Loser Reporting

[Mr. Neutral]

Some words on the Belmont from ESPN.com's Ray Paulick (who happens to be an old friend of mine)-

Many of us had numbed ourselves into rooting for the horse to become the sport's first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. We pulled for him, even though it somehow didn't feel right.

We didn't like the people around Big Brown, especially his boorish, bad-boy trainer, yet we pulled for him to win. We didn't like the fact Big Brown was a Winstrol wonder, getting a monthly injection of the synthetic steroid to boost his performance, yet we pulled for him to win. We didn't like the fact his majority owners, the too-slick-to-trust boys from IEAH Stable, were money hustlers who would retire Big Brown to stud as soon as the check cleared the bank from his stallion suitors at Three Chimneys Farm....Meanwhile, on the victory stand, Zito was talking about the importance of humility and grace in this sometimes humbling game.

It's a lesson Dutrow and the Big Brown team could learn.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/horse/ ... 736&asd=13