OMG Miller ... huge credibility gaff
Echoes of Dan Rather and the Bush debacle. And look what happened to poor Dan
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OMG Miller ... huge credibility gaff
Echoes of Dan Rather and the Bush debacle. And look what happened to poor Dan
And if Miller muffed this one, the exact same thing should happen to him.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChicagocrewIRL
Hey, I understand this may look bad on both Bruce Martin and Robin Miller, but people have denied unification after it happened.
It is also possible TG just doesn't know his job position is now gone from IMS yet.
Or, its all a hoax and RM and BM got hosed good on this one, and could lose their jobs because of it.
I agree with you, but lets not give RM the boot just yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
From SI.com
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...rge/index.html
ugh my insides are being turned inside out .......not pretty
Indianapolis Star - burned bridge
CART - bankrupt
CCWS - bankrupt
Speed - hanging on by a fingernail
VERSUS - where did he come out on the decision to go to VERSUS?
Definitely agree with you there. The only thing that's now garonteed is that someone is going to have a huge buzzard egg plastered to their face after this one is resolved.Quote:
Originally Posted by DBell
haha you said "buzzard egg!!"Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
Robin may be wrong - but as a journalist, I doubt he just came up with a such a story. Something must have happened. Or someone credible told him something had happened which would mean someone has an agenda.
Found this at another site.
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/india...S_CEO_20090527
I think this part of the story was interesting.
Quote:
George said there was a meeting held Tuesday morning but he called the meeting "typical" and said it was called to review the past month and the race. However, George seemed to acknowledge some uncertainty when asked if it was possible there was another meeting Tuesday night.
"Maybe something happened that I'm not aware of -- I don't know," George said.
http://www.indystar.com/article/2009...+charge+of+IMS
check it out tony still is the CEO
Quote:
Originally Posted by DBell
I have an idea for a drinking game. Everytime Tony George says, "I don't know", you take a shot of your favorite beverage. Who's up?!Quote:
"Maybe something happened that I'm not aware of -- I don't know," George said.
:D Talk about acute alcohol poisoning.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
When the time comes it should be incorporated on TG's headstone:
"Here lies Anton George- He never knew"
Which is why you have to get a second source on such a story or at least inform the corporation of your story and be able to report that they declined to comment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Krogshöj
Thats a knock of old the old Gil de Ferran when you drank when he said "You Know"....Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
OOPS!!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilf
For Immediate Release
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY STATEMENT
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
At a regular meeting of the board of directors of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 26, board members asked Tony George, chief executive officer of the IMS companies, to devise a plan for management of Hulman & Company, the Indy Racing League, Clabber Girl and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that would allow him to focus on the business which requires the greatest attention. This plan is to be presented to the board at a meeting later this year.
IMS Chairman of the Board Mari Hulman George said: “There was a general discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing all of our companies and where most of our energies need to be spent. All of our properties are doing well, given the challenges of the current economy. The Indy Racing League represents our greatest growth opportunity and therefore deserves the most attention at this point.”
Tony George said: “Contrary to published reports, I continue to serve as CEO of IMS. Our board of directors met yesterday, and we did discuss how to best confront challenges and exploit opportunities facing our businesses. This is nothing new and is something that we continually do as a board. But no changes in leadership or responsibility have been made. We don’t normally comment on board deliberations concerning our family business. However, the widespread, inaccurate reports and rumors caused my mother and me to conclude that it was necessary to set the record straight. If changes are made in the management of the company that are newsworthy, we will announce them when they are made.”
…IMS2009…
Media Contact: Ron Green, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, (317) 492-6780, rgreen@brickyard.com
World Wide Web: http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com
Humpy is the same sort of gimmick prone person Tony is.Quote:
Originally Posted by chuck34
Works fine for Nascar down south, but Indianapolis Speedway is not NASCAR down south.
Robin Miller to be on JMV at 4pm eastern on WNDE
http://www.wnde.com/main.html
Miller will be on LIVE at 4pm EDT on WNDE Sports Radio Indianapolis
http://www.wnde.com/main.html
Quote:
Originally Posted by gofastandwynn
But no live streaming to the internet that I could find.
Gary
mine isn't working either.... Im sure we will get some locals to fill us in. Thanks in advance.Quote:
Originally Posted by garyshell
Quote:
Originally Posted by garyshell
If you have a iphone you can listen through the iheart radio application
As far as clear channel goes I have only been able to get it to work using IE as the browser
Note: He will now be on at 5:15 eastern
well well wellthis is all very int
eresting now isn't it
Of course. so. I'm just saying there has been something in the background. But he's made a huge mistake and his credibility will take a hit, deservedly so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilf
Looks like the original story from this morning has been modified but NOT RETRACTED. It has statements of Tony George's confirmation that he is in fact still the CEO of IMS. So it looks like Robin Miller is sticking to his story.
The new headline reads.... TRANSITION COMING AT IMS.
The original headline from this morning read something to the effect : TONY GEORGE OUSTED ... not sure the exact wording.
http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/artic...coming-at-ims/
From AP
Quote:
May 27, 5:49 PM (ET)
By MICHAEL MAROT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Tony George is still the CEO of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
How much longer he holds the title remains unclear.
On Wednesday, track officials denied that the board of directors voted to oust the 49-year-old CEO and said that George has instead been asked to create a more efficient plan for spending time running the family's businesses. George, the Indy Racing League founder, must report back to the board later this year.
"Contrary to published reports, I continue to serve as CEO of IMS," George said in a statement issued by the speedway. "Our board of directors met yesterday, and we did discuss how to best confront challenges and exploit opportunities facing our businesses. But no changes in leadership or responsibility have been made."
Yet.
The board wants George to focus on the area that needs the greatest attention. The Hulman-George family has run the speedway for six decades and also owns the IRL and Clabber Girl, a baking-powder company based in Terre Haute, Ind.
Tony's mother, Mari Hulman George, made it clear which part of the company that should be.
"The Indy Racing League represents our greatest growth opportunity and therefore deserves the most attention at this point," she said in the statement.
But throughout the day, confusion reigned in Indianapolis.
SpeedTV.com reported Wednesday morning that the board, which is comprised of George, his mother, his three sisters and attorney Jack Snyder, had removed George as the speedway's CEO after 20 years in the position.
Series regulars were shocked.
They were even more confounded when George later appeared outside the 100-year-old track to deny the report.
"I think a lot of people were wondering what exactly was going on," longtime IndyCar team owner Dennis Reinbold said. "The whole thing was confusing. It didn't seem to make any sense."
Clearly, the economy has put a premium on the company finances.
George has spent hundreds of millions or dollars in the past 13 years to make track renovations and keep the IRL afloat.
Construction for a road course, new press tower and new Pagoda cost about $100 million. Those facilities were built for a Formula One race that is no longer held in Indy.
He also broke with tradition by bringing NASCAR and Grand Prix motorcycle to a track that had only hosted one race each year, the Indianapolis 500, until 1994.
But the cost to keep the track in good condition can be astronomical.
"This place wakes up every morning and eats money," George told local TV reporters. "We spend a lot of money keeping it in the condition we do. Certainly the Indy Racing League has in the past required a lot of capital to keep it going when there was two competing series - and a lot of money was spent last year trying to unify."
The statement indicated the family businesses are not in trouble, but the speedway and IndyCar series have been cutting back.
Over the past six months, about 60 staff jobs were eliminated, and George's wife Laura, who co-owns Vision Racing with her husband and actor Patrick Dempsey, lost her job as an adviser. George said she had not been fired.
Throughout the series' signature May event, the 500, there were noticeable differences such as a reduced practice schedule and fewer staff members around the track.
At Tuesday's regularly scheduled meeting, one of the topics was efficiency.
"There was a general discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing all of our companies and where most of our energies need to be spent," Hulman George said. "All of our properties are doing well, given the challenges of the current economy."
That could put George in the position of determining where his energy is best spent - at the track, with the series or, perhaps, finding a way to still do both.
Reinbold prefers the third option.
"He's done a lot of innovative things that have been good," Reinbold said. "We in the IndyCar series are growing and that's directly under his watch and his responsibility. I've made mistakes in my business, and I think there's been a few mistakes in the IndyCar series as well, but you live and learn. I think to be growing in times like this, that means our positioning is pretty good."
---= Associated Press Auto Racing writer Mike Harris also contributed to this report.
Well maybe Robin isn't so far off base after all.
Gary
NascarNow just had both TG & RM on camera (NOT TOGETHER ;-). TG denied he was out, but hemmed & hawed about all the problems they've had. RM is sticking by his story, and said it may be like his "Winston leaving Nascar" story 7 years ago, They'll save face for a few days, then admit it.
Truth's probably somewhere in the middle.
What did Robin say? Yes there will be changes in the future, but that isn't what he said; he said it was a done deal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonesi
Why do we always give Robin a pass; he's no Bill Clinton.
Smoke = fire?
At least nobody is complaining about 3.9 ratings anymore.
After reading all the anti RM stuff on the boards the last couple of years, I wouldn't say he gets a pass. We wouldn't have heard about any of this if he hadn't said anything about it. He may not have not got it all right, but clearly something is going on.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilf
One thing I'll say about Robin, he's about the only one left who writes and reports on TV about the IRL on a regular basis. Lose him and there is that much less being said on Indycar than there is now. Whether I'm agreeing with him or cussing him, I hope he continues to report in OW.
in the end we have two stories....robins is rife with agenda.... and the the IMS press release reeks of damage control...
but in the end they really aren't that different
I suspect the bottomline is that IMS will not be funding the IRL anymore.... certainly not to the tune of 100's of millions
I remember a thread two weeks ago where I was vilified for suggesting Robin wasnt much of a journalist. I like reading his stuff...I just dont take him too seriously.Quote:
Originally Posted by DBell
I feel a little vindicated now. He called the cars toilets.....I guess that's where his career is headed.
Ken - let me start off with I'm sorry we didn't get together at the 500 Sunday. Beyond that, I am disgusted with Robin's article and I am lost where you see damage control in the following:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken
At a regular meeting of the board of directors of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday, May 26, board members asked Tony George, chief executive officer of the IMS companies, to devise a plan for management of Hulman & Company, the Indy Racing League, Clabber Girl and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that would allow him to focus on the business which requires the greatest attention. This plan is to be presented to the board at a meeting later this year.
IMS Chairman of the Board Mari Hulman George said: "There was a general discussion about the challenges and opportunities facing all of our companies and where most of our energies need to be spent. All of our properties are doing well, given the challenges of the current economy. The Indy Racing League represents our greatest growth opportunity and therefore deserves the most attention at this point."
At the very least, it politely indicated without saying it that Robin Miller doesn't know what he is talking about; Tony George is the CEO of IMS. Lest we forget, Robin said he was ousted.
If Robin would have reported that the board was upset and that they gave him a deadline to present a plan for success, that would have been easier to swallow. That is happening more and more all the time in any number of corporations and I wouldn't be surprised at all that they gave him a deadline with an or else clause.
Where in that statement do you see they have reduced funding of the IRL or are you referring to the truth as Robin knows it?
If you want to see damage control, check out the SPEEDTV.com website; the story still has the 5/27/2009 10:06 AM posting time but it is now significantly different from the original post.
You and I can have agendas in this forum; a commentator is not supposed to use his electronic soapbox to promote his agenda.
I look forward to the continued debate over the way to proceed with open wheel racing without Robin making a fool of himself and getting the rest of us all stirred up.
Wilf,
Robin is not that stupid. I don't think the fat lady has sung the aria yet. Let's just say for the sake of argument that Robin did get most of the story right and that the George family was not ready for the rest of the world to know it. Wouldn't the type of statement Mari made be exactly the sort of damage control that would be called for? Using the cover Mari just provided, TG can now prepare a plan that has him step down from IMS operations and say it was all his idea. Saving face and tamping down the istory of the inter-family squabble. Just sayin'...
There is after all precedent for this sort of action, how many times was the unification denied before they finally came clean?
Because of the press release, not in spite of it, I think the jury is still out on TG's role at IMS. But I do agree with you on the funding of the IRL. The bit about the IRL being their biggest growth opportunity blows a big hole in Ken's idea this means less funding for the IRL.
Gary
This is perhaps an optimistic view of it, and also very naive, but here's my interpretation of this from IndyCar.com:
"At a regular meeting of the board of directors of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, board members asked George to devise a plan for management of Hulman and Company, the Indy Racing League, Clabber Girl and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that would allow him to focus on the business that requires the greatest attention."
Tony is being asked to do less, he's maybe being told that he's doing some things well, but he's got his hands in too many pots at the moment. He needs to focus on a few key areas that he believes he can make improvements in. Maybe that includes IMS, maybe IRL, the specific areas are to be determined. But in his current role they believe he has too much power, too much responsibility, and the board wants to relieve him of some of that responsibility. This is different from what Miller said, although Miller was not really that far off the mark. The truth seem so be somewhere in the middle, between what Miller said, and what was said in the press conference. The most significant detail is that, right now, George is still the CEO. In the bigger picture, I see this as perhaps a good thing. One of the issues most of us have had with the IRL is that they are very reluctant to make changes, they move at a very slow pace on any significant decisions. I think new leadership in certain areas could be a good thing. A significant drop in funding to the IRL, if this happens, is not such a good thing. But I think the league will survive, perhaps with a moderately reduced field, less a race or two, and an even higher number of pay-to-play drivers. I don't think this will have an immediate drastic impact, and maybe 3-5 years from now will be better for the series.
no reason for you to be sorry... I was the slacker on this one.... there were three others in the group....i was not the leader of the bunch etc etc...Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilf
had a great time....racing fri sat and sun... IMS is very impressive... I went in 94'.....but I didnt I fully appreciated the place
anyhow...maybe Chicago....
heres a question
someone fed Robin some info .......personnaly I wonder who?...maybe one of the sisters?... anyone know one or more of them?.... is there one that might be a bit more miffed than the rest?
rereading Robins article it's clear he got a big fat boner and the blood ran from one place to the other and he got more than carried away with Glee...
as far as IMS is concerned I suspect they didn't think the details of the meeting would be known much less reported.....certainlynot the next morning
I believe Tony has indeed been voted out as CEO of IMS....but it wasn't supposed to take place until later in the year....reality 2009 is 1/3 done... and the next 2 events are past the planning stage and only need to be executed at the point
as far as your specific paragraph and damage control....
it perfectly sets the stage for Tony to step away from IMS etc and remain in control of the IRL and give it his 100% attention.....
IMO this is not over....but will actually play out over the remainder of 2009...
as far as Gary thinking theres a big hole in my OPINION that the IRL will no longer be funded by the IMS coffers.....Time will be very telling I suspect
I have know love for Robin Miller.....Hell I have major issues with Miller.
But I heard the same story from what are probably the same source........Miller should stand by the story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken
Ken,
I realized it was your opinion, didn't intend to imply anything else. Sorry if it sounded like I was.
Yes, time will tell. But the fact that Mari made the point that they considered the IRL as their biggest growth opportunity makes me think they aren't looking to pull back any time soon.
Gary
Gary, time will tell, but what I've seen in the last year is that TG has already been cutting back significantly on the free money. In 08 and with the new Team program they were handing out money all over the place to make sure unification went smoothly. But I see a comment, like the 2013 one, in the context of today's events, and I think that profitability is as big a concern as any in the series right now, and that this profitability will need to be reached soon, and with less $$ from Hulman George to help it along. What they may be hoping for is a unique and creative talent to come on board, maybe a Humpy Wheeler, who can inexpensively get things rolling in the right direction. Throwing money at it hasn't had the desired results, and they simply do not have or want to throw more money at it. As I said earlier, I don't think there's going to be these drastic cuts or changes in the next 12-24 months, but things will become a little more difficult moneywise for the team owners. And if things do not pan out for the popularity of the series, than more significant steps will be taken, and I think we can all imagine what those would be. I don't see the series disappearing anytime soon, but ownership and exclusivity in the marketplace could once again be issues. And personally, I do not want to see OW go through that again.
Absolutely. Miller did not just decide to write such an article without some form of confirmation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lousada
My belief is that it took the Hulman's off guard.
Open wheel is better off without this guy. Empty tracks and paying to get drivers in cars. Sound familiar. All the hypocrites that left to form the IRL and xenophobic endeavors have now had to eat crow as a result of their greed.
All they could see was American companies sponsoring American drivers in roundy round racing like NASCAR. Well , it didn't work and won't and now they started looking at China.
The right decision last year would have been to merge with Champcar. Have KK as the CEO and allow the venues such as Mexico, the Low Countries , China and Australia to remain.
With what is happening in F1, Champ Car would be a steal for any sponsor and it would not take Long for Network to pick it up. Although my proviso would be to make sure that Versus had the time and the production. I want to see Viso, Fisher, Wilson and others. Even Dario is beginning to annoy me.
Come on PT. Bye Bye TG