2009 Indy 500

Commuting into Your Nation's Capital this morning I heard something I never expected to hear on NPR. The reporter noted that, yesterday, the Brazilian super star and perennially popular Hélio Castroneves won his third Indy 500 after emerging from some serious financial issues that threatened to wreck his career -- he won by almost 2 seconds, by the way -- and that he was followed by a previous race winner, Brit driver Dan Wheldon, and third place finisher Duh-neeka Patrick.

Wow. You have got to be woefully, self-mockingly out of touch as a news reporter to not know how to say Dan-eh-kuh's name properly. Do some homework. Call a friend. Watch a Go Daddy ad (or don't, those ads are lame). But, seriously? She is in a rare class of famous athletes who simply get referred to by their first name: Lance, Tiger, Shaq, Danica.

Would anyone say, "Be like Mee-kay?" Inconceivable!

Sure, she is not the greatest star in the racing firmament -- most other one-namers (say, Kobe) absolutely dominate their game and play it at another level, like them or not. But, she is the first woman to win an open wheel race. She has placed 4th at Indy. And now 3rd. And she is smoking hot.

Learn how to say it, people. "A-B-D" or "Danica! Danica!," she has earned the right to hear her name pro-now-see-ed correctly.

PS - Maybe I care too much. But I have some good friends--and a fellow godparent--who hook me up with annual Indy tix and let me tell you: while the view is undeniably better on the tee-vee -- frankly, it takes me about 60 miles just to be able to individually distinguish the cars as they scream past our seats at the notorious 4th turn into the straight-away containing that ole yard of bricks -- the event is cool and the gang. Oh, and "Silent Shout" by The Knife is great driving music; now playing on iTunes.