The fence worked. The fence at Talladega Superspeedway kept Carl Edwards’ car from going into the stands at the end of Sunday’s race. Debris went everywhere. Fans were hurt, but no one was killed. The fence did its job—this time. Practically every NASCAR driver dislikes the restrictor-plate racing at Talladega and Daytona. The device limits a car’s power, and everyone drives at about the same speed.

Despite the great hullabaloo of the weekend’s draft, the NFL has a money problem. Too much goes to the players selected in the first round. Way too much goes to the first player selected. Congratulations to Matthew Stafford on the $41.7 million in guaranteed money he earned when the Detroit Lions selected him with the first choice Saturday.

You know what they say about the Lone Star State. The two most popular sports in Texas are football and spring football. The majesty of the southwest Virginia mountains provides far better scenery than the plains of Texas. But the view of what is expected from the University of Texas football team and the Virginia Tech team is similar.

“The Bird” has flown. Paul Woody pays homage to the late Mark Fidrych, a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers famous for talking to the ball.

Things are not going well for our baseball neighbors to the north, the Washington Nationals. They play as if they are an expansion team, and they are nothing of the sort. The Nationals once were the Montreal Expos. The Nationals were somewhat competitive in their first three seasons in Washington. Last season, they were 59-102, the worst record in major-league baseball.

Detroit is on the clock. The Lions have the first pick in the NFL draft. Detroit is expected to select Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford. Here’s a bit of advice for the Lions: Don’t do it. Don’t take Stafford. Don’t take a quarterback with the first pick in the draft. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the Lions should imitate Bill Parcells, executive vice president for football operations of the Dolphins.

Who, a moderator asked a panel of former University of Virginia players, will start at quarterback for the Cav aliers in 2009. Jameel Sewell? The cluster of fans near the stage where the players sat applauded. Vic Hall? There was a buzz in the crowd. Marc Verica? There was booing. Booing? How can you boo Verica?

Times-Dispatch sports columnist Paul Woody adds a French flair to this week’s installment of “The World Woody.“ Tune in for his take on Lance Armstrong and his possible absence from his signature race.

BLACKSBURG Few things will motivate college students to roll out of bed early on a weekday morning when classes have been cancelled. And yet, there they were, easily the dominant group among the more than 4,000 who crowded onto Alumni Mall on the Virginia Tech campus yesterday morning. They came to run 3.2 miles, beginning at 8 a.m.

Phillip “Flip” Saunders is known for his excellent offensive mind and for having a mind that wanders when defense is the topic. Sometimes reputations are well-earned. Sometimes, reputations are nothing more than rumors that have been given life by the ill-informed. Saunders will be the new coach of the woeful Washington Wizards.

Avery Bradley’s stock is up, and that is good news for the University of Texas. Maybe. Tristan Spurlock’s stock is down, and that might be bad news for the University of Virginia. You might not be familiar with Bradley’s work, and if you have anything approaching a life, there is no reason you should be. He is a high school basketball player in Tacoma, Wash.

Times-Dispatch sports columnist Paul Woody blends technology, pig skins, playlists, Frank Sinatra and yes, “The Lion King,“ in the latest installment of “The World of Woody.“

Amutual fund’s prospectus always carries this disclaimer: Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. John Morris, commissioner of the American Indoor Football Association, puts a twist on that disclaimer. Past failures are not a deterrent to future success. That’s why the AIFA is putting a franchise in Richmond for the 2010 season.

Of all the fantasy football players and pro football experts in the country, it turns out the person who best understands the NFL is U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Frank Santoro. When Santoro rejected Michael Vick’s bankruptcy proposal, Santoro did Vick and Vick’s creditors a service. Vick’s plan was a road map to failure for all involved. It had to be changed.

At least, Craig Littlepage’s seat is getting quite warm. Littlepage is the athletic director at the University of Virginia, and he was the main man in hiring Tony Bennett as the Cavaliers’ men’s basketball coach. Littlepage needs this hire to work as quickly as possible. Things have not gone so great for the Cavaliers since September. The football team had a losing season, which kept it out of a bowl game. And if you play Division I football and can’t get to a bowl game, your program has a problem.