For all the Big Brown Boneheads

[RollerDoc]

Originally Posted by pick4

Champions: The Lives, Times, and Past Performances of the 20th Century's Greatest Throughbreds is book every serious horse racing fan should have.

I don't have the updated edition but the the original tells just as good of story of the way horseracing was. Comparing todays horses to the greats from years past is pointless. The breed is not the same. The owners are of a different breed too. In many cases the insurance cost of running your horse outweigh the financial benefits of running the horse. Today horse racing's establishment races to breed when in years past it was the opposite.

Big Brown is on the cusp of winning one of the most elusive prizes in sports today. The only other Triple Crown that might be harder to achieve is Major League Baseballs TC. I think it was Carl Yastrzemski who was baseballs last Triple Crown winner and that was in 1967, and he played in Fenway Park. If Big Brown wins the Belmont he should be considered a great horse because he will have accomplished a great feat that many others have tried to accomplish but came up short.

Agree 100% except for the baseball analogy.

[pick4]

Originally Posted by RollerDoc

Agree 100% except for the baseball analogy.

I agree. MLB's hitting Triple Crown is even harder to accomlish than horse racings Triple Crown.

[RollerDoc]

Originally Posted by pick4

I agree. MLB's hitting Triple Crown is even harder to accomlish than horse racings Triple Crown.

The same argument you originally make also should be factored in to baseball regarding a different era.

In today's era the players are juiced and the baseballs are juiced. They either hit home runs or strike out. Today's players are not built to hit for averages. Just the long ball.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by RollerDoc

The same argument you originally make also should be factored in to baseball regarding a different era.

In today's era the players are juiced and the baseballs are juiced. They either hit home runs or strike out. Today's players are not built to hit for averages. Just the long ball.

It's not a different era compared to the past five years in horse racing! For a baseball player to win the Triple Crown in Big Brown fashion would be to hit .311 with 35 HRs and 110 RBIs. A nice season but hardly TC worthy.

[RollerDoc]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

It's not a different era compared to the past five years in horse racing! For a baseball player to win the Triple Crown in Big Brown fashion would be to hit .311 with 35 HRs and 110 RBIs. A nice season but hardly TC worthy.

And if Big Brown wins Belmont as impressively as I predict he will, then it is more like

.362 BA
58 HRS
155 RBIs

Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year 2008