PREAKNESS BARELY AVOIDED MAJOR TRAGEDY

 Don’t you just love it when …

Thoroughbred horse racing came that close to a 

major pile-up in the Preakness Stakes … and no one 

apparently cares enough to do something about it? 

There was an inquiry after Goal Oriented, ridden by

 FLAVIEN PRAT, veered left into Journalism, 

which went off stride and somehow kept from going 

down … righted itself and went on to overtake 

runaway leader Gosger – barely -- for the win. But 

the stewards, who could have come down hard on 

Prat, did nothing, making their decision quickly – 

without much comment from veteran observers like 

Hall of Fame jockey JERRY BAILEY who said, “I 

know, it’s Flavien’s job not to give in to anybody … 

but I think he went over the line in the last few 

strides of that contact, trying to finish it off.” … The 

third (final) leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont 

Stakes, will be held Saturday at Saratoga. Prat will 

be aboard Baeza in the eight-horse field, with 

Journalism the morning line favorite (7/5). We will 

have a more in-depth look at that race plus more on 

Prat, the Preakness and Journalism’s amazing 

dexterity Sunday.

*** Baseball coach BRIAN O’CONNOR left 

Virginia after 22 years, much-praised by his players 

(past and present), without so much as a team 

meeting to tell them first he was off to Mississippi 

State?

*** The New York Knickerbockers reach the 

conference finals for the first time in 28 years … 

then fire coach TOM THIBODEAU, who in five 

seasons won 50 more games than he lost? How 

hilarious was it that, during Indiana’s 125-108 rout in 

Game 6, TNT kept its cameras on the always-

expressive Thibodeau who constantly reacted to his 

players’ poor play by rolling his eyes, shaking his 

head and generally leaving the impression why me, 

Lord, why me?

*** A .190 hitter (Dodgers’ MAX MUNCY) hits a 

home run, poses while ball leaves the yard, then 

emphatically flipping his bat before trotting towards 

first? We’re told that’s routine in MLB, that no one 

takes offense … well, hardly anyone anyway.

Until next time ...