Well, this sucks:

Race announcer Dave Johnson’s absence from the Kentucky Derby…will end a long tradition and also deny listeners his famous call: “And down the stretch they come.”

Johnson and the Westwood One radio crew, which included host Don Chevrier, are out because Churchill Downs assigned the race to ESPN Radio.

“This will be the first Kentucky Derby that I have not called since 1977,” Johnson wrote in an e-mail message this week. …

Johnson called the ESPN Radio deal a business decision. “I don’t agree with it,” he said. “But I think that is the answer.”

Dammit. I should put together a blogospheric fundraising campaign and send Dave Johnson to the Preakness and Belmont as the official BrendanLoy.com streaming-audio announcer. :)

Well, anyway, you can listen to the radio broadcast of the Derby on ESPN 1050 AM out of New York, or any of these other stations… but without Johnson doing the commentary, I don’t see the point. I’ll be watching the TV broadcast on NBC. (I was planning to use my TiVo to sync up NBC’s visuals with the slightly-delayed Dave Johnson call over the Internet, but alas, there is no Dave Johnson call. Harumph.)

Anyway, the race is about to begin. Here’s the list of horses. I’m rooting for Cowtown Cat. Just because.

UPDATE: Street Sense comes from 19th place to 1st and wins the Derby! Man, I missed Dave Johnson there — that was a very dramatic stretch run, and would have made for a great call.

P.S. Just listened to the radio call. It totally sucked. The announcer sounded like he was half-asleep. It was truly pathetic. It conveyed absolutely none of the drama of the “most exciting two minutes in sports” — and it’s not like this was a boring race! BRING BACK DAVE JOHNSON!!!