After the highs of June (American Pharoah winning the Triple Crown) and July (planet Pluto, Novak Djokovic defending his Wimbledon title), August has been a bit of a dud for me, with AP losing to Keen Ice at the Travers this past Saturday and Nole losing the Rogers Cup (to Andy Murray) and then the Western & Southern Open (to Roger Federer).

Loss is part of victory. Everyone loses. Even Alexander the Great, who never lost a battle, eventually lost to time and death. It’s what you do with loss that matters.

The greats put it behind them and move on. Even after a heart-breaking loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open finals, Nole was able to bounce back at Wimbledon.

American Pharoah – though without the intellect of a human being, particularly one as smart as Nole – has the instinct and talent of a remarkable athlete. He, too, will bounce back, for the Breeders’ Cup Classic – unless, of course, owner Ahmed Zayat decides to retire him. (Unlike Nole, the Pharoah’s fate isn’t in his own hands.)

But really it would be too bad if Zayat retires AP simply because he lost. AP’s legacy is secure: He’ll always be the 12th Triple Crown winner just as Nole will always be the man who beat Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at their own game.

The rest should be icing on the cake. There’s a kind of freedom in that.