Rarity Day

 And now, Alex Trebek, we'll take Stuff  You Don't See Every Day for $100 ...

* He was dead last most of the way. Thirteenth with a quarter-mile to go. Still 13th at the head of the stretch.

But you know what?

Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby anyway.

A 23-1 shot even his jockey, Jose Ortiz, called "lazy", Golden Tempo finally got up and said, "Welp, time to go", swung wide, and passed the field down the stretch like a Maserati passing a bunch of combines. Made 'em all look like statuary except for the betting favorite, Renegade, another late runner whom Golden Tempo beat to the wire by a neck.

Heck of a run for ol' lazybones.

Heck of a piece of history, too, because Golden Tempo's trainer was Cherie DeVaux, who became the first woman trainer in 152 runnings to win horse racing's biggest prize. Eighteen women have trained Derby entries across the years; only DeVaux managed to claim the roses. 

So Derby Day was also Rarity Day, and not just because of DeVaux. Know who was aboard Renegade as he and Golden Tempo came churning down the stretch?

Irad Ortiz. Jose's brother.

To so sum up: Two brothers for the win, a woman trainer in the winner's circle for the first time, and, hey, look at this: Was that Ocelli, a late entrant and 70-1 shot, completing the trifecta in third?

Sure was. 

And was that Great White, another heavy 'dog, throwing his rider before being loaded in the gate and getting himself disqualified?

What, you think I could make that up?

Well, I didn't. It happened, speaking of rarities.

 Listen. There's always a horse or two who balks at stepping into the gate ("In there? I'm not going in there. Uh-uh, no way") in these deals. That happens all the time. But I've never seen a horse actually throw his rider ("I TOLD YOU I'M NOT GOING IN THERE!") to avoid it.

So, yeah. Rarity Day indeed.

And speaking of which ...

* Didja see what happened in Boston last night?

The Philadelphia 76ers beat the hometown Celtics109-100, as Joel Embiid went for 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Tyrese Maxey for 30 points, 11 boards and seven dimes. It was the first time NBA history that two teammates put up at least a 30-10-5 stat line in Game 7 of a playoff series.

But that's not all! Tell 'em what else the Sixers won, Johnny Olsen!

They won a playoff series against the Celtics for the first time in 44 years.

Yessir. The last time Philly knocked Boston out of the playoffs, it was 1982, and Ronald Reagan was president. Dr. J was still a thing in the City of Brotherly Love. Larry Bird was just beginning to burnish his legend. Michael Jordan was a freshman at North Carolina, and LeBron James wasn't even born yet.

Know what else?

The Sixers had to overcome a three-games-to-one deficit to swipe the series.

Which means they had to win two of the last three games in Boston. Which also means they had to do something they'd never done; they were an NBA record 0-18 when trailing 3-1 in a series. And which also means the Celtics had to do something they'd never done: Lose a series they led 3-1.

Going into last night, they were 32-0 lifetime in that circumstance. Thirty ... two ... and oh.

But Embiid, Maxey and the rest got it done. Just like Cheri DeVaux, Jose Ortiz and Golden Tempo got it done.

Great White, though ...