“…it is important, including for the children, to understand why, for all the glory of American Pharoah’s moment, our eyes were dry.”
– From a June 7 editorial in the New York Sun, as quoted in today’s WSJ “Notable & Quotable” feature
We all have a tendency to remember our era as special. When it comes to baseball pitchers, Dad was a Don Larsen / Sandy Koufax guy to my Tom Seaver. Today’s kids are Tim Lincicome aficionados. They are sure that he’s the best ever, just as I know Tom Seaver was and just as Dad knew that his guys were.
Today’s LeBron James generation will always be pretenders in the eyes of Michael Jordan’s throng from the 90’s and Bill Russel’s from three decades before.
As a Packer fan, the Bart Starr / Brett Favre / Aaron Rodgers discussion is everywhere one turns.
But, there will never be another Secretariat — and that is why so many people shed real tears when he broke free to win the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths.
Secretariat’s total time for the three races is nearly 12 seconds.
So, while we cheered for the first Triple Crown winner in nearly 40 years, we cried tears of amazement when Secretariat thundered down the stretch 42 years ago.
The difference, it would seem, is witnessing greatness in American Pharoah and perfection in Secretariat.
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