Silva: 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 NFC teams.
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.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has 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.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
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.
Unless the sprinters go crazy and set a suicidal pace at Pimlico, Mine That Bird will be at a big disadvantage if he drops anywhere near as far back as he did Saturday.
And don’t expect the other riders to leave even a few inches open along the rail for Borel to squeeze through. That means Mine That Bird will have to make his move outside, which will cost him several lengths.
Then there’s the matter of the sloppy Churchill Downs track. Mine That Bird appears to be what handicappers call a “mud freak,” meaning he moves up when the rains come down. Although it’s possible he could duplicate that explosive run on a fast track, I want to see him do it first.
And if Mine That Bird makes it past the Preakness, he will face some fresh horses with solid distance pedigrees, possibly including Chocolate Candy, Desert Party and Summer Bird, at the testing 1 ½-mile distance, the longest of the three races. Although the Derby winner is bred to run that far, his opponents will be better rested and would hold a considerable advantage.
Mine That Bird’s small size — about 15 hands, according to his trainer — won’t help, as he might find himself being pushed around by his bigger adversaries in the two races.
The final argument is supplied by Calvin Borel, who doesn’t consider Mine That Bird the equal of Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra. And he’s in a pretty good position to judge, having ridden each to victory on successive days.
Asked after the Derby if he’d pick Rachel Alexandra or Mine That Bird if they were in the same race, the jockey didn’t hesitate. “Oh, I’d ride her. Like I told you, I think she’s the best horse I’ve ever ridden.”
Rachel Alexandra is unlikely to race against the boys in either the Preakness or Belmont, but Borel’s comment suggests that he doesn’t think he was sitting on the next Triple Crown winner in the Derby.
Rather, it appears he sees Mine That Bird’s victory for what it was: A magical moment when a series of unique factors aligned to produce one of the most memorable Derby victories of all time.
I think we’ll have to be satisfied with that.
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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Bird is the word Slideshow: Jockey Calvin Borel and 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird win Kentucky Derby. more photos |
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 | Derby celebs Plenty of stars from the entertainment and sports world attend the 136th Kentucky Derby. more photos |
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 | Triple Crown winners The horses that have won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont in the same year. |
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.
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Silva: 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 NFC teams.