F1 team Owner Gene Haas said it is a "little bit nerve-wracking" that former F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "isn't here anymore." Haas said, "I understood Bernie, but now it's a whole new group of people and I'm going 'wow, I've just spent a huge amount of time doing it the Bernie way, now the Bernie rules seem to have vanished and it's going to be a whole new set of rules.'" He added, "I'm a little confused myself by what exactly is going to happen. It would be very frustrating if all of a sudden [Liberty Media] just said 'we'll open it up to any team that wants a license.' They can do that, too, I guess" (ESPN.com, 3/6).
STAR POWER: GOLFCHANNEL.com's Randall Mell wrote Michelle Wie despite not winning in nearly three years still has a "huge, loyal following." She also "has a load" of critics. Wie led by two strokes heading into the final round of Sunday's HSBC Women's Champions, and no player in the women’s game "elicits stronger feelings when in contention, or evokes more curiosity when her name hits a leaderboard." Mell: "Wie is still the LPGA's most compelling figure." Commissioner Mike Whan has the LPGA set for another "potential golden age, but the sport’s still lacking the one quality that will take it to a new stratosphere." Win or lose, it is "good for the LPGA when Wie's got a fighting chance" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 3/6).
OH, CANADA: In Toronto, Mike Zeisberger noted as of yesterday, the Canadiens, Senators, Oilers and Flames were "sitting in playoff spots," while the Maple Leafs and Jets were "within three points." The concept of six of seven Canadian teams "having a fair shot at qualifying for the Stanley Cup dance is such a far cry from the gloom-and-doom vibe last April when the playoffs started without a single Canadian franchise taking part." It marked the first time in 46 years that the NHL postseason "did not feature one Canadian-based representative" (TORONTO SUN, 3/6).
