Off Track Style: Winners and Losers

Yesterday was the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby, and jockey Calvin Borel won aboard Super Saver, who was the second favorite horse going into the start. The win is Borel's third, out of the past four years, and for trainer Todd Pletcher, the win was especially delicious; it was his first win after twenty-four previous tries. Never give up, people!
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But just as the Oscars has become as much about the fashion parade on the red carpet as the trophies handed out later in the night, the Kentucky Derby has become a cluster fuck of celebrities looking for attention, and everyone knows how to show up in the proper attire. Well, almost everyone.
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There's no need to focus on the women's fashions, for them at the Derby, it's easy, they just wear brightly colored dresses and crazy, big hats, and they score. But for the men, it's trickier. Men are expected to dress up, meaning no blue jeans and flip flops, but the Kentucky Derby is in the South, in the spring, and there is a certain traditional look that well-dressed Southerners know is correct, and then there are the celebrities who show up, seemingly bent on embarrassing themselves. Following are some examples of the worst, Ray Lewis, Justin Timberlake, Bob Guiney and Guy Fieri, or as we like to call them:
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Dork, Dork, Dork and Loser
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Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens. Really, Ray? A gray and black modified tuxedo vest with white shirt and black pants? Ray, this is the Kentucky Derby, not the BET Hip Hop Awards. Get a stylist.
Justin Timberlake. Justin, Justin, Justin. Double-breasted hasn't looked this bad since, well, every night when David Letterman wears it on his show with white socks. And with the depressing grayish color and matching sad sack cap, it looks you're on your way to an Irish funeral. Next year, stay home and watch the Derby on t.v., you'll make the horses less nervous.
Bob Guiney. We're not sure why this guy is famous, we're guessing he doesn't even know. Regardless, as for his attire, the suit's not bad, and the red rose/carnation is a nice pop of color, but Bob, you're not going to a job interview at Goldman Sachs, you're at an annual celebration of Southern sport and the arrival of spring. Loosen up.
Guy Fieri. Oh. My. God. But come on, for a guy who's most famous for stuffing his face with junk food on national t.v., and who now hosts a show where people compete in carnival games, what do you expect? Guy, you're not in Little Italy, and they won't be serving you a mountain of cheese-stuffed pizza on the infield, okay? Learn to dress.

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Okay, enough with the losers. Want to see who did it right? Bode Miller, the Olympic gold medal-winning skier makes us proud. He understands that at the Derby, it's all about old-school "Southern Prep", i.e. bright colors, plaids, etc, looking like you know how to dress, and having enough confidence to pull it off. His classic seersucker coat with a pink tie is a Derby winner.
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And in a category all their own, a true "WTF" moment. Ashlee Simpson and husband, Pete Wentz showed up in a cute, well-matched ensemble which would have been so right... in 1924! Come on, you two little goobers, this is the Derby, not a third-rate costume party.

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics - Days 8, 9 and 10

There are still a lot of games to go before the U.S. wins a medal, but the U.S. Hockey team scored a stunning victory last night over powerhouse Team Canada, 5-3. It was the first time the U.S. beat Canada in the Olympics in 50 years! Hockey is everything to Canada, it's a religion to them; Canada is not happy with this loss. Strangely enough, the surprise victory took place on the eve of the 30th Anniversary of Team USA's "Miracle on Ice", when it defeated the Soviet Union at the 1980 Olympics.
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The Americans won other medals over the weekend, including another bronze for Apolo Ohno, who with seven total medals becomes the most decorated U.S. Olympian ever. But the gold medal which gave us the most satisfaction was Bode Miller's win in the Super Combined ski race. Miller has a long, controversial, infamous career, but finally, in the twilight of his career, he's having his greatest success. Go Bode!

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics - Day 4

Day 4 of the Vancouver Games was another good one for the Americans. Seth Wescott defended his gold medal in the Men's Snowboard Cross from 2006, becoming the first two-time Olympic gold medalist in any snowboard event.

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In the photo of the Finals race of the event at left, fellow American Nate Holland, in the blue shirt, was vying for the lead at one point, but spun out and eventually finished fourth. Wescott, in the black shirt, spent most of the race in last place, but in one of the most exciting events of the Games so far, he somehow managed to turn on the speed and outmaneuver his Canadian and French opponents, taking the lead in the final turn of the race, and hung on for the win by less than two seconds.

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(seth wescott)

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Meanwhile, American bad boy Bode Miller competed in the Men's Downill and won a bronze medal, only losing the gold by 9/100's of a second. Miller is one of the most controversial skiers in American history due to his blunt comments, his unorthodox training style and his lackadaisical attitude in which he sometimes has not seemed to care about winning, but there is no doubt he's one of our greatest skiers ever. We happen to like the guy and we're thrilled with his bronze medal.

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(bode miller in the men's downhill)

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Even bigger news, and quite possibly one of the great stories in all of sport, was made at last night's figure skating pairs competition.

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(bode miller)

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The Chinese pair, Shen and Zhao, finally won the gold, after winning the bronze medals at the 2006 and 2002 Olympics. This was the first time since 1960 that the Russian pair did not win the gold. A Russian pair had won the Pairs gold in 12 straight Olympics, in every one since 1964. In fact, they didn't even win a medal; the top Russian finishers were in 4th place. If this was the old days of the Soviet Union, the skaters, and their coaches, would have surely been taken out and shot! (Kidding. Sort of.)

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(shen and zhao just seconds after completing their long program)

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But here's where the story become truly delicious, and teaches a great life lesson about never giving up. The Chinese coach Yao Bin, represented China as a Pairs skater in the 1980 World Championships and at the 1984 Olympics, in China's first attempts at the sport. He and his partner were so terrible, they were literally laughed at by the audience and other skaters. Due to the closed nature of Chinese society at the time, they had no film or video with which to study skating, and had to learn their positions and moves by studying still photographs. But instead of giving up, Yao Bin turned his humiliation into a fierce determinaton to turn Chinese skating into a program that would not only be respected, but that could actually win. It's been a long 30 years for Yao Bin, and he made a lot of personal sacrifices to see his dream come true, which is what made his success last night all the sweeter.