Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
AP
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From: Simon Cowell, judge on ‘American Idol’
Subject: Critique of the Kentucky Derby Candidates
Dear Horseplayers:
I’m an expert on assessing talent, and, quite frankly, there isn’t much of it in this year’s Kentucky Derby. No contender approaches David Cook in charisma or David Archuleta in talent, but that’s the way it goes – sometimes you’re dealt a Taylor Hicks or Ruben Studdard.
Oh, sure, I may not know a Green Monkey from a Curlin. But picking winners is about feeling your way through the process. The Derby Trail is as loaded with just as many pitfalls and upstarts as "American Idol," and I’m pretty good at spotting them. So what’s the big deal about a horse race? You either have it, or you don’t. And I know which horse has it.
My jealous colleagues, Paula and Randy, have me pegged as a know-it-all know-nothing. But knowing nothing can be a good thing in my line of work, and I’m sure it’s the same for betting horses. One thing for sure, I can set a morning line better than Mike Battaglia, the NBC Sports analyst and official Kentucky Derby odds-maker. So, here goes.
Look, Big Brown is a nice horse, but he’s not James Brown. “The Godfather of Soul” was “the hardest working man in show business,” and the grandson of Danzig is a couch potato. No horse has won the Kentucky Derby on only three starts since 1915. Now does anyone really think that a history like this can be beat?
You’ve got to take chances to win, and trainer Dick Dutrow Jr. has the moxie to go where others fear to tread. But let’s face it, what else are you going to do when your owners are breathing down your neck and the fragrance of roses takes hold of their noses? You soak your horse’s sore feet in Jack Daniel’s and pray that his therapeutic shoes don’t come unglued. Then you hope that he – the front runner in this race – keeps on running.
As a matter of fact, I actually believe Big Brown’s Florida Derby victory was the best performance of the spring. Even Olympic sprinters can't dash to the lead from the far outside post in a 1 1/8 mile race at Gulfstream. Yet, Big Brown shot to the front immediately, and finished off his opposition like a virtuoso. Bravo!
Like a Sanjaya-William Hung duet
Now, here’s my opinion of the horses from the Blue Grass Stakes. Watching Monba and Cowboy Cal finish one-two was like listening to Sanjaya and William Hung sing a duet. Both horses hit their high notes, but neither has a true falsetto. There is nothing telling about a Kentucky Derby prep race on Polytrack, especially one in which the favorites are flounders. Even trainer Todd Pletcher cringed a bit in embarrassment by that ending.
Before the Blue Grass, I was certain that the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer would be watching the Run for the Roses on television instead of at the track. Suddenly, the dour horseman with the Jerry Lee Lewis haircut has a whole lotta’ shakin’ goin’ on. He’ll be trying to end his 0 for 19 Kentucky Derby losing streak with two last-minute qualifiers.
The Blue Grass Stakes was a good example of what can happen if you don’t stay focused in these competitions. Steve Asmussen should have run Pyro on conventional dirt in the Arkansas Derby instead of on the Polytrack in Kentucky. Asmussen chose the wrong song and the horse, who once seemed invincible, now must do all he can to dispel the doubts lingering around him. He may be in trouble.
To me, Pyro is 2008’s Lawyer Ron, who ran 12th in 2006 after dominating fields earlier that spring. He was great when the others hadn’t found their groove yet, but now that they have, he may get voted off. My advice is to stick with what you’re good at. Bluegrass isn’t Pyro’s style. I think zydeco is.
After winning the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby in New Orleans with ease, Pyro became the Kentucky Derby futures book favorite in mid-March. He then fell from his top placing with that clunker at Keeneland. Are the special shoes that he wears a sign of foot trouble? On the other hand, he looked the part of a rock star when rehearsing last week at Churchill.
The first of three pools of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager begins its three-day run on Friday and the bet's opening scenario is very similar to each of its opening pools since the wager was created in 1999.
It's first time that Classic will be broadcast in primetime on Nov. 3.
 | INTERACTIVE |
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 | Slideshow |
 | Derby celebs Plenty of stars from the entertainment and sports world attend the 136th Kentucky Derby. more photos |
| INTERACTIVE |
 | Triple Crown winners The horses that have won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont in the same year. |
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.
