This weekend must be dedicated to the animals. Meet Rachel Alexandra the super filly, Pimlico’s hottest new attraction who will run in the 134th Preakness Stakes barring any unforeseen events.
Much hangs on this year’s Preakness that extends beyond the 2nd leg of the triple crown stakes. All at Pimlico is not well, according to examiner.com:
Track owner, Magna Entertainment Corp. is in bankruptcy. A new infield BYOB ban, threatening rain, and one of the worst economic recessions in recent memory may converge to form a perfect storm of dwindling interest. The fate of Preakness teeters in the balance.
On the one hand, the sky could rip at any moment. On the other, the sun might shine. This is the City of Baltimore, nestled between the Chesapeake Bay and western Maryland. Here, the barometer can and often does shift on a dime.
We natives can’t help but see Pimlico through the eyes of history, the rest of the world’s as well as our own. Here, the underdog Seabiscuit battled mighty War Admiral and emerged victorious. Here, America’s Barbaro suffered gut-wrenching defeat.
Enter the new lady in town, Rachel Alexandra. No filly has won the Preakness since 1924. She is being billed by the horse crowd as the best horse since Man o’ War (c. 1920) who some feel was the horse of the century. Sports stations and horse racing aficionados are all a buzz with the talk of Super Filly Rachel Alexandra. Should she turn out to be the horse of the century, Mine That Bird is out of the running. To make matters even dicier, Cal Borel, the jockey who rode Mine That Bird to victory two weeks ago at the Kentucky Derby, is jumping ship, or should I say, ‘jumping horse,’ and riding Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. What is that old country expression about dance with the one who brung you?
We will just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow as coverage begins at 4:30 on NBC. The odds will be posted online sometime tomorrow. Post time is generally around 5:30-6:00.
No Triple Crown winner this year!
Watch the new kid in town kick some major horse booty! Rachel Alexandra is the winner of the 2009 Preakness Race. Mine That Bird came in a close second. One can only wonder if Cal Borel had ridden Mine that Bird, if we might be looking at a Triple Crown Winner.
Enjoy the race!
Will we have a new Lady Victory, a 2nd leg winner named Bird That Mine, or will another dark horse appear out of no where? [ED note: Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness.] Is Cal Borel, the exuberant jockey, a turn coat for not riding Bird That Mine? Check out the competition. Who is your favorite?
Will the boys rule the day or will there be a female interloper breaking the glass ceiling for the first time in 85 years?
Click to view the competition.
Additional video footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjePyvH7024&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBxJvzktxrw&NR=1
Thanks MH for helping clarify point I was trying to make. Indeed, I was actually just trying to say that entire frat sometimes got blamed instead of individuals. Also good point too, not all rapes on college campuses committed by frat members. And, not all rapes on campus committed by white men either. And, not all fraternity members are white, definitely NOT at my college.
To put it mathematically, white men are not the only set that intersects with fraternities. Rapes are not a subset of fraternities – that is rapes intersect with frats but are not “within them”. Rapes are also not a subset of white men. If I could draw a set diagram I could show it better (as in a picture is worth a thousand words).
Anyway, not particularly interested in this debate, but thanks MH for helping clarify my points. You & I are in agreement on this, that’s for sure.
Should say “college white men” everyplace I said “white men” just to be more accurate in above post. In this case, mathematical set relationships help explain the truth of the college fraternity scene.
M-H and G-R,
All the minor exceptions you pointed out about ‘frats’ is also true about ‘gangs’.
So why is it that just being associated with a ‘gang’ is more or less a crime that sets you up for life to be given much harsher treatment? Is it because white people are terrified of gangs (which prosecutors and AGs exploit to the Nth degree), whereas they laugh at the antics of frats?
I thought one way of joining a gang was getting “sexed in”. Maybe I’m mistaken, if so I apologize. Never heard of that in terms of joining a fraternity. Women raped by frat members – I don’t think they become (or even want to become) frat member. If I am mistaken about gangs, I apologize in advance. And, I tire of this debate. I’m not going to change your perception about college frats, Mackie, and you’re not going to change my perception about gangs (white, black, asian, or hispanic).
By the way Mackie, in your earlier post, the way you painted it regarding Pimlico how you were afraid to go there during the “running of the urinals” – painted a picture in my mind – of a hoard of angry “drunken white young men” descending from the stands to attack you. Surely you don’t think that realistic, do you? I think not all people who go to the races are young either. Then again, I defer to MH, i personally have never attended a horse race.
Mackie,
Had you bothered to go to college, you would see that frats are made up of all races. I pledged a sorority in college and we weren’t “sexed in”. Neither did any of the frats require that of their members.
Let’s see – difference between gangs and frats:
Gangs commit murder, theft, arson, assault, terrorize entire neighborhoods.
Frats throw keg parties, do volunteer work, have members that graduate and go on to do GOOD for society.
You ask why people are terrified of gangs and laugh at frats. Last time I checked, I’ve never heard of a frat cutting the hands off of a rival frat member using a machette. I’ve never seen frats “tag” areas with graffiti, marking their terrority so other frats don’t cross the line. I’ve never read of frats running drugs and guns.
Grow up.
For once, I’m glad that MH isn’t slapping MY hand 🙂
Snicker. i can ‘t add much to what You Wish or GR have said on that one.
I didn’t laugh much at the antics of fraternities except when I was a drunk high school and college student. Once I got out, it all seemed rather pointless and juvenile.
The jerks would get all liquored up and punch holes in their own walls. But then again, I have seen young males who weren’t in college or in a fraternity to pretty much the same thing. They weren’t all white either.
I grew up a mile from campus of a major university. Not much I haven’t seen with fraternities. I went to college near several military bases. Odd how I saw similar behavior to that I had seen at the fraternities. Now let’s see…what is the common denominator here?
I expect if Mackie took a sampling of young black men in a fraternity and asked them how they felt they differed from a street gang, some of them might just be a tad bit pissed off at Mr. Mackie. In fact, I expect they would be highly insulted and with good reason. In fact, I expect Mr. Mackie would probably be more afraid of the fraternity brothers than he would be going to the race track at this juncture.
The point is that it doesn’t matter if you’re in a frat, a gang, or the military. If you commit a crime you should be judged as an individual. Who you associate with should have nothing to do with it.
Unless you are committing crimes as a group…then who you associate with has everything in the world to do with it. Psychology 101 talks about mob rule and mob mentality and the energy gathered by the group dynamic.
Quit trying to make it ok to be a gang member. It isn’t, by anyone’s standards.
It’s ok to associate with anyone you’d like. We have freedom of association written into the constitution. But the feverish and frightened minds of white people, have once again found a way to suspend the constitution for minority males.
It seems only pretty, well-manicured, white boys seem to enjoy this freedom of association no matter how many thousands upon thousands of times per year they conspire to illegally provide alcohol and other drugs to underage girls and how many thousands upon thousands of date rapes those drugs lead to.
The bloodthirsty white boys who savagely murdered Luis Ramirez proved without any doubt what all these people are capable of when they feel they can get away with it. Because they’ve been raised in a society where white males are always portrayed as positive human beings and protectors while minority males are always portrayed as potential threats to society.
Funny, I never thought of “white boys” as being “well-manicured”!
Being a “white boy” myself, that is!
And I’m not pretty either – no one in their right mind would accuse me of being that, even when I was college age!
And there are plenty of underage girls who happily have fake ID’s and on the own (without help from any “white boys”) drink alchohol and take illegal drugs.
I also didn’t realize I was running a fever!
@Mackie
I hear that white men can’t jump also.
I sure can’t jump, MH! I’m not cut out for basketball (or most other sports). Maybe I’m not your typical white male (definitely not as far as sports go).
Maybe you are just one of the honest ones, Gainesville.
Funny, MH!
If you want to focus on the imagery I used to get my point across, that’s fine, but I wish you would not avoid addressing the point itself.
And that point is that people should be punished only as individuals.
Punishment should only apply for the criminal actions they engage in. They should not face any extra punishment for who they associate with.
By creating ‘gang databases’, young black and hispanic males face false imprisonment, extra jail time, and are economically crippled for life just for hanging out with the guys they grew up with.
There is no way you can support ‘gang databases’ and ‘gang enhancements’ to punishments and still support freedom of association guaranteed in the constitution.
The following is a recent example of how white people have officially created a prison that has no walls but is very real.
Is there any difference between this and all the Jim Crow laws?
Makie – you wrote “If you want to focus on the imagery I used to get my point across, that’s fine, but I wish you would not avoid addressing the point itself.”
Come on now Mackie. I wrote earlier about the individuals getting referred to the police, how women weren’t sexed in to fraternities, how those women would never want to be part of the frats they were raped in, etc. etc. etc. I made light of your “imagery” because I just never heard white males described as pretty and well-manicured, and was just making some light jokes.
But for you to tell me that I did not address the issue, that’s just preposterous! Apparently you aren’t interested in a proper debate on this topic, THAT is what is apparent to me!
I also said that entire frat house got disbanded, and most likely other frat members who were innocent were caught up in it.
Again, your statement that I did not address the issue you were debating, preposterous.
How could a frat house being disbanded ever compare to having your name entered in a ‘gang’ database for the rest of your life simply for not being white? Your examples don’t really have any substance.
Whatever Mackie, I tire of this entire argument in this thread. Believe what you will, and I’ll believe what I believe. Neither of us is going to change each other’s mind!
GR,
Tell me why you never see these unbelievably unconstitutional ‘gang’ injunctions, like the kind I posted above, in white neighborhoods?
Humor me, Mackie. Explain how they are unconsitutional. I don’t particular feel like explaining why they aren’t in “white neighborhoods” as you put it, as around here, I don’t know of any “white neighborhoods”. My neighborhood in Gainesville is ethnically diverse, and definitely cannot be called a “white neighborhood”. I don’t know the percentages, but if I’d have to hazard a guess – possibly 50 – 60% white. Anyway, I don’t need to justify anything to you – I already said let’s drop it, but you continued.