Done and Dirty

Now that I have enough dust on my laptop to make my own motocross course, it's time to sign off for another year. What started with a bang, better known as Jake Brown hitting the deck, ended with a thud, as Tanner Foust and Ken Block bounced off each other as they crossed the finish line in the Rally Car racing.

I think what stood out most was not Brown's terrifying fall -- I've seen it enough times that I no longer cringe -- but the way the crowd went from pure elation after seeing him nail that first-ever 720 to dead silence after he hit the floor. The crowd's reaction was completely opposite of my other biggest X Games memory, when Travis Pastrana nailed that double back flip last year. In that case, the crowd was real quiet as he approached the ramp and shot into the air, then burst out with excitement when he landed it safely.

As much flak as ESPN gets from some of my fellow journalists who cover the X Games, they do put on a good show. Like Foust said after his victory today, "Somehow, they create a format that has these great finishes.''

A little luck seems to go a long way too.

I think I'll go have a cold one.

-- Dan Arritt