Clan-Members » et to 409. Reddick is looking forward to hitting

Neither Keith Desormeaux nor Bob Baffert was on the scene at Monmouth Park last Sunday when Exaggerator beat American Freedom in the Haskell Invitational. Del Mar is a hard place to leave in the summer -- all that beach traffic -- and besides, its the horses who do the real work.I was back there all the week before, said Desormeaux, referring to Saratoga, where Exaggerator trained for the Haskell. Why didnt I go back? Im lazy.Right, and hes also got a full barn at Del Mar that trains from sunrise to track closing every day, and being where he can see and touch his horses helps Desormeaux sleep at night. Julie Clark, the trainers assistant and significant other, did the honors in New Jersey.As for Baffert, he had assistant Jim Barnes on the job at Monmouth, which has worked just fine in the past. Anyway, cross-country air travel with a quick turnaround isnt exactly high among Bafferts lifestyle priorities these days, especially after his heart attack in Dubai four years ago.Still, watching from afar is no guarantee of immunity. Planted in view of a Del Mar big screen, Baffert saw Rafael Bejarano ride American Freedom to a very game second to Exaggerator and Kent Desormeaux, after which he hustled off to saddle American Pharoahs little sister, American Cleopatra, in Del Mars third race (she won). On his way back to the box, Baffert was accosted, as he often is, by someone with something on his mind.What do you think, Bob? came the question. Did they get it right?What are you talking about? Baffert replied.The inquiry. With your horse.I didnt even know there was one, Baffert said a couple of days later. My first thought was, Oh, no, dont take second away from me. When I saw it was my rider claiming against the winner, I could see there was nothing there. I told the jock later he shouldnt have wasted one. You need to save those for when youve got a shot.Keith Desormeaux didnt see anything either because there really wasnt much to see in terms of an objection, unless it was the dollar signs disappearing from the thought bubble over Bejaranos head as Exaggerator blew past him inside the eighth pole. At that point, Exaggerators trainer was still chuckling at his own Hamlet moment that could have sent history in a whole different direction.I can show you the text to Elliott Walden the night before the entries, Desormeaux said, referring to the general manager of WinStar Farm, where Exaggerator will stand.The way to win the Travers is to train at Saratoga and run in the Jim Dandy, so what am I doing going to the Haskell? Desormeaux said, reciting the substance of the message. Then, when I saw the race on paper and the way the pace laid out, I knew I was going to the right place. That and $400,000 more in the purse, plus a Win and Youre In to the Breeders Cup. Actually, it was kind of a no-brainer.The contortions required for Desormeaux to come up with his no-brainer tell you a lot about the guy. Hell chew on every detail until theres nothing left but gristle and bone. What to do with Exaggerator -- the Santa Anita Derby and Preakness winner -- after his dismal effort in the Belmont Stakes was a question he was asked often. And in the modern world of constant communication and fitful transparency, he was required to deliver an answer, even if he didnt have one.There was a time trainers didnt say much at all, Desormeaux noted. And nobody asked.Bill Mott once was asked to name the toughest part of his job.Saying no, he replied.This is easy to understand, given the relentlessly forward momentum of racing, the pressure from heavily invested patrons, and the required participation of four-legged creatures who dont always get with the program.At some point, though, a trainer must say yes. Decisions come easier to trainers who have talented 3-year-olds in January. The path is preordained, with a few variations along the way but all leading toward the same set of Triple Crown goals.Once the Belmont is in the books, all bets are off. The goals become a little more hazy. Haskell, Travers, Gold Cup, Breeders Cup: Theyre all in the mix, along with the very real option of putting a hard-used young horse away for a few recuperative months and bringing him back as a more mature 4-year-old.Desormeaux has been faced with such decisions when it comes to Exaggerator. When he said the Curlin colt was heading for the Travers through the Jim Dandy, his word was taken for gospel. When he changed his mind, the media -- both social and otherwise -- were flummoxed. They did not have a good line on this Desormeaux fellow yet, and here he was changing races in midstream. He said he did not like the way his horse was training at Saratoga, where he won the Saratoga Special the year before, and yet he said his horse was doing well physically and could simply train up to the Travers. Or not. He might as well have been speaking Esperanto.I know, Desormeaux said. Sometimes it takes a little time to figure things out.And this time, it was worth the wait. Discount Custom Hockey Jerseys . Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Custom Hockey Jerseys Outlet . 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HOUSTON -- Josh Reddick never expected to hear from the Houston Astros.I didnt know if I was on these guys radar, the outfielder said Wednesday after finalizing a $52 million, four-year contract. It was something that came out of nowhere for me, not in a bad way. I was very excited to hear from them. Texas is something that brings me a little closer to home.Reddick, who is from Georgia, was drafted by Boston in 2006, traded to Oakland after the 2011 season and dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers at last summers trade deadline on Aug. 1. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Houston and Oakland talked about a possible deal.This is going to be a winning environment for the next four years, Luhnow said, describing his pitch to Reddick. We were willing to commit to the length of the deal early. Really felt like he fit in well with the culture that were trying to build here. It spoke to him because hes seen it firsthand.Reddick, who gets $13 million in each of the next four seasons, appealed to the Astros as a free agent because he bats left-handed, won a Gold Glove and does not turn 30 until February.In eight big league seasons, Reddick has 96 homers, 346 RBI and a .dddddddddddd255 batting average.Get to stay in the same division. Very comfortable being in this division, Reddick said. I know how things work. I know the stadiums. I know the pitching staffs. I know the hitters. So its going to make this a very easy transition for me.Minute Maid Park was considered to be hitter friendly, even before renovations this offseason moved the center field wall in from 436 feet to 409. Reddick is looking forward to hitting more home runs in Houston than he did at the Oakland Coliseum.Hopefully some of these fly balls Ive hit at the Coliseum over the last 4 1/2 years can maybe be 10 rows deep here, he said.Reddick did not want to drag out contract talks.I think it was good before the winter meetings so you didnt have to worry about all the hype, he said. Go home and for the next 2 1/2 months train and get ready. Relax a lot better knowing I have a home and a good home once it comes around to February. ' ' '