Weekend Sports Wrap-Up

It was an interesting weekend for the discerning Sportsman. Friday evening I attended the boxing matches at Resorts Casino in Atlantic City. The Card was presented by KEA boxing and featured a solid 2nd round KO by Juan"The Beast" Rodriguez. The Beast caught opponent Crabtree on the chin and dispatched the kid to the canvas...he was out cold for about 30 seconds and the fight was over. There were several other competitive and entertaining bouts on the card. Unfortunately, after the fights I fared about as well as Crabtree on the Craps table and was KO'd by the Croupier's call of "Seven Out" more times than I would like to admit.
Saturday showed Steeplechase fans a rousing victory by Twill DO in the Maryland Hunt Cup. I could not attend the races but followed closely on line. This Race meet offers only the one event so I find it hard to justify the drive down to Maryland.
The weekend culminated with Game 1 of the Flyers v. Devils in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Danny Briere scored an overtime which caused my son and I to leap from the couch cheering...nothing quite as exciting as an OT win in play off hockey.
In addition, Lehigh beat Colgate on Saturday to capture the Patriot League Championship and perhaps a bid the the big NCAA tournament.

Steeplechasing Heats Up

April finds the Spring Steepelchasing season bustling with events. Tomorrow features the Maryland Hunt Cup and over in Virginia the Foxfield races. here in Pennsylvannia, May will offer the Willowdale Steeplechase and The Radnor Hunt Races.
Monte Burke over at Forbes Magazine did a piece 2 years back that included a quotable passage:

"I tried to get to the heart of why these Mid-Atlantic aristocrats–who are otherwise sane, gainfully employed family men living full lives–would risk life and limb to run these races, which provide winners with only a few thousand dollars in prize money? (And they literally do risk it all. Some years ago, a jockey was pitched from his mount headfirst and was left a quadriplegic.)
The answer: the race provides these men with what T.S. Eliot described as “the still point in a turning world.” Charles Fenwick, Sr., a 63 year-old former racer who won the event five times, told me: “I concentrated harder during that eight and a half minutes than on anything else in my life.”

This year's Maryland Hunt cup will likely be a 2 horse duel between Bon Caddo and Private Attack, For betting purposes...this is where the short odds will be.
As a bettor, I may tip onto Professor Maxwell....I have seen him race and like his speed and stamina...or perhaps Prospector Strike....with the young Batoff aboard he has an experienced jock who knows this course.

Radnor Hunt Races-Schedule

Race #	Start Time*	Name	Length (miles)	Purse
1	1:30 p.m.	The Milfern Cup	2 3/8	$25,000
2	2:05 p.m.	Vita C. Thompson Memorial Steeplechase	2 3/8	$30,000
3	2:55 p.m.	Radnor Hunt Cup	3 1/4	$40,000
4	3:45 p.m.	National Hunt Cup	2 3/8	$50,000
5	4:20 p.m.	James M. Moran Jr. Steeplechase	2 3/8	$25,000
6	4:50 p.m.	Henry Collins Steeplechase	2 3/8	$10,000

Another Club Joined

In order to further my training of the new dog, I have joined Del Bay Retriever Club. Several of the guys I hunt with are members and encouraged me to join and sign up for training sessions. My new yellow lab,Genna, and I had our first session last night at Rebel Ridge Farms. The lead trainer is very knowledgeable and runs a nice class. We will have 5 sessions working on all aspects of waterfowl retrieving and general obedience. My buddy Ned signed up with his dog, Drum, so I had company for the ride and a wing man for the class. I sense both dog and master will learn a lot from this experience.
I have trained dogs for Upland game but not waterfowl, so I need the help and experience offered by Del Bay to get Genna ready for the season. Being signed up for a class and paying for same adds another level of commitment to training. It is easy to blow off a back-yard session....but an organized class is different.
I will state that the time spent training a hunting dog is very rewarding and informative...the end result is a well mannered and well behaved dog and a faithful hunting companion. We have work to do and homework tonite on "hold" and force fetch....stay tuned.

The Off-Season

When the waterfowl season is closed and the guns are cleaned oiled and in the gun-safe, there is still work to do. On Friday I took the day off to perform some of this work in preparation for next season. Those few who follow this Blog may recall that I now have a new hunting dog..Genna. Part of the off season work involves getting this young lady prepared for duck hunting next season.

So, she came along for the trip and we worked on water retrieves from our Club's water blinds. She did well and had a ball getting muddy and swimming. We also worked on field retrieves and marking downed birds in the tall brush. Again, she did well and responded to commands and whistles. She was very steady and perhaps most importantly did not leave my side despite being off leash on an 800 acre farm....she stayed at heel or within a few yards at all times. She also did well riding in the backseat of the truck without being in her crate.

Then it was time to work on the duck hunting boat. I had tubes put in both of the trailer tires and re-stenciled the registration numbers. Next, I sanded and re-painted the transom, lubed the trailer bearings and made sure the lights and wiring were in good order. The lights really take a beating being immersed in brackish water when launching the boat.

After the work was complete it was time for dinner. There is a local joint in Liepsic Delaware, about 4 miles from our Club, that is legendary for Crabs. The place sits on the Liepsic river and gets fresh Delaware Bay seafood right from the boats as they come in off the Bay. What they do not get locally they import and they do this fresh seafood perfectly as well.

This joint, Sambo's, is old school waterfront crab house though and through. They have an off-season and close from late October thru early April, so I was excited to get back there shortly after they re-opened. We waded into piles of steamers, shrimp, and crabs and washed it down with pitchers of ice cold beer. The cole slaw is tremendous, the crab fries delicious and the crab bisque is insane.

A side note...the name of this establishment is perhaps not politically correct and raises an eyebrow from some visitors. Legend has it that the NAACP actually sued the owners to compel a name change. The owners won the suit because Sambo is actually the name of the proprietor.
When NASCAR is racing at Dover this place is packed with racers and teams and the walls are crowded with autographs and racing paraphernalia. If you ever get down that way...do yourself a favor and stop in for a couple dozen and a pitcher or two. The jukebox is great, they have a pool table for your wait, and the staff is exceptional.

Ring Nostalgia

Prize fighting written into an easily consumed form. I wish I could find more of these...pretty good prose and engaging stories of fights and fighters. " The Lady Likes Blood"....really?
These days it is hard to find even a terse wire service blurb in your city's daily about boxing. "Ring" magazine still waves the flag and there are a few decent websites...but nothing like these publications are to be found at the news stand.

More Hockey and Crosby Bashing

One of my buddies,a rabid Flyers fan, sent me this picture. This photo literally made me laugh out loud in my office.
I will freely admit that Crosby is a sensational hockey player in technical aspects of the game. He is no Gretzky. He is also an insufferable whiner and on ice candy-ass.
We will be glued to the TV tonite for game four of this exciting series.