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Big Brown's new job

Last place? The horse that was not just supposed to end the Triple Crown's 30 year drought but was "guaranteed" to do so couldn't finish ahead of a single horse at Belmont yesterday. This has to be one of the biggest disappointments in sports since Tiger Woods bowed out the Memorial last month. The fact that Big Brown simply ran out of gas like an overused delivery truck at Christmas time while his competition kept going made it all the worse.

Although I'll somehow find a way to mope through the rest of this summer with my disappointment barely hidden, I'm not sure how the many legions of serious horse racing fans I know will be able to cope. Perhaps a whole new cottage industry will spring up in sports psychology, helping people deal with what will come to be known as "UPS syndrome", or a fear of big, brown trucks that drive too slow.

Indians - I stated on this page the other day that there may still be hope for the Indians, and I based that in part on Jake Westbrook returning to the rotation this month, and the team pulling to within a few games of the White Sox by July 1. Well, since then, Jake Westbrook has been lost for the season and the Tribe has fallen even further back, now at 7.5 games and seemingly not getting any better soon. With key players still not producing offensively, and injuries and a bad bullpen continuing to take their toll, it's starting to look more and more like it just won't be their year. I'll give it one or two more weeks and see if they can pull any closer, and if not, I'll be ready to jump on the "this team needs to rebuild" bandwagon, something that would have shocked me at the start of the season.

The Little Town That Could - by Dave Herd.
Canal Winchester sits tucked in the southeastern corner of Franklin County, more isolated, unknown and smaller than its suburban brethren in Dublin, Hilliard, Upper Arlington and Westerville. In fact, there may be no real comparison in Columbus for the Canal Winchester and its Indians sports teams.  This little local village, however, has been making waves the whole school year, ending in Saturday's appearance in the State Division II Baseball Final in Cooper Stadium. Continue reading...

Tags: triple crown