Ryan Faller

The Brain Leak

(Week of 6/2/08 - 6/8/08)

The Leak has seemingly grabbed a solid foothold in the fickle landscape of sports commentary and thus pushes on with an unforeseen third edition. No longer worthy of some wordy, nagging and self-depricating rant of an introduction, TBL slowly matures to the point where it can afford to allow its content to do the talking, or so I hope.

How much money can ‘Brown’ lose for you…?

History was made Saturday at the 140^th running of the Belmont Stakes–just not in the manner in which many of us who care thought.

After three weeks of feverish anticipation had been built in the wake of his Preakness victory and subsequent pursuit of being the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years, Big Brown became the first horse in racing history to finish dead last (9^th) in the third leg of one of sports’ rarest and most revered accomplishments. The result: Vegas books got tossed to the wayside, while bookies and gamblers alike the world over sought out shelter under the nearest rock, gun in one hand and glass of well-aged scotch in the other.

Among the perspiration-soaked, stunned throng of 94,476 that gathered at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY on this sweltering early-summer day was none other than enigmatic and supremely cocky Big Brown trainer Rick Dutrow. Surrounded by his ever supporting family consisting of three or four people (I can’t remember) who pretend as if they really give a shit, a disgustingly overconfident Dutrow soon became inconsolable when it became apparent his “forgone conclusion” prediction would quickly evaporate along with his prize thoroughbred’s place in history.

The overwhelming favorite at 3-10 (the odds increased even greater following the last-minute withdrawal of The Stakes’ lone expected challenger, Casino Drive), Big Brown held a comfortable position behind the leaders for a majority of the race leading into the home stretch, and the previously unbeaten colt seemed poised to display the familiar fifth gear that garnered convincing wins at both Churchill Downs and Pimlico. As the masses eagerly awaited a push for the ages down the back end, jockey Kent Desormeaux, who proudly admitted to keeping his whip in its holster the previous two races, asked for one last stand but decidedly pulled back the reins the second he realized he “had no horse” before the pack even reached the quarter pole.

The final ¼ mile of what was supposed to be the crown jewel in a wildly remarkable achievement was no contest. Equally disappointing in defeat as he was brilliant in victory, Big Brown went from being the 12^th horse to ever win the Triple Crown to the first to ever fail to achieve the feat in such horrific fashion, as he finished an unfathomable amount of lengths behind the winner, Da’Tara.

Now, in the aftermath of the Belmont blowout, Dutrow and Company are searching for answers. The questions surrounding Big Brown’s epically poor performance are numerous yet vague, the most pertinent of which being whether or not the three year-old bay colt’s regularly scheduled steroid injection should have been omitted from its pre-Stakes training regiment. At the moment, Dutrow seems to be pointing the finger at everyone but himself.

I can almost see the ensuing rumor mill swirling now. Was Big Brown’s dance with racing immortality aided by illegal help? Must we now put thoroughbreds in the same category as professional athletes? Will Arlen Specter get involved?

Okay, I digress.

One thing is for certain, though…Goliath was slain at Belmont by a 38-1 ‘David’ named Da’Tara. And while Dutrow was busy mulling over humble pie during the latter stages of the weekend, winning trainer Nick Zito was occupied with the enviable task of lining his pockets.

Need a second look at as to how you pissed away your daughter’s college tuition?

Jones laments no longer get lei’d…

The second first-year SMU head football coach June Jones stepped into his new surroundings in Dallas he knew he had made a mistake. The savior of University of Hawaii football and now former Favorite Son of the Islands decided it was best to move on to the next challenge in his life after resurrecting a previously pathetic program to a tune of over 70 wins in his nine-year tenure at Honolulu.

The college football community will say that Jones is eager to show he can turn around an even dire situation at Southern Methodist against arguably stiffer competition, while anyone who resides in Hawaii will tell you the five-year contract that will pay Jones $2 million annually had everything to do with his decision.

The challenge awaiting Jones involves trading in his nationally renowned Magnum PI wardrobe and customary island neckpiece for a job that nobody other than him wanted. Jones faces the tall task of breathing new life into a once prominent Mustangs program that is still recovering from being nearly obliterated by the NCAA’s 1986 “Death Penalty” ruling that followed allegations of players being paid by a university booster.

SSNN recently caught up with a visibly somber Jones. The ex-NFL front man sat slumped in a chair backed into the corner of his still cluttered office, as memories of sun-kissed better days were smothered by shutters felt by the premonitions of inevitably tougher times ahead. Story here…

Massacre at Roland Garros…

“If Nadal survives the first couple rounds this year, I pick him to win Wimbledon.”

That comment belongs to tennis great Boris Becker, apparently taken with what he had just seen out of Rafael Nadal during the 22 year-old Spaniard’s three-set dismantling of Roger Federer at the French Open men’s final.

Becker’s prophetically bold statement hints at a perceivable if not probable changing of the guard in men’s tennis. Nadal’s victory, at the very least, validated what the tennis world already knew. Not only is Nadal a superior performer on clay, a surface on which he is yet to lose a match en route to four consecutive French Open titles, but he is more than capable of beating the world’s best player on the naturally slick court.

However, the manner in which Nadal disposed of his opponent Sunday (6-1, 6-3, 6-0) suggested he may be primed to close the gap that has been created between an all-too beatable field and the nearly unbeatable Federer, who has won a combined 12 Grand Slam titles but has yet to capture his first at Roland Garros.

In the latest version of his Parisian dominance, Nadal become only the fifth player in the Open era to win a Grand Slam without losing a set. And he saved his best match for last. The chiseled, long-locked lefthander forcefully dulled the flavor of a heated rivalry that has spanned each of the last three French Open finals. He made only seven unforced errors to Federer’s thirty-five. His lopsided win was the most dominating performance in a French Open final in the last 30 years.

And yet, if he wants to be considered truly equal to or better than Federer, Nadal will have to display the same ferocity and shot-making ability at the other Grand Slams, where Federer has ruled since 2003. He should get his first shot early next month at Wimbledon, a tournament his nemesis has won going away each of the last five years.

No need to wash Ozzie’s mouth out…

What a difference a week and a couple of timely F-bombs from your manager can make for a team. After losing in walk-off fashion for the second straight night in Tampa June 1, the White Sox were 30-26 and clinging to a ½ game lead over the Twins in the AL Central. In a frustration-filled tirade aimed mostly at his team’s offensively futile series–a stretch of four games during which Chicago went 5 for 39 with RISP–manager Ozzie Guillen called out what seemed to be the entire White Sox organization, including his boss, GM Ken Williams. Not even the poor intern manning the U.S. Cellular Field mailroom was safe.

Though I’m sure the much publicized open-door nature of Guillen’s diatribe would have been enough to light a fire under his team, I can’t discount the notion that his arsenal of frequently well-laid expletives may have put the cherry on top. Either way, something within that half-English, half-Spanish drivel-fest flipped a switch for the White Sox, particularly on offense, as they have yet to lose since and have now opened up a comfy 6.5 game lead over Minnesota.

In the seven games that have followed their 2-1 loss to the Rays just over a week ago, the Sox are batting .347, with 19 home runs, and have averaged 8.7 runs per contest. Meanwhile, the arms are pitching in with a solid 2.87 ERA.

Boston faker, faker, Celtic-sized belly-acher…

If you have the time, give a look to a recent article written by ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons (a.k.a. The Sports Guy) recalling the melodramatic events that took place in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night. A Boston native, Simmons gives a deliciously biased view of Paul Pierce’s heroic, not so heroic return from a sprained knee, twisted ankle, or perhaps some freakish and exaggerated combination of both, and seems more than prepared to clear a spot for the first-time Finals participant in the hallowed annals of Celtics lore.

Call me crazy, call me prejudiced, call me whatever you want; I don’t even like the NBA. But wasn’t this the same Paul Pierce that only minutes before returning to live game action was writhing around the parquet and needed the assistance of several teammates and then a wheelchair to even make his way to the locker room?

Wasn’t this the same Paul Pierce that could have sworn he tore something serious in his right knee, causing him to crumble, only to have it magically healed in time to hit two clutch three-pointers in a span of 22 seconds to help seal a 98-88 victory?

For crying out loud, the man left the floor long enough for the game clock to expire a mere 1:45. For all we know, the newly crowned Celtics King could have been relieving himself in the clubhouse bathroom.

Once again, I regretfully digress…

But, most importantly (and I must squeeze this in), was this not the same Paul Pierce that waltzed and fox-trotted his way up and down the court in Boston’s Game 2 victory, to the tune of 28 points?

I’m just sayin’ something smells a lil’ fishy, that’s all.

Bear in mind, I write this with tongue partially in cheek, as I do appreciate the following disclaimer put out by Mr. Simmons in the midst of his one-sided viewpoint:

 

“If you’re a Lakers fan, I fully support your right to be cynical about Pierce’s injury and return. If the roles were reversed, and this were Kobe, I would have taken 35 “He was playing the injury up just for the Willis comeback!” potshots at him by now.”

 

You would be wise to give the rest of the article a read, whether you’re a sworn enemy of everything East Coast, in particular Boston, like myself, or you simply enjoy Simmons’ refreshing “ordinary guy” approach to sports writing.

Wide ‘Open’ championship or another one-horse race at Torrey Pines…

Breaking away from Leak tradition is the following PRE-view:

For the first time since 2002–and only the second in the illustrious history of the Open–golf’s greatest championship will be held at a municipally owned course. Following the act of Bethpage Black in Long Island, NY will be Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, a 7,643-yard, par 71 brute that required a $3.5 million facelift to elevate it from a hacker-friendly playground to a monster capable of frustrating the world’s best players.

The 108^th U.S. Open marks the first time in eight years that the tournament will be held at a course that already hosts a PGA Tour event. But this is where the parallels between the granddaddy of them all and January’s Buick Invitational end.

Shortly after the members of the 156-man field arrive in Southern California, they may quickly begin to yearn for the layout they have become accustomed to in late January. Reduced from a par-72 yet lengthened by some 769 yards to merely comply with stringent U.S. Open requirements, Torrey Pines will not only test more than just the conventional mettle of every golfer but will give the world an idea of what sort of beast an already demanding course can become once the USGA has tampered with it. If the slick greens and gangly, wiry rough do not seem to suffice, consider the power with which the gale-force winds blow directly off the Pacific Ocean, and you’ll notice Torrey Pines has a look and feel similar to that of its “big brother” course to the North, Pebble Beach, a four-time Open host and one of the most highly regarded courses in the country.

Despite the fact the pain in his surgically repaired knee continues to linger, Tigers Woods may still be considered this week’s favorite. All injury concerns aside, Woods’ length off the tee will again be a noticeable advantage, although golf’s governing body has decided to shake things up a bit in an effort to level the playing field.

To help slightly diminish the advantages of the longer hitters, the USGA has decided to go against traditional thinking by actually shortening a small number of holes and thus making Torrey Pines more of a shot-maker’s course. The 560-yard sixth, which is normally played as a par-5 during the Buick Invitational, will be chopped down to a more manageable 515 yards. The catch–it will be scored as a par-4 for the Open.

The most dramatic of such changes may be at the par-5 18^th, where officials are considering moving the tees up to aid in creating a more suspenseful finish. The hopes are that all players are in a position to at least contemplate going for a green heavily guarded by ocean waters in two.

Although Woods will have to adjust to the Torrey Pines’ new schematics, he can take solace in the fact that he has won there before–a lot. Since 1999, Tiger has won the Buick Invitational an unprecedented six times–including 5 out of the last 6 years–by an average of more than 3 strokes, a margin of victory teetering on the brink of being landslide-ish by U.S. Open standards.

Woods is scheduled to tee off Thursday with Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott (ranked second and third in the world, respectively) at 8:06 a.m. PT. The same three will tee off at 1:36 p.m. PT on Friday.

You can catch the first two rounds of the 108^th U.S. Open from Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, CA live on ESPN. Complete third and final round action can be seen on NBC.

ESPN/ESPN 360: Thursday/Friday, 1-3 p.m. ET, 5-10 p.m. ET

NBC/NBCSports.com: Thursday/Friday, 3-5 p.m. ET

Saturday, 4-10 p.m. ET

Sunday, 3-9 p.m. ET

Tags: Adam Scott, Belmont Stakes, Bethpage Black, Big Brown, Bill Simmons, bogus injury, booty, Boris Becker, Boston Celtics, Chicago White Sox, choke job, Comiskey Park, crybaby, Da'Tara, death penalty, ESPN, F-bomb, faker, French Open, Hawaii, Junes Jones, Ken Williams, lei, long-haired Spanish guy, Magnum PI, messy orange clay, NBA Finals, NBC, Ozzie Guillen, Paul Pierce, Pebble Beach, Phil Mickelson, potty mouth, Rafael Nadal, Rick Dutrow, Roger Federer, SMU, Tampa Bay Rays, Tiger Woods, Torrey Pines, Triple Crown, U.S. Open, wheelchair, Wimbledon

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 11th, 2008 at 2:44 am and is filed under ATP, MLB, NBA, NTRA, PGA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.