Eight Belles, the filly in Saturday's Kentucky Derby, had to be euthanized after finishing second in the race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Astonishingly, Eight Belles didn't break down until after the race was over, as the horses galloped down into the first turn.
In my TV-Radio column last Friday, NBC's Mike Battaglia -- the official handicapper at Churchill Downs -- agreed with trainer Larry Jones' decision to run Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby instead of the Kentucky Oaks, the fillies' race on Friday.
"Everybody's looking at this race with the exception of Big Brown as being a weak Derby field," said Battaglia. "I think that had a lot to do with Larry Jones' decision to put Eight Belles in this race."
That was all I used of what Battaglia said about Eight Belles. He went on briefly after that and it's a little eerie to hear it now:
"She would've been the favorite in the Oaks," Battaglia said, "but he elected to go in the Derby. And if she wins, it's probably going to be at a big price, but I can't blame him at all for taking this shot."
The "big price" Battaglia was talking about, of course, was the difference in prize money between winning the Kentucky Oaks and whatever Eight Belles would have won for the Derby.
But it turned out that the price was far greater than anyone imagined.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Frank McCourt's plans for Dodger Stadium
Interesting news release sent out by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday. The team had just played what they hope is their last game at the Dodgertown complex in Vero Beach, Fla., where they’ve had spring training since 1948. It was a nostalgic, emotional and, for many, sad time.
The news release primarily was a statement from team owner Frank McCourt and it was titled “DODGERS TO TAKE DODGERTOWN TO L.A.”
The first sentence said: “Dodger owner Frank McCourt said today that the ‘Dodgers will not leave Dodgertown; we will take Dodgertown with us to Los Angeles.’ ”
But just what he means by that was very ambiguous. It sounded much more like platitudes and a sense of being and attitude than anything concrete.
A survey I happened to receive recently, however, may shed some light on McCourt’s plans.
This was a survey sent out by the Dodgers, which I received randomly, I presume, because I’ve purchased tickets online. It had many questions, mostly about how I would feel about a large development of stores, restaurants and activities in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. One of the possible names for this development was “Dodgertown.”
“As our family prepares to move from this [Vero Beach] neighborhood,” McCourt said in the statement, “it strikes us that we can incorporate so many elements of this place in our home in Los Angeles. After all, Dodger Stadium is Dodgertown, and for that matter, L.A. is Dodgertown.”
It is obvious that McCourt plans something big for the area surrounding Dodger Stadium (and if you think traffic around the parking lot is a problem now, just wait). It appears from the owner’s statement that McCourt plans to incorporate Dodgertown themes — such as, perhaps, the street signs (“Don Drysdale Drive”) — into whatever he’s planning. And whatever he’s planning appears to be huge.
Over the next four years, the survey said, the team is considering changes for the stadium and the fan experience, including “new amenities and entertainment options.”
The choices on one page of the survey did not say “There may be this” or “We might do that.” They all say “There will be.” Some may be good; some may not:
■ “The outfield will feature batting cages, pitching mounds and other baseball participatory opportunities for fans of all ages.
■ “The Dodgers will offer fans the largest sports shopping arcade in all of baseball — on a private closed street similar to Yawkey Way at Fenway Park and Eutaw Street at Camden Yards — as well as other retail venues.
■ “There will be a dozen new restaurants, sports bars and other dining and drinking options from high end to fast and fun — and all will be open two hours before the game and stay open two hours after the game.
■ “Part of the outfield wall will be opened and fans will be able to stand at the warning track and catch fly balls and collect player autographs. …
■ “There will be a landscaped park that rings the entire stadium with trees, grass, benches and places to walk, sit, relax and picnic.
■ “There will be a state-of-the-art 50,000-square-foot fully interactive Dodgers museum similar to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., with changing exhibits and programs about the Dodgers of today and yesteryear.”
As I said, some of it sounds intriguing and inviting; some of it is worrisome. Those who like Dodger Stadium just the way it is may recoil from the shock. Those who need something more than just baseball to entertain them on a trip to the ballpark may rejoice.
But whether you’re recoiling or rejoicing, it’s clear that Frank McCourt has something enormous planned and that he plans to unveil it all very soon.
The news release primarily was a statement from team owner Frank McCourt and it was titled “DODGERS TO TAKE DODGERTOWN TO L.A.”
The first sentence said: “Dodger owner Frank McCourt said today that the ‘Dodgers will not leave Dodgertown; we will take Dodgertown with us to Los Angeles.’ ”
But just what he means by that was very ambiguous. It sounded much more like platitudes and a sense of being and attitude than anything concrete.
A survey I happened to receive recently, however, may shed some light on McCourt’s plans.
This was a survey sent out by the Dodgers, which I received randomly, I presume, because I’ve purchased tickets online. It had many questions, mostly about how I would feel about a large development of stores, restaurants and activities in the Dodger Stadium parking lot. One of the possible names for this development was “Dodgertown.”
“As our family prepares to move from this [Vero Beach] neighborhood,” McCourt said in the statement, “it strikes us that we can incorporate so many elements of this place in our home in Los Angeles. After all, Dodger Stadium is Dodgertown, and for that matter, L.A. is Dodgertown.”
It is obvious that McCourt plans something big for the area surrounding Dodger Stadium (and if you think traffic around the parking lot is a problem now, just wait). It appears from the owner’s statement that McCourt plans to incorporate Dodgertown themes — such as, perhaps, the street signs (“Don Drysdale Drive”) — into whatever he’s planning. And whatever he’s planning appears to be huge.
Over the next four years, the survey said, the team is considering changes for the stadium and the fan experience, including “new amenities and entertainment options.”
The choices on one page of the survey did not say “There may be this” or “We might do that.” They all say “There will be.” Some may be good; some may not:
■ “The outfield will feature batting cages, pitching mounds and other baseball participatory opportunities for fans of all ages.
■ “The Dodgers will offer fans the largest sports shopping arcade in all of baseball — on a private closed street similar to Yawkey Way at Fenway Park and Eutaw Street at Camden Yards — as well as other retail venues.
■ “There will be a dozen new restaurants, sports bars and other dining and drinking options from high end to fast and fun — and all will be open two hours before the game and stay open two hours after the game.
■ “Part of the outfield wall will be opened and fans will be able to stand at the warning track and catch fly balls and collect player autographs. …
■ “There will be a landscaped park that rings the entire stadium with trees, grass, benches and places to walk, sit, relax and picnic.
■ “There will be a state-of-the-art 50,000-square-foot fully interactive Dodgers museum similar to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., with changing exhibits and programs about the Dodgers of today and yesteryear.”
As I said, some of it sounds intriguing and inviting; some of it is worrisome. Those who like Dodger Stadium just the way it is may recoil from the shock. Those who need something more than just baseball to entertain them on a trip to the ballpark may rejoice.
But whether you’re recoiling or rejoicing, it’s clear that Frank McCourt has something enormous planned and that he plans to unveil it all very soon.
NCAA Tournament TV times
The first-round primary games for KCBS (Channel 2) have been selected. USC plays Kansas State at 4:10 p.m. Thursday and UCLA plays Mississippi Valley State at 6:40 p.m. Thursday.
That leaves the Cal State Fullerton-Wisconsin game -- which will be played at almost the same time as the UCLA game -- to go to Orange County station KDOC (Channel 56), which appears on Channel 29 on Time Warner cable systems in Ventura County.
CBS always tries to schedule times to enable regional teams to be shown in their own markets, but Channel 2 said no request was received by Cal State Fullerton. Normally, such a game would have been put on KCAL (Channel 9), which is also owned by CBS, but Channel 9 will be carrying a Lakers game on Thursday night. So an arrangement was worked out with KDOC.
On radio, KLAC (570 AM), which usually carries UCLA games, will also be carrying the Lakers on Thursday, so the game will shift to KTLK (1150 AM). KSPN (710 AM), which is the flagship station for USC, will broadcast the Trojans game. KSPN is also airing other tournament action from the Westwood One network.
The TV and radio schedule for Thursday and Friday follow:
Thursday:
9:25 a.m. NCAA Tournament: Kansas vs. Portland State at Omaha, Neb., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
11:30 a.m. NCAA Tournament: Kentucky vs. Marquette at Honda Center, KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
4:10 p.m. NCAA Tournament: USC vs. Kansas State at Omaha, Neb., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
6:40 p.m. NCAA Tournament: UCLA vs. Mississippi Valley State at Honda Center, KCBS (Ch. 2), KTLK (1150 AM), KSPN (710 AM)
6:50 p.m. NCAA Tournament: Cal State Fullerton vs. Wisconsin at Omaha, Neb. KDOC (Ch. 56)
Friday:
9:25 a.m. NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga vs. Davidson at Raleigh, N.C., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
11:50 a.m. NCAA Tournament: San Diego vs. Connecticut at Tampa, Fla., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
4:25 p.m. NCAA Tournament: Oregon vs. Mississippi State at North Little Rock, Ark., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
6:30 p.m. NCAA Tournament: Arkansas vs. Indiana at Raleigh, N.C., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
That leaves the Cal State Fullerton-Wisconsin game -- which will be played at almost the same time as the UCLA game -- to go to Orange County station KDOC (Channel 56), which appears on Channel 29 on Time Warner cable systems in Ventura County.
CBS always tries to schedule times to enable regional teams to be shown in their own markets, but Channel 2 said no request was received by Cal State Fullerton. Normally, such a game would have been put on KCAL (Channel 9), which is also owned by CBS, but Channel 9 will be carrying a Lakers game on Thursday night. So an arrangement was worked out with KDOC.
On radio, KLAC (570 AM), which usually carries UCLA games, will also be carrying the Lakers on Thursday, so the game will shift to KTLK (1150 AM). KSPN (710 AM), which is the flagship station for USC, will broadcast the Trojans game. KSPN is also airing other tournament action from the Westwood One network.
The TV and radio schedule for Thursday and Friday follow:
Thursday:
9:25 a.m. NCAA Tournament: Kansas vs. Portland State at Omaha, Neb., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
11:30 a.m. NCAA Tournament: Kentucky vs. Marquette at Honda Center, KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
4:10 p.m. NCAA Tournament: USC vs. Kansas State at Omaha, Neb., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
6:40 p.m. NCAA Tournament: UCLA vs. Mississippi Valley State at Honda Center, KCBS (Ch. 2), KTLK (1150 AM), KSPN (710 AM)
6:50 p.m. NCAA Tournament: Cal State Fullerton vs. Wisconsin at Omaha, Neb. KDOC (Ch. 56)
Friday:
9:25 a.m. NCAA Tournament: Gonzaga vs. Davidson at Raleigh, N.C., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
11:50 a.m. NCAA Tournament: San Diego vs. Connecticut at Tampa, Fla., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
4:25 p.m. NCAA Tournament: Oregon vs. Mississippi State at North Little Rock, Ark., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
6:30 p.m. NCAA Tournament: Arkansas vs. Indiana at Raleigh, N.C., KCBS (Ch. 2), KSPN (710 AM)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A mighty big bubble
The Pacific-10 Conference is fighting to get at least six or seven teams into the NCAA Tournament. USC coach Tim Floyd thinks even nine have an argument for getting in. That's probably just a coach showing an overabundance of respect for his conference's opponents, but it goes to show what a tough job the NCAA men's basketball committee will have in picking this year's tournament field.
Tuesday's column in the Ventura County Star takes a look at just how big the bubble that all those teams are in will be.
Tuesday's column in the Ventura County Star takes a look at just how big the bubble that all those teams are in will be.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Favre be it for us to cast doubts
Maybe it's just because we don't have an NFL team here in the greater Los Angeles area, but I don't think we got quite as broken up over the retirement of Brett Favre as other people did.
Oh, there are some people at work who are die-hard cheeseheads. They both bleed Green Bay Packer green (which I'm sure is embarrassing at times), but they're Southern Californian enough not to look for some bridge to jump off.
But elsewhere, whew. There were a lot of man-tears being shed, particularly in the upper midwest and the south. Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News said he thought there might be an ESPNFAVRE network coming soon, given all the coverage the Worldwide Leader was giving it.
Now don't get the idea I don't like Brett Favre (Favre be it from that!). In fact, my Friday TV-Radio column is an appreciation of the departing quarterback with the 3-day-old beard, and also a look at some of the NFL Network programming ahead during the weekend looking back at his career.
Oh, there are some people at work who are die-hard cheeseheads. They both bleed Green Bay Packer green (which I'm sure is embarrassing at times), but they're Southern Californian enough not to look for some bridge to jump off.
But elsewhere, whew. There were a lot of man-tears being shed, particularly in the upper midwest and the south. Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News said he thought there might be an ESPNFAVRE network coming soon, given all the coverage the Worldwide Leader was giving it.
Now don't get the idea I don't like Brett Favre (Favre be it from that!). In fact, my Friday TV-Radio column is an appreciation of the departing quarterback with the 3-day-old beard, and also a look at some of the NFL Network programming ahead during the weekend looking back at his career.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Gasol, Bryant and even Klingons
It's not every day you can get Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant and a reference comparing the San Antonio Spurs to Klingons, but somehow it all gets done in my Tuesday column in the Ventura County Star.
By the way, re: my last post about Dodger third-base coach Larry Bowa's refusal to wear a helmet per major league rules, manager Joe Torre had a talk with Bowa and first-base coach Mariano Rivera and asked them to comply for now, at least until Torre and general manager Ned Colletti can have a meeting with MLB officials.
Stay tuned.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Telling black history has several motives for networks
Black History Month is all well and good, but sometimes I feel like it exists only to fuel TV sports documentaries. That's a pretty cynical view, I suppose, but it's probably just a reflection of how many DVDs with new programs for this past month have crossed my desk.
Don't get me wrong: Black History Month has been a great way to highlight the accomplishments of some great people. It just seems like networks such as ESPN and FSN pack all their programming on the subject into one month. That can make it seems a little disingenuous.
Also fueling my skepticism is a note from Sports Business Daily -- which is mentioned in my Friday TV-Radio column -- detailing how FSN has earned about $1 million in sponsorship this year from its Black History Month programs. I'm just hoping the idea behind FSN's BHM shows wasn't just to make money.
Meanwhile, my TV-Radio notes lead off with Bobby Knight and ESPN making strange bedfellows. Knight, who recently resigned as Texas Tech basketball coach, will join ESPN to be a studio analyst for the conference tournaments and NCAA Tournament.
Some people were shocked Knight -- who mostly loathes the media -- would do this. But Knight is good friends with ESPN personalities like Dick Vitale and Digger Phelps, so I expected something like this would happen. (Too bad -- like most of my great predictions -- that I kept this to myself...)
Don't get me wrong: Black History Month has been a great way to highlight the accomplishments of some great people. It just seems like networks such as ESPN and FSN pack all their programming on the subject into one month. That can make it seems a little disingenuous.
Also fueling my skepticism is a note from Sports Business Daily -- which is mentioned in my Friday TV-Radio column -- detailing how FSN has earned about $1 million in sponsorship this year from its Black History Month programs. I'm just hoping the idea behind FSN's BHM shows wasn't just to make money.
Meanwhile, my TV-Radio notes lead off with Bobby Knight and ESPN making strange bedfellows. Knight, who recently resigned as Texas Tech basketball coach, will join ESPN to be a studio analyst for the conference tournaments and NCAA Tournament.
Some people were shocked Knight -- who mostly loathes the media -- would do this. But Knight is good friends with ESPN personalities like Dick Vitale and Digger Phelps, so I expected something like this would happen. (Too bad -- like most of my great predictions -- that I kept this to myself...)
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