Oh, Zenyatta...

She ran hard to the end, but Zenyatta couldn't outnose Blame.  I'm glad I was there to see her win number 18 at Del Mar and thanks, Zenyatta, for a great run.

Superstition and Sports

I wrote a blog post but I'm too superstitious to post it.

ESPN's 30 for 30 Series: Required Watching

I know there's a whole lot of sports to watch right now with the MLB LCS, along with college and NFL football, but if you are a sports fan and you haven't started recording ESPN's documentary series 30 for 30, you should.  I arrived a little late to the show and still have a few to catch up on, but here are my favorites so far.

Run Ricky Run A thoughtful look at the complexities of Ricky Williams.

June 17, 1994  I'm sure this date rings a bell.  The Knicks were playing the Rockets in the NBA Finals, the US was hosting the FIFA World Cup, and Arnold Palmer was ending his career, but none of us could turn away from OJ Simpson's white Bronco. This film has the footage to prove it. 

The Two Escobars  This is the film I imagine Entourage's fictional Medellin could have been.  It illuminates the lives and deaths of Columbian soccer player Andres Escobar, and the drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Guru of Go  LMU, Paul Westhead, Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble, and a left-handed free-throw that still brings tears to my eyes. 

Four Days in October  Remember when the Red Sox were a team of playful, lovable idiots, cursed for 80-some years?  Remember when you felt for Red Sox and sympathized with their bad luck before they became almost as annoying as Yankees fans? Here are the four unbelievable days that changed Red Sox Nation forever.

Return of the Quack

Ah, college football, how I've missed you and Oregon, you have not disappointed.  Thanks for starting this year off with a win instead of a loss, a punch and a suspension.  Thanks for taking care of nonsense like that during the off season.  Thanks for finding a QB to run the spread, and for a tough defense that can make open-field tackles and pressure opposing QBs.  Thanks for beating New Mexico, Tennessee, PSU, ASU and Stanford.  And thanks to Supwitchugirl for the new track.  I ♥ my Ducks!  Now, NCAA, can we PLEASE get a playoff?  Who wouldn't love to see the winner of Ohio State/Boise State play the winner of Alabama/Oregon?

Wait 'Til Next Year

Even though the Dodgers haven't won or played in a world series since I've lived in LA, I'm realizing how spoiled I've been over the past few years.  We've been to the stadium a couple of times this past month and D still has tickets to a couple of games this September.  We'll go, enjoy Chavez Ravine, eat some Dodger dogs and peanuts, but we know what we've known since the start of August-- it's over.

There will be no Steve Finley play-off clinching grand-slam like in 2004, no magical September evening with back-to-back-to-back-to-back homeruns topped by a Nomar walk-off like in 2006.  No win streak is coming from Manny being Manny (at least not in LA) and Andre Ethier's late inning heroics will be unable to salvage this season.

So this Dodger fan, like so many generations of Brooklyn and Los Angeles fans before me, will be heading for the ballpark knowing once again we'll have to wait 'til next year.

The Top 10 Things Women Should REALLY Know Before The NFL Season

I've written about how I'm a big sports fan, but I haven't focused on the I'm female part. This week, however, TouchByAM's tweets (Alyssa Milano's women's sports apparel line) led me to several women-centered NFL blogs. I follow the NFL, but am not a fanatic and even though these blogs are by real female fans, I found them quite offensive. If you want to check them out to form your own opinions, feel free.

http://chicksinthehuddle.com/
http://jerseygirlsports.com/

I've put together my own list of 10 things women, or casual football fans of any gender, should know going into this NFL season if you want to increase your knowledge of the game and enjoy this season in a different way. If you are happy looking cute in your personalized team jersey and making ditsy comments about how hot the players are, you can find that stuff on other blogs.

1. If you don't know a player, don't pretend you do. Not knowing the starting quarterbacks for every team is not a big deal. Just pay attention and do some research about players who stand out to you. Find out where he's played and where he played college. Remember his number and as you build knowledge you can decide if you like him or not, if he's having a good season or not, and if you are a fan or not.

2. If you don't understand a rule, ask. There are lots of weird rules and it's okay to ask what's going on. It also makes the people who know the rule feel real smart explaining it to you. Then, listen and try not to ask the same question again.

3. Watch the game. If you don't really like watching football, then guess what, you aren't really a football fan and that's okay. Many people don't like football and you can take a nap, read a book or work on that screenplay while football fans watch games all weekend long. But just by watching the game, listening and really paying attention, you'll increase your football knowledge quickly. If you have time, watch Sportscenter, NFL Countdown, NFL Primetime, the NFL Network's Rewind and HBO's Hard Knocks.

4. Learn basic football vocabulary: kick-off, return, special teams, defense, offense, first down, line of scrimmage, off-sides, false start, encroachment, pass interference, completion, sack, running game, passing game, pass rush, tackle, straight arm, punt, touchdown, field goal, extra-point, two-minute warning.

5. Learn the basic positions: offense: quarterback, center, offensive linemen, receiver, running back, tight end. defense: defense linemen, linebackers, corner backs, safety.

6. Watch the college game. You might not want to give up both your Saturday and Sunday to football this fall, but future NFL players are playing on Saturdays and this will increase your understanding of the game and its players. Following NCAA football will also help you understand the playing history of current NFL players.

7. Play Fantasy football for at least one season. You'll learn about stats and become familiar with a wide range of players from various teams.

8. Buy into the story of the game. There is a natural plot line in any game and color commentators will try to identify this for you and play it up throughout the game. If you aren't interested in the plot the commentators are pitching, find a player in the game who can be your protagonist and figure out why you want him to win. Then you'll have your own game-story to talk about after the game.

9. Don't make comments about how cute or hot a player is until you've established basic background knowledge of the game. If you do develop a crush on a player, learn about him, what position he plays, the teams he's played for, where he went to college. It's not enough to just notice how nice his arms are or how good his butt looks in his uniform. You also might want to learn about his off-the-field life (is he single? a playboy? a partier? a politician) but proceed with caution. Knowing this information can deepen or ruin your relationship with this player.

10. Talk smack with caution. If you don't already have favorite players and teams, you will soon. The more you know, the more emotional you're likely to become during games. Be careful what you say and make sure you can back up your smack or be prepared to get smacked down.

Preseason is already underway, so I hope you're ready for some football!!!

Zenyatta!

I've never followed horse racing or spent time at the track. Even though Hollywood Park sits a few miles from home I've never been. The one time I went to Santa Anita I only caught the end of one race because we were there with friends to see Super Diamond (a Neil Diamond cover band). And I didn't have any plans to go to the races until a few weeks ago when my mom asked if I'd heard of Zenyatta.

I'd seen this horse on a Dodger billboard (apparently, this is her town) but I didn't know she'd won all 17 of her races or that she dances her way to the starting gate. After watching clips of this amazing horse who loves to run from the back of the pack and set up dramatic come-from-behind victories, I knew I had to get down to see her at Del Mar. The drive took almost 4 hours but it was well worth it to see that big-booty horse rumble down the stretch and secure win number 18.

If you haven't heard of her yet, ladies and gentleman, this is Zenyatta!

Her first 14 wins...