Arlington Park contract dispute was just ridiculous

All that hoopla over a contract agreement between Arlington Park and the horsemen? Absolute nonsense.

All it did was cast a cloud over the season-opener, made both sides look foolish and petulant, and gave racing fans just what they wanted: 3-, 4-, and 5-horse fields to wager on for the first two days of the meet.

And for what?

An agreement that could have gotten done a week earlier — at least — had calmer heads prevailed like they ultimately did.

Well done.

Question:

If there were no photos accompanying the story, would we care that Patrick Kane was out having a good time in Madison recently?

But:

You really, really, really have to hope some of those eyewitness accounts of Kane's antics as relayed to Deadspin aren't true.

A Derby by any other name:

I don't know how many times in the past few weeks I ran into people asking me who I liked in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands.

Actually, I do. Zero.

But a lot of people did ask who I liked in the Kentucky Derby.

BTW:

That was a heck of a race.

Still not sure how Bodemeister hung on for second.

Lessons learned:

While covering the Blackhawks in Phoenix, I learned a couple of things.

One is that Hawks fans are amazing. I saw that firsthand when I stayed at the team hotel and watched as a large group of die-hards, clad in team colors, would gather by the bank of elevators in the early evening just for a chance to see the players as they made their way to the team bus.

The second lesson is nothing deflates Hawks fans more than hearing the ding of the elevator, watching the door open and then ... seeing me walk out.

After a couple of those ego-deflating incidents I started taking the stairs.

Flat brim society:

I attended a high school baseball game last week and there's no doubt the flat-brimmed look is officially ‘it.'

Who would've thought Lou Piniella would be such the trendsetter?

Shall. We. Play. A. Game?

Is it just me, or does it look like some of the new self-wagering terminals at Arlington Park arrived fresh from the year 1986?

My hero:

Super tan lady has got me inspired to try to reach George Hamilton status by the end of the summer, and I know I have it in me.

Right now, sadly, though, I'm only at Level 4 Oompa Loompa.

What a difference:

Off-season Joel Quenneville is so much more open than in-season Joel Quenneville.

So sad:

A memorial service for former Arlington/Hawthorne jockey Eddie Razo will be held on Tuesday, May 15, from 3-7 p.m. at the Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights Rd.

Is it wrong?

Can't help but pull for the Coyotes to keep advancing.

Aside from Raffi Torres, I kind of like the group of players they have. And I really, really like how hard they work as a team.

He said it:

“That's where our team can be more competitive come playoff time; you earn it, you get it, you deserve it. That's for sure a mistake I made and I'm going to learn from it.”

— Joel Quenneville on his new strategy going forward for dishing out playing time regardless of a player's status.

I'm lucky:

I get to give my mom a hug this weekend. Hope you do, too. Happy Mother's Day, everyone.