NBC Sports activities’ Mike Tirico is not any stranger to sports activities followers, whether or not it’s from his time on the helm of ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” which was ubiquitous in each sports activities dialog within the Nineties, to his present position the place he may be discovered main Peacock’s protection of the Nationwide Soccer League, Olympics, golf, and extra.
To horse racing and its followers, this 12 months marks his eighth 12 months main the published of the Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve and the Preakness Stakes. NBC Sports activities’ six-hour broadcast of the 149th Preakness at Pimlico on Could 18 will start at 1:30 p.m. ET on CNBC and swap to NBC at 4:30, with the race scheduled to run at 7:01 p.m. ET. The present may even stream on Peacock.
Forward of his arrival in Baltimore, Tirico gave his ideas on how the classics have developed, what he would do if put answerable for horse racing, and extra.
BloodHorse: That is your eighth Triple Crown. How have issues modified?
Mike Tirico: Familiarity with the individuals across the sport, stepping right into a sport that I watched, I’d say just a little greater than casually, however it definitely wasn’t on my radar as a result of … I used to be at ESPN on the time. And in addition this time of 12 months, I used to be full velocity on the NBA Playoffs. So it wasn’t on my radar practically as a lot as it will have been in any other case. However now that I’ve been by it a number of instances and you recognize, not simply the cadence of the week of every occasion, but in addition all of the individuals round within the sport you achieve a familiarity with it. And I simply hold extra of a year-long watch of the game. Though it’s soccer season, you recognize that Friday, Saturday, I’m watching as lots of the Breeders’ Cup races as doable. And clearly, the Kentucky Derby preps I’m watching greater than casually simply to remain on top of things, in order that helped make leaping again in for these two occasions loads simpler than it was to start out for me.
BH: You’ve coated myriad different sports activities. The place do you discover the similarities between these and horse racing?
MT: You recognize, I feel if we simply take the Derby, it’s the occasions a part of it, and the way the massive occasions actually do translate throughout completely different sports activities. I’d say normally, in a large swath of sports activities, we’re at a really fascinating time in every trade the place the mix of cash and competitors from different sports activities actually has pressured every sport to have a look at modifications and have a look at adapting, and I’ll offer you basketball. There are such a lot of extra three-point photographs taken than ever earlier than. In baseball, the foundations of additional innings and banning the shift and issues like that. Soccer guidelines consistently change – the kickoff rule this 12 months within the NFL, proper?
So I feel whether or not it’s for essentially the most half people – on this case, equine athletes – have been modified because the leisure consideration span of informal followers modifications. That quest to proceed to draw a brand new fan base or a rising fan base has pressured all these sports activities to make changes and modifications, and I feel you’re seeing that in horse racing just a little bit as properly with (the Horseracing Integrity and Security Authority) and a myriad of different modifications.
BH: So kind of in that vein, when you had been the horse racing commissioner for a day – to not step on Mike Repole’s toes – what modifications would you make?
MT: Does commissioner include Repole’s checking account? I like Mike loads, individually and in addition his intent for the game. If I used to be commissioner for a day, I’d ask for a five-year contract. It could take that lengthy to make the modifications right here, however I feel the very first thing that must be achieved is get all of the stakeholders collectively to grasp what the game wants by way of progress, and that’s working cohesively and dealing collectively. There’s so many alternative pursuits. Simply throughout the states and their regulatory our bodies, the possession of tracks. That’s only one a part of the equation. However then would you placed on high of that The Jockey Membership, horsemen, homeowners? There are such a lot of completely different pursuits that aren’t rowing in the identical course. And I actually assume that should occur for the well being of the game and for some actual change to occur.
BH: Fascinated about the race Saturday and even the race two weeks in the past, what are your preparations like attempting to get able to current these main occasions that captivate the trade?
MT: The Preakness has just a little little bit of a special really feel. The Derby is a unicorn of broadcast due to how huge it’s, and perhaps your readers per se would like extra simply protection of the horse race. However you can not argue with the truth that the viewership is as excessive as it’s 12 months after 12 months and so many individuals come to the Derby for the occasion that it’s, and I feel that may be a large consider why the viewers has grown through the years. The Preakness is just a little bit completely different. Yeah, there’s the individuals’s celebration. And yeah, there’s music and concert events, however it’s far more of that race focus and fewer of the occasions, if you’ll.
For me by way of making ready for these, it truly is these Derby prep races. After which when you get to Louisville, or on this case, Baltimore, it’s simply speaking and listening, speaking to the people who find themselves round. And also you get to know them after doing this for a number of years after which lots of listening to the conversations that Jerry (Bailey) and Randy (Moss) share with individuals. I really like working with these guys. They’re so good. Listening to the individuals, particularly at Pimlico over on the barn simply exterior of our trailer. Take heed to the conversations which might be occurring again there, being there early within the morning. These couple of days beforehand, to simply type of take in it. No person’s coming to listen to me opine concerning the sport or the horses, however you must be there. So that you tee up Jerry, Randy, all the proper individuals on our staff on the proper second to present the viewer at dwelling the very best data we presumably can. So the rhythm of the week is one which I’ve type of dialed in now and figured it out and I like it. It’s an ideal cadence to the week. And the way in which each occasions construct. This Saturday is simply a lot enjoyable.
BH: You talked about how completely different Pimlico is from Churchill Downs. What challenges do you see Maryland going through at preserving the attraction of the race and the venue as there are clearly modifications which might be within the imminent future?
MT: The ability is so outdated and actually is years behind making the modifications. A number of that was are we going to Laurel (Park), are we going to remain at Pimlico? I recognize the historical past however there additionally wants a steadiness of actuality for internet hosting the occasion and the kind of occasion that aspirationally it may be, however wants the infrastructure to assist. And I hope that this newest iteration of “Right here’s the newest replace on what we’re going to do with Pimlico and what the Preakness goes to appear to be,” I hope this lastly will get a shovel within the floor and issues begin to get achieved. There are only a few occasions that really have a century and a half of custom and have that satisfaction Baltimore has within the occasion. So that you don’t need to throw that away, however on the identical time when you don’t modernize it a bit, and I feel 1/ST Racing has achieved as a lot as they’ll with that bodily property, however now it’s actually time to make one thing occur.
So I perceive there’s a signature on a paper and that occurred final week. In order that’s excellent news. Now let’s see what that timetable goes to appear to be, the fact of creating these modifications. To me, although, the largest factor is it’s time to maneuver this occasion again a number of weeks. The entire dialog “Is the horse going to run that gained the Derby or not?” has turn into a parlor sport, actually. Yr after 12 months after 12 months. It must be one thing that there’s little doubt about (the Derby winner operating) aside from the well being of the horse.
There was little doubt about that after I was rising up 30, 40 years in the past. You knew that two weeks later you bought to see that horse that gained the Derby. Nonetheless, issues have modified; your readers know that higher than the informal fan. These degree of horses don’t come again each two weeks and run, so perhaps it’s time to regulate this. I feel it will be wholesome for the game long run. There’s no purpose to alter custom right here. So an adjustment is okay. If the horses aren’t operating each two weeks and so they’re operating on this month-long cadence, let’s push this again to Memorial Day weekend or proper round there. Let’s work along with (the New York Racing Affiliation) and push the Belmont Stakes again and have a Triple Crown.
I’ll offer you this for instance: Once we discuss you possibly can’t make modifications to the Triple Crown, properly this 12 months the Belmont Stakes goes to be not at Belmont Park and it’s going to be held at a mile and 1 / 4. So that is going to be a modified Triple Crown. It’s occurred previously. Let’s simply change it, I feel can be nice for the game. Do the promotion by the summer season that may assist carry many different municipalities and tracks, racing associations to tug off of that and have a profitable summer season meet session.
BH: Do you have got a favourite Preakness reminiscence?
MT: I bear in mind the duels of the Preakness of the ‘80s and ‘90s. I bear in mind Jim McKay through the years watching “Large World of Sports activities” and the way vital it was for him. I feel for me, it needs to be Justify. It was 12 months two of me doing these exhibits and simply a few years previous American Pharoah and have Justify off the Derby win, win the Preakness and know that we had a few weeks of build-up for a run on the Triple Crown. Simply to be part of that was in all probability the one that can stick out greater than anything for me as a result of being there in individual and realizing that as quickly as that race ended, we had the massive one on our arms developing three weeks later at Belmont Park.
BH: That is your eighth Preakness. What if any recommendation did you obtain out of your predecessor, Tom Hammond, that also resonates with you at present?
MT: I wouldn’t say it was direct recommendation, I’d say it’s extra finding out and studying and mixture as a result of when you bear in mind, it was Bob Costas and Tom Hammond, each in roles the place Bob was internet hosting the published and Tom was with Randy and Jerry. And after I started, we folded these two into one position. So I feel it morphed just a little bit, however I’ll by no means, ever be what Tom was by way of his experience within the sport. Begin together with his diploma in equine science and go on from there. So that you knew you’re by no means going to be that individual. So that you couldn’t faux it. What you needed to perceive what the talent set was in that job that I might proceed to look at and repeat and observe.
And I actually did watch Tom do all three Triple Crown races and Breeders’ Cup as properly. I watched tapes of that in preparation for getting into that position simply to grasp it as finest I might. And in time after that, our conversations with Tom, I bear in mind one we had in South Korea as he was masking the Olympics. I used to be internet hosting the Olympics, simply an appreciation for the way he did the job and actually set a regular of the way it’s achieved and having the ability to attempt to observe in these footsteps plus how Bob set the scene. It’s been a enjoyable problem, these two roles mixed into one, however little doubt there’s nobody like Tom. He did that with such nice grace through the years and it’s been an honor to have the ability to observe a real legend like that.
BH: How do you discover time to unwind in between all of the completely different sports activities that you just cowl, particularly in an Olympic 12 months?
MT: Not this time of 12 months, sadly; in Olympic years there isn’t any unwind time. I got here again from New York – we had our presentation for our advertisers, the upfront, in New York Monday and Tuesday and going attempting to sneak in 9 holes of golf late (Tuesday) afternoon after which it’s off to Pimlico Wednesday. … This 12 months with the Indy 500 the very subsequent week after the Preakness, america Olympic trials, the U.S. Open and British Open golf event which known as The Open, not the British Open. … It’s simply a type of years that that is going to be right through with little or no time to breathe. However we prefer to get away to a trip spot now we have north of the place we stay and play some golf. These are the issues I love to do.
However this can be a 12 months to get me on the golf course since you’ll in all probability take my cash. Except I lose that cash in a betting machine at Pimlico over the weekend.
