Former seven-time World Formula 1 Racing Champion Michael Schumacher was critically injured in a skiing accident Sunday at Meribel in the French Alps. The 44-year-old retired German race driver was skiing with his 14-year-old son Mick on Sunday morning when he fell and hit his head on a rock. Even though he was wearing a helmet it wasn’t enough to totally protect him from sustaining a severe head injury. He was airlifted by helicopter to the University Hospital Center at Grenoble in critical condition. His physicians announced that he had been placed in a medically induced coma after undergoing emergency brain surgery to relieve the pressure of a cerebral contusion. At the time of this writing, his surgeons could not predict what the outcome of his treatment would be.
In 2002, while competing in the United States Grand Prix which was being held at The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Schumacher made headlines. After dominating the race from the drop of the green flag and within sight of the checkered flag, he slowed down and allowed his Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello, who was running second, to slide by him and take the .O11 of a second lead. It was the second closest racing finish in F1 history. Schumacher had already secured his championship title in the previous race.
Schumacher was the most successful driver in the history of Formula 1 with a record 91 career victories. He had 68 pole positions, also a record. His 72 wins while driving for Ferrari is a record for any driver with a single team. His seven championship wins is an F1 record. All in all, he holds 29 F1 driving records. In 2002, he was the world’s second highest paid athlete, and in 2004 Forbes magazine declared him to be the first billionaire race driver. Much of his income came from advertisements. He was Europe’s most popular celebrity endorser with coffee, vitamins, televisions, clothing, workout equipment, tires, credit cards, and vacation resorts among the products he promoted. He was also extremely generous with his time — money for children’s health and educational opportunities being two of the causes he championed. In 2004, he gave the equivalent of $10 million to Indian tsunami relief. He has campaigned tirelessly against drunk driving to promote automobile safety.
We can only hope and pray for a successful recovery for Michael Schumacher from the injuries he sustained in this tragic accident. January 3rd is/was his birthday.
Colts Playoffs
Our fourth seeded Indianapolis Colts will play host to the Kansas City Chiefs this coming Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium at 4:30 p.m. in the first round of the AFC playoffs. Our Colts finished the regular season last with a 30-10 victory over division rivals the Jacksonville Jaguars. The victory gave the Colts a 6-0 record in the AFC South division. You may recall that two weeks ago the Horseshoe laid a 23-7 smackdown on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The Chiefs were the NFL’s least successful team in 2012 which gave them the top choice in last spring’s college draft and the lightest schedule in the 2013 season. New Coach Andy Reid brought some fresh faces but more importantly he brought pride and confidence back to the Chiefs. As the season progressed they kept winning and went into their bye in week 10 with an 9-0 mark. Unfortunately when they came back in week 11, a loss to the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos brought them back to reality and they went 2-5 in the second half of the season.
Still, they are a dangerous team with one of the league’s most respected and feared defenses. Their offense has made great strides under quarterback Alex Smith, acquired in the off-season from the 49ers, so they are certainly not a team to be taken lightly. Our Colts are coming into the playoffs on a three game winning streak and seem to be jelling at just the proper time. The Colts offense has Andrew Luck and he is carrying the team. He is finally getting some help from some players like Griff Whalen and Da’Rick Rogers. Robert Mathis led the NFL with 19.5 sacks, a Colts single season record. Jerrell Freeman has become a real playmaker as the inside linebacker. So, while the Colts cannot take anything for granted, they have every reason to be confident. My game prediction: 27-13, the Colts.
snicewanger@yahoo.com