Catherine’s Flying Hamster Blog

Air travel became more expensive again. The major air carriers are increasing their roundtrip fares:

“…Some of the nation’s biggest airlines raised most domestic fares by an additional $20 roundtrip over the weekend, adding to the strain on consumers now paying an average of more than $4 a gallon for regular gas.”

link: Top airlines hike fares by $20 roundtrip

The airlines are trying to survive the increasing fuel costs. Checked luggage regulations are changing and there are charges now on most carriers. Check the web site of the air carrier that you will be using. The airlines will be trying to find creative ways to generate more capital. For the air traveler, unfortunately that will mean additional costs.

Catherine

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

One of Big Brown’s main rivals at the Belmont Stakes will not run. Casino Drive has been pulled from the small list of entrants. Casino Drive has a reported stone bruise on the hind left hoof:

“…”This morning, he was feeling well, so we took him to the track for a canter,” Nobutaka Tada, spokesperson for owner Hidetoshi Yamamoto and trainer Kazuo Fujisawa, told reporters.

“He came back well to the stable, but later he started favoring his left-hind again.”

link: Casino Drive scratched from Belmont Stakes

This increases the chances of Big Brown’s possible Triple Crown. The Belmont Stakes, however, is a long race and it is a race that has thwarted other Triple Crown hopefuls. Nevertheless, this could be a historic moment for Big Brown. His hoof problem has been resolved and he has a great chance of claiming this third jewel in the crown.

Catherine

In Game One of the NBA finals, Sasha Vujacic was the first substitute off the L.A. Lakers bench. He came into the game in the first quarter and had Ray Allen to guard. That meant that Ray Allen ran Sasha Vujacic from one side of the court to the other and bounced him off numerous screens. For the night, Ray Allen scored nineteen points. And Sasha Vujacic had a rough introduction to the NBA finals:

link: Game One

Sasha Vujacic had eight points: two baskets on seven attempts. He also had four personal fouls. In twenty seven minutes of playing time, Sasha Vujacic had trouble at both ends of the court. The defensive assignment of covering Ray Allen may have diminished Sasha Vujacic’s effectiveness at the offensive end.

One of the keys to the Lakers’ success will be how effective they are in defending Ray Allen. Sasha Vujacic must see from the tapes of the game that this series means chasing Ray Allen through loads of Celtic traffic. Putting Ray Allen on the foul line or leaving him open momentary from three point range will make this a very difficult series for the Lakers. In Game Two, on Sunday, the Lakers simply need Sasha Vujacic to stay with one of the premier shooters in the NBA at the defensive end. With the Celtics having a one game lead now, Sasha Vujacic margin of error has decreased significantly. One has the feeling that Ray Allen is going to be happy to see Sasha Vujacic again.

Catherine

There is a saying that is attributed to a former L.A Lakers coach, Pat Riley. The saying is “no rebounds, no rings“. It was Pat Riley’s way of saying that winning basketball games relies on rebounding. In Game One of the NBA championship series, the Lakers were out-rebounded by the Boston Celtics: 46 - 33. Pau Gasol had a team high eight rebounds and Lamar Odom had six rebounds. When the Lakers have lost in the post season playoffs, Pau Gasol has had low rebound numbers. And the Lakers fell in Game One: 98 - 88.

link: Game One

Further, the Celtics were more efficient with the three point shot than the Lakers. Boston shot at a thirty one per cent efficiency ( 6 for 19 ) while the Lakers shot a lowly twenty one per cent ( 3 for 14 ) from three point land. Two of Boston’s three point baskets were made by Paul Pierce, after he returned to the count from his injury. That gave the Celtics the lead which they never relinquished. It seemed that the Paul Pierce injury was a greater distraction for the Lakers than the Celtics.

In the end, it is really back to basics for the Lakers. They need to rebound the ball, defend the three point line and make their foul shots. It may be, in this series, that the Lakers truly miss their young center, Andrew Bynum. A total of fourteen rebounds from the combined efforts of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom is not going to be enough to beat the Celtics.

Catherine