The Alabama: a field that needed introduction

Tom Durkin needs to bone up on his race grades. In the Alabama, he called the Black-Eyed Susan and the Delaware Oaks grade Is. The Black-Eyed Susan was probably grade I for a few years, but many years ago. The Delaware Oaks probably offered a very large purse at one point (I guess it is offering one once again these days, come to think of it) but has been safely out of the grade I category for my 37 years, or at least the 31 or so that I've been a racing fan. This doesn't seem like the type of error a racing fan would make. So, did Durkin merely mean to say that Zo Impressive, In Lingerie, and Grace Hall were graded stakes winners, and accidentally said grade I winners? But why would he have been drawing special attention to graded stakes winners in a race like the Alabama?

Hollywood's announcer (or is that Betfair Hollywood's announcer?), Vic Stauffer, has added the "horse credential" element to his race calls this year (GRADE I winner Dancing in Silks has a neck on GRADE I winner Smiling Tiger). I hate the way Stauffer calls a race, merely filling names into his template. I tend to think he thinks people like what he does and chooses to do it that way, rather than that he lacks the ability to think on his feet. Although he exaggerates good performances, and sometimes even turns average wins into outstanding ones, he's actually not a bad watcher of races. But in any event, it would seem Durkin got the idea of burnishing the credentials of the Alabama's field from Stauffer.

On the topic of sports whoppers, though, I have to say that Durkin had nothing on New York Jets' announcer Greg Buttle last night, who said that Victor Cruz had once been cut by the Jets. Not only did he relate this, but he did so in detail, talking about Cruz's performance with the Jets, and how Cruz wasn't going to be able to make the Jets' team before he was jettisoned

It seemed unlikely on several fronts. When was the last time the Jets had a good wide receiver corps? That would certainly have to predate Eric Mangini, at least. They've generally been one of the easiest teams to make at wide receiver.

If Durkin had been calling the Jet game, though, I guess his whopper would have had Victor Cruz drafted. Maybe he'd be a fourth-round pick.