Enders v. Anderson

[nick name]

I get that GA doesn't want to be the answer to the trivia question, but by making this much of a deal out of it, he has now become the guy in the poster getting dunked over or burned on a deep pass pattern. The poster is the pic of EE and it should hang in all of the pits to remind him. I get the desire to win, and win them all and rip their throats out doing it. I just don't get the way he went about bringing it up and addressing the issue. I think at this point, she should sell autographed copies of the picture, or have a poster made of the finish line pic from that race. I would buy a copy..

I honestly don't think GA cares one bit about being the answer to a trivia question, but it sure makes good press. This thread alone has three times the views of anything else in the last day or so.

Erica doing the poster is probably a good idea by now as long as she's willing to put herself in that position. "In your face" works pretty well in school yard basketball, the NBA, and the WWF but it's new to drag racing.

She'd sell a bunch, no doubt, and lots of people would be carrying her image home.

She should thank Greg for making it all possible. Maybe he needs to paint his car black and put a big number 3 on the side. It worked for someone else who became one of the most famous racers ever.

 

[Gordon]

It's extremely easy to sit in the comfort of one's home and pass judgment on the things racers, or athletes in general, say in front of a camera in the heat of the moment. I've done it myself, so I know.

But... any of us who have never said something in the heat of the moment that we wish we could take back, raise your hand.

Or... any of us who've been on cloud nine after accomplishing a lifelong dream and then said or did something stupid because we weren't necessarily thinking clearly, raise your hand.

I can raise my hand to both instances, probably multiple times if I thought enough about it. If you can't then I dare say you haven't experienced any real challenge in your life, and for that I'm truly sorry.

Bottom line: They're both human beings, subject to the mistakes that humans sometimes make. Move it along, nothing to see here.

 

[George.]

It's extremely easy to sit in the comfort of one's home and pass judgment on the things racers, or athletes in general, say in front of a camera in the heat of the moment. I've done it myself, so I know.

But... any of us who have never said something in the heat of the moment that we wish we could take back, raise your hand.
.

How do you consider an event that happened over a month ago a "heat of the moment" reaction?
That excuse does not work for a mature, professional adult..
Sorry..

 

[Gordon]

How do you consider an event that happened over a month ago a "heat of the moment" slip?
That excuse does not work for a mature, professional adult..
Sorry..

I dunno, man. Competition is the heat of the moment. He had just finished a lap following a "perceived" mini-staging duel and he was asked about it. The event itself (the photo in question) happened a while ago, but no doubt festered a little, especially after the mini-duel on the starting line.

My point is that everyone expects "professional adults" to be perfect and they're not any more perfect than the rest of us.

 

[George.]

Oh, please!

Tender ego? Bruised ego? Insecurities? You're talking about a man who worked for WJ for years. Absolutely amazing. He wouldn't have lasted a week if your impression was true.

Am I slanted? Only in that my opinion is different from yours and based on what I personally know about Greg Anderson. I don't look upon him as a celebrity but rather as a very tough opponent who never gloated when he won the round.

Dan,
That's what success does, it breeds and feeds the ego.. GA has had much deserved success from years of hard work and sweat, nobody denies that.. Now maybe he sees and reacts to things a little different under that crown.
That's natural I guess, but his statements on TV were bush league.
If you can't recognize that, then you have blinders on.
Look at many before him.. Nobody was more humbled that Force, and now look what happens when you pee on his candle..
It happens, but so should the criticism when being foolish.

 

[George.]

I dunno, man. Competition is the heat of the moment. He had just finished a lap following a "perceived" mini-staging duel and he was asked about it. The event itself (the photo in question) happened a while ago, but no doubt festered a little, especially after the mini-duel on the starting line.

My point is that everyone expects "professional adults" to be perfect and they're not any more perfect than the rest of us.

That's fine to have a heat of the moment reaction. His reaction was a TV call out without the rest of the story, it comes across like it's rooted in his insecurities and ego with a one month delay dialed in the box...
No excuse covers that..

This is just me. If you have a problem with me, have the stones to confront me face to face, and not the cameras like a child.

 

[Horsepower & Heels]

I really don't think its a big deal. I think Greg had to expect something like that after making repeated comments about not wanting to be "that guy". I did think the little staging battle was a bit childish though.

 

[merc49]

true that.

Man! I gotta get off my back and out to the track. I dunno why, nuttin's changed since I been gone. Nuttin! Ehhhhh! Maybe I'll go to Indy! Or 4 wides!

Or the 2 kids who raced past the house, side by side, and pedal to the mettle!

(Google anything you can't understand.)

Soooo...anyway...will someone fix drag racing please?

No, I thought not.

I'm goin out to the curb and watch the kids have at it!

See ya in a couple-three-years.

PS to Zappy! Zach is working at Krogers, saving up for a Funny Car!
Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!

Bob_K49

 

[TooTall999]

To me, GA's reaction to the picture seems like an "old school" veteran getting annoyed at the antics of a young upstart. The picture of EE in front of the trailer with the Wally was a playful taunt at best. I'm sure GA is and has been taking flack from his competitors for the whole "I don't want to be that guy" and then becoming "that guy" thing. I'm sure ESPN will play it up to the point of it becoming nauseating, but it will pass. Erica will go on to win more races, Greg will probably win more championships, and the sponsors will get plenty of exposure. All part of the game...

 

[twostep]

It should have gone like this:

Greg to Gary at the track-end interview, upon being asked about the starting-line games, seeing as how he was tutored under Warren Johnson:

"That'll teach her to taunt me with that trailer picture. Took that punk to school, didn't I?"

And left it at that. Rivalry firmly established, Anderson isn't seen as a weasel, Enders even more determined to beat him next time, Dunn, Page and the internet forums talk about the interview and the class gets some much-needed exposure.

I do commend Anderson for being reserved enough to ONLY call Enders unprofessional, because what he really wanted to call her would have gotten him in a lot of trouble.

 

[chop]

GA's pompous @$$ has been disrespectful of his fellow competitors before. Does anybody remember this statement?

'If I was getting beat the way they are,I would be testing the wheels off my car'

Yes he said it,I remember it like it was yesterday. The quote might not be verbatim but it's close.

Dan

You keep bringing up he worked for WJ,what does that reference mean? Are you saying that's where he got his tude from? or something else? I'll tell you this about WJ,what you see is what you get,he doesn't pretend to be one way and act another.

 

[chop]

I do commend Anderson for being reserved enough to ONLY call Enders unprofessional, because what he really wanted to call her would have gotten him in a lot of trouble.

Only because the cameras were rolling,he didn't want a Kurt Busch moment. He waited till he beat her so he could drag her through the mud on camera.

 

[FC138fan]

I wonder why one would enter into a staging duel if one knows a staging duel is going to bother them.

And if there is no unwritten rule, why would you ever stage first when your facing a driver who is known to let staging games affect them so much?

I watched the 1994 western auto nats the other night - touted as one of the best pro stock races in history - the big players were WJ, KJ, and the dodge boys. But the final had Scott Geoffrion in a staging duel with WJ. After both refused to stage, Buster backed them off, and yelled at WJ... then they re-staged where WJ promptly staged first (making me wonder if Buster told WJ to stage first or face a DQ [Scott G. had lane choice]).

At the end WJ 's all worked up accusing Scott of "playing games", so Steve Evans lets Warren know that it takes two to play the game and asks why he didn't just stage first.

I think only an NHRA pro stock driver would be able to answer this, but what is the unwritten pecking order when it comes to drivers who like to stage last face each other?

Or is it just some feeling entitled to stage last?

Either way, whoever ends up on the line with a performance dis advantage against GA, wouldn't it make sense to play staging games knowing how much it bothers him?

 

[Crash]

As a hyper-competitive person myself ( I once bent my steering wheel pounding on it in the shutdown area) I understand GA being upset any time he loses. However, EE is not in the same stratosphere accomplishment-wise as GA and the Summit team, so I was a little surprised that he cared at all that she took that pic. She is not a threat to the Summit team as a whole, and I'm frankly shocked that he let that occupy space in his head at all. She was entitled to her celebration, it was a tremendous win, but it is over, and there are bigger fish to fry for both of them. All that being said, she handled it perfectly, that was impressive.

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

All this talk of not wanting to be "THAT GUY" is a crock. Forget the trailer pic. The finish line pic of her first win, will forever clearly show the SUMMIT car right there.

Does anyone really think GA would rather lose earlyer and have someone else runner-up??

Does anyone really think Summit would rather have the JEGS car in that pic??
I think not.

 

[nick name]

Dan

You keep bringing up he worked for WJ,what does that reference mean? Are you saying that's where he got his tude from? or something else? I'll tell you this about WJ,what you see is what you get,he doesn't pretend to be one way and act another.

I referred to WJ because in my mind Greg's public persona is becoming a lot like Warren's was/is. Not happy with a win? Classic WJ. Ragging at the other lane after a staging battle? Another hallmark.

IF that's what's driving him now it wouldn't surprise me in the least. Greg was pretty young when he started with Warren and Hagen aside, WJ is probably the one who instilled the ethic that Greg still folllows. You can't have lived that 24/7 for so many years without it being a part of you.

The other reference was to the charge that Greg was insecure and had a fragile ego. As you say, WJ pulls no punches. No one with a fragile ego or a sense of insecurity is going to last very long in his camp after the first time he unloads on you.

Though you may feel differently, I have never seen Greg act differently in public than he does in private.

At this point, I'll point to David Keech's post as the best in this thread and bow out.

 

[chop]

I referred to WJ because in my mind Greg's public persona is becoming a lot like Warren's was/is. Not happy with a win? Classic WJ. Ragging at the other lane after a staging battle? Another hallmark.

IF that's what's driving him now it wouldn't surprise me in the least. Greg was pretty young when he started with Warren and Hagen aside, WJ is probably the one who instilled the ethic that Greg still folllows. You can't have lived that 24/7 for so many years without it being a part of you.

The other reference was to the charge that Greg was insecure and had a fragile ego. As you say, WJ pulls no punches. No one with a fragile ego or a sense of insecurity is going to last very long in his camp after the first time he unloads on you.

Though you may feel differently, I have never seen Greg act differently in public than he does in private.

At this point, I'll point to David Keech's post as the best in this thread and bow out.

You must be a democrat,blame the republicans.

 

[Meeks]

IMO, Erica probably took that photo as a "hey, I finally got ya!" and he took it the wrong way and made himself look like a sore loser not to mention he is probably creating enemies in the pits with his attitude and poor timing.

 

[nick name]

You must be a democrat,blame the republicans.

I said I was done but I can't resist responding to this.

I have no idea of what you are talking about. Where in the h*ll did that come from?

It used to be that the internet rule of thumb was that an argument was clearly lost when someone brought up Hitler. I'll update that to say that when someone has nothing of value to say, they bring up politics in a thread that's completely unrelated.

 

[afx421]

bottom line- greg never took a pic like that in front of ericas trailer, she was rubbing it in because shes been the spoiled rich kid all her life! her erica.... greg 75 wins 4 time champion, you- 1 win!!!!!!!!!!!!! know your role!!!!! erica is very unproffesional and ill bet my eyeballs many other pro stock racers feel the same way about her as greg does!!!!