NBC Sports appeared to be
the chief beneficiary of the Kentucky Derby controversy when stewards
overturned Maximum Security’s apparent victory because they ruled that the
horse interfered with the path of others going into a turn and thus awarded the
win to longshot runner-up Country House.
After all NBC recorded its best ratings for the Kentucky
Derby in nearly 30 years because of it. That certainly boded well for this
Saturday’s Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, the second leg of thoroughbred
racing’s Triple Crown, as there would be natural interest in seeing whether
Maximum Security could cross the finish line first or would Country House be a
horse of destiny.
NBC Sports CEO Mark Lazarus had to have been thinking of
Scottish poet Robert Burns famous line about the best laid plans of mice and
men going awry. Last week Maximum Security’s owners announced that they would
be bypassing the Preakness while Country House’s team properly pulled their
horse out of the race because of respiratory issues. Without either a rematch
or possible Triple Crown story angle TV ratings will surely sag.
Oh yes, New York Racing Association officials are less than
sanguine as well because the Belmont Stakes has suddenly lost a lot of luster
as well although both Maximum Security and Country House are expected to race
in it. The PGA Championship, which is taking place this weekend at
Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, has long been the most overlooked of golf
four major tournaments (the Masters, the US Open, and the British Open being
the other three), and there was a lot of consternation in the conservative golf
community about moving it from August to May for reasons ranging from TV
ratings to weather.
All of that changed last month when Tiger Woods, the most
famous golfer since Arnold Palmer, won the Masters at age 43. Jim Nantz, the
longtime face of CBS Sports, said in a media conference call last week, that
the PGA won the lottery when that happened as did its TV partner, CBS Sports.
If you are going to the PGA Championship, the LIRR will have
frequent service between Jamaica and Farmingdale where shuttle buses will take
you to Bethpage State Park.
New York Mets reliever Jeurys Familia, who has had a rough go
of it in the early going of the season, before going on the injured for right
shoulder soreness, has returned to active duty. Manager Mickey Callaway likes
how Familia’s pitches sink but is frustrated with the amount of walks he has
issued. “He needs to make those pitches look like strikes a little longer
before they break,” he said during his Saturday pregame press conference. With
Justin Wilson on the injured list, Callaway is going to have no choice but to
use Familia in high pressure situations whether he, or Mets fans for that
matter, like it or not.
Longtime Queens resident and veteran sportswriter Danny
Knobler has written a book on baseball’s long-held and somewhat mysterious
etiquette rules aptly titled “Unwritten” (Triumph Books). Among the issues that
he deals with, often humorously, are when it’s no longer considered good form
to steal a base or bunt when a team has a lead; the proper and improper ways of
taking part in an on-field baseball brawl; as well as the often subtle
distinction of when a pitcher is allowed to throw “inside” at a hitter versus
trying to hit him.
Knobler gets a lot of current and former players to share
their recollections of game situations. Like politics, the rules of what is
acceptable certainly has shifted over the years. This is a fun and informative
read. Mets VP of alumni relations Jay Horwitz is delivering on his
promise to bring former Mets players to Citi Field on weekends for meet and
greets with fans and to chat with the media.
Two weeks ago Neil Allen, who had a solid 14-year career as a
relief pitcher, showed a quick wit as he acknowledged with a broad smile that
he is most beloved by Mets fans for being the key name in the trade that
brought Keith Hernandez to the Amazins from the St. Louis Cardinals. He even
posed for photos in the Citi Field press dining room with Hernandez. This
past Friday night two members of the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets,
pitchers Doc Gooden and Roger McDowell, were at Citi Field.
McDowell was known for his pranks on unsuspecting teammates
which included “hotfoots.” He told the media that he doubted that he could get
away with most of that stuff today. I have a feeling that the New York Fire
Department would be less than sanguine knowing that he stuck lit matches to the
cleats of teammates. Like a lot of folks over 50 years of age
McDowell is having trouble finding employment after years of serving as a
pitching coach for several MLB teams. “For the first time since 1982 I did not
report anywhere for spring training. It is nice spending time with my family
and I look forward to helping my daughter get ready for college” McDowell told
me although he is looking to be hired by a team.
Miami Marlins third base coach Fredi Gonzalez, who has been a
baseball lifer having served as a manager for both the Marlins and the Atlanta
Braves, is currently working on an undergraduate degree in business
administration and is taking online courses during the season. “I am 55 and I
want to send a message to everyone, particularly our players, that it is never
too late to go back to school,” he told outside the Marlins clubhouse at Citi
Field Friday afternoon.
The annual Queens Economic Development fund-raiser that highlights our borough’s strong culinary industry, Queens Taste, took place last Tuesday at the Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Park.
Among the exhibitors were such popular Queens restaurants as Ben’s Delicatessen, Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse, and Queens Bully. Jamaica-based beverage manufacturer Mansi introduced its version of an “Arnold Palmer” which is a mixture of iced tea and the lemon-like calamansi juice which is a favorite source of Vitamin C in the Philippines. Also having a table at Queens Taste was Queens Connect which is a program that introduces 18-24-year-olds to careers in the foodservice industry and is affiliated with Forest Hills’ Queens Community House.
The quarterly media trade show, Editor Showcase, gives both big and small companies opportunities to introduce new food products. At last Thursday’s event Jarlsberg displayed its line of individually wrapped cheese slices; Quaker Oats let the press know about their individual serving bowl portions of its Life Cereal; Crunchmaster debuted its chocolate-covered multigrain chips that taste as much like a dessert as they do a snack; and finally for those who like spicy things, Farmer’s Pantry unveiled jalapeno-flavored jalapeno crisps.
