NASCAR All-Star race. Say what?

Actually, yours truly didn't even see the race. I only caught the highlights later on ESPN. Perhaps it's the Jethro syndrome that seems to keep coming back at me once in a while. Something about being an international playboy, and having to fight off the pretty girls with a stick a few hours ago. Maybe I should go back to being a double naught spy, or a brain surgeon. Life was simpler then. Nevertheless....

Jimmy Johnson won the race. but I have one question. What the hell was Danica Patrick doing out there? By it's very definition -- this was supposed to be an All-Star race.

One normally thinks of any All-Star contest in various sports as the elite "players" putting on a show. So since when does Danica rank amongst the elite in NASCAR? She's never won a single race, nor really even came close. The only notable thing she's done is win the pole position at the Daytona 500. At that, when the kid gloves finally came off on the last lap of that race, other drivers were blowing by her left and right. Other than that, unless drivers get points for wrecking cars and doing photo-ops, she's pretty much been a bust, certainly no pun intended.

Yeah, I know. Danica made it into the race through a vote by the fans. Just like all the other all-stars in different sports do. Well, guess what? Not that it's a big time revelation -- but those NASCAR fans are obviously crazy. Why would they vote in a rookie driver that, despite having top-notch equipment, doesn't even seem to be competitive? Because she's a woman and some people think she's pretty? Excuse me, but that's not a good enough reason. This was an all-star race, ferchrissakes. A limited field. Like other sports, it's supposed to be the best competing against each other.

So what's next? If Beyonce takes up golf -- will she get an invitation to play at the Masters? What's the difference? Danica isn't afraid to go fast? Big deal. Lots of people can and would be willing to put the petal to the medal and turn a steering wheel to the left. That doesn't mean they know what they're doing either, much less make them some sort of all-star. They'd probably wreck too.

Yes, Ms. Patrick wound up at the back of the pack -- no surprise there -- but because she got in -- somebody else more deserving got left out.

And that's not right.