Fans will no longer be allowed to haul massive coolers full of Busch Light and Natty Boh (mmmm, Natty Bohhh) into the famed track on race day. Beer will still be served—at the surprisingly reasonable rate of $3.50—but only in plastic cups. The consequences of this are even more tragic than just a blow to the local ice industry. No one will ever again taste the sweet joy of freedom that comes from running across a row of Port-a-Johns while being pelted by full, unopened cans of beer.

Baltimoreans are up in arms, naturally, threatening Facebook boycotts (oh no!) and alternate celebrations. Tickets sales are down 15% even though the track has hired ZZ Top to provide entertainment. (What?! Who wouldn't pay for that?) Binge drinkers everywhere would like to pour one out for this grand tradition, but it just doesn't work as well with red plastic cups.

"I'm definitely not going this year, and I don't know anyone who is," said James Reiter, 28, of Baltimore. "ZZ Top seems lame to me. Maybe they're trying to calm things down, but the older people who come to enjoy themselves go to the grandstands, not the infield ... It used to kind of belong to Baltimore, and it was our thing. Now it has a more corporate feel to it. That doesn't make sense."

Wait ... raging drunks falling off portable toilets and hitting people with 12-oz. projectiles was Baltimore's "thing"? I thought it was gritty, heart-sickening crime dramas? In any case, the one thing that does make sense is to look back fondly on the era of bruised foreheads, exposed breasts, and hazy, puke-filled memories ... and weep. Our humble photographic tribute is below.

Reining in the Revelry at the Preakness Stakes [NY Times]
Remembering the Terrorlawn [Steady Burn]
I'm Doing It For You, Big Brown! [Deadspin]
[Photos via Baltimore Sun; Baltimore Magazine; Flickr and others. More credits inside.]

Frank did not capture victory in that leap. But as he lay motionless on the grass in the aftermath, being jeered and pelted with beer cans, he did succeed in capturing our hearts.

A reader writes:

I was greatly entertained by today's Preakness Tradition story mostly because the man who unsuccessfully jumped from one port-a-potty to the other is one of my best friends. His name is Frank Casatelli, he's 21 years old and from the New York City area.

I called him to tell him that his picture was plastered all over Deadspin and he loves the idea of being a temporary celebrity for all the wrong reasons. He actually has a history of doing exceptionally retarded things while beligerently drunk, and this case is no different. Luckily, and unbelievably, he wasn't hurt by this jump, and we all laughed for, well, we haven't really stopped laughing.

Frank and some others went to visit a friend at Catholic University for the weekend, and to take part in the glorious shitshow that is the Preakness. Actually, the man hovering over Frank's body wearing shorts and boots and taking a picture is the man they were visiting. His name is Pat. — Andrew

The photo above is from Frank's Facebook page; I'm still waiting to hear from him, so hopefully by Monday we'll have an interview. Until then, please go out this weekend and take a big bite of life, as Frank would do. And I would probably wear a cup.

The Preakness infield has long been a source of wonder and amusement, and we here at Deadspin have brought you the fans' drunken adventures every year, culminating this past May with this wonderful series of photos by the Baltimore Sun. That most likely was the last straw for Preakness officials, who may not have been thrilled that a drunken fan got more publicity than the winning horse ... um, who was it again?

Relive the glory as the man pictured above attempts to leap from one port-a-john to another, resulting in humiliation and fail. And notice how random spectators reward his bravery by pelting him with beer cans. That is the Preakness to me. But sadly, it shall be no more.

"No beverage of any kind (cans or bottles), including alcohol, soft drinks and water will be allowed to be brought into the public infield. Sixteen ounce beers will be sold for $3.50."

Softening the blow was the announcement that there will be several added entertainment elements, including a pro women's beach volleyball tournament and a concert featuring Rock 'n Roll Hall of Famer ZZ Top, contemporary rockers Buckcherry and a local group yet to be announced.

Lure of $3.50 beer and Buckcherry ... hard to resist ...

Preakness Tradition Ends; Outside Beverages Banned From Infield [Baltimore Sun]

Regardless, this horse is going to be the focus of the sporting world for the next three weeks — God, please spare us another ridiculous ESPN Magazine cover — after winning the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. We find it difficult to become too inspired by a horse who, within minutes of winning the Kentucky Derby, already had an endorsement deal with UPS. Well, OK, the horse still doesn't have any idea what's going on and is mostly curious about where the oats are. But still.

Anyway, Big Brown seems to have a better-than-average chance to win the Triple Crown. If you are interested in this, bully for you; you have a more alert understanding of what's going on than Big Brown does. If you're like us, you're not, and far more absorbed by the gallantry and pageantry of the Preakness.

Oh Maryland, our Maryland ....

Well that was quick! Big Brown wins the 133rd Preakness Stakes going away, and everyone is alive and well.

Speaking of alive and well, we might have our first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed some 30 years ago. Hopefully this will lead to a whole lot of horse poetry for all of us to mock from our high... uh, horses.

Affirmed!

The Preakness Stakes is finally upon us and Maryland students couldn't be more eager to get fucked up in celebration (it's not a real party without Scott Van Pelt). Since I know incredibly little about horse racing, I've turned to Randy, a lover of both equines and Deadspin. His words are after the jump.

The 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes, located in the armpit suburbia of Baltimore might as well be called the Big Brown show. He arrived Wednesday with a UPS brigade in tow, sans men in village people outfits with electronic pens. He is putting his undefeated record, as well as the hopes of the racing community, on the line, in hopes of bringing some much needed excitement to the sport in wake of the Eight Belles tragedy.

There is scheduled to be a roundtable panel on NBC prior to the race to discuss the current state of affairs and various problems of the industry. Buzz was too busy with a raging hard-on to be invited, while Leitch was busy taking pictures of jockeys doing beer bongs in the paddock.

The only real storyline for Saturday will be to make sure the run for the Triple Crown remains in tact for the Belmont in 3 weeks. Big Browns performance in the Derby, breaking from post 20, finding multiple gears throughout the race, ending with the final backstretch, was nothing short of sensational. While many, including his trainer, expect a bounce (horsey speak for a horse not performing as well as he did in his prior race), that should still be plenty for this field. 3 time Derby winner Bob Baffert has always claimed that the winner of the Derby should win the Preakness, due to the short 2 week layoff, and the fact the horse had already beaten the top 3 year olds in the world. The fact that his trainer, Richard Dutrow Jr, and his jockey, Kent Desoormeaux, both deeply rooted in Maryland horse racing, only adds to the back story of this horse making his quest at history here in Pimlico.

That being said, a new crop of challengers awaits double B’s, many of which look like they belong in a Grade 3 race, definitely not the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown. The most notable of these horses appears to Kentucky Bear, whose trainer is the only one who thinks he isn’t running for a 2nd place check. The only reason he didn’t run in the derby was his lack of graded stakes earnings (only the top 20 are eligible to run for the roses). Based on all accounts, Kentucky Bear was training better than ANY horse that week at Churchill, including the eventual winner.

The other horse who looked to contend was Behindatthebar, beside being named for where most of us will be recovering from when racing starts Saturday, the Todd Pletcher horse scratched Friday due to a bruise in his left front foot. There is only 1 horse that ran in the derby who is trying his luck against the mighty BB this Saturday, Gayego. The same horse who lost by 50 lengths to him last time out. Yes, 50. The lone bright spot for Gayego supporters is that his trainer, Paulo Lobo hasn’t really run horses just to be a part of the spectacle in years past, and in his defense, Gayego did have an AWFUL trip at Churchill and never really ran.

Betting a 1-2 favorite is financial suicide in horse racing, but in reality, even with a bounce, Big Brown looks to be able to run circles around his competitors in this field, setting up his date to immortality June 7 in New York. The saying “that’s why the run the race” is always likely in dealing with a race that lasts 2 minutes, no one knows this more than Big Brown’s jockey, who 8 years ago had the dead lock 1-5 favorite Fusaichi Pegasus and ended up losing to a horse who didn’t even run in the Derby, Red Bullett. So any and everything always remains possible in a race of this magnitude. I just can’t see it in this field.

For those going to the race, be kind and buy a dozen Black Eyed Susans (ingredients found here http://www.webtender.com/db/drink/3001). The track may be looking at a minus pool, more money will be paid out than will be bet on Big Brown. As for me, in addition to the double digit Susan’s in my belly, put me down for a Big Brown-Kentucky Bear exacta for a bundle, and a BB-KB-Tres Borrachos(which does in fact mean 3 drunks) for the tri. I’ll also try to find value in the Pick 4 using Big Brown as a single in the last leg.

Enjoy the race!