racingmeridian.com

Steve McNair was one tough hombre and a helluva quarterback. His early demise is just tragic. While most commentators stated the four time Pro Bowler’s most memorable performance was the 2000 Superbowl, locals may be more fond of the amazing win over the Buffalo Bills in the infamous Music City Miracle game…what a weekend - thought Saturdays Nascar from Daytona featured one of the most extraordinary finishes imaginable and then the Wimbledon men’s final on Sunday was a classic. Toss in the Lions Tour and a little Tiger Woods and a weekend without the NFL wasn’t all that bad…now here’s a twist. Saku Koivu has apparently passed on an opportunity to join the Minnesota Wild because he does NOT want to play with his brother. Surprising, but refreshing to learn the Koivu’s act like a normal family…Alex Tanguay, Sergei Zubov and Francois Beauchemin remain unsigned…the Washington Capitals intend to play recent signee Mike Knuble on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. With Sergei Federov and Victor Kozlov now ex-Caps, Brooks Laich will look to centre the second line, playing alongside Alex Semin…Rick Nash’s decision to remain a Columbus Blue Jacket dealt a blow to the long term plans of Toronto Maple Leaf GM Brian Burke. With Nash off the free agent trail, Atlanta Thrasher Ilya Kovalchuk could emerge as the big prize come the summer of 2010. …an interesting situation is developing in Oakland where Jeff Garcia is determined to get the nod as Raider QB over young gun JaMarcus Russell. Whispers concerning Russell’s indifferent work ethic are growing more persistent. The young pivot has an arm to die for but has yet to demonstrate the leadership qualities necessary to excel at the elite level. I liked what I saw last year, and can’t help but wonder how the dysfunctional nature of the franchise is impacting his development. The Raiders are far from a nurturing environment and it seems a bit disingenuous to lay all the blame on the pupil for a slow learning curve. Was Garcia brought in to mentor or to take the job away?…John Oxx’s three year old Sea the Stars continued his memorable run with a score Saturday in the Coral-Eclipse Stakes. We snagged an easy exactor at 4-1 when Rip Van Winkle beat Conduit for the runner-up position…wagering on North American horse racing fell a staggering 16% from June 2008 to June 2009. The public is recoiling from the anachronistic takeout rates and the ongoing inability of the industry to properly explain the “magic” trainers who win at outrageous rates. Those factors, combined with a tanking economy, have the sport on the ropes. The quiet contempt most industry insiders have for the punter may need to be re-evaluated as the castle walls begin to crumble…the buzz from fight fans is that while delighted with the prospect of a Manny Pacquiao - Miguel Cotto brawl, nobody is prepared to bet against the audacious Filipino at this moment…Steve Simmons slammed Steve Molitor in his Sunday column, describing the Canuck as “run of the mill”. The criticism is not very enlightening. Molitor was on a great roll until he began to participate in the Rama fights. Fed a diet of no hopers, Molitor’s skill set rapidly declined. How to regain the hunger and passion is the current challenge. I saw such a cockiness and arrogance set in at precisely the moment his calibre of opponents nosedived. While able to cash a nice bet when I was appalled by the indifferent preparations before the Celestino Caballero fight, I think it is too early to completely give up on Molitor…Ricky Hatton is back in the gym and the drums are beginning to beat in England for a showdown with sensation Amir Khan. Khan has a summer date with one of the alphabet soup champions but November could be the setting for an epic battle…didn’t get much coverage but Evander Holyfield is facing foreclosure on his famous Atlanta mansion (109 rooms and 17 bathrooms). The Real Deal has 11 children, all likely beneficiaries of generous child support payments. While Holyfield has earned over 200 million dollars in the ring, he has had to adjust to life without the big paydays. In his last fight, against Nikolai Valuev, Holyfield pocketed 600 thousand, chump change compared to the 20 million dollar fee he routinely received in his heyday…