Finally Another Triple Crown

     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.

Congratulations to American Pharoah’s team for a great accomplishment and a two-fisted one finger salute to the trainers that skipped races and ran their horses only in the Belmont, this year at least it didn’t matter.

I Bet You Won't Finish Your Popcorn

This first weekend in May 2015 wields a double edged sword. The weekend that essentially started on Thursday could be either sports fan nirvana or the final debacle for a degenerate gambler.

The yearly talent crapshoot known as the NFL draft kicked off the weekend on Thursday. Teams have probed, poked and tested about 2,000 of the young men they see as the top college talent. All that evaluation is done in the hope they will find the next Peyton Manning and not the next Ryan Leaf. After a season that offered as much if not more coverage given to off the field issues than to the play on the field, the word “character” became the hacky sack of every broadcast.  I guess watching Jameis Winston throw the football makes everyone forget about the other stuff.  For every Tyrann Mathieu there are 5 Justin Blackmon’s it seems. Only time will tell if all the character questions had merit, though I will be surprised if more than 3 of the top picks in this draft play out their rookie contract.  The most popular bets available on the draft define insanity; you can bet on where any player will be drafted, who the first running back drafted is and which conference will have the most players drafted. I will bet that any players unfortunate enough to be drafted by those whoopee cushions known as the Redskins and Browns will come to camp stocked up on Prozac to cope with the insanity.

Saturday presents us with the most exciting two minutes in sports followed later by the richest fight in boxing history. The Kentucky Derby is the only “pre-game” that rivals the Super Bowl. At least with the Derby there are other races to watch instead of seventeen human interest stories about a player’s gardener’s dog’s barber. Well, all the pre derby stuff is worth watching just for the big crazy hats isn't it? The races yes, for the hats no, no it’s not.  It was unfortunate that California Chrome missed the Triple Crown last year since it was a neat story of a great little horse, though it only furthered the notion there will never be another Secretariat.  My pick, Carpe Diem, didn’t carpe enough, which is why I don’t bet on horse racing unless I happen to be at the track in Saratoga Springs. I hit the trifecta the last time I went though it sure wasn't enough to retire to St. Thomas.

I hope the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight lives up to the hype after waiting so long for it to happen. Apparently it is already the richest fight in boxing history and at $ 90.00 for pay-per-view in standard def I think I’ll stick with plain old Netflix.  I went to a pay-per-view event for Tyson- Spinks (I didn't buy the tickets) and that was over before I finished my popcorn.  I hope anyone that made the investment on this fight gets to finish theirs. These guys are both long in the tooth for boxers though I expect the fight to go the distance. I don’t see either being able to knock the other out, unless it’s happens to be of the Hollywood double knockout variety.

Behind these big three, the NBA and NHL playoffs are in full swing and into the second round. I’m going on a short limb and wagering these early rounds will have more drama than the finals in either league.  We can’t forget baseball still has over 135 games to go before their playoffs begin. That season seems so long because of the number of games, though time wise it’s really only longer than the NFL.  If you’re a fan of any or all of the sports action this weekend I wish you luck in having the time to finish your popcorn. For all you gamblers out there I hope you managed to hang on to enough gas money to get to you to work Monday. If not, I hope you have a good pair of shoes and a friendly looking thumb or maybe even some leftover popcorn.