TheHoff's Completely Irrational Derby Thoughts, Part II:

Note: theHoff is a regular contributor to Cardinal Laws.

Sometimes things just have to give. I try to make it a point each fall and spring meet to make it to Keeneland at least once. I usually get to meet up with friends that I don't get to see that often. We tailgate in the parking lot. Eat, Drink and catch up. It's a good time all around. Inside that place it's a different story. I think in the past 4 times I had been to Keeneland I think I cashed two tickets. Not Good. I was ice cold.

That was all until a couple weekends ago. My friends and I did our typical routine and did a show pool. We kept it alive for a race or two, then it would die. It was the same old song and dance. A race before the feature the friends I was staying with decided they were going to get a head start on dinner. I suggested, since no one was doing any good, that everyone (6 of us) throw in $5 and we would place $5 across on two different horses... we were bound to get something out of it. Well we did. Only one of our horses got in to money. Show. Damnit! This $15 ticket isn't even going to get back to even. My friend and I walk up to the window... pays $9. Great, what the hell do we do with $9?? I look up at the board and say long shot. My buddy questions my judgment (who can blame him), so I barter him down to the second long shot. #2, 48-1. I tell the guy in the window and he prints out our ticket and gives us a huge grin. It was either a look that he knew we were going to win, or he was simply mocking us.

We get back out to the paddock and everyone is finishing their drinks and winding down the long day. Not everyone in our group knew who we had picked, but as they broke our #2 shot out to the lead. 'Shit...' My friend and I voiced our displeasure, and at that point everyone within an earshot knew who we had. She ran strong along the back side, and teased a bit, but never gave up the lead. I knew how this was going to end... dying along the stretch... only she didn't. It wasn't until the 1/4 pole that I thought we had a chance. She changed leads and looked to get a step quicker. At this point our tone finally changed. #2! Run Mo-fo!!! She hit the wire first. We were giddy. It was really the only true excitement we had all day. Then the long wait for those magic words, 'official'. It comes. Briskly walking back to the windows to see what our final payout will be, I remembered the guy who sold us the ticket. I remembered that look he gave us. This guy looked like he played Santa at the mall. Chubby, red nose, and a big white beard. We find him and he says 'Hey, you guys are back.'. I slip him the ticket. $450. Bam!! He was truly as excited as we were. We tipped him and went back to the group to divvy up the cash. That was the best win I think I've ever experienced.

That horse is running in the Oaks: Lilacs and Lace.

I'm not saying. I'm just saying...

Another Derby horse for ya:

Twinspired- Yup, I know. Not anywhere near the top of the 'contenders'. Currently is the lowest in earnings, but ya know what? He's in. He finished 2nd at the Blue Grass, which was probably a weak field. He has a good amount to graded stakes in his lineage, so there might be some potential. Some horses you just get a feeling about. He's mine. He will be good value to add to a few exotics. He is a gray. Remember the last gray to win the Derby?? Giacomo. 50-1. Do you remember who was riding him? Mike Smith. Well guess who is riding Twinspired.... that's right, Mike Smith. The stars are aligning folks, and this horse just might pull it off.

I'm not saying. I'm just saying...

#137!!!

theHoff's Completely Irrational Derby Thoughts, Part I:

(Note: theHoff is a regular contributor to Cardinal Laws)

I'll start by stating the obvious: I know nothing. Ask my friends. I believe Mr. Red actually takes some sort of pleasure out of letting me air my ill-informed opinions. Or maybe it's that my off-base thoughts make him feel smarter. Hey, Carson had McMahon, whatever. Anyway, we decided that we would try to pay Derby some extra attention around CL, so here I am.

First Disclaimer. I rarely cash a ticket. I get close often. I drink beer and make irrational bets. I often talk myself out of the obvious in hopes of a bigger win. Greed isn't a good gambling vice to have, especially before you even MAKE the bet. In other words, I have a standing invite to Churchill Downs. Hell, they should be rolling out the red carpet for me. Instead, I gladly fork over $40 and walk my dumbass straight to the windows. The last Derby ticket that I cashed was War Emblem in '02. That wouldn't be too bad if I had made only one bet each Derby, but the truth is I didn't. I probably have about 6-10 different bets going for Derby. So no, my win percentage isn't the best. Basically all I'm saying is don't listen to anything I have to say when it comes to your money. If I am right.... let's just say I'll be the first to let you know.

Some thoughts in no particular order.

Archarcharch- The third highest in earnings, he caught my eye before the Arkansas soley based on his name. Trust me, I'm an Architect. The last Arkansas Derby winner to hit the Derby was Smarty Jones in 2004. His speed and distance have both been on the up in the past three graded stakes. I like horses that are on a steady incline in terms of performance at increasing distances. John Court scares me a little on him simply because he hasn't had a Derby winner, but we can say that for a lot of jocks in the race. Being in the money for 5 of his 6 starts is enough for me to want to throw a few his way.

Nehro- Ran Second to Arch.... Nehro has been on the uptick as well. He has jumped in class and speed successfully over his past 3 races. From what I can tell he's been closing out very strong, which if he can find an opening is such a large field could be dangerous. He's got the bloodlines with the distance. His poppa is Mineshaft, and grandfather is 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy. I've liked most of Asmussen's horses the past couple Derbys. If he can settle in somewhere in the middle and have room to move around the 1/2 pole we might be looking at a winner.

That's all for now. I will have some more horses tomorrow.

Peace!

#137!!!

Wha-whannn...

If you're so inclined, here's a link to the CJ article about Rick Pitino's new hires. If you're looking for someone to pump excitement into hires that may not stay, recruiting players that may not stay, sorry if I'm less than enthused by your arrival.

We've been burned, a tad, you see. Good news only preludes bad, embarrassing news down the road; it's been dubbed "the Louisville Way". At least while being led by Rick Pitino.

Don't worry though, Rick can still spurn many a headline. It's called being "relevant", don't you know?. It's reflected in links on the ESPN.com website, and has little to nothing to do with first round tourney exits. Stick around, you'll love it, even the local columnists will pen glowing articles about you and the future of the program despite ample evidence to the contrary.

Adequate is the new exemplary, didn't you know? Louisville basketball now celebrates one Final Four appearance in the past 11 years, didn't you know?

Regardless, welcome aboard gents, but please understand if the fanbase, or at least one fan that goes by the moniker Mr. Red, is skeptical about what appears to be a total shitshow, and believes your boss to be all-hat-no-cattle, so to speak.

(Mr. Red provides only 1/2 of this blog's opinion)

**UPDATE**

Terrence Jennings will remain in the NBA draft and won't return to Louisville.

Note to UofL fans far and wide, those that like me and those that don't. Please recognize:

THIS. IS. NOT. NORMAL.

Horseracing dead? Only if you're dead inside...

To love horseracing, as well as to be a fan of all the greater sports, is a frustrating endeavor.

Every year as the local anticipation mounts, you must brace yourself for the annual snarkfest from the Worldwide Leader that comes on like clockwork.  Michael Wilbon will exclaim about the stupidity of cheering for animals; Bill Simmons will mock the emotions people felt when Barbaro was put down, etc. etc...

At least Kenny Mayne gets it, and that's enough for me. I guess it's just one of those things, you either "get it" or you don't.

I cringe whenever I hear the sports pundits descry the demise of horseracing. Americans are just too busy or disinterested, they say, to give much thought to animals running in ovals.

Again, you either get it or you don't, I suppose, but what crawls under my skin is the idea that the American public has "outgrown" horseracing when shows like Celebrity Apprentice and American Idol rule the airwaves.

I don't think it's because we've outgrown it; it's that our fat asses have become too complacent to recall that actually going out and doing things is more rewarding than watching Seinfeld reruns at home.

For me, the anticipation for the fall or spring meets at Churchill and Keeneland, it's all in the program. It's in the possibility that somewhere in those pages of mysterious facts, figures, and numbers lies the key. The excitement of opening up a racing program trumps the regular monotony of day-to-day life any time.

Therefore I implore our readers, all seven of you, that even once the excitement of Oaks and Derby has passed, to call/write/email your representative to stop blocking the legislative measures, namely racetrack slot machines, that will help ensure our heritage for generations.

If there's anything UofL and UK fans can agree upon, it has to be a mutual love for our bourbon and our horseracing.

Please, it's far past time for the silent majority of like-minded Kentuckians to force our leaders to respect that heritage.

Beauty; pure, simple, beauty

theHoff's Derby Primer

(theHoff is a regular contributor to Cardinal Laws)

I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more Mint Juleps.

If you are in Louisville, this is the best week of the year. Period. There's a certain buzz about this city that is like nothing else. Anticipation. Pride. History. If you're a proud Louisvillian like me, Derby is the single greatest day of the year. For me Derby is a series of snapshots. The day is filled with so much imagery it's hard to process it all, but specific moments will be ingrained in your memory forever. Like the race its self, a flash. And then it's over. The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports. Two Minutes.... it's hard to believe it even lasts that long. 

The culmination of a day-long event that is as intense as it is fast. The bright silks of the jockeys flash between the crowd of beautiful women in elegant hats and men smoking overpriced  cigars. Even under cloudy, rainy skies everything about this day is brilliant. Just last year when we had showers off and on all day, the clouds parted as My Old Kentucky Home began playing and the horses stepped onto the track. The sun broke through. Water glimmering on the belles' assortment of hats. It was post time! The tulips in full bloom in the Paddock. Aristides in full stride. Pat Day with arms outstretched. How could you not find beauty in this scene!?

The crowd moves in waves. Get in and swim. It is a long day, but patience is a virtue. The window lines are long, but the scores of different people offer a welcome distraction. Torn tickets pave the paddock like confetti. Women in expensive dresses sit on the ground just trying to give their feet a rest.

After we sing My Old Kentucky Home it hits you. The Post Parade. The nervous energy that has built all day is uncontainable. You can't stand still. The anticipation of what you're about to see makes you squeeze the rolled program harder. They start loading them into the gate. This is happening. That last gate shuts. Then the voice..

"They're at the Post..."

Then an explosion!

The Greatest Two Minutes in Sports indeed.

I hope my attempt to present the passion I have for this day was, at best, a mild success. I simply had to pen what my take of the Derby experience is like. Now for some fun stuff. I believe Mr. Red and I will post a few Derby related items over the next couple of days.

First I want to drop a little Derby knowledge/ trivia for ya. This little tidbit should win you a few drinks out at the bars:

Name the three fastest Derby times?

Simple in the day of google, but if you didn't look hard enough, you probably got it wrong. Secretariat still holds the track record at 1:59 2/5.

Monarchos is the second fastest Derby winner at 1:59.97.

Sham, who placed behind Secretariat 1973, actually has the second fastest Derby time at 1:59 4/5.

There ya go... a little brain buster to start your week.

Mr. Red's obligatory Pitino thoughts as he waves buh-bye to Rodney Purvis!!

I wretched at the thought when Billy Donovan talked about Richard Pitino being the "head coach in waiting" at Louisville as he left the Gators.

When Rick Pitino decides to hang 'em up at UofL, I will have had my fill of Pitino-led basketball, I'll pass on seconds thank you very much.

It's not that the decommitment of Rodney Purvis today came as a total surprise. It's that it was expected. That's the problem.

Louisville has been suffering death by a thousand cuts (and one Sypher-sized ax wound) for far too long. Each disappointment, spurning, eye-roll and embarrassment has become such a part of business as usual that I think it's blinded UofL fans from remembering that it doesn't have to be this way.

Rob Jones hit on a salient point on his radio show last week, when he highlighted the ludicrousness of UofL paying Rick Pitino a 3+ million dollar bonus last year as part of "loyalty" clause. Even ignoring the fact that Pitino's name has curiously found its way into several job openings over the years, the idea that a Top 10 historical program needs to dish out that kinda cash for its coach to not look elsewhere is insane. As Jones said, "Where's he gonna go?".

I think the "Pitino Spell" has been broken at a grassroots level for quite some time (and apparently, among young recruits as well), but the upper levels of UofL hierarchy and local media remain transfixed. Pitino's name built the new arena, they instruct, his starpower is integral to the success of the Louisville Cardinals.

All that kool-aid talk is nonsense, and it's an insult to what Louisville basketball is as an institution. It's nonsense in the moment, in that Pitino's name doesn't seem to carry much weight anymore when our recruits flee the moment Tim Fuller is gone. It's also nonsense in the larger picture in that Louisville was a proud program long before Rick Pitino and will be so after he's gone. The Cards have the tradition, fan passion, and facilities to be in the national conversation every year. The idea that "X Coach" out there can't do it at Louisville, only Rick Pitino can keep us relevant, is absurd.

For those ready to jump down my throat for being too reactionary, I admit, I'm fully thrilled at the prospects for next year's team. I expect them to win many games. But then again, I expect the Louisville Cardinals to win games no matter what, to get good recruits no matter what.

It's just that I don't subscribe to the idea that the successes I anticipate for next season should be viewed in anyway out of the ordinary. It's the kind of team the Louisville Cardinals should expect to field every year instead of a "stars aligning", once-in-a-decade team. I believe Louisville basketball, the tradition and the continuity, should be better than what Rick Pitino is currently delivering. Period.

I don't need UofL to win the daily blog/slog/snickerfest for headlines; I can appreciate a "long game" approach if it's competent and real. But I've lost faith that Pitino's "long game" vision for Louisville b-ball will come to pass, if he has one at all.

Purvis decommits from Louisville

Well, that didn't take long. According to almost-always accurate recruiting guru Evan Daniels, Rodney Purvis has spurned the Cards, the final casualty of the Tim Fuller departure.

Ughhhhhh. 2012 recruiting is completely back to square one.

Monday musings

The air smells a little sweeter this morning, doesn't it? No doubt because it's no longer shared with human turd Osama Bin Laden, who met his maker at the hand of U.S. Special Forces yesterday.

Congrats and thank you to all the men and women in uniform that took part in the effort. A huge weight has been lifted from the national psyche. 

Because nothing of such magnitude deserves to be in the same sentences as the name "Brandon Bender", I'll save all my usual trivialities for a later time.

Today is a good day.