Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird; it's a plane, it's...it's... it's neither. It's 2008.
Go Big Brown! GObama! Who needs Superman?
Sometimes the stories just write themselves. It's June 4th, the 40th anniversary of the assassination of RFK. 35 years since Secretariat's Belmont, and the eve before Big Brown takes the Triple Crown and Obama the Presidency.
Predictions? No, just observations. But also a wonderful yardstick to measure the last half century.
Since we, as a culture, are still throwing off the crusty veil of mean-spirited cynicism, I have to pre-date my thoughts carefully to maintain my street credibility.
Both Obama and Big Brown are poised for the history books. What is written from this day forward will be the stuff of critics and true believers. It matters little. A page of life has turned. Two names inscribed; quasi immortality, the only kind.
Sure I'd like to see a Triple Crown winner and the first African-American president. (Why can't I just say American president?)
And I will, but if I don't, we've already won both races.
Big Brown may not run another race after Saturday's Belmont. That is an uncomfortable reminder of much that is wrong in horse racing. But even if he doesn't ever compete know this much: he's no ordinary horse. Today I saw a blog featuring 10 good reasons why he can't win. Some folks don't get it, but then we all need to believe in our own ways. Some folks think that trainer Rick Dutrow's karma will get in the way with Big Brown's destiny. Nice try. Did George W. Bush's karma get in the way of his destiny?
And on the day that Barak Obama clinches the nomination of his party, I celebrate the fact that he is no ordinary candidate. He's certainly not perfect, and he's certainly not superman. But he is a believer, who overcame obstacles and critics. Like Big Brown, he is short on experience but long on talent.
So here's the deal. And it's a double deal. Watch the race; enjoy the race. The best doesn't always win; but you knew that. Often the best does win. Consider what makes a winner best.
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