Ask a Kentucky Wildcat fan, I am obliged to start this blog by saying, “Whew!”  I thought the Cats were out of luck when Georgia stole a bid.  They probably won’t last long, but I’m glad they are in.

Ok, back to the main body of the blog…

First - the Mid-Majors.  For so many years the mid-majors have been whining about their being overlooked in the NCAA tournament.  All the talking heads jump on the bandwagon after the famous George Mason run to the Final Four, and they start rambling about parity in Division 1 basketball.  It must be having some effect because now we see teams like Butler and Drake ranked in the top 25.  Not even five years ago if either one of these guys were undefeated at this point in the season and they still wouldn’t crack the top 25. 

I’m not saying I agree with teams that dominate a mid-major conference getting a top-25 ranking.  I’m just making the observation.  To me, it takes a lot more than some inexplicably long runs into the tournament to say that teams like Butler and conferences like the Horizon, Missouri Valley and Sun Belt are truly, sustainably as good as major teams and conferences.  I chalk up the George Mason anomoly to the fact that it was bound to happen eventually.  And the fact that the tension and excitement of the Big Dance puts a lot of pressure on favorites.

So Butler comes in to the tournament as a 7-seed and now the whiners and talking heads are complaining they have to play another mid-major in the first round!  Give me a break!  You can’t have your cake and eat it too!  The cake is that Butler has earned some respect, they got the 7-seed.  The eating it too would be to expect the committee to give a darn about who they play in the first round. 

Next topic - expansion of the tournament.  I don’t really understand why this is such a fascination for hoops experts.  Expanding the NCAA tournament would be one of the dumbest moves imaginable.  And I would even say that if Kentucky were playing in the NIT tonight instead of the NCAA tournament on Thursday.

The NCAA tournament is wildly popular because it is pure and simple, it is unforgiving, and it is conclusive.  To get in, it is simple - win games.  If you end up on the bubble, and then you get cut out - too bad, you should have won one more game.  As tournements go, and as a means of deciding a national champion, it is in a word - perfect.  To monkey with it would be beyond stupid.

I love the annual discussion of the automatic bids, the bubble and the snubs.  Expanding the tournament to 128 certainly would end the bubble discussions by making the bubble discussions completely inane.  But not everything that causes anxiety and tension has to be stopped.  The bubble discussions and white knuckled build-up to Selection Sunday is great!  Who would want it to end?

I’m sure the folks who came up with the BCS would love to see the NCAA tournament expanded because then they would no longer be the biggest fools in college sports.

I’m not a big Carolina fan but I believe they are the best team in the country and most likely to win the whole thing.  Second best team is Kansas, who unfortunately find themselves in a position of needing to beat Carolina to get to the final.  We will see!

What’s the world coming to huh? 

What a disgusting display by people who are heroes to America’s youth.  Roger Clemens bumbles and blubbers through his testimony in front of Congress.  His accuser is a former cop turned trainer turned drug dealer.  Andy Pettitte misremembers things about Clemens.  This is months after Barry Bonds is indicted for lying to Congress when he was given a similar chance.

The TRUTH used to be an absolute.  It used to mean a factual account of something that happened, or just is, or an honest account of something a person actually, really, no kidding did or believed.  Now the truth is simply a convenient statement of something which cannot be disproven.  If it suddenly becomes disprovable, just change it to something else, again and again until it comes to rest at something ultimately plausibly deniable. 

I think this abherrant distortion of the TRUTH was popularized by former President Bill Clinton, who argued the meaning of the definition of the word “is” before a grand jury.  But I’m not sure.  I don’t want to give him more credit than he is due.  Either way, that’s about the point in American history where the truth became something less absolute and more relative.

Back in college basketball, Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson faces sanctions for violation of five NCAA rules.  What rules?  One may ask?

The same rules he violated at Oklahoma.  The same rules that put him on NCAA sanctions at Oklahoma. 

Bobby Knight gets forced out of Hoosier country for being an abrasive, beligerent, codger.  But he goes on to win 900 games and certain acceptance in the Hall of Fame.   I wouldn’t go so far as to call Bobby Knight a class act, but he was a great coach, was good for the game, and added color to every game he coached.  And he made the press conferences worth sticking around for after the game.  As a Kentucky Wildcat fan, I have every right to dislike the man.  But I can’t.  Because he was a great coach.  And he wasn’t a cheater. 

What was IU thinking?  Tired of an incorrigible honest winner?  Hire a known cheater?  Yeah I know, there was a coach in between, but he was a wacko, so I’m skipping him to make a point.

So I have to ask myself, at what point does Congress feel the need to get involved in cheating?

Congress has made a lot of noise over Spygate, but to date they are not hauling in NFL coaches to testify before Congress.  I doubt they will.  The cheating in the NFL is sickening too, but apparently not as sickening as the pervasive meds cheating in MLB.  Congressmen are up to their necks in medicinal cheating in baseball.  But why?  Are they just sore about Barry Bonds lying to them and they want to poke him in the eye?

Is it because it is America’s pastime and they feel some need to show some sense of ownership of it?

Or is it that they get involved once the cheating and illegal drug use threatens to taint the sport to the point that legitimately talented athletes are being displaced by cheaters because they can’t compete using just their God given talents?  That would set well with me.  But if it is true, Congress’ arrival on the scene of horse racing is long overdue.  

Regardless, I am absolutely sick of it.  I’m tired of seeing sports heroes backpedal and plead the fifth and trample the truth.   To be quite honest, I’m tired of seeing sports figures testifying before Congress.  Doesn’t Congress have something better to do?  Isn’t there some lower court that could handle it?  It is quite clear by now that if anyone thought that the power and authority of the Congress would extract the truth from these “heroes” they were wrong.  It won’t.  All the more reason to let someone else deal with it and let Congress make laws and deal with matters that ALL Americans have some concern about, like health care and social security and the war in Iraq.

Slow times in horse racing and I’m due for a rant.  Here goes…

What a Superbowl!  Good to see another Ole Miss grad do well!  Go Eli!  Hopefully he won’t start making commercials.

Pro Football… Tony Romo didn’t start losing because he was distracted by Jessica Simpson.  He lost because he’s not a very good quarterback.  Terrell Owens could make anybody look like a good quarterback.  I think if my Dad were quarterback they could make the playoffs as long as T.O. was healthy.  He’s just that good.  So when T.O. went out with an injury, Romo’s true colors showed. 

College Basketball… Drake?  Butler?  I said it last year and I’ll say it again… why do these teams make the top 25 every year?  Just because a team has only one loss, or two, does not make them one of the best 25 teams in the country.  If Drake were playing any team in the ACC on Drake’s home court they would be a 15 point underdog.  I’m not saying they are not a good team.  I’m just saying they don’t belong in the top 25.  Someday maybe I’ll be a sports writer and I’ll get a vote.  Memphis is overrated too.  UNC is the best team in the land.  Playing in the ACC all season long should make playing in the NCAA tournament look pretty easy.

ESPN says it is Rivalry week! 

• Duke vs UNC this coming Wednesday.  I’ll take UNC, even with Lawson injured. 
• Florida vs Tennessee.  I’ll take Tennessee.  But is this really a rivalry?
• Butler at Wisc GB.  I’ll take Wisc GB. 

Memphis should not lose a game this year, but they are not the best team in the country.  I’m not sure they are in the top five.  I’ll be picking them to exit the tourney early this year. 

It’s tough being a Kentucky fan this year.  Their chances at an NCAA tourney bid are slim.  Billie Gillespie may not survive the year if he doesn’t turn it around.  They are not even listed as a bubble team.  Yeesh.  Humility is a bitter pill for UK fans. 

Bobby Knight resigns - love him or hate him, he was good for the game.  I wouldn’t exactly call him a classy guy, but he added color to the sport and he knew how to coach.  Believe it or not, here’s a Kentucky Wildcat fan saying I hate to see him go. 

Horseracing….

Curlin Horse of the Year - I was a big Street Sense fan, and called for him to win the Derby and break the so-called Juvenile curse.  To me, the Derby proved he was the best horse in the land and still head and shoulders above his peers.  And to me, the Derby proved that Curlin was not the freak that many said he was.  I was wrong.  Street Sense was already second best to Curlin when the gates opened on the first Saturday in May.  But Street Sense got the ride and Curlin got a miserable trip.  Just like Afleet Alex was the best three year old when he ran his Derby - also finishing third, due to a poorly timed bid by his jockey.  Just goes to show - it isn’t just the horse.  It’s the horse and the trip.  That’s why winning the Triple Crown is so hard.  The Breeders Cup left no doubt that Curlin is truly a special horse.

I still won’t bet lightly raced horses in the Derby.  Hasn’t hurt me yet.

Cheating - Good to see the Bloodhorse start to speak out on the topic of meds cheating in horse racing.  In a recent editorial it was even suggested that owners would have their horses suspended if the trainer is caught cheating (something I suggested in this blog many months ago, but I’m not saying he got it from me).  Maybe if enough light is shed on the rampant problem we might see some change soon.  The Bloodhorse is a well respected publication and to my knowledge this is the first time I’ve seen them take a strong stand.  It’s time.

Poor Patrick Biancone, I thought to myself sarcastically.  Claiming to be the victim of a system anxious to make an example out of him.  For those that didn’t get the memo, Patrick Biancone was punished for violation of meds offenses.  Specifically, cobra venom was found in a small refrigerato in his barn.  Cobra venom is a class A medication because it has no medical purpose. 

Officially the punishment was as follows:  six month suspension starting November 1, and barred from applying for a trainer’s license for an additional six months on 12 counts of medicine violations.

For most of us racing fans, we thought the punishment was a little lame, a slap on the wrist.  It didn’t even require Biancone to give up any of the animals in his barn permanently.  Although Biancone’s assistant was the trainer of record for the duration of the suspension, Biancone can still be involved.  Perhaps that explains why he was found in the backstretch area of Monmouth Park on Breeders’ Cup day - after saying he would stay away on BC day. 

Frankly I don’t know why the KHRA didn’t make an example of Biancone.  Are they waiting for someone to do something worse, and then they can make an example of the offender? 

What’s worse than shooting up your athlete with a toxin so that they can’t feel pain? 

So for a while I laughed at the notion that Mr. Biancone felt victimized.  But then I got my copy of The Blood Horse in the mail, and Editor-in-Chief Dan Liebman took up this topic for his “What’s Going On Here” section.  Dan expressed some outrage over Mr. Biancone’s behavior on Breeders’ Cup day, skulking around the backstretch and being asked to leave.  Dan Liebman applauded Frank Zanzuccki’s actions when the New Jersey Racing Commissions executive director asked Biancone to beat it.

I applaud Dan Liebman for finally talking about this problem in horse racing.  The Blood Horse has a responsibility to report on the problem of meds cheating.  But the problem is that by failing to talk about all the other cheaters and cheating, he is validating Mr. Biancone’s claim of being singled out.  Todd Pletcher won an Eclipse Award while serving a meds suspension.  Sure, it was a lesser offense (I think it would have to be) but that really isn’t the point.  Cheating is cheating.  Eclipse Award winners should get it done clean.

Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, Curlin, is trained by Steve Assmussin.  Steve also served a meds suspension this year.  I couldn’t find any mention of that in the write-up on the BC Classic.  I assume Curlin was clean, and I assume all of Steve’s horses were tested clean on Breeders’ Cup day.  But that isn’t the point either.

Maybe Biancone was singled out because he is an easy target - a multiple offender in this country and others.  And although a well known figure, I would not consider him a “top tier” trainer the likes of a Pletcher or Baffert of Frankel.  Heck, he’s not even an American.   Pick on the French guy.

I’m not feeling any sympathy yet.  But I’m starting to see Mr. Biancone’s point.  It is time to enforce the rules and it is time to enforce them on everyone.

The last time I commented on the Green Monkey was several months ago.  At the time he was a $16MM two year old purchase that I suggested may never run a race. 

Now he is a $16MM purchase who has run once, and got his doors blown off by several widening lengths, finishing a flat third. 

The purchase price I get - kind of - because after all it was an auction.  Find the right two people and any object has infinite value.  It is the same rationale that explains why someone got $28,000 for a ten year old grilled cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary burnt into it.  Seems silly to me but more than one person really wanted that sandwich, and that horse.

What I don’t get is the fact that usually savvy bettors at Belmont Park plunked down enough stupid money on the monkey’s nose to send him to post at 2:5.  Hardly the same economic model as a horse auction.

I’m outraged, and I don’t know anyone who isn’t, by the ruling of the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority in the case concerning Patrick Biancone and his veterinarian Rodney Stewart. 

Even if you were to force me to disregard that Biancone has already been banned from racing in Hong Kong for a 10 month stint for similar offenses…  And force me to ignore the fact that he has been banned in Kentucky for 15 days for similar offenses… both in an attempt to get me to treat this situation as a stand-alone event - he deserves a much more severe punishment than the one year ban he got.

Ok - I can’t actually ignore the previous offenses.  I’m just not able.  The guy is dirty.

Not only that, but in his appeal, Biancone is not even disputing the findings.  He is just disputing the punishment. 

Cobra venom?  He really thinks Cobra venom is not that big of a deal to warrant a year’s suspension?  By definition cobra venom is a class A medication because it can affect the performance of a horse but has no medicinal benefit.  To put it bluntly, this guy embodies everything that is wrong with the sport.  He prospers not just the perception, but the truth that the sport has serious cheating issues.

By the way, the veterinarian in this case got banned for five years.  Again - it is still not enough.  It is not like the horse has ethics issues like a baseball player or cyclist doping up with a doctor involved.  In this case the athlete didn’t have a voice.  The athlete was injected with a toxin so that the athlete could not feel pain.  This is exploitation of the animal at the animal’s expense. 

Michael Vick is facing jail time for fighting and harming dogs - and he’s not even a vet!  Shouldn’t the punishments be much more severe for people who allege to be sworn to preserve life and health of animals?  Stewart is appealing the slap on the wrist also.  He is already serving a suspension in another matter. 

For the record, I’m not determining guilt in the absence of due process.  In this matter the accused are now officially guilty in the eyes of the KHRA.  I’m just aghast at the punishment they handed down after the determination of guilt.  It is shamefully soft - in a sport in bad need of a statement about ethics and cheating.

The one bright spot in this dark affair is that for the first time, Biancone’s will be prevented from earning any money from the horses in his care while serving a suspension for a Class A medication violation.  That means that for the first time, Biancone’s horses will have to transfer to other barns if they want to race.  That’s a good change - if not way way way overdue.

Bloodhorse Executive Editor Dan Liedman took his turn in the “What’s Going On Here” section of the Blookdhorse in last week’s edition.  He brought to light some thoughtful comparisons (although it seemed to me went on about it a bit) between NASCAR and horseracing.  Then he went into depth (same way the Pacific ocean goes into depth) about NASCAR’s changing approach to marketing and the pursuant success the sport has seen.

That’s nice.  Don’t ya think?  Gripping stuff!

Where is the comparison most of us want to see?  Here, I’ll help out…. follow this link, or do a Google search on this string:  Gordon + Johnson + penalized + NASCAR.

I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time picking on the Bloodhorse because I enjoy their publication.  But for crying out loud I wish they would use some of their industry muscle to be a proponent for change.

Here’s the Cliff Notes on the article in the link:   At Charlotte, NASCAR handed out some serious fines and penalties to two of its top drivers for failing a pre-race inspection. 

These fines could definitely be material enough to affect the Nextel Cup standings.  And these are two big names in the sport, not some expendable chumps, that were made an example of.

Rick Hendrick (a finee) called the punishment “excessive” per the AP wire.

Good!  Damn right Rick!  If you want to make yourself crystal clear and make sure nobody thinks this is just a wink and a nod, you gotta upset some people.  Give that pendulum a good shove to get it moving back across bottom dead center.

Robin Pemberton, Vice President for Competition returned with “In the old days, there was a gray area… in the new days, it’s not a gray area.” And then later, “But we owe it to the teams and the industry to uphold the standards of the Car of Tomorrow for the integrity of this sport.”

Way to go Robin!  Way to go NASCAR!  And this comes from a card carrying horse racing fan that thinks NASCAR barely meets the definition of a sport!  Someone who can’t understand how anyone can endure 2+ hours of cars going around in a circle, heavy drinking and permanent hearing loss.  Well, the drinking I get.  But that is not my point anyway.  Just way to go.  That’s my point.

Meanwhile, last year’s Eclipse award goes to a trainer who served medications violations related suspensions (Pletcher).  The top two finishers in the Belmont Stakes (Pletcher, Assmussen) both served suspensions last year for medications infractions.  And no one hardly says boo about it.

Elsewhere in the same edition of the Bloodhorse… Q&A interview with …. (drum roll)… Todd Pletcher!

Also elsewhere in the Bloodhorse…Feature on Veterinarian Steve Allday - “There need to be more (medications) regulations and there needs to be zero tolerance.”

And finally, this also found in this week’s Bloodhorse, “Belmont Stakes Ratings Down 12%”

Now I’m not saying it is that simple, clean up the sport and fans will return. 

Wait, nevermind.  That is what I’m saying.  There are some dots here asking to be connected. 

For the record, I hope no one thinks I’m putting down NASCAR when I say that I can’t bring myself to watch it.  I could maybe watch it if they only went around the track up to 5 times.  But 500 miles?  How many times can you lean over to the drunk guy next to you and scream in his ear, “WHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIIIN?” get his reply, “WHAAAAAAAAAT?  THERE’S MORE IN THE COOOOLERRR” and still call it entertainment.  They tell me it is even worse when the cars start their engines.

But that’s not the point either is it?  The point is that NASCAR gets it and horse racing doesn’t.  NASCAR is willing to do what it takes to keep the sport clean while horse racing still refuses to take their problems head on.

Oh, yeah, and NASCAR’s approach to marketing is also better.Â

Just got my copy of Bloodhorse in the mail saturday and it has all the past performances for the Derby contenders.  Here’s what I see….

•  Any Given Saturday - could find a way to go three wide in a two horse race.  Not the sort you want your Derby hanging on.
• Chelokee - Opportunistic run in the Florida Derby.  Before that maidens and ALW company.  Does he belong with these?
• Circular Quay - not one to believe in all the “must” and “mustn’ts” around the Derby, but he really has been off a long time.  One of the few stone cold closers in the field.  Have to consider in the exotics.  Will need some early speed to set him up.  Not sure he will get it.
• Cobalt Blue - Gave way in the Illinois Derby.  Nuff said.
• Cowtown Cat - Beat no one in the Illinois Derby.  Highly speculative
• Curlin - Lightly raced horses tend to get lost in the crowd in the Derby.  He may be a freak, but I doubt it.
• Dominican - Took him three races to break his maiden.  Made the most of the polystrange surface at KEE.
• Great Hunter - likes to run late, like his daddy.  But usually too late.
• Hard Spun - Will likely be the most overlooked 4 wins in 5 starts horse in the Derby field.  The one he lost is a throw out.  Very dangerous.
• King of the Roxy - Couldn’t hold for the victory in SA Derby. 
• Liquidity - No wins since maiden win.  Giacomo all over again?
• Nobiz Like Showbiz - Gutsy effort in the Wood.  Will likely be part of the pace in the Derby
• Reporting For Duty - No wins since maiden
• Sam P. - No graded wins
• Scat Daddy - A classic stalking style… just like several recent Derby winners.  Barely tested in the FL Derby.  Tough to overlook
• Slew’s Tizzy - there is a reason he went off at monster odds in the Coolmore. 
• Stormello - Won’t like the distance.  Could be part of the pace.  Potential theif?
• Storm in May - Making a career out of running second or third to legitimate Derby hopefuls
• Street Sense - Has done nothing to indicate he has regressed much since his big Juvenile win.  Training like a monster at Churchill.  Pushbutton speed.  The most likely choice to win.
• Teuflesberg - likely to be part of the pace in the Derby.
• Tiago - Wouldn’t bet half-brother of Giacomo in the Derby if he were coupled with Giacomo.  Will need a lot of pace to set him up.  There are better closers in the race.
• Zanjero - No wins besides Mdn and Alw.  Can’t see it.

Just read today that QEII has confirmed for the Derby.  Although she has been to Kentucky four times previously, she has never been to the Derby or to Louisville. 

Since this is her first time to the Derby, and I’ve been many times, I thought it would be appropriate to offer her some advice.  This could save her a lot of time and maybe some embarassment.

• Don’t be shy about soaking up the Derby experience.  Take a couple of those dudes in the tall furry hats with you (to make sure you don’t get groped) and make a pass through the third turn.  I bet you will say “Blimey” and “Bugger” at least once.
• If you camp outside the gates on Friday night, like I have a couple of times (so you can get prime real estate in the infield), avoid this guy who calls himself the Mayor of the Infield.  You can’t miss him.  He wears a tuxedo coat and a top hat and has a huge button that says “Mayor.”  He is an insufferable bore when he is drunk.  And he will be drunk.  In fact he is probably drunk right now.
• Tip the tellers.  No it doesn’t bring you good luck.  But when you’re the Queen of England people expect a tip for crying out loud.
• Get the $1000 mint julep available on Derby Day.  It’s so not worth it, but in case your friends don’t believe you were really there, you’ll need a nick-nack to prove it.  You can afford it.   
• Don’t be a sucker for the European horses.  The can’t hang with the Yank horses at Churchill.  That’s right, I said it.
• They run ‘em counterclockwise in North America.
• Don’t start cheering like a fool if your horse is in the lead the first time they pass under the wire.  It is the second one that counts.  I’m not saying you would do this, but the tracks are smaller in North America so they have to do a lap.  Everyone around you will be watching you, hoping for the chance to give the Brit crap for this common blunder.
• Put some extra cab money in your sock before you start betting and drinking heavily.  If you have a real bad day at the windows, you’ll be glad you did.
• Rock of Gibralter… Breeders’ Cup 2002..  Mick Kinane…  What the hell?
• Here’s a foolproof way to smuggle beer into the infield - take a twelve pack of Nestea or Sprite and dump out all the cans.  Then put nine of your favorite beer in the carton and then top it off with three of the Nestea’s.  Then glue the flap shut.  If the cops open up the carton, they see Nestea.  Trust me it works.  You can also take a watermelon and inject booze straight into it with a big syringe.  Makes for some tasty melon in the afternoon.  If you get caught, you didn’t hear this from me.
• Don’t expect the fact that you are the Queen of England to cut you any slack in the lines to the ladies room.  Plan ahead!
• Most importantly - opinions are plentiful on Derby Day but most people don’t know squat about racing.  Look me up and I’ll give you the Derby winner.  I’ll be wearing a khaki sport coat and a gold tie.

Hey, that’s all I have for now, but if I think of something else I’ll post another note.  Good luck Your Majesty!!

You can buy a photo of Green Monkey online here:  link

Maybe we should wait until he wins a race first.  Or at least until he runs a race.  Or at least until he is entered, or even considered for entry in a race.

I know he is named after some golf course in Barbados, but there are several ways they could have came up with the name “The Green Monkey”…

Green, as in green with envy…  as in the reason two of the most powerful men in racing, John Magnier and Sheikh Mohammed, representing Coolmore and Darley respectively, bid up the price tag on this unproven animal. 

Green, as in the color of money… fitting since his price tag maybe the only record this horse will ever hold.   $16 million at auction as a two year old.

Monkey… as in monkey with something, like what this horse’s price tag did to the average sale price for two year olds in 2006.

Monkey… like make a monkey out of someone.  Who could have known that the horse would never race?  Certainly not me.  But maybe it is for the best.  If he had raced and flopped the owner would look like an even bigger monkey.  This way it may remain a mystery.

Not long after the gavel fell at auction, Irish bookmaker Paddy Power opened a market on the future of the colt against winning the Kentucky Derby: 33-1. Against winning any race: 4-1.  I wish I had some of that action now.