A Large Regular

More stuff I thought was interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

-  The history behind the song The Battle Hymn of the Republic

- You have to have a heart of stone not to be amused by this - Longtime Colts reporter Bob Kravitz laments his time at The Athletic.

- Racehorses in NJ are dying at an alarming rate - what's going on? Racehorses across America are dying at an alarming rate. This is a problem.

- The Fox Sisters and Spiritualism - interesting bit of American history.

Today's 155th runing of the Triple Crown's third leg, the Belmont Statkes, will go on as planned despite poor air quality due to wild fires in Canada. There's only 9 horses running and neither the Belomont, Fox TV nor NY Governor Kathy Hochul can aford to have a horse disqualified for any reason. The race must go on!

The race is scheduled to begin at 7:02 PM and here's my picks for the race: 

Tri-box:

- 2 Tapit Trice odds 3-1 = jockey Luis Saez (maybe the best in the US) with trainer Todd Pletcher.

- 4 National Treasure odds 5-1 - jockey John Valazquez with trainer Bob Baffert. Won the Preakness and this is Valaquez/Pletcher - always a must bet!

- 6 Forte odds odds 5-1 - jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. with trainer Todd Pletcher (was favorite in Kentucky Derby before being scratched last minute).

- 8 Angel of Empire odds 7-2 - jockey Flavien Pratt with trainer Brad Cox (finished 3rd in Kentucky Derby).

Know this Tri-Box is very chalk-lke but those are the 4 horses I like best. A $2 tribox costs $48 - good luck!

More stuff I thought I'd share.

- NFL fans become nervous after YouTube TV has issues during final minutes of NBA game. There will be issues. There always are.

- National security experts: War in Ukraine an "unmitigated disaster."  

- Chris "the Bear" Fallica's Preakness picks.

- Tesla wins big Supreme Court case. Big win for consumers.

 Up in Saratoga. Going to bet some money on the ponies. Wish me luck.

 
Ernest Hemingway wrote a lot of stories about horse racing and during his early years in Paris much of his time was spent at race tracks or studying the racing forum looking for a good horse to bet. This side of Hemingway is not widely known mainly because almost all of his stories about horse racing were lost when his wife Hadley had a briefcase full of Hemingway's original works along with the carbon copies stolen off a train.

I keep wondering what would have happened if those stories had not been lost to history. Would Hemingway the writer have turned out very different?

Imagine if some of those horse racing stories were published and they were met with some acclaim. Would Hemingway have been known as the renown horse racing writer?  If Hemingway branched out to other subjects would the critics have told him to stick to horse racing? "Hemingway writes about an old fisherman struggling to land a giant marlin and the story is surprisingly well told coming from a writer who normally covers steeple chase."

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

With the Olympics postponed until next year but with horse racing still going on I really think an "Olympic Derby" would be a great success. Each country sends their 2 best racehorses and a series of races are held over a couple weeks until the "Gold Medal" final race. It could be bigger than the Kentucky Derby and Preakness combined... "One of the mysteries of the ages is why the political left has, for centuries, lavished so much attention on the well-being of criminals and paid so little attention to their victims." - Thomas Sowell.. Heh Heh - Cultural Offering's plan to survive the Wuhan Virus... "Sir, your levelers wish to level down as far as themselves; but they cannot bear leveling up to themselves." - Samuel Johnson. The more things change - the more they stay the same...  If I were a baseball player this would be my walk-up music... Greatly amused by anyone worked up by former Republican Governor John Kasich agreeing to be a key speaker at the Democratic National Convention. Kasich is a man bereft of charisma who has a lower name recognition in America than the back-up third baseman for the Dodgers...

Love that Kurt Vonnegut worked once at Sports Illustrated:

Kurt Vonnegut worked briefly at SI until being told to write a story about a race horse that had jumped the rail and terrorized the infield at a local track. Vonnegut stared at his desk for what seemed like hours before finally departing the building without a word. Inside his deserted typewriter was this: ''The horse jumped over the fucking fence.''

Heh heh - great story.

No blogging today. Playing the ponies during my annual trip to Saratoga.

Strange as it may sound we will probably know the winner of today's Preakness horse race before we "officially" know who won the Kentucky Derby. That's because the owner of Maximum Security has filed a lawsuit to overturn their horse's DQ in the Derby after finishing first.

I feel for those who backed Maximum Security but I'm firmly against turning to the courts to decide what should and always has been decided on the field of play. I feel for fans of the New Orleans Saints but getting the courts to order a replay of the NFC Championship game because of an obviously missed pass interference call by the referees is ridiculous.

In the case of the Kentucky Derby - would backers of Country House be forced to refund their winnings? If they are not forced to return that money - then who pays the backers of Maximum Security? And what about people who have already thrown away their tickets on Maximum Security? How is that resolved? A whole can of worms which should never be opened.

Neither Maximum Security nor Country House are racing today (which I think is BS). A matter such as this could easily be settled on the track or better yet go completely "old school" and let the owners of Maximum Security and Country House resolve the issue with dueling pistols at 20-paces.

As an aside I was told last night a story of a local Mass guy who bet $40 on Country House to win and who ran that ticket 80 times! His take was over $240,000. I'm guessing that guy definitely doesn't want the outcome changed by the courts.

As far as who I'm betting on today - I've learned over the years that if I post my picks they rarely win. I've become a convert to the Al Swearagen dictum that the best way to make God laugh is to announce your plans (or in this case your Preakness picks).

Miscellaneous Kentucky Derby related thoughts and observations.

The New England Patriots were once again well represented at the Kentucky Derby with both the Hall of Fame coach and QB looking spiffy... Richard Nixon remains the only sitting US President to attend the run for the roses. He's alo the only President to meet both Elvis and Robocop... How funny would it be if instead of elaborate hats women (and Johnny Weir) had to wear elaborate fake beards? My mind works differently than most... As far as my bets I did not have either the winner Country House (or the DQ'd winner Maximum Security) in my five-horse trifecta box but I made money on the day because I loaded up on Code of Honor to show. I figured with a sloppy track the experience of jockey Johnny Valazquez  would make a big difference and that Johnny V would find a way to get his horse into the money. I was right.

45-years ago today Secretariat ran the most incredible horse race in history. Watching the replay gives me chills. Supposedly Secretariat would have beaten American Pharoah by 16 lengths!

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

I'm grabbing my musket if Donald Trump loses the election. Oh wait no I won't - I don't have a musket. And I am also not insane... Heh heh... How the mighty have fallen - the Boston Globe sports department doesn't have a single reporter at the World Series. The paper that gave the world Peter Gammons, Gordon Edes and Bob Ryan is not represented at baseball's biggest event... Interesting advice on how to bet on horse racing. Can't wait to test this out... If the Indians wins the World Series look for the Paper Lace song The Night Chicago Died to have a sudden resurgence on Cleveland radio stations... I agree that this would make a great Scorsese movie. I picture Jeremy Renner as the lead...

43-years ago today Secretariat ran the most incredible horse race in history. Watching the replay gives me chills. Supposedly Secretariat would have beaten American Pharoah by 16 lengths!

Today is Kentucky Derby day! The above image is sunrise over the twin spires of Churchill Downs via Darren Rovell.

The Kentucky Derby is one of the great American traditions. One of my favorite bits of Derby trivia is that Richard Nixon is the only sitting American President to ever attend a Kentucky Derby. One of the darker (no pun intended) aspects of Derby history that's stuck in my head is the fact that in 1911 the Kentucky Derby banned black jockeys after they won 15 of the first 28 Derbies. If you can't beat them - ban them I guess was the thought process.

Anyway - on to my picks:

Trifecta Box of - Nyquist (2-1); Destin (21-1) and Exaggerator (5-1)

I know Nyquist is the chalk choice but how foolish would you feel if he finishes in the top 3 and you didn't have him?

I am also taking long shot Majesto (was 30-1 but latest odds are 60-1) for a few dollars across the board.

Before following my advice please remember I'm just a casual observer of horse racing and that I'm the kind of person who thinks while watching the races about how funny it would be if  instead of elaborate hats - the ladies (and Johnny Weir) had to wear fake beards instead.

Good luck. May the odds ever be in you favor!

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Yes Caitlyn Jenner looks like Jessica Lange and yes I'd have sex with Jessica Lange. Suddenly I don't want to talk about his... In the drink V8 is one of the 8 ingredients ass? Sure tastes like ass to me... Playing off the success of Christian Mingle - I'd like to create a website Christian Divorce - "Jesus wants you to separate"... Fantastic look back at Stevie Cauthen - the last jockey to win the Triple Crown... What would I do for a Klondike Bar? I guess go to the store and pay a buck and a half. That's what I'd do for a Klondike Bar... Nick Swisher's career numbers aren't close to being Hall of Fame caliber but you know some writer will vote for him as a favor... Hillary has to be the worst possible name for a stripper...

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Now in order to win 95 games the Red Sox would have to go 75-38 the rest of the way. Good luck with that... Yesterday a bettor won $6.67 million on the Pick Six at Gulfstream. The cost of the winning ticket was $7,603 which means this was no casual bettor... Jimmy Kimmel's Celebrities Read Mean Tweets... "I went to my doctor and told him 'My penis is burning'. He said that means someone is talking about it" - Gary Shandling... Hollywood is so out of ideas it wouldn't surprise me to see Casablanca II: A Beautiful Friendship starring Aston Kutcher and Charlie Sheen... Ha ha - this was exactly how I felt about the Kayne West / Kim Kardashian wedding!... What would I do for a Klondike Bar? I guess go to the store and pay a buck and a half. That's what I'd do for a Klondike Bar.... Donald Sterling's favorite Christmas song? I'm Dreaming of a White Mistress... Everything science knows about hangovers and how to cure them... "A million Marines could not take Tarawa in a hundred years." Japanese admiral before the US Marines took the island in 3 days...

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Interesting analysis of the Kentucky Derby field. So Java's War? I'm leaning towards the Pletcher / / Valezquez combo on Verrazano.

- In case you missed it - Netflix lost close to 2,000 titles this past Wednesday.

- Holy crap! What a hit in the Lingerie Football League!

- Time crystals? The scientist will never admit it but I bet he originally got the idea for this theory from the Sleestacks on Land of the Lost

Ernest Hemingway wrote a lot of stories about horse racing and during his early years in Paris much of his time was spent at race tracks or studying the racing forum looking for a good horse to bet. This side of Hemingway is not widely known mainly because almost all of his stories about horse racing were lost when his wife Hadley had a briefcase full of Hemingway's original works along with the carbon copies stolen off a train.

I keep wondering what would have happened if those stories had not been lost to history. Would Hemingway the writer have turned out very different?

Imagine if some of those horse racing stories were published and they were met with some acclaim. Would Hemingway have been known as the renown horse racing writer?  If Hemingway branched out to other subjects would the critics have told him to stick to horse racing? "Hemingway writes about an old fisherman struggling to land a giant marlin and the story is surprisingly well told coming from a writer who normally covers steeple chase."

My mind works differently than most people.

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

There should be outrage at the Pacquiao decision but should there be any surprise? It is also funny listening to people on sports talk radio talk about the situation who did not even watch the fight (and no I did not watch the fight either).... Interesting common sense approach to business problems - The 5 Whys. I'm going to try to incorporate this approach into my every day life... The movie Heat would have been much more interesting if Al Pacino hunted Robert DeNiro with just a bow and arrow... My favorite moment of the Belmont was seeing Bob Costas interview jockey Johnny Velazquez. They were eye-to-eye. Man is Bob Costas short... Johnny Damon may not get to 3,000 hits but he already has more total bases than Wade Boggs - 4174 to 4064...