For the second time in three years, a horse had to be killed following a leg of the Triple Crown.
In 2006, Barbaro eventually was killed after trying to recover from a fractured hind leg.
And of course, we're now in the aftermath of Eight Belles' sad demise. 
Lost in the conversation of whether horse racing is brutal, did the jockey ride the filly wrong and PETA's stance is exactly why Eight Belles was killed.
It usually has little to do with economic elements like an owner's pocket book or the horse's stud factor. It has more to do with the nature of the injury.
There is little blood circulation and muscle in the legs of horses. So a break in the leg could sever the few blood vessels that do provide flow. Without blood flow, gangrene could set in.
If the skin is broken, it's another, worse story. If the leg's soft tissue was exposed due to broken skin, not only would more blood vessels be likely to rupture, bacteria, and hence infection could occur.
And an infected horse is troublesome. Antibiotics are hard to administer due to the size of the animal, and because such large doses -- on top of the painkillers already administered -- are required, it wrecks havoc on the horse's gastrointestinal system.
If the bone is fractured, and without strong blood flow, the dead bone particles can become infected and contaminate the remaining healthy bones.
Also, because horses are horses, they don't rehab like humans. They can't sit still, they don't stay laying down and they'll favor the healthy legs, which can often lead to laminitis. Laminitis is a condition in which blood flow to the hoof is compromised, and results in an extremely painful condition for horses. Essentially, the hoof starts to separate from the bone and the soft tissue in the foot becomes the load bearer for the weight of the horse. It's one of the main reasons Barbaro was eventually killed, despite successful surgeries.
There are also the risks associated with surgery, notably anesthesia. Horses waking up post-surgery often get disoriented and flail about, which can lead to re-injury. Barbaro was awoken using a technique called water recovery, which involved awakening the Kentucky Derby winner in a tank, by use of sling. It worked, but it's not the norm.
Also, the science just isn't there. Most equine treatments are simply re-calibrated human procedures.
So while killing a horse with fractured or broken legs seems inhumane, the road to recovery can often lead to more harm -- and the same eventual result.
On to the best blogs ... around!
When it comes to the Brewers, Doug Melvin and Ned Yost have to go, says How I See It. The blogger is mad 
as hell, and not going to take it anymore.
You know who else is going all Howard Beale on us? In the Crease. The blog is picking up some momentum for its four-letter word boycott.
You know who was mad as hell, Buzz Bissinger on 'Costas Now.' You know who's chiming in, excellently I add -- The Monday Hustle. Our blog du jour looks at why traditional media views the blog with such hostility. I'd like to add Mark Cuban's voice to this conversation. The Mavs owner, and semi-often windbag, has this critique of the convergence of traditional media and blogs, and he makes some solid points.
Why is everybody so insolent today? (Smithers: Sir, it's Christmas. Mr. Burns: I say when it's Christmas!) What is it about Hump Day that brings out the rant in our bloggers? Killing time at work is up in arms about hockey, and how that four-letter word disregards and belittles it.
Klick of the Day
What's the going rate for a teacher/bikini-fishing model turned fired teacher to pose in Playboy? How's 25K per photo sound?
