I am looking forward to this year's more than any since...well, Sunday Silence/Easy Goer in 1989.
Zenyatta has been an absolute joy to watch this year. I don't know how many times I thought she wasn't going to get there, then...bam! She makes it.
The analyst/handicapper in me says no way she wins. Blame, Quality Road, Lookin at Lucky...those horses are all light years better than what she beat in last year's Classic.
But there is something about her. She has that it factor. If she were a human, she would be Michael Jordan in his prime. Tiger Woods before he got all skanky. Tom Brady.
She just finds a way to win.
When I was a very little kid, I fell in love with horse racing when Secretariat unleashed the most dominant race in history in his Triple Crown-clinching Belmont. It brought tears to my eyes, the majestic power of such a fantastic animal. (Later many other horses would bring tears to me eyes by getting beaten on the wire to cost me big scores. But I digress)
Zenyatta is not that kind of horse. She isn't going to destroy a field like Secretariat did.
This will be her toughest test. Deep down I'm hoping she does it, and that somewhere, a little kid is watching and falls in love with the sport.
Those kind of moments have been rare in recent years. Smarty Jones was a letdown in his Triple Crown run. Big Brown was, too. The build-up for Zenyatta has us set up for another disappointment.
In my heart, I hope that's not the case. But if she does lose, I will have to console myself with winning tickets.
Isn't that how capitalism works?
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Speaking of capitalism...The final table of the WSOP is this week. While I am hoping Michael Mizrachi wins it, he might be too short stacked. Jonathan Duhamel, John Dolan and John Racener look like the most likely winners. I do think moving the final table to November has been great for poker. We don't get to talk about it as much on The Blitz, but this time of year I miss having the poker show.
More importantly, I have the bug again, and playing like a fiend online and am looking at playing some big tourneys next year, including the main event.
Anyway, with the BC, final table and good college and pro football this weekend...it's my favorite sports/near sports weekend of the year. (Well, other than the opening of football season. And maybe January bowl week. And Derby week...OK, never mind).
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So we will be taking a trip to Canada soon. I have only been to Toronto, and this is Saskatchewan, so I don't know what to expect.
I am assured this is inaccurate, but this is what my American friends have told me:
1) Everyone says "eh" and hands me a beer when they meet me.
2) Carrying a hockey stick on the plane is encouraged.
3) Cross-checking family members is perfectly acceptable.
4) If I get depressed, I am only allowed three downs, not four.
5) I will be frozen into a popsicle the second I get off the plane and will have to be shipped back in the service cart.
6) Eskimos rule the wasteland and will some day rise up against the world.
7) The Canadian hottie just his me over the head as I type this, so it must not be as funny as I think.
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Local band update: If you get a chance, check out
Adrenaline. Very strong cover band in the Houston area. Have seen them several times and they never put on a bad show.
