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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. 6332. wabbit - 5/17/2009 8:59:22 PM I don't know if there was anything Mike Smith could have done differently. Mine That Bird seems fine running at the back of the pack for the first half mile, and he seems to have enough stamina to pour it on at the end. I was impressed by his race. And finishing a closing second isn't anything to sneeze at. If nothing else, it should shut up some people who said the Derby was a fluke.
Eddie Arcaro once said that about 70% of race horses don't want to win. Mine That Bird may not always get there, but he doesn't quit.
On to the Belmont.
I vaguely remembering liking Birdstone in the Belmont. I think I picked him for second or third, because my heart was with Smarty Jones. I was just looking at Birdstone's pedigree and hadn't realized he went back to Mr. Prospector (too far back to matter, but still...). He also has Secretariat's dam, Somethingroyal, in there. Pretty impressive pedigree. 6333. wabbit - 5/18/2009 12:20:55 AM 
The 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race arrived in Boston Harbor on May 8th. Boston was the 6th port city for the eight teams which will race around the globe for nine months over 37,000 nautical miles split into 10 legs. The ships they sail are Volvo Open 70 class racing yachts, 21.5 meters (70.5 feet) long, manned by a crew of 11. While the ships were in port, they held in-port races as well as hosting events and entertainment for local residents. On May 16th, they left for leg 7 of the race, to Galway, Ireland, concluding the race in St. Petersburg, Russia in late June.
6334. wabbit - 5/18/2009 3:20:05 PM  Dwight Howard scored 12 points with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Hedo Turkoglu had 25 points with 12 assists for Orlando, which trailed for just 36 seconds after the opening basket and held on to earn the right to play LeBron James and the Cavaliers for a spot in the NBA finals. Game 1 is Wednesday in Cleveland. Orlando won the season series 2-1, but the Cavaliers swept both of their postseason series and have been waiting for their next opponent since last Monday. Ray Allen scored 23 points for Boston, and Paul Pierce had 16 before they were taken out of the game for a courtesy cheer with 2:30 left and the Magic up 99-78. The other member of the new Big Three, Kevin Garnett , awaited them on the bench, where he watched the whole series in street clothes with a right knee strain. Garnett's absence derailed the Celtics' title defense before it started, forcing them to fight through a seven-overtime, seven-game series against Chicago in the first round and leaving them perpetually playing from behind in the second…
After dominating a Game 7 few people thought would need to be played, the Los Angeles Lakers poked a little fun at their maddening inconsistency against the Houston Rockets. Asked what the Lakers learned from the Western Conference semifinals, which the Lakers clinched with an 89-70 win Sunday, Kobe Bryant cracked: "That we're bipolar." Now that all is well again in La-La Land, Bryant and his teammate can begin focusing on what they need to do against the Denver Nuggets in the conference finals. Game 1 is Tuesday night in Los Angeles. In Game 7, Pau Gasol dominated on both ends of the court, scoring 21 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. The Lakers looked like the conference's top-seeded team, not the maddeningly inconsistent one that was pushed to the limit by the undermanned, smaller Rockets…
NBA scores
6335. wabbit - 5/29/2009 10:09:02 PM  Defending champions Ana Ivanovic and Rafael Nadal had little trouble in their matches, both advancing to the fourth round by dominating their opponents yet again. Top-seeded Dinara Safina also won easily in the women's draw. Nadal defeated former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt 6-1, 6-3, 6-1, and Ivanovic beat Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-0, 6-2. Andy Murray advanced when Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia retired while trailing 7-6 (3), 6-3. Ivanovic, who lost in the 2007 French Open final before winning last year, has lost only eight games since being taken to a tiebreaker in her opening match.
Maria Sharapova and her injured right shoulder managed to earn yet another three-set win. The unseeded Russian lost the first set Friday but she rebounded to beat Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 and advance to the fourth round.
Venus Williams was eliminated from the French Open on Friday, losing in the third round of the clay-court major for the third straight year. The third-seeded Williams, who reached the 2002 final at Roland Garros, lost to No. 29 Agnes Szavay of Hungary 6-0, 6-4. It was only the 14th time in 662 career matches that Williams lost a set at love. The seven-time Grand Slam champion was playing for the third straight day.
French Open
6336. wabbit - 5/29/2009 10:14:13 PM Rumor has it that Rachel Alexandra will not run in the Belmont Stakes. 6337. wabbit - 6/1/2009 1:13:27 AM Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will not run in the Belmont Stakes, opening the way for jockey Calvin Borel to return to Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in his quest for a personal Triple Crown. Jess Jackson, Rachel Alexandra's co-owner, said Friday the spectacular filly "deserves a well-earned vacation."
Rachel Alexandra, the first filly to win the Preakness in 85 years, had been set to work out Monday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and no announcement was expected until after that. But Jackson explained she simply needed a rest after running - and winning - four graded stakes races since March 14, including a dominating victory in the Kentucky Oaks.
"We know the media and many fans would have liked to see her run in the Belmont Stakes - we feel the same," Jackson said in a statement. "But all of us sincerely interested in the horse must agree that we only want to see her run when it is best for her. While she is in great shape, having strong works, and recovering well from her amazing performances, we feel Rachel deserves a well-earned vacation."
Borel was the jockey aboard for both Mine That Bird in the Derby and Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness and Oaks. He was set to ride her again in the Belmont, but Mine That Bird's trainer Chip Woolley had said he was prepared to wait - even into next week - if there was a chance Borel could become available again.
"Rachel Alexandra is an incredible Thoroughbred who has proven to be the best three-year-old in racing today," Jackson said. Oh really? She won one race against colts. The shortest of the three Triple Crown races, at that, carrying less weight than the colts. How exactly does that make her the best three-year-old in racing today? 6338. wabbit - 6/1/2009 1:13:54 AM  There will be no Kobe-LeBron showdown in the NBA finals -- and that could make things tougher for the Lakers. Instead, Los Angeles will face Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic, who swept the Western Conference champions during the regular season. The Lakers will try to prove that means nothing when the finals begin Thursday on their home floor against Orlando, which upset Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers had the NBA's best record, but lost both meetings with the Lakers. Had Cleveland made the finals, it would have set up a highly anticipated duel between Bryant and James, the last two NBA MVPs. The Magic ruined that script, just as they wrecked Boston's hopes of a repeat by ousting the defending champions in the second round. Now they look to deny Phil Jackson his 10th coaching title, which would move him past Red Auerbach for most all-time.
Kobe Bryant stared straight ahead, delivering his answer without emotion. His teammates were out of earshot, though Bryant undoubtedly told them the same thing. Asked what it would take to close out Denver in six games, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar replied, "Be cold-blooded, go out there and execute. We have to stay focused and poised and try to cut them up." Led by Bryant's merciless efficiency, the Lakers sliced and diced the Nuggets to advance to the NBA finals for the second consecutive year. Los Angeles turned what had been a back-and-forth series into a rout Friday night, winning 119-92 on the road.
NBA scores
6339. wabbit - 6/1/2009 1:14:42 AM  For 31 matches, dating to his debut on May 23, 2005, Rafael Nadal was never truly challenged, much less defeated, at the French Open, allowing him to win four consecutive titles and close in on becoming the first player in history with five in a row. Until the fourth round of the 2009 French Open when Robin Soderling, a 24-year-old from Sweden with a bit of an attitude and 6-foot-3 worth of power, transformed Nadal's career mark at Roland Garros from a best-ever 31-0 to 31-1 with 3-1/2 hours of assertive, and sometimes spectacular, play. Soderling's 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory over the No. 1-seeded Nadal rates as one of the biggest upsets in tennis history. Not sure? Set aside all of Nadal's bona fides for a moment -- the dominance on clay, the six Grand Slam titles, including at Wimbledon and Australian Open -- and focus on this: The 23rd-seeded Soderling never had won so much as a third-round match at any major tournament before this one. Soderling finished with 61 winners, 28 more than Nadal, and won the point on 27 of his 35 trips to the net, where he cuts an imposing figure.
It was a weekend for upsets. Defending champion Ana Ivanovic was eliminated at Roland Garros in the fourth round, losing to ninth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-2, 6-3. Fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic was a semifinalist each of the past two years at Roland Garros, but he bowed out far earlier this time, losing to No. 29 Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday. Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion, could do little right against Kohlschreiber, who was playing in the third round of the clay-court major for the first time.
Venus and Serena Williams had another tough day on the courts of Roland Garros, wasting a match point in the third set before losing to Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States and Nadia Petrova of Russia 7-6 (4), 5-7, 7-6 (6) in the third round. The Williams sisters won the French Open in 1999, and have seven other Grand Slam doubles titles in their career. But neither has been particularly impressive in singles at this year's tournament. Venus lost Agnes Szavay of Hungary in the third round, and Serena was twice stretched to three sets in her opening three matches. On Sunday, Venus served for the doubles match at 6-5 in the third set, but she was broken. In the tiebreaker, the sisters held a 6-5 lead, but Mattek-Sands and Petrova saved the match point and then won the next two.
French Open
6340. alistairConnor - 6/1/2009 7:52:31 PM I just started watching the tennis... Andy Roddick is drowning. Gael Monfils is fabulous!
I think I warned you about this lad, a couple of years ago... 6341. alistairConnor - 6/1/2009 7:55:32 PM Think of the pressure on Roger Federer, now that Nadal is out. This is his chance, probably his last, to become the greatest player in history by adding the French Open,which has always eluded him, to his record. 6342. alistairConnor - 6/1/2009 7:57:27 PM Woo, it's getting ugly. Roddick tried to get the umpire to call off the match for bad light? Sounded like that. Also told Monfils off for being cocky. 6343. wabbit - 6/1/2009 8:22:12 PM Just got home to see Roddick hold serve in the 3rd game of the 3rd set. He's never done well at RG — I think this is the first time he's made it into the second week.
Ooh, he just broke back, they're on serve.
Monfils is a very good player and loads of fun to watch.
The Federer match with Haas this morning was something to see. Fed used to play this way years ago, losing a set or two and then getting his legs under him and cruising to victory. I'd like to see him win, finally, but don't know if he'll get past Monfils. I'd be shocked if he didn't beat Roddick, though. 6344. alistairConnor - 6/1/2009 9:10:02 PM Ooh, you think Monfils could take Federer? That would be quite something...
6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Very convincing against Roddick. 6345. wabbit - 6/1/2009 11:50:37 PM A 23-24 year old Federer? Not a chance. Not talking about age so much as the way he was playing then. But I think if Federer plays Monfils the way he did Haas, Monfils has a serious shot at winning. Federer can beat pretty much anyone when he's on his game, but clay has been a problem for him. Monfils grew up playing on clay. That might be enough of a difference if Monfils has a good day and Federer is even a bit off. I think either of them can beat Del Potro.
Whichever one gets to the final will probably end up having to beat Murray, who is playing well. I'm thinking Murray will get past Gonzalez and then Davydenko, who I expect to beat Soderling. "So when one player [plays] bad, he must lose. That's what happened today. I have to accept with the same calm when I win than when I lose. After four years I lose here, and the season continue. When you lose, always everybody starts to analyze if I play too much. If I'm tired. The true, I won four years in a row playing the same. That's the true. This year I play the same and I lost. What happen? I lost. That's it." Nadal, a class act win or lose.6346. wabbit - 6/1/2009 11:52:59 PM Now that I've said that, the upsets continue. Jelena Jankovic was two points from winning, just two points from overcoming a disastrous second set and reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open. It was two points too many. The fifth-seeded Jankovic instead lost to Sorana Cirstea of Romania 3-6, 6-0, 9-7 Monday in the fourth round.
"I should have won that," said Jankovic, who won the first two points on serve while leading 5-4 in the third set. "I had 30-love, and what more can I ask for myself? All of a sudden, point by point, and the game went in her favor and everything got complicated."
Cirstea started her comeback in that game with a forehand winner into the corner. Jankovic stared at the spot for several seconds -- not the first time and not the last time she would do that Monday on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
The Romanian, the first woman from her country to reach the quarterfinals at a major tournament since Irina Spirlea made the U.S. Open semifinals in 1997, then took the score to 30-30 with a backhand volley. She eventually broke Jankovic to stay in the match when the Serb first sent a backhand and then a forehand long. 6347. wabbit - 6/2/2009 12:01:36 AM While we're on the French Open, what is it they're saying when they call out the score? I follow it up until deuce, when it sounds like they say "quarante à", but I can't quite make it out, since the play-by-play people are usually yapping. Also, same question on the subsequent deuces, is it "égalité"?
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