STILL ON PATROL

Kentucky Derby Tragedy Renews Safety Questions

  The magnificent performance of a horse named for UPS, "Big Brown", was overshadowed by the tragic injury and death of the filly, "Eight Belles", moments after the conclusion of Saturday's Kentucky Derby.  The mood at the Derby Party where we watched the race mirrored that at the track - the excited buzz of the post-race jubilation quickly dropped to a hushed murmur as fleeting video of a horse down on the track, then hidden by two huge horse ambulances told the story of one of our equine heroes in trouble.  Soon thereafter came the horrible, dreaded news, that "Eight Belles" had broken BOTH front ankles and had been mercifully euthanized.

Horses are amazing creatures.  The award-winning movie at the Kentucky Horse Park says it all - "They Shall Fly Without Wings."  They are at once large and powerful - a racing thoroughbred weighs between 1000 and 1200 pounds on average - and yet are hopelessly fragile.  Every time I bend to check our horses' legs and feet I marvel at how thin they are to carry such a large animal at such speeds.  Our Tennessee Walkers, usually a more powerfully built horse than a thoroughbred, still only have ankles about the size of my wrists.  It seems at times impossible. 

And there are almost too many things to mention that can bring a horse down - for example, with this Spring's rich grass in the paddocks, a horse can put on too much weight and founder (develop laminitis, an extraordinarily painful hoof condition) almost before you know it, sometimes leading to death - "no hooves, no horse."  Horses in the fields suffer injuries all the time, and are susceptible to all manner of difficult conditions and diseases.  We lost a big, young TWH last year and still don't know why - two weeks in an equine hospital, one of the best around, and still he dropped dead of a heart attack a few weeks later, at age seven.

But, inevitably, when one of horse racing's elite goes down, on national television, just after "the most exciting two minutes in sports", it hits everyone in the gut and causes a deep sadness that takes many days to resolve.  The freak injury to "Eight Belles", coming after her strong second-place effort was in the books and she was slowing down in the first turn, has brought horse racing's critics to the fore once again, and has even seen the emergence of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) into the  fray.  (I really hate to see this wack-job group in the debate.  PETA's credibility among serious business-people has to be next to nothing given their extreme past such as tossing blood on women in fur coats.   According to a Swiss publication, the next thing will be these groups condemning our treatment of PLANTS.  Give me a break!)  (By the way, that's my TWH gelding, "Rhett Butler" to the right giving his opinion of PETA). 

Coupled with recent high-profile injuries and deaths in the "eventing" side of the equine world, however, some serious discussions of safety practices appear to be very much in order.   There are some compelling arguments being made about enhancing the safety of horse racing.  The use of synthetic, more "cushioned" track materials such as Poly-Track has reduced the number of on-track breakdowns at facilities such as Keeneland in Kentucky and all California tracks.  While many in racing argue that Poly-Track affects performance, i.e., speed, it seems that the better course would be to mandate change to the safer surface and put everyone on the same "footing."  Just as NASCAR has discovered, when the track and equipment playing field is leveled and made more safe, it becomes much more a contest among competitors and less a game of chance.

Some in the horse industry are also being criticized for starting horses in training and racing at a too-young age.  Many horses now have active two-year old and three-year old seasons and are retired to  breeding service by age four.  These ages can be misleading, however.  Regardless of the actual date of birth, all thoroughbreds "birthday" is considered to be January 1 of the year of their birth.  Thus a "two-year old" may only be 20 months old or so.   Equine specialist believe that the musculoskeletal growth of a horse does not mature until at the earliest 18 months, if by then, such that forcing a young horse into training may interfere with its ability to naturally mature.  At the same time, exercise is necessary and, if properly done, can actually increase longevity.  It is a difficult balance.  The recent emergence of so-called "lightly-raced" horses, such as this year's "Big Brown", and last year's Horse of the year, "Curlin", makes me wonder if there isn't something to this - that owners are simply pushing horses to the track to soon and too often.

The most basic fact of the matter is that horses are powerful but fragile creatures.  They get injured and die even on the most pastoral, beautiful farms.  There is probably nothing that can be done to absolutely prevent equine injuries.  The solution, however, is not to enact a PETA-like "ban" of racing, or of eventing.  The quest for speed, or for bigger and tougher jumps over which to test an eventing horse, must be tempered with a cool, sane acceptance that safety in these sports should be paramount.  God gave us these beautiful animals to help us and to remind us of the nature of our souls.  We should always treat them as the gift from God they are, and do all in our power to keep them safe even as they bring us enjoyment and grand spectacles such as the Kentucky Derby.

Baseball Drug Hearings A Foul Tip

I watched with interest this morning Roger Clemens' opening statement to the Congressional Committee looking into the illegal steroids problem with baseball.  That is, after two congressmen droned on forever, taking full advantage of their 15 minutes of "fame."  Clemens, as he has all along, maintained that he has never taken steroids or human growth hormones (HGH), contrary to the accusation of former trainer Brian McNamee and circumstantial evidence from a few others such as former teammate Andy Pettitte.

McNamee certainly had had his share of credibility problems, including a record of being less than truthful in other, prior investigations, one drug-related and the other into a rape allegation.  One has to wonder about his current claim that he has retained a syringe and some gauze pads from injecting Clemens and is offering them for DNA analysis.  Why would someone like McNamee hold onto these items unless he was planning on shaking Clemens down one day?  My answer to McNamee's "why would I lie?" question is about the same as to anyone else"s:  to save your own butt; or, to try to assure your own 15 minutes of fame and an eventual book deal.

Clemens is not without his own issues, not the least of which is Pettitte claiming that Clemens told him he had used HGH.  Paired with Pettitte's own admission of HGH use, this is potent testimony.  Of course, with the accusation now tainting Clemens, many baseball fans are looking at his 7 Cy Young Awards and remarkable longevity through a different lens.  I have never been a big fan of Clemens, but what I have seen of him through an ESPN story of his work with a teenage cancer survivor trying to return to playing baseball, and through his interaction with our local Lexington Legends single-A franchise, makes me want to believe he is telling the truth.

No one seems to be asking the third, unanswered question.  Is it possible that McNamee did inject Clemens with HGH and/or steroids and Clemens did not know it?  Clemens talks of receiving B12 and lidocaine injections from McNamee - was that what they really were?  Why would McNamee do that?  Oh, maybe to show his big-name client that he was a good trainer and help him get stronger and improve physically?  We will probably never know the real truth.

To me, though, the focus on Clemens vs. McNamee is a swing-and-miss, or at best a weak foul tip.   The focus should be on the overall steroid and drug problem in baseball, or actually in big time sports altogether.  Baseball has been sticking its collective head in the warning-track sand for a long time now.  Why was Barry Bonds changing from a lithe, deer-like outfielder for the Pirates into the bubble-headed brute he is now not the subject of some serious questions?  Why did no one question Mark McGwire's animation-like physique while he was pounding out 70 home runs a season?  For that matter, why did no one question that not just McGwire, but also Sammy Sosa shattered Roger Maris's 40-year old home run record in the same season?  There were whispered questions and a few raised eyebrows, but baseball management was too busy counting ticket, TV, and concession/souvenir revenues to bother with the drug issue.

I lost my respect and most of my interest in baseball around the time of the last big strike.  What was once the "national pastime" was revealed as just another money-grubbing enterprise of the so-called entertainment industry.  I grew up with the Roberto Clemente/Willie Stargell-led Pittsburgh Pirates and enjoyed rooting for the hometown team.  Hearing "We Are Family" on the oldies station brings back a nice, nostalgic feeling for those teams.  Now, though, free agency and the pursuit of multi-million dollar contracts for no-hit-good-field second basemen has left most teams (other than the Yankees) without recognizable players, and has left me not caring much at all.

The revelation of the pervasive nature of the drug problem in baseball paired with little effort or recognition by upper management has eliminated virtually all of my remaining interest.  Baseball has been more concerned about whether players have cork in their bats, or too much pine tar on the handle, than whether the players' bloodshot pupils are blown in a mind-altering steroidal rage while playing a game where they get to carry wooden clubs and wear spiked shoes.  What do all the records mean if they were achieved by outlandish figures amped out of their mind on steroids?  Are championships decided by pitching and defense, or by which team has the best pharmacist?  Who cares?

So, goodbye, baseball.  It was once nice to know you but you've changed.  You're not what I remember - an idyllic afternoon in Forbes Field, or Crosley Field, watching Roberto Clemente gun down a runner trying to reach third, or Willie Stargell deposit one over the right-field third deck.  You've lost the feeling of two dogs and a beer, and a bag of peanuts.  I'll be on the golf course, or re-living the Civil War this summer.  I'm outta here.

Congratulations to Eli and the Giants!

Super Bowl XLII will go down as one of the most exciting ever.  Period.  Massive underdogs, the New York Giants physically dominated the New England Patriots from the opening gun to the final seconds ticked off the clock.  They swarmed Tom Brady more heavily than the New York paparazzi outside his girlfriend's apartment.  And in the end, Eli Manning lead a drive that was reminiscent of Joe Montana taking his 49ers on a last-minute drive to beat the Bengals.

Thousands of gigabytes and a whole lot of bandwidth will be used analyzing this game and I will not try to compete, other than to offer my congratulations to the Giants.  Great game, great championship, and new lustre added to the stories of the Super Bowl.

Geaux Tigers!

LSU won their second BCS championship last night, defeating Ohio State 38-24 in the New Orleans Superdome.  LSU becomes the first school in the ten-year BCS history to repeat as champions.  Add to that Tennessee's win in 1999 and Florida's win in 2007, and the Southeastern Conference has captured four of the ten BCS championship games since the series started, further cementing the conference's claim to be the pre-eminent league in college football.

Congratulations to the Bayou Bengals, and to Tiger fans like our friend Brad Drell.  It is exciting to see LSU bring this sort of success to Louisiana after the hardships the state has endured from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  It is also exciting to see the Big Ten take another bowl-game whipping, even as the mainstream media continue to worship at their (and Notre Dame's) feet of clay.  When will they learn to take their football southern-fried?

Of course, UK football fans can add a little lustre to our 8-5 season, because one of those 8 wins was a triple-overtime thriller in Lexington over these same LSU Tigers.  I'm not even suggesting that makes us #1, but I am suggesting it proves that UK under Coach Rich Brooks has progressed to the point where we can be competitive with the best when we put our "A" game on the field.

UK Football Completes Second 8-5 Season

The University of Kentucky defeated Florida State 35-28 in the Music City Bowl Monday afternoon, completing a feat UK has only accomplished once before, in 1951-52, back-to-back bowl wins.  The nail-biting win capped UK's second straight 8-5 season and was a satisfying conclusion to the careers of a stellar senior class, as well as a valediction that Rich Brooks has known what he was doing in rebuilding this program all along.

Some pundits have derided the win as coming over a Florida State squad depleted by an academic scandal, but anyone who watched the game saw that the Seminoles still put speedy, strong, and dynamic athletes on the field and gave a good accounting of themselves.  This was not a cheap win by any measure.  The quality of the win for UK comes in the fact that despite a sloppy performance (4 fumbles, 1 interception for touchdown by FSU) the Wildcats continued to play hard and found ways to make plays and win the game.  Old snake-bite plays (fumbled interception return, last-second Hail Mary pass) did not find their fangs as UK took home their second straight MCB trophy.

This year's MCB also saw the return of the fabled "Blue Mist" that settled over Nashville when over 50,000 Wildcat fans turned the bowl game into Commonwealth Stadium south, bringing the MCB a second straight record crowd.  The sea of blue was contrasted to many New Year's Day games on TV where thousands of empty seats were shown on blimp camera shots.  This sort of fan support bodes well for future UK bowl appearances if Coach Brooks can re-load his team for another SEC season in 2008.

There should be no question that UK has a special coach in Rich Brooks.  He is not flashy or a big media character, but the man knows how to put together a football program.  He has done so at Oregon, which continues to win, and by all appearances has done so at Kentucky.  He is obviously respected by such coaching icons as Bobby Bowden, a fact which chould not be lost on the UK faithful - such respect is truly earned over the years in the football trenches.

As for the just-finished 2007 season, some have deemed UK's 8-5 finish as "disappointing" after a 6-1 start and #8 national ranking.  How quickly they have forgotten pre-season predictions, looking at a ridiculously tough schedule, which had the Wildcats lucky to break even?  Before the first game, any thinking UK fan would have gladly taken a guarantee of an 8-5 finish and another bowl win. That this team carried it off and was within another play or two of a 10-3 finish with close losses to Florida and Tennessee is nothing short of fantastic and an accomplishment in which I hope every coach, player, and fan takes great pride.

While the graduation of Woodson, Woodyard, Burton, Little, Johnson, et al. will be tough to overcome, UK will take the field next year with Pulley, Smith, Locke, Lyons, Jarmon, Micah Johnson, Kelley, and many more excellent players.  A promising freshman class awaits Coach Brooks to add to the mix.  There is every reason to remain excited about UK football as the Brooks era enters its second five years.  Basketball?  I can't wait for Spring Football !

Kentucky Basketball: Just Not Very Good

I just finished watching Kentucky lose on its home floor to San Diego, 81-72, and look very bad in doing so.  A walk-on freshman for USD, Devon Ginty, who had scored all of 5 points in 6 previous games in which he even played, scored 18 points including 4-4 from three-point range.  A 6-foot guard named Brandon Johnson embarassed every UK defender who tried to stop him.  USD seemed to get every loose ball, far too many offensive rebounds, and hit every key shot while UK was tossing lazy, lolly-pop passes, and turning the ball over every time it needed to make a play.

Again, I disagree with anyone who wants to put this on Billy Gillispie.  If you saw his Texas A&M team play Louisville in the NCAA tournament last year, you would understand the toughness and  heads-up play he seeks to instill.  This UK team is showing all of the traits last year's mediocre bunch displayed - inability to feed the post, inability to make a pass to an open teammate, inability to make the hustle play for a loose ball or rebound, and inability to hit key shots to turn a game around.  Just as last year's team was clueless on getting the ball to Randolph Morris, this year's team cannot seem to find Patrick Patterson for long stretches of each game - against USD he had to come out to the 12-15 foot range to get a shot too many times.

With Tennessee ranked #12, and Vanderbilt and Ole Miss still undefeated, not to mention all of the other good programs in the SEC, and an improving Louisville team just around the corner, it is going to be a long season for the UK faithful.  Patience, never a long suit around Lexington, will be at a premium.  We must all remember that Billy G's track record is for big turn-arounds in his second year, so this may just be a year to grin and bear it, and further accept that the Adolph Rupp years of UK dominance are forever gone.  The SEC is filled with hot young coaches who take a back seat to no one, and the last few mediocre recruiting years under Tubby  Smith have come home to roost.  Why else would UK go after a coach with a reputation as a tireless recruiter to replace Smith?

It's gonna be a long winter in Lexington - here's hoping that the football Wildcats can get a bowl game win over Florida State to keep us warm as we head into 2008 !

UK Basketball: Take A Deep Breath and Relax

The University of Kentucky men's basketball team is now 4-4 in Billy Clyde Gillispie's inaugural season, and with losses including an embarassment to Gardner-Webb, a blowout to Indiana, and yesterday's choke job, blow a 14-point second-half lead, three-point loss to UAB, and the Big Blue natives are getting restless.  Relax, folks, and give Gillispie time to instill his brand of hard-nosed competitiveness in this program, a spirit which has been noticeably lacking for some time.

A couple of points the local media have either failed to notice or refuse to say in their continued worship of Tubby Smith is that it is becoming increasingly clear that Tubby left this cupboard VERY bare and very likely was influenced to make his flight to Minnesota because  he knew it and did not want to take the heat for his serial recruiting failures.  Remember, when Tubby left there was no Patrick Patterson in blue-and-white.  Tubby bailed out at the right time for himself and left Gillispie with only three upperclassmen, one of which, 7-footer Jared Carter, has been oft-injured and seems unlikely to contribute any time soon.  There are too many times when the available combinations for Gillispie offer little floor leadership and minimal scoring ability.

A second point is the implied criticism of Gillispie in the on-again, off-again Alex Legion situation.  While snagging Legion seemd to at first be a coup for UK, he now looks like another Rashad Carruth who always has someone (AAU coach, parent, "friend") whispering in his ear that he's a better player than [current school] recognizes and he would be better off at [next school] or [NBA].  As with Carruth, players with Legion's ego are poison to many a program - commitment means nothing to them and they expect the tail to wag the dog in every case.  Regardless of whether he goes to Illinois, Notre Dame, or elsewhere, my bet is that he'll again move on with 18 months.  Good riddance.

I'm in this UK thing for the long run.  I grew tired of Tubby's disorganized recruiting which always missed out on top players and seemed to be scrambling to fill classes each and very year.  I grew tired of watching the uninspired play of listless players like Randolph Morris, who only gave maximum effort when he was trying to impress NBA scouts.  I grew tired of not seeing but a few players actually improve from high school talent levels under Smith's staff of retreads and loser assistant coaches.  I remain excited that Gillispie's hard-nosed, aggressive style will bring a turnaround in this program - just maybe not until, as Billy Packer said during the Indiana game, "he has a chance to bring some players in here.  He needs more players."  Like him or not, Packer came the closest to saying the truth - Tubby left very little here at Kentucky, and every disappointing loss this year should be deposited at his feet, not Billy G's.

Major League Baseball: "Better Living Through Chemistry"?

It seems that Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig needs to work a deal with DuPont Chemical for the rights to their advertising slogan "Better Living Through Chemistry" in the aftermath of former Senator George Mitchell's investigation and report on drug use in professional baseball.  Sen. Mitchell's investigation, carried out without subpoena power or any means with which to compel anyone to provide information, yesterday nonetheless named some 89 present and former MLB players, many of whom are All-Stars and/or thought to be en route to the Hall of Fame, as users of anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, and other performance-enhancing drugs.

Much of the initial reaction was shock and dismay at seeing names such as Roger Clemens on the list.  Other names such as Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds were viewed as confirmation of long-held beliefs based upon their Popeye-esque physiques and outlandish home-run numbers.  But to me it wasn't so much the names on the list, but the fact that the list could be generated in what was, in essence a non-prosecutorial, voluntary investigation.

The real black eye is on Major League Baseball.  After all, cheating is connected to baseball as fighting is to hockey.  Think about it - stealing signs (intercepting the other team's signals for the uninitiated) is a revered skill.  Countless hitters have doctored their bats with cork and pine tar.  Countless pitchers have learned the black art of the "spitter", a pitch enhanced by use of anything from Vaseline to KY Jelly to who knows what concoction.  Not touching second base to complete a double play has been winked at for years.  Granted, rampant illegal drug use is a quantum leap beyond these forms of gamesmanship, but where the rules have always been bent on the field, why not off the field, too?  Clubhouses for years have supplied beer and booze to players, resulting in many DUI arrests and even a few deaths from drunk driving.  Now, apparently that largess has included drugs in some organizations.

The laissez-faire attitude toward rules has been coupled with drug-testing policy which is downright pathetic.  Even after "revisions" of the policy over the past several years, MLB still does not test for almost half the number of drugs international bodies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency - some 30 of 60 drugs according to one interview I've read, meaning that the door is very much still open for creative drug users to amp up their performances.  Coming on the heels of such other scandals as Marion Jones and the series of Tour de France disqualifications, the MLB revelations have severely dampened the enjoyment we may take in watching any extraordinary athletic performance due to suspicion and doubt over whether it is genuine.

The focus in the aftermath of the Mitchell Report should rightfully be on Bud Selig and what he does to try to clean up baseball.  Early comments from MLB hierarchy reflect problems there may be with past labor agreements, etc.  It is well past time, however, for union vs. management issues to be put aside and more stringent oversight and testing to be put in place before the so-called "national pastime" becomes a caricature of a sporting event much like professional wrestling.

Way to Go, Joe!

I have always admired Joe Torre as the Manager of the New York Yankees, even though I have never, ever been able to root for that organization. In twelve years, Torre compiled a lock Hall of Fame record:  12 straight years in the playoffs, and four World Series titles.  He did so with grace and class in an organization where those traits have often been missing.  Together with GM Brian Cashman, they ran a solid organization which (together with Steinbrenner's money) attracted the top players in baseball to the Bronx.

While some are certain to denigrate Torre's record due to the Yankees' open checkbook and huge payroll which provided him with an unending supply of talent, in many ways to meld those world-class egos into a semi-functioning team that don't kill one another in the locker room is a more difficult task than managing a down-market team staffed by hungry young prospects.  His rallying of the Yankees from their dismal start of this season may have been one of his finest jobs in the dugout.

Yesterday, Torre rose many notches in my respect and admiration, when he told Steinbrenner "NO" to the offer of a one-year contract with a $2.5 million pay reduction.  To be honest, I had hoped he would tell Steinbrenner to "shove it" when "The Boss", with his team in the midst of a playoff series with Cleveland, publicly announced that if New York did not win the series with the Indians, Torre was likely gone.  In a long history of classless and foolish episodes shooting off his big mouth, Steinbrenner sunk to a new low with this one, not only threatening a good man who had done way more for the Yankee organization than his salary could compensate, but putting extra pressure on a team already fighting for its playoff life.

That Torre would reject a $5 million, one-year contract, is a rare commodity - someone in professional sports walks away from money for principle.  He has once again demonstrated that he is the bigger man in the relationship with Steinbrenner, and I applaud him for it.  Way to go, Joe!

"Bluegrass Miracle" - The Sequel

I know Brad Drell is feeling down this morning, but I just have to glory a little longer in the University of Kentucky's HUGE win over then-No. 1 LSU in 3 OT Saturday night, 43-37.  Sorry, Brad, but we haven't gotten to do this very much in Kentucky, so we have to hang onto the feeling as long as we can.  Especially since My father and I were there to witness one of the best college football games in many a year.

For those of you who either missed it, or could care less about college football (i.e., Communists) the UK Wildcats fought back from 27-14 down late in the third quarter to tie the game 27-all at the end of regulation.  This meant that not only did UK's high-octane offense get three scores, but its much-maligned defense stopped LSU's bigger, very talented athletes cold for nearly 18 critical minutes of play.

In OT, each team got a TD in the first session, and a FG in the second.  In the third, Wildcats' QB Andre Woodson found Stevie Johnson in the corner of the end zone (above photo) for a TD but UK could not convert the required 2-point attempt, and we were all sweating the LSU possession.  Then, on 4th and 2, UK middle linebacker Braxton Kelly stopped LSU's Charles Scott short, and after a moment's hesitation to believe it was really true, Commonwealth Stadium erupted into the most ear-splitting roar I've ever heard at a sporting event. 

In so doing, UK football completed one of the more amazing one-year turn-arounds I've ever seen - from being creamed 49-0 at Baton Rouge last year to beating the #1 LSU team in Lexington this season.  In so doing, the bitter memories of 2002 and LSU's 77-yard TD pass with :00 on the clock to win 33-30, while not erased, were considerably salved.

UK has a long, tough way to go.  Defending national champion Florida this coming Saturday, followed by Georgia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee - three of these presently ranked in the top 25.  Can UK win out?  Maybe.  Can we be a player in the higher-rated bowls, if not the BCS bowls?  Perhaps.  Can we improve on our #7 BCS ranking (#8 in the AP and #13 in USA Today)?  It's possible.  This team is as special a group of young men as UK football has fielded in many a year.  Hang on UK fans - it's gonna be a wild ride!!!

Vick: Arrogant or Just Plain Stupid?

Michael Vick, in his press conference after his guilty plea was entered, asked all of us to believe he was a changed man who had found God and who had repented from his evil ways.  I sorta bought it, at least to the point that I believed that perhaps Vick would straighten up and respect the privilege he has and the place in society that accompanies being in the upper echelons of professional athletics.  WRONG.

This week, Vick, who agreed to submit to random drug testing as part of his release from jail pending his sentencing later this year, tested positive for marijuana use.  He is now under a home curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., which is electronically monitored.  The release terms allowed for some alcohol use, prohibiting "excessive" drinking, but Mike, gee, I guess no one told you, but weed is illegal.  Other than a few glaucoma patients in California, it is illegal to possess and to use.

The real, monumental stupidity of Vick smoking marijuana while he knew he was under a random testing condition is that he has not yet been sentenced.  The recommendation of 18 months with the plea agreement is just that, a recommendation.  The Federal judge in his case, well-known to be very tough in applying sentencing guidelines, has complete discretion to decline the recommendation and sentence Vick  up to FIVE YEARS.  Did Mike think a little toke here and there wouldn't affect his sentencing?  I suspect at least some of any leaning toward leniency may have gone up in that very same puff of smoke.

The second leg of Vick's stupidity is in the fact that he was also this week indicted on Virginia state animal cruelty charges.  Does he want to add some possession charges too?  Or bring on a search warrant of his home to see how big a stash he has?

Before any of you begin to think or type the word "racist", especially given the uniform I am wearing in the picture at the top of this blog, forget it.  Before these blunders, I was a huge Vick fan.  I was looking forward to see how he would do in a wide-open Bobby Petrino offense.  I think that explains my incredulity, expressed now in three posts, over how dumb Vick has been to risk his career and livelihood as he has done.  This has nothing to do with his race or my politics.  it has everything to do with waste and stupidity. 

The "cultural" excuses being made for him are absurd.  Gifted people like Michael Vick are supposed to be leaders - on their team, in the NFL, and in society.  It is part of the package that comes with fame and fortune.  Unfortunately, Michael Vick still doesn't get it.

What Part of "Privileged" Don't You Understand? (Part II)

I recently posted on the Michael Vick story asking "what part of privileged don't you understand?" seeking to divine how or why someone with a ten year, $130 million contract could be so irresponsible and criminally stupid to blow it the way Vick has.  Another aspect of the growing problem of professional athletes and irresponsibility has been again brought to the surface by the sordid saga of Denver running back Travis Henry.

Henry, who attended Tennessee (I'll pass on any shots here...), has recently signed a $25 million contract as a free agent with the Denver Broncos and is probably poised to have a good season as the latest RB in Coach Mike Shanahan's zone-blocking offensive scheme.  Henry is probably also lucky that Vick's legal troubles have overshadowed his own recent court appearances.  Travis Henry, you see, has fathered NINE children with NINE different women.  Did the subject of "contraception" not come up in the rigorous curriculum Tennessee no doubt provides for its athletes?  (Sorry, couldn't let that one go by.)

Worse yet, though, Henry has been building a track record as a deadbeat dad.  During a recent period where Henry was not making court-ordered support payments for his 3-year old son, court records show he spent $100,000 on a car and $146,000 on jewelry.  On one past occasion, Henry had to borrow $9,800 from his former team, the Tennessee Titans, to catch up on delinquent payments.  Judge Clarence Seeliger, a Superior Court Judge in DeKalb County, GA, found that "Defendant has not handled the money he has received during his career in a wise manner...[and] does not have substantial assets from his income."  This is after seven years in the NFL.

I've not had the privilege of appearing in Judge Seeliger's court, but I admire his legal acumen anyway.  Instead of merely again ordering child support payments, or jailing Henry, Judge Seeliger has ordered Henry to create a $250,000 trust fund to guarantee child support payments, and to take out a $400,000 life insurance policy with his son as beneficiary.  The money to fund these investments is earmarked from Henry's signing bonuses due from the Broncos.  Congratulations, Judge Seeliger, on having the creativity to do the right thing for this one child.  Would that other judges would take their cue from your rulings.

Illegitimate children have long been the subject of jokes about professional athletes, particularly the NBA, but the NFL is no slacker in this regard.  While one could comment about the women who pursue these jocks, the real point is that there are dozens of children out there with rich and famous biological fathers.  It is utterly abominable that some of these athletes, like Travis Henry, cannot  keep it in their pants, nor use contraception, nor accept responsibility when they do not.

I do not propose to rate the relative reprehensibility of Vick's actions as opposed to Henry's.  Both show irresponsibility and stupidity borne of the privileged lifestyle of professional athletes.  Unless and until society begins to hold these people to account for their actions, beginning when they sign that first college scholarship, events like these will only continue to occur.  Given the strong stance Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken with Vick, Pacman Jones, Chris Henry, Odell Thurman, Tank Johnson, et al., I would hope he would look into Travis Henry as well.  Suspending him would only punish his children in the long run, but the NFL and other professional leagues need to consider some form of pay garnishment for its irresponsible studs-at-large.  Criminal behavior of any stripe is not acceptable in the few and the privileged of professional sports.

Tiger 13, Sergio-fer

Tiger Woods put to rest any doubt that fatherhood would dampen his competitive drive by winning the PGA Championship, his 13th major, at 100-degree Southern Hills CC in Tulsa, OK, Sunday.  Woods cruised to a 2-shot win over fan favorite Woody Austin; Austin, however, not only cashed second-place money, but earned a spot on the President's Cup team and has to feel darn good about his performance.

Tiger's wife Elin and new daughter Sam Alexsis met him en route to the scoring tent, with the baby dressed in red to match Dad's traditional Sunday attire.  Given this showing and a new daughter for whom he will win, there is little doubt that Woods will catch and pass Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major wins.  He is ahead by 4 years of Jack's career pace already.  Like him or not, you've gotta respect a guy who's re-built his swing twice since blowing away the Masters field for his first major and keeps working to get better.  I don't understand how anyone can not like, or at least respect, someone who is performing any endeavour, be it golf or anything else, at such a high level of proficiency.

As for Sergio-fer, he who now holds the mantle of best-player-to-not-win-a-major, his ignominious exit from Tulsa came as a result of a Saturday DQ for signing an incorrect scorecard.  To his credit, unlike his comments after blowing the British Open, he did not blame anyone else - not his playing partner, Boo Radley, er Weekley, nor the scoring tent workers, scorecard printers, the PGA, or the pencil manufacturers.  Given Sergio-fer's inability to control  his emotions or mouth, I am guessing that he was mad over not playing himself into contention Saturday and simply didn't look at the card.  Before anyone could catch him he had stormed off the grounds, and per golf rules, once he leaves the scoring area, it's an official card and he's done.  I've said it before - until Sergio-fer grows up, he'll stay Sergio-fer.

Vick Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty

One of Michael Vick's co-defendants, Tony Taylor, plead guilty this morning in Richmond, VA, to the dogfighting charges against him.  The plea agreement includes Taylor's agreement to "cooperate" with Federal prosecutors.  It is not yet 100% clear whether this means Taylor will incriminate Vick, but it is never a good thing for the remaining co-defendants when one former co-indictee makes a deal with the Feds.  The quick plea may also indicate the strength of the evidence, in addition to establishing Taylor as the winner of the plea-deal sweepstakes.

Is the noose tightening on Vick?  We shall see, but it has also been interesting to note that Falcons owner Arthur Blank has gone from being fully supportive of Vick to sounding more disappointed, not to mention telling Vick not to come to work.  Some commentators think we may have seen the last of Vick in an NFL jersey.  Period.

Class VI River Runners a Class Act!

We just got back from taking a group of 7 intrepid souls white water rafting on the New River, courtesy of Class VI River Runners of Lansing, WV, and top river guide Ben Curnett.  If you've never done this, get off your duff and head on over to West Virginia - there is no thrill quite like rafting the New or Gauley Rivers.

The New River is at the base of an ancient gorge and offers everything from small ripples in the Upper New that children can enjoy, to Class III to IV rapids in the Lower New, i.e., the Gorge itself, which provide enough rock-and-roll thrills for novice or experienced rafters.  The Gauley is the big leagues, divided into Upper and Lower sections, and guaranteed to be runnable only in the spring and fall when water is released from Summersville Dam.  Otherwise, check the internet for Gauley availability.  Either river is first-class whitewater, and our group is ready to go back tomorrow, especially if those pesky day jobs would get out of the way.

I cannot say enough about Class VI - their service is head and shoulders above any other outfitter on the New/Gauley.  The guides are skilled and personable, the gear is top-flight, the service is timely and spot-on, the food at Smokey's on the River is exquisite and anything but  your usual camp or buffet fare (we had choices of prime rib, ribs in Hoisin sauce, roast duck in a berry glaze, and grilled salmon), and the accomodations in the new Cabins on the Gorge are top-notch.  I am a fairly experienced and choosy traveller and recognize a first-rate organization when I see one, and Class VI meets my criteria for first-rate in all aspects of their operation.

For anyone who thinks West Virginia is all coal fields and poverty as CBS News likes to show things, the New and Gauley Rivers are immeasurably beautiful, and will provide more thrills and fun than a barrel-full of amusement parks.  Check out the offerings at http://www.class-vi.com/index.cfm , and book a visit to Wild, Wonderful West Virginia!

Sergio: "Ofer" in the Majors

Sergio Garcia proved to me again Sunday why I have never been a fan of his.  After riding high for three days on the lead in the British Open, he threw away the claret jug  by failing to hold his three-shot lead after 54 holes, which had grown to four after the first three holes Sunday.  His lead evaporated with three bogeys in four holes on the front nine and with two more on his final four holes.

Yet Sergio said, "It is tough mainly because I don’t feel like I did anything wrong. I didn’t miss a shot in the playoff and hit unbelievable putts, but they just didn’t want to go in."  Sergio blamed unidentified fates, claiming that he is playing against "more guys than the field out there."  He complained of a shot hitting a flagstick and bouncing 20 feet away, instead of accepting it as part of the four-letter word called "Golf."  He complained about slow play ahead of him, and slow course workers raking a bunker.  In other words, he showed himself to still be the same whiny, immature punk he has been since he came on tour.

One of the reasons I am a Tiger Woods fan is that he is harder on himself than anyone in the media, or anyone else for that matter.  He simply says "I didn't get it done," and accepts responsibility when he doesn't play to the level we expect, or more importantly, he expects of himself.  Woods would never blame a grounds crew member for losing a tournament - he would expect himself to remain focused and execute the shot, and would blame only himself if he did not.

Garcia is a gifted athlete who will someday win a major.  It will happen sooner rather than later if he will grow up and stop the whining when things do not go his way.  Instead of wallowing in his bad luck Sunday, he could have won the British Open outright had he simply kept his head in the game and executed one shot better than he did.  One day he may learn that.

What Part of "Privilege" Don't You Understand?

I am sickened and disgusted by the Michael Vick dogfighting indictment.  Yes, I know, he's "innocent until proven guilty."  And yes, I know that he has or will surely hire the best high-priced legal talent to defend him and in so doing defend his NFL career.  But I also know that U.S. Attorneys are usually not like Durham, N.C., prosecutors, and usually do not obtain indictments without some very substantial evidence upon which they will base their prosecution.  In other words, Michael Vick is squarely in the cross-hairs of some serious felony time;  if he and his associates are found guilty, in my opinion prison will be too kind for what they have done to innocent animals. 

Pit bulls, you see, are not bad dogs until people like Vick make them bad and teach them to be killers.  I  have known several pits in my life and they can be sweet, funny pets.  They are strong, athletic dogs who have become misused and misperceived by much of America.    If you don't believe me, read about them at such sites as http://www.pitbulllovers.com/ , or http://www.realpitbull.com/ , and get past the media hype and misinformation.  In Vick's case, not only is he accused of dogfighting and executing the losers who were not killed in the fighting pit, but of "testing" dogs to see if they would fight, and then executing the non-qualifiers by gunshot, electrocution, hanging, or simply beating them to death.  Vick is accused of pursuing this blood "sport" throughout Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia.

Vick's case is but the latest, albeit perhaps the worst, of many cases of legal misconduct by professional athletes.  About 25% of the Cincinnati Bengals' roster has been arrested over the last two years; Adam "Pacman" Jones of the Titans is a one-man crime wave who has been suspended for the entire next season.  Chris Benoit of the WWE murdered his wife and child before committing suicide, possibly a case of steroid-fueled rage.  Several professional athletes have been involved in shoot-outs, public drunkenness, DUI's, or barroom brawls over the past two years. And so on, and so on.

I applaud the tough stance NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken with Jones and hopefully some others.  He could get much tougher and not offend my sensibilities.  Other professional sports commissioners could do so, too.  These athletes are incredibly privileged to be paid multi-million dollar salaries to play games for our entertainment.  For mere athletic achievement, some of them make more money in one game than a teacher, police officer, fireman, or nurse will make in ten years.  Too many of them, however, just don't get it.  They don't get it, and they continue to abuse the reverence in which we hold athletes in this culture.  Or perhaps that reverence is why they think they can do what they do.

If Vick is guilty, I hope the Federal judge in Richmond throws him under the jail for a good long time.  Better still if he would put him in the ring with a few of his former fighting dogs who haven't been fed for a while.  The level of disrespect for the law, for God and nature, and for innocent animals embodied in these brutal crimes, if proven in court, deserves no mercy and no reduction of punishment below the maximum the law will allow.

New Meaning to "Burning Up the Course"

A grass fire burned about 1.5 acres between holes at the Centennial Golf Course in Medford, OR, recently.   According to reports, the fire did not interrupt play on the course.  It did, of course, provide a wealth of new excuses for mis-hit shots:  "the smoke was in my eyes"; "there was ash on my ball"; "my 7-iron melted"; "that updraft just knocked that shot off-line"; and so on. 

Commenters, any other fire-related golfing excuses you can think of?

Who is the Loser in Donovan Saga?

The soap opera that has become the menage-a-trois between Billy Donovan, the University of Florida, and the NBA's Orlando Magic seems as of the writing of this post to be wearing on to no ready resolution. 

To recap, Donovan first signed a $25 million contract last week to coach the Magic, then has announced his intention to back out and stay at Florida.  Florida AD Jeremy Foley, who had made a contract offer to Donovan over a year ago, and presumably sweetened it after the Gators' second NCAA national championship, is left with the $22 million offer he had made Donovan, but which remained unsigned, and his opening entreaties to Anthony Grant, VCU's coach, to replace Donovan.  Orlando says they still consider Donovan their coach, and that he will have to make the moves to break the contract.  Rumour has it that Orlando will let Donovan go, but will retain the "rights" to him as coach, which would prevent him from going to another NBA team for the term of his contract, unless a substantial buyout was paid.

Donovan now claims he was "pressured" to sign the Magic contract.  How is there any "pressure when he has a $22 million offer at UF and a $25 million offer in the NBA?  As Lee Trevino used to say, "pressure" is having to make a putt to win a $50 Nassau when you've only got $20 in your pocket.  "Pressure" is needing a job to feed your family.  "Pressure" is most certainly not choosing between rich and richer.

Donovan is showing himself to truly be a Rick Pitino disciple.  During his last few years at Kentucky, Pitino repeatedly flirted with the NBA and refused to take any steps to stop the speculation, to the point that when he took the Boston Celtics job, I was relieved and in many ways glad to see him go.  Where Donovan looked like a good and loyal guy a few weeks ago when he turned down Kentucky to stay at Florida, he has now pretty well destroyed all of the positive karma he had banked by declaring his loyalty to Florida, whether he stays at UF or not.

Should any of us be surprised, given all of the shenanigans these days with sports contracts?  Sports contracts must be the most meaningless legal documents extant in society today, to the point where the phrase "sports contract" is an oxymoron on the level of "jumbo shrimp" or "virtual reality".  Athletes have a good season and demand to renegotiate or threaten to hold out.  Coaches have come to expect extensions and increases in contracts after a good season or two, and whine that they cannot do their job without such open-ended deals.  "Good citizenship" clauses are utterly meaningless, at least up until now with the NFL finally cracking down on its immature bad boys.

The bad news is that everyone involved in the Donovan affair is, in one way or another, a loser.  Donovan has tarnished his image and perhaps shown his true colors.  Orlando and UF have been damaged by their association with Donovan, and have both seen their credibility as institutions damaged.  And the respective players?  Whichever team ends up with Donovan, can the players truly respect him and believe that he wants to be their coach?  Won't his next speech about "commitment" ring pretty hollow?

As for me, I'm even happier to have Billy Clyde Gillispie at the University of Kentucky.  He wants to be here, and the future for UK basketball looks pretty darn good from here.

Kobe Bryant is LA's #1 Diva

Arrogance, thy name is Kobe Bryant.  Yesterday, May 30, Kobe started his day on the radio by demanding to be traded from the LA Lakers.  By early afternoon, following some apparent conversations with Magic Johnson and Coach Phil Jackson, Bryant had cooled off and wanted to stay in LA.  By the evening talk shows, however, his yen to move had re-kindled and he was again demanding a trade.  It will be interesting to see which team is interested in taking on Bryant, his outsized ego, his megamillions contract, and his me-first personality.

It seems that one of the things making Kobe angry is a quote attributed to a "Laker insider" to the effect that the trade of Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat was done at Kobe's request.  OK, so, when is that news?  Anyone with a passing interest in the NBA, which is about all I have, knows that Bryant's frequent immature fits over Shaq's being the bigger star in LA caused the break-up of the 3-time NBA championship team.  But Bryant is demanding that the "insider" be identified.  My guess is that the "insider" could be anyone from GM Mitch Kupchak to the parking lot attendant at Staples Arena, because this is no big secret.

My point in bringing this up is that Bryant typifies almost everything that is wrong with professional sports in this day and age.  No one would deny that he is a tremendous talent, one capable of making the leap directly from high school to the NBA.  But somewhere along the way Bryant forgot some things like class, humility, and the value of teammates.  His ego is out of control, as is his quest to constantly be in the public spotlight.  While Bryant has avoided the drug-and-alcohol issues of some of his colleagues, he has been in the midst of legal battles of his own making in the form of the Colorado rape allegations; whether or not that was consensual sex, there is no question Kobe was cheating on his wife and was shocked moreso that he didn't get away with it than by the error of his ways.

Why is it that so few professional athletes understand that they are so very privileged to be making millions of dollars for playing childhood games?  The salary of a Kobe Bryant would pay for dozens of teachers, firefighters, policemen, and many others who work their butts off for the betterment of society.  If there is truly an injustice in this world, this is it.  And why is it that so many of these athletes reject the notion of being role models and act as if they are spoiled children themselves?  It is the very public attention and adoration of fans and children they reject which is paying their huge salaries and endorsement contracts, yet they seem to never think of the image they project.  The inconsistency is stunning.

In the rarified air of the NBA, it is a virtual certainty that a Kobe Bryant will pout and throw public fits until he gets what he wants.  It is a shame that other players such as Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons, who is married to his college sweetheart and goes about his job with hustle, class, and placing the team first, do not get the attention that a prima donna like Kobe does.  It is the overabundance of egotistical players like Bryant who have made the NBA boring and uninteresting to me - give me an NCAA basketball game any time.

What's Up With NASCAR?

I am not a dyed-in-the-wool fan of NASCAR.  I am, however, fascinated enough with the spectacle of the stock-car racing circuit and its rise from dirt tracks and moonshine runners to the power and mass appeal in sports second only, perhaps, to the NFL.  I find myself on occasion being mesmerized by the racing and watching far longer than I thought I might.  I keep up enough to know who leads the points and who is in the running for the season-ending Cup competition, and to recognize some of the more successful drivers when they show up on TV.

This sport, which as I said is second only to the NFL in mass fan appeal and financial power in the world of sports, cannot seem to help itself from slipping back to its bad old days before big corporate sponsorships put the races on prime-time TV and the race drivers in the earnings stratosphere.  Recently, Tony Stewart accused NASCAR officials of rigging races by calling yellow-flag cautions for "debris on the track", thus bunching up drivers at the end of a race for an exciting sprint to the finish line.  Stewart compared NASCAR to professional wrestling in the way it rigged results.  He has since apologized and been fined for missing a press conference, but the accusation still hangs heavy in the air.  It remains to be seen what NASCAR will do to defuse this challenge to its integrity.

Possibly worse on the PR scale is the behavior of certain "fans" the last two weekends, who pelted driver Jeff Gordon's car with full or nearly-full beer cans as he won races to tie and then pass the late Dale Earnhardt in career wins.  Gordon, handsome, articulate, and dater of super-models, has long been a villain to a portion of NASCAR fans, probably because he wins and seems so unlike many of the sport's fans.  There's even a song by comedian Tim Wilson titled "Jeff Gordon's Gay".

The irony in this is that Gordon and Dale Sr. were friends and business partners.  They battled on the track and their dramatic encounters were part of the rise of NASCAR over the last 20 years.  Dale Jr. and Gordon also get along well, including Dale Jr. expressing appreciation of Gordon honoring Dale Sr. by flying a "3" flag from his car window during last week's victory lap.

Every sport needs its villains.  The NFL has the Raiders.  Baseball has the Yankees.  And so on.  The rivalries between the heroes and the villains are a big part of sports marketing.  But this business of tossing beer cans onto a race track with cars speeding by, even when the race is over, is stupid and dangerous.  C'mon, NASCAR fans, keep the cans in your hands and coolers where they belong.  Don't let overzealous fan support ruin a good thing by creating a bigger problem.

A third issue has gotten less attention, but has some potential to have a bigger impact.  Kentucky Speedway, in Sparta, KY, has been in litigation with NASCAR for some time now, over NASCAR's refusal to schedule a Nextel Cup race at their facility.  This lawsuit recently changed its tone to a much more serious claim, in that Kentucky Speedway is now more aggressively pursuing its anti-trust argument based on NASCAR's near-monopoly on stock car racing and is asking the Court to "break up" NASCAR.  The racing giant has to look at this lawsuit as a threat and is, I'm sure, taking it very seriously.

Remembering Jackie Robinson

April 15, 2007, was the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson becoming the first African-American player to break the "color line" and play in major league baseball.  It was quite moving to see the number of players, of multiple ethnic backgrounds, who wore Robinson's # 42 on their jerseys in his honor.  The entire roster of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Robinson's old team when they were in Brooklyn, wore his number as they hosted Robinson's widow for ceremonies.

Jackie Robinson was more than a baseball Hall of Famer.  He was a bona fide American hero.  Robinson exuded nothing but class and grace under the pressure not only of media attention, but of some of the worse race-based abuse America of his era could dish out.  He assumed the burden of being the first, a groundbreaker, and did so with a rare form of courage seldom now seen in athletics, politics, or many other forms of American endeavour.

SPURRIER SHOULD STICK TO THE SIDELINES

It is almost always a mistake when big-time athletics coaches try to talk on something other than their sport.  Steve Spurrier's recent comments about the "dang, dumb" Confederate flag on the grounds of the South Carolina state capitol are just such a mistake.  Spurrier, of course, is addressing a situation which has been debated for years.  Is the Confederate battle flag a symbol of heritage, or of racism?

Let me toss out a few facts before we see who, or what, is the "dang dumb" thing in this scenario.  Over 90% of the men who fought under the various flags flown by the Confederacy (about 29 different flags at last count) were not slaveholders and were not motivated to fight for the "peculiar institution".  Rather, they fought in defense of home and hearth, and in resistance to the efforts of the North and the Federal government to impose their will on the South.  For example, Isaac Ridgeway Trimble, whom I am portraying in the photo on this blog, was never a slaveholder and opposed secession.  When he chose to defend his home state of Maryland against the depradations of Federal troops passing through in response to Lincoln's call, however, the threat of prosecution sent him south to the service of the Confederacy.

There is no doubt that there are racially-motivated hate groups who have co-opted one form of Confederate flag as their symbol.  This, to me, is as offensive as their bigoted politics, for they have profaned a flag under which thousands of Americans took a stand for their personal beliefs and principals.  Were it within my power to stop this debasement of an important historic symbol, I would do so immediately.  The battle flag with the St. Andrew's cross was never a political flag, but was a soldier's flag created solely for use on the battlefield.  It was never a symbol of racism or slavery until a few very misguided people stole it from its rightful place.

Look at the issue from this perspective, though.  Is it not stereotyping for those who condemn the Confederate flag to conclude that anyone who files or even owns such a flag is a racist?  I own many different historic flags, including several different Confederate flags you would probably not recognize, and I am not a racist.  Yet those like Spurrier who react out of ignorance of historic fact would probably condemn me out of hand with no further discussion.  How is this any more justifiable than any form of racial stereotyping?

I always remember a trip I made to Stone Mountain, GA, a few years ago.  It was a beautiful summer weekend, and many large families had converged on the park there for reunions.  A large number of those families were African-American.  These families were having a good time and seemed very comfortable even in the midst of the dozens of Confederate flags which were flown on the property and in the shadow of the massive carving of Confederate icons on the mountainside.  This trip came at the height of the South Carolina controversy which resulted in the Confederate flag being moved from the Capitol dome to a memorial on the grounds.  I could not help but wonder if the so-called "offensive" nature of the Confederate battle flag was more a creation of political activists seeking to generate publicity via controversy, rather than a true groundswell of public "offense" by its presence.

I could go on, but will not.  All that is left to say is, Coach Spurrier, do some research and study and learn some facts before you start calling something "dang, dumb", unless you're referring to an offensive lineman who cannot learn the plays.  Stick to what you know, Coach, and don't embarass yourself by making misguided stereotyping comments about people such as myself whom you know nothing about.