Today, I finally got to see another Triple Crown winner in
my lifetime; the third and final example of the most exciting 2 minutes in sports. I don’t think I really fully appreciated the last
three since I saw them happen in a span of just five years during the 70’s. Who
would have thought it would take 37 years for another horse to do it again? For my wife it was the first time she'd witnessed a Triple Crown winner live; both of us were both
yelling as we watched the horses came down the final stretch and American Pharoah
pull away at the end, great stuff.
Last year I was really rooting for California Chrome to pull
off the Triple Crown and it really exposed the pettiness behind the scenes in
horse racing. It’s hard for a horse to race 3 times in less than two months,
especially with the travel involved. With other trainers not really trying to
win the Triple Crown but instead working to prevent someone else from doing it is
akin to a jealous ex-lover knocking someone off because they don’t want any
else to have them. It is way past the stage for a serious look to a change in the timing between races. It wouldn't cheapen it since an owner would still need a hell of a good horse to beat the best 3 times in a row.
I guess I wonder if horse racing would be as popular if it had
been designed around something other than betting. No doubt viewership wouldn’t
be as high nor would it also be for the 4 major pro leagues ; teams getting fined
for not reporting injuries doesn’t have anything to do with appeasing the oddsmakers in Vegas
does it? Nope sure doesn’t and by the way, I am the REAL Easter Bunny.
The past couple years I’ve started to gravitate more and from the major pro sports and toward something different, like bull
riding. The rules are real simple: 1. Ride for 8 seconds, 2. Don’t get killed.
The riders all root for each other since they all have a common opponent: the
bulls. If there is any trash talking it must be in the locker room because you
don’t see it on event night, it’s rather refreshing.
