-26-5
• Reuniting the Jeff Carter-Tyler Toffoli-Milan Lucic line helped the Kings break out of their scoring slump for one game, a 6–4 win over Edmonton, but it was back to scratching around in the dirt in Monday's 5–2 loss to San Jose. LA has now dropped five of six and scored more than twice only once in that span. Just as concerning: The Kings have allowed 20 goals in their past five games. What an inopportune time to go cold at both ends of the ice.

Complete list (SI.com)

No Wonder It's Still For Sale

So It's Come To This: Dealer Asks $200,000 For BMW E30 M3

The BMW E30 M3 is good. But it’s not $200k good.

Here’s the for sale link for a good laugh.

(Jalopnik.com)

I Like Their Plan

Aston Martin Boss Wants to Be "Last in the World" to Make Manual Sports Cars 

Andy Palmer, we like the cut of your jib.​ 

"I've already gone on the record saying I want to be the last manufacturer in the world to offer a manual sports car," Palmer told Car & Driver. Palmer confirmed that the next Vantage, which is due in 2017, will offer both a manual and an automatic. While the DB11 features a twin-turbo V12 designed in-house, the next V8 Vantage will use an engine built in partnership with Mercedes-AMG.

What you won't see in a future Aston is a dual-clutch transmission: Palmer thinks they're too heavy and don't offer a considerable functional advantage over a conventional automatic. Frankly, Aston could put a CVT in its cars and we wouldn't care, so long as we could still get three pedals and a stick. Thankfully, Aston uses the excellent ZF 8-speed auto in its V12 cars, a top-notch alternative if you're not interested in the old way of shifting.

Aston Martins have always been about more than numbers, so it's great to see Palmer promise to continue this spirit into the 21st century with his declaration of allegiance to the manual gearbox. Keep fighting the good fight, Andy. We'll be right there with you.

(Road&Track.com)

They See Me Rollin' - Toyota MR2

(CarThrottle.com)

This Is A Truck!

This GT-R-Engined Nissan Navara Is The World’s Most Extreme Pickup 

World renowned GT-R tuner Severn Valley Motorsport has created the ultimate pickup in the form of an 800bhp Nissan Navara. Okay, where do we sign? 

(CarThrottle.com)

The 9, Every Time

(CarThrottle.com)

I Just Gotta Know The Story

(BroBible.com)

Jack's Got Your Back (Sometimes)

(BroBible.com)

I Agree As Well

(BroBible.com)

A Well Hidden Message In Disney Films

(Bits&Pieces.us)

Something To Think About

(BroBible.com)

Unsexy Is Sexy Is The Auto World

NYIAS: Contrary To The Axiom, Boring, Not Sexy, Is What Sells

So when Masahiro Moro, President and CEO of Mazda North American Operations, calmly stood next to his gorgeous new creation last week, with little fanfare or adulation, and said these words in while standing front of a black wall, accompanied only by the silence of the room, I believe he did it purposefully. Here’s what he said:

“Other companies have become quite successful by not caring if their cars are boring or not.”
Mic drop. And you know what? Moro-san is absolutely right.
 
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a good supercar story as much as the next guy. However, times have changed. The young people of today have a decidedly #feelthebern nature to them. They’re offended by mere chalk drawings. This is a generation that no longer aspires to wealth — they despise it (that is, until they acquire some of their own in the future). They don’t dream of owning a Ferrari, they dream of keeping people from being able to afford one. And as America chooses its path toward two extreme sides of the same coin in the upcoming election, one can’t help but think that the supercar will continue to lose relevance. Either increased wealth inequality will make the supercar a target for the new Bolsheviks, or a villainous upper class will be made to pay for their sins by relinquishing their possessions.

But until then, it cannot be denied that the mid-sized sedans and smallish CUVs continue to dominate the marketplace. And the brands that lead the way? Toyota and Honda? They don’t even have flashy, expensive halo cars. You can talk all you want about Acura and Lexus, but you’ve gotta drive a hundred miles or more to see a Lexus store in the majority of flyover-country states. You’ll never see an NSX on a dealer lot, unless the dealer principal himself buys one. No, it’s the Camry, Accord, Corolla, RAV4, Civic, and CR-V that rule the day.

(TheTruthAboutCars.com)

The Horespower Wars Of The Late 90's/Early 2000's Was The Golden Age

How long will the 'golden age' of performance last?

High-powered sports and luxury cars were everywhere at the New York Auto Show, prompting the obvious question for enthusiasts: How long will this golden age of performance last?

Industry leaders have some time before regulations elevate the Corporate Average Fuel Economy level in 2025. Even then, they expect cars rippling with power to survive in some form.

"Is it the end of an era," I don't think so," said Ola Källenius, Daimler AG board member for Mercedes-Benz cars marketing and sales. "That performance element of individual mobility I don't think will ever go away."

Källenius, who oversaw the company's AMG division from 2010-2013, expects it to continue to grow. Last year, AMG sold a record 68,875 units around the world, an increase of 44.6 percent over 2014, with strong growth in the US, China, and Germany.

Still, there's always the potential for gas to spike, and pending fuel economy regulations are looming. That could lead AMG to add electrification to its products, Källenius said, pointing to the electric SLS as a test case.

Chevy is also thinking ahead, said Al Oppenheiser, chief engineer of the Camaro. He wouldn't bite when asked about electrification for the Camaro (he did say "never say never"), but admitted in 2025 "it's going to be pretty tough to sell V8s."

For now, things are rosy for muscle cars, and Chevy confidently showcased the 640-hp Camaro ZL1 in coupe and convertible form in New York. "I think that this is truly the golden age of performance," Oppenheiser said.

It's hard to disagree. 

(AutoBlog.com)

This Is Not Good News, But There's An Interesting Reason For It

Roscoe's Chicken N' Waffles Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

It's mostly due to one giant discrimination lawsuit

Looks like it could be trouble for iconic Southern California brand Roscoe’s Chicken ’N Waffles. According to a CBS Los Angeles report last night, the company has officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move aimed at consolidating its debts to hopefully stave off a full-on shutter down the line.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy is most often associated with large companies that have become saddled with an outsized amount of debt with relation to their profits, and that certainly seems to be the case here. Roscoe’s has more than half a dozen locations across the region, but owes money to vendors and other companies that it’s become unable to pay while still operating normally.

The biggest name on the list of pursuers? One Daniel Beasley, who successfully sued Roscoe’s last fall for discrimination, winning over $1 million in his claim that an all-Latino management treated him unfairly in order to favor other Latino workers. The family behind Roscoe’s declined to comment at that time on the case, and hasn’t so far said anything regarding the Chapter 11 court filing, either. For now, it’s business as usual at your local Roscoe’s Chicken ’N Waffles, but in the future, if this bankruptcy stuff doesn’t get resolved amicably, that could very well change.

(LA.Eater.com)

Haters Gonna Hate - Los Angeles Edition

The 10 Sickest Burns About Los Angeles

5) Christopher Hitchens:
"It’s mostly full of nonsense and delusion and egomania. They think they’ll be young and beautiful forever, even though most of them aren’t even young and beautiful now."

Complete list (LAWeekly.com)

Hockey Fights Do Have Their Place In The Game

What analytics can tell us about the role of fighting in hockey

 What’s clear from the research is that if any league were to try to take fighting out of the game and make no other changes, it would mean that we should expect the game to be rougher, and perhaps more dangerous, as Smith suggests. However, it should be possible to offset this change by having referees call games more tightly, at least with regards to these “egregious” penalties. If referees can resist the urge to “put their whistles away and let the players decide the game”, especially when the play starts getting “chippy”, then players won’t have to resort to fighting.

While this will undoubtedly have the effect of more penalties being called, which some might not like, it would also reduce the need for players to police the game themselves. Of course, the extent to which the referees are able to do this depends in large part on whether players can hide their bad behavior from the sightlines of the refs.

(SI.com)

The Tour Could Benefit From A New Leader

Tim Finchem says he's likely to step down at end of 2016

[I]n the last year of a four-year contract extension, the 68-year-old commissioner surprised observers by announcing a new one-year deal through June 2017 that he said he does not expect to complete.

“The length of the contract is really a placeholder,” Finchem said Sunday while visiting the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin. “I wouldn’t anticipate staying that long. My plan would be—and that assumes I can make progress on my projects—to step aside at the end of this year.”

(GolfDigest.com)  

Did You Know - The Masters Tournament Edition

18 Things You Didn't Know About Augusta National and the Masters

4. There's a natural spring between the 13th and 14th fairways that spouts gold dust when it rains.

Complete list (Golf.com) 

How The Hell Did A Human Being Consume All Of This In 1 Sitting?

A Dude Who Weighed 400 Pounds Posted His Daily Taco Bell Order And How The Hell Can Someone Do That To Their Body??

2 7-Layer Burritos

• 860 calories
• 32 grams of fat
• 2,030mg of sodium

2 Beef Grilled Stuffed Burritos

• 1,440 calories
• 64 grams of fat
• 4,280mg of sodium

Nachos Bell Grande

• 760 calories
• 38 grams of fat
• 1,300mg of sodium

Chicken Quesadilla

• 510 calories
• 27 grams of fat
• 1,200mg of sodium

Cheesy Potato Burrito

• 490 calories
• 22 grams of fat
• 1,300mg of sodium

Carmel Apple Empanada

• 310 calories
• 15 grams of fat
• 310mg of sodium

Total

• 4,370 calories
• 196 grams of fat
• 10,420mg of sodium

He even says he sometimes put that back twice in a day. FUCKING TWICE.

(BroBible.com)

You Gotta Admit, It's A Clever Name

(Bits&Pieces.us)

Dedication & Preserverance Paid Off

The Quinnipiac Way: How a college hockey power was born

HAMDEN, CT — Rand Pecknold took the job as men's hockey coach at the school that’s hard to pronounce (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) because it meant $6,700 and a position in the sport.

"I easily could’ve quit," he says. "Nobody would’ve blamed me. We had nothing. I couldn’t feed the guys when we went on the road. We didn’t have a budget to play a full schedule. This was about as Mickey Mouse as it gets."

So he slogged through midnight practices at the town rink in Northford, CT. He got home at 2:30 a.m., slept until 6 a.m., woke up, taught at a local high school and came home for a three-hour nap. At 6 p.m. he'd drive 71 miles to the Quinnipiac University campus to recruit players and try to figure out how to bolster his team. Then he started it all over again with practice at midnight.

“It was one of the hardest years of my life,” Pecknold told SI.com while sitting in his office at the TD Bank Sports Center, under a whiteboard with not-quite-erased diagrams. “And there we were with one win, and I’m like, ‘What am I doing?’”

Now, 22 years later, Pecknold has taken his team from the bowels of a public rink that had a curtain separating the home and visiting locker rooms to the top of the NCAA rankings, the number one seed heading into this weekend’s national tournament. It’s been the turnaround of a lifetime, from 1-12-1 in his first 14 games as coach to 29-3-7 this season and the cusp of the national championship. But this is not just about the boys. It turns out the program that started in the town rink now has something else: a pretty damn good women’s team.

(SI.com)

Power Rankings: Threats to the Capitals are surfacing - ESPN.com

5. Los Angeles Kings

• Clinched a playoff berth. The Kings have seven games remaining and next face the Sharks on Monday. They are 6-3-1 in the past 10 games. On Saturday, the Kings snapped a three-game losing skid with a 6-4 win over the Oilers. Tyler Toffoli had two goals and two assists in the win. 

9. Anaheim Ducks

• Clinched a playoff berth. The Ducks have eight games remaining and next face the Oilers on Monday. Forward Rickard Rakell has reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time in his NHL career.

14. San Jose Sharks

• On the verge of clinching a postseason berth. Have seven games remaining and will face the Kings Monday night.  

Complete list (ESPN.com)

Congrats To The Caps

Capitals win Presidents' Trophy 

Washington clinches top spot in NHL after defeating Blue Jackets

WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals clinched the Presidents' Trophy with a 4-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Verizon Center on Monday.

Washington is atop the NHL standings with 113 points and guaranteed home-ice advantage for the entirety of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

(NHL.com)

I Have A Better Chance Of Winning The Lotto Than This Happening

Formula One Might Replace Ferrari's Home Grand Prix With New Race In Las Vegas

“I don’t think we have to have an Italian Grand Prix,” misguided elf-king of Formula One and infinitely wrong man Bernie Ecclestone told The Daily Mail. Tifosi, it’s time to get out those pitch forks and torches. Monza—historic wonderland and Ferrari’s home race Monza—could be replaced by Las Vegas.

Ecclestone told The Daily Mail that the organizers for a new grand prix in Las Vegas already have a contract with F1. However, he explained that they’re not looking to add any more races to the schedule, so one will have to move:

(Jalopnik.com)

I Thought It Was For Your Loose Change Or Key(s)

What is that small pocket on jeans for?

On their blog, Levi Strauss & Co. explain the pocket and its function:

“The first blue jeans had four pockets—only one in back and, in the front, two plus the small, watch pocket. Originally included as protection for pocket watches, thus the name, this extra pouch has served many functions, evident in its many titles: frontier pocket, condom pocket, coin pocket, match pocket and ticket pocket, to name a few.”

(FoxLA.com)

"My Car's Paid Off"

(CarThrottle.com)

Good Luck With Your Mission

Upstart GENESIS Brand Aims Straight At The Germans With Plans To Build A Supercar!

Mercedes-AMG has the GT coupe, Audi has the R8 and BMW has the i8, and now it seems Hyundai’s upstart Korean prestige brand, Genesis, is interested in developing a rear-drive tyre-shredding supercar too.

The Hyundai-owned company plans to roll out four passenger vehicles and two SUVs over the next five years but the car that will really put the fledgling brand on the map is a supercar.

The man who oversees all new car designs for the Genesis car brand, former Audi stylist Peter Schreyer, revealed that a hard-core halo car was on the agenda for the company but that “all these things take a little bit of time”.
(AutoSpies.com)

It's Not Dead, It's Way Too Diluted

Is AMG dead? 

Big changes are afoot in Affalterbach, even if it's all about perspective.

The first sign that trouble was afoot was at the release of the renamed and facelifted SLC-Class recently. Out was the SLK55 AMG with its naturally-aspirated 5.5 liter V8 pumping out 415hp and almost as much torque, and in came the SLC43 with a bi-turbo 3.0 liter V6 engine with 362hp and 384lb-ft. Even more brutal is that the new GLE43 Coupe uses that same engine. It's a gigantic coupe-shaped SUV that somehow gets to be an AMG when equipped with its base engine in the US - an engine that, in a car that big, honestly should be its base engine.

Now that these marketing folks had gotten their first sweet taste of titillating buyers with AMG scribbled on the back of (and about 20 other places on) regular old Benzes, personally I think they just couldn't help themselves. Just as Cadillac has V-Sport, BMW has M-Sport, Lexus has F-Sport, and Audi has the letter S, Mercedes marketing too had crossed over to the dark side of badge-fluffing.

(AutoBlog.com)

You Tell Em' Geno!

Geno Auriemma rebuffs critics who say UConn’s dominance is bad

Hall of Fame Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma took some time at his team’s pregame press conference for its matchup against Texas in the Elite Eight to address questions about whether UConn’s dominance of women’s college basketball is bad for the game.

Addressing the question that he and his player have often faced during the school’s current 72-game winning streak, Auriemma said that he doesn’t see how his team’s strong play is hurting the sport.

“When Tiger [Woods] was winning every major, nobody said he was bad for golf,” Auriemma said via ESPN. “Actually he did a lot for golf. He made everybody have to be a better golfer. And they did. And now there's a lot more great golfers because of Tiger.”

(SI.com)

A New Way To Eat It On The Go

How To Make An In-N-Out Breakfast Burrito

The ingredients for one extremely filling burrito are simple:

• 4x4 In-N-Out Burger
• 4 Eggs
• Fries
• Extra Cheese
• Side of spread

Chop up the 4x4, mix it in with some eggs, throw another slice of cheese in there and give the entire thing a low-heat soft scramble on your skillet. You don't want to burn anything, this process will take a couple minutes on the stove.

In the mean time, get your tortilla of choice (over-sized), smear the spread all over, give a bottom layer of french fries, then top it all with your 4x4 burger mixture. After you wrap up the magic, I like to throw the entire burrito back on the skillet for a good browning on both sides.

(FoodBeast.com)

This Is A Funny Johnny Vs. Johnny Comparison

Johnny Football and Johnny Hockey: a timeline of two careers

Two young, supremely talented young athletes. Both major award-winners at the college level and the owners of distinctively similar nicknames. But that is where their common ground ends and their careers take dramatically different paths, one an unfolding tragedy and the other a triumph thus far.

Quarterback Johnny "Football" Manziel is only 23, but the former Heisman Trophy winner has already been the center of enough misconduct to last a lifetime, the most recent of which got him released by the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, Hobey Baker Award-winning winger Johnny "Hockey" Gaudreau, 22, of the Calgary Flames is establishing himself as an undersized NHL star and admirable person in his community.

Here's a timeline of their diverging paths:

(SI.com)

A Porsche Supercar Family Picture

(CarThrottle.com)

This Is A Good List

9 Ways To Explain To Normal People Why You Love Cars

If you struggle to explain your love of cars to the 'sub-humans', then here are nine great explanations to get you started!

Cars are like people . . . . .

• “Cars are like people. You give them love and they’ll always look after you. You respect them, and they’ll watch your back. But most of all…if you’re willing to work on them yourself, they’ll be your best friend for life.”

Cars are cheaper than cocaine . . . . .

• “Because cars are cheaper than cocaine and a lot more fun.”

Cars never leave you . . . . .

• “Cars never leave you. And you can always make them change and be better without them giving you issues.”

Complete list (CarThrottle.com)

It's That Easy

(BroBible.com)

Skyline GTR's & All Of Their Glory On Display

Nissan's Skyline GT-R display is every Gran Turismo player's fantasy

Nissan put together this incredibly impressive display to show alongside the facelifted 2017 GT-R (the only car in this group not to wear the Skyline badge). The vehicles selected are immaculate, starting with the 1969. It's absolutely lovely. So is the far rarer second-generation car, a 1973. Nissan only built 197 of these beauties, compared to the nearly 2,000 first-gen GT-Rs.

The Playstation generation will be most excited about the R32, R33, and R34 on display. With the R32, we have two huge GT-R firsts – it was the first time Nissan applied all-wheel drive and a twin-turbo, six-cylinder engine to its high-performance package. That formula would stick through to today's car. The car shown here is a 1989 model, which is the first year for the third-gen car.

It's followed by a gorgeous 1995 R33. It's a looker, this, but not nearly as pretty as the R34, which builds on the look pioneered here. The R34 in question is the rare M-Spec Nür model, named for the Nürburgring and powered by an upgraded version of the RB26 engine. It's not the V-Spec II Nür from 2002, but it's still a rare, highly sought after piece from the JDM's performance glory days. Finally, representing the non-Skyline GT-R generation, we have the prototype for the R35 GT-R Nismo from 2013. Enjoy the camouflage and that frankly ludicrous wing.

(AutoBlog.com)

Did You Know - Jack Daniel's Edition

15 Things You Didn't Know About Jack Daniel's

3. It's the best-selling American spirit

• In 2014, Jack Daniel's sold almost $3 billion worth of whiskey. Seeing as the average bottle is around $20, that’s 150 million bottles of Jack Daniel's, give or take. That number might be reduced by a million or so following the passing of Lemmy, but it should keep JD well ahead of the competition nonetheless.

10. No one seems to know what the number seven stands for

• When you order Jack at most bars, chances are you’re getting a shot of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7. For about as long as it has been bottled, Jack Daniel’s whiskey has borne the number seven, and to this day there is still argument about it. The most popular theory is that his distillery was registered as number seven by the government, though this contradicts our first fact. Others have suggested that it represents his seven lovers (Daniel was never married). Whatever the case, many claim to know for sure, but it’s still a mystery.

15. Jack might have died kicking a safe

• The legend of Daniel’s passing has been challenged by recent biographers, but as it goes, it was his temper that did him in. The company’s books were locked in a safe, and his nephew, Lem Motlow, was the one who usually opened it. One morning, Daniel arrived to work early, before his nephew. He tried to open the safe, but, as usual, could not remember the combination. Frustrated, he kicked the safe, breaking his big toe. This led to a blood infection that, years later in 1911, he eventually succumbed to. Before he died, he passed the distillery on to Motlow and another nephew, though Motlow ended up buying the other out. Motlow died in 1947, and thankfully never changed the name to his own. Because a Lem Motlow doesn’t quite sound like a thirst-quencher.

Complete list (Thrillist.com)

This Is A Good Looking Color Combo

Nike SB Dunk Low “Hemp”

(NiceKicks.com)

They See Me Rollin' - BMW Edition

(SpeedHunters.com)

No Kiddin'

(Bits&Pieces.us)

This May Be The Case, For Now

Are 50-goal scorers a thing of the past?

It all rests on Alex Ovechkin ... again.

Only he can save the NHL from going without a 50-goal scorer for the first time in a full season in the salary-cap era.

Maybe Ovechkin will do it again. He needs seven goals in his final 10 games. One should never bet against the Russian goal machine.

But if he doesn't, the specter of the NHL's first full season without a 50-goal scorer since 2003-04 -- aka the Dead Puck Era -- certainly underlines what everyone has known for a while: It's hard to score goals in this league.

(NHL.com)

Do You Dare?

(CarThrottle.com)

Toyota's Latest & Greatest Race Car

Here's Toyota’s New Twin-Turbo V6 LMP1 Beast 

We now have a full set of LMP1 cars for the FIA WEC in 2016, with Toyota following Audi and Porsche in revealing its new prototype - the TS050 Hybrid

(CarThrottle.com)

R.I.P. - Phife, The 5 Footer

Hip Hop Legend Phife Dawg Of A Tribe Called Quest Has Passed Away 

Sadly, it has been confirmed that Malik Taylor, the rapper better known as Phife Dawg from the legendary group A Tribe Called Quest, has died. The amazingly talented and quick-tongued lyricist was only 45-years-old.

(BroBible.com)

Nope

(BroBible.com)

I'm Going To Try This

Choose One Of These Two Payments Methods To Get Out Of Credit Card Debt Much Faster

What’s the snowball method of credit card payments?

Picture a snowball. Don’t picture it coming at your face, envision it on the ground. It starts small and after continuous rolls it gets bigger and bigger AND NOW picture it coming at your face.

The snowball method was made famous by financial author Dave Ramsey.

First, list all your debts from the smallest balance to the largest balance — regardless of the interest rate — and start with the smallest balance. Each month, pay only the minimum on all the other balances and focus the rest of your money on paying off that first balance. Once that’s gone, move onto the next balance and so on. The benefit to the snowball method is there’s a feeling of accomplishment in seeing each debt disappear.

So what’s the avalanche method of credit card payments?

Avalanches are scary as hell. Also scary is the biggest of your credit card balance. That number would make most people dump in their shorts. With the avalanche method, a person works on paying off their highest balance first. No matter how large. It’s the same method as snowball except all the small balances get minimum payments and the massive debt gets the big chunks of cash.

(BroBible.com)