Disskussionsbereich » aces that we couldnt win," Sherman sa

NEW YORK -- California Chrome went home to the West Coast on Sunday with a bandaged right front foot -- and no Triple Crown -- after bumping another horse leaving the Belmont Stakes starting gate. Steve Coburn, who co-owns California Chome, was still smarting, too. He was irked Belmont winner Tonalist didnt run in either of the first two legs of the Triple Crown. After the race, he complained others took "the cowards way out" by skipping the Derby and/or the Preakness. A day later, Coburn was unrepentant. "Its not fair to these horses that are running to entertain these people in all three legs of the Triple Crown," he said. "Its not fair to them to have somebody just show up at the last minute and run. I may have gone off half-cocked yesterday, but thats the way I feel." Under Coburns premise, there would have been just three horses in the $1.5 million Belmont, making it unlikely the third-largest crowd of 102,199 would have shown up or that a record $19,105,877 would have been wagered on-track. California Chrome, General a Rod and Ride On Curlin were the only horses to run in the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. General a Rod finished seventh and Ride On Curlin did not finish. Art Sherman, the 77-year-old trainer of California Chrome, distanced himself from Coburns comments. "Horses arent cowards and the people arent cowards," he said. "He was at the heat of the moment. Dont forget hes a fairly new owner. Sometimes your emotions get in front of you. He hasnt been in the game long and hasnt had any bad luck." Coburn and Perry Martin named their racing operation Dumb Ass Partners, with California Chrome the lone horse in their stable. The chestnut colt has earned $3,317,800 this year and brought a six-race winning streak into the Belmont. California Chrome had smooth trips in winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness to set up a shot at racings first Triple Crown in 36 years. But he had a rough trip in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont on Saturday, getting a chunk of flesh torn from his foot after bumping with Matterhorn coming out of the starting gate. California Chrome finished in a dead heat for fourth with Wicked Strong. "It was kind of scary. You come back and see a horse bleeding from the foot," Sherman said. "Hes never had anything wrong with him. Weve been awful fortunate." Sherman said California Chrome has a superficial wound that should heal in two to three weeks. The colt will then rest for six to seven weeks after a tough Triple Crown campaign that involved running in three races at different tracks and distances over five weeks. His camp plans to point him toward the Breeders Cup this fall at Santa Anita. Sherman thought Coburn would apologize for his comments. Instead, the outspoken co-owner went even further Sunday. "It wouldnt be fair if I played basketball with a child in a wheelchair because I got an unfair advantage," Coburn said. "If your horse is good enough to run in the Belmont, where was he in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness? It says Triple Crown, not one out of two, one out of three or two out of three." Sherman said, "I cant make excuses. Thats not really what you should do in these type of races." Frenchman Christophe Clement, who won his first Triple Crown race with Totalist, declined to comment on Coburns remarks. Coburn had predicted California Chrome would win the Triple Crown. "If they want to call me a sore loser, I dont care," he said. Horses are made eligible for the Triple Crown races in January. Owners and trainers of horses not nominated can pay a late fee of $6,000 in March to get in. The 20-horse field for the Kentucky Derby is decided by a points system, with horses earning points for running in prep races. The Preakness and Belmont have maximum fields of 14, but no points system is used. Its common for horses to drop in and out of the Triple Crown series. In 1978, when Affirmed won the Triple Crown, the Belmont had a five-horse field. Two of the colts rivals did not run in the first two legs and one only ran in the Derby. In 1977, Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown. The Belmont had eight horses, and five did not run in the first two legs. One ran only in the Preakness, and one other besides Slew raced in all three legs. On Saturday, second-place finisher Commissioner was new to the Triple Crown series. Winner Tonalist wasnt ready for the Derby, so trainer Clement prepared him for the Belmont. "California Chrome was running with tough, fresh horses that were waiting in the wings, and thats what happens," Sherman said. "We all know when youre on this trail you got to have an iron horse." The veteran trainer hopes California Chromes owners will keep him running next year as a 4-year-old. He credited the colt for having a lot of talent and taking his handlers on an exciting ride. "This is one of them races that we couldnt win," Sherman said, "but he didnt disgrace us any." Nike Shoes Cheap China . Founding members of the Genie Army, a group of Eugenie Bouchard supporters who cheered for the rising tennis star during the Australian Open in January, will be in the city for the Rogers Cup, beginning this weekend. Buy Nike Shoes China . "You hate when they score," he said with some distaste at the thought. "You take pride in it. http://www.chinashoesnike.com/. -- Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will be sidelined for at least two weeks because of a strained calf muscle, and pitcher C. Cheap Nike Shoes China Free Shipping . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Discount Nike Shoes China . Ending a nine-game losing streak? That gave the Milwaukee Bucks veteran forward a reason to smile. OAKLAND, Calif. -- In three short years, Sean Doolittle transformed himself from a top first base prospect into a shut-down reliever. The Oakland Athletics are rewarding him for it, giving the left-hander a five-year contract Friday for making the improbable switch. The deal contains a pair of club options that could extend the agreement through the 2020 season. "It means everything that the organization thinks of you like that, that they want to keep you around and they think you can be part of teams here for years to come," said Doolittle, a regular in the second deck at As games as a boy with his brother. "If you factor in the road I took to get here and everything I went through to be able to put on this uniform, its really special to know Ill be part of this organization for a while." Oakland announced the contract ahead of a home weekend series against the Houston Astros. Doolittle took his physical Thursday and should sign the agreement as soon as Monday. His 2020 option becomes mutual if he has a combined 100 games finished between 2018 and 2019. The 27-year-old left-hander has been a reliable member of Oaklands talented bullpen since converting from first base late in the 2011 season. He appreciates his new job security -- and still thinks about the path he took to get to this point. "Its crazy," he said. "There are still plenty of times I cant believe I actually did that. The way things worked out, it just makes everything that much better. I dont take a single minute I have up here for granted." He is 7-6 with a 3.10 ERA and four saves in 122 relief appearances, allowing 100 hits with 129 strikeouts in 125 innings. He is 0-00 with a 3.dddddddddddd.12 ERA and one save in eight appearances over 8 2-3 innings so far this year, his third big league season. "Hes a guy weve gotten to know on a personal level and we have a ton of faith in the person he is on the field and off the field," said Farhan Zaidi, As assistant general manager and director of baseball operations. "Having to transition from being a position player to a pitcher, thats shown us a lot. Weve seen what everybody else has seen the last two years. Hes been one of the best relievers and setup men in baseball. I think every team would want to have that guy around for as long as possible. That was our motivation." His previous deal was a one-year contract paying $505,000 in the major leagues this season and $295,500 in the minors. The sides reached a basic framework on the new deal before the end of spring training, but still had some language to work out. If Doolittle becomes "Super 2" eligible after this season as expected -- meaning he is just shy of three years of service time -- there are escalators in his new deal based on games finished. Doolittle certainly hopes his role evolves into becoming the regular closer one day. The As brass are thrilled with Doolittles reinvention of himself, though he no longer surprises anybody. "The durability that he has shown, he takes good care of himself, all of the things you look for in the guys you want to get a long-term deal with, he does," manager Bob Melvin said. "With both sides happy about it, its a good deal for us, its a good deal for him. To have a guy like that around for a while is good news to everybody in our clubhouse." ' ' '