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6312. wabbit - 4/11/2009 5:07:28 PM  Jered Weaver did the best he could to gather his emotions, striking out eight in a strong season debut that served as a tribute to his friend and rookie teammate. Weaver and the grief-stricken Los Angeles Angels, still mourning Nick Adenhart's shocking death, returned to baseball Friday night with a 6-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox. It was the Angels' ninth consecutive regular-season victory against the Red Sox - the longest in franchise history - but the joy over this one was muted by prevailing sadness. The 22-year-old Adenhart and two of his friends were killed when their car was broadsided early Thursday in a crash caused by a suspected drunk driver who was charged with three counts of murder Friday.
The scene keeps repeating in the first week of the season: Emilio Bonifacio sprinting around third base to score. His latest run gave the unbeaten Florida Marlins their latest win. Jorge Cantu singled with two out in the ninth to bring Bonifacio home from second base Friday, and the Marlins remained unbeaten through four games by defeating the New York Mets 5-4. Acquired in November from Washington, Bonifacio went 3-for-5 for his fourth consecutive multi-hit game, hiking his average to .579 (11-for-19). He scored three times and has nine runs this season. The Marlins' new leadoff hitter is a big reason they're the only unbeaten team in the majors and 4-0 for the first time in franchise history. Other key contributors include Hanley Ramirez (.500, eight RBIs) and Cantu (.429). The team average is .309.
Cole Hamels hardly looked like a World Series MVP in his 2009 debut, which resembled batting practice for the Colorado Rockies. After his start was pushed back because of spring training elbow trouble, Hamels was roughed up and chased early Friday in Colorado's 10-3 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Jason Marquis pitched seven strong innings in his Rockies debut, and Colorado beat the defending World Series champions in its home opener. The crowd of 49,427 was the highest paid attendance in a regular-season game at Coors Field, which opened in 1995. They didn't see the same Hamels who won NLCS and World Series MVP trophies last year. Hamels (0-1) was supposed to start Philadelphia's season opener Sunday night, but his outing was delayed due to a sore left elbow that slowed him this spring. The left-hander allowed seven runs and 11 hits in 3 2-3 innings, including a five-run third in which gave up half a dozen extra-base hits.
MLB news
6313. wabbit - 4/11/2009 5:09:48 PM  They've taken care of all the nostalgic farewells at Augusta National. Goodbye, Gary Player. Raise a toast to Fuzzy Zoeller. And, just in case Greg Norman doesn't make it back, thanks for the memories, Great White Shark, however painful some of them might be. Now, it's time to get down to the real business of this 2009 Masters. Does Kenny Perry have what it takes to become the oldest winner in major championship history? Can Chad Campbell hang on to an Augusta lead the second time around? Will Anthony Kim's putter keep on smokin'?
Doctor Jekyll, meet Mister Hyde. Augusta National on Thursday, meet Augusta National on Friday. The red numbers that made Thursday's scorecards look like AIG's annual statement weren't going to happen again Friday. That just wouldn't be like the National, which is flat-out the hardest darned great course in the world. The difference was the wind. Friday morning broke sunny and clear with a pleasant breeze, but those nice little breezes took steroids later in the morning and turned into strong, swirling winds, gusting upwards of 25 miles per hour. The course can be somewhat vulnerable (but not easy, not ever) with soft greens and no wind. On Friday, the course was playing two full shots harder than the first round at one point during the afternoon before easing up to a little more than a shot and a half harder by the end of the day. Someone asked Tiger Woods if the wind was difficult. "Yeah," he said without smiling, making it clear he'd just been asked the golfing equivalent of, Is General Motors having a bad year? "You might say that."
6314. wabbit - 4/13/2009 6:03:38 PM  They played deep into the shadows of a warm spring evening, a middle-aged man with a hiccup in his swing and an Argentine with a going draw. Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera comprised the final act of a wild Masters Sunday, a day of high drama and loud roars that recalled the old-time magic of this beloved tournament.
When the 39-year-old Cabrera saved par from the trees to the right of the first playoff hole — where the third man in the sudden death shootout, Chad Campbell, succumbed with a bogey — he earned a reprieve to keep battling Perry, and an already special Masters became just a little more intense. From the middle of the 10th fairway, the second playoff hole, Perry pulled his approach shot wide left of the green and missed his 20-footer for par. Cabrera hit his approach just below the hole and safely two-putted.
At dusk, the former caddie became a Masters champion…
6315. wabbit - 4/14/2009 12:26:27 AM 
R.I.P. Mark Fidrych
Former All-Star pitcher Mark "the Bird" Fidrych was found dead Monday in an apparent accident at his farm. He was 54.
Worcester County district attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. saids a family friend found Fidrych about 2:30 p.m. Monday beneath a dump truck at his Northborough, Mass., farm. He appeared to be working on the truck, Early said.
The colorful right-hander was the American League rookie of the year in 1976 when he went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA. He spent all five of his major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, compiling a 29-19 record and a 3.10 ERA… I loved watching him pitch. He was so goofy and fun, and not a half bad pitcher to boot.6316. wabbit - 4/19/2009 3:07:06 PM 
Todd Pletcher gave Advice some time off after a disappointing 2-year-old campaign last fall, thinking his talented but immature colt needed a break to get through some growing pains. Consider Advice all grown up, just in time for the Kentucky Derby. Advice roared past heavy favorite Square Eddie to take the $300,000 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland and earn a shot at next month's Run for the Roses. Advice put together a masterful move in the stretch, surging by Square Eddie then holding off Conservative by a length to pick up his first win as a 3-year-old. Advice, with Garrett Gomez up, covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.33 and paid $33.60, $15 and $7.80. Pletcher is certain Advice has the toughness to navigate the 1 1/4 mile Derby, but he and owners WinStar Farm will wait to decide whether to send him to Churchill Downs.
Dunkirk covered five furlongs in :59.90 handily, the fastest of 12 timed moves at the distance, for trainer Todd Pletcher. The Unbridled’s Song colt finished second to Quality Road in the Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park in only his third career start. S and M al Naboodah Group United Arab Emirates Derby (UAE-G2) winner Regal Ransom and Gulf News United Arab Emirates Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-G3) winner Desert Party both worked at Churchill Downs as did Illinois Derby (G2) winner Musket Man. Regal Ransom, who defeated Desert Party by a half-length in the UAE Derby, breezed five furlongs on a track rated as fast in :59.80. He posted splits of :12.60, :24.20, :35.80, and :48 during the drill and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13. The Distorted Humor colt’s breeze ranked fourth of 28 timed workouts at the distance. Desert Party breezed five furlongs in 1:00.20, posting internal fractions of :12.20, :24.40, :37, and :48.80. The Street Cry (Ire) colt galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.20.
Thoroughbred Times
6317. wabbit - 4/19/2009 3:08:52 PM  LeBron James banked in a stunning 3-pointer at the end of the first half and finished with 38 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as the Cavaliers embarked on their quest for a first NBA championship with a 102-84 win over the Pistons in Game 1 on Saturday. James' 41-footer demoralized the Pistons and gave the Cavs the league's most dominant team - home or away - during the regular season, momentum and a 12-point halftime lead. Cleveland held off one second-half surge by Detroit while James was on the bench and closed out the Pistons, who will try to even the best-of-seven series in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Derrick Rose had a playoff debut like few others and led the Chicago Bulls to a victory over the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. Not even Michael Jordan did that. Rose matched Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record with 36 points in his playoff debut, adding 11 assists to lead the Bulls to a 105-103 overtime victory over the defending NBA champions in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round series. Game 2 is Monday, the anniversary of the 1986 playoff game when Jordan scored 63 points against Boston - in a Bulls loss. In fact, Chicago had not beaten the Celtics in 10 postseason games since the Chicago Stags beat Boston in the 1948 Basketball Association of America quarterfinals.
Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks walked off the court, savoring their first road playoff victory in three years. A pack of fans stuck around and hollered "Let's go Mavs!" in one of the most hostile places to wear green and blue. No one bothered them or shouted back. The stands had emptied quickly, and the San Antonio Spurs were already back in the locker room knowing they've got a lot of work to do. In a giant Game 1 road victory for the Mavericks, who hadn't won a road playoff game or postseason series since going to the NBA finals in 2006, Josh Howard scored 25 points and Dallas stole the home-court edge in 105-97 victory Saturday night.
NBA scores
6318. wabbit - 4/19/2009 3:11:48 PM  It was one fun day for the Tribe at the New York Yankees' swanky new home. Asdrubal Cabrera hit a grand slam and an RBI single in Cleveland's 14-run second - the biggest inning ever against New York - and the Indians set the bar for Yankee Stadium's new record book, coasting to a 22-4 victory. DeRosa and Shin Soo-Choo hit three-run homers, Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez had solo shots and manager Eric Wedge earned his 500th victory. Jhonny Peralta had three hits and two RBIs after missing Friday's 6-5 loss with a strained left elbow. The Indians chased struggling starter Chien-Ming Wang and set several marks that could stand for a while at New York's $1.5 billion ballpark. The 14 runs were the most scored in the second inning of a major league game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The runs and 13 hits in the inning were a franchise record for a Yankees opponent.
Zack Greinke did not allow a run for his third straight start this season, pitching a seven-hitter for his first career shutout as the Royals beat the Texas Rangers 2-0 Saturday night. The Rangers couldn't get much going against Greinke, who's thrown 34 consecutive scoreless innings, 20 over his three outings this year. Greinke (3-0) prevailed in a matchup of aces who started the day with the two lowest ERAs in the AL - Greinke at 0.00 and Texas' Kevin Millwood at 0.64. Greinke struck out a season-high 10 and didn't issue a walk while getting his fourth career complete game in 106 starts. He used a variety of pitches to keep the Rangers off-balance, including a fastball in the mid-90s and an effective changeup.
Kevin Youkilis returned to ripping for the Red Sox. Youkilis fell a triple short of the cycle and drove in four runs, leading Boston to a 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night. One night after getting hit in the head and going 0-for-4, Youkilis went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer and two doubles as the Red Sox won their third straight after starting 2-6. Baltimore dropped its third consecutive game following a 6-2 start. It was Youkilis' eighth multi-hit game in 11 played this season. Mike Lowell had a pair of hits and an RBI for Boston. The win was part of a sports-filled day in Boston. A few miles away at the TD Banknorth Garden, the Celtics lost a playoff game to the Chicago Bulls in the afternoon before the Bruins beat the Canadiens in Game 2 of their series. Unlike Friday's series opener, when the Red Sox rallied from a 7-0 deficit for a 10-8 win, they jumped ahead 6-0 after four innings.
MLB news
6319. wabbit - 4/19/2009 3:12:03 PM  The Boston Bruins wanted to bring some joy into Matt Hunwick's rough day. They did it with a big boost from the replacement for the 23-year-old defenseman who had surgery Saturday to removed his spleen. Defenseman Shane Hnidy scored just five minutes after Montreal had cut the deficit to one goal, and the Bruins moved two wins away from their first playoff series victory since 1999 with a 5-1 victory over the Canadiens on Saturday night. Top-seeded Boston took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series over No. 8 Montreal, which will play at home Monday night. Boston scored three power-play goals, two by Marc Savard and one by Ryder on a pass from Savard. Hnidy's goal regained the Bruins' momentum after Alex Kovalev cut the lead to 2-1 just 46 seconds into the second period.
Jonathan Toews' first two career playoff goals were much more than a personal milestone for the 20-year-old Chicago Blackhawks captain. The first one got his team back in the game. The second one, with just 24 seconds to go in the second period, put Chicago ahead as the Blackhawks rallied for a 3-2 victory over Calgary on Saturday night in the Western Conference quarterfinals. Now with Toews and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin leading the way, the Blackhawks hold a 2-0 lead with Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-7 series in Calgary on Monday and Wednesday.
The Red Wings relied on unsung players to get off to a good start against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Two stars put the defending Stanley Cup champions in control. Pavel Datsyuk slammed a shot into the net, and Henrik Zetterberg sent a puck to the top shelf, leading Detroit to a 4-0 win against the Blue Jackets on Saturday night and a 2-0 lead in the first-round Western Conference series.
NHL scores
6320. wabbit - 5/3/2009 5:10:56 PM 
After a record-setting seven overtimes in the first six games, the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics made an early night of it with a dominating stretch in the second. That's second quarter, not second OT. Ray Allen followed his 51-point Game 6 performance with 23 on Saturday night, Paul Pierce added 20 and Boston pulled away from Chicago just before the half to finish the Bulls off 109-99 - a rare regulation victory in what might have been be the best first-round playoff series in league history. Ben Gordon scored 33 and Kirk Hinrich scored 14 of his 16 in the fourth quarter to help Chicago cut it to three points. Boston made all 11 of its free throws in the last 2 minutes to hold on, and the seventh-seeded Bulls return to Chicago knowing they took the defending champs to the limit. The four overtime games was a record for a series, and the seven overtimes total were the most any team has ever played in an entire playoff - and it's just the first round. Kendrick Perkins had 13 rebounds, Rajon Rondo had 11 assists and Eddie House scored 16 points - going 5-for-5 from the floor, including four 3-pointers. Joakim Noah had 15 rebounds for Chicago. Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who scored 15 as the sub for injured star Kevin Garnett, said he was glad to finish this one off in the regulation 48 minutes…
A season-saving win in the books, Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat walked off the court Friday night with a stoic look. No celebrating, nary even a smile. To Sunday. To Game 7. Wade scored 41 points, Michael Beasley busted out of a slump with 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Heat stayed alive by routing the Atlanta Hawks 98-72 in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Friday night. So a wild back-and-forth series - three routs for the Hawks, three routs for the Heat - will be decided Sunday in Atlanta. Mike Bibby scored all 20 of his points in the first half for Atlanta, which fell behind by 15 in the opening quarter, cut the deficit to nine by halftime, but never really challenged from there. Flip Murray and Joe Johnson added 13 apiece for the Hawks, who lost a first-round Game 7 last season against Boston. That, though, didn't come with the comfort of the home-court advantage they'll enjoy Sunday. It's winner-take-all time, with one team going to Cleveland to open the second round against LeBron James and the Cavaliers on Tuesday, the other heading into the offseason. The wacky run of outcomes continued: Atlanta's wins have been by 26, 10 and 15 points. The Heat have prevailed by 15, 29 and 26 points…
NBA scores
6321. wabbit - 5/3/2009 5:11:36 PM 
The cowboy and his horse beat them all. Four Hall of Fame trainers. The ruler of Dubai. Two very sentimental favorites. Trainer Bennie Woolley Jr. hitched Mine That Bird to the back of his pickup and drove to the Kentucky Derby from New Mexico. With an inspired ride on the rail from Calvin Borel, it all added up to one of the greatest upsets in 135 years of America's most famous horse race. Mine That Bird went off at 50-1 odds Saturday, but that was only one measure of how little attention he garnered before pulling away in the stretch to score a 6 3/4-length victory at Churchill Downs, the second-biggest stunner in Derby history. The margin was the largest since Assault won by eight lengths in 1946.
"All I asked him was to lay the horse back and be patient, and he did that magically," Woolley said.
That should have been no surprise since Borel used the same rail-hugging ride to win the Derby two years ago with Street Sense. "I learned by Street Sense being so patient with these 3-year-olds," Borel said. "They can only go so fast, so far. When I hollered at him, he just went on."
Pioneerof the Nile was second. Musket Man was another nose back in third. Papa Clem was fourth, followed by Chocolate Candy, Summer Bird, Join in the Dance, Regal Ransom, West Side Bernie, General Quarters, Dunkirk, Hold Me Back, Advice, Desert Party, Mr. Hot Stuff, Atomic Rain, Nowhere to Hide, Friesan Fire and Flying Private.
Mine That Bird ran 1 1/4 miles on a sloppy track in 2:02.66 and paid $103.20, $54 and $25.80. It was the second-largest payout in Derby history behind Donerail ($184.90) in 1913. Borel didn't expect to be back in the winner's circle so soon, or so easily. He became just the seventh jockey and the first since Jerry Bailey in 1993 to pull the Oaks/Derby double, having ridden Rachel Alexandra to an eye-popping 20 1/4-length victory Friday…
6322. wabbit - 5/3/2009 5:12:18 PM  Every Kentucky Derby has a story or two about a horse or its connections. The Mine That Bird group is no exception. They went largely overlooked during the pre-race commentary. Calvin Borel's story was covered when he won the Derby on Street Sense in 2005 with a very similar ride. Borel had planned on being in the Run for the Roses aboard Beethoven, but an injury took the horse out of the Derby and Bennie Woolley asked him to ride Mind That Bird.
Woolley is a one-time rodeo bareback rider-turned-trainer who hitched a horse van to the back of a pickup at his home base in New Mexico and drove his horse to Kentucky. Mine That Bird won four of five starts at Woodbine in Toronto and was Canada's 2-year-old champion. The plan was to race him at Sunland Park and if the gelding did well there, start talking about the Kentucky Derby. But Mine That Bird ran a disappointing fourth and the target became the Lone Star Derby in Texas instead. When Woolley broke his right leg in a motorcycle accident, he turned most of the training duties over to his older brother, Bill. Meanwhile, so many horses dropped out of the Derby that Mine That Bird ended up 17th (in graded stakes earnings), enough to qualify him for a place in the Derby.
When he finally reached Louisville, Woolley shared the backstretch with Hall of Fame trainers he knew only by reputation. But all those tales he'd heard about the town and the knowledgeable fans turned out to be true. Reporters largely left him on his own during the week leading up to the race, but just about every night at a restaurant, fans approached him for an update on Mine That Bird. At least the fans knew something about the little son of 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone.
I would have loved to have seen Tom McCarthy, a 75-year-old retired high school principal with his one-horse stable, win. He was outbid for General Quarters at auction and ended up paying $20,000 for him when he won a four-way tie in a claiming race. General Quarters finished 10th and never found his footing in the slop. But I'm not unhappy that the Mine That Bird group won. Theirs is a good story, too.
And hooray for Einstein!
6323. wabbit - 5/3/2009 6:55:20 PM Thought I'd post a few video links:
Mine That Bird wins the 2009 Kentucky Derby
Rachel Alexandra destroys the field in the 2009 Kentucky Oaks
7 year old Einstein wins the 2009 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic 6324. judithathome - 5/4/2009 12:24:00 AM I have never been so angry in my life as I was yesterday when our local station cut away just as the jockey was being interviewed by that lady on horseback...right after winning the race...before the replay of that fantastic run and win!
The local station cut away to run 25 minutes of reporting on the collapse of the Dallas Cowboys' training tent due to bad weather and high winds...of course, I was sorry that happened and that 12 people were injured...but this was the Kentucky Derby!! And I was so intent on the leaders of the pack during the race , I barely SAW Mine That Bird come up on the rail to blow the others off the field!
I'm shocked they didn't cut into the actual race for that report! 6325. wabbit - 5/4/2009 2:14:51 PM It was a great ride by Borel, perfect timing and the nerve by both jockey and horse to take advantage of the smallest break. You can see the post-race interview here. It's a fun interview, listening to Borel talk about the little horse. At about 7:30 you get the overhead view with Gary Stevens describing the ride and you can see what a tremendous move it was. They also show the Street Sense race from a few years ago. 6326. wabbit - 5/7/2009 8:20:46 PM Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers’ All-Star outfielder, was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday for violating its performance-enhancing drug testing program.
Ramirez’s suspension will begin Thursday night, Major League Baseball said in a statement, and will cost him about a third of his $25 million salary this year. He will be eligible to return July 3.
Ramirez said in a statement released by the players’ association that he had been given a medication, not a steroid, that a doctor had recently prescribed him for a personal health issue.
“Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy,” Ramirez said. “Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing: I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.”
Well, I am shocked, shocked.
In news closer to home, Jerry Remy, the popular Red Sox color commentator for NESN, will be off the air for the foreseeable future in an effort to fully recover from cancer surgery. Remy was a solid Major League player, hitting .275 over a 10-year career (1975-84) that included seven seasons with his hometown Red Sox. Get well soon, Rem Dawg, you are missed. 6327. wabbit - 5/14/2009 12:28:48 AM From Jon Heyman at SI: …Sources say [Roger] Clemens is being pursued even harder by the feds at this point. Sources say the feds are taking their time and making sure they get their man. Taking steroids may be a silly reason to go to jail, but I don't feel sorry for Clemens, whose ego is as big as all of Texas. As hard as it is to fathom, I am starting to feel sorry for [Barry] Bonds.
Bonds didn't drag his wife into it like Clemens did. Bonds didn't drag his buddy's father (Andy Pettitte's dad) into it like Clemens did. Bonds didn't lie about anyone else like Clemens did. Bonds didn't falsely sue anyone like Clemens did. Right now, Bonds looks like the better guy. And more important, he looks like the guy with the better case, too.
Please, all NFL teams, just say NOOOOO. Just because Tony Dungy says he wants a second chance doesn't mean Michael Vick should get one. He's a lying POS and should not be put into any position of influence — which is exactly what sports figures are. For crying out loud, Michael Phelps got banned for three months for smoking pot, something that hurt nobody but himself, but he told the truth about what he had done. Vicks lied through his teeth and almost got away with his dog-fighting ring. Pot is abhorant (yes, I'm being sarcastic), but killing dogs who won't kill each other is really no biggie?? How many times do we need to hear about animal cruelty being one of the more obvious signs of wife beating, child abuse, sociopathology in general… Let the piece of crap live off his savings. Let him clean porta-potties for the rest of his life. But keep him out of the limelight.6328. wabbit - 5/14/2009 12:31:42 AM Speaking of Michael Phelps, he was at the Kentucky Derby this year. Phelps bet on the No. 8 horse, Stealin' Kisses, in the eighth race in honor of the record eight swimming gold medals he won at the Beijing Olympics. Naturally, the horse finished eighth.
I'm having mixed feelings about Rachel Alexandra being in the Preakness this Saturday. Had she been in the Kentucky Derby, I'd feel differently, but I don't understand this move by her new owners. It isn't about money — they could make just as much racing her in the fillies/mares division right through the Breeder's Cup in the fall. It won't increase the value of her foals. She doesn't need the enhanced reputation. So what's the point? Why is it that fillies, who develop more slowly than colts, aren't considered good enough unless they can beat the boys? I'm not buying the "I want to help horseracing as an industry" line that's being floated by one of her owners. Maybe she'd bring some much deserved attention to the Acorn Stakes. It makes no sense to me.
At least she drew the far outside post position, which should be good for her. The field, from the rail out, is Big Drama (10-1), Mine That Bird (6-1), Musket Man (8-1), Luv Gov (50-1), Friesan Fire (6-1), Terrain (30-1), Papa Clem (12-1), General Quarters (20-1), Pioneerof the Nile (5-1), Flying Private (50-1), Take the Points (30-1), Tone It Down (50-1) and Rachel Alexandra (8-5). 6329. wabbit - 5/17/2009 6:32:54 PM World-record holder and two-time Olympic champion Aaron Peirsol handed Michael Phelps his first defeat in almost a year, winning the 100-meter backstroke at the Charlotte UltraSwim on Saturday night. Wearing his new Arena suit, Peirsol got off to a strong start and touched in 53.32 seconds. Phelps was trailing by more than a half-second at the turn and had no chance to make that up against one of the world's greatest backstrokers, taking second in 53.79. Phelps' last defeat in a final? Exactly 364 days ago, when Peirsol beat him in the 200 backstroke at Santa Clara, Calif., during the run-up to the Olympics.
For those who thought the debate over high-tech swimsuits would settle down after the Beijing Olympics, think again. If anything, it's even more of a hot-button issue, with numerous companies starting up virtually overnight to come up with the latest, greatest thing while the record book is treated with all the reverence of a heat sheet. Everyone seems to agree the technology has gone too far, but it's hard to find anyone who believes the sport's governing body will get a handle on things anytime soon. So we're left to wonder when yet another record falls: Was it the swimmer? Or was it the suit? "I just don't want to see the integrity of the sport compromised," said Aaron Peirsol, a five-time Olympic gold medalist and world-record holder in the 100-meter backstroke. "I want to see people race people, not so much the suits next to them."
Roger Federer has beaten top-ranked Rafael Nadal in a final for the first time in two years, claiming the Madrid Open 6-4, 6-4 for his first title of the season. The second-ranked Swiss broke a sluggish Nadal once in both sets before firing his sixth ace of the match to claim his 15th Masters Series title on the second match point on Sunday. It was only Federer's second victory on clay against his top rival. The other came in the Hamburg final two years ago. Federer ended Nadal's 33-match clay winning streak going into the French Open, where the Spaniard is going for a fifth straight title.
Earlier, top-ranked Dinara Safina of Russia beat Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki 6-2, 6-4 to win the women's title.6330. wabbit - 5/17/2009 6:33:21 PM
Unsurprisingly, I did much better picking horses for the Preakness. I had Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird, and had Musket Man as my 3rd/4th pick along with Pioneerof The Nile, who is not doing well. I'm loving Mine That Bird — he would have really pushed Rachel Alexandra if Mike Smith had been able to stay on the rail. Smith got caught in traffic on the turn for home and had to check the horse around the 3/8-pole, but the little gelding dug in. Just watch the stretch run. When Big Drama lived up to his name and was freaking out in the starting gate, Mine That Bird stood like a rock, calm and collected. I just love that horse.
One statistic that came out of the Derby was that Mine That Bird's final quarter was the second fastest final quarter time for a Kentucky Derby, second only to Secretariat, whose Derby performance will, imho, never be equalled. No horse before or since has run each successive quarter faster than the last. But it puts Mine That Bird's Derby into perspective. Too bad the TV coverage continues to suck. And I'm getting tired of Calvin Borel and his, "I wish my parents were here to see what I've accomplished in my life." Yeah, Calvin, we get it, we got it the third or fourth time you said those exact same words. Enough already.
Is Rachel Alexandra a super horse? Maybe. She's certainly a standout in her filly crop, and she's in a year where there are no standouts in the colts. Many of the early Kentucky Derby favorites pulled out, and there wasn't a Seattle Slew or even a Smarty Jones. So is she all that? I'm not convinced yet. Another Ruffian? I think not.
Musket Man continues to do well. While not winning, he has never run out of the money, with a record of 5-0-4 for his eight races. After finishing last in the Derby, Flying Private finished fourth. Big Drama, despite his temper tantrum in the gate, managed to finish fifth, his first finish out of the money. The rest of the finishers were Papa Clem, Terrain, Luv Glove, General Quarters, Freisan Fire, Pioneerof The Nile, Tone It Down and Take The Points.
6331. robertjayb - 5/17/2009 7:08:13 PM Mine That Bird made a great run but as Dear Old Dad's often repeated line said, "He ran fast enough but he didn't start in time." Poorly handled? What do I know? Not much. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.
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