Derby Day Trash Talk 2023

Okay, after an eventful, occasionally contentious, week, there is a weekend. Trash Talk was invented for weekends like this. So, let’s go.

First up, the Kentucky Derby. The easy favorite, Forte, has been suddenly scratched from the field hours before the race. That is kind of stunning. Who is the new favorite? Tapit Trice is the 2023 Kentucky Debry favorite at 5-1 followed by Angel of Empire (8-1). Look out for Derma Sotogake, the impressive Japanese horse, and my personal outside pick, Verifying. Sit back in your rose pink Cadillac and have a mint julep!

In other sports news, this is the weekend of the Miami Grand Prix. Miami remains as ugly and stupid of a course as I have ever seen. It is garish and stupid. The refrain is always “but there will be stars there!” Got news for folks, I have been to more than a few, and there are “stars” and beautiful people at every Grand Prix. Qualifying has yet to go off, but it is a fair chance it is between Verstappen and Perez. Leclerc has really been doing well lately, and never count out Fernando Alonso.

In the NBA, the Phoenix Suns held off the Denver Nuggets last night thanks to a herculean 47 point effort by Devin Booker. Booker is the most underrated and unappreciated true superstar in the NBA. Can the Suns win at home again Sunday to pull even at 2-2? I don’t know. The Arena is a seriously crazy place to play during playoffs, but Denver just seems, for now, a better team.

There is some fun going on in the AL East, where Jim White’s Rays are killing it. I might have to fly over for a Rays game if Jim can get us into RandyLand.

Alright, that is enough framework, chat about anything and everything you wish.

On Kentucky Derby days, I usually post Dead Flowers by the Stones because, obviously, it references Kentucky Derby day. Usually the Marquee Theater version. But today, gonna use a version by Keef, Willie and friends. It is pretty kick ass.

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140 replies
  1. Anvil Leucippus says:

    LeClerc going to crash out on Sunday, maybe? I think Sainz has him beat for the GP, but I expect LeClerc will do another great qualifying battle with Verstappen.

  2. Artzen Frankengueuze says:

    It would be great for Max to not win tomorrow, and Alonso back on the podium would be a beautiful thing.

  3. rosalind says:

    shout out to our Seattle Kraken who in their second year are into the 2nd round of the playoffs, having ousted the reigning champs Colorado Avalanche. Game 3 Sunday in Seattle with the Dallas Stars match-up tied up at 1-1.

      • rosalind says:

        they are so much fun to watch, so fast, and a variety of players getting the puck into the net as opposed to Dallas who had one player scoring all four goals in the first game. also fun to see the Kraken stick it to the national hockey press who treated them as a joke entering the playoffs.

    • punaise says:

      Second that! Every game is different and is of course followed by over-reaction. Can they adjust to the Lakers’ adjustments to their adjustments? :~)

      Looks to me like it goes seven games after squeaking by Sacramento in seven. SF Chronicle sports columnist Scot Ostler nailed it with his prediction after game 4 in that series: the home team would lose each of the three remaining games. Fortunately two of those were played in the state capitol.

    • TooLoose LeTruck says:

      I personally thought the Warriors were simply bored during the regular season and just waiting for the playoffs to begin.

      Having said that, I’d like to also say…

      1. Sacramento was for real. They gave the Warriors all they could handle and almost pulled it off. They’re an up and coming team and Mike Brown is one hell of a coach.

      2. The Warriors are still the Warriors, as they proved Thursday night. Don’t know if they’ll repeat as NBA champions, but if they don’t, they won’t go out on a whimper.

      3. And I don’t underestimate Devin Booker. I’ve watched him play enough the last couple of years to appreciate just how good he is. And he, Kevin Durant, and Chris Paul are going to be hard to get past, if the Warriors take down the Lakers.

    • Molly Pitcher says:

      What a busy day !! Looking forward to the Warriors showing up again. NOT an LA fan.

      Would like to see Kuminga get his head straight and give some meaningful time. I think he could help with Le Bron and Anthony Davis, or as he is known at our house, “Street Clothes”.

      The key will be as punaise says, adjusting to the Lakers adjustment on the fly.

      GO Warriors !!!

      Also pulling for Tapit Trice, Mage and Angel of Empire

      • Molly Pitcher says:

        Interesting bit of trivia, Mage was stabled in Secretariat’s stall this week.

        • bluebird says:

          I first read that as Mage was stabbed in Secretariat’s stall this week. lol!
          Will Mage be the next Secretariat?

        • Molly Pitcher says:

          Not a snowballs chance. Secretariat was a once in 100 years horse. His heart was physically twice the size of the average race horse.

      • Old Antarctic Explorer says:

        I picked Mage and Cyclone Mischief. Mage came in first and CM dead last. is there a bet for that?

      • hollywood says:

        I look for AD and the Lakers to show up again and defeat the Warriors on Monday night. The Lakers have to return to SF, but they want to do it up 3-1.

  4. ExRacerX says:

    It’s an embarrassment of riches for cycling fans—we’ve got the women’s Vuelta de España already a few days in, with Annemiek van Vleuten in the leader’s jersey after today’s stage, and this morning was stage 1 of the men’s Giro d’Italia, an individual time trial along the coastline, with favorite Remco Evenepoel emerging victorious and now in the Maglia Rosa. Good times!

    • Patrick G. says:

      Fellow cycling fan here (just back from a 50 miler) – it’s great to see the American riders making an impact on the big stage, both men & women. Chloe Dygart has been riding strong in the Vuelta – coming off her horrific crash a couple of years ago. We also have local OC girl Coryn Labecki in the race riding for team Jumbo Visma. On the men’s side, we’ve got Phoenix AZ boy Brandon McNulty, Sepp Kuss, Neilson Powless, & emerging stud GC rider Matteo Jorgensen. Yeah, the Giro will be fun to watch!

      [Welcome back to emptywheel. Please use the same username each time you comment so that community members get to know you. I have changed your username this once to match your previous four comments as I suspect you don’t really want to use your RL name. Thanks. /~Rayne]

      • ExRacerX says:

        On the American front, Dygart has dropped out, unfortunately. McNulty’s wearing the white jersey today, but it’s really Evenepoel’s. Still, McNulty’s looking good on the GC so far. It’s a long race, but if all goes well, I could see him on the final podium.

    • Tracy Lynn says:

      I especially like this time of year, when the Spring Classics come around. This year there are Americans matching the competition favorably in these most European of races.

      • ExRacerX says:

        The Spring Classics were just brilliant this year. Demi Vollering was on freakin’ FIRE in the women’s field, winning the Ardennes triple! Tour of Flanders & Paris-Roubaix were also highlights. I’m really starting to have trouble keeping up now that most of the women’s races are televised, too.

  5. earlofhuntingdon says:

    Charles Rex apparently had a long day at the office. His carriage was late and slow. He spilled oil on himself and had to change his clothes, and then amble out of the building with a heavy box on his head, smiling and waiving his hand on the way home to the plebes who pay his salary. Hope next week is better for him.

    • Peterr says:

      And he forced a number of EPL fixtures to be moved from Saturday morning to Monday evening. (But at least the EPL only “suggested” that the host teams play “God Save the King” before the afternoon fixtures rather than ordering that this be done.)

        • Peterr says:

          The folks at Anfield in Liverpool were not pleased.

          At all.

          The British national anthem has been met with resounding boos at Anfield, with Liverpool fans drowning out the music with heckles before their fixture against Brentford hours after King Charles’s coronation.

          Liverpool supporters could also be heard chanting “Liverpool, Liverpool” in what has become somewhat of a tradition whenever the national anthem is played at the ground.

          [snip]

          The Daily Mirror’s northern football correspondent, David Maddock, tweeted that the booing coming from around “the entire ground” was so loud he did not even know the anthem had started.

          When the team played Fulham on Wednesday, fans could be heard chanting “You can stick your coronation up your arse.” They also booed Prince William before the FA Cup final last year when the national anthem was played.

          [snip]

          Liverpool fans have been booing the national anthem since the 1980s, beginning as a protest against the establishment, particularly during then prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s managed decline of the city, and now representing dissatisfaction with the condition of the country.

          I’m not a Liverpool fan, but this is the kind of thing that makes me lean in their direction when there are neutral matches.

        • i00sam00i says:

          The mercysiders also punted the Murdoch paper “the sun” following the hillsbourgh disaster in 1989. The Sun published a front page full of lies and since then you “don’t buy the sun”

          [Thanks for updating your username to meet the 8 letter minimum — at least I assume this is what you’ve done by changing your username from “i0sam0i.” /~Rayne]

        • i00sam00i says:

          @rayne – yes, updated the name and its been a while between comments. Thanks for all the behind the scenes work you and others do.

    • gruntfuttock says:

      I suspect Prince Louis spoke for the nation with his big, Snoopy-style yawn.
      I certainly didn’t see much enthusiasm around my town or in the surrounding villages.

      As for the rest of it, I have no idea about what you are speaking, but I am enjoying it. Much like life, really. :-0

      • Peterr says:

        From the coverage of Louis by The Guardian:

        Prince Louis, the youngest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, carried on his track record of being a centre of attention at major events, where he often delights royal fans by acting like a small human being rather than the people around him, who have been meticulously drilled in protocol and etiquette throughout their lives.

        Why do I have the feeling that Harry would be pleased with the next generation’s Spare to the Spare?

        • posaune says:

          I did look for the replay of Bryn Terfel’s Kyrie at the coronation. As outstanding as I expected. Just a beautiful, gorgeous, resonant baritone. As exceptional as his Wotan.

    • ExRacerX says:

      Did they manage to repair the huge dead-grass penis on the Royal Crescent lawn before the festivities? Nothing like a 30-foot phallus to liven up the dull plodding of the coronation!

      • Rayne says:

        The huge dead penis was the one in the crown, no grass required. Nobody needs a dead penis, grass or otherwise, not even +3X the size of Chuck III.

        • ExRacerX says:

          The 30-foot penis may disappear, but the King will linger over England like the worst dog fart ever.

      • Eschscholzia says:

        As long as we’re trash talking: anyone can create a dead grass penis (intentionally or unintentionally). True brilliance happened when UNC build their new molecular biology building a couple decades ago, with a patch of sad sod for “landscaping”. A certain plant ecologist fertilized in a 20′ diameter smiley face the dean would see whenever he looked out his window. Given the local soil, with enough P as well as N in the fertilizer, somewhat persistent beyond simple re-sodding.

        Also: go Padres?

    • Peterr says:

      Coronation broadcasters: “Join us now, please, as we speak in hushed tones so that we might endeavour to invent, over-interpret, and otherwise overblow the True Meaning of Tradition [verbally genuflects here] on this 6th day of May in the Year of Our Lord 2023 . . .”

      Kentucky Derby broadcasters: “Hold my beer mint julep. . . .”

  6. punaise says:

    Having never been to Miami it’s probably unfair to fix this one for you thus:

    Miami remains as ugly and stupid of a course as I have ever seen. It is garish and stupid.

        • ducktree says:

          I once had the opportunity to watch the race from a bird’s eye view up in an apartment tower above the course. It was mostly fugly.

        • christopher rocco says:

          Ahh, yes, I was in high school when the first Formula 5000 race came to the streets of Long Beach, followed by what became the Toyota Grand Prix. My buddy and I roamed downtown the night before eyes popping at the scene and in those days you could pretty easily sneak in to the course for qualifying and race day, since they hadn’t figured out security. When the F-! races came later, that changed. I remember cheering on the Ferraris over all the boring Cosworths because those 12 cylinders screamed and shot flames like real race cars. Those were the days.

        • bmaz says:

          Yeargh, I called it F3, but think you are right the first drive was really a F5000 race. If I recall correctly, Brian Redman (a fine driver) won that. Was at all the early ones, usually staying on the Queen Mary. Most of the drivers did too, so it was a lot of fun to be there. Always full access passes. Gawd I miss those days, it is simply impossible to do F1 like that now unless you are Bezos or Musk, who have both been parading around Miami.

          And, yeah, the Ferraris really did scream back then. Kind of miss that.

        • theartistvvv says:

          Well, Chicago is doing a Nascar race on July 1-2 partially on Michigan Ave and DuSable-LSD.

          I am not excited, already sick of the TV ads, altho’ the Black Crows are playing and that might … naw.

        • bmaz says:

          Been a long time since I’ve seen the Black Crows, but they were seriously kick ass. A Nascar street race wouldn’t interest me at all though.

        • theartistvvv says:

          Always liked ’em; when they broke my little indie band was already covering “Hard to Handle”. We used to argue about the lyrics because that was pre-internet.

          I’m old.

          And the main highway (the Dan Ryan) to the Loop is under construction for the next 3 years and this Nascar thing is gonna mess up the LSD alternative (LSD always being the alternative) which will make it a PITA to get to downtown courts … And, Nascar fans around here are like hockey fans, unfortunately – people I am too far left to hang with.

        • bmaz says:

          First time saw them was in a smallish mid town club (1000 maybe?). Hard To Handle had just dropped. But, man, they blew that place up.

        • bmaz says:

          By the way, you should get together with Ed Walker. Think he and wife literally live on Lake Shore. Currently in France, but he will be back. Bet both of you would enjoy that.

    • Rayne says:

      Mahalo for the heads up, I could use something like to listen to while I work around the house today.

      EDIT: omg, they’ve got Turtle Island Quartet. Don’t know what I did to get that blessing!

    • Lit_eray says:

      Ah the memories. Check out WWOZ anytime: https://www.wwoz.org/listen/player/

      Before there was a Jazz Fest, the Fair Grounds left the gates unlocked during the off season for horse racing. They let the infield grow. There were rabbits and even deer in a, to this city kid, wild land. It was a private oasis for an eight, or so, year old to explore after school and on weekends. I lived a block away.

      The early Jazz Fests were so incredible. My first one was at Congo Square. Back then, even at the Fair Grounds, you could bring in your ice chest full of beer, set it on a blanket and go check out the shows without ever worrying about your stuff. Here’s to progress, but the past is full of sentiment.

      Oh yeah, there was a F1 race in New Orleans once. I do not think anyone remembers. No way you can hold my beer until it’s empty.

  7. rattlemullet says:

    I would just like to say my childhood team, the Baltimore Orioles are finally acting like they want to play winning ball once again.

    Here’s to a safe horse race, one that has already beed preceded with tragedy. DeArbea Walker has an interesting short history about black jockeys in the Kentucky Derby who once dominated the sport.

    Also in the last year have taken an interest in the ABB FIA Formula E, I figure it will ultimately be the future of the sport.

    Good day to all sports fans, certainly a lot going on.

    • bmaz says:

      Lol, yeah, they really do not. That said, given traffic, I have given up and only have an auto at this point. Maybe I will get another true sports car sometime, but I miss the days of actual shifting.

      • ExRacerX says:

        5-speed manual transmission addict here. My car’s just a Subaru, but I still enjoy the hell outta driving it.

  8. -mamake- says:

    For jazz fans, if you want to support the SF Jazz Festival Gala & see a wonderful two hour show, check out the link below.
    It was Thursday evening live (free for members) and will air/zoom whatever, again Sunday at 5 pm (left coast time).
    It was a benefit for SFJAZZ artistic and education programs and to celebrate departing director Randall Kline.
    Incredible line-up, excellent audio and great camera work on musicians & wonderful story of Kline’s 40 years of building the jazz and cultural community in SF.

    https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/events/2023-gala/

      • -mamake- says:

        Great – thanks for the link. Another positive rabbit hole to fall into – lots of good material on that KQED series. Will enjoy.

        And for anyone wondering, my understanding re: seeing the rebroadcast is that you can become a member (in essence donating to support the jazz festival et al) and see this fabulous show today (west coast time) at 5 pm.

        SF Chron review describes it thus (just a few examples): “spectacular….long, glorious, musical flight….pathos and playfulness” — and “There wasn’t a weak link or dull moment…” Excellent, and introduced me to Veronica Swift, singing a powerful “This Bitter Earth.”

        About two hours to rebroadcast. :-)

  9. db_rouse says:

    My my, what an interesting starting grid we have for tomorrow. Good for Alonso. Given the way the track surface seemed to be shaping up, we will undoubtedly have a couple of safety cars and maybe red flags to screw with everyone’s plans and the FIA can always find a way to fuck things up if that doesn’t happen. I’m not going call this a prediction but I think that there is a good chance that Max being Max isn’t going to wait two whole laps for DRS tries something overly aggressive and puts himself and maybe a couple of others off into the barriers. Double irony points if he does it trying to get around Russell.

  10. OnKilter says:

    CNN —

    Two more horses have died at Churchill Downs, the home of the famed Kentucky Derby, officials from the track announced on Saturday. A total of seven horses have now died at the racetrack in the week-long lead up to the race.

    • P J Evans says:

      They were in other races, but yeah, there’s something wrong.

      The winner of the Derby was a 15-1 longshot.

    • Ginevra diBenci says:

      I live in this world all year. Yesterday was a hideous conclusion to an awful week. Worst of all, Churchill suspended trainer Saffie Joseph after two of his horses died, in what reeks of scapegoating when the deaths seem to indicate track issues. This is not how you win fans back to the sport, Kentucky.

      The day’s brightest spot, another brilliant victory by Cody’s Wish on the undercard, reminded those who love the sport of its beauty. Even NBC’s saccharine overplaying of the “human story” around the horse couldn’t ruin it; announcers Randy Moss and Jerry Bailey needed to be let further off the tether to discuss the problems, however.

    • Molly Pitcher says:

      The sport needs to clean up the legal drug issue and get back to breeding horses with substantial bone and proper conformation.

      Lasix is banned on race day in most countries, but more than 90 percent of Thoroughbreds in the U.S. are given the drug within hours of racing. Racing went from a sport in which all drugs were prohibited to one in which the vast majority of competitors are on one particular drug, the diuretic Lasix, which is supposed to control bleeding.

      The obsession with speed, because of the enormous amount of money in the sport, has led breeders away from more substantially built horses. I think that 2 year olds should only be allowed a maximum 2 races at the end of their two year old year. Too much pressure is being put on babies with immature bodies.

      There is also a substantial issue with all of the various artificial track surfaces. Some are more prone to contributing to breakdowns than others. I am suspicious of all of them.

      • Peterr says:

        Elizabeth Banicki, who writes about horses for The Guardian, has a great piece up on this:

        The horses died at Churchill Downs during the only time of year racing is relevant to most Americans, so they were highly publicized. But hundreds of racehorses across America meet the same fate every year, as they always have. The deaths are routine and while the industry drums out statements admitting it’s got problems, they are problems that never seem to be addressed. Two horses died on Saturday alone, but Derby Day racing continued on schedule. Maybe the powers that be could have called things off. But there’s the money and the fashion and the mint juleps to think about. The message is clear: “We don’t care.”

        There is no other mainstream sport where carnage and indifference occur so regularly – and are as tolerated. These horses were doing what was demanded of them and they still suffered and died. There is clearly a problem with what is asked of them. The horses are unable to withstand moving at such speed when they are so young and underdeveloped. They are pushed to exhaustion. The repetitive percussive drill of training and running kills some of them, and ruins others for life. Meaningful reform is not just about sifting out the dopers or changing track surfaces, it must be more holistic. The lack of horsemanship and respect for the animal has led to a business where horses are treated like cars.

        Given the F1 focus of Trash Talk, it seem appropriate to note that F1 owners would never treat their cars like this.

  11. Purple Martin says:

    Inspired by the “1 Iron” thread in the last post and its discussion of playing golf with the fewest possible clubs, I play both golf and disc golf. As in stick golf, three ‘clubs’ (discs: driver/mid/putter) let you play, while forcing use of different techniques (fades, draws, and S-curve turnovers, versus having lots of different discs do that for you). (I retired in 2017 and thought I’d play a lot of golf but we moved near a small college with a disc golf course and I walk there to play 3-4 times a week).

    My disc golf cart (yes, airport-style but w/big wheels, roll-behind cart) holds 25 discs: fast/long Distance Drivers (driver/3 wood); easier to control Field Drivers (woods/hybrids); slower more workable Midranges (irons); and slow Approach/Putters (wedge/putter). All come in overstable (fade), stable, and understable (draw) versions with different amounts of aerodynamic glide, suitable for different distances, lines, and wind conditions.

    Still enjoy playing stick golf 3-4 times a year. But mostly free play, cheap equipment ($10-$25 discs), walk-to 90-120-minute rounds, while still enjoying golf strategies—risk/reward lines, ‘club’ selection, and shot-shaping—make me mainly a disc golfer.

    And btw, this is an off-week for the DGPT (yes, Disc Golf Pro Tour) but May 26-28 they’ll be in Shelton, Washington (East of Olympia). They’re creating a new Pro (long) layout from the three Shelton Springs DG Club courses…I’ve played there a few times and might drive the 40 minutes down there to watch.

  12. Kennygauss says:

    I known you blokes are not interested! But I have just gone down! 6 2 in aussie National Rugby Leauge 🙄

  13. Kennygauss says:

    Have a listen to abc fnq local Web cast for qld v nsw Web site 31 may 1800 aus cst if interested!

  14. newbroom says:

    I watched Silky Sullivan, Secretariat, and Riva Ridge on television. Isn’t the English Crown a bit of a dead horse?
    If the eastern NBA playoffs continue to be as brutal as they have been till now, there won’t be much left to face the west. I’m an old Celtics fan who thinks Jokic is the bomb.
    It’s good to have distractions. Watched a clip of Joan Baez and Lester Scruggs this a.m.

    • ExRacerX says:

      No consent, no contracts, and no pay, spurred on by the riding crop and PEDs, and if your leg get broken, they kill you. Things haven’t gotten much better for non-human “athletes” since the ’40s.

    • bmaz says:

      Excellent, and thanks for that! My old friend, and mentor as to everything mechanical and motor racing, finished third in that race. Would win the championship the following year after the tragic death of his teammate. By the way, the Prince and Princess were very involved in the races and hosted parties and freely interacted with the drivers and team principals. It was a different era back then, but a wonderful one.

      PS: Monaco 2023 is coming up in three weeks!

      • Rapier says:

        So is the Isle Of Man TT. I can’t defend its carnage but its unique format, a race against the clock, and privateering racers make it a thing of legend now and there are not many of those left intact.

        • earlofhuntingdon says:

          Although they are not geographically part of the British Isles, the Channel Islands are included because empire and tax avoidance. They do, however, make some of the finest wool sweaters in the world.

        • Chetnolian says:

          What does the status of the Channel Islands, 200 miles south of IoM, have to do with the TT? Actually they got a fright last year when they had three deaths on two consecutive days at the same spot both involving modern sidecars. Watch for a more safety conscious TT this year. Even on the IoM, and believe me they try, they cannot make time stand still.

  15. bmaz says:

    Lol, there is a (surely bogus) rumor running around British tabloids that Taylor Swift and Fernando Alonso have a thing going on. Can’t see that, but it is hilarious.

    • Savage Librarian says:

      It makes more sense if you know that he was once married to Raquel del Rosario, lead singer of a Spanish pop band.

      https://youtu.be/rOTXp-M6pdo

      EL SUEÑO DE MORFEO – “Ojos de cielo” – Videoclip Oficial Alta Calidad

      English translation:

      If I look at the bottom
      of your tender eyes
      The world is erasing me
      with all its hell.
      The world is erased
      and I discover the sky
      when I dive into your tender eyes.

      Eyes of heaven, Eyes of heaven,
      Do not leave me in mid-flight.
      Eyes of heaven, eyes of heaven
      all my life for this dream.
      Eyes of heaven, Eyes of heaven,
      Eyes of heaven, Eyes of heaven,

      If I forgot the truth,
      if I stayed away from the most sincere,
      your heavenly eyes will remind me,
      if I distance myself from the true.
      Heaven eyes….

      If the sun that shines on me
      will go out a day
      a dark night will win my life,
      your eyes of heaven
      would enlighten me,
      your sincere eyes, my way and guide.

      Eyes of heaven, Eyes of heaven,
      Eyes of heaven, Eyes of heaven,

    • Alan Charbonneau says:

      There was a rumor that Ivanka was the Yoko Ono of Tom Brady’s marriage. Dunno if it’s true, but either way it’s hilarious.

  16. PeteT0323 says:

    But, but, Miami is garish ;-) And they are even calling it the Miami International Autodrome. WTF?

    NBA – How about The Heat.

    NHL – How about The Panthers

    Is it still fun to diss The Yankees?

    • bmaz says:

      1) Two years in a row, so know I am a broken record on it, but the Miami circuit is just hideous. And “Miami Autodrome”, yeah WTF?

      2) Have to love the Heat, but they need Jimmy Buckets back.

      3) Panthers too!

      4) It is always a good time to diss the Yankees.

    • db_rouse says:

      Don’t forget we have Vegas to look forward to. Garish? Here, hold my complementary cocktail.

        • db_rouse says:

          At least this time they’re not just painting lines in a parking lot and calling it an F1 track.

        • bmaz says:

          Yeah, it really does. And not just lines, but ugly garish lines. It is not just Miami, though that is a real example, it is all of F1.

      • ernesto1581 says:

        ma come mai? the twitter link? the physiognomical reference? as a card carrying member of a clan from the mountains of Sicily through which every bloody wayfarer and pillager passed beginning with the (possibly fictive) Phoenicians, many if not most of whom sport beaks which put that of the hapless regent to shame, I find no fault there.

        Regarding the bad taste of simply mentioning the Return of the Lupo Silvio, what can I say — he is like a bad case of foot fungus that pops up every year about this time. What can you say but, in the words of Dr Madden, Boom! Tough actin’ Tinactin!

        If the twitter link, I apologize and promise never to do so again.

        (I do think, however, that the post referenced surely attains the level of “trash(talk),” no?)

        • earlofhuntingdon says:

          If you have to ask what distinguishes an irritating aroma from a wretch-inducing smell, you’ll never know,

        • ExRacerX says:

          If I had to split hairs between whether my post constituted an irritating odor or a retch-inducing smell, I’d consider cutting my losses.

        • earlofhuntingdon says:

          Thanks for the spellcheck. I must have been thinking of the miserable wretches that pass for a Republican Party, who are also retch-inducing.

  17. Idland says:

    I know it’s nice to race downhill, but it will continue downhill as long as it’s aramco F1.

  18. Thomas Paine says:

    Well it looks like the Red Bull cars were the only real race runners on the track. Max V. wins again, (yawn). At least Alonzo ended up on the podium. I hate IMSA Balance of Performance (BOP) but it does make the races competitive. If any racing series could use BOP, it is F1.

    The best racing of the weekend were the timed agility trials at the Westminster Dog Show in NYC. Truant, a black and white Border Collie in the 20” category was the class of the field completing the obstacle course in less than 29 seconds. The course included jumps, tunnels, bridges, walls and a teeter-totter. Big fun.

  19. StevenWS says:

    Kickass indeed. For a change of pace, listen to the version by Townes Van Zandt on his Road Songs album.

  20. Retired guy says:

    Thanks for the “Dead Flowers” video, that I had not seen.

    Here in the less violent corners of Texas, the song is a standard in informal guitar circles. Everybody sings and plays along. Multiple rounds of spirited solos. I usually fit the tune into my humble solo busking gigs.

    In the tipsy discussion of music folklore is a persistent belief that Gram Parsons deserved a co-author credit on this and several other Stones tunes from this time.

    • bmaz says:

      Mick and Keef have always been good about acknowledging their influences. So, if so as to Parsons, think they would admit it. I still remember an interview of Richards I listened to on AM radio long long ago where he said (paraphrasing, but fairly close) “Hey, Chuck Berry, Elvis and Little Richard wrote all the rock and roll, we are just repurposing it”. Although Elvis mostly sang it as opposed to writing it.

      • gruntfuttock says:

        ‘Mick and Keef have always been good about acknowledging their influences.’

        Led Zeppelin not so good at that and had to pay ‘undisclosed sums’ to Willie Dixon as a result.

        I was familiar with the Stravinsky variant of the ‘Good artists copy; great artists steal’ line but, as scientists are often wont to say, ‘it’s a little more complicated than that.’

        https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/03/06/artists-steal/

        • bmaz says:

          Exactly. Mick and Keith would literally invite Dixon on stage to sing and play what they lifted. They are famous for that. And it is a huge difference.

    • StevenWS says:

      I feel like Gram Parsons would have liked a twanging country sound to that song.

  21. Alan Charbonneau says:

    Sadness—I just learned that American sprinter Tori Bowie died on May 2nd at age 32. I remember her at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro where she won three medals: gold, silver, and bronze. She was a stunningly beautiful woman as well as a great athlete.

    • bmaz says:

      To really defend, had to put Trump on the stand. But there was no chance of that occurring. Can’t do that.

        • bmaz says:

          That will also, ultimately, upon proper application, include atty fees, and Robbie Kaplan is very much not cheap. That will be a massive haul before the final judgment is entered.

        • Alan Charbonneau says:

          I want the frim fram sauce with the Ausen fay With schadenfreude on the side

        • Molly Pitcher says:

          He has been found liable for sexual abuse, but since this was a civil case, he doesn’t have to register as a sex offender, correct ?

        • Troutwaxer says:

          Can we say “that sexual abuser, Donald Trump” without being guilty of some kind of defamation?

        • BobBobCon says:

          You would be completely within bounds to quote the Access Hollywood recording, though.

          There’s a reasonable way to refer to it, and reporters who try to pretend it’s not relevant aren’t doing their jobs.

        • Rayne says:

          Between the Access Hollywood tape and his testimony for the Carroll defamation suit, I don’t see how one could reasonably say he hasn’t confessed to being a sexual abuser.

          And then there’s the multitude of women who’ve said they’ve been abused by Trump over the years — they’ve obtained nothing for their statements until the Carroll verdict today, only ample abuse by MAGA supporters and Trump himself. Rather difficult to blow off their lived experience of sexual abuse by Trump.

  22. Molly Pitcher says:

    The sad news today is that the great Joe Kapp has died at 85. He was an All American at Cal, a College Football Hall of Famer and a truly wonderful person.

    He was the first Mexican American Super Bowl Quarterback. He finished 5th in the Heisman trophy voting. He is also the only person everyto quarterback a Rose Bowl team, a Grey Cup team for the British Columbia Lions and a Super Bowl team for the Minnesota Vikings. His seven touchdown passes against the Baltimore Colts still stand as the NFL’s single-game record.

    He ultimately returned to Cal and was the head coach during the incredible 1982 Big Game which featured ‘The Play’. He was a remarkable man.

    • BobBobCon says:

      Something tells me that the delight in “The Play” made up for the Super Bowl disappointment. Can you imagine being on the sidelines when the refs signalled the win?

      • Molly Pitcher says:

        I was at the game and the last lateral to Kevin Moen was right in front of me, as was Kevin smashing the trombonist, Gary Tyrell in the end zone.

        ‘The Play’ aside, it was the best, most exciting football game I have ever seen. If you are needing entertainment some day, watch that game. It can be found on the internet.

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