United they (don’t) stand in track brouhaha

Just don’t get it:At a time when the horse racing industry needs a united front #151; or at least needs to project one #151; what with the possibility of slots at racetracks on the line, it seems like an odd time for Arlington to be stirring the pot with a lawsuit against the IRB.Maybe it#146;s just me.In with the ... young:The Cubs new director of baseball operations, Scott Harris, is 25 years old. Let that marinate for a while.Fine and dandy:The $21,000 fine levied against Jared Allen for his season-ending hit on Lance Louis is well, fine, but I still don#146;t get people claiming the hit was a #147;football#148; play.It was if he didn#146;t leave his feet to make it. But he did.Picture that:How nice was it to see a photo of an actual hockey game in this week#146;s Sports Illustrated?And how nice was it that it was a shot of the Chicago Wolves taken by ace team photographer Ross Dettman, who has been with the organization since Day 1?A nice honor for a good guy. Gets me every time:The dude who#146;s a French model ... at least according to the internet.Bon jour! Seeing red:In the battle of red-and-white color schemes, you have to go with Nebraska over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, right?Webb feet:Lost in the shuffle of Jay Cutler tying J#146; Marcus Webb#146;s shoe was the revelation that Webb has size 22 feet.And here I thought Bob Lanier#146;s size 22 sneakers, displayed on the American Freedom train#146;s stop in Rockford in the summer of 1975, would be the biggest shoes I#146;d ever see.Why do I remember obtuse things like that?A tough listen:Is there any more painful radio than a weekly coach#146;s show? Especially a weekly local college basketball coach#146;s show?Pretty sure there#146;s not.Of course:We were spoiled around here with the all-time best coach#146;s show, albeit one that was on TV.It went a little something like this ... :Fan: #147;Yeah Coach, I was just wondering, when you guys dominate the Lions on Sunday, how much are you going to dominate them by? I#146;ll sit down and wait for my answer.#148;All: #147;Woof.#148;Tis#146; the season:Favorite image this week was that of an NYPD officer helping a barefoot homeless man into a new pair of socks and shoes the officer had purchased for the man ... just because he wanted to.Nice.Kudos:To one fearless jockey #151; Seth Martinez #151; on recently collecting career win No. 2,000. Yip, yip hooray:Good job by golf#146;s Council of Elders in deciding to phase out those belly putters.If I have to doink 4-foot putts all day, so should everyone else.Hare raising:Watched the first installment of #147;The Dust Bowl.#148;Why is my lasting impression not necessarily of the dust, but of the jack rabbits?Paging Mr. Fix-It:When you#146;re done with Scott Baker, the Cubs have another one to add to your to-do list: Scott Feldman.Mighty matchup:Notre Dame vs. Alabama just sounds better than Notre Dame vs. Georgia.No scientific reasoning behind it, just sounds better.Wizardry:That#146;s one wild trailer for the movie #147;Oz The Great and Powerful.#148;The farewell and adieu quote:#147;After spending several hours with both sides over two days, the presiding mediators concluded that the parties remained far apart, and that no progress toward a resolution could be made through further mediation at this point in time.#148;#151; NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly.