mean anything to you, besides the name of NFL teams? The

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- After three decades of trying, the Wellwood family finally won the Hambletonian.Marion Marauder held off Southwind Frank at the wire Saturday to capture the $1 million Hambletonian and make Paula Wellwood the second female trainer to win trottings biggest race at the Meadowlands.It wasnt only a win for Paula Wellwood. Her mother, Marion, and Paulas son, Devin, own the son of Muscle Hill. Her father, the late Hall of Famer Bill Wellwood, tried nine times to win this race for 3-year-olds, racing in the first Hambletonian at the Meadowlands in 1981.It means the world, Paula Wellwood said of winning. It was my fathers dream and its been my mother and my dream. We have tried. This is our third horse in it. Had some luck. Thought we had some luck with Laddie in finishing third to Donato Hanover (2007). We were excited beyond excited. Then this horse came along. You dare to dream.The dream came true because Meadowlands leading driver Scott Zeron gave Marion Marauder a perfect trip in winning by a nose over of last years 2-year-old champion and the pre-race favorite.Zeron moved Marion Marauder past Bar Hopping, the first elimination winner, at the top of the stretch and appeared to be in command until Yannick Gingras moved Southwind Frank along the inside and just missed for the second straight year.Gingras finished second with Mission Brief in 2014.I cant believe it, said the 27-year-old Zeron, who became the second youngest driver to win the Hambletonian. I tried to get the jump on everyone. My horse was strong coming first up and I wanted to get a good two or three length cushion on the field, but I know my horse better, I should have waited to pull the trigger because sometimes when he gets clear of them, hell wander. He was just not paying attention but he stuck his nose out and he got there.Tom Haughton was 25 when he won with Speed Bowl in 1982.Marion Marauder, who edged Southwind Frank in the second elimination for the final, trotted the mile in 1:51.4 in winning for the sixth time in seven starts this year. The bay colt, who won only once in 13 starts last year, paid $7, $3.40 and $3.The difference was he grew a bit, got bigger and stronger, but the real difference was he learned how to win, Paula Wellwood said.Southwind Frank returned $3.80 and $3, and Sutton finished third and paid $6.60.Bar Hopping, who was looking to five trainer Jimmy Takter his third straight Hambletonian win and record-tying fifth overall, faded to fifth.Takter and Gingras combined to win their third straight Hambletonian Oaks when All The Time ($9.20) closed in the stretch to catch pacesetter Caprice Hill.It was the sixth win in the Oaks for Takter, tying Jan Johnson for most wins by a trainer in the race for 3-year-old trotting filliesAll The Time, who had finished second in her last two starts, took the lead in the stretch and was almost four lengths in front in winning fourth time in seven starts this year. The winning time was a lifetime best of 1:52.1.On the Hambletonian undercard: What The Hill ($18.60) won the $294,450 Peter Haughton Memorial for 2-year-old colts and geldings; Ariana G ($3.20) took the $306,500 Jim Doherty Memorial for 2-year-old fillies; Meadowlands Pace winner Control The Moment ($3.20) won the $320,000 Cane, the opening leg of pacings Triple Crown for 3-year-olds; Shamballa ($19.80) won the $225,550 US Pacing Championship; Lady Shadow ($3.80) won the $235,950 Lady Liberty. Josh Hart Pelicans Jersey . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Derrick Favors Jersey . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. https://www.pelicanslockerroom.com/Zion-Williamson-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Frank Jackson Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Josh Hart Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Baseball has the Yankees and the Dodgers. The NFL, the Packers and the Cowboys. In the NBA, the Lakers and the Celtics are the blue bloods.College football has about four times as many FBS teams as each of the professional leagues, so its fitting that the sport has four times as many college football teams that are to the manor born.Thats what blue blood means. In olden days, royalty was thought to literally bleed blue. Science since has proved that only Michigan fans bleed blue, at least among these eight teams.And there are only eight blue bloods in college football: Alabama, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas and USC. (To see the full rankings, click here.) They have won 44 of the 80 Associated Press national championships. If you are talking bloodlines, then the dominance necessary to become a college football blue blood must span not just coaches but generations, because history and tradition have cast a spell upon this sport.The imprint that a college makes upon an 18-year-old is deep enough to last a lifetime, and often generations that follow. Children adopt their parents teams. After all, toddlers outside of Oklahoma do not learn to reply Sooner! when they hear Boomer!History and tradition? The blue bloods won every AP title from 1961-75, when scholarship limits were at their loosest. The only one of the eight that did not win an AP title in that era was Michigan, which brings up a dilemma. What makes a blue blood?If you set a minimum standard -- say, winning at least two national titles in the last 50 years -- then Michigan is not a blue blood. The Wolverines share of the 1997 national title (with Nebraska) was their first since 1948. While thats a fact-based argument, it also ignores a vast amount of history, tradition and just plain common sense.The school that won the first Rose Bowl, a 49-0 victory over Stanford on Jan. 1, 1902; the school that went 55-0-1 from the beginning of the 1901 season until the last game of 1905; the school that, upon its return to the Rose Bowl 46 years later, beat USC by the same score of 49-0; the school that won or shared 13 Big Ten championships in Bo Schembechlers 21 seasons; the school that gave us Hail to the Victors annd those wonderful winged helmets; that school is a blue blood, national championships or not.ddddddddddddNotre Dame has the longest championship drought among this group, 28 years and counting, and if you care to make an argument that Notre Dame is not a blue blood, dont bother. It might be ironic that the Fighting Irish, discriminated against well beyond the first half of the 20th century because of its Catholicism, are inscribed in college footballs Social Register. But it is undeniable.In the modern era of scholarship limits, when talent has spread across more programs, the blue bloods still dominate. They have won at least a share of 10 of the last 19 national championships (USCs AP title in 2003 counts), including both of the newly installed College Football Playoffs. But winning in the modern era is not enough.The teams that fell just short of blue-bloodedness are the nouveau riche: Florida State has been a dominant player for fewer than 30 years, Florida has ebbed and flowed for 25 years, and Miamis reign barely lasted 20.Other powerful programs have risen and fallen. Do the names Minnesota and Pittsburgh mean anything to you, besides the name of NFL teams? The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Pittsburgh Panthers dominated the 1930s. Minnesota even came back and won the national championship in 1960, its fourth, which to this day is one more than Florida State.One other thing to consider, and its a hopeful thought for the climbers who didnt quite measure up: Blue blood is not forever.Were talking to you, Nebraska. The Huskers have not dominated the Big Ten the way they dominated the Big 12 and Big Eight and Big Six. That might placate the Seminoles and the other not-quites. Lets see Penn State climb back to the top under a coach not named Paterno. Lets see Tennessee (or LSU or Georgia or Florida or Auburn) overtake Alabama in the Southeastern Conference.Until then, these eight teams are the sports blue bloods. It might give solace to the fans of the schools on the outside looking in: Without blue bloods, who would college football fans agree to root against? ' ' '