Barbaro: Death of a Sports Icon

When news broke that reigning Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized due to injuries suffered 8 months ago at the Preakness, goose bumps covered my body like the Chicken Pox.

Barbaro’s death will send people to bed tonight with tears in their eyes, whether they are a horse racing enthusiast or not.

Barbaro’s rise and fall was more than a horse racing story. It told the story of a horse on the brink of history, but fell from glory and fought for his life until the very end. Barbaro told the story of hope like nothing had ever done in the world.

Barbaro claimed the 2006 Kentucky Derby by 6 ½ lengths, which was the largest margin of victory wince 1946. He was the favorite to win the Preakness and Belmont and become just the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown and first since Affirmed accomplished the feat in 1978.

Instead of being showered with joy and praise, Barbaro’s Triple Crown – and eventually his life – came to an end one furlong (1/8 of a mile) into the Preakness when he pulled up lame after shattering his right hind leg.

Immediate surgeries proved temporarily successful to ease the pain, but in the end, the injuries proved fatal.

Barbaro should be considered one of the bravest athletes of our generation. For eight months, he fought for his life. He inspired us. He taught us that no matter how high the chips are stacked against us, we should never give up. Through surgery after surgery, he refused to give up. Sadly, the combination of his size and severity of the injury, along with new arising illnesses from the initial injury, proved too much for the celebrated colt.

Hours after Barbaro’s injury when his outlook looked bleak, the world rallied behind Barbaro with flowers, cards, and messages of encouragement, which proves that the nation adopted Barbaro as an honorary pet.

Barbaro’s triumph and tragedy are rare in this day and age of cheering for sports figures with questionable values and backgrounds. If Barry Bonds or Ray Lewis were forced into retirement in their prime because of a life-threatening injury, would there be similar support and outcry of sadness as there is for Barbaro?

Doubtful. Highly doubtful.

It is a crying (literally) shame the world was not fortunate, blessed, and privileged to see what Barbaro was truly capable of.

Barbaro took the world by storm. Before the Derby, the focus was on odds-on favorite Brother Derek. It was not until after Barbaro was draped with one of the greatest sports trophies of our time – the lush blanket of 554 red roses – that we realized just how special and talented Barbaro was. For two weeks, we jumped on the Barbaro bandwagon in hopes of him winning the Triple Crown.

Unfortunately, just as when anybody passes before their time, all we have are the memories when that person, or in this case animal, made us feel blessed and happy.

I challenge everybody to live up to Barbaro’s legacy:

Work hard. Live happy. Never give up.

Montoya is Real Deal

Is there anything Juan Pablo Montoya can’t do? Or win? Or drive?

The 1999 CART champ, 2000 Indianapolis 500 champ and winner of a handful of Formula-1 races, Montoya was dazzling yet again when he led his team to the Rolex 24 endurance race win at Daytona International Speedway.

Mexican driver Salvador Duran and road racing expert Scott Pruett joined forces with the 31-year old Colombian racing master to win a second consecutive Rolex 24 race for team owner Chip Ganassi.

Juan, it may be time to take some carpentry classes so you can build yourself a brand new trophy room. At this rate, it will fill up quickly.

Montoya was hired this season to drive a NASCAR for Ganassi, whom he drove for during his stint in CART and the Indy victory.

Some motor sports experts may question Montoya’s endurance since Cart and F-1 races are completed before breaking a sweat, whereas most NASCAR races last at least 400 miles and can go as long as 4 or 5 hours.

Montoya’s performance behind the wheel during the Rolex 24 proved to the racing world he is durable behind the wheel for hours and hours while driving the high banks of Daytona.

So, how long will it take for Montoya to dominate the NASCAR series and win the Chase?

Two years.

As long as he drives for Ganassi Racing, he will be a favorite to win every race and every championship, but I think it will take him one full season before Montoya’s domination begins.

Montoya will spend his first season adjusting to the travel schedule, the length of the races, as well as the length of the season, but once the rookie stripes come off, he will have the passion and driving ability to dominate this sport for the next 10 years.

Ganassi loves winning more than anything and with an unlimited budget and strong sponsor support, Ganassi will supply Montoya with all the resources he needs to be the first foreign driver to win NASCAR’s prize jewel.

Ganassi has succeeded in open wheel and sport car racing due to talented drivers. Ganassi was blessed with young, talented drivers en route to four consecutive CART championships spanning from 1996-1999 (1996: Jimmy Vasser, 1997-98: Alex Zanardi, 1999: Montoya).

In Ganassi’s previous Rolex 24 victory, his threesome of Casey Mears, Dan Weldon (2004 IRL and 2005 Indy 500 champ), and Scott Dixon (2003 IRL champ) are young guns whose careers are on the up and up.

Ganassi has never achieved significant success during his NASCAR tenure as a car owner due to a combination of employing drivers past their prime (Sterling Marlin) or drivers who are still wet behind the ears (current drivers David Stremme and Reed Sorenson).

Montoya’s arrival will bring with him a confident and winning attitude that should rub off on Stremme and Sorenson.

Montoya has been a winner in every form of racing he has attempted. In NASCAR, he will not be a winner…

He will be a champion.

Hammerin' Hoosiers Hitting Stride

After suffering one of the worst team losses in school history on Tuesday at Illinois, the No. 24 Hoosiers bounced back with a vengeance and took out their anger on the Michigan Wolverines.

Sampson promised a hammering defense when he was introduced as head coach and Saturday’s win was a perfect example of his vision.

The Hoosiers limited the Wolverines to 34.9% from the field on 15-43 shooting. They were a woeful 2-9 from behind the 3-point line.

Sampson must have broken out the rawhide whip that Bob Knight used on Calbert Cheaney in the early ‘90s because the Hoosiers pulled a complete 180 on Saturday from the team that took the floor in Champaign on Tuesday.

Before Tommy Amaker’s Wolverines even broke a sweat at the Assembly Hall on Saturday, they were already down 11-0 to the Hoosiers, who improved to 11-0 at home for the season.

Despite Michigan cutting Indiana’s once-17 point lead down to 8 late in the second half, the Hoosiers finished strong in their 76-61 victory, which marked the 11th consecutive loss for Michigan at the Assembly Hall.

It was important for the Hoosiers to put up a stellar performance because they have a challenging road ahead.

On Wednesday, Indiana will travel to Madison to face No. 3 Wisconsin. The Badgers are considered one of the elite teams in the nation, along with Florida, North Carolina and UCLA.

Wednesday’s game will be a huge measuring stick for the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers have played remarkably well in losses to ranked opponents Butler, Duke, Kentucky and Ohio State by a combined 20 points (Butler was not ranked at the time of their game, but they are currently as high as No. 12 in some polls).

The Hoosiers’ success for the rest of the season will hinder on their ability to shoot from behind the 3-point line.

The Hoosiers have a bi-polar mentality when it comes to consistency from behind the arc this season. In their 15 wins, they are 39.6% from 3-point land, but are shooting just 32.2% in their 5 losses. And nobody can forget that pathetic 4-25 shooting performance in their loss at Kentucky.

But, a good 3-point shooting game does not guarantee a win because the Hoosiers were 12-22 from downtown in their loss at Ohio State.

The Indiana basketball program is at its highest mark since Bob Knight’s dismissal, and that includes the fluke 2002 NCAA tournament run. There is a renewed jubilation that has feasted on Bloomington, and as long as Sampson and his Hoosiers can throw down the hammer like they did against Michigan, they should be a tough out come March.