Traina Thoughts: Here's a Bad Beat For The Ages

Horse racing bettor was a second away from hitting a Pick-6, but then lost is surreal fashion.

1. Hello, and Happy New Year. There has only been one edition of Traina Thoughts since Dec. 21, but we are finally back. (If you didn't see that one edition, you should definitely check it out because it was a fun roundup of some of the most memorable athlete/sports releated tweets from 2017.) Since I was enjoying some time off, I have to start with a story that is several days old, but I need to make sure any and all gamblers are aware of it because it's one of the worst bad beats (Hello, Scott Van Pelt!) you'll ever see. 

On Dec. 29, one horse racing bettor at Florida's Gulfstream Park was about to be $571,744 richer thanks to hitting a Pick-6, which means picking six winners in a row. The bettor in question needed Cryogenic, an8-1 shot, to complete his Pick-6. Cryogenic, the Number 9 horse, took the lead late in the race and started to pull away. He was home free as he headed toward the finish line. And then right before he hit the finish line, the jockey fell off the horse and $571,744 was gone in an instant. You have to watch the video above to actually believe what happened to that poor Pick-6 bettor. 

2. Here's a disgusting video in which Nikola Mirotic make's jelly and mayonnaise sandwiches for his Bulls' teammates. Some of them also dunk Oreos in orange juice, which isn't half as bad as the jelly and mayo sammies.

Who is the first to try a Jelly & Mayonnaise sandwich? Yes, you read that right...jelly and mayo 😳

Find out in @threekola's kitchen: pic.twitter.com/kwha7r05pV

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 3, 2018

3. Few things are more embarrassing than sports-talk radio wars between hosts, so it was a tad cringeworthy to see ESPN New York radio host Michael Kay go from zero to a hundred when a caller brought up former WFAN legend, Mike Francesa on Wednesday. Kay made it clear that he has no intention of ever praising Francesa for his radio career, yet Kay appeared in ESPN's 30-for-30 on Mike and the Mad Dog a few months ago. Odd.

4. LeBron James' hair is once again an issue.

LeBron, it’s time to come home. pic.twitter.com/n1mvB5J0KP

— Boy Genius (@BoyGeniusLA) January 4, 2018

5. This Big East reporter learned the hard way that you shouldn't mock the BOMB CYCLONE.

Nothing stops BIG EAST Shootaround!#BOMBCYLONE, Winter Storm #Grayson, NOTHING.#BEshootaround back today at 3 pm ET.

P.S. You're going to want to watch this one until the end. pic.twitter.com/C51qfZFW4c

— BIG EAST MBB (@BIGEASTMBB) January 4, 2018

6. Many of you are dealing with the BOMB CYCLONE today. I bet none of you are enjoying it as much as this dog.

OMG watch this dog take itself sledding pic.twitter.com/8YY9oqJWHx

— theCHIVE (@theCHIVE) January 3, 2018

7. I've spent most of the past week binge watching The Office because I never watched when it ran originally on NBC. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I suffered a major lip injury because I was laughing so hard during one episode that I accidentally dropped my iPad on my face. This was the scene that caused the injury.

The best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts. And check Jimmy Traina's weekly podcast, "Off The Board," on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher.

BONUS ITEM: Just when I was going to be free of Jon Gruden from ESPN, reports say the network wants Alex Rodriguez. Brutal.