Endless Eclipse

- I turned on TVG a little after 8 PM Eastern time, and holy crap, this had been going on for two hours already?? After the three hour Eclipse Awards Red Carpet came the hour-long Eclipse Awards Preshow, followed by the actual awards ceremony for two more hours, followed by a half hour wrap-up show. This programming brings out the worst side of TVG: the constant histrionics to make sure that we all know just how incredibly damn dramatic all of this is - and this on a night with about as much suspense as the Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Alito. Plus you get the endless, pointless interviews, and Jessica York. And I couldn’t even get the track condition for Mountaineer.

In the brief time that I was able to endure, it seemed more like an infomercial than anything else. An interview with Chris McCarron allowed him to hype his jockey school but no questions about Dr. G were posed. Ken Rudolph did everything in his power, cracking some lame joke in desperation, to keep Michael Gill from talking about the controversy surrounding him. (To their credit, Frank Lyons and Todd Schrrmpffhh touched on it afterwards – but no one mentioned his intention to leave the business.) And I’d be quite surprised if anyone told me that there was any mention whatsoever of the pending suspension of the Eclipse winning trainer and the one recently served by the trainer of the Horse of the Year.

And that’s about all I have to say about the Eclipse Awards – the list of winners is here. I just don’t get hepped up about awards and award shows, whether it be movies, music, or my favorite game. I know what I think was the best film, the best album, or the best sprinter, and I don't much care what some voters think. I know there are some who right now are livid over Lost in the Fog handily taking the sprint championship, and I think they make some valid points and it’s good to see some passions flare. But I can’t say that I really care that much one way or another.

I think we'd all agree that champions should be decided on the playing field. To me, the idea of voters determining the "winners" in each division is like a committee of writers voting on who wins the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately though, the length of the season and the injuries and retirements are such that more often than not, there isn’t a true climactic and definitive showdown, so this is the best we’ve got. It doesn’t mean I have to spend six and a half hours watching it. The TBA rankings that I carry on this blog, while something that needs some tweaking, could be, I believe, especially in association with a concept like the apparently dead Thoroughbred Championship Tour, a sound basis for a system that could bring some much needed incentives for owners to run their horses in the tough spots, as well as the kind of order and continuity which could keep people interested throughout the year. But I believe that there would still be a place for a subjective vote for a Horse of the Year and other awards, just like the MVP and Cy Young Award in baseball. They're something to debate and argue about, and that’s a good thing.

The Eclipse Awards is a nice showcase for the sport, and it’s good that it has a TV outlet, even if the show was three times too long. The problem is that nobody outside the core followers of the sport could possibly care less about them. That in itself is a good reason to look into some alternatives.