Game Two: The Fans Lose

It does not matter whether one is hoping for a Celtic championship or a Lakers championship. In Game Two of the championship series, the basketball fans lost. The officiating determined the outcome of the game and it was blatant.

The Lakers went to the foul line ten (10) times. The Celtics went to the foul line thirty eight (38) times. Were the Lakers committing fouls almost four times as much as the Celtics?

link: Game Two: NBA Championship Series

From one venue where more than two hundred basketball fans watched the game, the reaction was very telling. At the end of the first quarter, about twenty per cent of the crowd left. The sentiment was that there was not a chance that the Lakers could win. The officiating was going to determine the outcome. And that is from both Lakers and Celtics fans. This is from ardent, regular fans. It’s just sad that people who really like the game doubt the integrity of the product that they are seeing.

Catherine Forsythe

Kent Desormeaux’s First Priority

Big Brown had a disastrous day at the Belmont Stakes. In a try for the Triple Crown, Big Brown finished last. Big Brown’s jockey, Kent Desormeaux, made a terrific decision and eased his horse from the race. Kent Desormeaux said, “I had no horse“.

link: Could steroids use have fueled Big Brown’s run at glory?

The race has stirred controversy and questions. There are questions about trainer Rick Dutrow’s pre-race statements, questions about Big Brown’s preparation, questions about the ownership group and so forth. The one thing that is beyond question is that Kent Desormeaux did the right thing. His main responsibility as a jockey is take care of his horse. And he did.

At the very beginning of the race, Big Brown did not look comfortable. Like a human runner, a horse in full motion should have head movement that tracks on a level plane. The horse should not be having its head fight upward. It is an indication of an uncomfortable run and Big Brown showed this early in the race.

When Kent Desormeaux asked for more run from his horse and there was not the usual response, the race was finished for Big Brown. That is not the usual reaction from this horse and Kent Desormeaux knew it. He could not risk the possibility of injury to his horse - and it must have flashed in his mind whether Big Brown was injured already. Fortunately, that was not the case. That is known only in hindsight. At that moment, Kent Desormeaux did what he could for his horse and eased Big Brown off. Kudos to this jockey. It was a superb decision.

Catherine

Kent Desormeaux’s First Priority

Big Brown had a disastrous day at the Belmont Stakes. In a try for the Triple Crown, Big Brown finished last. Big Brown’s jockey, Kent Desormeaux, made a terrific decision and eased his horse from the race. Kent Desormeaux said, “I had no horse“.

link: Could steroids use have fueled Big Brown’s run at glory?

The race has stirred controversy and questions. There are questions about trainer Rick Dutrow’s pre-race statements, questions about Big Brown’s preparation, questions about the ownership group and so forth. The one thing that is beyond question is that Kent Desormeaux did the right thing. His main responsibility as a jockey is take care of his horse. And he did.

At the very beginning of the race, Big Brown did not look comfortable. Like a human runner, a horse in full motion should have head movement that tracks on a level plane. The horse should not be having its head fight upward. It is an indication of an uncomfortable run and Big Brown showed this early in the race.

When Kent Desormeaux asked for more run from his horse and there was not the usual response, the race was finished for Big Brown. That is not the usual reaction from this horse and Kent Desormeaux knew it. He could not risk the possibility of injury to his horse - and it must have flashed in his mind whether Big Brown was injured already. Fortunately, that was not the case. That is known only in hindsight. At that moment, Kent Desormeaux did what he could for his horse and eased Big Brown off. Kudos to this jockey. It was a superb decision.

Catherine Forsythe

Roger Federer: A Bagel on Clay

Rafael Nadal won the French Open. Minutes after the start, the final outcome was never in question:

“…Nadal, 22, joined Bjorn Borg as the only men to win four consecutive Roland Garros titles with a 6-1 6-3 6-0 victory in Sunday’s final.

“I did not expect a match like this,” said the Spaniard. “I think I played an almost perfect match.”

link: French Open

Rafael Nadal played a wonderful match. However, the impression was that Roger Federer was never in the match. And no one would expect that Roger Federer would have a 6 - 0 showing in a Grand Slam final. The main response will be that tennis, on clay, is a completely different game. However, just minutes into the match, one had the impression that Roger Federer did not believe he could win on clay against Rafael Nadal. It was evident in his decisions and body language. And if he did not believe it, then the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

Catherine