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Spiderman? I can take him.
ActorTobey Maguire (search)is not so tough without his Spidey-gear.
As Red Pollard, thejockey he plays in Seabiscuit, the movie about the legendaryDepression-era race horse, he’s constantly getting his butt kicked.
But I’ve got a $5″exacta” betwith Fox Magazineexecutive producer Marvin Himelfarb,thatsays the Universal/DreamWorks filmtops Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Lifethis weekend at the box office.
That’s because whenever Pollard mounts the once-discarded thoroughbred, he comes out the winner, both literally and figuratively.
And in 1930s America — which directorGary Ross (search)so wonderfully recreates in this period piece, an underdog winner –even if it wasonlya horse –is just what the country needed.
But as America fought its way out of theGreat Depression (search)and on to better and better economic times, we seem to have lost the excitement that used to define sport.
Maybe we’re just jaded, knowing that most athletes these days are in it for the money. Or maybe it’s because there are so few athletes worthy of our praise.
One need only look at the headlines in every newspaper or news program to see howKobeBryant, once commonly referred to as”the next Michael Jordan,” fouled out in a big way after committing adultery, or rape — however it turns out in acourt of law — in Eagle, Colo., last month.
Soas I watched Maguiretrade inone set of red tights for another, I couldn’t help but think of another Americanin tightsbattling his way throughFrance:
Lance Armstrong.
On a quest for his fifthTour de France (search)win, Armstrong has certainly made this one interesting.
The “experts” keep reminding us he’s not the sameLanceof the past four years.His competitors say he’s beatable. His teammates seem to be finally emerging from out of his shadow.
But something funny is happening on the way to Paris.
Armstrong is on his way to number five.
After Monday’s victory in stage 15 of the Tour — a stage in which Armstrong took a fall after becoming entwined with a fan — Armstrong fought back to earn a67-second lead to his nearest challenger, Jan Ullrich of Germany.
There’s still a lot of ground to be raced, but remember we’re talking about a man who has come back from testicular cancer, after being told by some doctors thathe’d never race again.
Similarly, Red Pollardwas told he would never ride again after suffering a leg injury, and Seabiscuit himself turned up lame afterfracturinga leg during a race.
“We have four good legs between the two of us,” Pollard is quoted as saying.
Both wouldeventuallybecomechampions again.
Like soccer,cycling will never be a huge sport in America, and horse racing itself isn’t among the most watched either(and certainly not played).
Butit is in these fringe sports — where glory does not always mean worldwide fame or immense fortune –whereour true sports heroes and legendscan be found.
Mike Strakais the project manager for FOX News’Internet operations and contributes as a featuresreporter and produceron FOX Magazine (Sundays 11 p.m. on FNC) and asa reporterand columnistfor Foxnews.com.
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