I've always thought it was a bit unfair that other horses could skip some of the races, and run relatively "fresh" in the later races of the Triple Crown. I personally think to be a true Triple Crown, all the horses should have to run all three races.
Empire Maker sat out the Preakness after he lost the Derby, as there was no way he could win the Triple Crown. Thus, he got 5 weeks of rest between races, while Funny Cide only got 3 before the Belmont.
48:70 for the first half mile was a comfortable pace and not unreasonable. The winning time of 2:28:26 was more than 4 seconds slower than the record set by Secretariat in 1973 (2:24), and very reasonable for the track conditions.
Funny Cide lost because 1) he was tired 2) the mile and a half length is a marathon for horses who usually never run that distance 3) it was a sloppy track and 4) Empire Maker was better rested, better conditioned, and was the better horse -- at least he was yesterday.
But I was rooting for Funny Cide too . . .