I haven't written a blog entry in five months for a variety of reasons but I just can't take it anymore. I love college football. It's my favorite sport, bar none. This should be my favorite time of the year. The regular season is ending this weekend and I'm pumped. Can Missouri prove its worth? Can West Virginia do what their supposed to, and wipe the mat with Pitt? Is Ohio State still alive? It should be beautiful.
Alas, it is not. Why? The scourge of the earth known as the Mainstream Sports Media. The columns and talking heads have already started but you're going to hear more of it in the coming weeks. The BCS sucks, you will hear over and over again. You will hear how college football needs a playoff or it will become irrelevant. You will hear moaning that Missouri or West Virginia aren't deserving because they haven't won titles before, as if years of titles are a necessary prerequisite for winning a title. In the end, they will all be wrong. Very, very wrong.
In fact, the BCS is arguably the best thing that has ever happened to college football. It was a sport that for decades crowned "mythical" national champions. How many years were we deprived of a true national champion before the BCS? If the BCS had always existed, those old debates would have been settled: Miami/Washington in 1991, Penn State/Nebraska in 1994 and Michigan/Nebraska in 1997.
For all the talk about how the BCS is essentially a popularity contest, this year has proven that mantra completely and totally wrong. In fact, it is those same columnists deriding the BCS for being a popularity contest who now want it to be a popularity contest. This bozo on CBSSportsline wants Ohio State vs. USC for the title because, well, it would get the best ratings. Say what? Voters have chosen Missouri & West Virginia #1 and #2 right now because they deserve more. It has nothing to do with the names on their jerseys or the logo on the helmet, it's about how good they are and who they've beaten.
The beauty of the BCS is the fact that the college football season is a playoff. You don't need to be flashy or get attention, you just have to win your games. In my opinion, the BCS only failed once in 2004 when undefeated Auburn got left out. Of course, it was the first time in four decades three major college teams went undefeated. The other years? No problems. Why? Win your games. Once you start losing, you are now at the mercy of voters and computers.
USC thinks it's the best? Probably shouldn't have lost at home to Stanford. Georgia's playing well? Maybe losing by three touchdowns to Tennessee wasn't a good idea. Ohio State, ya feeling a little jobbed? Losing at home to a team that lost to Iowa doesn't make me sympathize with you for a second. Even last year when Michigan fans were crying a river they didn't get to play Ohio State again for the title. Hey Wolverines, you should've thought about that the first time you played. A victory over Ohio State and you wouldn't have to whine.
The real beauty in the system is how it evolves throughout the season. LSU was playing its regular season finale with absolutely everything on the line. You want a playoff? Fine, watch LSU rest its starters. I'll take the BCS and one of the best sporting events of the year. Who didn't watch LSU/Arkansas? What sports fan didn't talk about it?
You want proof the BCS works? I got proof, thanks to the Sports Media Watch blog. Missouri/Kansas did a 7.0 rating. That eclipses the average for the MLB playoffs and nearly doubles the ratings for the NBA playoffs and NASCAR's Chase for the Cup. That LSU/Arkansas game? It did a 5.1, blasting past those "playoff" races for NASCAR and playoff games for just about any other sport. Why the interest? Because college football has spent the last three months building to this.
So why do writers, mostly national and NFL writers who pay attention to college football one week a year, want a playoff so badly? Because it's what everyone else does. The uniqueness of college football is lost on them. They've been so programmed to watch playoffs that it's what they want. They clamor for March Madness, but forget that college basketball is ignored for four months. They believe a playoff would crown the best team, when it usually just crowns the hottest team at the moment.
Look at the arguments for Georgia and USC. Are they playing the best right now? Maybe. But is that what sports has become? We ignore the regular season? College football is the only sport in the country that crowns its champion based on the whole season. What you did in September and October means something in December. You want to be a champion? You have to be a champion from day one.
It's really simple: if you want a playoff, you're not a true fan of college football. A successful season in college football is something different for each of the 119 teams. You think Indiana fans care about a playoff when they just want to play a bowl game for their late coach? You think the Air Force seniors, making their first bowl appearance in their careers, give a flying youknowwhat if 2-loss USC must suffer in the Rose Bowl? Does Illinois want a playoff with the top 8 teams to satisfy sports writers or does it want a chance at the Rose Bowl?
And you know what? For all the negative press, the BCS has become an institution, a rallying cry, the definition of how success in college football is measured. Ohio State is a success because they've played in BCS bowls five out of the last six years. That's success. It's those three letters that every team strives for.
It dawned on me that the BCS is good for college football when UConn played South Florida this year. Yep, I'm a UConn season ticket holder and we rushed the field that day. The most amazing thing happened, thousands of students and fans -- the same people who supposedly hate the system -- started chanting, "B-C-S! B-C-S!" But wait, I thought it was evil?
It was hammered home to me as Hawaii put the final touches on Boise State Friday night. It wasn't just a few thousand people, it was 50,000 strong in Aloha Stadium. "B-C-S! B-C-S!"
I hope the college presidents stick to their guns and keep the BCS. Forget a playoff. The ratings, attendance and fan interest show the BCS is working. Don't listen to sportswriters who aren't even fans of the game. Listen to the fans. Let the NFL fans have their playoffs, don't let them ruin college football's uniqueness. Let college basketball have its one month of relevance and four months of obscurity. Give me a regular season that's worth a damn. Give me Arkansas/LSU on the day after Thanksgiving. Give me a Missouri/Kansas game with an atmosphere that pulsated through the television screen. Give me enough bowl games through the holiday season that I can't keep up with all.
Most of all, give me the BCS. Give me the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Give me two teams at the end of the season that earned it beginning on Labor Day weekend. Crown a real champion. And keep fans from Connecticut to Hawaii chanting three little letters that roll off the tongue perfectly.
B-C-S! B-C-S!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Smarty Breaks Our Hearts
I was reading an online chat recently with renowned horse racing track announcer Tom Durkin, the man who has called each Belmont Stakes I've been to since 1999 and a lot more than that, and he was asked with the six horses since 1997 that came to the Belmont with a chance at the Triple Crown, if he was ever confident. His answer was telling. He said on the morning of the 2004 Triple Crown, he went on the track at Belmont at marked off 31 lengths from the finish, the margin that Secretariat had won the 1973 Belmont Stakes by. That's how much Tom Durkin believed in Smarty Jones.
The story of Smarty Jones began long before he made it to Belmont and even before he made it to the track. During one of his first training sessions, he was trained in the starting gate where the young Smarty flipped out and smashed his head against the side. The traumatic injury not only almost derailed his racing career, it almost ended his life. That's how fairy tales start, my friends.
By the time Smarty was ready to race for then-unknown trainer John Servis, he would not do so on the popular and more important New York, Kentucky or California tracks. He did it at little, good for nothing, podunk Philadelphia Park. If Churchill Downs is Yankee Stadium, Philly Park is a single A ballpark in an Iowa farm town. On a track where mostly average at best horses run so people can make some money, Smarty Jones won his first race by a ridiculous 15-length margin. People took notice but they didn't take ol' Smarty serious. He was the ultimate common bred horse and beating up horses in Philly is akin to Pedro Martinez striking out 20 in a minor league game. Big deal.
As the spring of 2004 came along, Smarty kept winning for his unknown trainer, unknown jockey Stewart Elliot and unknown owners who named their farm Someday Farm as in "someday it'll happen." How did they know? As fate would have it, Smarty trained for the Kentucky Derby in another racing outpost known as Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. It should be noted that since Smarty, big horse like Afleet Alex and Curlin ended up training there. Servis went because he like the way distance of the races progressed nicely to the Derby. No one else thought of that I suppose. But why was it fate? Because that year Oaklawn Park put out a $5 million bonus to any horse that could win its two Derby prep races (the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby) and the Derby itself to attract big-name horses. They didn't attract many but they didn't have to. The star was already there.
Smarty Jones strolled into Louisville on the first Saturday of May undefeated with $5 million on the line - plus another $600,000 for winning the Derby - and still there were the doubters. He crushed the field by several lengths, as SmartyMania began to take hold. Two weeks later, he demolished the Preakness field by a dozen lengths and the mania had become full-blown. As he barreled down the frontstretch in Pimilco, demolishing a top field with ease and jogging, even the skeptics took notice. With Philly owners and a start in Philly, that city took to Smarty like a smokin' hot cheesesteak. The country became wrapped up too. He graced the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline "Why America Loves Smarty Jones" and his Belmont Stakes would be the highest rated show of the week. Highest rated of any show on any channel all week. Funny how after only three years, and a year's worth of Barbaro, we forget the magnitude of Smarty.
As we had since 1999, Pops and I made the trek down to Belmont and it was different before we even got there. On the radio, Mad Dog Russo was on the FAN arguing with callers who didn't like that he hadn't mentioned the horse in the opening of his morning program. Mad Dog simply didn't get why people were so wrapped up in the story. We love our equine heroes because there's nothing to taint them. They do what they want to do and that's run. Smarty's backstory with the wrong side of the tracks start, the unknown players helping him, his dominance and the Triple Crown made it irresistible. We listened to Mad Dog for a while because the highway was a parking lot. Even though it was overcast, the people had come in droves. In retrospect, I had no idea what I was in for.
When we actually arrived at Belmont, we really knew it was different. The parking lot was packed hours before the first race, there were lots and lots of Donovan McNabb jerseys (rightly pointed by Pops to be a bad omen) and the lines to get in were out the door. We found out the next day that 120,000 people came to Belmont to watch Smarty - or 20,000 more than saw New York's own Funny Cide in 2003 or, more scary, twice as many as who had seen Secretariat in 1973.
Here was the thing about Smarty Jones: it seemed like he was going to do it. All of the other Triple Crown hopefuls since 1997 - Silver Charm (possible exception), Real Quiet, Charismatic, War Emblem and Funny Cide - all had faults or better challengers that seemed to doom them before the race. Not with Smarty because he had already beaten all of his opponents and he looked like the superhorse racing had been waiting for when he basically jogged to victory in the Preakness. It just felt like the year, ya know? There were some good horses - Eddington, Rock Hard Ten and Lion Heart to name three - that would go on to win future big races, but they didn't seem on Smarty's level.
A couple hours before the race, I looked at the board and saw Birdstone, a very good horse with very good trainer Nick Zito, at odds of 70-1. Just for fun, I put down $5 because if Smarty's going to lose, I should make some money, right? I didn't think much of it, in fact, I battled with throwing away $5 but I did it anyway.
When the horses took to the track for the Belmont, the electricity in the air was - cliché alert - palpable. You could feel the emotion, the yelling from the now-drunk Philly fans and the desperate screams from the track regulars. You couldn't help but get goosebumps, feel that chill run down your spine and I vividly remember looking around to soak it in. This was the year dammit! We were standing on seats on the first floor, desperately trying to get a view of the track and it was a pretty decent one. I couldn't see the backstretch but I could see the homestretch where history would be made.
The gates opened, the race began and the wall of noise began. I said before I thought War Emblem got the biggest cheer in 2002? That was a drop in a bucket compared to this throng of 120,000. It was the loudest I've ever heard anything in my life. I can only compare it to an airplane taking off 10 feet away for two and a half minutes straight and multiply that by two.
In the beginning of the race, the other jockeys did their job and tried to run Smarty into the ground. They set a grueling pace for a 1 ½ mile race that was suicidal, desperately trying to get Smarty to waver because Smarty was bred to be a sprint horse and the common wisdom was he couldn't get the distance. As they reached the top of the homestretch, those horses started to fall off, unable to keep up their own ridiculous pace but Smarty keep going. With three furlongs to go - "Three furlongs from history!" yelled Durkin - it looked like Smarty was in the clear.
That noise I talked about? It increased by six when Smarty was in the clear, I've never heard anything like it and probably will never again unless a horse actually wins a Triple Crown. Forget a baseball game, or a hockey game, this was 120,000 all screaming at the top of their lungs at the same time. Such a large crowd, all yelling "Go Smarty!" "C'mon Smarty!" or, what I was doing, "SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTY!!!" The noise started to include people yelling, "He's going to do it!" They were wrong.
I saw him coming. Birdstone, the horse I bet on, was coming from the outside making a crazy move that only really good horses make. Like a scene from Casey at the Bat, Birdstone caught Smarty Jones and poked his head in front. Smarty, God bless him, came back for a little bit more but he was too worn out, Birdstone won by a half-length and the huge throng became dead silent. I mean DEAD, as in someone just died, silent. It was heartbreaking. It took me several minutes to realize I had won on the 36-1 Birdstone and I was almost ashamed to show my dad. I swear I'd have given the money back if I could see Smarty win. Birdstone's connections spent their time in the winner's circle apologizing as the fans started to leave.
In the next couple of weeks, Elliot would be criticized for a bad race and making Smarty work too hard. Tthere was a case to be made, but in the end Smarty was the horse everyone else wanted to beat and, it took the entire field working together, but they did. Lost, I think, in the loss was Smarty's fight at the end. He was clearly gassed and had nothing left but when he was passed for the first time, he came back. They talked about the heart of a champion and such, but that was it right there. Horses, like humans, can pack it in when they know they're beat. Smarty might have knew his tank was empty but he was going to give it a try. Rarely do horses actually come back after getting passed, he was the definition of game. He was the best horse on the planet that year, it was just circumstances.
You know how Red Sox fans felt depressed after the Buckner game in 1986 or the Aaron Boone game in 2003? That was me after Smarty Jones. I don't think one word was said on the ride back to Connecticut. What would be said? "Gee, that sucked." "I can't believe I almost cried at the track." "Why do we do this to ourselves?" "I hate Philadelphia."
It was, however, a shining example of how people can get wrapped up in horses. Smarty Jones, for a brief period of time, was my favorite athlete. I'd spend hours (minutes, if the boss is reading) scouring the 'net for Smarty updates. While it was overkill to some, I couldn't get enough of it. Even though he was retired after the Belmont, I didn't get upset he wasn't racing anymore, I was just glad I was there to see it. Now three years in the rear view mirror, I'm finally able to appreciate that race for what it was - by far, the most exciting and dramatic sporting event I've ever been to. And when that superhorse does come along someday and win the Triple Crown, I hope I'm there to see it. Until then, I'll settle for witnessing history of a different kind. A historic heartbreak that, somehow, has only made me want to go to the track more.
Sean O
The story of Smarty Jones began long before he made it to Belmont and even before he made it to the track. During one of his first training sessions, he was trained in the starting gate where the young Smarty flipped out and smashed his head against the side. The traumatic injury not only almost derailed his racing career, it almost ended his life. That's how fairy tales start, my friends.
By the time Smarty was ready to race for then-unknown trainer John Servis, he would not do so on the popular and more important New York, Kentucky or California tracks. He did it at little, good for nothing, podunk Philadelphia Park. If Churchill Downs is Yankee Stadium, Philly Park is a single A ballpark in an Iowa farm town. On a track where mostly average at best horses run so people can make some money, Smarty Jones won his first race by a ridiculous 15-length margin. People took notice but they didn't take ol' Smarty serious. He was the ultimate common bred horse and beating up horses in Philly is akin to Pedro Martinez striking out 20 in a minor league game. Big deal.
As the spring of 2004 came along, Smarty kept winning for his unknown trainer, unknown jockey Stewart Elliot and unknown owners who named their farm Someday Farm as in "someday it'll happen." How did they know? As fate would have it, Smarty trained for the Kentucky Derby in another racing outpost known as Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. It should be noted that since Smarty, big horse like Afleet Alex and Curlin ended up training there. Servis went because he like the way distance of the races progressed nicely to the Derby. No one else thought of that I suppose. But why was it fate? Because that year Oaklawn Park put out a $5 million bonus to any horse that could win its two Derby prep races (the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby) and the Derby itself to attract big-name horses. They didn't attract many but they didn't have to. The star was already there.
Smarty Jones strolled into Louisville on the first Saturday of May undefeated with $5 million on the line - plus another $600,000 for winning the Derby - and still there were the doubters. He crushed the field by several lengths, as SmartyMania began to take hold. Two weeks later, he demolished the Preakness field by a dozen lengths and the mania had become full-blown. As he barreled down the frontstretch in Pimilco, demolishing a top field with ease and jogging, even the skeptics took notice. With Philly owners and a start in Philly, that city took to Smarty like a smokin' hot cheesesteak. The country became wrapped up too. He graced the cover of Sports Illustrated with the headline "Why America Loves Smarty Jones" and his Belmont Stakes would be the highest rated show of the week. Highest rated of any show on any channel all week. Funny how after only three years, and a year's worth of Barbaro, we forget the magnitude of Smarty.
As we had since 1999, Pops and I made the trek down to Belmont and it was different before we even got there. On the radio, Mad Dog Russo was on the FAN arguing with callers who didn't like that he hadn't mentioned the horse in the opening of his morning program. Mad Dog simply didn't get why people were so wrapped up in the story. We love our equine heroes because there's nothing to taint them. They do what they want to do and that's run. Smarty's backstory with the wrong side of the tracks start, the unknown players helping him, his dominance and the Triple Crown made it irresistible. We listened to Mad Dog for a while because the highway was a parking lot. Even though it was overcast, the people had come in droves. In retrospect, I had no idea what I was in for.
When we actually arrived at Belmont, we really knew it was different. The parking lot was packed hours before the first race, there were lots and lots of Donovan McNabb jerseys (rightly pointed by Pops to be a bad omen) and the lines to get in were out the door. We found out the next day that 120,000 people came to Belmont to watch Smarty - or 20,000 more than saw New York's own Funny Cide in 2003 or, more scary, twice as many as who had seen Secretariat in 1973.
Here was the thing about Smarty Jones: it seemed like he was going to do it. All of the other Triple Crown hopefuls since 1997 - Silver Charm (possible exception), Real Quiet, Charismatic, War Emblem and Funny Cide - all had faults or better challengers that seemed to doom them before the race. Not with Smarty because he had already beaten all of his opponents and he looked like the superhorse racing had been waiting for when he basically jogged to victory in the Preakness. It just felt like the year, ya know? There were some good horses - Eddington, Rock Hard Ten and Lion Heart to name three - that would go on to win future big races, but they didn't seem on Smarty's level.
A couple hours before the race, I looked at the board and saw Birdstone, a very good horse with very good trainer Nick Zito, at odds of 70-1. Just for fun, I put down $5 because if Smarty's going to lose, I should make some money, right? I didn't think much of it, in fact, I battled with throwing away $5 but I did it anyway.
When the horses took to the track for the Belmont, the electricity in the air was - cliché alert - palpable. You could feel the emotion, the yelling from the now-drunk Philly fans and the desperate screams from the track regulars. You couldn't help but get goosebumps, feel that chill run down your spine and I vividly remember looking around to soak it in. This was the year dammit! We were standing on seats on the first floor, desperately trying to get a view of the track and it was a pretty decent one. I couldn't see the backstretch but I could see the homestretch where history would be made.
The gates opened, the race began and the wall of noise began. I said before I thought War Emblem got the biggest cheer in 2002? That was a drop in a bucket compared to this throng of 120,000. It was the loudest I've ever heard anything in my life. I can only compare it to an airplane taking off 10 feet away for two and a half minutes straight and multiply that by two.
In the beginning of the race, the other jockeys did their job and tried to run Smarty into the ground. They set a grueling pace for a 1 ½ mile race that was suicidal, desperately trying to get Smarty to waver because Smarty was bred to be a sprint horse and the common wisdom was he couldn't get the distance. As they reached the top of the homestretch, those horses started to fall off, unable to keep up their own ridiculous pace but Smarty keep going. With three furlongs to go - "Three furlongs from history!" yelled Durkin - it looked like Smarty was in the clear.
That noise I talked about? It increased by six when Smarty was in the clear, I've never heard anything like it and probably will never again unless a horse actually wins a Triple Crown. Forget a baseball game, or a hockey game, this was 120,000 all screaming at the top of their lungs at the same time. Such a large crowd, all yelling "Go Smarty!" "C'mon Smarty!" or, what I was doing, "SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAARTY!!!" The noise started to include people yelling, "He's going to do it!" They were wrong.
I saw him coming. Birdstone, the horse I bet on, was coming from the outside making a crazy move that only really good horses make. Like a scene from Casey at the Bat, Birdstone caught Smarty Jones and poked his head in front. Smarty, God bless him, came back for a little bit more but he was too worn out, Birdstone won by a half-length and the huge throng became dead silent. I mean DEAD, as in someone just died, silent. It was heartbreaking. It took me several minutes to realize I had won on the 36-1 Birdstone and I was almost ashamed to show my dad. I swear I'd have given the money back if I could see Smarty win. Birdstone's connections spent their time in the winner's circle apologizing as the fans started to leave.
In the next couple of weeks, Elliot would be criticized for a bad race and making Smarty work too hard. Tthere was a case to be made, but in the end Smarty was the horse everyone else wanted to beat and, it took the entire field working together, but they did. Lost, I think, in the loss was Smarty's fight at the end. He was clearly gassed and had nothing left but when he was passed for the first time, he came back. They talked about the heart of a champion and such, but that was it right there. Horses, like humans, can pack it in when they know they're beat. Smarty might have knew his tank was empty but he was going to give it a try. Rarely do horses actually come back after getting passed, he was the definition of game. He was the best horse on the planet that year, it was just circumstances.
You know how Red Sox fans felt depressed after the Buckner game in 1986 or the Aaron Boone game in 2003? That was me after Smarty Jones. I don't think one word was said on the ride back to Connecticut. What would be said? "Gee, that sucked." "I can't believe I almost cried at the track." "Why do we do this to ourselves?" "I hate Philadelphia."
It was, however, a shining example of how people can get wrapped up in horses. Smarty Jones, for a brief period of time, was my favorite athlete. I'd spend hours (minutes, if the boss is reading) scouring the 'net for Smarty updates. While it was overkill to some, I couldn't get enough of it. Even though he was retired after the Belmont, I didn't get upset he wasn't racing anymore, I was just glad I was there to see it. Now three years in the rear view mirror, I'm finally able to appreciate that race for what it was - by far, the most exciting and dramatic sporting event I've ever been to. And when that superhorse does come along someday and win the Triple Crown, I hope I'm there to see it. Until then, I'll settle for witnessing history of a different kind. A historic heartbreak that, somehow, has only made me want to go to the track more.
Sean O
The Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes, the third leg of horse racing's Triple Crown, is slated for this Saturday and I will be making my ninth straight trip to Big Sandy on Long Island to watch it. Yes, there's no Triple Crown on the line, no Smarty Jones, no 100,000+ crowd expected. You know what? I don't care. The Belmont is one of my favorite days of the year and not just because I get to bet money on the horses while drinking heavily. Okay, that's part of the appeal but each past race has had its moments, history on the line or not. So with that, here's a look back at the past races that I've had the pleasure of attending and, sometimes, winning money on.
Last year's Belmont doesn't make any list because the actual race was no fun. Barbaro had just been injured and that's all anyone was thinking about. Bernardini, who crushed fools in the Preakness, skipped the Belmont to focus on a year-long campaign. It was probably better that way, no one wanted to see the horse that "beat" Barbaro. It was just a gloomy day, it was only about 60 degrees and windy, nothing about it felt right. This year promises to be 1000 times more excited, even without Derby winner Street Sense, due to superhorses Curlin and Hard Spun and the pizazz angle of the filly Rags to Riches trying to be the first filly in 102(!!) years to win the race.
(Links go to fantastic YouTube clips. I love YouTube for stuff like this.)
Honorable Mention: 1999 - My First Heartbreak
The first year we went I was a 17 year-old high school senior and couldn't even gamble - imagine that! I had to live vicariously through Pops' betting (I go each year with my dad) but I still had fun. I always liked horse racing as a kid but this was my first visit to the track and what a day we picked. Charismatic was going for the Triple Crown - the third horse in three years to try. It was a perfect June afternoon and there was a then-record 75,000 on hand. I don't remember too much from the day except a couple of distinct memories. The first is of the filly Silverbulletday in the post parade. She was a Hall of Fame-caliber filly taking on the boys in the big race. She was an amazing horse to look at - the type of horse that graces the cover of Black Beauty, she was that perfect. She also had the lead for most of the race until the Belmont's grueling nature - the only 1 ½ mile dirt race - that makes it the "Test of Champions" did her in. Unfortunately, not only did Charismatic lose but its jockey, Chris Antley, had to dismount and hold one of his legs to prevent the horse from being put down. You think this Barbaro thing is new? Antley, now deceased, was hailed as true horsemen and hero after the race and I still hate the horse that won - Lemon Drop Kid. What an awful name for a horse.
6) 2000 - My Big Win
Much like last year, neither the Kentucky Derby or Preakness winner decided to show up on Belmont Day and there was no buzz leading up to the race. It was our second straight year going and now that I was of legal betting age, there was no way I was missing it. I hit the big one - 20-1 shot Commendable won and I had placed $20 on him to win. With $400 in my pocket, I devoted my next few years to betting on anything and everything Commendable's jockey Pat Day rode until he retired. This was an all-around fun day because I had lost every bet up until Commendable's win but there was something missing. Nothing extraordinary happened, nothing really that exciting happened. The Belmont wouldn't be like that again until, well, last year.
5) 2002 - War Emblem Goes Down
For the first time since 1999, a horse strolled into Belmont with history on the line and a Triple Crown at stake. The problem? It was an Arab-owned horse going for it in a post-9/11 New York that wasn't too keen on Arabs. I know that's shallow to say but, unfortunately, it was true. There was talk of a small crowd but with brilliant weather, the crowd might have actually reached 100,000. It was insane as it ended up being the largest crowd in Belmont history to that point. Where we were standing, behind the standing gate by the top of the stretch, we missed the most important part of the race. War Emblem stumbled out of the gate and had no chance. The rest of us, not knowing about the stumbled, roared with life as War Emblem took the lead on the far part of the backstretch but still a long ways from home. At the time, I believed it was the loudest noise I had heard at a sporting event but, as he stumbled home, the crowd had been quieted. The winner was a 60-1 longshot in Sarava - a horse my uncle won a pretty penny on but I won nothing. It was my second heartbreak, but far from my last.
4) 2003 - Funny Cide Has No Chance
This was such an interesting day in so many ways. For one, the build to this race was unlike any Belmonts previous as Funny Cide not only was going for a Triple Crown, he was a New York-bred gelding (no breeding!) and was owned by a group of old friends that took a school bus to the race. They basically acted like me at the track, you know, loud, obnoxious and drunk. This was also an important date in my life. Yes, June 7, 2003 was my 21st birthday. I won as soon as I walked in the door as Pops told me the beer was on him today. The lowlight? I didn't get carded all day until I begged one of the beer ladies to card me. Yeah, I was a few beers deep but I wanted that vindication!
Furthermore, it was the worst weather you could imagine for a horse race with a torrential downpour for the entire day. How 100,000 people thought going to the race was a good idea shows you the appeal Funny Cide had at the time. The problem? The best 3 year-old in the country that year was Empire Maker, who Funny Cide had edged out in the Kentucky Derby. Empire Maker's trainer, Bobby Frankel, sat out the Preakness and waltzed into the Belmont with a fresh horse that was clearly superior. Another horse, Ten Most Wanted, was also probably better than Funny Cide. Didn't stop us from hoping, though, and the "New York Loves Funny Cide" magnet is still on my mom's fridge. The race was a dud - Empire Maker ran by Funny Cide like inferior competition on the backstretch and he dueled with Ten Most Wanted. This isn't to say Funny Cide was a bad horse but on this day he was just outclassed and it was depressing. On a depressing Belmont scale, though, this was a 7 out of 10. Don't worry, we have a 13 out of 10 coming up.
3) 2005 - Amazing Afleet Alex
With no Triple Crown on the line for the first time since 2001, there was a serious lack of interest - only 62,000 bothered to brave a cloudy, rainy day. They missed an excellent day of racing. For starters, star sprinter Lost In The Fog was on the undercard and won to remain undefeated and by the end of the year, he was horse racing's biggest name. Funny Cide also came back to run in a Grade I (that means important) race for older horses. Though he lost, he got a great cheer and it was good to see him again. Since we started going to the Belmont, the New York Racing Association has been adding more big races on the undercard and this Saturday there will be SIX big-time graded stakes races. ESPN is going to televise all of them starting at noon, with ABC picking up the Belmont at 5 p.m. because they're trying to turn it into a Breeders Cup-type day.
Okay, to the race itself. The story was simple: Preakness winner Afleet Alex against Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo. Giacomo was one of the longest long shots to ever win the Derby. A race after which Alex's jockey Jeremy Rose basically said, "The best horse didn't win." In the Preakness, after nearly falling because of another horse, Afleet Alex and Rose proved their point with a big win. So the stage was set and we would not be disappointed. It was 11 horses - the big two and nine horses running to get a piece of the pie (i.e., finish third). At the top of the stretch, Giacomo held the lead as Afleet Alex just sort of sat there doing nothing until - WHOOSH! - he took off like a bat out of hell and won easy. This produced a great call from track announcer Tom Durkin who yelled, "He ran by Giacomo like he was standing still!"
The fun part about Alex's dominance was how badly the Belmont regulars, guys like me and my dad who show up every year, wanted to see a performance like that. For three straight years, a Triple Crown horse with hype failed us. We wanted to see the best horse act like the best horse. Afleet Alex did that and more. The replay (still found at NBCSports.com) is perfect - the fans are waving their hands in ecstasy. One New York Times reporter got it right when he wrote that it was like the fans were unleashing three years of frustration into a wild roar of noise. Even though he never raced again, I think Afleet Alex may be my favorite horse. He looked clunky, he had a weird name and everyone gave up on him after he ran a dud of a race in March of 2005. He proved him wrong though.
2) 2001 - The Best Horse I've Ever Seen
Since I've been going to the track in 1999, the best horse I've ever seen was Point Given. He was a monster of a horse - when they came on the track for the post parade, he looked like every other horse's big brother. Not only that, he was good, scary good. He lost the Derby after getting the far outside post position at #20 but came back to romp in the Preakness. This was another Derby winner (Monarchos) vs. Preakness winner but the consensus was Point Given was the man. Indeed, he was as he won by 12 lengths and was never even challenged. Whereas Afleet Alex won with one brilliant move that made the crowd explode with noise, the reaction to Point Given was completely different. The crowd stood, alright, but it just applauded with reverence as if to say, "You are the best, Point Given." He would be horse of the year in 2001 and win a few more races that year. Jockey Gary Stevens and trainer Bob Baffert spent the post-race celebration lamenting the Derby loss.
This Belmont ranks so highly for other non-racing reasons. The Clintons - Bill and Hilary - were on hand as Bill got a rousing ovation when he was showed on the big screen while Hilary was booed out of the building. Good stuff. Secondly, I ran into Bob Costas. No, seriously. As I was leaving, I literally bumped into Costas leaving the track and didn't even notice. Why? He's the shortest man I've ever seen. Like 4'11'' short. He apologized and I didn't even see him - I thought voices were talking to me. I turned around and saw the little guy scooting away. I tugged at my dad and told him, "I just ran into Bob Costas." Dad looked at him and simply said, "Wow, he's short." Indeed.
1) 2004 - Smarty Jones Breaks Our Hearts
I can't do this justice in a couple paragraphs - full column coming tomorrow
Sean O
Last year's Belmont doesn't make any list because the actual race was no fun. Barbaro had just been injured and that's all anyone was thinking about. Bernardini, who crushed fools in the Preakness, skipped the Belmont to focus on a year-long campaign. It was probably better that way, no one wanted to see the horse that "beat" Barbaro. It was just a gloomy day, it was only about 60 degrees and windy, nothing about it felt right. This year promises to be 1000 times more excited, even without Derby winner Street Sense, due to superhorses Curlin and Hard Spun and the pizazz angle of the filly Rags to Riches trying to be the first filly in 102(!!) years to win the race.
(Links go to fantastic YouTube clips. I love YouTube for stuff like this.)
Honorable Mention: 1999 - My First Heartbreak
The first year we went I was a 17 year-old high school senior and couldn't even gamble - imagine that! I had to live vicariously through Pops' betting (I go each year with my dad) but I still had fun. I always liked horse racing as a kid but this was my first visit to the track and what a day we picked. Charismatic was going for the Triple Crown - the third horse in three years to try. It was a perfect June afternoon and there was a then-record 75,000 on hand. I don't remember too much from the day except a couple of distinct memories. The first is of the filly Silverbulletday in the post parade. She was a Hall of Fame-caliber filly taking on the boys in the big race. She was an amazing horse to look at - the type of horse that graces the cover of Black Beauty, she was that perfect. She also had the lead for most of the race until the Belmont's grueling nature - the only 1 ½ mile dirt race - that makes it the "Test of Champions" did her in. Unfortunately, not only did Charismatic lose but its jockey, Chris Antley, had to dismount and hold one of his legs to prevent the horse from being put down. You think this Barbaro thing is new? Antley, now deceased, was hailed as true horsemen and hero after the race and I still hate the horse that won - Lemon Drop Kid. What an awful name for a horse.
6) 2000 - My Big Win
Much like last year, neither the Kentucky Derby or Preakness winner decided to show up on Belmont Day and there was no buzz leading up to the race. It was our second straight year going and now that I was of legal betting age, there was no way I was missing it. I hit the big one - 20-1 shot Commendable won and I had placed $20 on him to win. With $400 in my pocket, I devoted my next few years to betting on anything and everything Commendable's jockey Pat Day rode until he retired. This was an all-around fun day because I had lost every bet up until Commendable's win but there was something missing. Nothing extraordinary happened, nothing really that exciting happened. The Belmont wouldn't be like that again until, well, last year.
5) 2002 - War Emblem Goes Down
For the first time since 1999, a horse strolled into Belmont with history on the line and a Triple Crown at stake. The problem? It was an Arab-owned horse going for it in a post-9/11 New York that wasn't too keen on Arabs. I know that's shallow to say but, unfortunately, it was true. There was talk of a small crowd but with brilliant weather, the crowd might have actually reached 100,000. It was insane as it ended up being the largest crowd in Belmont history to that point. Where we were standing, behind the standing gate by the top of the stretch, we missed the most important part of the race. War Emblem stumbled out of the gate and had no chance. The rest of us, not knowing about the stumbled, roared with life as War Emblem took the lead on the far part of the backstretch but still a long ways from home. At the time, I believed it was the loudest noise I had heard at a sporting event but, as he stumbled home, the crowd had been quieted. The winner was a 60-1 longshot in Sarava - a horse my uncle won a pretty penny on but I won nothing. It was my second heartbreak, but far from my last.
4) 2003 - Funny Cide Has No Chance
This was such an interesting day in so many ways. For one, the build to this race was unlike any Belmonts previous as Funny Cide not only was going for a Triple Crown, he was a New York-bred gelding (no breeding!) and was owned by a group of old friends that took a school bus to the race. They basically acted like me at the track, you know, loud, obnoxious and drunk. This was also an important date in my life. Yes, June 7, 2003 was my 21st birthday. I won as soon as I walked in the door as Pops told me the beer was on him today. The lowlight? I didn't get carded all day until I begged one of the beer ladies to card me. Yeah, I was a few beers deep but I wanted that vindication!
Furthermore, it was the worst weather you could imagine for a horse race with a torrential downpour for the entire day. How 100,000 people thought going to the race was a good idea shows you the appeal Funny Cide had at the time. The problem? The best 3 year-old in the country that year was Empire Maker, who Funny Cide had edged out in the Kentucky Derby. Empire Maker's trainer, Bobby Frankel, sat out the Preakness and waltzed into the Belmont with a fresh horse that was clearly superior. Another horse, Ten Most Wanted, was also probably better than Funny Cide. Didn't stop us from hoping, though, and the "New York Loves Funny Cide" magnet is still on my mom's fridge. The race was a dud - Empire Maker ran by Funny Cide like inferior competition on the backstretch and he dueled with Ten Most Wanted. This isn't to say Funny Cide was a bad horse but on this day he was just outclassed and it was depressing. On a depressing Belmont scale, though, this was a 7 out of 10. Don't worry, we have a 13 out of 10 coming up.
3) 2005 - Amazing Afleet Alex
With no Triple Crown on the line for the first time since 2001, there was a serious lack of interest - only 62,000 bothered to brave a cloudy, rainy day. They missed an excellent day of racing. For starters, star sprinter Lost In The Fog was on the undercard and won to remain undefeated and by the end of the year, he was horse racing's biggest name. Funny Cide also came back to run in a Grade I (that means important) race for older horses. Though he lost, he got a great cheer and it was good to see him again. Since we started going to the Belmont, the New York Racing Association has been adding more big races on the undercard and this Saturday there will be SIX big-time graded stakes races. ESPN is going to televise all of them starting at noon, with ABC picking up the Belmont at 5 p.m. because they're trying to turn it into a Breeders Cup-type day.
Okay, to the race itself. The story was simple: Preakness winner Afleet Alex against Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo. Giacomo was one of the longest long shots to ever win the Derby. A race after which Alex's jockey Jeremy Rose basically said, "The best horse didn't win." In the Preakness, after nearly falling because of another horse, Afleet Alex and Rose proved their point with a big win. So the stage was set and we would not be disappointed. It was 11 horses - the big two and nine horses running to get a piece of the pie (i.e., finish third). At the top of the stretch, Giacomo held the lead as Afleet Alex just sort of sat there doing nothing until - WHOOSH! - he took off like a bat out of hell and won easy. This produced a great call from track announcer Tom Durkin who yelled, "He ran by Giacomo like he was standing still!"
The fun part about Alex's dominance was how badly the Belmont regulars, guys like me and my dad who show up every year, wanted to see a performance like that. For three straight years, a Triple Crown horse with hype failed us. We wanted to see the best horse act like the best horse. Afleet Alex did that and more. The replay (still found at NBCSports.com) is perfect - the fans are waving their hands in ecstasy. One New York Times reporter got it right when he wrote that it was like the fans were unleashing three years of frustration into a wild roar of noise. Even though he never raced again, I think Afleet Alex may be my favorite horse. He looked clunky, he had a weird name and everyone gave up on him after he ran a dud of a race in March of 2005. He proved him wrong though.
2) 2001 - The Best Horse I've Ever Seen
Since I've been going to the track in 1999, the best horse I've ever seen was Point Given. He was a monster of a horse - when they came on the track for the post parade, he looked like every other horse's big brother. Not only that, he was good, scary good. He lost the Derby after getting the far outside post position at #20 but came back to romp in the Preakness. This was another Derby winner (Monarchos) vs. Preakness winner but the consensus was Point Given was the man. Indeed, he was as he won by 12 lengths and was never even challenged. Whereas Afleet Alex won with one brilliant move that made the crowd explode with noise, the reaction to Point Given was completely different. The crowd stood, alright, but it just applauded with reverence as if to say, "You are the best, Point Given." He would be horse of the year in 2001 and win a few more races that year. Jockey Gary Stevens and trainer Bob Baffert spent the post-race celebration lamenting the Derby loss.
This Belmont ranks so highly for other non-racing reasons. The Clintons - Bill and Hilary - were on hand as Bill got a rousing ovation when he was showed on the big screen while Hilary was booed out of the building. Good stuff. Secondly, I ran into Bob Costas. No, seriously. As I was leaving, I literally bumped into Costas leaving the track and didn't even notice. Why? He's the shortest man I've ever seen. Like 4'11'' short. He apologized and I didn't even see him - I thought voices were talking to me. I turned around and saw the little guy scooting away. I tugged at my dad and told him, "I just ran into Bob Costas." Dad looked at him and simply said, "Wow, he's short." Indeed.
1) 2004 - Smarty Jones Breaks Our Hearts
I can't do this justice in a couple paragraphs - full column coming tomorrow
Sean O
Monday, June 4, 2007
NEVER DOUBT ME!
(The following is an TooMuchSports.com exclusive. It is an excerpt from David Stern's personal diary. How we got this is on the hush-hush.)
June 4, 2007
Dear Diary,
I am so fucking awesome. I really am. Sometimes I look into the mirror and start to cry at my own glorious power. The Stern has returned with a vengeance. I already have the chapter in my autobiography laid out, it will be entitled, "I return to power and kick ass because I am better than you."
No one understood what I was doing. People thought I was crazy. Bill Simmons, among others, had called me out for losing my edge. The new ball thing went over like a fart in church. The new dress code smacked of racism but eventually the players fell in line. No one understood the point wasn't the ball or how players dress. You think I really care what Dwayne Wade dresses like? As long as he isn't shooting up a strip joint, we're cool. I was getting people to talk about the NBA in the summer as football season was about to start and baseball season was in gear. You don't see NHL discussions in August, do you? I had to do something and I did it. They were both wild successes in my mind.
But this year proved my greatest challenge. You see, the playoffs have not been fun since Kobe and Shaq left town, I'm not going to lie. I will admit trouble. Last year's Heat/Mavs final was fun but, come on, the Mark Cuban angle did not draw the heat I thought it would. Why? Because no one likes Mark Cuban but nerdy bloggers. I'm serious. The general public is tired of Cuban. And the American public are not big fans of wimpy Euro-trash players like Dirk who plays like the annoying guy on the court down the street who is constantly calling "foul" on everyone. Shaq is fun but he's old. And there's no drama with Wade and Shaq, they're too damn cute.
So I had to do it myself. I needed people to watch. I needed people to talk about us. Now basketball people always watch the playoffs. Heck, millions tuned in for garbage like Spurs/Nets. My plan has been in motion for years and it finally came to fruition. All goals were achieved.
It began with my decision to bar high school kids from entering the draft. I AM DAVID STERN AND YOU ARE NOT! Would the world have given a fuck about Kevin Durant if he was just some high schooler? I turned the draft lottery, clearly the most pointless and lamest exercise in sports, into must-see television. The Interweb was bubbling with anticipation. Free advertising everywhere! All anyone could talk about was the NBA's worst teams! Ha, suck on that Roger Goodell! During the playoffs, the worst teams in my league were getting the most attention. Genius at work! (Note to self: Buy a shirt with that slogan, wear underneath suit at all times).
Was I done yet? No. The Spurs/Suns series was fun. I couldn't get people, the average sports fan, to tune in. The games were too late. I had to do something. So I made a couple of ridiculous suspensions and VOILA Game 5 turned into must-see television. Dangit, I did it again! For two days, every sportswriter in the country had their panties in a wad and couldn't stop yelling about the NBA. Free publicity is the best kind. All the arguing, just free pub for the rest of the series. I did that! I made that happen!
But all great men need help. LeBron helped. A lot. Sure, the refs gave him some calls like they should but that's the mantra of Stern. "Superstars Sell Tickets." The refs know what that means. Turns out I didn't need to call in any special favors, LeBron did that for me. So I know have the Finals I've craved for years. LeBron vs. Duncan. It's so brilliant that even Duncan becomes interesting. It's been in the works for a decade. I didn't want Duncan in Boston, Pitino would have found a way to destroy him. I didn't want LeBron anywhere but Cleveland. Why? Cleveland worships him and was a basketball market we hadn't cornered yet. We own that fuckin' town right now. Ditto for San Antonio.
This may be my greatest accomplishment. I turned an NBA Finals between Cleveland and San Antonio, two mid-size markets at best, into must-see television. I love that phrase. I love myself. I love power. I'm going to go look at myself in the mirror in my underwear for 10 minutes because I can.
June 4, 2007Dear Diary,
I am so fucking awesome. I really am. Sometimes I look into the mirror and start to cry at my own glorious power. The Stern has returned with a vengeance. I already have the chapter in my autobiography laid out, it will be entitled, "I return to power and kick ass because I am better than you."
No one understood what I was doing. People thought I was crazy. Bill Simmons, among others, had called me out for losing my edge. The new ball thing went over like a fart in church. The new dress code smacked of racism but eventually the players fell in line. No one understood the point wasn't the ball or how players dress. You think I really care what Dwayne Wade dresses like? As long as he isn't shooting up a strip joint, we're cool. I was getting people to talk about the NBA in the summer as football season was about to start and baseball season was in gear. You don't see NHL discussions in August, do you? I had to do something and I did it. They were both wild successes in my mind.
But this year proved my greatest challenge. You see, the playoffs have not been fun since Kobe and Shaq left town, I'm not going to lie. I will admit trouble. Last year's Heat/Mavs final was fun but, come on, the Mark Cuban angle did not draw the heat I thought it would. Why? Because no one likes Mark Cuban but nerdy bloggers. I'm serious. The general public is tired of Cuban. And the American public are not big fans of wimpy Euro-trash players like Dirk who plays like the annoying guy on the court down the street who is constantly calling "foul" on everyone. Shaq is fun but he's old. And there's no drama with Wade and Shaq, they're too damn cute.
So I had to do it myself. I needed people to watch. I needed people to talk about us. Now basketball people always watch the playoffs. Heck, millions tuned in for garbage like Spurs/Nets. My plan has been in motion for years and it finally came to fruition. All goals were achieved.
It began with my decision to bar high school kids from entering the draft. I AM DAVID STERN AND YOU ARE NOT! Would the world have given a fuck about Kevin Durant if he was just some high schooler? I turned the draft lottery, clearly the most pointless and lamest exercise in sports, into must-see television. The Interweb was bubbling with anticipation. Free advertising everywhere! All anyone could talk about was the NBA's worst teams! Ha, suck on that Roger Goodell! During the playoffs, the worst teams in my league were getting the most attention. Genius at work! (Note to self: Buy a shirt with that slogan, wear underneath suit at all times).
Was I done yet? No. The Spurs/Suns series was fun. I couldn't get people, the average sports fan, to tune in. The games were too late. I had to do something. So I made a couple of ridiculous suspensions and VOILA Game 5 turned into must-see television. Dangit, I did it again! For two days, every sportswriter in the country had their panties in a wad and couldn't stop yelling about the NBA. Free publicity is the best kind. All the arguing, just free pub for the rest of the series. I did that! I made that happen!
But all great men need help. LeBron helped. A lot. Sure, the refs gave him some calls like they should but that's the mantra of Stern. "Superstars Sell Tickets." The refs know what that means. Turns out I didn't need to call in any special favors, LeBron did that for me. So I know have the Finals I've craved for years. LeBron vs. Duncan. It's so brilliant that even Duncan becomes interesting. It's been in the works for a decade. I didn't want Duncan in Boston, Pitino would have found a way to destroy him. I didn't want LeBron anywhere but Cleveland. Why? Cleveland worships him and was a basketball market we hadn't cornered yet. We own that fuckin' town right now. Ditto for San Antonio.
This may be my greatest accomplishment. I turned an NBA Finals between Cleveland and San Antonio, two mid-size markets at best, into must-see television. I love that phrase. I love myself. I love power. I'm going to go look at myself in the mirror in my underwear for 10 minutes because I can.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
We Return Tuesday...
In the past month, I written one post. In that post, I explained that I'd been swamped at work, my soul slowly being crushed and it left no time for me to do what I really like. And no time to write about sports here on the Interweb. Well life intervened again in the past two weeks and that's why you haven't heard from me either. I know I'm writing this like there are thousands of souls hanging on every word, but I know there's got to be a few (I hope) so I feel an explanation is necessary. Anyway...two pretty important things happened to me.
First, the awful as my dog Bailey passed out. He was a nine-year old Maltese, just about the greatest dog ever, and he succumb to a tumor. Just nothing the doctor's can do. I don't have to say how terrible that was.
Then comes the good, as I got a new job, a new better paying job, and I will no longer be working at the soul-crushing newspaper I was at before.
What does all this mean? More columns, more Goodness, and more fun starting Tuesday. Yay!
Sean O
First, the awful as my dog Bailey passed out. He was a nine-year old Maltese, just about the greatest dog ever, and he succumb to a tumor. Just nothing the doctor's can do. I don't have to say how terrible that was.
Then comes the good, as I got a new job, a new better paying job, and I will no longer be working at the soul-crushing newspaper I was at before.
What does all this mean? More columns, more Goodness, and more fun starting Tuesday. Yay!
Sean O
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
A Triple Crown?
(I want to apologize for our extended absence. The Commander ended up contracting pneumonia or something from a girl he likes. But the girl likes him, so I think he's cool with that. I don't have a great excuse except that working is slowly sucking my soul away and I've been very busy. Like I said, not great but that's the way it goes sometimes. Oh, and my computer at home is thisclose to biting the dust. So I'm wasting my time at work now by rambling about horses. Guess life ain't so bad all the time...)
Sidenote: all links go to YouTube goodness
If the first Saturday in May is reserved for the Kentucky Derby, then the first Sunday in May should be reserved for the Triple Crown talk. I'm a huge horse racing fan, I've been going to Belmont Stakes each year since 1999 and I'll overwhelm you with horse racing love leading up that race. If a Triple Crown is possible, forget about it. Since 1997, six horses have won the Derby and the Preakness, leading up to a failure in the Belmont Stakes. In fact, since 1997 only twice have Derby winners not created some sort of Triple Crown buzz. The first was in 2001 when Monarchos won a super Derby but everyone and their brother knew the best horse was Point Given, who couldn't overcome the 20th post. Point Given won the Preakness, crushed the world in the Belmont and we wondered what if. In 2005, Giacomo shocked the world when the Derby completely fell apart. The most memorable moment of that Derby was Afleet Alex's jockey Jeremy Rose saying right after the race that his horse was the best. Following a win in the Preakness and a breath-taking move in the Belmont, he was right.
That leads us to now and the response to the very, very impressive win by Street Sense on Saturday. We've been waiting for 29 years for the superhorse. You see, winning the Triple Crown automatically makes a horse immortal. 100 years from now, horses will be long forgotten but the names of Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed will still be talked about. How many athletes from 1937 are easily recalled today? Horse racing fans think 1937, think War Admiral and his place in history is secure. There has been talk of changing the Triple Crown, to make it easier, but really, what's the point? Doesn't it just add to the excitement each year? Doesn't it make these the most exciting five weeks on the racing calender, even if the three races add up to a little more than six minutes of action?
So much has changed in horse racing in the past 30 years but just about everything about Street Sense is old-school. In the 23 year history of the Breeders Cup, he became the first to win the Juvenile for 2 year olds in October and come back to win the Derby. He became the first horse since Spectacular Bid to be champion 2 year old and come back to win the Derby. That's a feat a little horse named Secretariat pulled off too. I'm not comparing Street Sense to those two greats yet but it is a foundation. If we're looking at a Triple Crown champion in a month's time, we can't say we weren't warned.
The most intriguing aspect to the victory by Street Sense is what could lie ahead. For the past decade, each of the six horses that came to the Belmont Stakes with a chance at history had questions about their distance. Yes, every horse has questions about going a mile and a half when it's likely the only time they'll do, but these horses had serious issues. Smarty Jones may have been the best horse in the world at a 1 1/4 miles but that extra quarter did him, same for Real Quiet in 1998. They call it the "Test of Champions" for a reason. But Street Sense is rare in today's horse racing world in that he should get the distance, it should not be a problem for him. If you watch him sprinting away from the field in the final furlong at the Derby, you can see he can get that extra quarter-mile. ESPN's racing analyst Randy Moss was downright giddy about the possibility Saturday evening.
So where most horses face their biggest hurdle last, it is increasingly likely that Street Sense's toughest challenge will come at the Preakness next Saturday. The Preakness is shorter than the Derby and is notorious for favoring fast, speed horses. If you watched the Derby, you saw the freakish Hard Spun wire the field and run 18 horses into submission. As Hard Spun's trainer Larry Jones noted, if someone had just blocked Street Sense, his horse would have won by 8 lengths. And Hard Spun's jockey Mario Pino is based at Pimlico, home of the Preakness, while Street Sense's jockey Calvin Borel is based at Churchill Downs. Maybe a little home cooking for Pino?
The analysis of the race will be simple: can Street Sense catch Hard Spun on a smaller track going a shorter distance. You would also have to imagine that the other jockeys are not going let Street Sense get a dream trip on the rail as he did in the Derby and Juvenile. As the questions about whether Street Sense is just a horse for the course, i.e. he just loves it, at Churchill Downs. The Preakness has been relatively kind to Derby winners and, in most years, the best horse in that year's crop of three year olds. Since 1997, Derby winners are 6-9 and, no, I'm not counting Barbaro's defeat. And in two of those years, the aforementioned Point Given and Afleet Alex were the best but couldn't overcome trouble in the Derby. Is Street Sense that good? He's only 4 for 8, not an undefeated beast like Smarty Jones. The reason there are so many question, so many concerns is the simple fact of the unknown. We do not know if the Derby performance was the tip of the iceberg for Street Sense or the absolute best he had. We won't know what it means for weeks, we're just left to speculate.
There are other horses that will be in the Preakness, maybe Derby third-place finisher Curlin, Todd Pletcher's King of the Roxy and the speedball from D. Wayne Lukas, Flying First Class. Regardless, all eyes will be on Street Sense and Hard Spun. The question, as it is every year, is 'can this horse do it?' The question, however, has a new twist this year. Street Sense should win the Belmont Stakes. That means the Preakness could be the difference between immortality and just being a really, really good horse. For horse racing, nothing compares to a horse strolling into New York in early June with that much riding on the line. With the New York tabloids buzzing, with a 100,000+ ready to witness history and the eyes of the sporting world fixated on animals running a big circle.
If Street Sense shows up with that chance this year, it could be different. It should be different and the outcome would be different. Let it be known right now, Street Sense will win the Belmont Stakes. Will it matter? I hope it does.
Sean O
Sidenote: all links go to YouTube goodness
If the first Saturday in May is reserved for the Kentucky Derby, then the first Sunday in May should be reserved for the Triple Crown talk. I'm a huge horse racing fan, I've been going to Belmont Stakes each year since 1999 and I'll overwhelm you with horse racing love leading up that race. If a Triple Crown is possible, forget about it. Since 1997, six horses have won the Derby and the Preakness, leading up to a failure in the Belmont Stakes. In fact, since 1997 only twice have Derby winners not created some sort of Triple Crown buzz. The first was in 2001 when Monarchos won a super Derby but everyone and their brother knew the best horse was Point Given, who couldn't overcome the 20th post. Point Given won the Preakness, crushed the world in the Belmont and we wondered what if. In 2005, Giacomo shocked the world when the Derby completely fell apart. The most memorable moment of that Derby was Afleet Alex's jockey Jeremy Rose saying right after the race that his horse was the best. Following a win in the Preakness and a breath-taking move in the Belmont, he was right.
That leads us to now and the response to the very, very impressive win by Street Sense on Saturday. We've been waiting for 29 years for the superhorse. You see, winning the Triple Crown automatically makes a horse immortal. 100 years from now, horses will be long forgotten but the names of Secretariat, Seattle Slew and Affirmed will still be talked about. How many athletes from 1937 are easily recalled today? Horse racing fans think 1937, think War Admiral and his place in history is secure. There has been talk of changing the Triple Crown, to make it easier, but really, what's the point? Doesn't it just add to the excitement each year? Doesn't it make these the most exciting five weeks on the racing calender, even if the three races add up to a little more than six minutes of action?So much has changed in horse racing in the past 30 years but just about everything about Street Sense is old-school. In the 23 year history of the Breeders Cup, he became the first to win the Juvenile for 2 year olds in October and come back to win the Derby. He became the first horse since Spectacular Bid to be champion 2 year old and come back to win the Derby. That's a feat a little horse named Secretariat pulled off too. I'm not comparing Street Sense to those two greats yet but it is a foundation. If we're looking at a Triple Crown champion in a month's time, we can't say we weren't warned.
The most intriguing aspect to the victory by Street Sense is what could lie ahead. For the past decade, each of the six horses that came to the Belmont Stakes with a chance at history had questions about their distance. Yes, every horse has questions about going a mile and a half when it's likely the only time they'll do, but these horses had serious issues. Smarty Jones may have been the best horse in the world at a 1 1/4 miles but that extra quarter did him, same for Real Quiet in 1998. They call it the "Test of Champions" for a reason. But Street Sense is rare in today's horse racing world in that he should get the distance, it should not be a problem for him. If you watch him sprinting away from the field in the final furlong at the Derby, you can see he can get that extra quarter-mile. ESPN's racing analyst Randy Moss was downright giddy about the possibility Saturday evening.
So where most horses face their biggest hurdle last, it is increasingly likely that Street Sense's toughest challenge will come at the Preakness next Saturday. The Preakness is shorter than the Derby and is notorious for favoring fast, speed horses. If you watched the Derby, you saw the freakish Hard Spun wire the field and run 18 horses into submission. As Hard Spun's trainer Larry Jones noted, if someone had just blocked Street Sense, his horse would have won by 8 lengths. And Hard Spun's jockey Mario Pino is based at Pimlico, home of the Preakness, while Street Sense's jockey Calvin Borel is based at Churchill Downs. Maybe a little home cooking for Pino?
The analysis of the race will be simple: can Street Sense catch Hard Spun on a smaller track going a shorter distance. You would also have to imagine that the other jockeys are not going let Street Sense get a dream trip on the rail as he did in the Derby and Juvenile. As the questions about whether Street Sense is just a horse for the course, i.e. he just loves it, at Churchill Downs. The Preakness has been relatively kind to Derby winners and, in most years, the best horse in that year's crop of three year olds. Since 1997, Derby winners are 6-9 and, no, I'm not counting Barbaro's defeat. And in two of those years, the aforementioned Point Given and Afleet Alex were the best but couldn't overcome trouble in the Derby. Is Street Sense that good? He's only 4 for 8, not an undefeated beast like Smarty Jones. The reason there are so many question, so many concerns is the simple fact of the unknown. We do not know if the Derby performance was the tip of the iceberg for Street Sense or the absolute best he had. We won't know what it means for weeks, we're just left to speculate.
There are other horses that will be in the Preakness, maybe Derby third-place finisher Curlin, Todd Pletcher's King of the Roxy and the speedball from D. Wayne Lukas, Flying First Class. Regardless, all eyes will be on Street Sense and Hard Spun. The question, as it is every year, is 'can this horse do it?' The question, however, has a new twist this year. Street Sense should win the Belmont Stakes. That means the Preakness could be the difference between immortality and just being a really, really good horse. For horse racing, nothing compares to a horse strolling into New York in early June with that much riding on the line. With the New York tabloids buzzing, with a 100,000+ ready to witness history and the eyes of the sporting world fixated on animals running a big circle.If Street Sense shows up with that chance this year, it could be different. It should be different and the outcome would be different. Let it be known right now, Street Sense will win the Belmont Stakes. Will it matter? I hope it does.
Sean O
Friday, April 20, 2007
A-Rod, Are You Kidding Me?
I wrote here a couple weeks back that Alex Rodriguez, well, A-Rod doesn't suck. I talked about how I appreciated the fact that A-Rod finally seemed like a normal human being. He was no longer catering to what he thought people wanted him to do. He admitted he wasn't best buddies with Derek Jeter anymore. He basically told the New York fans that he wanted to be a Yankee but, if they didn't want him, he'd leave. He put the onus on them to either take him or leave him. For the first time in his career as a Yankee, he finally stood up, was honest and, even before the season began, you feel the tide of momentum rolling in A-Rod's favor.
But who knew? Who knew that A-Rod was preparing to unleash possibly the greatest April in the history of the national pastime? Who knew that A-Rod would provide not one, but two, last-inning walk-off home runs. These were just any ol' home run either. A grand slam to win a game? A three-run home run to win Thursday's game against the Indians with a shot that may or may not have landed in center field yet?
The potential for A-Rod's 2007 season is completely, totally and unimaginably limitless. He could hit 85 home runs this year and I wouldn't blink an eye. He could drive in 200 runs and I wouldn't be surprised. He is in the middle of one of the most potent lineups, based on statistics, in baseball with terrific support right behind him in Jason Giambi. In this era of smaller ballparks, too many mediocre pitchers and the notion of juiced baseballs still floating around, every record in the book is on alert right now. Will A-Rod carry his momentum throughout the season? For the rest of baseball, I hope he cools off at some point but there is no denying what could be this year.
Which leads me to the point I really want to make and why A-Rod's emergence is the best thing baseball could have hoped for as a sport. We know that Albert Pujols is a fantastic player and I am by no means shortchanging him. The fact is Pujols plays for the Cardinals. A storied franchise? Absolutely, but they're not the New York Yankees. Whether you love them or hate them, or for many it's the latter and I'm a Yankee hater myself, there is no denying their place in the sporting world. The Yankees transcend not only baseball but sports in America. They are a worldwide team with the largest market following them and the most prevalent media transcribing their every move. For the past two years, it has been all about A-Rod and it's all been negative. He was going to be a huge story no matter what he did. But what he's doing makes the story even more intriguing.
Since the steroids scandal has busted loose, covering former icons like Mark McGwire in shame and relegating Barry Bonds to the trash heap of history, Alex Rodriguez provides baseball with something it hasn't had in forever. He is, by all accounts, a clean superstar. There have never even been whispers about A-Rod cheating, using illegal substances or doing anything bad at all really. He is as clean as a whistle. When he hits a ball 400+ feet into the stratosphere, like he did Wednesday against Cleveland, there is no anger directed at me like when Bonds does the same thing. In fact, A-Rod LOST 10 to 15 pounds in preparation for this season, the exact opposite of what a steroid-injecting freak like McGwire or Bonds would do before a season.
A-Rod has been the best player in baseball for years, he just hasn't had the chance to showcase his skills on the biggest stage. Blame the media, blame A-Rod's own inability to handle the scrutiny or, heck, blame the fans, A-Rod hasn't been the player many thought he could be. For the first 14 games of 2007, he has exceeded even his own lofty hype. We could be in the process of witnessing something historic. We could be in the process of watching something unfold that has never happened before, in fact, something that hasn't happened since 1961: Someone hitting more than 62 home runs without the aid of the cream, the clear or a needle. For baseball, A-Rod launching a historic assault on the record book could be the end of baseball's steroid nightmare and, more importantly, shove Barry Bonds and his watermelon-sized head from our consciousness.
Sean O
-In a related note, I have to mention something I read in the ESPN Magazine while waiting in a doctor's office Thursday from Stuart Scott. He has some column where he answers questions and he was asked about Barry Bonds. He said unless "someone tests positives or admits it" then they are concerned innocent in his book. Wow. I mean, wow, I want Scott sitting on my jury if I'm ever convicting of a crime. There is a mountain of evidence against Bonds from trainers and others, not to mention the testimony Bonds gave to the court and the simple, obvious evidence that his body has doubled in size, head included, in his late 30's. Scott said he would celebrate his passing of Hank Aaron like the true accomplishment it is. Thank you Stuart Scott for being a complete and total dumbass. There's a reason no one cares about Bonds. There's a reason why you are part of the reason so many dislike ESPN and the network has lost all credibility.
But who knew? Who knew that A-Rod was preparing to unleash possibly the greatest April in the history of the national pastime? Who knew that A-Rod would provide not one, but two, last-inning walk-off home runs. These were just any ol' home run either. A grand slam to win a game? A three-run home run to win Thursday's game against the Indians with a shot that may or may not have landed in center field yet?
The potential for A-Rod's 2007 season is completely, totally and unimaginably limitless. He could hit 85 home runs this year and I wouldn't blink an eye. He could drive in 200 runs and I wouldn't be surprised. He is in the middle of one of the most potent lineups, based on statistics, in baseball with terrific support right behind him in Jason Giambi. In this era of smaller ballparks, too many mediocre pitchers and the notion of juiced baseballs still floating around, every record in the book is on alert right now. Will A-Rod carry his momentum throughout the season? For the rest of baseball, I hope he cools off at some point but there is no denying what could be this year.Which leads me to the point I really want to make and why A-Rod's emergence is the best thing baseball could have hoped for as a sport. We know that Albert Pujols is a fantastic player and I am by no means shortchanging him. The fact is Pujols plays for the Cardinals. A storied franchise? Absolutely, but they're not the New York Yankees. Whether you love them or hate them, or for many it's the latter and I'm a Yankee hater myself, there is no denying their place in the sporting world. The Yankees transcend not only baseball but sports in America. They are a worldwide team with the largest market following them and the most prevalent media transcribing their every move. For the past two years, it has been all about A-Rod and it's all been negative. He was going to be a huge story no matter what he did. But what he's doing makes the story even more intriguing.
Since the steroids scandal has busted loose, covering former icons like Mark McGwire in shame and relegating Barry Bonds to the trash heap of history, Alex Rodriguez provides baseball with something it hasn't had in forever. He is, by all accounts, a clean superstar. There have never even been whispers about A-Rod cheating, using illegal substances or doing anything bad at all really. He is as clean as a whistle. When he hits a ball 400+ feet into the stratosphere, like he did Wednesday against Cleveland, there is no anger directed at me like when Bonds does the same thing. In fact, A-Rod LOST 10 to 15 pounds in preparation for this season, the exact opposite of what a steroid-injecting freak like McGwire or Bonds would do before a season.
A-Rod has been the best player in baseball for years, he just hasn't had the chance to showcase his skills on the biggest stage. Blame the media, blame A-Rod's own inability to handle the scrutiny or, heck, blame the fans, A-Rod hasn't been the player many thought he could be. For the first 14 games of 2007, he has exceeded even his own lofty hype. We could be in the process of witnessing something historic. We could be in the process of watching something unfold that has never happened before, in fact, something that hasn't happened since 1961: Someone hitting more than 62 home runs without the aid of the cream, the clear or a needle. For baseball, A-Rod launching a historic assault on the record book could be the end of baseball's steroid nightmare and, more importantly, shove Barry Bonds and his watermelon-sized head from our consciousness.Sean O
-In a related note, I have to mention something I read in the ESPN Magazine while waiting in a doctor's office Thursday from Stuart Scott. He has some column where he answers questions and he was asked about Barry Bonds. He said unless "someone tests positives or admits it" then they are concerned innocent in his book. Wow. I mean, wow, I want Scott sitting on my jury if I'm ever convicting of a crime. There is a mountain of evidence against Bonds from trainers and others, not to mention the testimony Bonds gave to the court and the simple, obvious evidence that his body has doubled in size, head included, in his late 30's. Scott said he would celebrate his passing of Hank Aaron like the true accomplishment it is. Thank you Stuart Scott for being a complete and total dumbass. There's a reason no one cares about Bonds. There's a reason why you are part of the reason so many dislike ESPN and the network has lost all credibility.
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