NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico shares thoughts on Preakness

A LITTLE LESS THAN 4.5 HOURS FROM POST TIME FOR THE 148TH RUNNING OF THE PREAKNESS AND HAPPY TO BE JOINED BY NBC’S LEAD VOICE OF NBC SPORTS, MIKE TIRICO. GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, MIKE. IT IS GOOD TO BE BACK. I WAS BUSY THIS AFTERNOON, BUSIER THAN I PLANNED, SO I HADN’T HAD A CHANCE TO CHANGE IT SO WELL, PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN HERE. THAT’S ALL GOOD. YEAH. THIS IS A WARDROBE PREGAME SHOW. WE’LL GET TO THE ACTUAL WARDROBE. IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD TO BE HERE. GREAT TO BE BACK IN BALTIMORE AS WELL. AND IT IS. AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE STORY THAT IS YOU CAN’T SEEM TO ESCAPE RIGHT NOW AND CERTAINLY MAJOR TRIPLE CROWN HORSE RACING, ANOTHER HORSE PUT DOWN AND IT’S ONE OF BOB BAFFERT HORSES. JUST AS WE WATCHED THIS CONTINUE ON AFTER THE DERBY AND THE LEADING UP TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY OR AT CHURCHILL DOWNS, RATHER, WHAT’S YOUR SENSE OF THE OVERALL STATE NOW OF OF HORSE RACING? IT’S A THREE FOLD CONVERSATION. THERE HAVE BEEN HORSE FATALITIES OVER THE YEARS. IT’S BECOME SOMETHING THAT IS A PART OF THE SPORT THAT IS ACCEPTED, NOT WILLINGLY, BUT IT’S UNDERSTOOD AS PART OF THE SPORT BY THE PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY. FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE FANS WHO WATCH ON THESE BIG WEEKENDS OUTSIDE OF THE INDUSTRY, THEY CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY IT HAPPENS. AND THE TOLERANCE IS MUCH, MUCH, MUCH LOWER. THAT’S NOT TO SAY IT DOESN’T HURT WHEN THIS UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT HAPPENED IN THE SIXTH RACE TODAY. I HAPPENED TO BE BACK HERE BY THE BARNS AND I WATCHED BOB AND JOE BAFFERT COME BACK AND THEY WERE IN TEARS. THEY WERE EMOTIONAL. THE PEOPLE WHO TRAIN AND OWN THESE HORSES CARE ABOUT THEM SO MUCH. IS THERE AN ANSWER? NO. IS IT BETTER THAN IT WAS? YES. BUT AT THIS TIME, WHERE THERE’S OTHER LEGALIZED FORMS OF SPORTS GAMBLING OUT THERE, HORSE RACING NO LONGER HAS THAT DOMAIN TO ITSELF. THERE’S GOING TO BE MORE SCRUTINY AND MORE QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE SPORT. WHILE THE PEOPLE INSIDE THE SPORT, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE USED TO IT, COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE OUTSIDE ARE ASKING LOUDER AND LOUDER QUESTIONS EVERY TIME SOMETHING HAPPENS. AND LAST POINT ON A BIG STAGE TO DERBY WEEKEND PREAKNESS UNDERCARD WHEN IT HAPPENS DURING THE BIGGEST DAYS, IT MAKES THE BIGGEST HEADLINES, RIGHT? THAT’S WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD LIKELY SEE MAYBE CONGRESS GET FURTHER INVOLVED. AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE A GOVERNING BODY THAT IS GOING TO START TAKING CONTROL OF THE THE WAY THAT THE SAFETY AND THE REGULATIONS FOR THE WHAT WE’VE SEEN FOR THE HORSES STARTING A COUPLE OF DAYS HERE AFTER WE RUN THE PREAKNESS TODAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF TEETH THAT GOVERNING BODY HAS WILL REMAIN TO BE SEEN IF IT’S POWERFUL AND STRONG, IT WILL CERTAINLY LEND THE CREDIBILITY BACK TO THE INDUSTRY. YEAH, IT’LL FORMALLY THESE THINGS. RIGHT NOW, THE WAY I TRY TO DESCRIBE IT TO SOMEBODY WHO DOESN’T FOLLOW AS CLOSELY AS MAYBE THE PEOPLE BACK HERE DO, IS THAT IT’S A JIGSAW PUZZLE AND EACH PIECE HAS DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS. SO THE RULES IN KENTUCKY ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE RULES HERE ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE RULES IN NEW YORK, DIFFERENT FOR THE RULES IN CALIFORNIA. THIS WILL HAVE A UNIFORMITY TO THE RULES SO THAT WILL HELP. PART TWO THAT WILL HELP IS THAT WE’LL HAVE ELECTRONIC RECORDS OF ALL THE HORSES. SO THE NOTES THAT ONE VETS TAKING ARE SEEN BY ANOTHER. SO IN GENERAL, WILL IT HELP? YES. ALTHOUGH YOUR FIRST BLUSH MIGHT BE MORE GOVERNMENT CONTROL IS NOT GOOD FOR ANY COUNTRY. RIGHT. BUT THIS WILL BE STANDARDIZING THE QUESTION BECOMES HOW CAN YOU EVER GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE CAN’T TALK TO THE HORSES, WE CAN’T SAY, HOW YOU FEELING? OKAY. DOES THIS HURT? THEY DO MORE DIAGNOSTICS THAN EVER BEFORE. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE THAT. HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE. THE INDUSTRY NEEDS TO BE TRUSTED BY THE FANS FOR THE FANS TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND TRY TO CONTINUE TO GROW THE SPORT. SO THEY HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO CONTINUE TO BUILD THAT. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP IT A NICHE SPORT WITH THE PEOPLE WHO LIKE IT ONLY THAT’S FINE. BUT THAT DOESN’T WORK IN ANY BUSINESS MODEL. GOING FORWARD, I THINK YOU CAN CONTINUE TO NEED TO TRY TO FIND WAYS TO GROW THE SPORT. ONE OF THEM IS TRANSPARENCY AND HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND AND THAT WE’RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN AS AN INDUSTRY TO MAKE SURE THE HORSES ARE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE. AS FAR AS THE RACE TODAY, LATER TODAY, IT’S THE SMALLEST FIELD IN DECADES. MAJOR KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER, THE ONLY HORSE FROM THE KENTUCKY DERBY TO COME HERE. I BECAUSE OF THAT ALONE, I’M KIND OF LIKE, HOW IS THAT HORSE NOT GOING TO WIN? RIGHT? YOU WOULD THINK THAT IT’S ONLY BEEN 75 YEARS SINCE WE HAD A SITUATION WITH ONLY ONE HORSE GOING FROM THE DERBY TO THE PREAKNESS. THAT WAS CITATION WENT ON TO WIN THE TRIPLE CROWN. SO YEAH, THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF SCRATCHING YOUR HEAD GOING, WELL, MAYBE THERE’S NOBODY ELSE, BUT THEN YOU BACK IT UP WITH MAJORS NEVER RUN ON TWO WEEKS REST. MOST HORSES NEVER IN THAT SITUATION. SO PERHAPS THE HORSE WILL NOT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES AT THE END OF THE RACE. THIS IS A HORSE THAT CHARGES, AS IT DID THE KENTUCKY DERBY. SO THERE ARE A COUPLE OUT THERE THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WILL CATCH EVERYONE’S EYE. OBVIOUSLY, NATIONAL TREASURE, THE BAFFERT HORSE WILL GET A LOT OF INTEREST AS WELL. BUT MAGE HAS GOTTEN THE MOST HEADLINES SO FAR AND COULD VERY WELL BE HEADED OFF TO BELMONT IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH A CHANCE IN PART BECAUSE THE FIELD DOESN’T HAVE AS MANY OF THE BEST THREE YEAR OLDS LIKE THE DERBY DID. LET’S SWITCH GEARS A LITTLE BIT. SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL, WE GET YOU TWICE THIS YEAR FOR NOW, MAYBE FLEXED INTO IT A LITTLE BIT MORE. I’M CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR PERCEPTION AND THE NATIONAL PERCEPTION OF THE RAVENS FROM THE TIME THAT THEY GET ODELL BECKHAM JR AND THEY GET LAMAR JACKSON LOCKED UP TO BEFORE IT WHERE IT FELT KIND OF LIKE A PALL HANGING A LITTLE BIT OVER THE FRANCHISE. WELL IT’S BETTER THAT YOU ASK ME ON MAY 20TH THAN APRIL 20TH OR TIMING WISE RIGHT ABOUT THERE, WHEREVER THE ODELL DATE WAS, AND THEN GETTING LAMAR’S DEAL DONE. LAMAR’S DEAL GETTING DONE WAS ESSENTIAL. THIS TEAM CONTINUES TO PUT THE RESOURCES AROUND A PASSING GAME. I’M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THE OFFENSE LOOKS LIKE WITH MONKEN IN THERE RUNNING AS THE OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR AND WHAT WILL THINGS LOOK LIKE? HOW DIFFERENT WILL IT LOOK? I THINK THE RAVENS HAVE THE MOST UNIQUE OFFENSIVE OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE OF LAMAR JACKSON’S TALENTS, BUT HE HASN’T PLAYED A DECEMBER GAME THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. YOU HAVE TO FIND WAYS TO KEEP HIM HEALTHY AND KEEP HIM AS DYNAMIC AS POSSIBLE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SEASON. MAYBE THAT’S A LITTLE BIT LESS RUNNING IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, BUT MAYBE AN EXPANDED PASS GAME IN LAMAR’S TIME ON TASK WITH THAT WILL LEAD TO A RAVENS TEAM THAT MIGHT SCORE MORE POINTS. STILL HAVE THE GOOD DEFENSE STILL HAVE THE TERRIFIC KICKER THE BEST IN THE HISTORY OF THE LEAGUE. AND JUSTIN TUCKER. IT MIGHT BE AN EQUATION. LOOK, THIS TEAM HAS MADE THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. ALMOST EVERY FAN BASE IN AMERICA WOULD TAKE THAT, RIGHT. BUT WHEN YOU GET HERE NOW, YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT. I THINK THAT’S WHAT WE’LL BE WATCHING CLOSELY DURING THE YEAR. THAT’S THE TIME TO SEE VOICE OF NBC SPORTS MIKE TIRICO, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US VERY MUCH. LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR COVERAGE. I’M JUST HAPPY YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ME USUALLY NOW MELISSA STARK COMES THROUGH. YOU GUYS TALK TO THE BALTIMORE NATIVE, MELISSA, YOU JUST BLOW US. WE DO LIKE MELISSA. YEAH. GLAD GLAD WE CAN TAKE CARE OF YOU IN MAY. WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT MAY RIGHT NOW. GREAT TO BE WITH YOU GUYS. ALL THE BEST. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOW WE SEND IT OVER

NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico shares thoughts on Preakness and more

Updated: 3:09 PM EDT May 20, 2023

Mike Tirico stops by the Stakes Barn at Preakness to share his thoughts on the race and WBAL-TV’s Pete Gilbert ask him about the upcoming 2023 Baltimore Ravens season where they will be featured on Tirico’s Sunday Night Football twice this season.

BALTIMORE —

Mike Tirico stops by the Stakes Barn at Preakness to share his thoughts on the race and WBAL-TV’s Pete Gilbert ask him about the upcoming 2023 Baltimore Ravens season where they will be featured on Tirico’s Sunday Night Football twice this season.