Day 175: Yaz Gets a Statue.

The Boston Red Sox honored one of their greats before Sunday's game with a statue outside the right field gate. Carl Yastrzemski, a name synonymous with the Red Sox, played in Boston his entire 23-year career. And today, he was honored with a bronze statue which replicated a tip of the cap—a gesture that Yaz gave the crowd after his final at bat in 1983.

I wasn't born when he had his Triple Crown season in 1967, but as a kid, he fast became one of my favs. Two key moments stand out in my memory: hit #3,000 and his retirement.

On September 12, 1979, he recorded his 3,000th hit and became just the 15th major league player to achieve this feat. He also became the first American League player to reach 3,000 hits and 400 home runs. The hit came against the Yankees (fitting) and South Portland High alum, Jim Beattie. I hung the newspaper story on my bedroom wall where it remained for years.

When he retired in 1983, it was like someone stole my best friend. (Although I'm pretty sure Yaz was definitely not BFF material.) It was the first time I experienced one of my favorite Red Sox players retiring. Sure... some had left for other teams... I'm looking at you Rick Burleson and Fred Lynn... but this was the first time one actually stopped playing baseball. I was devastated.

Looking back, Yaz had such an amazing career. He was an 18-time All-Star and a 7-time Gold Glove winner. He won the Triple Crown in 1967—an accomplishment that didn't happen again until just last year when Detroit's Miguel Cabrera won it. Yaz was also named MVP that year.

Yastrzemski, not known for being emotional, was obviously touched by the gesture.

"It means tremendous importance to me," he said, standing at the base of the statue after a 30-minute ceremony. "This is as important to me as being elected to the Hall of Fame and having my number retired. It's a tremendous honor."

I wonder what Yaz's beard would look like if he played on this team?

Day 48: No Triple Crown This Year... Again.

The Triple Crown drought is now at 35 years as Orb failed to win or even place or show in the 138th Preakness Stakes this afternoon. All eyes were on the three year old Kentucky Derby winner looking for him to grab the second leg of the ever elusive Triple Crown.

Instead, Oxbow took Pimlico under formerly retired and Hall of Fame jockey, Gary Stevens. Stevens, who has been on the back of three Preakness winners, had spent the last seven years in retirement and part of NBC Sports as their lead horse racing analyst. If it couldn't have been Orb to win this race, I'm glad it was Stevens.

Although it is a total bummer we have to wait another year for that special horse. It's not like we haven't seen special horses in the past, just not one who was durable enough to last all three races. The closest horse to do it in the last decade was Smarty Jones, who won the first two races, but came in second in the Belmont. GAH! And the most recent tease was 2012's Derby and Preakness winner, I'll Have Another. Unfortunately, tendonitis forced his team to scratch him from the Belmont and he never even got a chance to race.

If you were a horse racing fan in the '70s, Triple Crown winners were a dime a dozen and you thought it was no big whoop. Let's review: Secretariat won it in 1973 (after a 25 year dry spell), Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed just a year later in 1978. And not one since. It's becoming almost as hard as winning the Triple Crown in baseball—an accomplishment that recently just ended a 45 year drought.

Will we ever see another Secretariat?

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!!