Everyone and their uncle thought Big Brown was going to win the Belmont and the Triple Crown. I understand it makes for a great story especially when this country is down like it is. Plus, there's nothing more comical than a certain "columnist emeritus" waxing poetic about a "whorsh's ash" on national TV.
But there are some reasons why I was rooting against the horse with a name that makes me think more about dropping a batch than racing:
- These are horses, people. The only thing they care about is eating and dumping. I wasn't looking forward to a week's worth of stories about this horse on every news magazine and channel. How many "Big Brown: The Run to Racing's Elite" tales would we need? Don't get me wrong, I'd rather stare at Big Brown's brownskies than Paul Pierce in a wheelchair on SI next week, but that would dominate the coverage and we can't have that.
- There's the other side of horse racing that few hear about. For those who have a strong stomach), check out last month's Real Sports about "Hidden Horses". I'm no animal rights protestor but that story was difficult to watch. Who knows if Da Tara wasn't going to be sent to the "Meat Man"?
- Do I really need to see the UPS guy drawing a horse delivering packages overnight during breaks of baseball games for the next 3 months?
Maybe I wouldn't mind so much if this woman was in the ads....
- Last, and definitely not least....it was nice to see Rick Dutrow, Jr. put his foot in his mouth. He guaranteed victory...played up the Triple Crown and then didn't even speak to the media afterward. I'm glad this jackass didn't maximize his potential. If you have a chance, check out Steve Politi's column.
1 comment:
Politi's column was sharp. Highly enjoyable. Thanks for the link.
I hadn't read that Big Brown's owner was such a pompous arse before, but I had a general feeling that I didn't want him to be the horse to get the Triple Crown.
Which is saying something, because I have been intrigued by the lack of a Triple Crown winner in the last few decades.
Every year, I get fired up about the prospect. I was a huge Smarty Jones fan a few years back, and always rooted for those with Triple Crown possibilities.
For some reason, I just didn't feel it with Big Brown.
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