I kind of wish that I had known before the Kentucky Derby that a horse named American Pharaoh was racing. I could have made a tidy bundle. No, I know nothing whatever about horse racing. But I know nothing about football either, yet do better than people who do know all about football in betting pools. How do I do this? By the name of the teams. I picture their mascots fighting it out, and the one that emerges the winner in my imaginary battle is the one I vote for. For instance, if the Eagles were playing the Ravens, I would have to go with the Eagles because they are the bigger, fiercer bird and would tear apart the raven and eat him before you could blink. Giants and Patriots? Well, the patriots would have their muskets, but they would probably only succeed in making the giant angry, and it would squash the patriot before he could reload or run. See? Yeah, I know it sounds stupid, but you'd be surprised how often this works.

What does this have to do with the horse race? Well, I'm a big Egyptology geek -- have been since I was a kid. I would have bet on American Pharaoh to win the triple crown from the get-go, if I had known that a horse with that name was a contender. Ah, well....