PETA is involved — did anyone expect anything else? — in the Eight Belles controversy at the Kentucky Derby.
In essense, they consider horse racing to be cruel and abusive treatment of these animals and ask for major changes in the sport.
The rub? These horses are considered family to the owners; if anyone saw the interview with Eight Belles’ owner Saturday, you could see that. These animals are treated very, very (need I write any more?) well — after all, they can be worth millions in purses and stud fees.
To claim, as PETA and The Humane Society do, that the jockey should have noticed the injury — breaking ankles in both her front legs, forcing officials to euthanize her on the track — and pulled up is pretty suspect, especally when people that know a lot more about these matters than I do say the jockey did everything right, that they could see nothing wrong.
I actually watched it with some friends Saturday and — again, I am no expert — it didn’t look to me like anything was wrong when the filly was running. I find it hard to believe that two broken ankles wouldn’t have been VERY noticeable but …
Who knows if there’s a definitive answer to claims made that these horses are more fragile because they are being bred for speed more than durability or the track surfaces are the cause — or it it’s simply a case of one of those things that happens.
All I know is that making decisions in the heat of emotions really solves nothing and brings us into the “law of unintended consequences” many times.
In the “you might be surprised” file …
I received an e-mail from James Feathers a couple of weeks ago and, if you know me, I “threw” it in a pile like I do snail mail.
I came back across it and read it.
It surprised me.
I won’t rehash the entire story but it pertains to a Toledo transplant — an avid @$@%%!^^ fan named Thom Dartt — to Marietta, Georgia.
He admits his hatred, loathing, despising — need I write more? — of ANYTHING Ohio State football. He continues on this trend for a couple of paragraphs but that is not the core of the story, though he brings many @%#^^@&& fans in for their uncivilized behavior.
He writes that a student of his two years ago was a transplant from Cleveland (Philip Dickson) and was living with his aunt in Atlanta due to some severe family struggles.
Definitely, Thom and Philip didn’t see eye-to-eye on football but Thom did see great potential in his student.
Needless to say, Phil struggled, so Thom quietly wrote a letter to OSU coach Jim Tressel asking for his help in motivating his young charge.
(An aside here from the e-mail; the NCAA had to “approve” this letter!!)
Tressel did send an encouraging response to Phil, telling him he would keep track of the youngster’s progress.
This made Thom a “fan” of Tressel — he writes that very likely, coaches like Bo, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr would NOT have taken the time to do such a thing (columnist note: I don’t know if I agree with that).
He also wrote of a friend of his, Joe Links (a Michigan resident!), who played for Tressel’s father at Baldwin-Wallace and also a big Buckeye backer, being diagnosed with colon cancer.
Thom wrote Coach Tressel regarding his friend and, lo and behold, the Buckeye coach — who remembered Links — wrote a letter encouraging Mr. Links.
Thom added how much he respected Coach Tressel for living up to the “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelet he wears and his thoughtfulness in the midst of his busy life.
It just goes to show you what a little time can do. Here is a man who admittedly hates OSU but took the chance to put that aside to help someone else.
If only …
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo is concerned about his pitching slump and wonders why.
Here’s my take. He had a great year two years ago and the Reds gave him a nice contract. He hasn’t done squat since.
Hmmm…. Could be they go together like peanut butter and jelly?