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MLB’s broadcasts aren’t just play by play and commentary of the action on the field.We get hilarious base running accidents. We get reaction to what TV viewers didn’t see in real time. We get wholesome moments.AdvertisementSo every week this season, we’re rounding up some of our favorite hilarious, botched, and/or outlandish calls and moments over baseball’s broadcasts.Advertisement

This doesn’t happen. Horses at odds of nearly 81-1 don’t win the Kentucky Derby. Jockeys who have never won any big stakes race of any kind don’t win the Kentucky Derby. Owners with fewer than 10 career wins don’t win the Kentucky Derby.Rich Strike and his connections disagree with those sentiments.AdvertisementOne of the biggest upsets in racing history happened Saturday in the Kentucky Derby, when Rich Strike shocked the establishment by running past everyone and winning the first leg of this year’s Triple Crown series.Those who bet $2 to win on Rich Strike got $163.60 in return. Not bad for about two minutes of work. For jockey Sonny Leon, trainer Eric Reed and owner Rick Dawson, the result was life-changing. Leon was racing Friday at a little-known track in Cincinnati called Balterra Park. Reed’s biggest win before Saturday was with a filly called Satans Quick Chick in a Grade 2 race nearly 12 years ago. Dawson, a half-hour or so after the Derby, rhetorically asked a question to anyone within earshot.Advertisement“What planet is this?” Dawson said.Indeed, it’s a whole new world that he’s part of now. And a 3-year-old colt that was much closer to last place than first for most of the race Saturday made it all happen.Rich Strike, lower right, comes down the final straightaway on the way to winning the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 2022. (Charlie Riedel/AP)Good luck for him, bad luck for another. The Kentucky Derby can’t have more than 20 horses in the field. Rich Strike was 21st on the list. If one of the 20 horses that qualified didn’t scratch (the racing word for withdraw) from the race before 9 a.m. Friday, Rich Strike’s Derby plan would have ended.At 8:45 a.m. Friday, the call came: No scratches. Reed texted his father: “Didn’t happen.” The security guard working the barn and protecting Rich Strike was sent home. Plans were being made to run Rich Strike in a race this week in New York instead.Around that time, the connections for Ethereal Road — trained by D. Wayne Lukas — told Derby officials that they were pulling out of the race. Reed got another call at 8:55 telling him not to move the horse, then another call a minute or two later with the official word.They were in.“What just happened?” Reed asked.AdvertisementTurns out, history was starting to happen.Think of the horses like race cars. There’s a finite amount of fuel in the tank. The faster you burn the fuel, the quicker the tank empties. And that’s exactly what happened in the Kentucky Derby.Summer Is Tomorrow was the leader after a quarter-mile, or two furlongs. He covered that distance in 21.78 seconds — the fastest time in Kentucky Derby history. No horse can sustain that pace for 1 1/4 miles. And Summer Is Tomorrow wound up finishing last in the 20-horse field, 64 1/2 lengths behind Rich Strike.It wasn’t just Summer Is Tomorrow. Many horses went out on a blistering pace, because so many trainers and jockeys had decided their best move was to get close to the lead for the opening portions of the race.The biggest indicator that this was going to be a wild finish probably came when track announcer Larry Collmus briefly stopped his rundown of which horse was where in the field at the half-mile mark. “The opening half-mile was — WHOA! — blazing fast, 45.36 seconds,” Collmus said.Those fuel tanks were emptying far faster than anticipated.AdvertisementAt that half-mile mark, Rich Strike was ahead of only two horses. He was sitting in 18th place.Rich Strike, with Sonny Leon aboard, crosses the finish line to win the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 7, 2022. (Jeff Roberson/AP)Two answers: He ran by some, and some, as they say in racing, stopped running.Technically, that last part isn’t true. All 20 horses were “running” when they crossed the finish line. Nobody “stopped.” But some simply ran out of gas, meaning their all-out sprints had become little more than a gallop or a jog.Rich Strike had tons of fuel left. He also had one other major advantage: He was near the rail.It’s simple math: The closer one is to the rail, the shorter of a distance one has to run. Most of the contending horses as the leaders turned into the stretch and headed home were fanned out wide across the track, moves that made their trips a bit longer.This is where Leon had a huge decision to make. He had to get around Messier, one of the early leaders who was fading fast. Leon decided to veer slightly to his right and get around Messier, then dove back down toward the rail to finish Rich Strike’s run. It was almost as if nobody saw him coming.AdvertisementThey saw him at the end. That’s all that mattered.If we knew that, everyone would have cashed their Derby tickets. Rich Strike had just one win coming into the race (though, in fairness, it was by 17 1/4 lengths, which is impressive regardless of the level of competition).He’s a closer. He hadn’t won any of his last five races but made late moves in all of them, going from sixth to third, seventh to fifth, eighth to third, 11th to fourth and 11th to third. Passing horses down the stretch is apparently his favorite pastime. Handicappers definitely missed that.But reputations also matter. Frankly, not many horseplayers knew who Leon was, or who Reed was, before Saturday.They do now.“It’s a horse race, and anybody can win,” Reed said. “And the toteboard doesn’t mean a thing.”AdvertisementThe Preakness is May 21 at Pimlico, and it would seem like Rich Strike will head there to see if he can move one win away from grabbing the most improbable Triple Crown ever.“That’s probably the plan,” Reed said Sunday. “I’m not going to do a whole lot with him and I don’t like to run back quick. You get one like this in a lifetime and you have to protect him.”ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 29A spectator walks the grounds prior to the running of the 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 7, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Seiya Suzuki was a man of few words late Saturday night when asked if he’d ever experienced anything like playing in unseasonably cold conditions at Wrigley Field.“No, never have,” Suzuki said through an interpreter.AdvertisementWas he freezing out there?“It’s really cold,” the outfielder replied.AdvertisementTrue enough, but naturally it’s expected to warm up this week while the Cubs are out of town.Suzuki is getting a valuable lesson on life as a Cub. When Chairman Tom Ricketts and president Jed Hoyer courted the Japanese star with a virtual reality presentation of what it would be like to play in Wrigley, they probably left out the cold, rainy and windy days we had most of April. [ [Don’t miss] Seiya Suzuki: Get to know the new Chicago Cubs outfielder ]Suzuki got off to a hot start and was named National League Rookie of the Month for April, but his first prolonged slump has coincided with the recent Cubs’ regression.When the Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 21-0 with 23 hits on a summerlike day at Wrigley on April 23, all was well in Wrigleyville. In the 11 games since, leading into Sunday night’s ESPN game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs have hit .182 and scored a combined 21 runs while going 2-9 to fall nine games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.Seiya Suzuki singles during the fourth inning of Game 1 against the Dodgers on May 7, 2022. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)Suzuki batted .136 (6 for 44) with no home runs and 2 RBIs over that stretch with 15 strikeouts and only two walks. He’s not the sole reason the Cubs have fallen into the abyss — the rest of the lineup has been inconsistent and Cubs starters ranked 27th Sunday with a 5.30 ERA.But the Cubs have made Suzuki the centerpiece of their new-look team, as his five-year, $85 million deal suggests.“It’s a team sport, and even though individually you’re doing well, it doesn’t really help the team and you can’t get a win by yourself,” Suzuki said. “It’s all about staying together as a team and that’s what we’ve been doing these past couple weeks.“I’m just getting unlucky and I think the most important thing is staying consistent and keep on working as a team.”Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] How do 10 ex-Chicago Cubs stack up after 1 month of 2022? Here’s a ranking, with Anthony Rizzo leading the way. ]After the Cubs were swept by the Dodgers Saturday, walking nine men in the nightcap, catcher Willson Contreras admitted “it’s really tough to even watch, to be honest.”The loss was their 13th in their last 16 games and dropped the Cubs to 4-10 at home.“Losing sucks, I’ll tell you that,” Contreras said. ”That’s all I can say.”After Contreras hit a fifth-inning home run in Game 2 of the doubleheader to pull the Cubs to within two, he waved his arms wildly after crossing home plate, seemingly exhorting the fans to get loud. But he said afterward his gesture was aimed at his teammates, not fans.Willson Contreras reacts after scoring against the Dodgers during the first inning of Game 2 on May 7, 2022. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)“I’m trying to lift this team up,” he said. “I’m trying to do my best to pass my energy to everybody. That’s just me. I’m trying to support my team.“I know it’s been a really tough stretch, but as I told Nico (Hoerner) earlier, a lot of time we focus so much on results that we end up frustrated instead of enjoying the moment, enjoying just playing baseball. Then the results are going to happen.AdvertisementChicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.“As a human, you fall into (a trap of) wanting the results right away. A lot of times, baseball doesn’t work that way.”It won’t get any easier for the Cubs as they embark on a six-game trip Monday to San Diego and Arizona. The Padres are neck-and-neck with the first-place Dodgers in the NL West — the game’s strongest division — and the rebuilding Diamondbacks have rebounded from a 6-11 start to get back to .500 entering Sunday.[ [Don’t miss] Willson Contreras’ bigger Chicago Cubs leadership role is fueled by years of listening — and putting in work ]Manager David Ross needs left-hander Justin Steele, who is pitching on eight days rest, to show durability after lasting three or fewer innings in his last three starts. Ross employed veteran Daniel Norris as an opener Saturday, but watched him implode with three straight walks and yanked him after only seven batters.Keegan Thompson appears to be Ross’ best bet at joining the rotation down the road, but Thompson is still learning on the job. He walked three in 2 ⅓ innings Saturday, forcing in a run and giving up a three-run double to Mookie Betts. Thompson admitted he was “going too quick, the game got a little too fast” on him.The Cubs were bound to go through some growing pains in 2022 after the sell-off of ‘21, so fans will have to be patient with Steele, Thompson, Suzuki, Hoerner and the other young players who figure to still be around when they hope to turn the corner on the rebuild. There’s no doubt it’s going to be “tough to watch” at times, as Contreras said.But seeing how Ross and his team gets past this stretch will be interesting to observe.Advertisement“Obviously we’re losing games and we’re not in a great situation right now, condition-wise,” Suzuki said. “But it’s a long season and it’s part of the season, so we just want to get over it.”

BOSTON — The Chicago White Sox inserted center fielder Luis Robert in the No. 2 slot of the batting order for Sunday’s series finale against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.But manager Tony La Russa anticipates having third baseman Yoán Moncada in that spot Monday against the Cleveland Guardians at Guaranteed Rate Field.Advertisement“I told Robert, ‘We like you hitting fourth but I’m moving you to second (Sunday), but you’ll be back at fourth (Monday),” La Russa said before Sunday’s game. “Moncada is swinging the bat well and he adds a lot to the lineup at that spot. So that gives him a chance to spark us.”Moncada is expected back after a rehab stint with the Knights. And it’s likely he’ll be joined by reliever Joe Kelly, who has also been rehabbing with Charlotte.AdvertisementMoncada suffered a right oblique strain on the final day of spring training and went on the injured list April 5. Kelly has been working his way back all spring from a right biceps nerve injury suffered last season.“Kelly, we are going to embrace him with open arms,” La Russa said.Moncada slashed .318/.360/.636 with one double, two home runs and five RBIs in six games with Charlotte.“We are excited to get him back, period,” La Russa said. “But add the exclamation mark with the way (Triple-A manager) Wes (Helms) is talking about how he’s working, great frame of mind and really getting the bat out.”Kelly did not allow a hit and struck out three in three innings with Charlotte. He’ll add depth to the Sox bullpen.“The true rubber-armed reliever is more rare now than ever,” La Russa said. “Most guys are launching their pitches. They are not finessing it. So there are days, a lot of days, those guys shouldn’t pitch back to back.“Now all of a sudden, you have Kelly to pitch that seventh or eighth.”White Sox reliever Joe Kelly poses on photo day at spring training on March 16, 2022. (Rick Scuteri/AP)La Russa recalled watching Kelly during spring training in 2011 while managing the St. Louis Cardinals.Advertisement“I remember we always had the competitive batting practices and I was behind the cage with (pitching coach Dave) Duncan and we saw this guy and he was like — explosive fastball, curve ball, slider, change, athletic as all,” La Russa said. “‘Who is this guy?’“At the end of the spring, they were going to send him to A ball. And I went, ‘I want to manage A Ball.’ (The Cardinals) brought him up in (2012) and he did good and they traded him to Boston (in 2014). I was with Boston (as an executive) when he was here the championship year (in 2018).“So, knock on wood, keep him healthy. He’s a serious competitor.”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Eric Reed, his hair a tad mussed, stepped out of an SUV on Sunday morning to check on the horse that had changed his life the night before.“I haven’t slept yet,” he said.AdvertisementNo surprise that his nerves did not settle quickly after he watched his 80-1 long shot, Rich Strike, run down a pack of more celebrated horses to win the 148th Kentucky Derby.The new champ looked none the worse for wear as camera people gathered to capture his morning bath outside Barn 17. Reed said Rich Strike ate all of his dinner Saturday night and was moving well. Television viewers saw him gnawing on his pony after the Derby, suggesting the effort did not drain him of his fight.Advertisement“I think he thought he had another horse to beat,” Reed joked. “I don’t think we got to the bottom of him yesterday.”Does that mean Rich Strike will be ready to go May 21 in the Preakness Stakes? Reed said that’s what he and owner Rick Dawson want, though they won’t commit until they’ve observed Rich Strike for a few days at his home barn in Lexington.Preakness officials called Sunday morning to extend a formal invitation. “That’s the plan,” Reed said into a cellphone. If he does go, Rich Strike will ship from Kentucky in time to spend a few mornings on the track at unfamiliar Pimlico Race Course.Reed has never been to Baltimore but said “The Wire” is one of his favorite television programs. He owns an “Omar’s Coming” sweatshirt.The 57-year-old trainer, anonymous to the wider racing world until Saturday night, is a natural character. The pinkie on his right hand was painted with gold nail polish, a ritual he began 12 years ago with his daughter, Martha, who thought he needed an extra boost when he took a talented mare, Rinterval, to challenge the great Zenyatta.“You guys want to get a better picture?” Reed said Sunday morning. Then he took off his right shoe to reveal all his toe nails were painted gold as well.From left, trainer Eric Reed, jockey Sonny Leon and owner Rick Dawson celebrate with the trophy after Rich Strike won the 148th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday in Louisville, Ky. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)Elsewhere at Churchill Downs, trainer Steve Asmussen did not rule out taking Derby runner-up Epicenter to Baltimore for a Preakness rematch.“He came out of the race good, so we’ll just try to move forward,” Asmussen said. “I haven’t spoken to [owner] Ron [Winchell], but I will speak with him later, and we’ll figure out what we’re going to do next.”AdvertisementIn 2007, one of Asmussen’s greatest horses, Curlin, finished third in the Derby and bounced back to win the Preakness. Two years later, he saddled Rachel Alexandra for her Preakness victory.Other contenders had already begun lining up to take a shot at Rich Strike.Early Voting qualified for the Derby after running an impressive second in the April 9 Wood Memorial, but his trainer, Chad Brown, and his owner, Baltimore native Seth Klarman, opted to hold off for the Preakness. Five years earlier, they chose the same approach with Cloud Computing, and their patience paid off with a win in the second leg of the Triple Crown.“The horse is doing super,” Brown said of Early Voting. “He’s only had three career starts. He hadn’t had anywhere near the adversity in some of his starts that [morning-line Derby favorite] Zandon had. There’s still a little bit of a question with that horse at a mile and a quarter, so I thought going a mile and 3/16 [in the Preakness], getting six weeks rest instead of four, running in a 14-horse field instead of 20, it’s probably more fair for the future of the horse. And I have a tremendously patient owner with Seth Klarman … so it was a pretty easy decision to do the right thing by the horse.”The decision set up Early Voting to be a popular choice in the Preakness, where he’ll try to take advantage of tired Derby horses as Cloud Computing did in 2017.Brown said third-place Derby finisher Zandon would ship back to New York on Monday but left open the possibility that he might join Early Voting in the Preakness field.AdvertisementMeanwhile, six-time Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas said he might enter his Kentucky Oaks winner, Secret Oath, in the second leg of the Triple Crown. She’s also a candidate for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes the day before.“We’re tickled to see her come out of that tough race and to be bouncing around here this morning,” the 86-year-old Lukas said the day after the Oaks. “The Preakness is an option but so is the Black-Eyed Susan. The big difference is a million dollars and a Grade 1. It would be nice to get her a second Grade 1 [win].”Swiss Skydiver won the Preakness after finishing runner-up in the Oaks in 2020. Rachel Alexandra won the Oaks in 2009 and turned around to beat Mine That Bird, a 50-1 Derby winner, at Pimlico. A similar scenario could be appealing to Lukas, who loves to push his horses into the biggest races.Maryland-bred Joe could bring local flavor to the Preakness coming off his victory in the April 16 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park. Owner Stuart Grant said he and trainer Mike Trombetta would assess the competition coming out of the Derby before entering Joe, a four-time winner in six career starts.“I guess we’ll see how the Derby goes [and] we’ll see how our horse continues to progress,” Grant said last week. “It’s a nice position to be in. I’m very happy with how Joe’s done.”Trainer Kenny McPeek said Creative Minister, an impressive winner on the Derby undercard, is a possibility for the Preakness. He’ll watch how eighth-place Derby finisher Smile Happy recovers before deciding what’s next for him.AdvertisementUntil Rich Strike unexpectedly joined the Derby field Friday morning, Reed thought he’d spend Saturday on a lake fishing with his father. He’s not used to being a target in a nationally televised race with a crowd of 100,000-plus focused on his every move. But he did not seem daunted by the prospect.He thought his life in racing might be over six years ago when a fire ravaged his barn and killed 23 horses. So this is all the best kind of gravy.“I’m so happy to be here on a bright, sunny day,” he said. “And everyone’s happy.”147th Preakness StakesPimlico Race CourseMay 21AdvertisementTV: Chs. 11, 4 (coverage begins at 2 p.m.)

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Dear Amy: My youngest daughter recently gave birth to her first child, a beautiful baby boy (our fourth grandchild but first grandson).I am having difficulty with the baby’s chosen name.AdvertisementHis first name, “Louis,” is after the baby’s father, and a family name — so he is the fourth male to be named that. I find it confusing and paternalistic but otherwise I like the name. It’s our grandson’s middle name I’m having the most difficulty with.His middle name: “Randall” is my husband’s middle name, and it was his father’s name.AdvertisementI know my daughter is honoring her father by giving the baby his middle name. What she doesn’t know is that my husband does not have one happy or warm memory of his father that he has ever shared (his father has been deceased for many years).My husband is very guarded with his words and feelings — but the things he has shared point to a cold and emotionally abusive father.I didn’t know beforehand what the middle name of the baby was going to be and so couldn’t discuss it with my daughter and her husband.Is this something I just need to get over? I feel sick when I think about it, and wish my beautiful grandson had his own name.– Upset GrandmaDear Upset: Your beautiful grandson does have his own name. And he shares a middle name with his wonderful grandfather.Naming a male child after his father, grandfather, etc., is the very essence of “paternalistic,” in that it is a legacy of “paterfamilias” — a father-figure. I fail to see anything “confusing” — or negative — about this.My own family has a very long and unbroken line of women named “Emily.” Is this “maternalistic”? Yes. Confusing? (Not to us.)AdvertisementDoes your husband loathe his middle name, “Randall” because it was his father’s name? Has your husband ever expressed to you that he wishes he had a different middle name? (It doesn’t sound as if you’ve discussed how he feels about this name’s impact on his own identity.)I wish you could see this as a tribute to your husband, versus honoring a challenging history that only you and your husband seem to know about (your daughter seems unaware).With this generation, your grandson will reclaim this name, continue to shine it up (your husband started the process), and restore its legacy.That seems like a very good thing for everyone.Yes, I think you should embrace this choice. And even if you can’t embrace it this is the parents’ choice to make.Dear Amy: I’m wondering if you could give me some advice about my marriage.AdvertisementI have been with my husband for 22 years. We have five children together, ages 20, 17, 14, 12, and four months old.I recently found out that my husband was messing around with a 25-year-old woman at his job.I was so hurt because we had just had our baby.I confronted him about it and, of course, he denied it, but I already knew it was true because I had seen text messages on his phone.I told him that if he continues to work there, we will have issues, and of course he is still employed there.I’m wondering — what I should do?Advertisement– HurtDear Hurt: If your husband wants to try to restore his relationship to you, he should admit to this, and start the process of trying to regain your trust by behaving differently.When couples are earnestly trying to reconnect, rebuild their relationship, and restore trust, they generally embark on a challenging process that involves a lot of effort and a lot of change. If the affair partner is a colleague, then yes – changing jobs would be part of this process.However, reading between the lines here, I sense that your husband isn’t eager or ready to make big changes.Marriage counseling would help both of you to talk about this — versus you making accusations and ultimatums, with him denying and ignoring. If he won’t attend, you should go by yourself.Ask AmyDailyNo-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.Dear Amy: “SO Gauge” wrote to you about a model train set that had become an awkward item from childhood that the father was trying to give to the adult son.AdvertisementI loved your suggestion that the two men visit, set up the train, and get it running one time before perhaps selling the set online.– Big FanDear Fan: That idea was something of a cinematic fantasy on my part. I hope they do it.Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and we’ll send it to her.Sign up here to receive the Ask Amy newsletter to get advice e-mailed to your inbox every morning, and for a limited time — get the book “Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from America’s Favorite Advice Columnist” for $5.©2021 Amy Dickinson.