Kritik und Anregungen » him, though will be without left wing

The Haskell Invitational is a great race. At a million dollars, the pot is right. The distance of a mile and one-eighth offers the kind of test that brings the proper horses together. It is run on a Sunday -- this Sunday -- which validates a day of the week that has been all but abandoned by major racing events, and it is presented at Monmouth Park, which remains one of racings most important properties.And yet, the question remains as to why any trainer whose name does not start with B and end with fert would want to buck obvious Haskell history. Bob Baffert has won all eight of his Haskells since the turn of the century, beginning in 2001 with Horse of the Year Point Given and most recently in 2015 with Horse of the Year American Pharoah.In between there were War Emblem, Roman Ruler, Lookin At Lucky, Coil, Paynter, and Bayern. This year Baffert has sent American Freedom, winner of the Iowa Derby, a credential that normally should not strike terror into the hearts of such Haskell heavyweights as Nyquist, Exaggerator, and Gun Runner. Still, theres Baffert.I know, I know, said Doug ONeill, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. I wasnt sure how they do it here. Are we all listed as assistant trainers? But winning five out of the last six, that is truly phenomenal. Hes really got it ironed out.ONeill tried the Haskell in 2012 with Handsome Mike, like Nyquist owned by Paul Reddam, but he finished fourth to Paynter. There have been other California-based trainers swoop in to take Haskells past, including Jerry Hollendorfer, Richard Mandella, and David Hofmans, so at least ONeill can hope. Also, Nyquist is 6-5.I think the track here is fairly California-ish, ONeill said. By all accounts speed is pretty tough here, and a lot of our top dirt horses for sure have a lot of speed.Including Nyquist, who went too fast for his own good in the Preakness, finished third, and came out of the race with an illness that required a weeks worth of antibiotics. That was his first loss in nine starts.Once his blood work was perfect and his temperature was normal for several consecutive days, then we gave him another week before we thought about training him again, ONeill said.It was nice for a change not to have a date circled as to where you wanted to go next, the trainer went on. For a while there, heading into the Triple Crown races, youre kind of in a zone and you hope your horse is there with you. And he was, right up to the Preakness.They are calling this the 49th running of the Haskell, although from 1968 through 1980 it was known as the Monmouth Invitational Handicap and was won by such stars as Wajima, Majestic Light, and Coastal.For the sticklers in the crowd, the modern Haskell began in 1997, which makes Sundays version its 20th as a million-dollar summer splash meant to lure the cream of the 3-year-old crop to the Jersey Shore -- and away from the Jim Dandy at Saratoga.Ive been to three of those, which hardly qualifies as bragging rights, but each of them turned out to be a race worth remembering.Belmont winner Touch Gold and Triple Crown iron horse Free House were the stars of that 1997 Haskell, with the exciting Tale of the Cat in the mix. With his damaged foot still patched from his Preakness stumble, Touch Gold won impressively, while his stablemate Awesome Again took the Jim Dandy the same afternoon. Dave Hofmans, front and center at Monmouth, trained them both.In 1998, the stars of the division were Real Quiet and Victory Gallop, who provided more than enough Triple Crown thrills. Coronados Quest was always waiting in the wings, though, nursing minor injuries and grudges. He was a bona-fide head case, tamed by Shug McGaughey to do some remarkable things. They let him leave the walking ring early for the Haskell and have his private post parade, after which he defeated Victory Gallop in a close finish that withstood a claim of foul.Following the Curlin trail in 2007 was the way to go, but his Haskell was a rare misfire in his nine starts that year. I tried not to blame myself when he finished third to Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun. Strangley enough, Baffert did not have a runner.As for Nyquist, Kentucky Derby winners have not had much to say about the Haskell. There have been Bafferts pair -- War Emblem and American Pharoah -- plus Big Brown in 2008. And thats it among the 49 winners. If ONeill is worried about that historical tidbit, he hid it well.We proud and privileged to be back in a big race and have him with a big chance, ONeill said.Of more concern was the Baffert tradition of consuming the house specialty at Maxs Hot Dogs in nearby Long Branch on Haskell Day. And if Baffert does not make the trip, assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes takes one at Maxs for the team.Were going to look for something different, make up our own lucky spot, ONeill said. Well see how the race goes, and if it goes our way Ill tell you where we ate that morning.Atlanta Braves Shirts . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. Custom Atlanta Braves Jerseys .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. https://www.cheapbraves.com/ . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. Braves Jerseys China . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Grant Dayton Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons.SUNRISE, Fla. -- Roberto Luongo and Leo Luongo were no different than most brothers.No matter the game, when the Luongos went head-to-head at home in Montreal in anything from sports to cards or even board games like Monopoly, it always led to someone getting upset.Even beach soccer games with the family, Leo Luongo said. Someone would always end up crying or bleeding.Being on the same side now is considerably easier for both.Roberto Luongo is the goalie for the Florida Panthers, and Leo Luongo -- one of his younger brothers, the other is named Fabio -- is a goalie coach in the organization, now working with the teams AHL affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts. Before Leo departed for his duties there, he spent time around his brother in an effort to help him get ready for the season that starts for Florida at home on Thursday night.Its definitely a little bit of a different dynamic, Leo Luongo said. But at the same time, its a positive thing. He knows how much effort and hard work Ive put into this craft over the last 10 years. And when we talk, he knows that I know what Im talking about.That was evident on the day that Leo Luongos preseason duties with the NHL club were ending this fall.He and his brother were the first two on the ice before practice, and wound up spending about a half-hour going over various things. Leo did all the talking, Roberto did all the nodding.The Panthers have a well-regarded goalie coach in Robb Tallas, who Roberto Luongo relied upon heavily this summer while recovering and rehabilitating after offseason hip surgery. But adding Leo Luongo this summer was viewed within the organization as a win-win -- the younger Luongo already has a strong resume from stints working in Canada and Europe, not to mention that probably no one knows the Florida netminder better.You play for yourrself, Roberto Luongo said.dddddddddddd But you play for your brothers as well.At 37, Roberto Luongo knows the window of opportunity for his Stanley Cup hopes are running out. Hes still an elite goalie and had the numbers to match last season, with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage -- both better than his career norms.The Panthers rode him to the Atlantic Division title last season, that banner set to be unveiled before Thursdays opener against New Jersey. Theres still no Stanley Cup banner swaying from the rafters of the Panthers home arena, and theres no Cup ring on Luongos hand, either.To say theres urgency to change that is an understatement.My windows not as big as the younger guys, Roberto Luongo said. Weve got to make it happen soon.Leo Luongo has no doubt that his brother can get that ultimate goal.The Panthers have Jaromir Jagr and a talented young core around him, though will be without left wing Jonathan Huberdeau and center Nick Bjugstad when the season opens because of injuries in the preseason. Bjugstad has a broken hand and is expected to miss about a month; Huberdeau is out with a lower-body injury and the Panthers are bracing for him to be gone until mid-January at the earliest.So the offense will miss a couple of key pieces.But if Roberto Luongo is as good as his brother expects, the Panthers should be fine.When he got traded everybody thought he would just ride off into the sunset and be tucked away in Florida and he wouldnt care about hockey anymore, Leo Luongo said. That really bothered him. I think the fact that hes here, and that he sees the change in direction that the organization has taken, it for sure has motivated him even more. ' ' '