LOTS OF STUFF: FROM NO BAFFERT TO BYE-BYE NASCAR

 Bummer! … BOB BAFFERT will not have a horse in the Aug. 10 Arlington Million at Colonial Downs. Entries for the Gr. I stakes race … as well as the co-featured Gr. II Secretariat and Gr. II Beverly D … closed last week without a Thoroughbred from the Hall of Fame trainer … Maybe he didn’t get notification in time that his two-year-plus suspension by Churchill Downs had been lifted. That’s one explanation … Don’t forget: All tracks owned by CD, Inc., including the one in New Kent County, were effected by the ban after Baffert-trained MEDINA SPIRIT won the 2021 Kentucky Derby then was disqualified for having a banned substance. Originally the suspension was for two years but later increased through 2024 for reasons thought to be related to a suit brought by the owners of MUTH, also trained by Baffert, to compete in this year’s Derby … A Kentucky judge ruled the suit had no merit … Muth was not in the Derby field … and Churchill subsequently decided to cut short Baffert’s ban with five months remaining.

……. Gotta love the NBA … for reneging on TNT’s 

contractural rights … that it can match any bid in the new 

deal, which Turner did … ostensibly taking over Amazon’s 

annual $1.3 billion … then being told it couldn’t … You 

don’t think TNT is suing, do you? Darn right it is … Anyone 

want to bet this is settled out of court? … with other partners 

(ESPN, ABC, and NBC) giving up a few games to keep 

“Inside the NBA” on the air … and CHARLES 

BARKLEYcontinued relevance – well, sort of, anyway.

……. Just asking … What is the over/under for number of 

games by NY Jets QB AARON RODGERS in 2024? 

Maybe plays would be more like it. He was down and out 

for the season after a grand total of four snaps a year ago … 

No wonder 14-year NFL veteran TYROD TAYLOR of 

Virginia Tech passing fame signed with “Gang Green” to 

serve as Rodgers’ backup after being released by the New 

York Football Giants … whose coach BRIAN DABOLL

 said he didn’t want Taylor to leave.

……. LEWIS HAMILTON kept blocking MAX 

VERSTAPPEN … who finally went airborne trying to get 

by for a podium finish in Sunday’s F1 Hungarian Grand Prix 

… and finished fifth … yet afterwards it was Hamilton who 

told Verstappen to stop whining and “act like a champion.”

……. I don’t know about you but … I am really excited about 

… can’t wait for … the Aug. 11 Cookout 400 NASCAR 

race at Fairgrounds Raceway featuring new (different?) tires 

… That’s it … tires. Oh, and RICHARD PETTY will be 

grand marshal for the truck race a day earlier. Now … if 

King Richard, who won a record 200 Cup races until retiring 

in 1992, would un-retire and take the green flag one more 

time … at age 87 … 

……. Go on, say it … OK, told you so, told you so, told you so

 … Mexico City reportedly is oh-so-close to replacing 

Richmond on next year’s NASCAR Cup schedule … That 

Fairgrounds Raceway would be reduced from two races to 

one a season has been considered inevitable … as attendance 

went from 100,000-plus in its heyday under PAUL 

SAWYER to an estimated 20,000-minus … prompted 

(we’re told) by lack of action at the once Action Track under 

the late Sawyer … With 2024 marking the end of a 10-year 

TV contract worth $820 million annually with Fox and NBC 

… NASCAR already has announced a $7.7 BILLION deal 

with Fox, NBC, Amazon, and TNT/Max over the next seven 

years … Meanwhile, the teams are locked in a bitter dispute 

with the governing body over a variety of things … not the 

least of which is irregular application of the rules … which 

seem to get more complex (unreasonable?) … Here’s a 

suggestion: why not break away and return to the sport’s 

southern roots?

Until next time ...