Couldn't happen to a nicer guy, Steinbrenner's horse chokes

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Posted By: <b>tbob</b><p>The best horse in the race and the one with the most inexperienced jockey, Afleet Alex, finished 3rd and should have won it. That would've been 2 Arkansas Derby winners in a row in the winner's circle (Smarty Jones). Both horses were dubbed the "people's champ" ala Seabiscuit. Stay tuned for Alex in the Preakness.<br />Steinbrenner's horse ran a lot like his baseball team, old, overrated, and no closing kick...

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Posted By: <b>DJ</b><p>You are opening up a can of worms with this statement as Yankee fans are probably going to respond in an unkind manner.<br /><br />I for one, agree. Steinbrenner sucks canal water and nothing brings me more joy than seeing the Yankees and their $200+ million dollar payroll tanking.<br /><br />Can I get a giant AWWWWWW....<br /><br />DJ

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Posted By: <b>Judge Dred</b><p>Lets hope George doesn't start investing in vintage cards... <br /><br />Oh yeah, who will George blame for this loss? <br /><br />1) Joe Torre<br />2) Mel Stottlemeyer<br />3) Barry Zito<br />4) The horse<br />5) The jockey<br />6) Billy Martin<br />7) ...

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Posted By: <b>will watson</b><p>haha, i think you mean Nick Zito

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Posted By: <b>DJ</b><p>That's what we need, George purchasing cards. He would buy every lot in every thick catalog, dominate eBay with his purchases and then he would get a VBC id (gsteinbrenner) and begin questioning grades like the rest of us.<br /><br />No thanks.<br /><br />DJ

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Old and overrated is an apt description for this poorly matched group of misfits. For the $15 million they pay a 40 year pitcher who is beginning to break down, they could buy three 25 year olds for $5 million apiece and one or two of them are likely to become productive and have long careers. But not in Yankeeland. Maybe George will begin to realize he has a very poor business model, but I doubt it.

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Posted By: <b>Judge Dred</b><p>DJ, there'd be an easy solution for George's potential grading grievances... he'd buy PSA then fire the graders...

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Posted By: <b>Jay Miller</b><p>Barry--A Yankee fan could not hope for a better owner than George Steinbrenner--he wants to win as badly as they do and is willing to spend money, his money, to try and accomplish this. Compare this to Mets management over the last ten years. They've had opportunities to add players to make their team watchable and until this past year have declined. Some of the players that the Yankees have added have been busts--Kevin Brown and the post steroid Jason Giambi are two prime examples. However, when you take chances sometimes you succeed and sometimes you don't. Doing nothing and second guessing those who attempt to succeed is rarely a successful strategy.

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Posted By: <b>Judge Dred</b><p>I don't doubt Steinbrenner's desire to win. It boils down to smaller market teams that can't compete financially. It's not really a level playing field. The Yankees (with King George at the reins) will always have a better chance than most teams to make the playoffs and World Series. Heck yes most of us are envious of this type of ownership in a team because it brings good talent to the playing field. Although not all picks pan out most picks are fairly solid. This is one good reason that a lot of people don't like George - he makes it difficult for others to get the brass ring.

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Posted By: <b>steve k</b><p>Steinbrenner stayed silent with the press all week thinking that if he talked about the race it would jinx his horse...yea, that strategy worked! LOL

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Jay- I'm not criticizing Steinbrenner for not spending enough money or trying hard enough to win- my beef is with sinking huge sums of money into players who are near the end of their career. Put some money into some young pitching arms, and build up through the minor leagues. There's nothing more compelling than a young pitcher with a live arm. Kevin Brown should retire and I'm predicting that guys like Randy Johnson and to some extent Mariano Rivera have thrown a few pitches too many in their careers and I think as the season winds down you aren't going to see much production from them. I say Yankees miss the playoffs this year. And the Mets- well, they simply don't have enough talent, yet they could be exciting to watch if we could actually see them (their games are blacked out in NY because of a hissy fit between two billionaires).

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Posted By: <b>Ted Zanidakis</b><p>Thirty years of Steinbrenner is enough for any sports fan. He<br />is the "QUINTESSENTIAL HYPER BOSS" that we all can relate to,<br />and hate.<br />Sure, he brought Reggie and the Catfish to New York, and 1977<br />and 1978 were great seasons for us Yankee fans.<br /><br />But, he never treated Munson with the respect he deserved. He<br />drove us crazy with the way he "jerked' Billy around. He traded <br />Reggie away before his time. Harassed Winfield over nothing.<br />Never really appreciated Mattingly (nit-picked about his hair, etc.).<br />Then, cut Don's career short before he had a chance to finally<br />get a W.S. Championship Ring.<br /><br />Never had the patience with Jose Rijo, Doug Drabek, Al Leiter, <br />etc., in the mid-80s to early 90's. They went on to be fine pitchers<br />with other teams.<br />Speaking about pitchers, the "Kiss of Death" with George was<br />pitching a No-Hitter during the 90's. Just ask Righetti, Abbott,<br />Rogers, Cone, and Wells. David Wells, one of the few effective<br />"Yankee-Killers" since WWII and it took George almost 10-years <br />to realize this. Finally, he acquires him, and the fans haven't<br />enjoyed a character such as him since Billy was in town. So,<br />what does George do, he trades him ! Yes, we got Clemens, but<br />if you compare their performances those subsequent two years,<br />Wells (with a mediocre team) had a much better won-lost record.<br /><br />George's recent "yo-yo" decisions to trade Wells (again), have<br />Clemens "retire", and give Pettitte away is the "last straw"<br />for me. And, the jerk wonders why the Yankees are currently<br />12 - 19. For the past 25 years we have seen George dis-respect <br />some of BaseBall's great stars. George has become a loser on<br />the ball field; and a loser on the horse track. It's long over-<br />due George, just go away and retire to one of those dogtracks<br />in Florida.<br />This is from an long time Yankee fan.... since 1947.<br /> <br />

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Posted By: <b>dennis</b><p>i wish george steinbrenner owned the white sox for the last 30 years.anyone who loves horses, expects the best from his employees (and pays the best),and demands winning is all right with me.

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Posted By: <b>Jay Miller</b><p>Barry--You can only acquire what's out there. The Yankees picked up Johnson but they also picked up Pavano who still has much of his career ahead of him.

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Posted By: <b>barrysloate</b><p>Whatever spin you want to put on the Yankees acquisitions, the bottom line is they don't appear to be working. I know you don't give up on a season in the second week of May but this simply does not look like a good team. And it's shameful that the Yankees have a $200 million plus payroll. Steinbrenner is a bully who thinks his money can buy him a championship but other teams have developed better ways to stay competitive- and like the 2003 Marlins become champions- without overpaying for every player on the roster. In no way is Steinbrenner getting his money's worth and I'll bet that Brian Cashman is taking years off his life having to succumb to the boss's every whim. The Yankees best days are behind them.

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Posted By: <b>tbob</b><p>The Yankees are the 6th best team in the American League, behind the Angels, White Sox, Twins, Red Sox and O's. This is 1965 all over again, 40 years later. They are old and have traded away their future. Look at teams like the Twins, their stars are all young, Hunter, Santana, Mauer, Morneau, etc. Unless the Yankees get back to developing their farm system they are in for a 10 year dry spell.

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Posted By: <b>tim Mayer</b><p>I can see why people dont like him, but as a yanks fan, i love him..<br /><br />he gives us every chance to win...<br /><br />i and I think hes great<br /><br />as for the yanks being dead<br /><br />its awfully early...<br /><br />i agree the twins are great though...nice future

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Posted By: <b>Julie</b><p>...and what was the name of the itty-bitty horse that won at 50-1 and paid over $100 for a two dollar bet?

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Posted By: <b>Glenn</b><p>Giacomo

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Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p>is unlikely to be considered itty-bitty.<br /><br />T-Bob,<br /><br />$20 says Bellamy Road smokes Afleet Alex if they both run in the Preakness. C'mon man put your $$ where your mouth is.<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>Julie</b><p>35 of you manage to turn it into a thread about Steinbrenner and the Yankees!

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Posted By: <b>Anonymous</b><p>...are those wanting to compare Bellamy Road to the likes of the flopping Kevin Brown or Jason Giambi.<br />Or even the Kinsman operation in Ocala with the Yankees.<br /><br />Trust me, A Beyer speed figure of 120 is nothing to scoff at...not that I wasn't impressed with Alex at the Spa as a 2 year old, or even his Derby effort...But the Preakness is quite a different race from the Derby, especially without Bandini's rabbit setting a rediculous pace.<br />

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Posted By: <b>tbob</b><p>You got it. $20 says the People's Choice will best George's Folly in the Preakness. Afleet Alex is made for the Preakness- not as far, tighter turns, a good "just off the pace" colt. You're on, but I don't make place or show bets so one of the two has to win or it is a push...

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Posted By: <b>Ted Zanidakis</b><p>Julie....you just do not appreciate the intense dislike that<br /> most of us Yankee fans have for this man.<br /><br /> Last year I followed the three big horse racing events very<br /> closely since Smarty Jones was bred here in our county in<br /> Pennsylvania.<br /><br /> This year I watched this race just to see the "horse's arse"<br /> horse lose bad. And, that he did. Indeed, "there is great joy<br /> in Mudville, for the mighty Steinbrenner has struck out".

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Posted By: <b>FourstarDave</b><p>terms of wager were stated.<br />no if's or buts.<br /><br />..and is an 87k purchase that has earned over 611k ..so far.. your idea of a folly?<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>DJ</b><p>I'm also pleased to see Joe Torre's nag choke as well. <br /><br />Does Luis Sojo or Mel Stottlemyre have any horses I can root against?<br /><br />How does this bettor's ex-wife feel now?<br /><br />Chris Hertzog placed 100 $1 bets on Saturday's Kentucky Derby with Brenda Reagan at Turf Paradise. Hertzog thought he lost a ticket worth $864,253 for accurately predicting the Kentucky Derby's top four horses. "(Turf Paradise owner) Jerry Simms took me aside and asked me if I had the ticket, and I said no, that it'd been thrown away," Hertzog said. "So he took us down to the mechanical room and we started going through trash cans."<br />Then the woman who sold him the ticket called. She found it lying beside a register. <br /><br />Herzog said his divorce was finalized last week. <br /><br />I strongly suggest he diversify his new fortune...a little bit of T205, a little bit of Fan Craze, a little bit of N300, a little bit of Goudey...<br /><br />DJ

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Posted By: <b>Bob Marquette</b><p>OK, you're on, Alex will smoke George's Folly.

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Posted By: <b>FourstarDave</b><p>The three-year-old Wood Memorial winner hurt his left front leg and will miss the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, trainer Nick Zito told the Daily Racing Form. <br /><br />The dark bay colt has some inflammation of the tissue that surrounds the splint bone, known in racing circles as having "popped a splint." <br /><br />"The bad news is he popped a splint," Zito said. "The good news is the X-rays are clean otherwise, there's no fractures so he'll be back for the big races this summer." <br /><br />I'll take the bet for $20 in the Traverse and buy you beer all day long <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br /><br />....if you wear a Yankees Cap.<br />

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Posted By: <b>tbob</b><p>Didn't know that when I posted, otherwise I would have given you long odds <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14><br />Travers is a long way away. I may take the bet though if you'll agree to wear a Bosox hat all day if you lose.