Every Sport has their 'Jungle Venue'

I would never defend the actions of the morons who decided to waste full cans of their beverage of choice at the conclusion of the Dega race yesterday. Their actions are in-excusable and they should be arrested, be banned from attendance of any future races, and bill boards should be plastered with all the offenders names, addresses and their fines from their stupid act.

Even the drivers like and even comment of the 'spectacle' that has become 'Dega'. They talk every year about the shenanigans going on in the infield, the craziness of the Dega race fans and the 'you never know what your are going to see' attitude. But it is this attitude that may actually promote the stupidity that was seen in the cool down lap yesterday.

But this problem is not just isolated to the Talladega Motor Speedway, the NFL has venues like Lincoln Financial Field and before that Veteran's Stadium in Philadelphia. This city can be very proud that they have the only NFL stadium with a working jail and booking area. Where fans have been known to actually cheer to the point of giving a standing ovation directed at opponents when injured and laying lifeless on the turf. Flash back to October 1999, as Michael Irvin lay crumpled and motionless on the Veterans Stadium turf Sunday afternoon, many of the Eagles' fans began cheering. The longer Irvin remained on the ground during the Cowboys' 13-10 loss, the more the crowd roared. The cheers reached an apex, when a stretcher was brought onto the field for Irvin.

The Cleveland Indians were once known for their rowdy fans that attended Municipal Stadium. Going so far as to cause the forfeiture of games, because fans were running onto the field, throwing objects at players and basically disrupting the game any why they could. The crescendo of this occurred in 1974 when a game with the Texas Rangers was forfeited in the bottom of the ninth inning because of fan behavior. This near riot went to the point of fans throwing folding chairs at opposing players.

Then there is Detroit, The Palace of Auburn Hills is home of the Pistons and the worst fans in the NBA. Here is a great idea, let's throw a beer on Ron Artest and see what happens. Even better idea, let's pick a fight with Jermaine O'Neil. Detroit fans, as a whole, are violent by nature, They have a knack for destroying their own city after winning a championship, at least that doesn't happen when a driver named 'Dale' wins a Dega.

I have witnessed live the same type of 'Dega stupidity' at last fall's race, and I for one am thankful that my tickets there are on the top row of the Allison Grandstand well clear of the possible bombardment of the lower seats. This is two races in a row where this has happened, and that is at the very least, one two many. I have seen that some think this problem would be solved if coolers were not allowed inside the venue. That remains to be seen, as coolers were not allowed in the Philadelphia, Cleveland or Detroit venues either.