I hereby proclaim this Saturday the greatest sports day of the year.
Calm down football fanatics, I love Super Bowl Sunday too, but let’s be honest: If your team isn’t in the Super Bowl, it’s a miserable day. The commercials are not that funny, and the halftime performers should be in nursing homes.
But forget about football this weekend. We had 48 hours of nonstop Mel Kiper last weekend.
It is time to give two sports you probably have never watched a chance – horse racing and boxing.
Just keep an open mind, a heavy wallet and a semi-functioning liver and you will be ready for the most amazing day of sports until Northwestern’s men’s basketball team makes the Big Dance.
Not only is Saturday Cinco De Mayo, a day dedicated to Tequila and tacos, but May 5 also boasts the running of the 133rd Kentucky Derby and the clash of two of the greatest modern boxers: Oscar “Golden Boy” De La Hoya and Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather.
Midterms are over, and you know you aren’t doing work until after Dillo Day, so here is how you should celebrate what even VH1 can’t deny is the Best Day Ever.
First wake up and grab a breakfast burrito (it is Cinco De Mayo after all). Then if you are one of the Real Men of Genius on this campus, you will drive to Kentucky to join more than 155,000 other fans at Churchill Downs for America’s oldest sporting event. It oozes tradition. I can already hear the University of Louisville Marching Band playing “My Old Kentucky Home.” In fact, my heart just skipped a beat.
If you are like me and can’t make the trip to the Derby, I suggest killing time by watching a little of the NHL playoffs. San Jose takes on Detroit at 1 p.m. The series is tied 2-2, and while I couldn’t care less, the ice sport just seemed to fit with the afternoon margarita.
Once that game is over, head to the nearest Off Track Betting site and put a few dollars on the Derby. You don’t have to know what a superfecta is to bet on horse racing. Odds are self explanatory. As of Thursday night, Curlin was the favorite in the 20-horse field with 7-2 odds. I am picking the 50-1 longshot, Imawildandcrazyguy.
Once your bets are in, grab a plate of nachos and get ready for all the hoopla surrounding the Derby. The celebrity sightings, the gigantic hats, Kenny Mayne and of course, mint juleps. (Mix sugar, mint, and Kentucky bourbon then pour over crushed ice for this Derby classic).
Post time for the race is 5:04 p.m. and once you hear the announcer shout “And they’re off,” get ready for the most exciting two minutes in sports.
Following the race, head to your favorite Mexican restaurant to keep the Cinco de Mayo festival going. There might even be an NBA playoff game on, but who really cares?
Then get yourself to a bar or a house with Pay-Per-View for the De La Hoya vs. Mayweather fight.
These are by far the two best non-heavyweight boxers in the world. De La Hoya is 38-4 with 30 knockouts and Mayweather is a perfect 37-0. He has never been knocked down.
Not only are these guys good, but they hate each other – for good reason.
Mayweather’s dad, Floyd Sr., trained De La Hoya for six years. De La Hoya fired Floyd Sr. before this fight so Floyd Sr. went to train his son. Only Mayweather didn’t want to deal with his father, so he fired him in favor of his uncle, Roger.
Confused? It gets better. De La Hoya is paying for Floyd Sr.’s stay at the MGM Grand and his tickets to the fight.
This is a historic fight for many reasons, but when the bell rings, the two fighters in the ring have a personal score to settle, which will make one amazing fight and one fantastic finish to the Best Day Ever.
