Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:Ben E. King

Song:Stand By Me

Album:Anthology

Stand By Me has made Ben E. King one of the more durable R & B singers over the years but I'm sure most listeners don't know he wrote the song. He was born Benjamin Earl Nelson Sept. 23, 1938 in Henderson, NC and moved to Harlem at nine years old. He joined a doo wop group called The Five Crowns in 1958. Clyde McPhatter had left The Drifters and manager George Treadwell was dissatisfied with the group. He fired them and hired The Five Crowns and renamed them The Drifters. He sent them into the studio with producers Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller and they produced the Nelson written There Goes My Baby with Nelson singing lead. Nelson left The Drifters over money in 1960. Nelson changed his name to Ben E. King and went to work with Lieber/Stoller. The result was the 1961 top ten hit Spanish Harlem. The follow up Stand By Me was an even bigger hit. King wrote the song with Lieber/Stoller. King had several more hits but Stand By Me is his most enduring song. It also hit big in 1986 when Rob Reiner used it in his coming of age film Stand By Me. The following video was also produced. This 2CD comp from Rhino is perfect. Ben E. King still tours the oldies circuit and released the CD I've Been Around in 2006 on True Life Records. He has certainly had a long run and and is another great singer who benefitted from the expertise of Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller.

Clint Bowyer wins Richmond Busch Series race

The NASCAR Busch Series returned to Richmond for the Circuit City 250 on Friday night. Kevin Harvick had won the last three Busch Series races in a row and he was looking to extend the streak. Can Kyle Busch finish the race? Virginia native Denny Hamlin won the pole.

Denny Hamlin's #20 Z-Line Designs/Circuit City Chevy leads at the start. Sam Hornish Jr.'s #12 Mobil 1 Dodge hits the wall and brings out a caution on lap 16. Jeff Burton's #29 Holiday Inn Chevy takes the lead on lap 21. On lap 25, Denny Hamlin makes contact with Matt Kenseth's #17 Dish Network Ford and crashes into the inside wall. It looked like Hamlin drifted up the track into Kenseth. During the caution, Kevin Lepage's #52 Ford catches fire. Burton continues to lead.

Clint Bowyer's #2 BB&T Chevy takes the lead on lap 75. Justin Diercks' #70 Foretravel Chevy crashes to bring out a caution on lap 85. Everyone pits and Burton still leads. Dange Hanniford's #56 SMARTBOX Chevy hits the wall on lap 136. Everyone pits and Burton still leads. Matt Kenseth takes the lead on lap 166 and pulls away from the pack. It looks like he has the win in the bag if the race goes green.

On lap 223, JJ Yeley's #1 Miccosukee Gaming Chevy bumps Derrike Cope's #28 Checkers Restaurants Chevy and Cope hits the wall to bring out a caution. This is not what Kenseth wanted to see. Most of the leaders pit. Kenseth has trouble with the right front tire on his pit stop. Bowyer's stop goes smoothly and he gets out first. Carl Edwards' #60 Scott's Miracle Gro Ford stayed out to take the lead. But his older tires were no match for fresh tires and he would finish 13th. Bowyer took the lead and won easily. And here's a video of the final pit stops. The Busch Series is in Darlington next Friday.

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Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly

Song:Love Is The Key

Album:Anthology

At a time when Disco was king in the late 70s, Maze was a very popular R & B group led by Frankie Beverly. He was born Howard Beverly Dec. 6, 1946 in Philadelphia and changed his name to Frankie as a tribute to Frankie Lymon. He grew up singing in church and started out with The Silhouettes at age 12. In 1963 he formed a group called The Butlers and recorded for legendary Philly Soul producer Kenny Gamble. In 1970 he founded the group Raw Soul and moved to Oakland. Beverly's big break came in 1976 when his idol Marvin Gaye became aware of the group and got them a contract with Capitol. But Gaye didn't like the name Raw Soul and changed the name to Maze. Their 1977 debut went gold and began several years atop the R & B charts. The group had personnel changes but the one constant was Beverly and he wrote most of their songs. Love Is The Key was a top five R & B hit from the 1983 album We Are One. It was their last big chart hit. This 2CD comp has all their Capitol hits. Maze moved to Warner Bros. in 1989 but didn't have success there. They still tour today but haven't recorded in years. But like a lot of 70s R & B groups, Maze has been a big influence on hip hop. Here's Maze performing Joy & Pain in New Orleans in 1981. This was sampled by DJ Rob Base in 1988 and was a huge rap hit.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:Ted & Sheri

Song:Celebrate

Album:Celebrate

Ted & Sheri are a gospel duo from Memphis. They started out as members of the choir Voices Of Binghampton. Ted Winn went on to be a featured singer with Richard Smallwood & Vision. Sheri Jones-Moffett went on to be a featured singer with Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers. They started performing as a duo in 2002 and were noticed by former GospoCentric producer Neily Dickerson. She was starting a new label Church Howse Records. She signed Ted & Sheri and their 2003 debut Let The Healing Begin earned them a contract with Word Records. Word had recently been taken over by Warner Music. The 2004 CD Celebrate did very well and earned Ted & Sheri some Stellar Award nominations. The title song is a very energetic Donald Lawrence song. Former Kirk Franklin singer Myron Butler produced the record. Myron has his own solo career now. Sheri took time off to have a baby. It doesn't appear that Ted & Sheri are working together right now. Sheri has been appearing on the Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers Farewell Tour and she says on her MySpace that she is working on a solo CD. Here's Ted & Sheri performing Come Ye Disconsolate.

Toyota does her thing in JD Star

The original plan for the main event of the Apr. 30 JD Star show at Shin-kiba 1st Ring was for Fuuka to continue her Topgun series of matches against Manami Toyota. But with Fuuka AWOL, they had to find a replacement and Ayumi Kurihara was chosen. Apparently this was Toyota's first ever appearance on a Grapple Beauty show. So what about Fuuka? It's seems to be a combination of reality and angle. It looks like she did ask for time off to rest but she's returning as she resumed training this week. She posted a pic on her blog of her fooling around with the Mongolian Esi at Yoshida's Gym. Meanwhile, JD Star has turned it into an angle.




The show started with Kyoko Kimura coming out to the ring. This was very similar to what they did last week with Bullfight Sora. Kimura complained that she wasn't on the show and she was told to go away. So she took a seat in the crowd. The opener was a League Princess 07 tournament match between Misaki Ohata & Kaori Ohki. Ohki won their first match at the Junior All Star War. Ohata has yet to win a match. She looks very weak in the ring. She starts out with a series of dropkicks. Ohki gets her in a camel clutch. Ohata attempts a couple of rollup pins. After Ohki throws her own series of dropkicks, Ohata rolls Ohki up for the win at 5:03. Typically, JD Star let her talk. She was very excited about her first win. Then she says she wants Fuuka to return soon and wants to wrestle the senior Athtress because she respects her. Oy vey.




Next was another tournament match between Hiroyo Matsumoto & Murasaki. Matsumoto cntrols the match with a guillotine drop, an elbow attack and a face crusher. Murasaki comes back with a moonsault and a 619. Matsumoto hits a Mac Buster for the win at 6:21. Next is Bullfight Sora vs Commando Bolshoi. Kyoko Kimura mocks Sora as she comes to the ring. Kimura also helps Bolshoi by tripping Sora. Bolshoi wins at 11:06 and Sora gets to face Vanessa on May 4. Next was Shuu Shibutani & Cherry vs Mai Ichii & Yuri Urai. The end came when Ichii accidently nailed Urai with a high kick and Shibutani used a diving senton for the win at 14:22.




The main event was Manami Toyota vs Ayumi Kurihara. Toyota chose to work with Kurihara. Kurihara starts with dropkicks. Toyota counters with a camel clutch. Toyota does her standard dropkick to opponent in the ropes. Kurihara counters with an Achilles hold. Toyota hits a missile kick. Kurihara counters with an arm breaker. Toyota lands outside the ring and Kurihara hits a Plancha from the top rope to the floor. Back in the ring, Kurihara hits a missile kick then blocks a Japanese Ocean Cyclone suplex then follows with a back throw. But Kurihara misses a diving body press. Toyota hits two German suplexes and the Japanese Ocean Cyclone suplex for the win at 21:13. Afterwards, Toyota said she was very happy to be in Grapple Beauty and was very happy with the match. She also teased that she might face Shuu Shibutani. But she decided to team with Kurihara on the May 4 show against Shibutani & Natsuki*Taiyo. I have posted another slide show with 85 pics from the show.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:Muddy Waters

Song:Rock Me

Album:The Chess Box

This is the box set to get if you want a definitive collection of Muddy Waters' Chess recordings from 1947-1972. Anyone who has ever played rock music has been influenced by Muddy Waters. And the thing is that a minor song like Rock Me is now considered a classic today because of all the musicians who have covered it since he recorded it in the 50s. Not to mention that guys like Otis Spann, Jimmy Rogers & Willie Dixon were in his band and all of them were legends of the blues too. Muddy Waters did make a significant comeback in the 70s thanks to fans like guitarist Johnny Winter but this box is where it all started. Here's Muddy Waters performing Rolling Stone at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1960.

Police returning to OZ Academy?

Of course regular readers will know Mayumi Ozaki's longtime sidekick Police resigned from OZ Academy on the Apr. 1 show. He basically said that Ozaki was driving him nuts. I was pretty sure that we hadn't seen the last of him. So the OZ Academy webmaster interviewed Police in an attempt to clarify his status.

Police begins by thanking her for the interview. She is surprised by his politeness. She asked him about his resignation. He said he's still angry at Ozaki and he hasn't spoken to her. He says it's always been a difficult relationship. He's always tried to help her and she just yells at him. He says she's very selfish and he's tired of it. So has Police really left OZ Academy? Of course he doesn't give a straight answer. He says don't be surprised if he comes back with Aja Kong or Dynamite Kansai or he might form a new group. "Maybe I'll call it Police Academy. HAHAHAHAHA!" He says he might bring in outside wrestlers. Will he turn up in Osaka on Friday? A couple of other quick notes. AKINO will wrestle Aja Kong on the May 20 Shinjuku FACE show and like a lot of joshi companies, OZ Academy has started a blog seperate from their website. I'll keep an eye on that.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:Steppenwolf

Song:Monster/Suicide/America

Album:Born To Be Wild:A Retrospective

Steppenwolf was a very popular late 60s rock group that supposedly coined the term "Heavy Metal". They were led by lead singer John Kay. He was born Joachim Krauledat Apr. 12, 1944 in Tilsit, Germany and moved to Toronto as a teen. In 1965, he would form The Sparrow with fellow German immigrant Nick St. Nicholas and Canadians Goldy McJohn and Jerry & Dennis Edmonton. Dennis changed his name to Mars Bonfire. They all moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and Kay changed the group name to Steppenwolf. They signed with Dunhill Records and their third single was Mars Bonfire's Born To Be Wild. This was a big hit made even bigger by its use in the film Easy Rider. The song also had the term "Heavy Metal" in it. They had several more hits. Monster is from their fourth album in 1969. It reflects a trend at the time for rock groups to record lengthy politically charged songs. It holds up pretty well. This 2CD comp is the best comp out there but Steppenwolf is a group that probably merits a box set. Steppenwolf broke up in 1972. John Kay recorded as a solo artist and continues to tour today with a version of Steppenwolf. So Steppenwolf were a very good band and worth checking out. Here's Steppenwolf performing Monster in 1970.

Steppenwolf - Monster
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Tamura & Hyuga form uneasy tag team on Apr. 29 NEO show

On Christmas Eve, Yoshiko Tamura & Azumi Hyuga went to a sixty minute draw for all three title belts. It was a very good match and fans are wondering when the rematch will happen. NEO & JWP are wisely milking this for all its worth. In the meantime, NEO GM Koda decided to team them up on NEO's Apr. 29 Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse show. Also, Arisa Nakajima defended her JWP Junior Championship against Aya Yuki and Kyoko Kimura & Vanessa The Mountain team up in preperation for their May 3 match for the tag titles.

The opener had Ice Ribbon's Aoi Kizuki win over rookie Nagisa Nozaki with a double arm salto at 8:19. Then Haruka Matsuo won over JD Star rookie Misaki Ohata with a frog splash at 9:32. When will Ohata win a match? Stay tuned. It's comedy time. As a warmup for May 3, Etsuko Mita teamed with Makoto against Tanny Mouse & Bullfight Sora. Tanny Mouse pins Makoto with a diving Tanny butt at 13:28. Afterwards, Mita asked Makoto if she's afraid of Manami Toyota. Makoto says the mummy scares her too. They said they'll call them The Mammy & The Mummy. And NEO also announced that Etsuko Mita's 20th anniversary show will be on July 16 at Korakuen Hall.

Next was a tease for Thursday's NEO Tag Team Title match. Misae Genki & Yuki Miyazaki vs Kyoko Kimura & Vanessa The Mountain. Genki definitely is a match for Vanessa's size. But the whole point of the match was to display Vanessa's power. She does exactly that and uses a German suplex & a power bomb to pin Miyazaki at 15:48. Arisa Nakajima defends her JWP Junior Championship against Aya Yuki. Yuki gets Nakajima in a camel clutch. She continues to attack her back with stomps and a bow & arrow hold. Nakajima comes back with a stretch muffler and an STF. Finally a running elbow attack followed by the Cuty Special finishes Yuki at 11:33. Nakajima is on a roll.

The main event has Yoshiko Tamura & Azumi Hyuga vs Ayumi Kurihara & Shuu Shibutani. NEO & JWP are obviously tring to set up a future Tamura/Hyuga match as the two eye each other warily while deciding who should start the match. They tag each other frequently and copy each other's moves. Tamura hits a Patriot Buster and DDT on Shibutani and tags Hyuga. Hyuga hits a German suplex but Kurihara comes in to help and they hit a double missile dropkick on Hyuga. Then Tamura accidently nails Hyuga with a spin kick. The end comes when Hyuga hits Shibutani with a diving knee attack and a Michinoku Driver II for the pin at 22:29. After the match, Hyuga & Tamura don't shake hands and keep their distance. Too bad that isn't the main event this Thursday. But it should be worth the wait.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:Chuck Willis

Song:I Feel So Bad

Album:Blues Masters Vol. 1:Urban Blues

To the casual listener, Chuck Willis is a long forgotten R & B singer who was known for wearing a turban on stage. But he was very popular in the 50s before his premature death and many of his songs are standards of pop music. He was born Jan. 31, 1928 in Atlanta. He was singing with various bands in Atlanta when DJ Zenas "Daddy" Sears took an interest in him and got him a contract with Columbia's Okeh label. He had several R & B chart hits including I Feel So Bad in 1954. Elvis Presley later covered the song. He also wrote Oh What A Dream for Ruth Brown. He moved to Atlantic in 1956 and crossed over to the pop charts with his version of the traditional song C.C. Rider in 1957 featuring Gene "Daddy G" Barge's great sax solo. It was #1 on the R & B charts. Willis had been suffering from ulcers but his sudden death from peritonitis on Apr. 10, 1958 at age 30 sent shock waves through the R & B community. Urban Blues is one of a series of various artists comps from Rhino and also includes T-Bone Walker & Otis Rush. His Okeh recordings are on a 2CD comp called Chuck Willis Wails on Sundazed Records. Sorry, no video footage. There's no doubt that Chuck Willis' would have remained a star if he had lived but his songs live on forever.

Yuka Tsuji easily wins at Apr. 28 Smackgirl show

The other day someone asked me who would win the main event at Smackgirl's Apr. 28 Taisho Azeria show between Yuka Tsuji & Thricia Poovey. I suggested that the better question is how long will it take for Tsuji to finish her. For all Smackgirl's attempts to hype Poovey as King Of The Cage Flyweight Champ and Small Satan, she doesn't belong in the ring with Tsuji. And Tsuji is very calm about it. She just goes in and gets the job done. Poovey attempted to attack Tsuji with strikes but once Tsuji took her down, she just pounded on her until the ref stopped the match at 4:10 of round one. Poovey tried to bridge out but couldn't and Tsuji continued to hammer her. So an easy win for Yuka Tsuji. The big rumour is that Tsuji and Megumi Fujii will have their long awaited showdown in August. I sure hope so.

Megumi Yabushita made her return to Smackgirl against Benkei. Yabushita threw her around at will and along with several judo throws she nailed her with knee kicks while on the ground. Benkei got a yellow card for an illegal strike to the face and that assured Yabushita of win by unanimous decision. Smackgirl brought in a fighter named Kanitta from Thailand to face Ayumi "Edge" Saito in a Smackgirl Killer Queen Flyweight tournament bout. Edge hit her with a left hook and then took her down and finished her with an arm bar at 4:17 of round one.

Other fights included the Gi Grappling One Day tournament. Mika Nagano won over Atsuko Yamaguchi 5-4. Yasuko Mogi won over Yumi Masuda 3-0. In the final Yasuko Mogi won over Mika Nagano with an arm bar at 3:48 of round two. In a Next Cinderella Middleweight tournament match, Miyuki Aruga won over Hiromi Obata by unanimous decision. In a Next Cinderella Lightweight tournament match, Saori Ishioka won over YOKO by unanimous decision. In a kickboxing match, MANA won over Mi Kuni by unanimous decision. In a tae kwon do match, Yukiko Inoue won over Keiko Hanaoka. And Fukuko Hamada won over Akemi Morihara with an arm bar at 1:28 of round two. Check out the above picture of Yuka Tsuji posing with Hisae Watanabe, Madoka Okada and her title belt. Want to see more? The following slide show is courtesy of the Gravity Japanese Womens MMA fansite.

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Jeff Gordon wins at Talledega

When Jeff Gordon won last week at Phoenix and tied Dale Earnhardt for number of NASCAR Nextel Cup wins, he rode around the track with a #3 flag as a tribute. Some fans didn't take it that way and pelted the track with beer cans. Dale Earnhardt Jr. thanked Gordon for the tribute. He didn't understand why some fans were upset but suggested they should throw a roll of toilet paper because no one ever needed stitches after getting hit in the head with toilet paper. Gordon's not exactly a favourite at Talledega either and Gordon won the pole for Sunday's Aarons 499.

The race was clean at the start but things got a little messy at the end. Jeff Gordon's #24 Dupont Chevy led the first lap but was passed for the lead by Sterling Marlin's #14 Waste Management Chevy. These two trade the lead until Jimmie Johnson's #48 Lowe's Chevy leads on lap 20. After green flag pit stops, Gordon leads on lap 51. Tony Stewart's #20 Home Depot Chevy is too fast on pit road and goes a lap down. He gets the lap back after a lap 74 debris caution.

A caution comes out on lap 81 when Clint Bowyer's #07 Jack Daniels Chevy hits the wall. Kurt Busch's #2 Miller Lite Dodge leads after pit stops. After several brief lead changes, Jeff Gordon leads on lap 105. Green flag pit stops begin on lap 125. Casey Mears' #24 National Guard/GMAC Chevy is tapped from behind by Jimmie Johnson on lap 126 and hits the inside wall. Mears thought he was piiting with his teammate but Johnson didn't know about it. Kenny Wallace's #78 Furniture Row Chevy leads after pit stops.

On lap 131, Tony Raines & Jimmy Johnson drift up the track and Ricky Rudd's #88 Snickers Ford hits the wall. Kyle Busch's #5 Kellogg's/Carquest Chevy & Joe Nemechek's #13 CertainTeed Chevy hir the inside wall hard and Jeff Burton's #31 Cingular Chevy spins into Busch. Elliott Sadler's #19 UAW/Dodge Dealers Dodge leads after pit stops but Denny Hamlin's #11 FedEx Chevy takes the lead on lap 140.

At this point in the race, fuel mileage could be an issue. Denny Hamlin continues to lead and everyone is in single file for now. A lap 179 debris caution takes fuel mileage out of the equation for most guys but some stay out anyway. I don't like that strategy at Talladega because most cars can still get to the front in ten laps. Jamie McMurray's #26 Sharp Aquos Ford takes the lead on lap 183. David Reutimann's #00 Dominos Pizza Toyota blows an engine on lap 185. Jeff Gordon takes the lead just before the caution comes out. This sets up a green/white/checker finish. On the final lap, Greg Biffle, Johnny Sauter, David gilliland & Tony Stewart all crash. The field is frozen and Jeff Gordon wins the race. And as the above picture shows, fans pelted the track with beer cans again.

Congratulations to Jeff Gordon, crew chief Steve Letarte and car owner Rick Hendrick. Big top ten finishes for David Gilliland, David Stremme, Ryan Newman & Martin Truex Jr. Gordon still leads the points. Nextel Cup is in Richmond on Saturday. Here's the top ten of the race and a race recap video.

#/Driver/Sponsor/Make/Owner

1.24/Jeff Gordon/Dupont/Chevy/Rick Hendrick

2.48/Jimmie Johnson/Lowe's/Chevy/Rick Hendrick

3.2/Kurt Busch/Miller Lite/Dodge/Roger Penske

4.38/David Gilliland/M&M's/Ford/Robert Yates

5.26/Jamie McMurray/Sharp Aquos/Ford/Jack Roush

6.29/Kevin Harvick/Shell Pennzoil/Chevy/Richard Childress

7.8/Dale Earnhart Jr./Budweiser/Chevy/Dale Earnhardt Inc.

8.40/David Stremme/Wrigley's Winterfresh/Dodge/Chip Ganassi

9.12/Ryan Newman/Kodak/Dodge/Roger Penske

10.1/Martin Truex Jr./Bass Pro Shops/Chevy/Dale Earnhardt Inc.

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Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

Song:Wings And Things

Album:Cote d'Azur Concerts On Verve

Sometimes record companies do strange things. This 8CD box set is a complete version of Ella Fitzgerald/Duke Ellington concerts in Cote d'Azur, France on July 26-29, 1966. The box set finally reflects the reality of the concerts though Verve hasn't completely figured that out as Ella isn't really on this very much. The problem was that Ella's sister was dying and she had to return to the US to deal with that. The other thing is she doesn't actually perform with Duke though she had in the past. Verve has always sold this album as Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington and they even do that on this box set. But it's really a Duke Ellington box set and is recommended to his fans. His band is in top form and this extended jam of Wings And Things features sax player Johnny Hodges. It even features a full CD of rehearsal recordings. I guess it was easier to sell the album giving Ella top billing. But it isn't accurate. Here's video from Cote d'Azur with Ella Fitzgerald singing Satin Doll. She's backed by her own trio and the Ellington band but Ellington isn't on this.

Pit strategy gives Erik Darnell Kansas Craftsman Truck win

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was back at Kansas Speedway for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250. During the break, NASCAR mandated a new intake manifold for the Toyota teams to try and even out the field. Mike Skinner was looking for his fourth win in a row and he won the pole too.

The pattern of this race is anyone who gets out front can stay there because they're getting clean air. But they'll have trouble back in the pack. Mike Skinner's #5 Toyota leads at the start. A spin by Clay Rogers' #40 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevy brings out a caution on lap 8. Erik Darnell's #99 Northern Tool & Equipment Ford had to go to the back of the starting grid for an unapproved change. Crew chief John Quinn has him pit to take him out of sequence. This will turn out to be the move of the race.

Mike Skinner continues to lead until green flag pit stops begin on lap 53. Erik Darnell gets the lead on lap 61. Johnny Benson's #23 360 OTC Toyota gets loose and bumps Kelly Sutton's #51 Team Copaxone Chevy into the infield grass to bring out a caution on lap 72. Darnell still leads and Skinner is never able to return to the front. That's about it. Darnell wins easily and Rick Crawford, Jack Sprague, Johnny Benson & Mike Skinner are the rest of the top five. That early pit stop turned out to be the key to Darnell's win. Here's video of the final lap. Skinner still leads the points and the next Craftsman Truck race will be in Charlotte in three weeks.

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Bobby Labonte wins Talledega Busch Series

Bobby Labonte & Tony Stewart were teammates for Joe Gibbs Racing for several years in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series. Both are former champs. So it was kind of cool to see them as teammates again at Saturday's Aarons 312 in the Busch Series at Talledega. Both were driving cars owned by Kevin Harvick. That relationship was a key to the finish. 19 year old Joe Gibbs Racing developmental driver Brad Coleman won the pole.

It was a typical Talledega race with the cars running in packs, constant lead changes and the closeness of the racing causing several accidents. It's exciting for fans but scares the drivers. Brad Coleman's #18 Carino's Italian Grill Chevy leads at the start. Ward Burton's #27 Cottonelle Ford runs second but is spun out on lap 8. Martin Truex Jr. & Scott Wimmer are badly damaged. On lap 20, Carl Edwards' #60 Sharp Aquos Ford leads. On lap 28, Kyle Busch's #5 Delphi Chevy pulls out to try and take the lead. Instead of going with him, Tony Stewart's #33 Old Spice Chevy clips him. Busch winds up on his roof and then rolls over several times in the grass. He's fine.

Everyone pits but Kasey Kahne's #9 Shedd's Country Crock Dodge had pitted earlier so he stays out to lead. David Gilliland's #25 Free Credit Report.com Ford spins on lap 56 to bring out a caution. Most guys pit and Casey Mears' #24 National Guard Chevy takes the lead. Greg Biffle's #16 3M Ford crashes on lap 91 to bring out a caution. He got caught in a bump draft sandwich. Carl Edwards bump drafted him not knowing that Juan Pablo Montoya was close to Biffle's front bumper. He got out of shape. Very typical of Talladega.

Everyone makes final pit stops. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s #8 Menards/Vertis Chevy has been up front and is poised to get back there but he breaks a transmission on lap 96. Casey Mears is leading. Aric Almirola's #20 Rockwell Automation Chevy hits the wall to bring out a caution on lap 101. Then the dreaded "big one". On lap 110, Ward Burton bump drafts Steve Wallace's #66 HomeLife Communities Dodge and Wallace takes out Stephen Leicht, Kasey Kahne, Mike Bliss Marcos Ambrose & David Reutimann. NASCAR throws the red flag for cleanup.

Casey Mears leads on the restart. Debris from Kasey Kahne's wrecked car brings out a caution on lap 116. He probably shouldn't have been out on the track. On the green/white/checker restart, Mears leads but Bobby Labonte's #77 Dollar General Chevy is pushing Tony Stewart to the front. He does exactly that and is somehow able to pass Stewart for the win on the final turn. Check out this exciting video footage. Carl Edwards still leads the points The Busch Series is in Richmond this Friday.

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Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:Shirley Caesar

Song:Patiently Waiting

Album:Live...He Will Come

Shirley Caesar is known as The First Lady Of Gospel Music. She was born Oct. 13, 1938 in Durham, NC. She grew up singing in church and started out in the 60s with The Caravans. Shirley's music has become the standard by which other gospel artists are judged. She's almost 70 years old now and she shows no signs of slowing down. This 1995 CD Live...He Will Come is fairly typical. It's a live recording with her backup singers and a choir. Shirley's performances are always energetic and this video of Sweeping Through The City illustrates that. Shirley was with Word Records for over 30 years but was dropped in 2003. She now has her own label distributed through Artemis and released I Know The Truth in 2005. She has her own church in Durham and is also involved in the recent Caravans reunion. Shirley Caesar is more than a gospel music icon. She is a great entertainer and is worthy of your time.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:Stevie Wonder

Song:Another Star

Album:Songs In The Key Of Life

Stevie Wonder was already an extraordinary talent as a teenager but adulthood allowed him to take more control of his music. This revealed him to be more talented than anyone knew. His music became more sophisticated and had a deeper meaning. His 1972 album Talking Book was a huge success and eventually he decided to record an even more ambitious album. The result is 1976's Songs In The Key Of Life. The only problem was it took forever for him to record it. Motown got on his case and it was finally released as a 2LP set with an extra single. It has some of Stevie's best songs including Another Star but in retrospect one can see some self indulgence. Maybe he could have cut some songs or split it into two albums. It's still great and is available on two CDs now. Stevie's self indulgence would become more apparent with the mostly instrumental The Secret Life Of Plants and then he lost his edge in the 80s and became sappy and sentimental. It's only with his 2005 CD A Time To Love that he seems to be returning to form. So Stevie Wonder is a genius but a flawed genius just the same. Here is Stevie Wonder performing Another Star in Madrid, Spain Apr. 17, 1995.

Mickie James vs Victoria on HEAT Take 2

Again the WWE has Mickie James vs Victoria on HEAT and again I am posting the match here for your convenience. You may have heard that there was a WWE Womens Title switch on a house show in Paris earlier this week. There was a three way match with Melina, Mickie James & Victoria. Mickie pinned Victoria to win the title. Melina came out later in the show and whined to Coachman that she lost the title without being pinned. Of course he gave her a match with Mickie and Melina regained the title with her feet on the ropes. Apparently the original title swap was a mistake as Victoria didn't kick out in time. Maybe the ref messed up. But the WWE has acknowledged the title swap on their website. Enjoy the match.


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Yahoo LAUNCHCAST song of the day

Artist:The Animals

Song:House Of The Rising Sun

Album:Best Of The Animals

Like a lot of the better British Invasion groups of the 60s, The Animals were heavily influenced by America R & B of the 50s. They came out of two groups from Newcastle. The Kansas City Five featured Alan Price on piano, John Steel on drums & Eric Burdon on vocals. Price left to join Chas Chandler's group The Kontours and in 1963 Steel & Burdon would join him in what was then called the Alan Price R & B Combo. Guitarist Hilton Valentine was added and the group name was changed to The Animals. Their first EP led them to manager Giorgio Gomelsky and producer Mickie Most. House Of The Rising Sun was their first big hit in 1964. Alan Price reworked this traditional blues song. His organ solo still sounds great today. The song was also huge in the US after MGM picked them up. They had several follow up hits. Alan Price left the group in 1965 reportedly over a fear of flying. Actually he wasn't getting along with Burdon. Then they split with Most in 1966 as they thought he was taking the band in a more pop oriented direction. This comp has a lot of their hits from the mid 60s. The Animals split up in 1966 but Burdon reformed them and still tours with a version of The Animals today. Price has never gone after commercial success as a solo artist but he's still active in England. The Animals' best songs are still great today and here they are performing House Of The Rising Sun in 1964.

Mongolian wrestler Esi to debut on May 3 Ibuki show

Nikkan Sports says a Mongolian whirlwind will make her mark on the joshi puroresu business. She is 21 years old and her ring name is Esi (pictured on the right). She will debut teaming with Ran YuYu against Leon & Aya Yuki at the May 3 Ibuki show at Korakuen Hall. Ibuki owner and trainer Mariko Yoshida says though Esi is still new to joshi, she has a hungry spirit that many of today's young girls don't have.

Yoshida went on a talent hunt to Mongolia on New Year's Day of this year. A joshi video was shown to young people in Ulan Bator. There was representation from judo & sumo as well. Yoshida watched Esi at judo and asked her if she was interested in pro wrestling. Esi had watched pro wrestling on TV at home. She accepted and went to live at Yoshida's house in February. She has been training ever since and Yoshida gives her pocket money. Yoshida says she is starting her own dojo in May and plans to return to Mongolia in July. She feels that once other girls see Esi's success, they'll want to come train in Japan too.