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?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
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.
Eleven shots separated Phil and Tiger Sunday at Pebble Beach as Lefty secured his 40th Tour win. Jason Sobel had hole-by-hole reports.
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
BALTIMORE - Rick Dutrow Jr. is nearly as confident that undefeated Big Brown will win the Preakness on Saturday as he was before the colt's dominating win in the Kentucky Derby.
Nothing changed the trainer's mind after watching the muscular horse out on the track for a short run through the stretch in the pre-dawn hours Saturday to keep him fit and on edge for his race later in the day.
"I saw exactly what I saw and it was beautiful," Dutrow said.
Big Brown hit the track at 5:33 a.m. EDT and was off only 11 minutes later. Dutrow and exercise rider Walter Blum were among the handful of people watching one final short jaunt through the stretch before Big Brown does it again in front of at least 100,000 fans in the early evening.
"I did what we wanted to do and so did he," Dutrow said.
Big Brown got one last bath, shortly after 6 a.m.
If Big Brown can back up his trainer's big talk again, he'll set himself up for a Triple Crown try in three weeks in the Belmont.
"We're looking to run big here and then go on to New York," Dutrow said.
It's been 30 years since Affirmed swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont to become horse racing's 11th Triple Crown winner. The sport is starved to anoint a new king, one who would continue running beyond the spring classics and bolster public interest that wanes outside of racing's four major events.
"I would hope it would do a lot for the game," Dutrow said about a possible Triple Crown. "I can tell you what it would do for my game. I'll move way up."
But first Big Brown needs to deliver against 11 rivals in the 1 3-16-mile Preakness. He was the overwhelming 1-9 favorite in early wagering Friday.
"It's our race to lose," Dutrow said.
Big Brown is 4-0 in his short career, clobbering the competition by a combined margin of more than 33 lengths. He likes to run on the lead under jockey Kent Desormeaux, and Dutrow said the colt's success rests on how he leaves the starting gate.
"If he breaks clean, things will be right there for him," he said. "He is the best horse in the race and if he breaks with the field, he'll win."
Without openly wishing bad luck on Big Brown, every other Preakness trainer is counting on the Derby winner regressing off his brief two-week rest and their horses running the race of their lives.
"David would have never slayed Goliath if he had put his slingshot away," said Ken McPeek, who trains long shot Racecar Rhapsody.
"Weird things happen all the time. Horses stumble or the race doesn't set up for him or the rider makes an early move that was too soon and the next thing you know, you've got a double-digit or triple-digit price on the board."
If Big Brown wins, Edgar Prado can only think what might have been.
The Hall of Fame jockey was set to ride Big Brown in his career debut in September at Saratoga, but Prado was injured two races beforehand. Jeremy Rose filled in that day for Big Brown's 11 1/4-length victory on the turf.
When it came time to name a rider for Big Brown's 3-year-old season, his owners chose Desormeaux.
"I was very disappointed," said Prado, who will ride long shot Riley Tucker. "I hope he runs his A-plus and Big Brown runs his B-plus."
A victory by Big Brown would quiet the skeptics, at least until the grueling Belmont in three weeks.
"If this horse beats me, I'll know he's the best 3-year-old around still standing," said Reade Baker, who trains long shot Kentucky Bear. "If he's going to be a big-time superstar, let him run with (Horse of the Year) Curlin this fall, and I'll be right in line to tip my hat to him."
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 |
 |
 | 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. |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
 | Video |
 | Iso-cam on Big Brown Follow Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown on an isolated camera through the entire race. |
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.
Paul Pierce has been around long enough to know what Rajon Rondo's performance can mean for the aging Boston Celtics.