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Sunday’s Daily Racing Form offered some dispiriting reviews of the new Pro Ride surface at Santa Anita. The surface retains heat so it’s like riding over a stove or, if you’re dramatic, it’s like riding in Hell! A high percentage of horses simply cannot handle the track, unable to gain proper traction…that said, Curlin has reportedly been shipped to California to prepare for the Breeders Cup Classic. While the equine world eagerly awaits a showdown with Big Brown, one can only speculate as to the meaning of the results obtained over such a quirky surface. The Breeders should find a permanent home at Belmont, on a traditional dirt surface…according to Elias Sports the New York Mets made history of the wrong sort by blowing 3.5 game leads in consecutive Septembers. Last year they had a seven game lead with seventeen games to go…ancient Brett Favre threw for a career high six touchdowns yesterdays while dusting the Cardinals. Aaron Rodgers threw three interceptions as the Packers crumbled before the Bucs. The plot thickens…Bruce Springsteen has been announced as the halftime performer at the 2009 Superbowl. Hopefully he realizes it’s a festive, happy occasion, and not an opportunity to drone out a few crappy Pete Seeger dirges…interesting note from the gridiron, four of the top five passing leaders for week four lost their games, while four of the five top rushers won. The NFL still requires the three yards and a cloud of dust brigade…Jimmy Johnson has found game at precisely the right moment. He doesn’t have the flash of a Stewart, the following of Junior or the charisma of team-mate Gordon, but he is proving to be the best driver of his generation. His thrilling gun n run final lap duel with Carl Edwards highlighted a superb effort at Kansas yesterday. Consensus is that only the aforementioned Carl Edwards of Greg Biffle can impede Johnson’s march to a three-peat… Camillo Villegas notched six birdies in the final eleven holes to win the Tour Championship. Sergio Garcia’s choke act is becoming old hat, it’s the third consecutive time he’s gone into the final day with at least a three shot lead and ended up losing…Haile Gebrselassie broke the world record in Sunday’s Berlin Marathon, scorching the course in two hours, three minutes and 59 seconds. Over one million people lined the route to cheer on the 35 year old Ethiopian…