The Buzz: The pit stop's here

Mark your calendars, the Senate has designated Feb. 17, the date of the 50th Daytona 500, as "Race Day in America." Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez drafted the resolution and their peers spent little time turning it over in their heads, as it passed more easily than Jimmie Johnson. If this is how our elected officials choose to spend their time, it might be time to make a few crew cuts.

Scaling back

The Big Tuna continues to gut the Dolphins, canning coach Cam Cameron. No matter the multitude of moves Bill Parcells makes, next year the Dolphins will still flounder.

Sooners - or later

Choklahoma did it again, losing its fourth consecutive BCS bowl game, getting sour creamed at the Fiesta Bowl. Seems like coach Bob Stoops' team couldn't stoop any lower.

Enter the dragon

University of Washington students are lobbying fervently for a statue of former student and master of martial arts, Bruce Lee. Proponents, not pulling any punches, contend a statue would combat the scarcity of minorities immortalized on campus. Lee is certainly a figure worth fighting for.

On guard

After tending to family matters in December, Stephon Marbury is back with the Knicks, which is the equivalent of Paris Hilton reuniting with Nicole Richie - it's not going to solve anything.

Vocab rehab

The Buzz would like to stick a dagger in the word "swagger," by far the most overused term in athletics last year. It's no sin to use a synonym, so strut over to a thesaurus.

Happy feet

If you took a break from the bowl bonanza to catch the outdoor NHL game between Buffalo and Pittsburgh, you probably noticed that the rink fashioned for the event shared a similarity with the Penguins' Sidney Crosby: both have no ceiling.

No need(le)

Hank Steinbrenner is prepared to blast the Rocket man into space. The Yankees senior vice president told the New York Daily News the team doesn't intend to bring back Roger Clemens. The Buzz is certain Clemens can still provide some team with a shot in the arm.

Fizzing out

Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis is endorsing a new energy drink called "SlumpBuster." The Mets have already placed an order for a dozen cases.

Join the banned

In arguing for a reduced punishment, sprinter Justin Gatlin claimed he was, as Amy Shipley of the Washington Post described it, "sabotaged by a vengeful massage therapist who rubbed a testosterone cream on his legs." Could it be true that the masseuse was trying to rub out Gatlin's career?

Jump for joy

University of Akron mascot Zippy the Kangaroo was voted the Mascot of the Year by Captial One. Upon winning $10,000 for his school (he's going to need a bigger pouch), Zippy brought new meaning to the phrase "bounced check."