Ryan Wilson Posts

The FanHouse Podcast: Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone.

CNBC's Darren Rovell is back on HausCast, this time to talk about about his upcoming documentary "Inside Track: Refueling the Business of NASCAR."

Along with co-host Will Brinson, we talk about how the collapse of the automotive industry has affected the sport, the similarities between NASCAR and less popular sports like the LPGA Tour, and what effect, if any, Danica Patrick might have on NASCAR should she make the switch. Darren also discusses Tony Stewart's biggest fan, and how Ryan Newman is in the enviable position of having the mostly recession proof Army as his primary sponsor.

We end things by getting Darren's thoughts on the late Billy Mays, one of the infomercial pioneers.

Fun starts after the jump.

Terrell Owens is a lot of things -- narcissist, team cancer, fan of front-yard topless sit-ups during press conferences -- but you can never accuse him of being unprepared. Despite the off-field distractions, T.O., even at 35, is consistently one of the best conditioned players in the league.

That doesn't mean he's not crazy, just that he's good at compartmentalizing his life. It also means that if I'm the Buffalo Bills, I'm worried about what I've gotten myself into. Owens, who signed a one-year deal with the team this spring, is also the star of his own reality show. And it's about what you might expect, but 1,000 times more absurd.

Video hilarity after the jump.

A year ago, Kenny Perry skipped the British Open because of a prior commitment to the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee. It's not often that a professional golfer would forgo a chance to play Royal Birkdale to tee it up at Brown Deer Park, but Perry had another motive: earning a spot on the Ryder Cup roster.

This time around, Perry will travel to Scotland for next week's Open Championship, although he is now faced with more serious issues than accumulating enough Ryder Cup points. His mother is battling cancer, and he wasn't sure if her condition would allow him to play Turnberry.

On Monday came word that 15 LPGA Tour players -- at the time, anonymous -- signed a letter calling for the resignation of commissioner Carolyn Bivens. Golf Digest's Ron Sirak writes that four of the signatures belonged to some of the biggest names in women's golf: Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel.

Ochoa is currently the No. 1 ranked player, Creamer is 4th, Kerr is 5th, and Pressel is 24th. It's one thing for the rank and file to be frustrated by perceived managerial incompetence, it's something else entirely when it's the Tour's best players -- and its biggest attractions. (And, yes, the irony of what it means to be an LPGA attraction isn't lost on me. Or Ochoa et al, for that matter.)

Anthony Kim has never scored better than Tiger Woods in any tournament in which they were both entered. That didn't change Sunday, when Tiger outlasted Kim, and held off Hunter Mahan, to win the AT&T National.

Kim began the final round tied with Woods atop the leaderboard. Tiger shot 67 and won, Kim signed for a 71, which was good for third place. Despite the outcome, though, Kim fared better than most of the young players slapped with the "next guy to challenge Tiger" label.

Off the top of my head, some (relatively) recent examples:

It's one thing to be amazed by a singular feat of athleticism. It defines a moment, sometimes a career. But Tiger Woods amazes us with multiple feats of athleticism, often several times during a tournament, and it's almost as if his last unbelievable shot outshines all the unbelievable shots that preceded it.

It's a rare quality. So rare, in fact, that I can't think of anyone -- in any sport -- who comes close to matching his success. Woods is the favorite at every major championship, no matter the state of his game. That won't change in two weeks at the British Open. In fact, yesterday's result -- a win at the AT&T National -- bodes well for Tiger at Turnberry, historically speaking, anyhow.

It's not as bad as former President George W. Bush suddenly drawing a blank when he was asked during an April 2004 press conference to describe his biggest post-9/11 mistake ("You know, I just -- I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer, but it hadn't yet..."), but it's more proof that world leaders, unlike most everybody else, have a skewed since of reality.

President Barack Obama is currently in Russia on a week-long diplomatic mission. And in his first interview with the Russian press he talked about ... his golf game.

John Daly only made it through 17 holes at last week's French Open, before withdrawing with a bad back. He'll try to tee it up at the Scottish Open on Thursday before making his way to Turnberry for the Open Championship.

Despite an off-season makeover that included lap-band surgery, a shiny new wardrobe, and a recommitment to the game, expectations are low for Daly. Success has been sporadic, and his 2009 European Tour experience hasn't been much different than 2008, one of his worst years as a professional.

Hunter Mahan started the day at the AT&T National -- the tournament Tiger Woods has hosted for three years now -- tied for 16th, six shots off the lead. And with just about every hole location qualifying as a sucker pin, nobody gave him much of a chance. Which is why it was something of a surprise when he signed for a 62, good for the top spot on the leaderboard ... right next to Tiger.

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Steve McNair played for Jeff Fisher for 11 seasons, including a trip to the Super Bowl in 2000. On Saturday, Fisher, who was in the Persian Gulf as part of the inaugural NFL-USO Tour, learned that McNair was dead.