Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird can't dig up any respect

The next time you hear a player complain he gets no esteem The next time you hear a star grouse about lack of respect Tell them to shut up. Tell them you've seen the ultimate in being dissed, and they're not in the same ballpark.We speak, of course, about Mine That Bird.You remember, the 50-1 shot who came down the stretch of the Kentucky Derby like someone had attached a V8 engine to his tail. He'll try to win the Preakness Saturday and continue what would be a remarkable Triple Crown Cinderella run. But notice the news? The jockey who rode Mine That Bird in the Derby has dumped him for a girl horse.That would be Calvin Borel, a splendid rider whose head can obviously be turned by a pretty face. It's this filly, Rachel Alexandra. She's the home wrecker. Borel was her jockey in the Kentucky Oaks which is something like a Title IX race for female horses the day before the Derby and they were so far ahead at the finish line, the rest of the field would have needed sonar to find them.The next day, Borel and Mine That Bird won a shocking Derby. But he was so smitten with the filly, he decided to be with her if she runs in the Preakness. "Best horse in my life," he said in Louisville, and already, this eternal triangle was starting to sound like the cover of People magazine.Where has that left Mine That Bird? Think of the humiliation back at the stable with the other Thoroughbreds. You win the Derby and your jockey leaves you for a horse named Rachel. You could barely show your face at the morning workout. Some loudmouth colt will surely trash talk, "Hey buddy, where you going get your jockey Saturday eBay?"Wait. It gets even worse. Turns out, Rachel Alexandra, the jezebel, has been in danger of not even getting into the Preakness. She wasn't pre-nominated, meaning she has to clear a wait list, as if she were trying to fly out of Chicago on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.And if she wouldn't make the field, that'd put Borel back aboard Mine That Bird. So the champion of the Kentucky Derby would have to be content with being ridden on the rebound.For a while, it looked like the owner of Mine That Bird was going to enter a second horse just to take the last Preakness spot and keep Rachel Alexandra out of the race, so Borel would be available. I forget what horse it was maybe one of the Budweiser Clydesdales, since he'd be there just to take up a spot. But the owner changed his mind.Oh, if only horses could talk.First of all, there were those Kentucky Derby odds. NFL teams get annoyed if they're four-point underdogs. How would 50-1 go over?If someone had put a microphone in front of Mine That Bird after the Derby, we can pretty well guess what he would have said: "Nobody gave me a chance. The only people who thought I could win were the people in my barn."Racing always seems a little unfair, anyway. The owner gets the prize money. They trainer and jockey get the acclaim. The bettors with winning tickets get the payouts.What's the horse get a second helping of oats?And now comes this national red face for Mine That Bird. I don't know what happens when he and Rachel Alexandra bump into each other Saturday at Pimlico, and the filly is carrying his jockey. It'll be like Brad and Jen and Angelina at the Academy Awards.About the only thing left for Mine That Bird to do is kick a little hind quarter Saturday. Imagine what could happen if he loses first his jockey, and then the Preakness to the filly. Anyone here have the number for a good horse therapist?