I cheered ballplayers. Studied ballplayers. Followed ballplayers. I was awed by Barry Switzer’s optioneers and Eddie Sutton’s Triplets. But they weren’t my heroes. My heroes hovered above the field.

Guests attend the Kentucky Derby 150 at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Churchill Downs) Toby Keith’s long-held dream of having a horse ...