A Day At The Races

I will get to blasting Rutgers for its complete ineptitude in my next post. For now, I'm going to stick with this past weekend in racing.

Like Father, Like Son

The Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend in the U.S. is the greatest day on the racing calendar. You have the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the Coca-Cola 600 (I didn't watch this one) all on that day. I'll start with the Monaco GP. It was quite a day to remember for Nico Rosberg. Starting on the pole is always important, but on the tight streets of Monte Carlo, it's paramount to have a good qualifying run. There are few places to pass on the circuit, unless of course you are Sergio Perez or Adrian Sutil.

Photo Credit: Google Images

Although they didn't win the race, the surely made it very interesting. Perez was fighting with his McLaren-Mercedes teammate, Jenson Button for a majority of the race, which by F1 standards is taboo (something I completely disagree with, but I digress). Sutil was making passes in places where you shouldn't be able to, which made for some great racing. However, the day belonged to Nico Rosberg and his Mercedes-AMG team. Rosberg went wire-to-wire to win the Monaco GP 30 years after his father, Keke Rosberg. His win was also the first EVER win for Mercedes at Monaco. For a manufacturer so steeped in racing tradition like Mercedes, it blew my mind that they have NEVER won at Monaco until last Sunday. That race was also NBC's first network broadcast of F1, and they did a fantastic job. I'm looking forward to their future broadcasts.

TK Finally Has His Day At Indy

I'm a big Helio Castroneves and Team Penske fan. Ever since I've been watching IndyCar racing, I've always rooted for Penske, and at Indy, that's always a safe bet. Roger Penske's cars have won fifteen Indy 500s. However, there are so many great personalities in IndyCar these days that it's hard to root against anyone. I heard of the stories of how Tony Kanaan was such a huge fan favorite at Indy, but it wasn't until I went to the 2011 Indy 500 that I actually understood how much he's loved. This is what made this race so special for everyone involved. This year's race was some of the best racing I've ever seen at Indy, and I've been watching this race for twenty years. Sixty-eight lead changes - that DOUBLED the record set last year! It was also the fastest Indy 500 ever with an average speed of 187+ miles per hour. You really couldn't ask a more exciting race.

Photo Credit: Google Images

With three laps to go, Tony Kanaan passed Ryan Hunter-Reay going into turn one to take the lead of the race. Almost immediately after that, Dario Franchitti hit the wall to bring out the caution. That ended the race and Tony Kanaan FINALLY gets an Indy 500 victory. In the twelve 500s he's raced in, he had led in nine of them. He was long overdue. The comparison that can be made is to when Dale Earnhardt Sr. finally won the Daytona 500. Literally every crew member and race official congratulated him before he got to victory lane. Tony Kanaan said himself that he never had so many people congratulate him on a win before. Normally, you can't hear the crowd over the cars on TV, but when Tony Kanaan took the lead in before the last caution, the crowd drowned out the cars. The support Kanaan has at Indy in amazing. After so much hard luck at the Brickyard, the man they call "TK" can finally call himself an Indianapolis 500 Champion.

Indy 500 Field Set, Triple Crown Hopes Shattered Once Again

Indy 500 Field Set

We are less than a week from my favorite day in auto racing. Formula 1, IndyCar, and NASCAR all have marquee races that day. But for now, I'm going to concentrate on the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the Indianapolis 500. This past weekend was qualifying for the race. It's done over two days. The first day is Pole Day. All the drivers make four-lap qualifying runs to set the field for the race. However, there's a slight twist to that. The top-nine drivers, called the "Fast Nine," get half an hour to try and grab the pole for the race. This year, it was all three Penske cars, all five Andretti Autosport cars, and Ed Carpenter. Sounds like the basis for a good joke, right? Anyway, after the dust settled, it was the hometown hero that took the pole. Yes, Ed Carpenter is your pole-sitter for the Indianapolis 500 with a four-lap average of 228.762 mph. Carlos Muñoz and Marco Andretti round out the front row.

The second day is Bump Day. Drivers that qualified lower than 24th have a chance to get back into the race. Some years, this day can get crazy because there are so many drivers trying to make the field. This year, there were nine spots for ten drivers. You kind of knew that drivers like Graham Rahal, Josef Newgarden, Sebastian Saavedra, and Ana Beatriz would not be shut out because of their experience in the series. I do feel for Michel Jourdain Jr., though. He was the only driver to miss the field because his crew just couldn't find the right set-up. They tried all weekend to find a set-up that worked, but it was to no avail.

35 Years and Counting...

I said on Twitter on Sunday that rooting for a Triple Crown winner is like being a Cubs fan. "There's always next year," they say. Once again, the horse racing world is going to have to wait another year. Orb finished 4th in the Preakness. Oxbow won the race. Gary Stevens rode a solid race on Oxbow and deservedly got the win. I think being on the rail hurt Orb a bit. In the pre-race coverage, the other racers were saying how they wanted to pin Orb on the rail. It was almost like they were more concerned with stopping Orb than actually winning the race. That's probably how Oxbow and Gary Stevens won. They just ran their race. It looked like Orb started to make his move way early down the backstretch. When Joel Rosario pulled him up a bit, it looked like Orb couldn't get going again around the final turn. So, once again, we're left to wonder  what could have been and if 2014 will finally be the year. Only good thing about Orb losing is that he'll probably be in the Haskell field at Monmouth Park come this July, but that's a little selfish of me.

The NHL's 2nd Round Match-ups Are Set

With two Game 7s last night, the first round of the NHL playoffs came to an end. For some teams, it was quick work (San Jose). For other teams, they were taken to the brink only to make a miraculous comeback (Boston). The second round starts tonight, so I'm going to go through the match-ups and make some picks.

Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa

Starting with the Eastern Conference, the Pens and Sens will square of in a #1 vs. #7 match-up. The Islanders gave the Penguins all they could handle in the first round, and I look for Ottawa to do the same. Only problem for the Pens, the Sens are essentially an upgraded version of the Islanders. If there's a team that could surprise Pittsburgh, it's Ottawa. The story of this series will be how Ottawa handles Matt Cooke after the injury to Erik Karlsson. That could set the tone for the entire series. Maybe Ottawa takes a page out of Philly's book on how to beat the Penguins in the playoffs and just beats them around to throw them off their game.

Prediction: Sens in 7.

Boston vs. New York

The other match-up in the East puts two cities that don't particularly like each other together. The Bruins and the Rangers square off in an Original Six series. The Leafs had Boston on the ropes in game 7 last round down by three goals in the third period, but their resiliency showed and the Bruins ended up eliminating the Leafs in overtime. The big question in this series will be, "Does Rick Nash show up?" He was next to invisible in the Rangers' series versus the Capitals, and if not for Lundqvist standing on his head, the Rangers are probably golfing right now. This series is also going to be a long, tough one.

Prediction: Bruins in 6.

Chicago vs. Detroit

Moving to the Western Conference, we see one of the best rivalries in the league in Blackhawks/Red Wings for a second round series. The Red Wings outlasted the Ducks in a seven game series, so one school of thought is that they are primed and ready to continue their run. The other school of thought is that Chicago with their rest will be much more fresh for this match-up. In rivalries, throw everything out the window because anything goes. You can't look at stats, trends, etc., because the teams play each other tough no matter how good or bad they may be. My only issue with the Red Wings is that the Blackhawks have so much depth that I don't know if Detroit will be able to handle it. The games will be hard-fought, but I actually think this series goes short.

Prediction: Blackhawks in 5.

Los Angeles vs. San Jose

It's SoCal vs. the Bay Area in the other Western Conference match-up. The hard-hitting Kings go up against the high-scoring Sharks. Will LA's toughness be enough to get past the Sharks? Their offense is going to have be on its game because Antti Niemi is on fire for San Jose. The question of rust comes into play for San Jose. They were the only team to complete a four-game sweep of their series, and one has to wonder if that will play into it. Jonathan Quick isn't quite up to his 2012 playoff form, but he's getting the job done for LA. St. Louis doesn't quite have the same offensive firepower San Jose does, though.

Prediction: Sharks in 6.

Manchester United At A Crossroads

Manchester United has confirmed that their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, plans to retire at the end of the season. In his illustrious 27-year career, Sir Alex has led Manchester United to thirteen Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, and two UEFA Champions' League titles. Those accolades firmly place him in the discussion for greatest manager of all-time. It's going to be hard to replace Sir Alex. The way soccer culture is now with the constant hiring and firing of managers after no more than three years, we may never someone be allowed to form the kind of legacy Sir Alex has ever again. He has become synonymous with Manchester United; you can't mention one without the other. Once this season is over, Sir Alex will "move upstairs" and become a director and ambassador for the club. However, United have an incredibly important decision to make now.

Photo Credit: Twitter (@ESPNFC)

Sir Matt Busby was the first to create a dynasty at Manchester United. Once he retired, the club took twenty years to recover. Could the same thing happen now that Sir Alex Ferguson is retiring? The potential is there. People will point to the fact that United is the most well known soccer brand (not just club) in the world and that players will still want to play at Old Trafford. Maybe, but will high school basketball players still want to play their college ball at Duke once Coach K retires? Something to think about. If United don't get the right man in as manager, the future of the club could parallel that of another former Premier League power, Leeds United. Now, this is just my own speculation, but United have a ton of debt thanks to the Glazers. Their ability to stay afloat comes from constantly qualifying for Champions' League and winning the Premier League. If they choose the wrong manager and that stops, they could be looking at a downward spiral that could land them with the same fate as Leeds: relegation. They would have to sell their stars to bring in cash, they wouldn't be able to compete, and everything Sir Alex built will crumble. If United don't want to suffer the same fate, this hire needs to be perfect.

Run For The Roses Recap

The 139th Kentucky Derby is in the books, and it was another great race! Track conditions were incredibly sloppy because of the rain in the area all day. Normally, that means the race will be a bit slow. The first half-mile was anything but slow. Palace Malace set a torrid pace with at 45.33 seconds at the half, fourth fastest in Kentucky Derby history. That paced proved beneficial for the horses that chose to hang at the rear of the field going into the third turn. Going into the fourth turn and into the stretch, the pace-setters began to fall behind and Normandy Invasion took the lead, but that was short-lived. "ORRRRRRRRRB!" as Larry Colmas on NBC called him, opened his stride and stormed into lead down the stretch. No one was going to catch him and Orb won the Kentucky Derby by about two lengths. Golden Soul and Revolutionary rounded out the trifecta.

Photo Credit: Washington Post

Now the question is, as is always after the Derby, "Can [insert Derby winner here] win the Triple Crown?" I doubt the Preakness will be an issue for Orb. It's the marathon otherwise known as The Belmont Stakes that's always the wild card. I always go back to the last solid chance of breaking the Triple Crown-less streak - 2004 and Smarty Jones. If Stewart Elliot had just held on to Smarty just a little longer before letting him go, he would have been the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. Instead, 36-1 longshot, Birdstone, took the win an continued the streak another year. Since then, there hasn't really been a great shot to win the Triple Crown. Personally, I think Orb can do it. He's got a great distance pedigree with great closing speed. As long as there's no Birdstone baby in the field and Joel Rosario runs a good race, I think Orb can break the 35-year drought. His great-great-great grandfather broke a 25-year Triple Crown drought back in 1973. That was some horse named Secretariat. You might have heard of him.

Tebow Is Cut and My Friend Gets the Chance of a Lifetime

The New York Jets are the Worst

Throughout the offseason, it was common knowledge that the Tim Tebow experiment in New York had run its course and that the Jets were trying to move Tebow. They were so desperate to do so that they even told Tebow and his agent to seek out trade partners. They had no such luck. So, I wake up today, two days after the NFL draft ended only to see the news that the Jets are releasing Tebow. Talk about a slap in the face. All Tebow has done was be a good teammate through some of the worst circumstances he's ever been in since he has been in the NFL. Why couldn't the Jets just cut him after they knew the trade market for Tebow was non-existent back in March? That would have at least given him the opportunity to try to find another team to play for. Now, it's going to be next to impossible for him to find a team that will take him because teams have already signed veterans and undrafted free agents to fill open QB spots heading into camp. To top it all off, the Jets have the gall to come out and say that they have the utmost respect for Tebow. Respect?! The way this went down was the complete opposite. The Jets completely disrespected Tebow throughout all of this, and I hope he does find a team that will give him a chance. When he does, I hope he gets a chance to play the Jets and totally annihilates them.

So, I Have a Friend In the NFL...

I first met Mason back in 1st grade. We were in the same class. The first thing I noticed about him was that he only talked about football. Everything he did was football-related. Even back then, he knew exactly what he wanted to do - play in the NFL. Big dreams for a six-year old kid from Somerville, right? Well, fast forward to high school. Mason was the star of the football team. How good was he? Think Reggie Bush at USC in 2005; that's what it looked like when he had the ball in his hands. He was easily the fastest guy on the field. That translated to his track and field career too because I'm fairly certain he still holds the 100-meter record for Somervile High School. Needless to say, Mason had a bright future ahead of him.

Mason and I didn't have many classes together in high school, but we were in the same homeroom. It was a short period, but him and I would always be catching up during it. I'd help him with some last minute homework or give him some last-minute study help for a test he would have. I remember when colleges started recruiting him. It was around the same time that I started looking at schools. There were several schools that wanted Mason. I forget the schools exactly, but I know there were a few from Big Ten and ACC country. Of course, Rutgers also came calling. Greg Schiano wanted to keep the best talent in New Jersey at the state university. So, it made sense that Mason got a look. 

Initially, I wanted to go UNC-Chapel Hill, but both them and UVA denied me, so that ended that. I was left with Delaware, West Virginia, Penn State, and Rutgers. Our senior year of high school was the year of the "Pandemonium in Piscataway" game. Rutgers beat #3-ranked Louisville on a Thursday night in front of a national audience on ESPN. I was at that game, and so was Mason. What an experience that was! Later in the school year, Mason verbally committed to Rutgers. He invited me to his signing of his letter of intent on National Signing Day that year. I was so happy for him then, and when he put the pen to paper and made it official, I didn't need anything else to make my choice for college. I also decided to go to Rutgers, and I have zero regrets about that choice. Mason is only one of two people that I went to school with from kindergarten all the way through college.

Throughout our time at Rutgers, we tried to meet up at least once a semester to catch up. Playing division one football is like having a full-time job. It made meeting up tough, but we made it work. We ended up being in the same calculus class the spring semester of our freshman year. Once again, just like in high school, I helped him out whenever I could. I ran into him at graduation last year when he finished his undergrad degree. Again, I was incredibly proud of him. Both us were Somerville grads and now we were both Loyal Sons of Rutgers. He still had another year of eligibility to play for Rutgers because the team used a medical redshirt on him for one of his injuries. After this season ended, he went right to work training for the NFL draft.

Even though his name wasn't called draft weekend, the same coach that recruited him to play college ball, Greg Schiano, gave him the chance of a lifetime by signing him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. I may not have agreed with Greg's play-calling at Rutgers, but I never once questioned his character and his loyalty to his people. Because of that and Mason's hard work, determination, and perseverance, my friend now has a chance to live out the dream he's had his entire life, and I couldn't be happier for him! If there was ever someone in my life that I could use as inspiration, it's Mason. The guy has battled through two season-ending knee injuries and has come out of it with a chance to make it in the NFL. He shows me that you can't give up on your dreams and goals, no matter how tough the circumstances may be. The Buccaneers should be thankful to have Mason Robinson on their squad. Mason is a better man than he is a football player, and he surely is one hell of a football player!

NFL Draft Day One: Unpredictable

Last night at Radio City Music Hall in NYC was the first round of the NFL Draft, and it was quite an unpredictable one. If you had a mock draft, it was probably ripped up within the first few picks considering it was the first time since 1968 where three of the first four picks were offensive linemen. Eric Fisher out of Central Michigan went #1 to the Kansas City Chiefs. It looks like he's an athletic o-lineman, which will be good for Andy Reid's offense. He can play a number of positions on the line, so Fisher looks like a good pick for KC. As you go through the draft, you get to the Eagles at #4 and their pick of Lane Johnson. Solid pick for them because their offensive line last year was awful. Good thing about Johnson, he used to play quarterback and tight end, so he's very athletic. That will serve him and the Eagles well with Chip Kelly's offense. The Cleveland Browns are the butt of a lot of the jokes that aren't directed at the Cowboys or the Jets, but they made a solid pick with Barkevious Mingo at number #6. Cleveland's defense might be sneaky good next year. Watch for them, seriously.

At #8, things got very interesting. The Rams and Bills made a trade to swap draft spots. At #8, the Rams took Tavon Austin out of West Virginia. With him in slot, the Rams have a very versatile guy on the offensive side of the football who should become a weapon for Sam Bradford. Then we come to the Jets. They were looking to take Tavon Austin, but the Rams sniped him with that trade. They ended up taking Dee Milliner, the cornerback from Alabama, which surprised a lot of people because they actually made a decent pick. But this is the Jets, and they had another first round pick at #13. Surely they take an offensive player, right? They need to get a weapon for Mark Sanchez, right? They picked Sheldon Richardson, defensive tackle out of Missouri. My Twitter feed went nuts. Jets fans got mad and non-Jets fans made jokes. They probably should have traded down if they could into a spot where there were more offensive players worth taking later in the first round, but that wouldn't have been the "Jets" thing to do.

The Bills were down on #16 after their trade with the Rams. Many thought they would take a quarterback. Doug Marrone, former Syracuse head coach, is the head coach and many thought that QB would be Ryan Nassib because of familiarity. Well, they took EJ Manuel out of Florida State. It's a boom or bust pick for sure. There really wasn't a QB that was a real first-round talent, but Manuel wasn't even in the top-3 QBs eligible for the draft. It will be interesting to see how he pans out. This pick will define the Marrone regime in Buffalo. At #18, there was another trade. My San Francisco 49ers traded up with the Cowboys to grab Eric Reid, safety out of LSU. With Dashon Goldson leaving via free agency, there was a hole in their secondary at safety. Since the Niners don't do a lot by way of rotation on defense, they needed someone that can play all three downs. Scouts say Reid is that guy, this looks like a solid pick for the Niners.

To round out the first round, the Minnesota Vikings were very, very active. Through trades, they ended up with three first round picks. With those picks, they took Sharrif Floyd, Xavier Rhodes, and Cordarrelle Patterson. They did a great job of filling needs. Floyd was expected by some to go as high as #3, so to have him fall into their lap at #23 is a steal and he fills a need on their defensive line. They needed a corner, so they made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks to move back into the first round to take Rhodes. The Vikings thought they were done, but then they found out New England was willing to move their pick, they jumped on the opportunity and took Patterson who looks to replace Percy Harvin in the return game. People say he's raw as a receiver, but he can make plays with the ball in his hand.

It will be very interesting to see what happens today in rounds two and three. There are a lot of offensive skill players available, plenty of big names left on the board, and a bunch of teams that have multiple picks in these rounds. Where does Manti Te'o go? Who takes Geno Smith? When does the first running back come off the board? The second and third rounds could be more exciting than the first.