Reality Bites

"I had no horse," Desormeaux said. And so it was. That the lasting image from Saturday's 140th Belmont Stakes won't be of a weary Da' Tara, a 38-1 shot, staggering home in the final sixteenth of a mile, heroic but desperate as he searched for the finish line to complete a shocker for the ages, but it will be jockey Kent Desormeaux pulling up Big Brown.

So now what to look forward to? The Twins? Oh, no, they're below .500. The NBA finals? The Lakers are already down 2-0. The presidential election? Five long months away.

There is of course that pesky million-dollar carryover at Belmont on Wednesday, and always the possibility of a Curlin-Big Brown match-up, but I won't hold my breath. My fantasy horse racing season is also coming to a conclusion, and I have most certainly adopted the "we'll get 'em next year" attitude.

Maybe I'll just keep reading the Clinton obituaries, they continue to make me smile. This one was the best of the day.

History's Eve

The Sun-Times said it best:

There are thoroughbred racing gods. They exist as certainly as The Bart won the first Arlington Million and Al Gore prevailed in the 2000 presidential election. They meet each winter in a hidden cove near Dominica, reportedly once used as a refuge by Jack Sparrow, Clyde Tolson and Gavin MacLeod. They make lists for the upcoming racing season and check them twice. They always find out who's been naughty and who instead has walked humbly and embraced the game's essential sanctifying graces. The racing gods frown on excessive sleaze, avarice and hubris from down below. Next to ''no bankroll,'' they may be the deadliest sins in the game. All would seem to swirl much too closely to the cosmic epicenter of Big Brown.


They argue Dutrow hasn't played by the rules. They may be right. But then again entering a horse in the Derby who had only raced three times, and only once on a scheduled dirt race, was testing the Gods as well.


I have lived for nearly 27 years on this planet and I can say that a majority of them were spent following horse racing (please don't do the math to determine at what specific age I became a degenerate). Not once in my lifetime have I seen a triple crown winner.

I have been close. Once it was a nose. Another it was a furlong from the wire. Sometimes the horse breaks stride, and others ... the horse broke down. But alas ... no sweep.

I have a feeling that tomorrow will be the day.

Interesting non-horse related fact of the day: Obama might put strange states in play, like Mississippi. About 37% of the state's population is black. If they go for Obama for 95%, all he needs is 25% of the white vote. Where might he get that? Young voters and college-educated voters. If the Obama money machine gets up to speed, he could raise $200 million, maybe $300 million, which would make it possible to burn $5 million in Mississippi.

My take: If he wins Mississippi, and we will know that early on November 4th, it will be the sign of a HUGE night to come.

Five Months

So a little birdie just informed me that it will be 5 months until the general election. That seems like a lifetime away. What will I ever do to occupy my time? (Besides flip-flop over the "dream ticket").

Well this guy runs on Saturday, and somehow the boys from the north side have reeled off 9 straight without me noticing.

Need anything else to occupy your time? You could help Sweet Caroline with her VP search.

Its Over.

The victor.

The recap.

Combo Platter?

The question of the day, at least in the slightly-left-of-center blogosphere is the issue of the "Dream Ticket." Should or shouldn't Mr. Obama select HilForceOne as his running mate? While unquestionably she would detract from his new school change message, she would bring all of those middle-aged, middle-class, middle of the political spectrum women who were so fanatical at the RBC meeting. For the first time since the campaign began, I truly believe that from a vote-getting perspective it will likely help him.

Then again it does raise the question of what to do with Bill. U.N. Ambassador? Supreme Court Judge? Inventer of a secret new weapon?

On the cusp?

cusp -noun [kuhsp]
a point that marks the beginning of a change: on the cusp of a new era.

As, Mr. Obama carries out his plans to declare victory tonight, it is worth noting the costs associated with that declaration. For one, he gave HilForceOne a reason to go to the convention. Secondly, through the you tube videos of his pastor and guest preacher, he single-handedly made the United Church of Christ (UCC), of which I am a member, appear to be a raving bunch of African-American race-obsessed churchgoers, when in fact the UCC actually struggles with attracting non-white members.

Worst of all, there appear to be a growing number of disillusioned White middle-aged women who cannot stand the thought of a Black president, specifically one who "stole" the nomination from their beloved HilForceOne. View one with bruises, and one who likes to yell.

The good news is that he still appears to be leading McCreamy in the electoral vote.

While Obamania will descend on the Twin Cities tonight, it appears that there may be good reason for it. The Twin Cities media market controls much of Iowa and western Wisconsin, and this region may very well control the election this year.

Finally, for purposes of fun and enjoyment, I finally have the court's blessing to get my WNBA fantasy league off the ground.

Taking the Bus to Work

I have decided to restart this bad boy, and aside from acknowledging my brother’ mortifyingly accurate prediction below, I wanted to post something, anything, to get myself in the habit of writing again. My hope is, with my new job and new mode of transportation (and hopefully soon new laptop) I will have the time and desire to write more frequently.