4.28: Getting Into The Derby Spirit - Hour 3

And I haven't done much of looking into the field just yet, but after doing just a little bit of that during the show during the commercial breaks, I now know which horse I'm all in on, and this is I think this was released earlier today, maybe so I imagine maybe it's changed, but actually I'll pull up and get updated odds here before you know, before too long. But I like horses that you know, have a good story. Maybe not the horses themselves, but you know, the owners,

the trainers, that kind of stuff. That's what really hooks me. And because I've never and probably will never be someone that is considered to be even average at picking winners and that kind of stuff. When in horse racing, you know, to me, it's all luck, and that's okay. Like, you know, I think a lot of gambling is luck, and I choose to be it that way because it keeps me from ever having the mindset of, like, you know what,

this is pretty pretty easy. I mean, maybe I don't need a job with a salary and you know benefits, like I can just I can just gamble. Have ever explained, Austin why I have that mindset of, like, just remind yourself that it's all luck, and then you'll just realize, you know, expect, expect the worst, hope, you know, hope for the best. So if you win, it's great. Because when I went to the boat the first time, Caesar's. I still call it the boat, but a lot of

people do you still do too? Right? Yeah, I say, brothers in arms, you and I in the boat.

to blackjack, actually a bout forty bucks. Not knowing what I was going to do, and of all the games that you know that were available to play, blackjack intimidated me the least. So I decided to play the easy game, and within like twenty minutes, I went from forty bucks to like two hundred and six. Oh, let's go. So I just walked away and I was like nope, I mean,

I'm I'm up, like this is this is awesome. And then like we're leaving the casino and I'm thinking like that was the easiest money ever made, thinking like that, you know, I made money, I earned money. I mean, I guess technically I did, but like there was no awareness of, you know, for me, that that was luck. I'm like, I mean, I'm good. I'm good at this game. I need to start doing this to help, you know, support my family that I didn't have at the time. I was just like, this is this is too easy

for me to not make money. I got to keep doing it. So a couple of weeks go by, and I had a buddy who he was really getting into going and gambling, playing poker, that kind of stuff. He's much more into it than I was. And I was like, yeah, I want to go play some blackjack. So this time I took like eighty bucks. It was gone in five minutes, all of it. So then I was like, never doing that again. And that it's kept me able to kind

of understand that like gambling is for entertainment. It is fun, you know, like losing, oh yeah, but the ride until you either win or lose is still something that is it's it's entertainment. So that's why, you know, when it comes to betting on sports, I think it's all luck too. But at least whenever I've got you know, a sport, college basketball, college football, the NFL, at least I know enough about those things to where I can at least convince myself that if I do win. It wasn't just

luck man. You know your stuff, Nick, you really took it to the books this weekend. It's not reality, but at least it makes it more fun. So slot machine to me is just luck. So I don't really enjoy it. I'm not knocking anybody. I know people enjoy it, but to me, it's just, you know, I feel like it's just wasting money. So that's the way I've you horse racing, like I just you know, it's fun to pick something and see if it happens, and if it does win, you know, it's great. But I have not had many

winners in my lifetime. So again that when it comes to picking who I want to bet on, it's not just about oh well, I like the name. Sometimes I will pick it based off that. If I don't have a whole lot of time, if we're talking about being at Churchill all day and you know, I'm just looking at the program. But this story like this to me is a sign for me. So I don't know if I've talked about it a whole lot recently, but over the years, if you listen even a little bit, like

I'm a documentary nerd, I love documentary series. I love documentary movies. There's probably not many you could recommend that I haven't seen, like it is what I enjoy watching binging, Like if I'm going to the gym, that's where I watch most of my stuff that I stream. Like if I'm gonna go get a few miles in on the treadmill, I'll find a documentary and I'll just get lost in that and that'll keep me from, like, you know, thinking

about that I'm running and I'm about to die. And one of the best documentaries that I've seen is one that I don't really think a lot of people even know about it, and it's one that when I do share, hey you should check this out, Like a lot of people have never heard of it. So I really go above and beyond, like, hey, I'm telling you you have to find this. It's and it's rotated from being on different streaming services. I think I watched on Netflix, no joke,

like twelve years ago, like it was it was. It was released in two thousand and twelve. So here here's the story. And it almost seems unreal because this day and age this would not be possible at all, but it is possible. So my horse that I'm going with is a Bafford horse, and it's one that you've probably heard about. Rodriguez. Yes, so sire is authentic and again it's Bafford. It's also the owners are SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Matdict Stables, and you know, you can check out that

information if you'd like. I'm just trying to give you a little bit of info that you know may mean something to you, but for me, I don't really know a lot about that. But hey, Bob Bafford, you know, he's a known name and he's had a lot of success. But that's not what has hooked me. It's the name as to how this horse became Rodriguez. That's what's got me because it's actually named after the person the documentary featured.

So let me read here directly. This is from the Courier Journal, says Bafford is set to return to the Kentucky Derby for the first time since twenty twenty one. He was suspended three years following this qualification of Medina

Spirit from the twenty twenty one Kentucky Derby. Both of Rodriguez's victories have come in wire to wire fashion, and he figures to be at or near the front early in the hockey Derby the Horses named for six Stough Rodriguez, an American musician who gained fame in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. So let me give you the gist

of this documentary. It's called Searching for Sugarman. So six Stough Rodriguez he had a song I think called Sugarman, and he had very little success in music in Detroit long long ago, like in the late sixties, early seventies, might have been more so the seventies, but listen to

this story, Austin, it's crazy. So he ended up kind of flaming out, had a record deal and he had a song I think it was called Sugarman, and it ended up you know, I mean it was kind of like, I guess, maybe a one hit wonder, but really not even that because it wasn't that big of a hit. Well, somehow his music ended up getting really really popular in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. So he was a legend and they just called him Sugarman because of the song.

They played it on the radio. It was a humongous hit, but he never knew the internet didn't exist. He kind of once he didn't have initial success as a musician, he just faded into obscurity. He spent some time homeless. He just was roaming the streets in Detroit and had some odd jobs. And the tales just became wild about whatever happened to him, Like most just assumed he was dead.

There started to be different stories about some elaborate, crazy way he died because he's some legendary figure, when in reality, he's just he's just living kind of as a you know, kind he's kind of panhandling in Detroit, just trying to make ends meet. He work construction, had a daughter but wasn't really active in her life growing up. And all the while you've got Australia, New Zealand and South Africa

like he's a legend when it comes to music. Well, somebody realized this guy may actually be alive, and they found him and he was just living in some abandoned building in Detroit, if my memory is correct, and they ended up like showing him like you're a legend, like you like you had the most played song on the

radio this specific year in New Zealand. And here he is probably feeling like not a super successful person, probably maybe having thoughts of being a failure try to be a musician that didn't work out, and now he's just kind of he's tried to make ends meet for the last I don't know thirty years of his life. And then he realizes, holy crap, like they don't know me,

but they know my music and they love me. So the people who put the documentary together they bring him to I think it might have been South Africa, and he ends up like he becomes a story there. He has a show in front of like thousands upon thousands of people, like an arena, and I just think that's insane that this guy became I mean, it kind of begs the question like can you consider that successful because you know he he didn't, he didn't even know it.

And another factor that I should have mentioned that that that sort of led to him, like he's when he released the the his first and only album and the song that became really popular in those countries, he had signed to a record label that that was a bunch of crooks, so like they owned all the rights to his music, so he couldn't do anything with it. Therefore, when when when they're when they're trying to figure out,

like who is this guy? This song's amazing, it's become a big hit on the radio in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand because of the record label being shut down, like they had the only way for them to to know is okay, what record label released this album? And it would come back to a record label that was

defunct that didn't exist anymore. So, like there was really no trace of him anything documentation wise, as far as the music and the you know, the licensing, that kind of stuff was all from a company that folded that like had he had. There was nothing about there was nothing at all about him, And I just thought, like, you can't make this stuff up. That wouldn't happen this day and age just because of the Internet, right, Like

it would be impossible. No, But he was, you know, he was super seccess I mean, imagine finding out decades later that you didn't fail. You in fact became like I mean initially when it became a big deal years and years ago, not long after like he released his music, they tried to, like people wanted to get in touch with him, to like bring him, to bring him to their country, and have him do shows like he was

a big deal, but they could never find him. And that's whenever they just assumed he was dead, because they would try to contact this record label that didn't exist. And then they did something in the documentary. I haven't seen it in a long time, but they did track down somebody that was like affiliated with that record company at some point and claimed that like any request to like talk to him, they would have just ignored. And I just thought that was at something you can't make up.

And that's what the horse is named his name. The

horses named Rodrigo Rodriguez because of six Though Rodriguez. Who is this musician who the documentary it's called Searching for Sugarman, because again, without really any way to figure out who it is they're listening to, they may have known that his name was six Till Rodriguez, but I don't think they did actually, because if you listen to people who like, you know, really were around in those countries when that music and when his song became a big deal, they

just called him Sugarman. And that's and again it's been so long since I've seen it, I'm pretty sure that's why the documentary is titled searching for Sugarman because they didn't know his name. And I think at one point, and I'm getting I don't want to make it too confusing, but I think at one point they they thought that they figured out who he was, and then they realized for like ten years, no, that wasn't him, that's a

different guy. I mean, that's crazy. So I don't know if this horse is gonna win, and if it does, it won't be because I had any ability to like, you know, I don't know.

And just also the group chat or when I talked to the in laws last week after the Derby betting preview, this is what they said. This comes from their mouth when I started trying to gauge them on what they thought like, who they thought like the favorites would be, and of course Journalism was up there, and this came from their mouth. If Journalism doesn't win, it's a fluke race. If he doesn't win, it will be because something crazy happened.

But which is which is crazy to hear, but at the same time like that, it's the Derby's a perfect place for weird stuff to happen.

I'm not somebody that you know, keeps up with horse racing even a little bit. But for decades, there was the belief that, yeah, it's just not possible anymore to ever envision somebody winning the Triple Crown, because you know, it's just it's just not realistic this day and age,

because it hadn't happened in so long. And then we had two in what like a five six year stretch, and like those are those are things that I think are good for everything about horse racing and the Derby because you know, maybe we go another I don't know however many I don't know what the draft was as far as how many years, but like, who knows, maybe we have another one and then we'll be surprised to see that there are you know, back to back winners

or something like that. So real quick, before we get to our next break, and I promise you we're gonna reset some stuff with the NFL draft, because I just I think it's worth hearing more about what led to the big slide and I'm not sure if it was a slide for Shit or Sanders. But when you hear NFL folks now tell after the draft some people behind the scenes what they you know, what the experience was

like in vetting should or Sanders. I mean, I mean, it makes sense why they would say, yeah, you know, we're going to pass. We're not really that interested anyway, but if he comes with this much baggage and all that, then you know we'll pass. All right, quick break, we'll come back, keep it rolling along. What it costs to get a mint julip or Oaks lily, I mean, even if it was the best alcoholic drink ever, I'm not sure with my budget. You know, I work in radio.

I could justify the expense, give me a cheap bush Light. But we'll talk about the prices this year. If you're gonna be going without a ticket, that includes you know, all you can eat, food and drink. Stick around right here on Sports Talk seven.

people that really liked it. He encountered people who for like their whole life, they've idolized him, not knowing who he is, but I guess his music and like they were emotional to know that, like he isn't dead and here he is, and like, it's just a powerful thing.

Like if Netflix did this whole story themselves and uncovered it and like made it the front of their dashboard when you log into Netflix, I think it would have captivated people so much because of like again, it's something you can't make up. But for those who missed it, there's a documentary called Searching for Sugarman that it's about a guy who was really famous in countries for his music, but he had no clue and you know, he found out many many years later. And that guy's name was

was his first name. The horses Rodriguez and the Rodriguez Thoroughbred here in the in the Derby six yeah six do Rodriguez is what Rodriguez is named after and I just feel like that it's got to be a sign for me to throw a little throw a little money on it to see if it can can win the derby on Saturday. All right, if you're going to the derby and you are not going with a ticket that includes all you can eat drinking food, which a lot of them do include that now, but I'm sure there's

some that don't. And you want to get yourself an old Forester mint julip twenty two bucks, a pop twenty two dollars. Yep. You can get a hair a Dura horseshoe margarita. Am I saying that right? Hair Adura? Is that a brand? I'm sure it is. That a stuff familiar, not a tequila guy myself. But you can get a margarita twenty twenty two bucks, Oaks Lily twenty two bucks. You want a little glasses Jardnay, maybe a little glass

of pino let me guess, nineteen dollars close eighteen. And how about a white claw Hard Seltzer seventeen fourteen, Oh my gosh, premium beer fourteen, domestic beer thirteen. And if you just want to bull six bucks and a Sanny bottled water five bucks. That's the price. And you know, I'm sure they're gonna be fine, but just know you've

priced me out, Churchill. I wouldn't be able to you know, I mean I might be able to have a day, but like those who can again most people who and if you can make it work, like like yeah, the price tag of the price tag, but the price of admission for like any just to get in and get a seat somewhere, just you know, get it where you're not in the infield essentially on Oaks and Derby. It

is crazy expensive. But if you're gonna go, that's the way to go because you wouldn't have to pay for anything other than a wager when you're in there, and you know, quite literally you just I remember going for the first time realizing you just walk up and tell them you want to beer and they give you one too.

That's not normal in any way. And I've now this has been the case for at least the last two years, maybe three years, and it still never feels normal, you know what I mean, because like some people probably have like oh let me, you know, let me go check my account before I walk up here and get a drink because you know, times are hard for folks. Everybody's you know, probably living. A lot of people live in check to check and whatnot, and that's just you know,

become the new norm for a lot of people. And that's you know, it's life. It's it's tough. But I mean, if you can, if you consider what you would like. Let's say you got a substantially cheaper price, but it didn't include all you can eat, and you know you want to go and you want to drink, booze and eat,

then it more than makes sense. Now, if you're somebody that wants to go and you're not a drinker, and you really wouldn't want to eat like the food that they provide because you know you're a health nut and you want to eat before you go. At that point, it's really up to you deciding what makes sense from

like a financial standpoint. But for me, if I'm gonna be there all day, I'm gonna want to throw a few beers down the neck and I'm probably gonna win and eat some chicken fingers and whatever other food items they have. And they got some really good waffle fries at Churchill Now City, Well, Nacho cheese with those waffle fries. That's that's good stuff there.

them make it and it gets me excited. But like, I'm not a big bourbon guy by any means, but I actually do like Mint Julip's. I don't want to drink them all day, but every year I try to have at least one, and if it's a premixed one, I can kind of you know, I could never drink it again. Not to say it's terrible, but the others actually think are pretty pretty good. But really, you know, maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like a day of if I was to just hammer nothing but mint julips

all day one, I'd be hammered. But like, I feel like that's just that's such a unique drink that like the mint. To like drinking alcohol all day that is a mint of mint flavor would be a little much for me.

I mean, probably can probably is, but you know, I like to convince myself that I have a little more influenced than I actually do. But anyways, thirty weeks here it is. It's exciting stuff. So NFL Draft we had a lot of reaction to it when it comes to the local names. Tyler Shuck going in the second round to the Saints. When you draft somebody that early, you are hiring them to at some point be a franchise quarterback.

So that's the belief they have in him. And I do think when you consider that they just hired a new head coach who is clearly an offensive mind, I mean, I'd be highly surprised if he didn't have some real, you know, influence in that decision not just to draft a quarterback, but to draft, but to draft Tyler Shuck.

So you know, I think Kellen Moore realizes, Hey, this guy, if Derek Carr's shoulders not where it needs to be, this guy's probably more ready than any of the quarterbacks in this class to come in and help us out. And yeah, the ceiling may not be as high as some others, but you know, if he stays healthy and he's got some pieces to work with, Shuck can make all the throws, and I just I think maybe this is me just being the homer here, wanting it so

badly for Tyler to be successful in the NFL. But I mean, I think as is in a good system, and he's healthy, why can't he be a long term starter that you can win with. And clearly the Saints believed it, and that's exciting. But I did feel bad for Tyler because you know, it was quite clear New Orleans did not like the pick. And I'm sure you could find some Saints fans that are fine with it or that really really did like it, but it was hard to ignore New Orleans Saints fans being unhappy with

that decision. He can't do anything about it, and I think this is a sign, This is an example of where his maturity can really help him kind of deal with that and not be deterred and not be you know, losing confidence. He knows he trusted himself, so I hope he can prove those fans wrong and they can have

a successful thing there in New Orleans. Also joining him in New Orleans, Quincy Riley, one of the better defensive backs that louisvill has had in quite some time and had a hell of a career, and he'll have an opportunity to compete for playing time and wouldn't be shocked if he has a good stretch here in the NFL and the National Jualati was taken in the third round by the Kansas City Chiefs, obviously going to a very successful organization, and you know he's got all the talent.

They showed all of his highlights and hearing them talk about him on draft night on Friday night, I should say, which of course was Day two of the draft, I mean, it just kind of reminded me of, Yeah, this guy.

There wasn't as many moments that really stood out in his last season here, but it's probably because by that point he had proven enough in his first three years that, like the opposing team, first thing they got to do is they got to account for him in double and triple team them at times, because that's how disruptive he can be. So in the NFL, he's not going to

be getting double teamed at least, I wouldn't think. And I have nothing but confidence in him, and not just as a guy who has a lot of talent and a lot of athleticism, but like, to me, Ashton's been a pro like since he got here. What I mean by that is like he's going to be somebody that represents that organization really really well, puts in the work, and you know, when you have that and what I believe is a high level of talent, it's a good

recipe to have a long NFL career. So congrats, congrats to all those guys, real quick before we get back into the shit or Sanders thing. I don't know if it was just me that noticed it. I highly doubt it was just me, but Nick Saban was freaking amazing on the NFL draft coverage. I could. I mean, I'm not like sometimes when people talk, you know, they get into the weeds talking ball about football. Sometimes it goes

a little bit over my head. But like Nick Saban, I could listen to him talk about NFL draft picks all day. I don't know what it is about him. Clearly he knows a lot about NFL or he knows a lot about football. He's Nick freaking Saban. But to me, his analysis stood out more than others. And it's probably just because you know, I realize this is a that Yeah, we know he knows what he's talking about, not to say the others that are in that situation that are

part of draft coverage for different networks. But man, I could listen to him talk all day and he was really really gassing up Tyler Shuck. And that five minute that five minutes or so that they spent talking about Tyler Shuck after he got drafted by the Saints and talking about how, you know, playing in a Jeff Brown

pro style offense will really really benefit him. And when they were talking about reasons that this was a good pick and why it could work out, not once, not twice, but at least three times, they would throw in will he played for Jeff Brohm, And I'm just thinking, man, that is invaluable when it comes to the pr the promo you're getting, because shuck to me if he has six I mean, even he didn't have success in the NFL, I hate to act like Tyler didn't earn it and

deserve it because he had bad luck, had bad injuries, and it'd be hard for a lot of guys to, I think, not lose confidence when that happens, right, I mean, he had a four year, five year career that was just the story was in he couldn't stay healthy, never finished a season healthy, So you know he comes to Louisville mature, clearly has the talent. Jeff put him in a situ in a situation where he was going to be healthy, and clearly he was able to really showcase

what he can do. And he was really an unheard of name when he committed to Louisville last year. Now he's the third quarterback taken in the draft. So I hate Dak like Tyler didn't deserve a lot of the credit, because he deserves every bit of credit and praise that he gets. But like Jeff can absolutely take advantage of this and say, look, if you've got the talent, come play for me. I'm gonna put you in a system where you're gonna shine, and the NFL is going to

see that you can run an offense for him. So I think, not only a great day for all those guys who heard their name called, but the more representation you have in the NFL draft can only help you get more players that want to want to come and

play for you. Now back to Shehdorg Sanders. For those who weren't with us early in the show, I just I mean when you consider everything as far as how it was hand by Shad or Dion, I mean to be that was not surprising at all, and also the way the NFL decided to react to it not surprising at all either, because the NFL is going to be

just fine without Shad or Sanders. I mean, there's a lot, a lot to deal with there when it comes to the arrogance and the entitlement him clearly going through the process leading up to the draft as if the teams need to sell themselves to him rather than it being the other way around. I mean, I don't know if there's many players that are elite that could do that in it not come back to bite them, meaning like the NFL will say, yeah, you're talented, but we'll be

fine without you. And I don't think it was, you know, collusion. I just think he wasn't that special to where you would take a risk, you would invest in somebody who is making it clear that like you know, like like he's hiring you, like he's going to let you as a franchise use his services, instead of like, hey, we've got an opportunity for you we would like to draft.

Like it's just it's again. Here's here's about a two minute clip from Tom Pelsero, and I feel like, again, if you hear this from the Sanders side of things, none of it will surprise you. And if you hear how the NFL decided to react to it, none of it should surprise you at all.

to do that until day three. I spoke last night with one general manager who is considering taking Shador Sanders today. He pointed back all the way to March twenty twenty four and something that Chador's father, Dion Sanders said on a podcast talking about Bulls Shadur and Travis Hunter, saying that if they are drafted by a team that they don't want to go to, he's going to step in and pull an eli, meaning force those players to not actually go to that team and try to get them traded.

Throughout the pre draft process, Shador Sanders very much proceeded as if he was dictating to clubs where he was going to go, rather than how the draft works, which is the other way around. And there were a bunch of opportunities missed at the various checkpoints through that pre draft process, go all the way back to All Star season. Instead of going to the Senior Bowl, he went to the East West Shrine Bowl in his backyard in Dallas.

Despite an NFL memo saying if you go to these All Star games, you have to practice, Shadur chose not to. At the combine, it has now well documented some of his formal interviews did not go well. One assistant coach told me, in all his years, it was the worst formal interview he'd ever been through. People said that Chador was trying to dictate how he wanted things to go and made them feel small. Even at the Pro Dame, the entire Big Twelve have an event in Dallas. Chaduur

was there but did not work out. He had a showcase instead in Colorado. All of which is to say, for a player who had avariety of questions both about the talent level, how we would fit into an NFL system, how he would adjust from his play style in college, but also about the potential culture shock for the first time playing for someone who is not his father. There

were opportunities that Shaduur sators could have taken. There he seemed to feel as if he was in an elite category where he could choose the few teams he wanted to go to. Now, some of those very same teams that might be considering taking Shaduur today didn't get those opportunities. To answer their question, what.

But even if he was substantially better, he would still have a tough time getting an NFL team to make an investment and hire him, essentially by drafting him, because of you know, they know they don't like they'll be fine without him. And what's even worse is I believe that even if Shor Sanders was substantially less accomplished, less talented, I still think he would have acted the exact same way.

And I think that's just because Dion is letting his kids not just I mean one thing, to let them believe in themselves and really gass them up and tell them that you know they're great. But this is level of delusion. I think we can't blame Dion for it, I guess, But I mean, on what world would you going on a national television show saying that you will stop your son from playing for certain teams they might want to draft him. In what world will that help in any way? Quick break?

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any of the NBA playoffs Boston? I know you watch?

for Utah. He went to Cleveland and actually became an even bigger weapon for that franchise than he was in Utah. I mean, he's Donovan's great, But obviously when it comes to all time greats and how they're talked about making deep runs, getting to the finals, maybe winning the finals, that's where you can really kind of separate yourself from

others and the NBA. I mean, there's such a difference in being a team that's good enough to have the best or second best record in your division and your conference in an eighty two game season, but there are certain teams that are built to maybe not have the best record in eighty two games, but they're built to beat you in a seven game series. And that's what I'm hoping Cleveland can finally do to get past Boston if they get there. All right, we're out of time,

and enjoy your evening. We're back at it tomorrow right here on Sports Talk seven ninety