Cooling off

I heard it again this afternoon, driving through my hometown with FOX racing analyst Jeff Hammond on the airwaves. Another of the big myths NASCAR loves to perpetuate.

Discussing Tony Stewart's whole "B.S." quote after his win at Indianapolis a couple of races ago, Hammond essentially said that Nextel Cup drivers shouldn't be fined so heavily or docked so many points for a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment. Hammond also said that in other sports like basketball, football or baseball, athletes are given a cooling off period that NASCAR drivers aren't afforded.

That's categorically and unequivocally untrue. Period.

After every national NBA, MLB and NFL game broadcast, a key player is immediately interviewed by some TV talking head while still on the court or field. A number of local affiliates now do the same thing -- evidenced by the New England Sports Network's Red Sox broadcasts, which talks to an instrumental player before they even get back to the dugout following the game's final out.

It's everywhere in every sport at every level. Sideline interviews. Halftime interviews. MVP interviews. Heck, the only people waiting for cool-down periods anymore are the print media lackeys.

How can NASCAR types continue to suggest their drivers shouldn't be held accountable for what they say after heated race conditions -- and, by saying they need to be given some leeway, that's exactly what they're doing. Everybody else can watch their tongues during immediate post-game interviews, why can't some drivers?

Of course, it's not as though a 10-minute cool-down would help anybody. Unlike other athletes in other sports, NASCAR drivers make the mad dash for the helicopters as soon as they can change out of their driver suits -- sometimes sooner. Wait 10 minutes after a race for any Cup drivers still around, and you're likely to only see the guys coming out of meetings with Mike Helton and Robin Pemberton.

And maybe Morgan Shepherd, because he has to do all the work for his hauler himself.

Hey, I truly don't care what drivers say in their post-race interviews. I don't. Just don't tell me it's not their fault when Robby Gordon vents about Michael Waltrip or Dale Earnhardt Jr. fires off an S-bomb. And don't tell me guys in other sports aren't put in the same position, because they are.