We all do it to some degree.  We live vicariously through media and sports figures.  If an underdog wins, we feel anything is possible for us too.  If the hero falters, then we feel exonerated that they are flawed just like us.  It’s a yin and yang – life’s eternal balancing act.

In recession/depression times, those ‘heroes’ become even more important.  One of my all-time favorite movies was directed by Ron Howard and starred Russell Crowe as James Braddock in Cinderella Man.  It’s a true story about an overdue, has-been, depression-era boxer who won the heavyweight championship against all odds.  From soup kitchen lines and shanty towns to champion of the world and it’s just what America needed in the 30s.

As a parent, one of the most touching scenes of the film was when Braddock was sitting down for breakfast before heading out to the work lines in hopes of landing a day job.  In a humbling moment, he sacrifices his breakfast to his daughter after she aches that, after her small portion, she is still hungry.  Come on, you have to root for that kind of character.

Which brings us back to 2008 – still on the front end of a deep recession, we all could use a rising hero.  Yesterday, that hero was Big Brown who quickly rose to challenge for the Triple Crown of horse racing.  In 30 years, 10 horses had come so close only to fall short – some by less than a length.  And amid daily reminders of our collapsing economy – record oil/gas prices, record consumer confidence drops, largest rise in unemployment in 20 years, lowest home equity since World War II, hell even Ed McMahon and crowd-favorite Evander Holyfield are losing their houses - it was time for the unthinkable.  Time for the underdog to rise up and lift our spirits.

As the Belmont Stakes and the race for the Triple Crown and immortality began, we all held our collective breathes.  We sat our kids around the High-Def to bear witness to this historic moment.  We all freaked when Big Brown came out of the gate choppy and then was boxed in.  But his jockey bullied his way to the outside and Big Brown went stride for stride in a comfortable 3rd place and we all exhaled in relief.  As we watched in both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, Big Brown has a button and when pushed, he just explodes away from the pack so we had no reason to think that the Triple Crown was not in the bag.

The time came to push the button and watch him move.  And move he did – backwards.  He just fizzled.  And so did the dreams of millions who watched and waited to live vicariously through a horse.  You could hear it in our family room, you could hear it clearly on the track, and if you listened really well, you could hear it across this struggling country.  “No!!!”

Not only did Big Brown miss greatness, but he finished dead last.  That was a big blow to our American psyche and to our collective hopes and fears.

Now, it’s just a horse race and Big Brown had by all accounts a very successful year.  Not only in wins, but in stud fees which were negotiated in the $50M range immediately following his 2nd win of the Triple.  But the worst part is that there has been no evidence as to what happened.  No external injuries and thus far, thankfully, no internal injuries.

Maybe – call me crazy – maybe he was just tired.  After all, for more than halfway around the longest race in the Triple Crown, Big Brown carried an entire country on his back.  Maybe this race serves as a reminder that we should get off and carry our own weight.  Afterall, our country’s current failures are purely self-inflicted on every level – government, business and consumer.

As you’ve heard me say ad nauseam, our economy cannot sustain growth on the back of debt and, at least for yesterday, we could not live through Big Brown.  So in the meantime – while we wait for another hero to come along - let’s all throw in a Rocky movie, pick our collectives selves up from the bootstraps and rebuild this country with old-fashioned grit and determination that has defined so many American generations.  Let’s get back to real, sustainable growth, production and performance – even against the odds and naysayers.  We’re underdogs, mavericks and cowboys.  It’s what we do.

Yo Adrian!