dropping fan voting for its 11th season, instead opting for full

Instead of agonizing over why Beholder was unable to win her ninth straight race Saturday in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar, the proper thing to do is to give credit to Stellar Wind, who engineered this half-length upset. She richly deserves it.Simply put, Stellar Wind ran demonstrably better than Beholder on Saturday. That doesnt mean Stellar Wind is now demonstrably better than Beholder, because it will take more meetings between these two to prove that, and wont we be lucky to witness these two terrific horses hash that out? But on this day, Stellar Wind was better, and heres why:Stellar Wind is a stalker/closer type performer. Beholder has much more positional speed. Beholder held an enormous pace advantage in the Hirsch on paper, and to let that advantage play out in the actual running would have been tantamount to conceding the race.With that in mind, much credit goes to Stellar Winds connections and especially her jockey, Victor Espinoza, for taking Stellar Wind out of the comfort zone of her established running style, and not just allowing Beholder her giant paper tactical advantage. Espinoza hustled Stellar Wind out of the gate, niggled on her down the backstretch, and hard-sent her midway on the far turn, all just to stay on Beholders flank and apply as much pressure as they could. And all the while, Beholder was running as easy as you please, setting fractions that were completely unremarkable.Stellar Wind ran hard every step of the Hirschs 1-1/16 miles, so it speaks volumes to her quality that she was still able to prevail. Then again, her Hirsch win was, as upsets of 1-10 shots go, more a surprise, and not as severe as a shock. It was a surprise only because few went on record beforehand predicting this outcome. But it was not a shock, for while Beholder is a three-time champion, Stellar Wind, last years Eclipse Award winning 3-year-old filly, is a champion, too.As for Beholder, Saturdays effort was not her best race, and we are reminded yet again that these horses we watch and bet on are not machines. But in no way do I subscribe to the theory that is floating around out there that the outcome of the Hirsch was an indication that Beholder has suddenly slipped past her prime, and is, at age 6, now looking up at Stellar Wind. Not nearly yet, anyway.After all, it was only weeks ago when Beholder toyed with Stellar Wind in the Vanity. For all she has accomplished, Beholder has certainly earned the right for opportunities (yes, plural; she has earned that) to make amends, something else champions have an uncanny knack of doing.Quick notes* The level of gamesmanship amongst the three jockeys who opposed Flintshire in Saturdays Bowling Green Stakes at Saratoga was off the charts. Their attempts to bottle up, box in, and generally make life as miserable as possible for the 1-10 Flintshire were blatantly obvious, not unexpected, and ultimately unsuccessful. The three horses who opposed Flintshire - Grand Tito, Twilight Eclipse, and Canthelpbelieving - just werent even remotely good enough to execute this strategy, and hope to capitalize.Flintshire, as his odds suggest, was supposed to win the Bowling Green, which was merely a bridge to Saratogas Sword Dancer on Aug. 27. Ironically, if Flintshire had a smooth trip in the Bowling Green and won by six, it wouldnt have been nearly as impressive as it was when he overcame his eventful journey with such aplomb.* I dont have positive things to say about the Jim Dandy. Laoban, who couldnt capitalize on as strong a rail bias as you will ever see in the Gotham last March, got his maiden win in the Jim Dandy. This result does not speak flatteringly of Destin, who finished third after a perfect trip stalking Laobans slow pace, or of Mohaymen, who did stumble at the start but did little running thereafter and finished fourth, or Creator, who was compromised by the slow pace but who also never got out of sixth and last.I mean, with the way the Jim Dandy played out, Destin was really, really supposed to win.* A. P. Indian is in raging form right now, and his victory in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt confirms he is currently the top active sprinter in the East.* Right after his most impressive (and heavily bet) maiden romp earlier on Saturdays Saratoga card, I called Theory the most impressive 2-year-old debut winner Ive seen in New York so far this year. Well, after sleeping on it, I have to amend my statement. Theory, by Gemologist and trained by Todd Pletcher, is the best 2-year-old Ive seen in New York so far this year, period. Jrue Holiday Pelicans Jersey . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Derrick Favors Jersey . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. https://www.pelicanslockerroom.com/Josh-Hart-City-Edition-Jersey/ . JOHNS, N. Zylan Cheatham Jersey . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. Nikola Mirotic Pelicans Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. PHILADELPHIA -- Scheduled national anthem singer Sevyn Streeter said she was told by the?76ers?she could not perform on Wednesday night because of her We Matter jersey.She was slated to sing before the 76ers season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but she said in an interview with The Associated Press late Wednesday that she was told she would not sing just minutes before her performance.Id say two minutes before we were about to walk out ... the organization told me that I could not wear my shirt while singing the national anthem at their game, the R&B singer said by phone. I was never given any kind of dress code. I was never asked beforehand to show my wardrobe.A source told ESPN that any on-court performer -- singer, dancer, entertainer -- must sign a contract that gives the 76ers the right to cancel a performance if the standards described in the contract are not met.?The Sixers declined to say why Streeters performance was canceled, but according to a report by CBS Philly, the contract prohibited political statements.?The 76ers offered her an alternate shirt and song, but she refused, the report said.The Philadelphia 76ers organization encourages meaningful actions to drive social change. We use our games to bring people together, to build trust and to strengthen our communities. As we move from symbolic gestures to action, we will continue to leverage our platform to positively impact our community, the Sixers said in a statement.A team representative met with 76ers players Thursday to explain what happened, and multiple players came away from the meeting upset by what they were told, a source told ESPNs Jeff Goodman.The players met at their practice facility Thursday in Camden, New Jersey, and are considering whether to respond to Streeters cancellation.Everybody expressed their emotions about it, forward Robert Covington said. We want to take steps about it. We just dont know exactly what steps we want to take. We talked about a lot of different things.The Sixers play at home Saturday afternoon against Atlanta.Sixers guard Gerald Henderson said he thought something seemed different moments before the anthem, which was performed by Jemila Worley, a Sixers dance team member.I saw the little pause there. ... I was wondering, something had crossed my mind like, Whats going on? Did something happen? Henderson said.dddddddddddd That was pretty big time for a cheerleader to step in there, and she killed it!Henderson did not know that Streeter was supposed to sing the anthem until told after the game by a reporter.Theres a lot going on, man, Henderson said. People care about these things that are happening, as well as they should. And they are going to express themselves in different ways. ... People are trying to make statements, I guess.The NBA had no comment.Streeter has written songs for Chris Brown, Ariana Grande and other stars. In 2013, she had a Top 40 hit with It Wont Stop, a duet with Brown that reached Recording Industry Association of America gold status.The singer, born Amber Denise Streeter, said she was very hurt by the NBA teams actions.I was angry, extremely, extremely angry, and disappointed and honestly brought to tears by all of it. It broke my heart, she said. Honestly, I was very excited about being able to perform the national anthem. I was really looking forward to that.This isnt the first time the Sixers were dragged into a recent national anthem controversy. A woman performing the national anthem before their NBA preseason game in Miami did so while kneeling at midcourt.Denasia Lawrence opened her jacket just before she started to sing, revealing a Black Lives Matter shirt, then dropped to her left knee and performed the song. She said it was her way of protesting racial oppression.The anthem issue has been a major topic in the sports world in recent months, starting with the decision by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to not stand while it is played. Kaepernick cited racial injustice and police brutality among the reasons for his protest, and athletes from many sports -- and many levels, from youth all the way to professional -- have followed his lead in various ways.I also felt it was important to express the ongoing challenges and ongoing injustice we face as a black community within the United States of America -- thats very important to me,?Streeter said. Yes, we live in the greatest country in the world, but there are issues that we cannot ignore. This cant be ignored.ESPN staff writer Ohm Youngmisuk and?The Associated Press contributed to this report.? ' ' '