BIG BROWN: A Dirty Trainer's Dues Are Called

Rick Dutrow, drugging trainer, and Big Brown.

There's no surprise today in Big Brown's failure to perform. Although this is a spectacular horse, he's been entrusted to some of the dirtiest hands in thoroughbred racing today.

The only one to come out of this race with any luster is jockey Kent Desormeaux. Desormeaux, realizing that, as he said, he had "no horse" under him, took care of his horse.

He put the horse first--a message that trainer that's not gotten through to trainer Rick Dutrow in his entire, dirty-brown career. For the past eight years, Dutrow, himself a drug user, has been suspended or fined every single years for illegally doping his horses.

Yet someone funded him, and somehow, this dealer of dirty business made it to the Triple Crown. Dutrow not only dopes his horses, but he takes full advantage of different state's racing laws to legally dope his horses with steroids.

Look at that sentence. There should be no way to "legally dope" horses with steroids. Human athletes caught using anabolic steroid, AKA Winstrol in horse racing circles, have found themselves losing titles, records, and even facing jail. Consider Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Ben Johnson, and most recently, Olympic track star Marion Jones.

Not only does Dutrow routinely dope his horses with dangerous drugs, he decided, no doubt to protect his own horse-appled image, to suddenly pull Big Brown off the steroids. With the longest race of Big Brown's career, in immense heat, and under incredible pressure coming up, Dutrow suddenly changes his medication.

Any human who is legally prescribed a steroid is cautioned: do not stop this drug suddenly. Side effects of stopping this type of drug suddenly can be enormous.

On top of all that, Dutrow ran his horse on a hoof with a quarter-crack at thoroughbred racing's longest challenge on a dirt track: the Belmont. Any good working horse person, or even good pleasure horse person, and definitely any Quarter Horse person, can tell you: a crack in the hoof is serious. Working and running a horse on a quarter crack is risky business.

It's long since time for thoroughbred racing's hierarchy to get itself together, remember that more stallions than geldings win the races. When it comes to adequately protecting horses, horse racing's overseers need to go on a scavenger hunt for their own long-unused, dried-up equipment. Dutrow should have been permanently banned long ago.

Racing should have banned steroids long ago, in every state. And, three track veterinarians should have to review and sign off on all medications given to horses--and any changes made, before races, with written rationale.

Thoroughbred racing has not yet recovered from the needless, cruel, and agonizing death of Eight Belles, literally run to death by a macho jockey and win-maddened trainer at the Kentucky Derby..Now they can add this to the tally of wins and losses: Big Brown, running after dangerous medications were suddenly stopped cold turkey, and running under the control of a trainer who's so dirty with drugs that he shouldn't be allowed in racing barns in America.

Big Brown, stalling out in full view of the world. Big Brown, a great horse, who's been jazzed with drugs, and run on an injured hoof, still calm, willing, and ready to go to work: far more than Dutrow or those who've supported him deserve.

No matter how much the media tries to pretty these stories up, no matter how they come up with cute little "underdog" vignettes about trainer Dutrow making a noble comeback, they can't bury absolute truth. Dutrow is back-of-the-track trash allowed to elevate himself due to greed, lust for publicity, and poorly-monitored racing regulations created and administered by a herd of aging geldings.

As for the race itself, Da' Tara won. Racing lost.

Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss Arrested in Nevada

Heath Ledger Found Dead, Possible Suicide; Batman Movie At Risk?

UPDATE: Heath Ledgers' family denies he was suicidal while friends note he was suffering from pneumonia and yet still working last weekend. Ironically, the paparazzi he had come to hate turned out in force as police removed his body from his apartment.

Heath Ledger, the charismatic young actor whose range went from the bawdy comedy of "A Knight's Tale" to the emotional and controversial "Brokeback Mountain" was found dead in his New York City apartment today.

According to an NYC police statement, Ledger was found in bed with sleeping pills around him. He recently had split with his long-time fiancee, Michelle Williams, with whom he had one child, Matilda. He and Williams had met on the set of "Brokeback Mountain."

Police are investigating the possibility that Ledger's death was either suicide or accidental overdose. Ironically, in unremittingly dark "The Monster's Ball," Ledger played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton, whose character became Halle Berry's love interest.

The 28-year-old Ledger was working on the new, reportedly darker "Batman." Along with his breakup with Williams, Ledger also claimed intense harassment from paparazzi, so severe that he said he was forced to move from Sydney, Australia to New York. .

Drugs, Booze, Taunting: Truth Emerges About San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attack, Titiana Death

San Francisco Zoo Tiger Killing: Alcohol, Drugs, Taunting Alleged as Titiana Supporters Speak Up

Figure Skating Champion, Child Actor Christopher Bowman Dies, Possible Drug Overdose

Bowman the Showman

Bowman in Trouble

Wrestler Chris Benoit's Families Close to Legal Deal on Estate

COPS: How a Writer's Strike Helped Launch 20 Years of "Bad Boys"

As the current writer's strike drags on, time to take a look back to the birth of the reality TV show Cops. Creator/producer John Langley spent seven long, hard years trying to sell his concept, with no luck.

Then came the 1988 writer's strike, the rise of Fox News,a dearth of scripts, and the unscripted Cops was on the streets and into your home. With multiple Emmy nominations, Cops is the longest-running reality TV show in history.

Take a quick look at Cops history and highlights. Don't miss the guy with the pot cigarette tucked behind his ear telling cops that he doesn't smoke weed. Priceless!

"Preppie Killer" Arrested For Selling Drugs

He's a murderer, liar, thief, druggie, drug dealer, and con man--and now Robert Chambers may be headed back to prison. New York City cops, working a sting operation, busted this unrepentant killer and multiple loser on several charges of peddling drugs.

Chambers, who thought his good looks and sleazy charm would be his ticket to the high life, has already served 15 years for the vicious sexual killing of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin in New York City's Central Park in 1986. Among his many stories: he had to kill her in self defense. That's right, at 6' 4" and 200 pounds, he was being victimized by a girl who was 5'4", and 130-pounds. When Levin's battered body was found, the case became a notorious nightmare.

Not that Levin hadn't had problems before. Constantly in trouble in school, Levin was into drugs, burglaries, and credit card theft. But, groomed by a mother who wanted him to be socially upward mobile, Chambers covered up his inner punk-ness with the right clothes, a smile, and charm.

The vicious twists and turns of this case included a spinmeister's attack on Levin's character, and oh yes, more weird sex. While Chamber on bail and waiting for trial, he became the star of his own video that showed a party with Chambers twisting the head off a doll and mocking the murder charges with weird gyrations while young girls danced in their underwear.

Despite his pleas that he had been oh, so victimized, Chambers went to jail--but only for 15 years. After all, he was young, good-looking, and enough mud had been slung around about his murder victim that he didn't wind up with a tougher term.

After his release from prison, Chambers continued to be arrested, building up a solid record of drug abuse. And oh yes, there was that movie about the murder, starring Laura Flynn Boyle and Billy Baldwin.

Chambers, it seems, had achieved infamy, which apparently, he regards as fame. With his current arrest on multiple drug peddling charges, Chambers will have to work hard to cry "victim" just one more time.

Sex, Drugs, Politics & Death Threats: Journalists Under Fire in Columbia

Drug cartels, politicians, ego, greed, and unbridled power have created a toxic mix for journalists in Columbia. . The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) cites Columbia as one of the most dangerous places for reporters, photographers, and their support staff.

A Columbian journalist is in hiding after Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez accused him of collaboration with drug lord Pablo Excobar's mistress in publishing a book alleging Uribe has drug ties. Gonzalo Guillen had his security detail reduced as dozens of death threats followed Uribe's attack, according to the CPJ.

Reporters Without Borders earlier this year issued a harrowing report on the 30,000 paramilitaries, called the "Black Eagles" unleashed on journalists by Uribe's government. In June, Javier Dario Arroyave was stabbed to death as the attacks on journalists escalated, according to the International Federation of Journalists.

Journalism is a risky business, especially in areas where power means absolute power, and where a free press is not a right. As recent events in Burma (Myanmar) have shown, truth all too often teeters on the edge of a grave.