Birdstone’s upset, Tuna on a roll and old men win Cups

Smarty Jones was outwitted on Saturday when a horse named Birdstone passed Smarty in the final… Smarty Jones was outwitted on Saturday when a horse named Birdstone passed Smarty in the final stretch, ruining his chances at a Triple Crown. Not so smarty was Junior Seau when he received his team leadership award. And the Tampa Bay Lightning’s front office is looking very intelligent for picking up Dave Andreychuk.

Belmont Cheese-Stakes.

The horse from Philadelphia could not do it.

Every analyst during the five-hour pre-game show on ESPN picked Smarty Jones to win. Every announcer for NBC, who broadcasted the event, picked Smarty to win.

Not only were analysts saying Smarty would win; they predicted a blow out — a win by at least 10 lengths.

In actuality, Smarty was passed by Birdstone in the final stretch.

The outcome of the race kind of made the hours of pre-game activities look silly and ended the horse racing season, in the eyes of most viewers. Next season starts with the Kentucky Derby.

NBC’s two minutes of fame was highlighted not only by the horse race. In the moments leading up to the race, the horses were making their way to the starting line, and one kicked a trainer in the face. The NBC announcer came on live and described the incident by saying, “He appeared to be hurt for a minute.”

This was not one of NBC’s greatest sports moments. The man just got kicked in the face by a horse. Of course he is going to appear hurt.

Way to go, NBC. Hope you do a better job covering the NHL next year, because when a player is cut with a high stick, he appears to be hurt for a minute — in most cases.

Junior Tuna Sandwich

Wonder what will stop Junior Seau from running his mouth. Maybe “feed him some fried chicken and some watermelon.” That’s what he said would stop San Diego Charger running back LaDainian Tomlinson in last year’s regular season matchup.

Seau’s mouth ran again during the team’s preseason award ceremony. He was given the team leadership award and he embraced it by saying, “We are a team that cares. … I would say love and everybody would say, ‘You’re a faggot,’ but I’m not.”

The “team leader” apologized for his remarks the next day, but it did not matter. It’s like a lawyer saying something that is going to be overruled by the judge — the jury still hears it.

Also guilty of not thinking before speaking was the Tuna, otherwise known as coach Bill Parcells. When speaking to reporters after practice, Parcells used the term “Jap-plays,” to describe a secret, defensive attack. To make matters worse, there was a Japanese reporter in the room when Parcells unveiled his secret play.

Parcells quickly apologized to the public, and personally apologized to the Japanese reporter who heard the comment live.

Both Seau and Parcells bring me to a very valuable point. You have to watch what you say. You are premier NFL figures. The whole country has its eyes on you, and you have to be sensitive to your audience.

You don’t like it?

Hang up the pads and whistle and move to a secluded island where you can say what you will and say what you mean.

Social Security All-Stars.

Barring a lockout, every team that wishes to win a Stanley Cup should go out and find themselves the oldest, most successful, yet Cup-less player in the NHL.

Dave Andreychuk just won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay and capped his 22-year career with his first championship. He has the record for most playoff points, yet he did not own a cup. The Lightning added him to the roster and he helped them win a cup.

Old and successful, yet unsuccessful in terms of championships, players have been helpful to a few teams of late. Just look at Brett Hull with the Dallas Stars and Raymond Bourque with the Colorado Avalanche. Both led their teams into the finals and hoisted the cup when all was said and done. Bourque won his cup in a similar fashion. He signed with the Avalanche and battled back from a 3-2 deficit in the series to defeat New Jersey for his day with the cup.

Even Dominik Hasek won his cup by being picked out of the old-man, free-agent pool. He was a long-time, Cup-less Buffalo Sabre until he made the move to Detroit. There he went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2002.

Who’s next on the list of old, Cup-less All-Stars? Just to list a few, Jeremy Roenick, Adam Oates and Peter Bondra all have never won a Stanley Cup.

Jimmy Johnson is the assistant sports editor for The Pitt News and he can be reached at Jimmysjargon@yahoo.com.