Day 36: Tom Brady's Wearing White and Going Nuts

Tom Brady has won three Super Bowls. Tom Brady makes millions and millions of dollars playing football. Tom Brady has a supermodel wife. Tom Brady's supermodel wife makes millions and millions. Basically, between the two of them, they could wallpaper their entire mansion (all of them) with Ben Franklins and never even feel the impact.

So why all the hooting and whooping and hugging and tackling over $25,000? Because it's the Kentucky Derby, that's why! There's no two minutes in sports more exciting than this. Then there's the suspense of having a big wad of cash on one of the ponies—and if you're Tom Brady, you've got a $4,700 bet on the favorite. And when your mount crosses the finish line first, you'll hoot and holler no matter what your bet was. Heck, I hooted and hollered and I didn't even place a bet!

When Orb came from behind to win the Derby, the white suit-clad quarterback when absolutely insane, embracing the son of the horse's owner for what looked to me like an uncomfortably long time. As if hot and bothered by the prolonged hug, former teammate Tedy Bruschi, all dressed in pink, came barreling to join the party.

Brady's connection to Orb's owners is unclear, but it's assumed he didn't just meet them on Saturday. If he hugs people he just meets like that all the time... someone needs to introduce me. Stat.

Day 35: A Horse Named Orb Wins the Derby

The first Saturday in May... one of my most favorite days of the year. Most of you know me for my love of baseball and football, but the Triple Crown races make me ridiculously happy. I don't watch horse racing any other day of the year so when May rolls around, I park my butt on the couch to watch some good 'ol thoroughbreds run.

Churchill Downs is on the list of places I must visit before I die—and hopefully I'll get there on May's first Saturday one of these years. I've always said if I ever was lucky enough to win the lottery, I would buy race horses and the prettiest hat you could possibly imagine!

The 139th Kentucky Derby thrilled the crowd. I couldn't decide who to root for. Would it be Gary Stevens, who at 50 came out of retirement to ride longshot, Oxbow? Would it be Rosie Napravnik on Mylute to become the first female jockey to win the Derby? Would it be Kevin Krigger on Goldencents to be the first African American to win in over 100 years? Or would it be trainer Shug McGaughey looking for his first win in a horse named Orb?

When the mud stopped flying and the horses crossed the finish line after the sloppy 1 1/4 mile, it was Orb who stormed through the field under the careful driving of jockey Joel Rosario to win. A first for Rosario, a first for Orb and a first for McGaughey, who hasn't even saddled a horse in the Derby since 2002 when he trained 10th-place finisher, Saarland. I wondered if Orb was the shortest name of any Derby winner. It's tied for the shortest with Zev, who won in 1923.

Golden Soul was second at odds of 34-1, Revolutionary, piloted by 3-time Derby winner Calvin Borel, was third and Normandy Invasion, who had the lead for a brief moment before Orb shot past him, ended up fourth.

Now on to Maryland for the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness, on May 18th. Go Orb!!