1 – The undefeated Smarty Jones, with Stewart Elliott up, goes into the gate on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs as the 4-1 favorite in the Kentucky Derby. The Pennsylvania-bred horse, owned by Roy Chapman, outruns Lion Heart to the line to win by almost 3 lengths.

15 – After losing the first two games of the series, the Lakers rally back to win their fourth straight and eliminate the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

15 – Smarty Jones again outruns Lion Heart and hammers the field at Pimlico, finishing a Preakness-record 11 ½ lengths in front to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. Rock Hard Ten finishes second and Lion Heart fades down the stretch to finish fourth.

15 – Antonio Tarver, who had fought Roy Jones and lost a year earlier, outboxes the former pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.

20 – The Pistons go into Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Nets having won the first two games of the series, lost the next three, then, facing elimination, winning Game 6. The ultimate game is no contest, as the Pistons pound the defending conference champions, 90-69. It turns out to be the toughest series Detroit will play on its way to David Stern’s big golden basketball.

Darron Cummings / AP Buddy Rice won the rain-shortened Indy 500.

30 – Rain shortens the Indy 500 to the Indy 450, as Buddy Price, driving for Bobby Rahal and David Letterman, wins his first Indy crown.

31 – The Lakers, who lost Games 2 and 5 of their conference final match with the T-Wolves, close out the series in six with a 96-90 win to advance to the NBA Finals.

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