Have to say that my Wednesday column was a joy to write, given my love of NFL history and horse racing. I am guilty of getting lost in the old bound volumes of our publication on occasion. I have read of Bill Belichick's football library; oh, to read some of those books.

This game has a colorful past, as this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette points out, and the writer does a good job of giving a rundown of the various gambling-related ties some had in the early days of the NFL. You can't write a proper history of Pittsburgh's NFL franchise without mentioning Art Rooney's Empire City / Saratoga run; you just can't.

Certainly these are different times; I doubt we are going to read an account of an NFL owner's big day at the windows at Saratoga anytime soon. And if said owner did, say, take down the Pick Six on Travers day, it would hardly be enough money to draw our interest, and it might not even make a difference in the heart rate of the bettor in question.

In an unrelated story, I think Art Rooney would have really enjoyed this race.