Silence For Barbaro

Today, of course, is Barbaro's birthday, and I would like to mark the occasion with a moment of silence ... I'm not sure how to do a moment of silence on a blog, other than to just run a giant artist's rendering of a sad horse. I think I'm just going to ask you to silently ponder this piece and think about what it means to you. Do this until the Barbaro special starts at 5:00 on NBC.

In other celebrations across the country, "Barbaro Day" was held at Delaware Park, and included a remembrance vigil and a barbeque. Everyone agreed that Barbaro was delicious.

And lest you think that it's only lonely housewives who continue to mourn the passing of Barbaro, that's not the case at all. The Conner High School track team used Barbaro as inspiration to carry them to victory in the Conner Cougar Invitational. Coach Jeremy Fisher wore a blue Barbaro wristband and credits the dead horse with lifting his team.

"For the past year, I've used Barbaro as my inspiration," Fisher said. "I know it sounds really strange, but this one's for him. Barbaro represents everything we are as a program. It's a group of people who fight through pain and have put the team ahead of everything, especially themselves."

Senior Elena Lampman finished second in the hurdles event, and tragically had to be put down after the loss.

Remembering a champion: Barbaro [Philadelphia Inquirer] Barbaro inspires victorious Cougar boys [Cincinnati.com]