Bleacher Report - Articles by Glenn Petty

ACC Football Finals Predictably Disappointing

Glenn Petty — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:32:20 -0500

At the beginning of the college football season that is now winding down, national expectations for the ACC were limited. This was not going to be the year that the basketball powerhouse would take another step to becoming recognized for its pigskin prowess.

Virginia Tech looked to be the lone hope for a BCS Championship squad, and that was thwarted with an opening loss to Alabama. Teams came and went out of the polls, and finally after a roller-coaster season it looked like, at the very least, that the two best teams were headed for Tampa.

Then, yesterday happened. When ACC schools traditionally take on their in-state rivals both in and out of conference. Only the Hokies managed to survive with their pride and win-loss record intact.

If anybody out there is looking to further bash ACC football, yesterday will give them all the ammo they need for the next few days at the water cooler.

In conference, the No. 14 Hokies throttled the Wahoos. The score doesn’t reflect how well Virginia played for most of the game. When it was over, embattled Virginia coach Al Groh recited a poem at his post-game press conference and then took leave of the assembled media. Go figure.

Like Groh, N.C. State’s Tom O’Brien seems to have Butch Davis and the once-again-ranked Tar Heels’ number. UNC was smarting from a 45-10 whipping at home at the hands of the Wolfpack last season and were double-digit favorites.

However, penalties, turnovers, a blocked field goal, a fumbled touchdown, and Russell Wilson were critical in another improbable Tar Heel loss. The Wolfpack received the tough news earlier in the week that offensive coordinator Dana Bible was diagnosed with leukemia.

Heisman candidate C.J. Spiller set a record for kickoffs returned for touchdowns, but Clemson managed just 260 yards of offense after that. South Carolina throttled the Tigers casting a bit of a pall over next Saturday’s Dr. Pepper Bowl.

Georgia then ran all over Georgia Tech, which is exactly what the Jackets were supposed to do to a mediocre SEC team. Instead, the Bulldogs racked up 339 yards on the ground. This loss made it very clear that whoever emerges the winner from the ACC Championship game will not be a major player on the BCS stage, in spite of the automatic bid to the BCS Orange Bowl.

Florida State was a three touchdown underdog to No. 1 Florida, with Tim Tebow playing his final game. Without their best player, injured QB Christian Ponder, the Noles really had no chance. Iconic head coach Bobby Bowden says he will do some “soul searching” prior to making a decision about next year.

Simply put, back in August we didn’t think the ACC was good enough top to bottom to change its basketball image. Nor was any one team good enough to challenge for a spot in the BCS Championship Game.

Looks like we were correct. Maybe next year.

Like There Isn't Enough Trouble at FSU Already

Glenn Petty — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:53:00 -0500

Evidently, the coaching carousel at Florida State needs one more incoming coach to go along with the "in-waiting" and "in-leaving" coaches already on staff. For all we know, JoePa already has one of these, but now it is very apparent that Coach Dadgummit needs one as well—Assistant Coach In Charge Of Telling The Head Coach The Score.

This transcript is going around between head coach-in-leaving Bobby Bowden and a reporter following Florida State’s loss to Klimpson.

Yike!

Reporter: “In the second half, when it seemed like momentum started to switch, how hard was it to try to reverse that?”
Bowden: “You mean when they got it (momentum)? Well, actually … you know, they had to kick off to us. We had a what? A three-point …? Did we have the lead at the half?”
(Reporter nods).
Bowden: “We had a three-point lead at the half, I think. Then they had to kick off to us. We needed to take it down and win the darn game right there. We didn’t do it. They stopped us. Then we kicked it to them and then they probably scored.”
Reporter: “They went ahead and then you guys came back.”
Bowden: “Huh?”
Reporter: “They went ahead and then you guys came back again.”
Bowden: “Did we get ahead of them again after that?”
Reporter: “Yeah.”
Bowden: “Then we got back ahead, huh? Umm, it was going that way, you know it? I felt very comfortable that if they could score, we could score. That’s the way I felt, you know it? We’ve done it all year. But then we started turning the ball over.”

Unfortunately, we aren’t making this up...

University of Virginia: They'll Do What They Always Do

Glenn Petty — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:21:00 -0500

According to AP, Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage says a decision on Al Groh's future as the school's football coach will come at the end of the season.

Correct of us if we’re wrong, but don’t they do that every year?

Littlepage says in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Groh will be evaluated on his "full body of work" and that the school's goal is to have fan support at games.

That criteria suggests that Groh's ninth season at his alma mater could be his last. The 3-5 Cavs are facing a tough Miami team this week and only averaging 46,600 fans for home games. That’s down some 7,000 from last season.

If Littlepage is measuring based on fan support, Groh may be in trouble.

A Seminole Dilemma: Bowden Staying or Going?

Glenn Petty — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:54:00 -0500

Based on the latest twist in the Mickie Andrews story, we vote “Staying whether you like it or not” or “Go ahead, fire me, I dare you.”

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said Wednesday that he will "make the final decision" on the Seminoles' next defensive coordinator, but added that head coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher should weigh in heavily.

"I think he definitely has to have a say-so, because he's the future here," Bowden said of Fisher during the weekly ACC teleconference. "It's one of those things I'll make the final decision on, but I'll definitely get his input, and very strongly."

On Tuesday, current defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews announced his pending retirement. Andrews, who is in his 26th season with the Seminoles and 47th in coaching, will remain on staff through Feb. 10, 2010.

It is unclear, though, whether Bowden will return to Florida State to coach the 2010 season. The university will owe Fisher $5 million if he is not named head coach by January 2011.

Tar Heels Upset Virginia Tech

Glenn Petty — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:45:00 -0400

Butch Davis’ North Carolina Tar Heels came to Blacksburg not only winless in ACC play, but also as a 15.5 point underdog to the No. 14 Hokies.

The Heels (5-4, 1-3 ACC) left a hushed Lane Stadium with an improbable last-second 20-17 victory after Casey Barth made a chip-shot field goal (21-yards) on the final play of the game. The game-winning drive was set up by a fumble by Virginia Tech’s super frosh Ryan Williams.

Williams, who entered the night with five 100-yard games, needed just a few more yards to break the threshold yet again when he fumbled at the N.C. 24-yard line with just 2:02 left to play with the score tied 17-17. The outstanding halfback was inconsolable as he sensed his error had doomed his team’s chances on a Halloween-themed evening.

The Tar Heel defense, which had collapsed in the second half against Florida State a week earlier, kept the Hokies (5-3, 3-2) at bay while UNC’s herky-jerky offense found a way to put up enough points to win.

A week after Tech Head Coach Frank Beamer was embroiled in a controversy over uncalled penalties in a loss to Georgia Tech, the officials again could not avoid the spotlight. Both Hokie touchdowns were very close calls that were quickly reviewed and let stand, while a questionable interference call helped fuel the Heels’ game tying drive.

"I've never really had this feeling before," UNC QB T.J. Yates said after making several key completions and throwing one horrific pick deep in his own territory that led to the Hokies' second touchdown.

"Kicking it at the last second? It just sends chills down your spine." Yates was 18-for-28 and 131 yards and two touchdowns while his “never really had this feeling before” quote speaks volumes about the tradition of Tar Heel football futility. Yates is a junior.

Of the 66,223 crammed into Lane Stadium, a rock-solid 60,000 left unhappy, stunned by the final minutes of the game. But no one felt worse than Williams, who started the night averaging 119 rushing yards. He gained 96 and was hoping to lead the team down the field to a win until he lost the ball.

"As of right now, there probably isn't really anything they can say to lift me up because regardless of what anybody says, personally I feel like I kind of took the game away from us today," Williams said. "It was on the line, it was in my hands and I fumbled."

Virginia Tech opened the game, gaining 45 yards on the first two plays of the game. They seemed primed for another big Thursday night. But Jarrett Boykin fumbled after a 20-yard reception on the second play and the Tar Heels recovered, a harbinger of things to come.

Washington Redskins: Misery Has Company

Glenn Petty — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:34:00 -0400

Tacee Hamilton of the Washington Post (the newspaper whose sole journalistic goal it is to ruin the Washington Redskins—according to the Washington Redskins) describes the current situation perfectly in her editorial this morning, “Misery Has Company .”

In the meantime, self-expression took another hit at Fed Ex Field, where signs have been banned.

Dan Steinberg of D.C. Sports Blog, who appears to be leading the Washington Post Special Forces against the 'Skins (again, according to the Redskins), spent part of Monday night digging up stories about trashed signs and digging through garbage cans, photographing the contraband. And of course, getting yelled at by Fed Ex security…

The Redskins used to have a banner policy based on common sense, but officials now tell Steinberg that no signs are allowed at all (obviously, this clever fellow pictured snuck his into the stadium).

Clearly, the Redskins aren’t taking the “kinder, gentler” approach according to one woman who was refused entry with her sign that said “Let Ovechkin Call The Plays.” She then told stadium officials that she wanted to return her homemade sign to her car.

Evidently, a Redskin security person stepped on the sign and ripped it up. This would seem to be a fairly good indicator that the atmosphere in Snyderville is rather poisonous.

To read more, click here.

Redskins' Management: Trampling on Basic American Freedoms?

Glenn Petty — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

The story below appeared as a comment after a post of Dan Steinberg's D.C. Sports Blog about the change in fan behavior and accompanying fashion statements at last night's Redskins' game. If true, it's disturbing on one hand and ridiculous on the other....

At half time, I went down to the concessions area to get a beer and a dog. Of course, the crowd was once again getting restless at the lack of productivity we were seeing on the field. Standing two rows away from me in line, were two middle aged men. One wore a T-shirt that read "Fire Snyder", the other's said "Fire Vinny".

It wasn't long after standing there that the men were surrounded by close to a dozen people wearing yellow security jackets. The conversation between them and the two men escalated quickly as security asked the men to remove their shirts. Of course the men refused, and one stated that he had been a season ticket holder for 26 years. The conversation continued to get heated and before you knew it 6 or 7 armed security officers formed a circle around the layer of yellow jacketed security officers.

"Sir, you're about to lose those season tickets if you don't take off that shirt" is what he was told.

I don't know what got into me but I had seen enough and had to speak up. This was beyond absurd! I cut across a crowd of people, entering the circle of security.... I said " these guys should be able to wear whatever they want! What the hell is going on? What the hell is this? Communist Russia??? "

I was quickly greeted with a stern warning to not interfere and a shove in the chest that sent me back a few feet. A few minutes later, the men were escorted out of the area and a security woman approached me with an explanation about their actions.

"Look, I know what you're saying, and I can't say that I don't agree with you, but I'm a part-time teacher and this job is my Holiday money"...."upper management told us to come up here and ask these men to remove their shirts and I can't lose my job, so I'm doing it."

I decided then and there that I would NEVER again set foot in Fed Ex Stadium as long as Dan Snyder was the owner. The way I saw people being treated for voicing their opinions on this night embarrassed me as a Redskin fan, a Washingtonian, and as an American. These sort of totalitarian strong arm tactics are downright shameful and I needed to let others know about it.

I hope you share this story with your audience.

-- A deeply embarrassed Redskins fan.

(Editor's note: We don't know if this is a fictitious account or not. However, if it is true, it's a sad state of affairs. Having said that, despite any first amendment protestations, we assume that the Redskins ticket contract has a provision that says they can remove anybody they want at any time for any reason they deem necessary, but this shows you how hyper-sensitive (not to mention stupid) Redskins' senior management has become (allegedly). They should be embarrassed.

And we thought the team was bad...)

Eagles 27, Redskins 17: Redskin Fans 0

Glenn Petty — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:19:00 -0400

Dear Mr. Snyder:

Congrats, again you deftly turned our little inside/outside the beltway family squabble into a national drama of epic reality T.V. proportions. Well, at least everybody who works for ESPN can agree on something.

Yes, that loss was bad. In fact, it clearly moves to the top of the list of your 100 most embarrassing moments (to see the list, and be prepared, it’s both funny and accurate, click here ).

Today, after what was one of the saddest performances by an incredibly beleaguered team (not to mention the semi-tragic injury to Chris Cooley that ESPN mentioned exactly once after it happened—and that includes the first 45 minutes of post- game wrap-up), we want to ask you three questions Mr. Snyder:

No. 1: Why does the media want to ruin you, your team, and this season? We don't get it.

No. 2: Albert Haynesworth is good. He’s an amazing athlete for a guy that weighs 350 lbs.

Yes, he gets nicked up every game. And yes, your own Red Zebra guys at WTEM make fun of him, suggesting that after each series he needs “oxygen and bacon.”

But in spite of the jealousy-driven criticism so typical of human nature, especially when somebody gets massively over-compensated for a meaningless job, he’s still pretty damn good.

Any chance he can play offensive tackle? Maybe the left one, so Steven Heyer can move back to his natural, undrafted, unrestricted, walk-on right tackle position. Then maybe Jason Campbell (and/or Todd Collins) will live to see next season.

Imagine how cranked off primadonna Jay Cutler would be if he was getting sacked as much as Campbell is.

No. 3: Speaking of Cutler, Jason Campbell is simply not good these days. He’s regressed to say the least.

Last night, when he stopped holding the ball and made any decisions at all, they were bad. When, of course, he wasn't holding the ball on the occasions when he fumbled or threw an interception after he actually got the snap; but, you get the point.

Now here at T.A.H., we aren’t big advocates of conspiracy theories. Our primary reason is our fundamental disbelief that most human beings are capable of the large amount of complex thought needed to create and implement such intricate plans.

In addition, if by some miracle, they can devise such a sophisticated plot human nature again rears its ugly head and makes it impossible for such folks to keep their devious plans a secret.

However, that disclaimer aside, is it possible that Jason Campbell is jobbing you and Vinnie something fierce?

Did he go home last night and look in the mirror and giggle:

“That’ll teach you a-holes to shop me for pretty-boy Cutler and the unproven-rookie-five-interception-tossing Sanchez! Take that you bastards!”

Oh, and now that you've demoted your head coach in such an embarrassing way, is it possible he's in on the scam as well (see big smile in photo below).

A long shot we know, but we had to ask.

Who knew a bye-week could ever look so good. During the next two weeks, why don’t you and Vinnie hire a new defensive coordinator?

Okay, our bad that’s a fourth question, but we do hear Buddy Ryan is down in Kentucky raising race-horses and grandchildren, and I’m sure he’s bored and looking for a quick, say, half-million for the final 10 games.

Oh, and one more thing since we wont’ be talking for the next two weeks – not hiring Greg Williams as head coach, that was brilliant.

He really sucks. We don’t know how Denver will make it through the season with such a crappy defense led by such an unqualified and undeserving coach.

Nice, Mr. Snyder, NICE!

Your Loyal Fan,
Today's ACC Headlines

Georgia Tech Football Jumps Up to No. 11

Glenn Petty — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:19:00 -0400

After defeating then-No. 4 Virginia Tech with an overwhelming display of offensive fireworks and some pretty good defense, Georgia Tech shot up 11 spots in the polls and is now looking to be the ACC’s benchmark squad with its highest ranking since 2001. The Yellow Jackets are 12th in the first BCS standings.

Georgia Tech (6-1, 4-1 ACC) posted its first victory at home over a top-five team since 1962, and the way the Jackets did it was definitely a throwback to an era when offenses such as the wishbone and veer ruled the college football landscape.

In doing so, Tech has clearly demonstrated that coach Paul Johnson’s funky spread-option offense is more than just a gimmick.

Throwing, of course, had nothing to do with it. Georgia Tech put the ball in the air a grand total of seven times.

The Hokies caught as many balls from Nesbitt (an interception by Dorian Porch) as the Yellow Jackets (whose lone completion was a 51-yard catch by Demaryius Thomas in the second quarter).

Not to worry. With Bud Foster's lunch pale crew focused on stopping running back Jonathan Dwyer up the middle and A-backs Anthony Allen and Roddy Jones from getting loose on the outside, quarterback Josh Nesbitt kept carrying the ball himself. He ran it 23 times for 122 yards, the last of them a 39-yard touchdown run to seal the victory with three minutes remaining.

In all, the Yellow Jackets ran 63 times for 309 yards—all but 37 of those yards coming after Johnson made a few subtle adjustments at halftime, taking advantage of a defense that he said never changed the way it played the option.

For Virginia Tech, it was a long fall. The Hokies (5-2, 3-1) tumbled 11 places to No. 15 and likely doomed their national championship hopes with a second loss in Atlanta.

Coach Frank Beamer said his defense got into a “little bit of a guessing game” trying to stop Georgia Tech’s offense, and wound up guessing wrong a bunch of times after halftime. Over the last two quarters, the Yellow Jackets ran 42 times for 272 yards—a staggering 6.5 yards per carry.

Next up for Georgia Tech is Coastal Division leader Virginia. The Yellow Jackets have lost eight straight games in Charlottesville since a 1990 win helped catapult them to a share of the national title.

New Yorker Article Compares Football to Dog Fighting

Glenn Petty — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:12:00 -0400

Ridiculous, you say?

When you read Malcolm Gladwell’s article in the most recent New Yorker that compares multiple head injuries of NFL players to what happens as a result of Vick-style dog fighting, you might change your view.

Gladwell, who frequently writes about the human brain, appeared on PTI last Friday. Simply put, he makes an interesting point when he says that when all is known about the long-term damage done to NFL players, the sport may lose its hold on the public. He compared football to boxing after talking to folks who have been studying athletes brains.

In the article, Gladwell notes that in 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt and 12 prominent university presidents came within one vote of abolishing the sport of college football. One professor at the University of Chicago called the game a “boy-killing, man-mutilating, money-making, education-prostituting, gladiatorial sport.”

Hmmm.

Neither Kornheiser or Wilbon put up much of a fight.

It’s lengthy, but very interesting. To read the New Yorker story, click here .

The Long, Overdue Return of "Dear Mr. Snyder"

Glenn Petty — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:55:00 -0400

Today: The definition of insanity.

We’ll keep it short, after all, where do we really begin ?

Previously, the Dear Mr. Snyder feature was a T.A.H. regular—lots of hair-pulling, teeth-gnashing, and belly-aching about horrible decisions and terrible losses. But, now things have sunk so low, what’s the point ?

How low, you ask? So low, that long-time Washington Post columnist Tom Boswell accurately described it as “the bleakest moment in the history of the Redskins franchise.”

First off, the good news. It’s not a record to be 2-4 after playing six teams that were all winless when you played them. That’s because no team has ever played six winless teams in a row—never mind, losing to four of them.

Ouch.

Secondly, let’s not blame Jim Zorn. Remember when you hired him, or should we sa y promoted him from the position of Offensive Coordinator (a position for which he had never served, nor did he ever do so for the 'Skins before you promoted him) to head coach, nobody else wanted the job.

Yes, that’s correct—nobody would work for you. You couldn’t find a viable candidate. Good coaches turned you down. There was talk about hiring Jim Fassell…As they say on SNL: "Really? What? You couldn’t get Buddy Ryan to answer the phone?"

So the problem isn’t the coach, who may or may not be head coach material—we will never know now, will we? The problem is the front office, and last time we looked, you, dear Mr. Snyder, were at the very front of said front office. Problem identified, yes?

Ex-Cowboy coach and Super Bowl winner Jimmy Johnson recently put it best when he pointed out that building an NFL team isn’t like building your fantasy football team. A handful of high priced players does not a good team make. You need to build an entire roster. Ten years of mediocrity and you haven’t figured that out yet?

Guess what the Redskins have these days? A handful of high paid guys who are, in fact, quite good. But we don’t have a good quarterback. Yes, we know you tried to get Cutler and Sanchez (five interceptions yesterday, yes, five in one game) and now it’s obvious why. Jason Campbell looks more and more like a career journeyman quarterback, but that’s okay because we have Todd Collins, another career journeyman quarterback, waiting in the wings to save the day or get tackled for game crushing safeties—you decide.

But, it’s not the QB’s fault either. It’s not the offensive line’s fault because, simply put, we don’t have much of one. While you were off spending $100 million on Albert Hayensworth, you were ignoring an aging offensive line that last year included at least one undrafted free agent. Here’s what you did to make that important component of every good NFL team better—nothing. When All-Pros Randy Thomas and Chris Samuels got hurt, we were pretty much doomed.

So we have a patch work, semi-talented offensive line blocking for a journeyman quarterback (Campbell) and a just-slightly-past-his prime warrior of a running back (Portis), whose lead blocker (Sellers) either doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do after nine years in the NFL or just simply doesn’t give a crap. And to make matters worse, at critical times yesterday, the Redskins' leading receiver Chris Cooley was standing on the sidelines.

Nice offense.

Oh yeah, and you drafted two wide receivers, neither of which has had a big impact on a drive not to mention a game or a season.

Granted, the defense is pretty good, but they are spending too much time on the field and surely getting discouraged by the offense’s slack.

Simply put, it’s time to fix this mess.

It’s really not that hard. Suck it up and muddle through the status quo until the end of the season. At season’s end, hire a legit of production, a good general manager and an experienced head coach. Give them the authority they need to build a complete team.

Stop getting distracted by the shiny objects (expensive skill position free agents), and remember that good football teams are built around offensive and defensive lines. Didn’t Coach Joe ever mention that?

Then go to Tahiti for three years. Do not take a sat phone or a computer. Do not talk to the general manager or the head coach for those three years. If you stay away, you might be able to restore one of the storied NFL franchises.

Remember the definition of insanity. And, don't make us repeat it.

Your loyal fan,
Editor T.A.H.

P.S. Your fans are pissed…like really pissed. Don’t believe us? Click here to read the Washington Post 's Dan Steinberg’s postgame interviews with some very unhappy loyalists after yesterday’s debacle.

FSU'S ANDREWS ONLY COACH NOT PLAGUED BY CONTROVERSY (YET)

Glenn Petty — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:44:00 -0400

Florida State Head-Coach-In-Leaving Bobby Bowden, Florida State Head-Coach-In-Waiting Jimbo Fisher, FSU President-In-Leaving T.K. Wehterell and FSU Chairman of the Board of Trustees-In-Need-Of-A-Gag-Order Jim Smith held a joint press conference at the Florida State Alumni Association Football Headquarters Facebook page earler this morning.

The purpose of the press conference was to announce that in spite of heading up a defensive unit that all parties agree is not putting enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks, getting beat deep on occasion, getting penalized for pass interference on third downs, and dropping potential interceptions, there is no controversy swirling around Seminole Defensive Coordinator Mickey Andrews.

When reached for a comment by T.A.H., Andrews said, “So, I’ve got that goin’ for me, which is NICE!”

Nice, FSU, NICE!

*items in italics may not be true.

SCANDAL: UVa's Scott Stadium Turf Grown In…Maryland!

Glenn Petty — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:28:00 -0400

Evidently, U2’s 170-ton stage, which is the largest ever to be used for a concert tour according to Rolling Stone, wreaks havoc and destruction on local football fields. According to the Washington Post, after U2 rolled through the area last week, FedExField, the Cavs’ Scott Stadium, and the Wolfpack’s Carter-Finley are all having to replace part of the sod that covers their football fields.

While Scott Stadium field survived the Rolling Stones a few years back, it wasn’t so lucky when Bono and the lads went all 360. Officials preparing for this Saturday’s game with Indiana had planned ahead and had their North Carolina turf provider grow an extra plot of sod in Maryland.

What, nobody grows sod in the Old Dominion?

That explains so much...

Get the rest of the story by clicking here.

THE RIDDLE REPORT

Glenn Petty — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:19:00 -0400

No. 11 Elon’s Junior quarterback Scott Riddle of Ramseur, NC (hometown of T.A.H. Pop Culture Editor Young A.T.) grew up next door to T.A.H. loyalist and founding member John Allen (first cousin of T.A.H. Pop Culture Editor Young A.T.). Subsequently, we have been following his football career.

Riddle continues to be up to his old tricks – throwing 300 yard games with lots of touchdowns. He whizzed through his first two games against Davidson (56-0, 326 yards, 4 TDs) and Presbyterian (41-7, 346 yards, 4 TDs) setting even more Southern Conference records along the way.

Riddle hit a bump in the road when the D1AA Phoenix travelled up the road to Winston-Salem for a game against Wake Forest. Elon got throttled 35-7, but you can’t pin the poor showing on Riddle. While he didn’t light it up, he was a rock-solid 24 of 43 for 195 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Back in the SoCon for the next game, Riddle threw for 338 yards and a touchdown in a 28-14 win over Georgia Southern. In a come from behind victory over Furman (19-12), Riddle tossed the pigskin for 374 yards and a touchdown.

For the year, that’s a 4-1 record and 131 for 201 for 1,579 yards and 11 touchdowns against TWO interceptions. That’s an average of 315 yards a game.

Nice, Scott, NICE!

(Photo by Cymry Flood via Flickr)

The Michael Vick Project: Nuh-Uh!

Glenn Petty — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:32:00 -0400

Well, it had to happen...actually, both things had to happen.

First off, you had to figure that sooner or later gossip mogul Perez Hilton would find his way to T.A.H. After all, T.A.H. Pop Culture Editor Young A.T. is a big fan and loyal follower of the Internet wag.

Secondly, you had to figure that if Anna Nicole Smith and Danny Bonaduce had reality T.V. shows, why not Michael Vick?

...and just like that, we roll the two into one.

Young A.T. hippped us to this in an email appropriately titled: "Nuh-uh!"

According to PerezHilton.com, "BET is giving dog-abuser Michael Vick his own reality show, as of right now called The Michael Vick Project.

The show is going to revolve around (the former Hokie's) comeback to the NFL as a new team member on the Philadelphia Eagles and his tarnished public image as a result of his arrest for the dog fighting ring in 2007.

Vick says:
"I just want people to really get to know me as an individual. What I want to do is change the perception of me. I am a human being. I've made some mistakes in the past, and I wish it had never happened. But it's not about how you fall, but about how you pick yourself up."

PETA spokesman Dan Shannon begged to differ saying that "people who abuse animals don't deserve to be rewarded. They shouldn't be given multimillion-dollar contracts…or given the privilege of being a role model."

PETA might spew a whole lotta crazy sometimes, but we're with them 100% on this one!*"

So there you have it...

*items in italics are directly from PerezHilton.com.

Dear Jim Smith: Leave Bobby Bowden Alone

Glenn Petty — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:50:00 -0400

M-E-M-O

To: Jim Smith, Former Florida Attorney General and Gubernatorial Candidate and current Chairman of the Florida State University Board of Trustees.

From: Editor, T.A.H. Knower-of-all-Things-ACC-Related.

Dear Mr. Smith,

Shut up. Right now.

Seriously, here are a few points to ponder.

1) Hiring and firing the head football coach is the responsibility of FSU's president and athletic director, not the Florida State University Board of Trustees Chairman. We know what you will eventually say, that you were simply mouthing the words that the president and A.D. were thinking. Maybe you are, but STOP doing it, it doesn't help.

2) Don't lose perspective because you lost a couple of games that you think the Noles should have won. Remember your coach is the second winningest of all time. He's won 21 bowl games. He put FSU football on the MAP. His players are a bunch of 19 and 20-year- old kids, they screw up.

3) Speaking of "on the map," if it weren't for Bobby Bowden nobody outside of the state of Florida would know or care about Florida State. He has made the school MILLIONS and elevated both athletic and scholastic achievement for your university. Show a little respect.

4) Finally, get over the concept of dynasty football. It's over. The reason you see so many upsets in NCAA football these days is NFLesque parody. There are big, strong, fast kids everywhere. So many of them, in fact, that every major college has big league athletes. The days of the dozen dynasty programs like Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, USC, Alabama and Oklahoma ruling the gridiron world are OVER...Now, it's "any given Saturday."

In the immortal words of the Mighty Blaze; It is, what it is. The notion that you will hire a new coach and suddenly start to dominate national, regional or even Florida football is misguided and unrealistic. FSU created this "coach-in-waiting" mess, so find a viable solution (privately).

Good luck finding the next Bobby Bowden who will make you rich, make you famous, win a national championship and 21 bowl games. We wager neither you nor T.A.H. lives long enough to see Bowden's records eclipsed.

So if FSU loses this weekend to Georgia Tech, take a page from the Bobby Knight playbook and throw something at an underling, but leave your coach alone until the season is OVER.

Sincerely,
EDITOR and PUBLISHER
T.A.H. Worldwide Media

College Football Programs in Big Trouble

Glenn Petty — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:41:00 -0400

The Sports Illustrated college football issue is out and, to no surprise here at T.A.H., they have Florida State winning the Atlantic and Virginia Tech winning the Coastal.

They pick the Hokies to win the Dr. Pepper Bowl in Tampa, Dec. 5. SI also predicts that Miami, UNC, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Clemson, and N.C. State will be bowl eligible.

Relying on conventional wisdom, the mag picks Duke to finish 1-7 in the ACC and 4-8 overall.

A few pages later, SI has a feature called “The Finish,” where they rank the top 120 college teams. The top 20 is similar to the poles with Virginia Tech (No. 5), Georgia Tech (No. 12), Florida State (No. 16), and UNC (No. 20) representing the ACC.

SI likes N.C. State at 32, Miami at 36, Clemson at 43, Wake Forest at 49, Maryland at 67, Boston College at 71, Virginia at 76, and Duke at 78.

So, let’s see what major university’s football programs are facing hard times.

Let’s start down in College Station, TX where Texas A&M finds itself ranked behind Duke at No. 79. Add to the list of underachievers, Louisville (No. 83), Washington (No. 85), SMU (No. 89), Iowa State (No. 90), Hawaii (No. 95), Syracuse (No. 96), Indiana (No. 99), and Washington State (No. 105).

Ouch.

Quality Road Back on Track with Record-Setting Win

Glenn Petty — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:11:00 -0400

It didn't look like a track record, but it was.

And just when it appeared there wasn't a three-year-old in the country who could run with super-filly Rachel Alexandra, Edward P. Evans' Virginia-bred Quality Road returned from a four-month hiatus to register a record-setting 2 1/4-length victory over Capt. Candyman Can in Monday's $150,000 Amsterdam Stakes Gr.II at Saratoga.

Quality Road, the likely favorite in this year's Kentucky Derby before being sidelined by reoccurring quarter cracks, covered 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:13.45.

The timer stopped him at 1:07.22 for six furlongs, a time so fast that folks had to wonder if it was correct. The track record for six furlongs at Saratoga is a long-standing 1:08 by Virginia-connected Spanish Riddle. The officials went back and hand timed the race and confirmed the time.

His final time shattered the course record set by Topsider in 1979 by nearly a full second. Quality Road, by Elusive Quality out Kobla by Strawberry Road, who was transferred from trainer Jimmy Jerkens to Todd Pletcher's barn, set the record despite stumbling at the start and racing wide throughout the race.

Simply put, Quality Road, who is a very cool customer pre-race, is so fast he doesn't look fast.

"Any time you run a horse for the first time with his potential, you want everything to go well, and we were hoping he'd run just as well for us as he had for Jimmy," said Pletcher. "He stumbled at the start and it took him a while to recover and get the position we'd hoped he'd be in. From there, he got the trip.

"Racing wide was not a concern," Pletcher added, "because with a big horse and the long stride he has, you want to let him do his thing and not have anything get in his way."
Pletcher has said all along that he was using the Amsterdam as a stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Travers, and a potential matchup with Rachel Alexandra.

"I have tremendous respect for the filly, she's a phenomenon," said Pletcher, whose colt Munnings finished third to Rachel Alexandra the previous afternoon in the Haskell. "With a stable our size, chances are we're going to run into her somewhere along the line, and if we do, we'd like it to be with our best horse."

Click on the chart for a better look.

Michael Vick's Welcome Home Party Postponed—What's Next? Death? Taxes?

Glenn Petty — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:08:00 -0400

Seriously, some bunch of knuckleheads are going to throw a party for Michael Vick. Rumor has it there was going to be a parade of injured dogs—just kidding.

But seriously, we aren't calling the Southern Christian Leadership Conference "knuckleheads" in a general way, just "knuckleheaded" about this. Like them, we support the notion that Vick deserves a second chance and has a right to work. After all, a number of NFL players have done worse to actual people (including themselves!), and they are given a chance to reform and earn a living.

However, this rally, while intended to be a show of support reinforcing those concepts, will ultimately only bring on additional unwanted publicity. Remember, P.E.T.A.'s headquarters are in Norfolk, Va., about 20 minutes from Newport News. We call that "asking for trouble."

Monday, the organizers of the gig in Newport News said the hometown celebration was “postponed” due to a conflict. The “Michael Vick Community Celebration” scheduled for Saturday will be held later because the job-hunting former NFL quarterback has an event that day in Atlanta with the Humane Society of the United States.

Vick has been conditionally reinstated in the NFL after completing a 23-month federal sentence for running a dogfighting ring. The Newport News celebration was to be his first announced public event since his freedom.

Andrew Shannon, president of the Peninsula chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said organizers were committed to celebrating Vick’s return to the community and would not be swayed by negative public opinion.

After the event was publicized late Friday, Shannon said he received calls early Saturday from supporters and “from people who love animals” who were critical of the celebration.

“We want to say as an organization we’re not intimidated and we won’t waver in our support of Michael Vick,” Shannon said. “We believe in forgiveness and we believe in redemption so we believe that Mr. Vick should be able to move forward with his life and make a livelihood.”

Twenty-six NFL teams have said they’re not interested in signing the 29-year-old, with the remaining six declining to comment or not ruling him out.

Should Tom Watson Blame His Caddie for Open Stumble?

Glenn Petty — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:54:00 -0400

Tom Watson had just hit a perfect drive on the 18th hole of the final round of the 138th Open Championship. He simply needed par to become the oldest golfer to win a major.

In fact, three more shots and he may have become the oldest guy to win any major championship in any sport not restricted to...well, old guys.

So there he is, 187 yards away from the green. He hits an eight-iron that looks perfect. It hits in front of the green takes a hard bounce and rolls across the green to the fringe.

By now everybody knows that he didn’t get up and down and went on to lose the four-hole playoff to Stewart Cink who had made a clutch birdie on that same hole to tie for the lead just moments before.

Nobody would want the putt Watson had to win the British Open. We don’t want that putt for a $2 Nassau on Saturday afternoon. As ridiculous as it is to say, that a man that has won nine majors has a major weakness, it would seem fair to say it was Watson’s putting. But in the end, it wasn’t really his putter that got him.

It was that damn eight iron.

When Watson’s approach to 18 stop rolling in that tricky little spot up against the collar at the back of the 18th green, it had rolled 190 yards. Yes, 190 yards with a eight iron.

Now we played some links golf once in Ireland, and at Ballybunion we recall having 193 yards to the hole. We were standing there holding a five-iron like any normal human when the group’s caddie handed over the eight iron.

Really?

Now on a good day, we can get that stick 165 yards—on an average day 160 yards.

Yes, it was windy, it was Ireland. So if it’s still there, and the suns up and the grass is green than you can bet the wind is blowing. But, it wasn’t THAT windy—or so we thought.

Now, we aren’t one to argue with Irish caddies. There really is no upside. So we hit the eight iron. Hit it flush, as a matter of fact. The wind grabbed it and it landed in front of the green and rolled on. Distance travelled: 190 yards.

The point of this lovely little Irish golf tale is it’s not impossible for a 50-year-old amateur to hit an eight iron 190 yards.

Which leads us to the odd conclusion that Tom Watson may have won the British Open if he had simply chosen a nine iron for that final approach shot.

Imagine the conversation between Watson and his caddie Neil Oxman.

Watson: It’s 187 to the flag…
Ox: Hit the nine iron. You’re all amped up Tom, hit one less club.
Watson: Did you hear me OX, it’s 187 yards…
Ox: Hit the nine iron.
Watson: Jeez, Ox it’s 187 EFFING yards…

Well there is a guy, and he’s a caddie. His name is Alfie Fyles and he was Watson’s caddie when he beat Jack Nicklaus in the British back in 1977.

On the 72nd hole, Watson had a one stroke lead over Nicklaus. Watson was in the fairway 180 yards from the flag. Fyles offered up a seven-iron. Watson said, "You know I can only carry 160/165 with a six.”

"Ah," said Alfie, "but the way your adrenalin's pumpin', Tom."

Watson took the seven and hit it 30 inches from the cup, sank the putt and beat Nicklaus by a stroke.

As Frank DeFord said so eloquently today on Golf.com, “Tom Watson didn't lose the British Open because he was 59 years old. He lost because he was 59 years old, but playing like the 26-year-old he was back in 1977— only he didn't have that old-fashioned caddie to remind him how good and strong he was again.”

Nicanor Scratches From $750,000 Virginia Derby

Glenn Petty — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:03:00 -0400

Virginia’s run of bad luck in big races for colts continues as Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro’s full-brother Nicanor has scratched from tomorrow’s $750,000 Virginia Derby Gr. II.

According to the Blood-Horse, Nicanor was scratched due to a leg injury.

Trainer Michael Matz says Nicanor injured his left hind leg during a gallop the other day. The injury became evident when the horse worked out Thursday in Maryland.

Starting with Quality Road’s quarter crack which caused him to miss the Triple Crown, Virginia and Colonial Downs have had a hard time catching a break. Whether it’s Charitable Man’s good fourth in a very tough Belmont Stakes or the boycott of Colonial Downs by TrackNet Media ADWs and racetracks, Virginia hasn’t had much to cheer about this summer.

However, mimicking the national scene, where Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta are making headlines, the Virginia fillies continue to make great news.

We’ve researched this a bit and we can’t find a contradictory answer, so we are gonna go out on the limb and say when Edward P. Evans’ Cat Mover and Light Green (at right) finished first and second recently in the Gr. I Prioress Stakes at Belmont, that was the first time EVER that Virginia-breds finished 1-2 in a Gr. I stake.

Of course, Secretariat and Riva Ridge running one-two in the Marlboro Cup comes to mind, but while Riva Ridge was owned and bred by the Meadow Stable of Virginia, he was actually foaled in Kentucky…

Congratulations to the whole Spring Hill farm crew down in Casanova, VA on another remarkable accomplishment, and maybe the filly Malibu Prayer can turn Virginia’s luck around tomorrow in the $250,000 Delaware Oaks Gr.II?

Barbaro's Brother Odd Morning Line Favorite In $750,000 Virginia Derby

Glenn Petty — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:49:38 -0400

We were somewhat surprised when Babaro’s brother Nicanor, making only his sixth lifetime start and his third on the turf, was made the morning-line favorite at 7-2 for Saturday’s $750,000 Virginia Derby.

Now, we aren’t looking to step on the toes of Barbaros’s zillions of fans, and we were there when he broke down and we followed his saga closely, so were all on board the FOB’s Nicanor Express. But does making him the morning-line favorite make sense?

First off, we aren’t questioning Michael Matz or the Jacksons. They know what they are doing and they know the horse better than anybody else. They've found their way to the winner's circle following a Colonial Turf Cup and a Kentucky Derby, so we'll defer to thier judgement. We’re questioning the odds makers.

The race includes Battle of Hastings, the winner of the Colonial Turf Cup over the same turf course. The field also includes the runner-up, Straight Story, who was closing like a house on fire, and the third-place finisher Lime Rickey. Add to the mix Florentino (JPN), who also won his last start in the Grade II Jefferson Cup at Churchill Downs.

All the while, Nicanor has run but five times. In his turf debut, he was very impressive winning by 15.25 lengths and earning a 97 speed rating. In his final prep, he won ging wire-to-wire by 1.75 with a speed rating of 102.

However, if you watch the race, it is very clear that he is leg weary at the end of the nine furlong race and simply put, he didn’t really beat anybody the caliber of what he’ll face in New Kent on Saturday.

So the question remains; is Nicanor ready to go 10 furlongs against a group of graded stakes winners? He may well be, but we’d wager if he wasn’t the full brother to Barbaro, his morning line odds would be 10-to-1 at best.

Finally, we surmise Nicanor’s connections have him in this race to see if he’s a great horse or potentially a great horse. They know he’s a good horse, so there is no reason not to give him a shot in a race against some of the best turf three-year-olds. Matter of fact, there are 750,000 reasons to find out exactly how good he is.

We will know for sure at about 6:05 pm on Saturday.

NCAA: A Twitter About Tweets

Glenn Petty — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:40:00 -0400

Those suits out in Kansas, better known to most as the NCAA, are all worried about cyberspace yet again.

Last month in Newport Beach, Calif. (hey, at least they know where to hold their meetings), the topic of conversation among the two dozen administrators included the latest technology being used by coaches attempting to woo recruits – Twitter.

This should come as no surprise as they have already been concerned about Facebook and MySpace.

At Maryland, football coach Ralph Friedgen, men's basketball coach Gary Williams, and women's basketball coach Brenda Frese all have Twitter accounts. Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Seth Greenberg tweets, as does George Mason men's coach Jim Larranaga. As do many other coaches across the nation, such as Southern California football coach Pete Carroll and Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari.

To read about it in today’s Washington Post, click here.

Back Out on the Limb: Why Charitable Man Will Win the Belmont Stakes

Glenn Petty — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:13:00 -0400

Short answer: Pace makes the race.
Long answer: Keep reading…

The odds-makers have made Mine That Bird and Virginia-bred Charitable Man the two favorites for tomorrow's Belmont Stakes. Charitable Man comes from the same nursery that produced Florida Derby winner and injured Kentucky Derby contender Quality Road.

The two reasons Charitable Man will win the Belmont is because of pace and pedigree. Those two things, plus being the betting favorite, don’t bode well for the hard nosed Mine That Bird.

Because the Belmont is long...longer than the Derby by one-quarter of a mile, many folks believe it’s a closers race off the form of horses that make a mad charge down Churchill Downs very long stretch. But due to the distance and the configuration of the track, the Belmont is not typically a closers race.

It’s a tactical speed race and it’s been won off, or near, the front end many more times than by a last jump closer. Of course, don’t tell Real Quiet’s connections that as they still probably have nightmares about Victory Gallop getting up in the final strides...

But, generally speaking, the long race with a slow pace won’t favor Mine That Bird. While he’s already proved that he is both talented and tough, he will have to prove he is versatile in his running style if he is going to give jockey Calvin Borel a first-ever Jockey Triple Crown.

Charitable Man on the other hand has tactical speed and a stalkers style. That should put him in a better position in a race with limited speed. If it turns into a bicycle race with the frontrunners slowing the pace to a crawl it’s likely to suit Charitable Man better than the Derby winner.

That brings us to pedigree, and in a 12 furlong race pedigree should come into play. Both horses are by Belmont Stakes winners and both of their sires are having good years. Powered by the Derby winner's $1.7 million in earnings, Birdstone is 19th on the General Sire list with two stakes winners.

Just two spots back in 21st, Lemon Drop Kid is doing it the old fashion way—he has nine stakes winners this year and five of them are graded stakes winners. Both stallions have over $2.3 in progeny earnings so far this year, and that ain't chump change.

On the dam side, Charitable Man has more muscle. While the Derby winner’s dam’s family is solid it doesn’t compare on paper to Charitable Man’s.

His dam, Charitabledonation is a listed stakes winner and her granddam is a half-sister to Exceller who, among other accomplishments, defeated two Triple Crown winners in the one-and-a-half-mile Jockey Clug Gold Cup at Belmont. CM's pedigree includes the champion Capote and the very useful Florida stallion Baldski.

Then there is the “favorite thing.” In the past 20 years, only four favorites have won the race – A.P. Indy (1991), Thunder Gulch (1995), Point Given (2001) and Afleet Alex (2005).

Notable disappointments this decade include War Emblem (8th in '02), Funny Cide (3rd in '03), Smarty Jones (2nd in '04), Curlin (2nd in '07) and Big Brown's spectacular flame out last year.

And yes, we know we're ignoring all the other horses. And, yes, Dunkirk, one of Zitos horses or another longshot could win the race, but Kentucky (from whence they come) is not ACC country...so they get no love here.

Belmont Stakes Win for Charitable Man Would Make an Even Dozen for Virginia

Glenn Petty — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:12:00 -0400

While fans of Virginia-bred racehorses were disappointed when Quality Road’s nagging foot injury prevented him from running in the Kentucky Derby, a new potential hero for the commonwealth now looms on the horizon in Saturday’s 141st running of the third jewel of horseracing’s Triple Crown—the Belmont Stakes.

Virginia-bred Charitable Man, who has won three previous races in New York and twice on the Belmont track, is considered by many as the horse to beat in the grueling 1 ½ mile event. He bids to join 11 Virginia-bred horses that have already won the three-year-old classic.

That list includes Algerine (1876), Pasteurized (1938), Bounding Home (1944), Phalanx (1947), Sword Dancer (1959), Sherluck (1961), Quadrangle (1964), Arts and Letters (1969), Secretariat (1973), Hansel (1991) and Colonial Affair (1993).

Charitable Man and Florida Derby winner Quality Road were both born at Spring Hill Farm in Casanova, VA, but the two colts' breeder, Edward P. Evans, decided to sell Charitable Man at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Evans annually sells part of his crop of more than 60 foals to offset the expense of operating his Virginia Thoroughbred nursery and of keeping a large number of racehorses in training at various racetracks. The trick is figuring out which ones to sell and which ones to keep—a difficult task with young horses who have never worn a saddle or bridle.

Ultimately, Evans decided to keep Quality Road. The colt just missed a shot at the Derby, but has rewarded his owner/breeder with victories in the $250,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes Gr. 2 and the $750,000 Florida Derby Stakes Gr. 1 while amassing earnings of $632,830. Quality Road is back in training in New York and eyeing major stakes races later in the summer.

His stable mate, Charitable Man, was sent to the famous Lexington, KY horse auction where he was purchased for $200,000 by Mike Ryan and then sold privately to his current owners William and Suzanne Warren of Tulsa, OK. He is now trained by Kiaran McLaughlin who won the 2006 Belmont Stakes with Jazil.

Charitable Man enters the third leg of the Triple Crown following a handy win $200,000 Peter Pan Gr.2 in May. He also won the $250,000 Futurity Gr. 2 at Belmont Park as a two-year-old last September. He has won $307,200 to date, winning three times in four starts.

His only out-of-the money finish was a dismal seventh place finish in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes Gr. 1 where he finished seventh just three weeks prior to the Kentucky Derby. Having bounced back with a victory in his next start, it is clear that the Virginia-bred colt did not like Keeneland’s synthetic racetrack. Belmont Park has a traditional dirt main track.

Such notable trainers as D. Wayne Lukas, Todd Pletcher and Nick Zito are all labeling Charitable Man the horse to beat in Saturday’s race.

Charitable Man’s jockey Alan Garcia is trying to set a record of his own—a record that also involves some prominent horses with Virginia connections. Last year, Garcia guided longshot Da' Tara to a gate-to-wire victory in the Belmont.

On Saturday, he will bid to become the eighth jockey to win back-to-back Belmont Stakes, but the first since Ron Turcotte won with Riva Ridge and Secretariat in 1972-73. Both of those horses were owned by Christopher Chenery’s Meadow Stud in Doswell, VA, and Triple Crown winner Secretariat was born at the Caroline County farm.

In addition, Garcia looks to win two Belmont Stakes in his first two attempts. Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker was the last jockey to win with his first two Belmont mounts —Gallant Man (1957) and Virginia-bred Sword Dancer (1959).

Sword Dancer was born in Fauquier County at Isabel Dodge Sloan’s Brookmeade Farm in Upperville, VA.

Out on Another Limb: Rachel Alexandra Should Skip the Belmont

Glenn Petty — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:12:00 -0400

Exactly what does Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra have to prove by winning the Belmont Stakes?

We say absolutely nothing.

Two weeks ago, she became the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness off a stunning 20.25-length victory in the filly version of the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Oaks.

How would winning another jewel of the Triple Crown over the archaic, and now little used, distance of 12 furlongs (1.5 miles), add to her value? Simply put, it wouldn’t.

Her appearance in the Belmont could be good for the game if she wins or loses gamely. It would be a disaster if anything goes wrong.

If you own her, you have to ask yourself: Will winning the Belmont enhance her value or the value of her offspring?

Winning the race couldn’t possibly enhance her value since she is already worth more than $10 million and she is owned by a multi-multi-millionaire in wine baron Jess “Kendall Jackson” Jackson.

Winning a “classic” race at 1½ miles against the boys could make her future offspring more valuable as it would add an important “stamina” influence to a pedigree now overly influenced by “speed” horses and speed races.

But the general public and most horse racing fans don’t care about such nuances, nor should they.

More importantly, let’s look back at the last time a filly won the Belmont; it was the 2007 dramatic stretch duel where Kentucky Oaks winner Rags To Riches (outside) narrowly defeated Preakness winner Curlin.

After that race, Curlin ran poorly in the $1 million Haskell Gr. 1 at Monmouth in July and so-so in the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup in September.

The filly Rags To Riches ran second in the $250,000 Gazelle Handicap Gr. 1 beaten one-half length by a relative unknown named Learl’s Princess in her first post-Belmont start some two months later in September.

Curlin would rally back to win the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic Gr. 1 in October, but Rags to Riches would never race again.

It could be a coincidence that both horses lost their form following that exhilarating (for us, but, no doubt, taxing for them) Belmont stretch drive which came in the last quarter mile of a 1½-mile race.

Or it could clearly send the message that three major races in five weeks is taxing the point of requiring some substantial R & R.

Look, it ain’t 1845. Thoroughbreds don’t run in multiple heats, nor are they any longer physically capable of doing what Conquistador Cielo did back in 1982 when he won the prestigious Metropolitan Mile on Memorial Day and then won the Belmont Stakes just 12 days later.

Due to inbreeding to the same sire lines for the past 50 years, modern thoroughbreds just aren’t as durable as they were as little as 25 years ago. It is what it is.

So Rachel’s owner Jess Jackson (who also owned Curlin) has a dilemma. Which way is he leaning?

We’d say he’s leaning in the right direction as he hinted strongly this week that Rachel Alexandra will skip the Belmont. "It's not necessary that she go in the Belmont,'' Jackson said. "She's got a whole season ahead. She's been running the whole year, so we have to monitor her very carefully.''

Meanwhile, Mine That Bird’s trainer Chip Woolley waits. “I’m gonna give Calvin (Borel) as much time as possible to ride 'Mine' and also to keep him from losing two mounts. It just wouldn’t fair to him if they don’t make a decision until the last minute and decide not to go.

"He won me the Kentucky Derby, and I owe him the opportunity if it’s possible. I don’t want to see him sitting on the sidelines when I get to Belmont.”

As for Rachel Alexandra running in the Belmont, Woolley said it doesn’t matter to him one way or other except for how if affects his rider situation.

That's a good story, stick to it.

A Letter From The Kentucky Derby Winner To The BCS

Glenn Petty — Fri, 29 May 2009 10:00:00 -0400

Dear Mr. Swofford, Chairman of the Bowl Championship Series,

I recently won the Kentucky Derby in a rather dramatic upset. In fact, it was the second-biggest dethroning of favorites in the 135 years of the race. Two weeks later, I legitimized my performance by narrowly losing the Preakness by a length to a freak of a filly that nobody’s gonna beat on her good days. Nobody.

Simply put, from humble beginnings in Canada and New Mexico, the month of May has made me a celebrity. Now, like most celebrities, I feel compelled to utilize my untested intellect and world wide fame to influence other issues on which I have little or no expertise. Are the cameras and microphones on?

On what subject will I be sharing my wealth of now famous knowledge? Why, college football, of course.

Look, my win in the Derby clearly demonstrates to the American people, and one idiotic blog that shall remain nameless (T.A.H.), that it’s a wide-open competition and the only way to determine the best horse/team is to let ‘em play. Yes, Mr. BCS, I’m advocating a playoff system for D1 football, because if horse racing utilized an exclusionary system controlled by the fat cats to determine the winner, I’d of been standing in my stall munching hay while Pioneer of the Nile won the run for the roses. How stupid would that be?

Let me take you back. I came from humble beginnings. While my daddy is a Belmont Stakes winner, I’m a bit puny and thus drew a meager $9,500 bid at a Kentucky yearling auction. That's chump change by racehorse standards. That clod Dunkirk I humbled in the Derby cost $3 million!

So a savvy Canadian, Dave Cotey, buys me and takes me to Canada where I show everybody I’m pretty talented, winning $324,000 and some important stakes races. Now Mr. Cotey subscribes to the Tyson Gilpin horse business mantras of a) “take the money” and b) “it’s always better to have sold and regretted then to have not sold and regretted,” so he sold me to these New Mexico cowboys for $400,000 (a much more respectable figure, I might add.)

Which brings me back to these clowns I won’t name here (T.A.H.), and how what they said demonstrates the same attitude you BCS snot noses have about an NCAA Football National Championship, and I quote: “Mine That Bird gets our boot based on the fact that he lost back-to-back races in New Mexico, which is not exactly a Kentucky Derby proving ground…”

Well that’s like saying the road to the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball National Championship doesn’t go through New Mexico…er…um…OK, bad example, but you get my point. You never know where the next champion is going to come from if you let the best horses/teams compete. That’s exactly why they let 20 horses run in the Kentucky Derby, and guess what? America loves it.

So, Mr. BCS, figure it out and have a football playoff. It might be the most compelling thing (not to mention profitable, and Lord knows we all gotta watch the bottom line) sporting event of the year.

Who knows, some big-hearted, overlooked, lovable underdog might even win! As Nick Zito, who trained my dad Birdstone to an upset victory over Smarty Jones in the Belmont a few years back said after I won the Derby:

“See, that’s why they run the race.”

See?

Sincerely,

MINE THAT BIRD (2009 Kentucky Derby Winner)

Calvin Borel's Unconventional Triple Crown

Glenn Petty — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:26:00 -0400

Mine That Bird can't win the Triple Crown, but maybe jockey Calvin Borel can.

Try as he did, Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird came up just a few jumps short and thus eliminated a potential Triple Crown at this year’s Belmont. It has to be tough for the folks at the New York Racing Association to promote the race without the possibility of the rarely accomplished feat.

At the moment, the Rachel Alexandra connections are going to see what signals she gives them following her race in Baltimore. Based on what trainer Steve Asmussen has said if she’s doing well, they may run her, but, again, they may not.

“We’re not going to tell her how she’s feeling. She’ll tell us how she’s feeling,” Asmussen said.

It doesn’t seem like there is a great deal of upside for Rachel and her connections. She’s won the Kentucky Oaks and the Preakness—in terms of her value, what difference will it really make if she wins the Belmont? The Belmont is obviously a classic, but its little used distance of 12 furlongs makes it a bit of an anomaly. Would winning at the 1 ½ mile distance enhance the value of the filly or her future offspring?

Of course, she could be the first filly to pick up two legs of the Triple Crown and that may tempt her owners.

Now there are folks out there who want to say that there would be a Triple Crown if Rachel Alexandra had run in the Kentucky Derby. That seems a bit presumptuous and it minimizes Mine That Bird’s victory. The Birdstone colt showed his class in the Preakness, and they way he skipped over that messy Churchill track can’t be ignored.

It appears that the Derby winner is headed up I95 to New York as his connections believe a smaller field and a longer race bodes well for his fast-closing colt.

“My horse will be much more suited to the Belmont: big wide track, big wide sweeping turns. It should play a little better to my horse,” trainer Chip Woolley said. “It’ll probably be a shorter field, which eliminates some of the traffic. We’re excited about going.”

Woolley said Mike Smith would remain aboard Mine That Bird, even if Rachel Alexandra doesn’t run. And then, Smith said he wouldn’t because of a previous engagement in California. Huh?

Yes, yesterday’s Smith’s agent Brad Pegram, said the Hall of Fame jockey will ride Madeo in the Grade I Whittingham Stakes at Hollywood Park.

“I ride basically everything for the Mosses,” Smith said. “It’s an obligation I made and it’s a very important race for us here. (Madeo) is a very talented colt and it’s a Grade I. I have to stand by the people that stand by me all the time. Not that (Mine That Bird’s) people didn’t stand by me, but I picked that horse up over the circumstances.”

Smith won the Kentucky Derby aboard Giacomo for Shirreffs and the Mosses in 2005. He also rides the champion filly Zenyatta for them.

Now that’s good loyalty, but it’s bad math. The purse for the Belmont is $1 million while the purse for the Whittingham is $300,000. That means the winning jock in the third jewel of the Triple Crown gets $62,000 while the winning jock in the Whittingham pockets $18,600. That’s some expensive loyalty.

And that brings us to Borel. According to the Daily Racing Form, he’s the first jockey to ever get off a Kentucky Derby winner that ran back in the Preakness. Of course, he added a footnote by winning the race on his new mount.

Has one jockey ever won all three Triple Crown races on two or three different horses? Various media sources say it has never happened, but if Rachel Alexandra does run in the Belmont, the likable Cajun will be positioned to do just that. If she doesn’t run, you can bet that Borel and his agent will be burning up MTB’s connection’s cell phones looking to get back on the Derby winner.

You can also bet that is exactly the type of story the NYRA marketing folks are looking for in the absence of the traditional Triple Crown.

Can Mine That Bird Be Horse Racing's Much-Needed New Hero?

Glenn Petty — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:51:00 -0400

Of course, the sport of horse racing could use a Triple Crown hero.

The King of Sports started declining in the 1950s when it failed to a) embrace television as a way to communicate with its fans (and potential fans) and b) notice that they no longer had a monopoly on legal betting. Years of intense competition for people's time and entertainment dollars haven't helped.

Throw in some well-documented calamities like Barbaro and Eight Belles, and horse racing finds itself over in the "dust bin" with boxing and track and field—two other sports that once held prominent spots in the nation's sporting conscience.

So, of course, the sport could use a Triple Crown winner, but that's not as simple a solution as it seems. While a Triple Crown winner increases media coverage and fan interest and, theoretically, ultimately grows the sport, for the folks in the horse racing and breeding industry it's important that the "next big thing" also have a positive impact on the breed.

Virginia-bred Secretariat was an incredible racehorse—undeniably a freak of nature in terms of his athleticism. However, he wasn't a big success at stud, and only his daughters (which have proven to be good broodmares, especially when mated with stallions from the popular Northern Dancer line) will have a lasting impact on the breed.

Seattle Slew, who won the Triple Crown in 1977, was a prominent sire, and his blood still flows in the veins of famous thoroughbred sires via his son A.P. Indy. Affirmed, the Triple Crown winner of 1978, was a useful sire, but his bloodline is hard to find today.

That brings us to the “what if” game. Many horses have come close to winning the Triple Crown. Back in 1981, Virginia-bred Pleasant Colony won the Derby and Preakness but finished third in the Belmont.

He went on to be a very productive thoroughbred sire, and his bloodline via his sire His Majesty was, and still is, an important outcross. Had he won the Triple Crown, he may have gotten more and better mares, and he may have been an even more successful sire.

Then there's Real Quiet. In 1998, he lost the Triple Crown in the Belmont by a nose to Victory Gallop, and in spite of being a product of the prolific Mr. Prospector sire line, his stud career has not produced a major champion or a high number of stakes winners.

And so it goes.

Enter Mine That Bird—a gelding. Perhaps he's the new Seabiscuit. Perhaps he can pull of the Triple Crown, and the long-term impact on the industry will be a happy moot point as he can't reproduce. Talk about nice and simple.

Without the crushing burden of future syndication value, maybe the little gelding-from-New-Mexico-that-could can become a populist hero the likes of Kelso, Forego, John Henry, or, more recently, Funny Cide.

No, his owners aren’t as warm and fuzzy as the Funny Cide bunch that travelled the Triple Crown trail in a school bus. And, yes, it seems unlikely that T.A.H. Pop Culture Editor Young A.T. will deliberately march across an NTRA cocktail party in Saratoga to meet Mark Allen as she did Knowlton, but if Mine That Bird keeps winning, that chip that clearly weighs heavily on the Derby winner’s connection’s shoulders might get a bit lighter and in some public relations sunshine might sneak.

OK, it’s a long shot, but a horse has gotta dream.

Not that this week helped. First there was the “block Rachel Alexandra” news early in the week, and since then the Derby winner has been virtually ignored by the media.

While it’s easy to dismiss Mine That Bird’s victory as a fluke due to weather and track conditions and a brilliant ride, history tells us that Derby winners are good horses. A few have been a bit inconsistent (Virginia-bred Sea Hero comes to mine), but generally speaking, if you can win the first Saturday in May at Churchill, you’ve got yourself a damn nice horse.

No reason Mine That Bird can’t be that horse.

Don’t be fooled by the cowboy hats and the horse trailer. As jet-setting Triple Crown vet and Hall of Fame nominee Bob Baffert recently said, “It doesn’t matter if he wears a cowboy hat or if he vanned the horse. I used to wear a cowboy hat and van my own horses. I started the same way. He did a good job, and nobody’s giving him any credit for it. I think the horse is legit. You can’t throw him out.”

So the question is, can Mine That Bird knock off the Super Filly? Can he become this generation’s Seabiscuit?

Maybe he's the "perfect" Triple Crown winner for right here, right now...

Paul Moran of ESPN also weighs in on racing's need for a hero.

Preakness Feud: "Greed Isn't Right"

Glenn Petty — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:56:00 -0400

Say what?

Via the PaulickReport.com, the following press release was issued on behalf of Mark Allen, co-owner of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, concerning previously publicized comments by Allen to enter the horse Indy Express in an effort to prevent Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra from securing a starting berth in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.

As VA HBPA Executive Director Frank Petremalo said so eloquently this morning in TodaysACCHeadlines.com World Headquarters, "In lieu of a circular firing squad."

For immediate release (Sunday, May 10, 1015 p.m.)

INDY EXPRESS OUT OF PREAKNESS

Mark Allen, owner of the 135th Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, will not enter Indy Express in the 2009 Preakness Stakes.

Early this morning Allen was delivered a message to contact another owner.

“Our conversation consisted of congratulating me on our win in the Derby and talking about a rematch, wanting a chance to hook us on a fast surface. We laughed and joked about what a race that would be,” said Allen.

“When it comes to Rachel Alexandra, I personally don’t think any filly should be in a race against colts at this stage of their careers. I don’t believe in running fillies against the colts. But Rachel Alexandra is a superior filly and could be the exception. Mr. Jackson has a great trainer in Steve Asmussen and I’m sure they will make the right decision and Lord help us all if she does get in.”

“And yes, it’s true that I would like to have my jockey back. Calvin Borel is great and did a great job for us. I also respect him and I completely understand his love for Rachel Alexandra. If the filly gets in we have a commitment from Mike Smith. We have a lot of confidence in Mike, he’s from our part of the country and he’s got some Cowboy in him too, I’ve seen his boots,” said Allen.

“Additionally, my decision to enter Indy Express in the Preakness was strictly business but after consulting with my Dad and Doc Blach, I have decided to withdraw Indy Express to prevent any further misunderstandings. They’re advice to me was just to do what’s right, because arrogance and greed isn’t right. Indy Express is a good colt and showing a lot of potential. I’ll just have to look forward to running him later on down the road. The bottom-line for me is that we came here to race and enjoy our win here in Louisville. So, we’ll meet everyone in Baltimore, ready to run,” said Allen.

So there's your life lesson for the day 1) Rachel Alexandra is really good and 2) arrogance and greed are bad.

You might as well go home now, that's as good as it gets on your odd garden variety Monday.