Top of the Morning, July 24, 2024

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When Darrin Fletcher told friends he’d be riding in Tuesday’s celebrity harness race at the Champaign County Fair, many said they’d make the trip to Urbana to watch.

“I’m not sure if they’re coming to cheer me on or to get it on video when I crash and burn and turn it into a viral sensation,” he said. “I’m not sure about their motives.”

A 14-year MLB catcher and Illini Hall of Famer, Fletcher is much more comfortable behind the plate than in a two-wheel cart. But he still took up Brian Loman’s invitation to go head-to-head against other celebrities (former Illini and two-time N-G All-Area Player of the Year Michael Finke, WCIA’s Brandon Merano) in a one-mile, two-lap fan favorite that made it’s fair return a year ago.

After a long MLB career, “I should be managing a team somewhere. Instead, I’m harness racing,” Fletcher said. “I’m livin’ the dream.”

Loman also convinced Illini men’s basketball assistant Orlando Antigua to try his voice at announcing a race Tuesday — alongside legendary Kurt Becker from Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., who returned for a second consecutive year. Antigua’s time as a Kentucky assistant made him a natural, Loman said.

“He has been nothing but great to work with,” Loman said.