Compliment Sandwich: James Stewart

I know I usually hype the tough love motivational tool that I have created with BROtocross, but I decided to try a little something different today and go with a classic motivational technique from everyone's (including your parents) favorite baby, Stewie Griffin.


Ok, something good, something good...I think James proved at Daytona that he is the most talented rider on the planet. He was doing stuff in almost every section that no one else was even thinking about. The leap over the wall was pure art. Matthes made a point in his podcast yesterday on Pulp MX that is worth bringing up here: Guys like Villopoto are fucking crazy. Pretty much anyone in the main event of a supercross jumps shit at local tracks that makes you sit and watch thinking God must hate you for not granting you that kind of ability, or at least an 11 incher in your trousers. When they aren't jumping something, that means it's dancing on that razor thin line between possible and impossible. Stewart hit that thing and mechanics started packing it in, because the race might as well have been over...

Of course, we all know what happened, and that brings me to the meat of this compliment sandwich: James, the "I win every race or I crash going for it" stat only sounds cool if you don't crash out of almost every race. The guy just rides with no defensive technique whatsoever. It works great when he doesn't make a mistake, but when he does, it's all over. Seriously, how many times has he washed the front end in corners this year? Could be bike set up, but the guy clearly needs to work on something. If you want your forks set up like that, then you had better be prepared to ease it up going into turns, because your stat might as well be "I win every race 20% of the time." Oh, that doesn't roll off the tongue so well, does it?

But that's my criticism, now we'll move on to something good. Let's see, something good, something good.... Well James has to be doing something right, because Ralph Sheheen is about ready to have a baby with that quick little mofo. I could hear the civil union bells ringing away as Ralph talked about James Stewart and the Rock Hard, Ride Hard award. We all know what you're trying to say there, Ralph. Rock hard. Ride hard. James Stewart. I get the inference. Everytime Ralph mentions James he sounds like he's sporting a little Rock Hard, Ride Hard award of his own. And this is totally unrelated, but I still maintain that Randy from Trailer Park Boys is Ralph's long lost twin, which is just so perfectly fitting if you are familiar with the show.