Twice the Heart

    Do you like sports?  I do!  I remember when ESPN (and cable) first came to our area.  I was spending the night at my Grandparents’ house and they had this channel that would show sports 24 hours a day.  I recall my mother picking me up the next day and my Grandfather relaying my behavior “I heard a noise at 1:00, came out into the living room and he was watching racing!”  Now, it was Formula One racing which I’ve never seen before nor even knew it existed.  It was a race in some foreign land I couldn’t pronounce and to this day can’t even remember.  However, it was a sport and I loved it!

    As I’ve grown, I still love all kinds of sports although I do not keep up on them as I once did.  Heck, I was so busy this past Thursday watching “Band of Brothers” (yes, the WWII series) with Rachel I totally forgot that the NFL draft was going on.  There are some sports, admittedly, I am only a ‘band-wagon’ fan – sorry Cavaliers.  Basketball really never was my thing.  I think it goes back when I was in High School and we had just moved to New Jersey.  My Dad said to me “either you put the orange ball through the hoop, or you wrestle.”  Off to the wresting room I went.

    One sport, more appropriately, one sporting event that, at least to me, has a unique atmosphere about it is the Kentucky Derby.  Do I normally seek out horse racing events? No.  Will I watch them on ESPN?  Maybe there was a day when I would, at 2:30 in the morning but not now.  So, what is it about the Kentucky Derby that gets me, and let’s face it, thousands if not millions of people tuned into it? 

    The short answer is the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the event.  In fact, much of what we see today surrounding the derby was initially implemented for the sole purpose to increase viewership.  Here is a short article explaining the origins of the Derby: https://www.history.com/topics/sports/kentucky-derby#:~:text=The%20Kentucky%20Derby%2C%20first%20held%20in%201875%20at,three-year-old%20thoroughbreds%20racing%20a%20distance%20of%201.25%20miles.

    Of course, one cannot discuss the Kentucky Derby without also bringing up the greatest horse to run at the Kentucky Derby and subsequently win the Triple Crown: Secretariat.  A horse who was so dominant he was the only non-human included among ESPN’s 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th century.  What I also thought interesting in this history of Secretariat was what the veterinarian staff found during Secretariat’s autopsy after his death in 1989.  https://www.history.com/topics/sports/secretariat

    Whether you are into sports or not, I hope you get the opportunity to participate in an activity you truly enjoy this weekend.  And just because you aren’t into horse racing doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the Kentucky Derby. 

    Please remember that we are “here” and available for you as well.  If you have any questions or concerns, financial or otherwise, please do not hesitate to call or email.  If you have friends, family, or neighbors you feel would benefit from a conversation with me, I’m more than happy to have a call or jump on a Zoom meeting with them. 

    As always, I hope that you are doing well, and staying safe & healthy!