Over the last three years when I’ve had occasion to travel to Long Island for work, I usually take a ferry across the Long Island Sound. Depending on where you’re going on the island, it doesn’t save a lot of time (though it could if there’s heavy traffic around the city), and it’s expensive, but it’s so much more civilized than battling your way down I-95 and over one of the bridges. It’s also fun because I can invoke SNL’s Adam Samberg’s profanity-laced music video parody called – “I’m On A Boat.”
So Sunday morning I boarded a 9 am ferry across the Long Island Sound, headed for Stony Brook University and the NCAA men’s lacrosse quarterfinals. The ferry ride was a bit more raucous than usual, as many of the cars on board carried lacrosse stickers and fans of each of the four schools competing at Stony Brook.
I actually hadn’t planned to attend as I was a bit weary from chasing the Big Red hockey and basketball teams around the Northeast earlier this spring. But as luck and timing would have it, I was due to speak at a conference on Long Island Monday morning, and the start time made coming in the night before advisable. So once I realized Cornell’s quarterfinal game would be on Long Island the day before the conference, I didn’t have twist my own arm too hard to make plans to come down early enough Sunday to catch the game. Jen is a good sport about my taking off for Big Red adventures – I suppose she figures I could have worse vices.
I jumped on getting the tickets as soon as Cornell put them on sale. It turned out to be a tough ticket to get as host Stony Brook was playing top-ranked Virginia in the second half of the quarterfinal double header.
Cornell was facing Army, an upset winner over second-seeded, and Cornell nemesis, Syracuse last weekend. Cornell gained its berth in the quarters by beating Loyala (MD). As has become their form this year, the Big Red lost a big lead surging ahead 9-2 and then hanging on for an 11-10 triple overtime victory, with a long stick defenseman scoring his first career goal for the win.
Army had an impressive win versus Syracuse, rallying from three behind in the second half to win in double overtime. Syracuse rarely loses in general and hardly ever at home, especially in the NCAAs where they had an 8 game winning streak by virtue of having won the last two national championships. It was a huge win for the Army team, which hadn’t won an NCAA game since 1993 when my good-natured neighbor Todd Butler was a senior.
In fact, Todd’s own special forces (his kids are 7, 5 and 4) launched a “spirit mission” against our household the Friday before the game, leaving a poster on our front door and hanging signs on our side of the fence that divides our yards which read “Go Army” and “Beat Cornell”. My 5-year old son Will and I tried to retaliate, but pressed for time and outnumbered, our response was hardly proportional. But as they left for a family trip Saturday morning, the Butlers found a placard on their windshield which said, “Go Big Red” and “Beat Army.”
Todd was also at the game with some of his fellow Army lax alumni. I stopped by during the game to say hello to him, but made it a brief visit, as my all red attire wouldn’t gain me any favor with Todd’s Army buddies. I had my own mini posse, as I met up with Farm Credit colleagues Steve Weir and Pat Wiles from our Riverhead, NY branch, at what seemed to be an ad hoc alumni gathering before the game.
The game itself was not particularly memorable. I’ll just say that after sweating out a number of close Cornell wins and losses these last few weeks, I was ecstatic that Cornell won by 9. It was a tough game for the Army faithful – as the Big Red seemed to execute well on offense and play tough, stifling “D.” Given Cornell has let teams back into a number of games recently, I didn’t rest easy until well into the fourth quarter.
After catching some of the post-game Cornell party, I went back in to check out Virginia – Stony Brook, the second game of the double header. UVa Stony Brook turned out to be the afternoon’s more exciting game from a spectator’s perspective. Virginia would typically have been a huge favorite, if not for the fact they were playing a solid Stony Brook team on its home field and the off-field troubles facing the team, with one of the Virginia players facing a murder charge in the death of a UVa women’s lacrosse player.
UVa took a 5-3 halftime lead, but Stony Brook had kept them within range and early in the third quarter, the Seawolves came back to tie the game at 5. One key for Virginia was that every time Stony Brook would tie the game – as they did at 5, 7 and 8 -- Virginia had an answer, thwarting Stony Brook from ever taking the lead. UVa’s biggest goal may have been when they scored on a breakout off the face off after Stony Brook had tied the game at 8.
The two face off specialists were unbelievable, almost every time grinding away at each other spinning slowly on the ground with their sticks and heads interlocked. In one of the face offs it took almost a minute for the ball to spring free, when it usually only takes a few seconds.
UVa extended the lead to 10-8, but Stony Brook got within one with a few minutes remaining. While they did get off one shot which could have tied the game, the UVa goalie came up with a big save and the Cavaliers were able to kill the clock and preserve the victory.
UVA will face Duke in an all ACC semifinal, while the Big Red will play Notre Dame, an upset winner over third-seeded Maryland.
I won’t be making the trip to Baltimore for the final four over Memorial Day, though of course, I’d be tempted. I’ve been on the road plenty of late and we’ll be heading to a family get together this Sunday, plus there’s no way I can work in a ferry ride to Baltimore, though come to think of it, M&T Stadium isn’t too far from Baltimore’s inner harbor area . . . no, never mind, I’m staying put.
It’s Monday afternoon on the way back from the conference and my return ferry is pulling into the dock. It’s time to return below deck to my car and rejoin the battle on Connecticut’s highways. With the semifinals on Saturday and the finals on Memorial Day, here’s hoping next Monday afternoon I’ll be glued to my TV watching the Big Red battle for the national championship. Go Big Red!
“I’m king of the world on the boat like Leo, if you all on the shore, then you sho’ ain’t me-o.” SNL Digital Short – “I’m On A Boat.”
Monday, May 24, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Ninth hole at Sandstone Hollow
For the last 20 years, my brother Peter has hosted a weekend get together around his August 23rd birthday. The agenda consists of a crew heading to Saratoga for the Travers Stakes on Saturday followed by a Sunday golf outing at Capital Hills, Albany's municipal course.
In addition to some of his high school, college and Albany friends, many family members have played in the golf tourney over the years, including our brother Jerry and our father, an avid golfer who passed away in December 2008.
Peter emcees the start of the golf outing, announcing all the players before they tee off. As he kicked off the tournament this past August, it hadn't occurred to me that this would be the first Bushwood Open (named for the course in the movie Caddyshack) since Dad had died.
So before he introduced the first foursome he pointed to a lone golf ball on a tee, a Titleist So-Lo, a ball which Dad often played, and asked for a moment of silence which was followed by a round of applause.
It was a nice touch and a way to remember Dad with his crew, several of whom had attended the services, but some who had not. And I'm sure like me, Peter often thinks of Dad when he plays golf, and especially kicking off his annual tournament, which Dad had played a number of times. That day on the first tee of Capital Hills came to mind today in an unexpected way, as I reenacted the last round Jerry, Peter and I played with Dad, on Father's Day 2008.
Earlier that spring, we'd managed to pull together a scaled down version of the golf trip we'd taken every year for about 15 years. Scaled down because Dad was in rough shape from the surgery, radiation and chemo he'd had in his battle with cancer. Though we didn't acknowledge it at the time, we knew it would probably be the last one.
Father's Day was another traditional outing for the four of us, and here again, that sunny June Sunday, we knew it could be the last. Dad's golf had been scaled way back (too bad because he enjoyed it so much and was about a 12 handicap into his 80s prior to his surgery in the fall of 2007) , so we played Sandstone Hollow, a nicely appointed par-3 course at the Turning Stone resort in Verona, NY.
I honestly don't recall much about the round (though I know I played poorly), except for the last hole. Having had many of his left shoulder muscles removed during his surgery, Dad had to play a kind of modified half swing. And though he lacked power, he'd figured out how to make solid contact on a number of shots, though bogey was the best he'd managed on any hole. On the ninth, which played about 120 yards, he hit a low lining fade that ended up on the back edge of the two-tiered green.
He left his first putt from off the green about five feet above the hole, the kind of twisting putt we'd seen Dad miss more times than we'd care to recount. But on that day, Dad managed to curl it in for his only par of the day, on the last hole he ever played.
During what turned out to be the toughest of years, that was a nice memory, one I recalled in the eulogy I gave at Dad's funeral. I omitted from the eulogy that Jerry and Peter also made par on that hole, but I was the odd man out having to settle for bogey after a power lip out.
And maybe the fact I made the only bogey in our foursome was on my mind today, en route to the Syracuse area where I'm staying tonight.
It was 6:15 when I was approaching the Verona exit and if it was open, I figured I could squeeze in a quick nine at Sandstone Hollow before dark. I've struggled so far this year the few times I've played, though I'd had a solid nine just the other night. I think I've figured something out with my swing and wanted to see if it was going to stick. It was turning into a beautiful evening and decided at the very least a stroll around Sandstone Hollow would beat checking email at the hotel.
I wheeled off the Thruway and paid my greens fees. Another time I'll write more about Sandstone Hollow, which is beautifully sculpted from rugged meadows and marshy forestland. Designed by Rick Smith it's one of the top 25 par-3 courses in the U.S. It was not as in nice shape tonight as it has been in the past . They had recently aerated it, though instead of taking out plugs the greens had been carved into small diamonds with narrow furrows. The bunker sand was a little rocky too, but nonetheless, it was fine for my purposes.
There was a foursome a few holes ahead so I played two balls in order to not come upon them too quickly, plus I can use all the practice I can get. After a rocky start I played pretty well and even managed to make a birdie on the sixth almost jarring it on the fly, ending up a mere two feet away.
The sun was low in the sky as I reached the ninth, and I was determined to make par. I pulled the first shot left of the green, not a bad leave but not an automatic up and down given my short game. The second tee shot was a little skinny, but turned out well, ending up about 25 feet past the pin. I wanted to stack the odds in my favor, so I pulled a third ball out of my pocket and struck it nicely, leaving it about 20 feet left of the pin. Three shots at par -- I liked my chances.
Though pin high without any trouble to carry, my first ball had found a messy lie in the rough, which I muscled out to about 15 feet. The second ball had landed further away than I thought from the tee, and though I hit a solid putt, it had sailed about four feet past. I really didn't want to rely on that third tee shot to make par.
I missed the 15 footer of the one I chipped from off the green, so I walked up confidently to the four footer and poured it in.
Par in hand, I went to pick up the third ball, when I noticed something that hadn't caught my attention before. Though I usually play Bridgestone, that third ball was a Titleist So-Lo, and immediately, I thought of Peter's tribute last August.
The sun had just about dipped below the horizon, so I decided to leave it there, a temporary momento in honor of Dad. And though I had to play three tee shots, I was glad I'd finally gotten my par, and left a good chance at birdie for Dad.
In addition to some of his high school, college and Albany friends, many family members have played in the golf tourney over the years, including our brother Jerry and our father, an avid golfer who passed away in December 2008.
Peter emcees the start of the golf outing, announcing all the players before they tee off. As he kicked off the tournament this past August, it hadn't occurred to me that this would be the first Bushwood Open (named for the course in the movie Caddyshack) since Dad had died.
So before he introduced the first foursome he pointed to a lone golf ball on a tee, a Titleist So-Lo, a ball which Dad often played, and asked for a moment of silence which was followed by a round of applause.
It was a nice touch and a way to remember Dad with his crew, several of whom had attended the services, but some who had not. And I'm sure like me, Peter often thinks of Dad when he plays golf, and especially kicking off his annual tournament, which Dad had played a number of times. That day on the first tee of Capital Hills came to mind today in an unexpected way, as I reenacted the last round Jerry, Peter and I played with Dad, on Father's Day 2008.
Earlier that spring, we'd managed to pull together a scaled down version of the golf trip we'd taken every year for about 15 years. Scaled down because Dad was in rough shape from the surgery, radiation and chemo he'd had in his battle with cancer. Though we didn't acknowledge it at the time, we knew it would probably be the last one.
Father's Day was another traditional outing for the four of us, and here again, that sunny June Sunday, we knew it could be the last. Dad's golf had been scaled way back (too bad because he enjoyed it so much and was about a 12 handicap into his 80s prior to his surgery in the fall of 2007) , so we played Sandstone Hollow, a nicely appointed par-3 course at the Turning Stone resort in Verona, NY.
I honestly don't recall much about the round (though I know I played poorly), except for the last hole. Having had many of his left shoulder muscles removed during his surgery, Dad had to play a kind of modified half swing. And though he lacked power, he'd figured out how to make solid contact on a number of shots, though bogey was the best he'd managed on any hole. On the ninth, which played about 120 yards, he hit a low lining fade that ended up on the back edge of the two-tiered green.
He left his first putt from off the green about five feet above the hole, the kind of twisting putt we'd seen Dad miss more times than we'd care to recount. But on that day, Dad managed to curl it in for his only par of the day, on the last hole he ever played.
During what turned out to be the toughest of years, that was a nice memory, one I recalled in the eulogy I gave at Dad's funeral. I omitted from the eulogy that Jerry and Peter also made par on that hole, but I was the odd man out having to settle for bogey after a power lip out.
And maybe the fact I made the only bogey in our foursome was on my mind today, en route to the Syracuse area where I'm staying tonight.
It was 6:15 when I was approaching the Verona exit and if it was open, I figured I could squeeze in a quick nine at Sandstone Hollow before dark. I've struggled so far this year the few times I've played, though I'd had a solid nine just the other night. I think I've figured something out with my swing and wanted to see if it was going to stick. It was turning into a beautiful evening and decided at the very least a stroll around Sandstone Hollow would beat checking email at the hotel.
I wheeled off the Thruway and paid my greens fees. Another time I'll write more about Sandstone Hollow, which is beautifully sculpted from rugged meadows and marshy forestland. Designed by Rick Smith it's one of the top 25 par-3 courses in the U.S. It was not as in nice shape tonight as it has been in the past . They had recently aerated it, though instead of taking out plugs the greens had been carved into small diamonds with narrow furrows. The bunker sand was a little rocky too, but nonetheless, it was fine for my purposes.
There was a foursome a few holes ahead so I played two balls in order to not come upon them too quickly, plus I can use all the practice I can get. After a rocky start I played pretty well and even managed to make a birdie on the sixth almost jarring it on the fly, ending up a mere two feet away.
The sun was low in the sky as I reached the ninth, and I was determined to make par. I pulled the first shot left of the green, not a bad leave but not an automatic up and down given my short game. The second tee shot was a little skinny, but turned out well, ending up about 25 feet past the pin. I wanted to stack the odds in my favor, so I pulled a third ball out of my pocket and struck it nicely, leaving it about 20 feet left of the pin. Three shots at par -- I liked my chances.
Though pin high without any trouble to carry, my first ball had found a messy lie in the rough, which I muscled out to about 15 feet. The second ball had landed further away than I thought from the tee, and though I hit a solid putt, it had sailed about four feet past. I really didn't want to rely on that third tee shot to make par.
I missed the 15 footer of the one I chipped from off the green, so I walked up confidently to the four footer and poured it in.
Par in hand, I went to pick up the third ball, when I noticed something that hadn't caught my attention before. Though I usually play Bridgestone, that third ball was a Titleist So-Lo, and immediately, I thought of Peter's tribute last August.
The sun had just about dipped below the horizon, so I decided to leave it there, a temporary momento in honor of Dad. And though I had to play three tee shots, I was glad I'd finally gotten my par, and left a good chance at birdie for Dad.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Under the radar
I groaned with the recent news of Tiger Woods splitting with his swing coach Hank Haney, on the heels of his withdrawl due to injury from the final round of the Players Championship two weeks ago. It's just the latest in what seems to be the all-Tiger coverage of the PGA Tour.
Certainly the events and issues surrounding the world's number one player are newsworthy in the golf world, including the recent injury and split with Haney. What concerns me is the golf media constant fanning the flames of the Tiger watch uses up all the oxygen for all the other compelling stories on the tour this year.
Stories that even a couple years ago would have gained attention in the more ordinary days of the Tiger era, many involving big name players, seem to be going unnoticed. So just for fun, here's my top 10 golf stories not about Tiger. I'm also going to leave out Phil Mickelson's win at the Masters, because while I'm a big Phil fan, in those rare instances when the focus shifts from Tiger, it seems to go to Phil, or more likely, to a story combining the two.
Honorable mention: All of these come under the category of marquee players who have finally returned to the winners circle after having been out for a while, a theme of the list that follows.
--Camillo Villegas, who won twice in the 2008 FedEx playoffs gets back on the board with a win at the Honda.
--Hunter Mahan who coming into 2010 seemed like he had more than one victory, gets his second at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
--Anthony Kim, like Villegas, a young gun who won twice in 2008 gets his third PGA Tour win at the Shell Houston Open.
--Adam Scott also gets his first win since 2008 this past weekend at the Valero Texas Open.
10) Winless since 2001, Robert Allenby appears to have overcome his putting troubles and has four top tens and two seconds this year including a hard-fought second to Tim Clark at the Players. He wears pink on Sunday in honor of his mother who lost her battle with breast cancer last year, and a win at the Players on Mother's Day would have been an incredible story.
9) Vijay Singh's struggles really began last year as he's battled injuries after winning the FedEx Cup in 2008. He's become such a fixture in the majors that it's almost unthinkable he's in danger of dropping out of the top 50 and might not have a guaranteed spot in the U.S. Open.
8) Ian Poulter gets his first win on U.S. soil with a win over fellow Englishman Paul Casey at the Accenture Match Play.
7) With Phil Mickelson in hot pursuit, Rory McIlroy torches the course and the field with a final round 62 for his first PGA Tour win at the Quail Hollow Championship. It comes the same day 18- year old Ryo Ishikawa shoots a 58 to win a Japanese Tour event in a statement day for two of the game’s youngest stars.
6) Tim Clark's win at the Players Championship was an impressive first-time win, and one long in the making for a player with an outstanding record in big tournaments -- almost hard to believe it was his first. A great performance on a tough scoring day though most of the attention went to the guy in 33rd place who had to withdraw due to injury.
5) Fred Couples collects a second and then three consecutive wins in his first four starts on the Champions Tour then tops it off by getting into contention on the weekend at Augusta.
4) While he'd never really reached slump status, Jim Furyk ended a three year winless drought with wins at the Transitions Championship and the Verizon Heritage.
3) Lee Westwood loses the lead at both the Masters and the Players Championship -- tough losses for a guy who gives a great interview.
2) Lorena Ochoa -- not the PGA tour, but a huge story with the women's tour's top player leaving the game in her prime. In fairness, this story was covered pretty well as it must have been a slow Tiger news week.
1) A fixture in the world golf rankings top 10 over the last decade Ernie Els had slipped to 17th at the end of 2009, but now leads the FedEx points race with two wins this year at Bay Hill and Doral. Though he had disappointing finishes at the Masters and the Players, it's good to have Ernie back in top form.
I don’t want this list to be perceived as anti-Tiger. I’m glad he’s back and wish him best as he deals with his personal life and his neck injury. But whether or not you agree with the order or contents of this list (I’m sure I’ve missed some), there’s a lot of other things going on this year on tour, and it would be nice to see more coverage of them.
Certainly the events and issues surrounding the world's number one player are newsworthy in the golf world, including the recent injury and split with Haney. What concerns me is the golf media constant fanning the flames of the Tiger watch uses up all the oxygen for all the other compelling stories on the tour this year.
Stories that even a couple years ago would have gained attention in the more ordinary days of the Tiger era, many involving big name players, seem to be going unnoticed. So just for fun, here's my top 10 golf stories not about Tiger. I'm also going to leave out Phil Mickelson's win at the Masters, because while I'm a big Phil fan, in those rare instances when the focus shifts from Tiger, it seems to go to Phil, or more likely, to a story combining the two.
Honorable mention: All of these come under the category of marquee players who have finally returned to the winners circle after having been out for a while, a theme of the list that follows.
--Camillo Villegas, who won twice in the 2008 FedEx playoffs gets back on the board with a win at the Honda.
--Hunter Mahan who coming into 2010 seemed like he had more than one victory, gets his second at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
--Anthony Kim, like Villegas, a young gun who won twice in 2008 gets his third PGA Tour win at the Shell Houston Open.
--Adam Scott also gets his first win since 2008 this past weekend at the Valero Texas Open.
10) Winless since 2001, Robert Allenby appears to have overcome his putting troubles and has four top tens and two seconds this year including a hard-fought second to Tim Clark at the Players. He wears pink on Sunday in honor of his mother who lost her battle with breast cancer last year, and a win at the Players on Mother's Day would have been an incredible story.
9) Vijay Singh's struggles really began last year as he's battled injuries after winning the FedEx Cup in 2008. He's become such a fixture in the majors that it's almost unthinkable he's in danger of dropping out of the top 50 and might not have a guaranteed spot in the U.S. Open.
8) Ian Poulter gets his first win on U.S. soil with a win over fellow Englishman Paul Casey at the Accenture Match Play.
7) With Phil Mickelson in hot pursuit, Rory McIlroy torches the course and the field with a final round 62 for his first PGA Tour win at the Quail Hollow Championship. It comes the same day 18- year old Ryo Ishikawa shoots a 58 to win a Japanese Tour event in a statement day for two of the game’s youngest stars.
6) Tim Clark's win at the Players Championship was an impressive first-time win, and one long in the making for a player with an outstanding record in big tournaments -- almost hard to believe it was his first. A great performance on a tough scoring day though most of the attention went to the guy in 33rd place who had to withdraw due to injury.
5) Fred Couples collects a second and then three consecutive wins in his first four starts on the Champions Tour then tops it off by getting into contention on the weekend at Augusta.
4) While he'd never really reached slump status, Jim Furyk ended a three year winless drought with wins at the Transitions Championship and the Verizon Heritage.
3) Lee Westwood loses the lead at both the Masters and the Players Championship -- tough losses for a guy who gives a great interview.
2) Lorena Ochoa -- not the PGA tour, but a huge story with the women's tour's top player leaving the game in her prime. In fairness, this story was covered pretty well as it must have been a slow Tiger news week.
1) A fixture in the world golf rankings top 10 over the last decade Ernie Els had slipped to 17th at the end of 2009, but now leads the FedEx points race with two wins this year at Bay Hill and Doral. Though he had disappointing finishes at the Masters and the Players, it's good to have Ernie back in top form.
I don’t want this list to be perceived as anti-Tiger. I’m glad he’s back and wish him best as he deals with his personal life and his neck injury. But whether or not you agree with the order or contents of this list (I’m sure I’ve missed some), there’s a lot of other things going on this year on tour, and it would be nice to see more coverage of them.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Preakness
Couldn't resist taking a run through the Preakness field with my handicapping thoughts.
Preakness 2010 –
This year’s Preakness won’t have the hoopla of the 2009 edition, which ended with a jockey, instead of a horse, having a shot at the triple crown. After leaving surprise Derby winner Mine That Bird for Rachel Alexandra, Calvin Borel guided the filly to victory. Borel has a chance to capture the first two legs of the triple crown again this year, though this time he’ll be on the same horse.
And while it won’t have the “which horse do I ride” or “boys v. girl” drama of last year, as long as you have the Kentucky Derby winner in the starting gate, it’s a compelling storyline, even if though this year’s edition is not as intriguing from a handicapper’s perspective.
What’s most interesting in handicapping the Preakness each year is figuring out the newcomers. Most years the top finishers in the Derby find their way to Pimlico along with a few others, but this year’s contingent isn’t particularly notable. Only Paddy O’Prado (3rd), Lookin at Lucky (6th), Dublin (7th) and Jackson Bend (12th) are joining Derby champ Super Saver in making the trip from Louisville to Baltimore. The most glaring absence is Ice Box, the Derby’s fast closing second place finisher, who may reappear at the Belmont in June.
The rest of the Preakness field is usually filled with horses which weren’t quite ready by Derby time and opted for another prep race, or horses that were on the Derby trail, but didn’t get in because their career earnings were too low.
In terms of alternate prep races, there are two entrants from the Derby Trial, a Grade 3 run the week before the Derby, though unfortunately Hurricane Ike, the winner, will miss the Preakness due to injury. The other angle I like to play is giving a look to the winner of the Federico Tesio Stakes, which is run at Pimlico the day of the Derby. That’s now only a $70K race, which may be a reason its winner Bank the Eight isn’t in the Preakness field.
So that leaves five others, who had been running the Derby preps and didn’t run in the Derby, but I’ll take a quick look at the whole field.
1- Aikenite – Not sure the second place finish at the Derby Trial is enough to warrant serious consideration, but this Pletcher entry earned a respectable 96 Beyer in that race, which was his seventh straight start in graded stakes company. I might take a chance depending on the odds.
2- Schoolyard Dreams – Our local sports columnist likes this horse which had seconds in two Grade 3 preps before finishing fourth in the Wood Memorial last time out. I like others better.
3- Pleasant Prince – The other entrant from the Derby Trial probably looked like a Derby contender after narrowly losing to Ice Box in the Florida Derby. After a seventh at the Blue Grass Pleasant Prince ended up in the Derby Trial instead of the Derby where his distant third place finish doesn’t inspire. It might be a stretch, but you could do crazier things than bet on a horse that only lost to Ice Box by a nose.
4- Northern Giant – His washout in the Arkansas Derby last time out and the fact it took six tries to break his maiden don’t inspire much confidence. If you’re looking for a reason to back this Lukas trained entry, he does boast a third in the Grade 2 Risen Star and a second in the Grade 2 Lanes End earlier this spring.
5- Yawanna Twist – A lightly raced Dutrow entry, Yawanna Twist could be worth a shot as he has two firsts and two seconds in four lifetime starts, including seconds in the Gotham and Illinois Derby his last two tries. Might be worth a deuce.
6- Jackson Bend – The Derby was the first time this horse didn’t finish first or second. Who knows what to make of the 12th place finish in the Derby, but obviously Zito thinks enough of him to give him another shot, and he should have a decent price.
7- Lookin at Lucky – Baffert’s Derby favorite had a tough trip from the one hole at Churchill, and the ML has him as the second choice, so apparently the oddsmaker is giving him a pass on that one. Can’t be ignored, but I’ll pass given the likely low odds.
8- Super Saver – I liked him for the Derby and like him even better now. He’ll get bet down to nothing, but that’s the price of having a live triple crown hopeful.
9- Caracortado – Here’s a horse who was four for four as a two-year old, and began his three year old campaign with a win at the Grade 2 RB Lewis on the poly at Santa Anita. He’s trailed off a bit since with a third in the San Felipe and a fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, but clearly it’s a horse with talent. Not sure how his resume on the poly translates to Pimlico, so I’ll pass.
10- Paddy O’Prado – Desormeaux got some heat for his ride in the Derby from the armchair jockey brigade, which should be ignored. PO’P’s impressive third place finish will make him a fashionable choice.
11- First Dude – Nothing really stands out for this horse. You could try to build a case on his third place finish in the Blue Grass after finishing 5th in the Florida Derby, but I won’t.
12- Dublin – Lukas brings Dublin back after an under-the-radar 7th in the Derby. He had hit the board in his three previous starts in graded stakes preps at Oaklawn, so he’s still worth a look and should carry a decent price.
I went to the Preakness five times in the early 90s when I lived in the DC-area, so I have some good memories of it, and hope to have a few more after Saturday.
I’m going to approach this race as more of a spectator than a handicapper. I’ll take Super Saver again, and box him in an exacta with Aikenite. May toss a deuce at Yawanna Twist if the odds are high enough. Go Super Saver!
Preakness 2010 –
This year’s Preakness won’t have the hoopla of the 2009 edition, which ended with a jockey, instead of a horse, having a shot at the triple crown. After leaving surprise Derby winner Mine That Bird for Rachel Alexandra, Calvin Borel guided the filly to victory. Borel has a chance to capture the first two legs of the triple crown again this year, though this time he’ll be on the same horse.
And while it won’t have the “which horse do I ride” or “boys v. girl” drama of last year, as long as you have the Kentucky Derby winner in the starting gate, it’s a compelling storyline, even if though this year’s edition is not as intriguing from a handicapper’s perspective.
What’s most interesting in handicapping the Preakness each year is figuring out the newcomers. Most years the top finishers in the Derby find their way to Pimlico along with a few others, but this year’s contingent isn’t particularly notable. Only Paddy O’Prado (3rd), Lookin at Lucky (6th), Dublin (7th) and Jackson Bend (12th) are joining Derby champ Super Saver in making the trip from Louisville to Baltimore. The most glaring absence is Ice Box, the Derby’s fast closing second place finisher, who may reappear at the Belmont in June.
The rest of the Preakness field is usually filled with horses which weren’t quite ready by Derby time and opted for another prep race, or horses that were on the Derby trail, but didn’t get in because their career earnings were too low.
In terms of alternate prep races, there are two entrants from the Derby Trial, a Grade 3 run the week before the Derby, though unfortunately Hurricane Ike, the winner, will miss the Preakness due to injury. The other angle I like to play is giving a look to the winner of the Federico Tesio Stakes, which is run at Pimlico the day of the Derby. That’s now only a $70K race, which may be a reason its winner Bank the Eight isn’t in the Preakness field.
So that leaves five others, who had been running the Derby preps and didn’t run in the Derby, but I’ll take a quick look at the whole field.
1- Aikenite – Not sure the second place finish at the Derby Trial is enough to warrant serious consideration, but this Pletcher entry earned a respectable 96 Beyer in that race, which was his seventh straight start in graded stakes company. I might take a chance depending on the odds.
2- Schoolyard Dreams – Our local sports columnist likes this horse which had seconds in two Grade 3 preps before finishing fourth in the Wood Memorial last time out. I like others better.
3- Pleasant Prince – The other entrant from the Derby Trial probably looked like a Derby contender after narrowly losing to Ice Box in the Florida Derby. After a seventh at the Blue Grass Pleasant Prince ended up in the Derby Trial instead of the Derby where his distant third place finish doesn’t inspire. It might be a stretch, but you could do crazier things than bet on a horse that only lost to Ice Box by a nose.
4- Northern Giant – His washout in the Arkansas Derby last time out and the fact it took six tries to break his maiden don’t inspire much confidence. If you’re looking for a reason to back this Lukas trained entry, he does boast a third in the Grade 2 Risen Star and a second in the Grade 2 Lanes End earlier this spring.
5- Yawanna Twist – A lightly raced Dutrow entry, Yawanna Twist could be worth a shot as he has two firsts and two seconds in four lifetime starts, including seconds in the Gotham and Illinois Derby his last two tries. Might be worth a deuce.
6- Jackson Bend – The Derby was the first time this horse didn’t finish first or second. Who knows what to make of the 12th place finish in the Derby, but obviously Zito thinks enough of him to give him another shot, and he should have a decent price.
7- Lookin at Lucky – Baffert’s Derby favorite had a tough trip from the one hole at Churchill, and the ML has him as the second choice, so apparently the oddsmaker is giving him a pass on that one. Can’t be ignored, but I’ll pass given the likely low odds.
8- Super Saver – I liked him for the Derby and like him even better now. He’ll get bet down to nothing, but that’s the price of having a live triple crown hopeful.
9- Caracortado – Here’s a horse who was four for four as a two-year old, and began his three year old campaign with a win at the Grade 2 RB Lewis on the poly at Santa Anita. He’s trailed off a bit since with a third in the San Felipe and a fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, but clearly it’s a horse with talent. Not sure how his resume on the poly translates to Pimlico, so I’ll pass.
10- Paddy O’Prado – Desormeaux got some heat for his ride in the Derby from the armchair jockey brigade, which should be ignored. PO’P’s impressive third place finish will make him a fashionable choice.
11- First Dude – Nothing really stands out for this horse. You could try to build a case on his third place finish in the Blue Grass after finishing 5th in the Florida Derby, but I won’t.
12- Dublin – Lukas brings Dublin back after an under-the-radar 7th in the Derby. He had hit the board in his three previous starts in graded stakes preps at Oaklawn, so he’s still worth a look and should carry a decent price.
I went to the Preakness five times in the early 90s when I lived in the DC-area, so I have some good memories of it, and hope to have a few more after Saturday.
I’m going to approach this race as more of a spectator than a handicapper. I’ll take Super Saver again, and box him in an exacta with Aikenite. May toss a deuce at Yawanna Twist if the odds are high enough. Go Super Saver!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Braxatology, etc.
Yesterday the 16 team field for the NCAA lacrosse championships were annouced. I was pleased the 10-5 Cornell Big Red landed a first round home game as the #7 seed vs. the #10 seed Loyola Greyhounds. Here's the link to the bracket: http://www.ncaa.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ncaa/sports/m-lacros/auto_pdf/MLax-D1-2010Bracket
I don't know much about Loyola, except they lost Saturday to Johns Hopkins, allowing the 7-7 Blue Jays to keep intact their streak of 38 straight NCAA appearances (must be .500 to get in the field).
Cornell's season has been a mixed bag, but the bottom line is they've done well to return to the NCAAs after graduating a number of key seniors from last year's NCAA runner-up team, including Max Seibald, who won the 2009 Tewaarton Trophy, lacrosse's version of hockey's Hobey Baker award.
After jumping out to a 4-0 record including an overtime win over eventual Patriot champ Army, Cornell got thumped by number one Virginia 12-4 at home. The Big Red ran its record to 7-1 following the loss to the Cavaliers, but then lost three of four, including a neutral site loss to an unacclaimed Dartmouth team, a heartbreaker to upstate rival Syracuse and a loss to ivy foe Brown, both at home.
The Big Red closed the regular season on a high note, hanging on for a road win against Princeton giving them a share of the ivy crown and the chance to host the first ever Ivy League tournament. After Cornell avenged its earlier loss to Brown in the tourney semis, Princeton did the same against Cornell with an overtime win in the championship.
The losses to Syracuse and Princeton were reminiscient of last year's meltdown in the NCAA championship game in terms of giving up fourth quarter leads, with the decisive goals being scored with only seconds to go. In last year's championship game, Syracuse scored the tying goal with only two seconds left and then won in overtime. In this year's installment of Orange heartbreak, Syracuse scored the winning goal as time expired in regulation to capture an 8-7 win after Cornell had led 7-5 with eight minutes to go.
Then a week after denying Princeton a game tying goal at the end of regulation, a game in which Cornell led 9-3 early in the fourth, in the ivy championship game, Cornell gave up the game winning goal to the Tigers with only two seconds left in overtime. This time, Cornell had led 6-2 at the half and 7-3 midway through the third, so I'm hopeful Cornell can do a better job hanging on to the lead now that they're in the tourney.
If they can vanquish Loyola, Cornell will have a regular season rematch, most likely against second seeded Syracuse, but possibly against Army, the 15 seed and winners of seven straight and nine of ten. My neighbor Todd Butler is a West Point grad who played midfield there in the early 90s and helps me keeps tabs on college lacrosse from across the fence.
Expectations are in check, but if Cornell can play like they have in the first halves of the games I've seen, they can play with anyone. Go Big Red!
Golf -- Players Championship
A shout out to Tim Clark, who picked a good spot for his first PGA Tour victory. He's been close a bunch and you always knew it was just a matter of time -- a little guy with a lot of golf chops.
A tough one for Robert Allenby -- a Mother's Day win in honor of his late mother surely would have meant the world to him. It would have been a big win for Lee Westwood too as the well-spoken Englishman has now lost two in a row after taking leads into the final round of both the Masters and the Players.
Phil Mickelson made a nice run on Saturday, but never got it going on Sunday, and who knows what's going on with Tiger who had to withdraw with an injury in the final round, though he was well off the pace.
If I had more time, I'd say some more about the course itself, seemingly always a storyline in the tournament with the dramatic island green 17th and several other iconic holes.
Though no pushover at 7200 yards, it has three reachable par-5s and three par-4s under 400 yards -- I'd be willing to bet that's more sub 400 yard par fours than most PGA tour venues these days. The players ate up the course the first three days, but as the greens hardened and took on that major championship rust color, the course showed it's teeth on Sunday while still yielding a 67 to the outstanding play of Tim Clark. It's had a wide range of champions in the last decade from the big guns like Tiger, Phil and Sergio, to shorter hitters like Fred Funk and this year's champ Tim Clark.
My bias has always been to the older more traditional layouts, and frankly I've never cared for the TPC Sawgrass, but it does seem to be more democratic than some of today's courses, so I'm going to give it another look.
Final Word
With apologies from my favorite faux news host, Stephen Colbert, tonight's word: relegation. To me, one of the coolest concepts in all of sports comes from the English soccer leagues where the bottom teams in the standings are relegated to a lower division the following year and the top teams climb the ranks. Sorry Portsmouth, this year's record of 7-24-7 has earned you a trip from the Premier League to the Coca Cola Championship Division (it may sound better, but it's not).
Just imagine the implications, for U.S. sports. Pro: Hey, New Jersey Nets, 12-70 doesn't give the best chance for the top draft pick, instead you get to play in the CBA next year. College: Eastern Michigan, 0-12 last year, you get to play football championship subdivision (fka I-AA) next year. And it works the other way too -- Villanova wins the FCS championship, next year you get to play in the Big East in football too!
And it even works at the individual player level -- if a baseball player's not performing, then he gets sent down to the minor leagues and a minor leaguer gets promoted to play . . . . . . hmmm, so I guess the U.S. already has some forms of relegation.
In addition to the NCAA lax tourney, the Preakness is on tap for this weekend, so we'll see if Super Saver can keep his triple crown hopes alive. And for the non-fringe sport fans among you, the NBA and NHL playoffs are heating up too. Go Super Saver!
I don't know much about Loyola, except they lost Saturday to Johns Hopkins, allowing the 7-7 Blue Jays to keep intact their streak of 38 straight NCAA appearances (must be .500 to get in the field).
Cornell's season has been a mixed bag, but the bottom line is they've done well to return to the NCAAs after graduating a number of key seniors from last year's NCAA runner-up team, including Max Seibald, who won the 2009 Tewaarton Trophy, lacrosse's version of hockey's Hobey Baker award.
After jumping out to a 4-0 record including an overtime win over eventual Patriot champ Army, Cornell got thumped by number one Virginia 12-4 at home. The Big Red ran its record to 7-1 following the loss to the Cavaliers, but then lost three of four, including a neutral site loss to an unacclaimed Dartmouth team, a heartbreaker to upstate rival Syracuse and a loss to ivy foe Brown, both at home.
The Big Red closed the regular season on a high note, hanging on for a road win against Princeton giving them a share of the ivy crown and the chance to host the first ever Ivy League tournament. After Cornell avenged its earlier loss to Brown in the tourney semis, Princeton did the same against Cornell with an overtime win in the championship.
The losses to Syracuse and Princeton were reminiscient of last year's meltdown in the NCAA championship game in terms of giving up fourth quarter leads, with the decisive goals being scored with only seconds to go. In last year's championship game, Syracuse scored the tying goal with only two seconds left and then won in overtime. In this year's installment of Orange heartbreak, Syracuse scored the winning goal as time expired in regulation to capture an 8-7 win after Cornell had led 7-5 with eight minutes to go.
Then a week after denying Princeton a game tying goal at the end of regulation, a game in which Cornell led 9-3 early in the fourth, in the ivy championship game, Cornell gave up the game winning goal to the Tigers with only two seconds left in overtime. This time, Cornell had led 6-2 at the half and 7-3 midway through the third, so I'm hopeful Cornell can do a better job hanging on to the lead now that they're in the tourney.
If they can vanquish Loyola, Cornell will have a regular season rematch, most likely against second seeded Syracuse, but possibly against Army, the 15 seed and winners of seven straight and nine of ten. My neighbor Todd Butler is a West Point grad who played midfield there in the early 90s and helps me keeps tabs on college lacrosse from across the fence.
Expectations are in check, but if Cornell can play like they have in the first halves of the games I've seen, they can play with anyone. Go Big Red!
Golf -- Players Championship
A shout out to Tim Clark, who picked a good spot for his first PGA Tour victory. He's been close a bunch and you always knew it was just a matter of time -- a little guy with a lot of golf chops.
A tough one for Robert Allenby -- a Mother's Day win in honor of his late mother surely would have meant the world to him. It would have been a big win for Lee Westwood too as the well-spoken Englishman has now lost two in a row after taking leads into the final round of both the Masters and the Players.
Phil Mickelson made a nice run on Saturday, but never got it going on Sunday, and who knows what's going on with Tiger who had to withdraw with an injury in the final round, though he was well off the pace.
If I had more time, I'd say some more about the course itself, seemingly always a storyline in the tournament with the dramatic island green 17th and several other iconic holes.
Though no pushover at 7200 yards, it has three reachable par-5s and three par-4s under 400 yards -- I'd be willing to bet that's more sub 400 yard par fours than most PGA tour venues these days. The players ate up the course the first three days, but as the greens hardened and took on that major championship rust color, the course showed it's teeth on Sunday while still yielding a 67 to the outstanding play of Tim Clark. It's had a wide range of champions in the last decade from the big guns like Tiger, Phil and Sergio, to shorter hitters like Fred Funk and this year's champ Tim Clark.
My bias has always been to the older more traditional layouts, and frankly I've never cared for the TPC Sawgrass, but it does seem to be more democratic than some of today's courses, so I'm going to give it another look.
Final Word
With apologies from my favorite faux news host, Stephen Colbert, tonight's word: relegation. To me, one of the coolest concepts in all of sports comes from the English soccer leagues where the bottom teams in the standings are relegated to a lower division the following year and the top teams climb the ranks. Sorry Portsmouth, this year's record of 7-24-7 has earned you a trip from the Premier League to the Coca Cola Championship Division (it may sound better, but it's not).
Just imagine the implications, for U.S. sports. Pro: Hey, New Jersey Nets, 12-70 doesn't give the best chance for the top draft pick, instead you get to play in the CBA next year. College: Eastern Michigan, 0-12 last year, you get to play football championship subdivision (fka I-AA) next year. And it works the other way too -- Villanova wins the FCS championship, next year you get to play in the Big East in football too!
And it even works at the individual player level -- if a baseball player's not performing, then he gets sent down to the minor leagues and a minor leaguer gets promoted to play . . . . . . hmmm, so I guess the U.S. already has some forms of relegation.
In addition to the NCAA lax tourney, the Preakness is on tap for this weekend, so we'll see if Super Saver can keep his triple crown hopes alive. And for the non-fringe sport fans among you, the NBA and NHL playoffs are heating up too. Go Super Saver!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)