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.
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ARCADIA, Calif. - Curlin was made the early 7-5 favorite Tuesday in a field of 12 for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Curlin would likely earn Horse of the Year honors for the second consecutive year if he defends his title Saturday at Santa Anita in his first race on a synthetic track.
“The synthetic is a huge question,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “A higher percentage of horses train better over it than run well over it.”
Without retired Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown in the field, Raven’s Pass, winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in his last start, was made the 6-1 second choice. Like Curlin, Raven’s Pass will be trying a synthetic surface for the first time.
Curlin will break from the No. 9 post.
“Nine is a fine draw,” Asmussen said. “It’ll be the perfect spot for him.”
Go Between, the Pacific Classic winner, was the third choice at 8-1.
Undefeated Casino Drive of Japan, Todd Pletcher-trained Fairbanks, and Duke of Marmalade and Henrythenavigator, both trained by Irishman Aidan O’Brien, were all 10-1.
“We’ve always wanted to face a good field and this is a great field,” said Barbara Banke, wife of Curlin’s owner Jess Jackson. “We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Last year, Curlin won the Classic by 4½ lengths on a sloppy track at New Jersey’s Monmouth Park. He’s expected to run in ideal conditions Saturday, with the forecast calling for sunshine and temperatures in the low 80s.
“I almost washed away myself last year,” Banke said.
This year’s Breeders’ Cup features an all-female, five-race card on Friday, capped by the $2 million Ladies’ Classic, previously known as the Distaff.
Zenyatta is the star of that show, with an 8-0 record that made her the 3-5 early favorite. Her owner Jerry Moss, who co-founded A&M Records, named the 4-year-old filly for the 1980 album “Zenyatta Mondatta” by The Police.
If Curlin falters and Zenyatta stays unbeaten against defending champion Ginger Punch (9-2) and last year’s runner-up Hystericalady (15-1), she could be the rare filly to have a shot at Horse of the Year.
“That’s something we really don’t want to talk about,” trainer John Shirreffs said.
Midshipman and Street Hero, winners of the major 2-year-old races in California, lead the 13-horse field for the $2 million Juvenile.
Both 2-year-olds are proven runners on the artificial surface, with Midshipman winning two of his three starts on it, and Street Hero finishing in the money on it in five starts. His lone victory came over Midshipman in the Norfolk Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 28.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Midshipman drew the No. 11 post for Saturday’s Juvenile, one of 10 races on that day’s Breeders’ Cup card.
Street Hero, a son of Street Cry who is bred, owned and trained by Myung Cho, will break from the No. 8 post. Munnings is the race’s 7-2 favorite.
The 14 races to be run Friday and Saturday are worth $25.5 million.
Midnight Lute returns to defend his title as the 7-2 second choice in the $2 million Sprint for Baffert. Saturday’s 6-furlong race will be just his second start this year and third since winning the Sprint by 4¾ lengths last year at Monmouth Park.
Street Boss is the Sprint’s 3-1 favorite.
Baffert also considered running Indian Blessing in the Sprint, but opted instead to run her in the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint, where she drew the No. 5 post.
Kip Deville will defend his title in the $2 million Mile on the turf for trainer Rick Dutrow, who also trains Big Brown. The colt was suddenly retired because of an injury, denying the Breeders’ Cup its most intriguing matchup between Big Brown and Curlin.
“It’s kind of anticlimactic because we’ve been running big races all year and pointing toward this,” said Michael Ivarone, Big Brown’s principal partner who also co-owns Kip Deville.
Kip Deville is the 5-1 third choice and drew the No. 2 post. He started from the seven hole when he won by one length last year on Monmouth’s turf that had been softened by pouring rain. Goldikova is the race’s 3-1 favorite.
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.
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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.
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