Live from the Seneca Lodge Bar

"Boy, you makin' me look bad! Get a damn haircut and take a bath!"

We've always been the ones who cheer for the little guys and the underdogs. Years ago, we were Elliott Sadler fans before anyone knew there was an Elliott Sadler. Long before all the bandwagon jumpers, we cheered our hearts out for the sweet guy from Emporia, Virginia who had a foot made of lead and a heart made of gold. A guy who treated his fans like family and seemed just happy to be there. His 2001 win at Bristol was nothing short of balls-out determination and a whole lotta heart. One of the greatest moments of racing in the 2002 season was his second place finish in the Daytona 500 (thanks in no small part to Sterling Marlin climbing out of his car during a red flag to 'look at' his right fender), which helped solidify the deal for his segue into the 38 car at RYR. When we heard of his deal for the 2003 season, we were thrilled. Finally, the underdog makes good. Little did we know, this was the beginning of the end of the Elliott Sadler we had come to love.

Anyone who's been to Emporia, Virginia, can see that it's the kind of town where everyone knows each other or at least something about each other. Everywhere you look, there are businesses with the Sadler name on them: Sadler Travel Plaza, Sadler Chevrolet, Sadler Oil Company. There isn't much room to hide in ten square miles, and there are even fewer places to hide if your last name is Sadler. Elliott Sadler grew up there, and seemed to relish the small town life in all of its glory. But the bright lights of Charlotte must have looked pretty good, and undoubtedly changed the small town boy into something that barely resembles his former self. And to that end Elliott, you are definitely not yourself.

We can trace the change back to Elliott's inaugural season in the 38 M&Ms Ford. It must have been a hard transition for Elliott to go from the small time Wood Brothers team to a powerhouse like Robert Yates Racing. And to have a veteran teammate and former Winston Cup champion like Dale Jarrett must have been a little intimidating. But Elliott perservered through fervent sponsor demands, the critics and naysayers predicting that he'd choke, the pressure to succeed and to be all things to all people. These things have clearly and visibly taken their toll on Elliott.

Since the beginning of the 2003 season, Elliott's usual down to earth demeanor started to deteriorate into moodiness and irritability. Often times when people have approached him in what are supposed to be fan friendly environments, he is aloof and acts as though he does not want to be there. In all honesty, we've seen his fans, and some of them are downright frightening, so we guess we can't blame him too much for having that attitude.

Elliott has noticeably let his appearance go to the point that he looks like a slob and, let's face it...fairly miserable. There has been a very marked degradation in the way he looks within a relatively short period of time.

In this picture from Bristol in 2002, Elliott looks great and has that "I'm just happy to be here" expression about him. However, by Texas in 2004, although he still looks pretty good, that smile is gone. By the time Speedweeks roll around in Daytona in 2005, he really looks like hell.

It looks to us like the pressure of being with in a high profile ride has not been easy for Elliott Sadler, and it is starting to take its toll in a very big way. His attitude is alienating his long standing tried and true fans, and the bandwagon jumpers will only be there as long as he is doing well.

Elliott, we miss the old you and we want you back. Please learn a lesson from Tony Stewart. Move back to Emporia and stay away from the glare of Charlotte. It's not who you are.

Oh yeah... and take a bath and get a haircut so Ward Burton doesn't mistake you for Bigfoot and take a shot at you, OK?

# posted by Green Green Green! @ 5:13 PM