Street Sense Won't Run In Belmont Stakes

Street Sense, the Kentucky Derby champion will not run in the 139th Belmont Stakes on June 9.

“Mr. Tafel and I said we spilled the water in the Preakness and got outrun,” Nafzger said at a news conference this morning at Churchill Downs. “That’s behind us now. We’re going to regroup and go to the Travers.”

Tafel wants to his colt to have the chance of becoming the first horse to win the Derby, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the Travers and the Breeders' Cup Classic now that the opportunity of winning the Triple Crown has passed.

"I know there's disappointment we're not going to the Belmont," Nafzger said. "But somewhere we want to make another stand.

technorati tags:street sense, breeder's cup

Kobe Bryant asked to be traded

"I would like to be traded, yeah," Bryant told ESPN radio. "Tough as it is to come to that conclusion there's no other alternative."

Bryant, who turns 29 in August, has four years and $88.6 million left on his contract. Bryant's frustration has continued to boil since the Lakers were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in five games earlier this month, and Bryant has been increasingly vocal with his displeasure, which started with his acknowledgement to The Times last Saturday, when he said he wanted the team to acquire more pieces around him.

With O'Neal and Bryant leading the way, the Lakers won championships from 2000-02 and reached the NBA finals again in 2004, losing to the Detroit Pistons in five games.

The team was broken up at that time, with O'Neal traded, coach Phil Jackson leaving and other stalwarts — Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and Rick Fox — going elsewhere or retiring.

The Lakers failed to make the playoffs the following season. With Jackson returning, they finished seventh in the Western Conference in each of the past two years but were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

technorati tag:nba basketball

Stanley Cup Final: Ten Reasons to Watch

This posting is from Bodawg Beat.

1. Guaranteed first-time Cup winner – The Senators and Ducks are both in line for their
first-ever Stanley Cup win. Both cities would hold pretty big celebrations, but the roof could be blown off staid ol’ Ottawa where they’ve been waiting for another crack at the Cup since 1927.

2. Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson – The Senators’ top line has been a clinical scoring machine during the playoffs and should provide plenty of highlight-reel goals for Ottawa in the Cup final.

3. Teemu Selanne – The Finnish Flash is making his Stanley Cup final debut after 14 seasons in the league. Selanne is the top sniper in Anaheim, and will need to flash his old scoring touch to get his name on the Cup.

4. Chris Pronger – The Ducks’ big defenseman almost had his hands on the Cup last season in Edmonton. He won’t want back-to-back disappointments, which should lead to some outstanding offensive play and bone-crunching hits.

5. Jean-Sebastien Giguere – The Ducks’ netminder stood on his head the last time the Ducks made it to the Cup finals (in 2003). While Jiggy hasn’t been quite as brilliant this time around, he could be saving his best for the Cup final.

6. Another Heidi game? – The idiots at NBC already cut away from the decisive Eastern Conference final game (in overtime, to boot) with pre-race coverage of the Preakness Stakes. Who’s to say they won’t do it again if, say, there’s a live dogfight going on somewhere near Michael Vick’s Virginia property?

7. Versus Network – If you get the Versus network from your cable service-provider you might as well get your money’s worth over the next two weeks before it returns to regular programming such as the Professional Bull Riding tour.

8. Better than summer TV – All your favorite shows are over, so what else are you going to watch besides hockey? The networks’ great summer schedule includes awful filler like "National Bingo Night", "Pirate Master" and "So You Think You Can Dance"? Five minutes of that stuff and you’ll be reaching for the remote.

9. Best Cup final matchup in years – For the first time in a number of seasons we’ve got two teams that people actually thought had a good chance to win the Cup. Both teams can score and play hard-hitting defense, which should lead to some great playoff hockey.

10. Beat the summer heat – You can cool off from the early summer heat by watching a game played in a cold building on ice, in California! It’s mind over matter.

Potential Belmont Entries

We are down to the final race of the Triple Crown now, the Belmont Stakes in New York on June 9. With the same three horses finishing in the top three in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, we have the possibility of three-way rematch. Curlin and Hard Spun are already definite with only Street Sense on the fence still. There are also several Derby horses who skipped the Preakness coming back to join the fray, including Wood Memorial winner Nobiz Like Shobiz and Santa Anita Derby winner Tiago. Here is the current list of horses planning to start in the Belmont and while it isn't a long list yet, more could join in the next two weeks. Entries will be drawn on June 6, so there is plenty of time for changes before then.

Chelokee
Curlin
Great Hunter
Hard Spun
Imawildandcrazyguy
Nobiz Like Shobiz
Rags to Riches
Sightseeing
Slew's Tizzy
Street Sense
Tiago

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Horse Racing - Belmont Stakes Info

The 139th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 9th follows the Preakness Stakes by just three weeks. After a 29-year dry spell, will the "Test of the Champion" produce a Triple Crown winner this year? In the final and most demanding leg of the Triple Crown, the positioning of the horses and the timing of the move to chase for the lead is critical. Last year's winner, Jazil, paid $14.40 on a $2 win wager after pulling ahead of Bluegrass Cat and winning by 1-1/4 lengths.
2007 Belmont Stakes Race Details

Date: Saturday, 9 June 2007
Location: Belmont Park, Elmont, NY
Post Time: 6:30 PM (ET)
TV Network: ABC (5:00 PM ET)

technorati tag:belmont stakes race

NBA Report: Pistons Win Game 1, Cavs Cover Point Spread

The Detroit Pistons held LeBron James to 10 points in beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 79-76 in the opening game of the NBA’s Eastern Conference finals on Monday night in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Richard Hamilton scored 24 points to lead the Pistons, who took the lead for good at the Palace on Chauncey Billups’ three-pointer with 1:52 left. It was the sixth lead change in a two-minute span.

Despite the loss, bettors who noticed the Cavaliers were 4-1 against the point spread on the road in the playoffs were able to cash in on Cleveland. The Cavs covered the 7-point spread while the Pistons paid out at -360 straight up (meaning a winning bet of $360 on the moneyline would yield a $100 profit).

Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Donyell Marshall missed shots for Cleveland in the final 15 seconds. James, who averaged 28.7 points over his first 23 career playoff games, was held scoreless for the final 6:54 and hit only 5 of 15 shots in the game. Ilgauskas led the Cavaliers with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday in Detroit.

Tuesday’s NBA Playoff Schedule

* 9 p.m. ET: Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs, Game 2 (ESPN) - Spurs lead series 1-0 and are favored by 6.5 points.

Technorati Tags: NBA Playoff

Preakness Stakes Results - It’s Curlin in Last Stride

In Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, Maryland, Curlin kicked up 1 3/16 miles of dirt to emerge the fastest horse in the second round of the Triple Crown.

Overtaking Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense on the last stride, jockey Robby Albarado and Curlin took the 132nd Preakness Stakes and $1 million prize.

Official Race Results are:

1. Curlin

2. Street Sense

3. Hard Spun

Curlin paid $8.80 to win, with a $2 bet on Street Sense to place returned $3.00 and Hard Spun to show also paid $3.00.

If you bet an exacta on 4-8, a $2 bet returned $11.60, and the 4-8-7 Trifecta returned $25.00.

belmont stakes contender

Preakness Stakes Offered on Mobile Phones

This year’s Preakness will be available live through Verizon’s “V Cast Mobile TV” service on Saturday afternoon.

The Preakness is being broadcast on NBC from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore Maryland.

"NBC Sports is committed to bringing our content to fans wherever they are, so we’re excited to launch our first live mobile broadcast with the Preakness Stakes," said Perkins Miller of NBC Sports.

The signal is originating on NBC2Go and is the first broadcast to be carried by V Cast Mobile TV. This Verison service delivers live television programming to handsets that have been configured to receive the service. Another event that has been made available via this medium was the 2007 NCAA men’s championship basketball game.

The Preakness is this Saturday 5 to 630pm EST on NBC.

The Preakness Field

Let’s take a look at the field for the 132nd running of the Preakness:

• Circular Quay
• CP West
• Curlin
• King of the Roxy
• Flying First Class
• Hard Spun
• Mint Slewlep
• Street Sense
• Xchanger

With only nine horses in the field, post position is not as important as it was in the Derby. You can’t toss a horse out of your exotics based simply on an outward starting gate.

Eyes will be on Curlin at the Preakness.

Street Sense already beat three of the horses in the field at the Derby – Circular Quay, Curlin and Hard Spun. Sounds good, right?

Maybe not. Remember what we wrote above: We’re asking the Derby winner to run another killer race two weeks later.

With such a short turnaround, you have to look deeper than just the horses’ finish. Hard Spun led most of the way at the Derby, then faded late. Curlin and Circular Quay both improved positioning at each quarter-pole in the Derby, as did Street Sense.

At 1 3/16 miles, the Preakness is a furlong shorter than the Derby. That could make a difference at the finish line.

We’re not sure why Mint Slewlep and CP West are even near Pimlico this week. Then again, because of that sentence, they’ll likely finish 1-2. However, you should think twice, then twice more before dropping any loot on those two horses. Unless of course you go exotic and pick Street Sense in an exacta wheel box. In that case, we applaud the conscious lunacy because at least you’ve got action.

Flying First Class and King of the Roxy are interesting choices to disrupt the Triple Crown and anger NYRA, who has more to lose than Street Sense. A Preakness victory by any other horse and attendance at the Belmont Stakes goes from 120,000 to 75,000.

The Need for Speed - Base stealing is back in a major way

If Warner Brothers ever optioned the rights for a New York Mets cartoon, it wouldn’t take them long to find a Roadrunner.

Burning dirt with the efficiency of the feathered speed merchant, Jose Reyes is baseball’s latest bird of prey. With a swipe success rate of 81 percent, the 23-year-old Reyes leads the majors in stolen bases (21) and has emerged as the most infuriating, confounding and damn-near-impossible-to-stop thief in the game.

Terrorizing opposing pitchers into a state of Wile E. Coyote, all that appears to be missing from the Reyes-Roadrunner correlation is the ability to dodge Acme devices and the customary meep-meep.

"When I get a good jump, with my speed...forget it," the Mets' shortstop told MLB.com.

This season, Reyes the Roadrunner is on pace to re-write the record books. His 21 steals through 36 games puts him on pace for 95, which projects to be the highest total since Vince Coleman swiped 109 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987. Already fourth on the Mets' all-time steals list with 175, Reyes will likely be second on that chart by season’s end, putting him in position to reach Mookie Wilson's career mark of 281 steals by his 25th birthday. Not bad for a guy with just 472 major league games to his credit.

While he’s sat atop the National League stolen base list for the past two years, 2007 is quickly shaping up to be Reyes’ breakout season.

Although Reyes frequently displays deft base-running skills, he’s never boasted a high enough on-base percentage to fully utilize them (with a career .329 OBP, Reyes was often viewed as a liability batting leadoff).

This season, he's been helped by a newfound propensity to reach base. His walk total nearly doubled from 2005 to 2006 - and he's on pace to double it yet again this season. His OBP is .415 while he's batting .340 and averaging a run scored per game. To top it off, he was named the National League Player of the Month for April.

Much of Reyes' early success can be attributed to his need for speed. What makes him such a terror on the base paths is his single-mindedness about stealing - he’s maniacal about eating the 90 feet between first and second. To aid in the feeding frenzy, the Mets enlisted the services of Rickey Henderson, who set baseball’s single-season record with 130 stolen bases in 1982. Henderson appeared at Mets Spring Training as a special instructor in each of the past two seasons, tutoring Reyes in an art lost amidst Major League Baseball’s fascination with the long ball.

For most of the 90s, the stolen base went the way of dodo birds, Latin and Oingo Boingo. Big Mac and Slammin’ Sammy juiced the nation on 500-foot bombs and Nintendo power numbers. Leadoff hitters and speedsters were reduced to mere distractions while cleanup hitters did the all business and got all the glory. Things got so bad that in 1994 Houston’s Craig Biggio led the NL with 39 steals – the lowest total since 1961, when Maury Wills led the senior circuit with 35.

Reyes is the catalyst for a return to baseball burglary. His contribution to the New York offense – the Mets lead the NL in runs (191) and RBI (180) – is unique given that, historically, he doesn’t wield a big stick or hit for a ridiculously high average. Averaging .290 with 12 HR and 71 RBI over his first four seasons, Reyes still manages to produce an alarming number of runs, largely due to his prowess on the base paths.

He’s currently second behind Alex Rodriguez for the MLB lead in runs (34), while his ability to get on base has proven invaluable for the meat of the Mets lineup - Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green and Carlos Beltran are all on pace to knock in 80 runs or more this season.

Has speed suddenly become cool again? Do chicks no longer dig the long ball? Things would appear to be shaping up this way. Consider the case in Boston, a traditional “masher” team that in 2006 finished dead last in steals (51) and relied on plodding sluggers Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz for most of its offense.

This year, the Red Sox are 10th in the majors with 24 swipes, led by Julio Lugo (12) and Coco Crisp (7). At 26-11, Boston is off to the hottest start in the majors, leads baseball in runs scored (205) and appears to have added yet another dimension to an already well-rounded team.

Speed is back, and it’s back in a big way. Roadrunners are wreaking havoc across the majors as stolen base glory has once again been rekindled.

It’s enough to send Wile E. Coyote off a cliff.

reyes

Remembering the Miracle on Manchester

They said, watch out when the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres get together - it's goals galore. Firewagon hockey. End-to-end action.

Monday night, the Senators beat the Sabres 1-0 to take a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Buffalo managed 15 shots. Ottawa scored on a wacky bounce.

Gee, batten down the hatches.

To be fair, an astounding 14 combined goals were scored in Games 1 and 2. Both Ottawa wins, 5-2 and 4-3, flew over the total of 5.5 set by oddsmakers.

But you know what? That's just sad.

Not the games - the games have been fine. But has it really come to using words like "astounding" to describe seven-goal hockey games?

Unfortunately, it has.

"We play with a bit of looseness, we give up chances to get them," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said before the series started.

Hey, what a wild and crazy guy.

Of course, relatively speaking, Ruff is telling the truth.

Relative to the Ottawa Senators, whose coach Bryan Murray said of his team's matchup with the Sabres, "It will be defense first, no matter who we play."

And certainly relative to the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings, who have hit the over in just seven of their 26 combined postseason games.

This is the "new NHL"? Sure smells a lot like the old one, the same one that infected the 1990s and replaced Masterpiece Theatre as the prevailing non-medicinal cure for insomnia.

So before NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman calls another press conference to peddle his liberation of the game, let's take a look back at one of the most prolific moments in league history and remember what hockey fans used to enjoy - because it's been a while.

The Miracle on Manchester

It's been just over 25 years since the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers hooked up for the highest scoring series in NHL playoff history.

It was the best-of-five Smythe Division semifinals between the Oilers, who finished first in the division and second overall with a 48-17-15 record, and the Kings (24-41-13), who finished fourth in the division and were the worst regular-season team to qualify for the postseason. Fortunately for Los Angeles, its Smythe brethren, the Colorado Rockies, finished dead last in the NHL at 18-49-13.

While the "miracle" part of the "Miracle on Manchester" actually refers to only Game 3, when the wide-open nature of the entire series is compared with the quagmire of the present, today's NHL fan will no doubt find the five-game free-for-all a phenomenon.

Game 1 at Edmonton set the tone.

Wayne Gretzky, who was coming off a regular season in which he potted 92 goals, a record that still stands, led the young Oilers. With 212 points (120 assists), he became the first and only player in NHL history to break the 200-point mark. (He would rack up 215 in 1985-86.)

Youngsters Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Grant Fuhr, and Kevin Lowe also featured prominently in Edmonton and would go on to form the nucleus of one of the greatest dynasties in sports history.

But they'd have to wait for greatness because the Kings came out flying on Alberta ice. The two teams combined for the most goals ever scored in an NHL playoff game, 18, as Los Angeles won 10-8.

In Game 2, things tightened up a bit. Gretzky scored in overtime to give the Oilers a 3-2 win.

Next up, a miracle.

The Oilers hit the scoreboard first in Game 3 on April 10.

Then second.

Then third.

The onslaught continued and at the end of the second period it was 5-0 for Edmonton.

In 2007, the word "insurmountable" doesn't even begin to describe such a lead. But the 1980's were a different era in hockey. In 1982, the Oilers led the league with 417 goals in 80 games. Only five of the 21 teams scored less than 300. This year, only one team scored more than 300. That was the Sabres, who notched 308 in 82 games.

Still, wide-open era or no wide-open era, this game should have been over. Even when the Kings struck twice in the early stages of the third, nobody thought they could pull it off.

But then came a third Los Angeles tally. The crowd at the Forum was starting to believe. More importantly, the young Oilers were starting to panic.

With five minutes left, Edmonton's Garry Unger took a five-minute high-sticking penalty. Dave Lewis, the victim of Unger's stick, also took a roughing penalty so the teams would play four-on-four for two minutes after which the Kings would have a three-minute power play.

Even strength, the Kings cut the lead to one as defender Mark Hardy was able to snap a wrist-shot past Fuhr.

The comeback was completed with the Kings on the power play and seconds ticking down. Gretzky had a chance to clear the puck out of the Oilers' zone but was checked. The puck found its way to the point with ten seconds left and Hardy shot. Fuhr made the save but the rebound went straight to Los Angeles rookie Steve Bozek. A quick backhand and the game was tied. Five seconds remained on the clock.

In overtime, another rookie, defenseman Daryl Evans, would play the ultimate hero for the Kings as he took the puck off a face-off and slapped a perfect shot over Fuhr's glove. Just over two minutes into extra time and the underdog Kings had won one of the greatest games in NHL playoff history.

The Oilers managed to win Game 4 by a score of 3-2 but, in another huge upset, the Kings won Game 5 in Edmonton, 7-4.

In all, 50 goals were scored in the five games, an average of ten per contest.

On Wednesday, the Senators will look to close out the Sabres and advance to their first Stanley Cup final in the modern history of the franchise. It should be exciting. Relatively speaking.

Mariners Want to Make Losing Ancient History

Give the Seattle Mariners credit for having the right idea the past few offseasons.

They knew they needed bats after a 63-99 mark in 2004 and inked two of the premier free agents available, Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson. They knew they needed to solidify their middle infield after Bret Boone proved to be over the hill and down the other side in 2005, so they welcomed Cuban defector Yuniesky Betancourt. They knew they needed workhorse starters to give their inexperienced bullpen a chance to succeed and went to great expense to acquire veterans Jarrod Washburn last year and Jeff Weaver prior to this season. Throw in the addition of Japanese catcher Kenji Johjima in '06 and you have enough evidence to prove GM Bill Bavasi should never be accused of complacency.

Everyone Bavasi's run into the past six weeks has probably said "told you so" about Weaver, but who could have predicted all of the other poor performances in the Pacific Northwest? Sure, Beltre shouldn't be expected to post 48 homers each year, like he did in '04 with the Dodgers. Still, you'd think a third baseman who's making $12.9 million would put up more than the 44 dingers he totaled during his first two seasons with the Mariners. Likewise, Washburn entered Seattle having finished below .500 only once since becoming a regular major league starter in '01. Last year? He was 8-14 in spacious, pitcher-friendly Safeco Field. Betancourt, meanwhile, has a flashy glove and an errant arm. He committed 20 errors last season and already has eight through 33 games this year.

Many more failures can be listed about the M's, but the most inexplicable albatross - and the one that hangs like a noose around the necks of Bavasi and manager Mike Hargrove - is the one most concerning to fans. How can a team that's spent so freely between campaigns finish last in the American League West three consecutive seasons?

That's a hard one to answer, considering the Texas Rangers play in the division. The Mariners, though, have found a way to stick to the bottom. A month ago, it looked like they would make a serious run at four last-place finishes in a row. Now, they're a team to regard.

Seattle is 17-16, nothing special. They're 10-7 at home, also nothing special. What is worth pointing out is the betting total in the Mariners' last six home games - it's gone under five times. Seattle is also 5-1 in those games and was a moneyline underdog in each. In those five wins at Safeco, the M's pitching staff has allowed a combined six runs. Seattle is getting good pitching, a trend that figures to continue.

Washburn, who combined with unfortunately named closer J.J. Putz to blank the Yankees 3-0 on Friday, has found his form and stands at 3-3 with a 2.64 ERA. Mercifully, Weaver and his 14.32 ERA have been relegated to the shelf because of tendonitis. And phenom Felix Hernandez (2-1, 1.56 ERA) returns to the mound Tuesday night after a stint on the 15-day disabled list.

In the bullpen, Putz is 9-for-9 on save opportunities following his 36-save season in 2006 and Bavasi replaced troubled Julio Mateo by dealing a player to be named to Cleveland for hard-throwing long reliever Jason Davis.

If Hernandez and Washburn can be an effective 1-2 combination, then the Mariners are going to win games.

"Last year, a few of us talked about attitude and changing it, and I've changed mine. In this clubhouse, we look at the talent and the ability, and we won't be surprised when we win," Washburn said after beating the Yankees. "Other people might be surprised, but not us."

Potentially, the Mariners are great value. Their next six games will be at home against the AL West-leading Angels and the San Diego Padres in an interleague set. The Mariners have won five of six series they've played at Safeco this year. The one shortfall was to the Twins during a six-game slide in mid-April. That was when Hernandez got hurt and it became clear Weaver was an $8-million bust, a deflating revelation. The players have shown some determination by not sinking from the early-season woes.

Throw in the fact the Mariners' bats have yet to heat up (Ichiro Suzuki stands 25th in the American League in average) and baseball bettors shouldn't be quick to fade this team. The M's were 43-46 and in the hunt for the division last year before an 0-11 stretch in August. This year, there are indications they could be around until fall.

Random Thoughts on the Week in Sports

• Give the Utah Jazz serious props for pulling out that win in Game 3. The Oracle Arena has been the most intimidating place to play this NBA postseason and to have the mental focus to pull away from Golden State in the fourth quarter says a ton about coach Jerry Sloan's ability to adjust. His inexperienced team - a 7.5-point underdog - has grown up fast.
• A couple of reasons not to be shocked by the Senators' dominance of the Sabres. Buffalo's defense is small and full of players (Jaroslav Spacek, Dmitri Kalinin, Teppo Numminen) discarded from other teams. The Sabres haven't been a good penalty-killing squad and that's because their goalie hasn't been effective. Ryan Miller stays too far back in his net, resulting in goals above his shoulders and bad-angle tallies like the ones scored from the left faceoff circle by Daniel Alfredsson (Game 1) and Mike Fisher (Game 2). Also, Buffalo is much slower in moving the puck. The Sens get the puck and release the pass, the Sabres stickhandle into turnovers.
• What a difference a couple of games makes. The Sabres saw their Stanley Cup odds go from 3/1 to 5/1 while the Senators' chances of winning the championship went from 5/2 to 3/2 after the first two games of the Eastern Conference final. The Senators entered Game 1 of the best-of-seven series as a +125 underdog on the moneyline; they were +140 in their double-overtime win in Game 2.