All those in favor of the last column, say ‘neigh’

Not to beat a dead horse, but hundreds and hundreds of people e-mailed Tuesday, reacting to the Page 2 column on Barbaro, who is now running around in horsy heaven.

There were far too many to print, so I pulled a few random e-mails from the stack:

Jeannette Bauer: “Thanks, you made me laugh out loud and made my day with your wonderfully witty column! I think that the one word you were trying to describe is ‘anthropomorphize.’ Now I feel really bad that I didn’t properly grieve over the rabbit that I ran over last week!”

Please, don’t fret; he’s in a better place.

Richard Velasquez: “I just wanted to drop a quick note to say that was a terrific piece on Barbaro. I know some people were getting too emotionally attached to the horse. Your squirrel comparison really put things in perspective. Animals are just being animals, no matter what.”

I’ve named the squirrel, Skippy,so people don’t forget the little guy.

Mario Ortiz: “I went to the store the other day to buy glue for my son’s school project, but they were all out. Now that the Kentucky Derby winner and ‘Super’ horse Barbaro has died, I guess I can go back and get some Super Glue.”

I wouldn’t be surprised to find it running off the shelf.

Becky Hanes: “I am the biggest horse lover in the world, but your article today was hilarious. I have a whole new respect for squirrels.”

Skippy’s family will be happy to hear that.

Dan Lazovic: “I like animals, but he was still a horse. Now if he was Mister Ed, I could understand the public outcry. That animal could carry on a conversation, and had more wit than the last eight women in my life. Listening to NPR, I heard an excerpt from a children’s book about Barbaro. The author likened the animal to having the spirit, drive and imagination of Muhammad Ali, Mozart, Babe Ruth and Tiger Woods. It’s a shame Barbaro didn’t live another six months -- he could have cured cancer or solved the Middle East conflict.”

I was just hoping he’d have the time to finish his memoirs.

Bill Ryan: “I’ve wrestled with your columns for years, gritting my teeth and cursing under my breath as I read. Your last two columns made me realize why I continue to read. You treat sports as games, not a religious endeavor. You help keep sports and athletes in perspective. I just wish you had a more interesting family.”

Amen.

Hector Becerra: “The Barbaro column was one of the funniest I have ever read. I can’t stop thinking about the furry bump that squirrels leave behind when they’re squashed.”

Everyone likes to leave his mark on the world.

Jack Epps: “I just wanted to send a thanks for setting it straight with all this nausea about Barbaro. We have young men and women dying in Iraq and that is really something to cry about.”

Barbaro’s death made Page 1.

“The U.S. military said a Marine died Monday,” and you could find that on Page 4 -- seven paragraphs deep into a story. But then a horse like Barbaro doesn’t die every day.

Jack Egan: “T.J., courage may also be defined as you having the guts to say something that will outrage animal lovers who put these creatures on the same level as those with souls, brains and hearts too. I like animals and have had pets over my 72 years. I even found it difficult to keep my composure when we had to put down our little Jack Russell after 13 years. Your perspective is right on, but you know what’s coming!”

I always get so embarrassed by all the positive e-mail.

John H. Schafer: “I too am disappointed in the Barbaro coverage. Has no one thought to interview his parents and get their reaction?”

All I can say is -- we had Dwyre on the story.

Cathy Elliott Jones: “Although some of the 48 women were -- like the squirrel in your analogy -- clearly out of their tree in their emotional tributes to Barbaro, the difference between a squirrel reduced to road kill and the death of a race horse is, the former isn’t exploited for money. The horse clearly was. Primarily by men. Women understand a little about that.”

I like women.

Andy Mogy: “Your article was cold and heartless and 100% true. I do feel sympathy for Barbaro, but the only reason they kept him going was to see if they could breed him. Pure and simple. The media did overplay this just a little bit. Too bad that squirrel did not get run down on TV.”

I think if Skippy had to do it over again, he’d agree.

Derek Lovett: “Two guys died running the L.A. Marathon last year and didn’t get near the press that the horse did.”

Tough to compete with a horse with the “will to live.”

Jim Wakeham: “I can’t believe I’m actually agreeing with you. The whole article was right on, and you also didn’t mention your lame family. Can you say Pulitzer?”

I was thinking an Eclipse Award might be in order.

Jim Morris: “As someone who grew up in Louisville, went to school three-quarters of a mile from Churchill Downs, has a sister and a best friend who own race horses, all I can say is ... thanks. At least one writer has some perspective. Now, how ‘bout those Lakers?”

It’s a good thing they don’t shoot Lakers.

Amy Wilson: “As the owner of thoroughbreds and a woman who watched trackside while that horse won by eight lengths at the Derby, I nonetheless found your column hysterical. We should all see so clearly.”

I had Brother Derek winning the Derby, so we don’t always see clearly.

Walter M. Salas: “Any idea when Barbaro will hit the local supermarkets? My dog is running low on food.”

Sometimes I just find it appalling, what I read on Page 2.