What are you listening to?

"Deep In The Motherlode"/Genesis



Meal of Links

Bachmann is playing "American Girl" at her campaign stops. Tom Petty not thrilled.

The debate on marijuana. If legal, how do we cash in?

Check this out. The Netflix model for your local theaters. Unlimited movies for $50/month. This would allow more evening and weekend visits because of the prohibitive costs at night. I'm intrigued. It's called MoviePass. Starts in Frisco and it looks like AMC is on board.

Exercise Yard

I actually bet on a horse.

Merry-Go-Round Horse Race



Visitor

61 Across: Justice Samuel (5 letters) Answer: Alito

I really hate being ill, even if it's for only a short while. But I picked up a bit of a cold over the weekend, as I guess I was running around as if it was 80 degrees instead of the 62 it actually was.

Yesterday, I had a hell of a time as the day wore on. Battling pretty hard until mid-afternoon, when I started getting the chills, along with some non-stop sneezing. Knocked me out pretty good and then I got to play a lame-o when I went home. Signified by my cable going out with 18 seconds left in regulation during the Miami-Boston game. Do I crawl and grab the cable box for a manual reboot? No, I turn on XM and get a score from ESPN radio.

You always have to be resourceful.

So, is it starve a cold or feed a fever? WebMD says never starve.

Meal of Links

Clear the decks, start checking off the bucket list. The world ends on May 21. Boy, if you're not raptured or subsequently saved, it's gonna really suck around here.

Gus Johnson lands on Fox. I'm not sold on him being permanently removed from March Madness coverage. Especially with Turner involved. Clearly, their influence got Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller NCAA gigs this year and Kevin Harlan has been doing double duty for a while. But I'd love to see Gus get a Fox NFL playoff game soon.

More on the Derby winner, Animal Kingdom. And those lying trainers.

Google Music has arrived. Just in time for the apocalypse.

"Party At Ground Zero"/Fishbone



That's why there is an Internet. Things Tracy Jordan said on Season 5 of "30 Rock".

Bible? Yes. All other books? No.

Gary Coleman is dead. Has been for a year. That doesn't mean he's buried.

You're watching a favorite TV show. In this episode, the characters go on a game show. "Odd Couple"? On "Password"? Yes, sir! Plus "Sanford and Son" go "The Gong Show".

Michael Bolton Is Funny



The center of population since 1790 in the United States. Go west, young man.

Painful stats on Americans and their cars.

Hitch is losing his voice. Strange, but every time I read him, I actually hear his voice saying those words. Just picked up a National Magazine Award, as well. Of course, he can still find time to neuter Noam Chomsky.

Exercise Yard

Dan Rafael from ESPN has a nice wrapup on the Pacquiao-Mosley fight from Saturday. It's a shame these things cost $54.95 on the PPV. I mean who pays for these, especially when you hear the 39-year old Mosley say, "I wasn't going to take those kinds of risks. I was looking to land my shot." Which means, "I stayed away from Pacquiao for 12 rounds and got my $5 million."

It's tough to put any blame on Manny, but he hasn't knocked anyone out since Ricky Hatton. And that fight was two years ago! Since then, he's carried Cotto, Clottey, Margarito and now Mosley for 12 rounds. Now with the Mayweather fight seemingly not going to happen until both these guys are in their forties, Manny is starting to run out of opponents. It looks like Marquez will be next, because they can sell the fight to the public. After that, who knows?

BTW, Pacquiao-Mosley's $8,882,600 gate was the 14th best in Nevada history. It shows the public still loves Manny, regardless of who he fights. Showtime has the replay this weekend.

Looking ahead, what other fight holds any interest? I see Haye and Klitschko are starting to knock around a bit for their heavyweight fight. That's July 2nd on a crowded holiday weekend, so we'll see what audience that will attract. Haye talks a good game, so it'll get interesting as we get closer. HBO will have that live during the late afternoon on July 2.

Visitor

63 Across: Singer with Crosby and Stills (4 letters) Answer: Nash

"Chicago"/Graham Nash

This is not how you want to see one of your Derby picks at the end of the race. Usually you want to see your jockey still atop the horse. The things we learned about Archarcharch? Well, never will I bet the #1 in the Derby again. Ferdinand won from that slot only because he is a Hall of Famer. So, Archarcharch literally turned into a lame pick.





















Soldat, on the other hand, was near the lead and what did we learn about him? Well, he doesn't like dirt kicked in his face. We know that for a fact now.

Here's a nice race pictorial from the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Meal of Links

Can you cut the cord on cable? Lot easier than it used to be.

This is an interesting Canadian court case. They didn't extradite a prisoner to the US, because we have become and untrustworthy state when it comes to handling prisoners. A superior court upheld the decision.

You'd think prisoners would flock to this Norwegian prison. Tanning beds. Chicken risotto. WTF?

Uh, about that GOP Medicare plan. It kinda sucks.

Exercise Yard

After today, two weekends are left in EPL play. Big three matches today. Wolves beat West Brom, 3-1. So, Wolves have escaped the relegation zone for now. Arsenal lost to Stoke by the same score, so they officially spit the bit today. Leaving it all up to today's featured match, the alleged Match of the Year, first-place Manchester United against #2 Chelsea.

Manchester scored with only 36 seconds gone and eventually won the game, 2-1. So, they are the unofficial official champs this year. Just have to wait for the math the next two weekends.

In other news, Randy Lerner's Other Team officially escaped relegation this weekend. So, they will be back in the Premier League next year. The relegation zone currently consists of Blackpool, Wigan, and West Ham. Blackburn, Birmingham and Wolves are still in danger. Wigan and West Ham is the biggie next week and Wolves get Blackburn on the final weekend.

Coming up next year, for sure, are QPR (Queens Park Rangers), after a long absence, and Norwich (the Canaries), back after a 7-year absence. Those playing off for the last spot are Swansea, Cardiff, Reading and Nottingham Forest.

Visitor

None, on a hopefully turn-the-corner weatherwise Sunday.

While watching Bin Laden watching himself on TV...

Today is Kentucky Derby Day. Even if Uncle Mo had not been scratched, this was gonna be a pretty mediocre Derby. Let's face it, the favorite is probably going off at 5-1, which means you don't really have a favorite.

Regardless, I have lit upon two horses that I think have a chance. That would be:

#1 Archarcharch -and-

#17 Soldat

Archarcharch is your Arkansas derby winner. he has one of the best speed figures in the race. But he drew the dreaded #1 post. No doubt, he'll be flying late.

Soldat gagged as the Florida Derby favorite last time out. Maybe Thunder Gulch revisited? He's got the speed and class to win this. If he doesn't get to the front, does he like the dirt in his face? In Florida, that answer was a no.

Meal of Links

The other day, I visited Palookaville Chili for the first time. I had the Texas Beef Chili, Cornbread and Chili Chips. Chili and 2 sides is $9. I just wish the bowl of chili was bigger, because it was really good. I had cheese, sour cream, jalapenos and onions added. They don't add a lot of volume, but just enough for some more kick. No beans and really good beef here, so i understand the pricing. Cornbread was only so-so, the chips very good.

What happens when a merely distinct movie gets branded a "classic"? See "A Bronx Tale" at Cannes.

OK, I understand oil prices took a huge drop this week. But the increases at the pump lately are blamed on speculators and Bernanke.

I turn my head and Gus Johnson may be leaving CBS. I think Twitter exploded the other day.

The new era of Internet search. Answers, not just links.

"Hey, those Muslims make me uncomfortable." So, they are removed from the plane. their destination? A conference on prejudice against Muslims.

TV has officially run out of ideas. Now, it's a second sitcom based on the life of an ESPN Radio host.

They made a movie about Paul the Psychic Octopus. Seriously.

Seinfeld has his own website. Looks like a few clips per day.

Oprah should have waited to start her network. Already fired the CEO.

Catching up with D.A. Pennebaker. That guy knows how to shoot a doc.

The problems with celebrity charity. Lengthy read.

I've picked up a couple of Groupon deals. Here is their model.

This is very cool. The dogs of war.

Exercise Yard

Seve Ballesteros died today. Deserves every accolade he gets today. The most emotional golfer ever, truly an entertainer. Invented the European Tour, saved the Ryder Cup from its negligent period, and a 5-time major winner. If you think Phil Mickelson can't keep it in the fairway, you should have seen this guy. Really a big loss for golf at age 54.

Visitor

48 Down: "Tommy" rockers (6 letters) Answer: The Who

I survived Dyngus Day. Yes, Mardi Gras for the Polish was so successful, it will now marked with a permanent spot on the calendar. Or should I say, drinking calendar. Locally, it joins St. Patrick's Day, Opening Day, any Browns home game, and Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to drink in the afternoon when you'd ordinarily be at work or lounging around on a weekend.

We took part in the Parkview Nite Club portion of the proceedings. Big Chuck was there in his Certain Ethnic Man outfit. There was a Miss Dyngus Day complete with a crown of sausages.

The crowds later on at Happy Dog and Reddstone were reported to be big, as well. So, I assume next year (April 9), it might be expanded or even more crowded.

Meal of Links

The President is an American. Whoo hoo! Now it's on to his college transcripts and Selective Service records for the non-believers. Where are Trump's tax returns?

"Celebrity Apprentice" has one of the largest Democratic audiences. Trump, with his "China is raping our country" shtick, is literally driving away its audience.

I think Jake Vale is funny. I laugh all the time at these.

Peyton Hillis is the Madden NFL 12 cover boy. Let the hatred begin.

Here is the Lollapalooza lineup. Thumbs up for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Chain restaurants with the fattest meals. I'm glad I've not had any of them.

Good stuff with Rowdy Roddy Piper. Loved that guy. Great entertainer in the ring.

Tom Durkin bows out as the Triple Crown announcer. He cites stress. I don't blame him, especially in the Derby. You got 20 horses and have to mention them all. By the time you do that and get back up front, God knows what might happen. And, heaven forbid, you call a horse late, which he has done. Not as easy as it seems.

Tom Durkin Calls a Race



Exercise Yard

I took my Dad to the Indians game last night. The opponent was the hated Kansas City Royals. The bottom line is if they pitch and hit like they did last night, they'll hang in the pennant race for a while.

Pitching good news? Justin Masterson, not at his best, gets into the 7th, allowing only three runs. Struck out 7 and walked 2. Oh, Melky Cabrera drilled a homer and got to stare it down, but that was about it. Vinnie Pestano then got out of an 8th inning, based loaded jam without giving up any runs. I said when he came in that I didn't trust him yet. I may have to change my thinking.

Pitching bad news? Tony Sipp looks like he's back on the slippery slope after dominating for three weeks.

Hitting good news? When you hit five homers in a game, almost everyone looks good. Homers from Jack Hannahan (who hit 2), Matt LaPorta, Grady Sizemore and Shin Soo Choo. All of them smoked.

Pitchers are going to have to go back to the old book on Grady Sizemore, because they are pitching him using the 2009-10 book and he is just killing everything. On his second double, he was motoring around first like the old Sizemore and should have had a triple, but the third base coach, Steve Smith, held him up. They need to let him loose.

Choo's homer came off the first pitch from Lewis Jackson. It's as if Choo told the ball, "Where have you have been all spring?" Absolutely crushed it and pretty much clinched the game.

Hitting bad news? Orlando Cabrera isn't a very disciplined hitter and it's starting to show. His average is in decline. And Carlos Santana is now looking at fastballs when he has a hitter's count. A 2-1 fastball, with men on, from Hochevar and he never moved the bat off his shoulder. Uh-oh.

But it was a good win. There were only 9620 in attendance (the Monsters drew more next door) and it felt even emptier. But I got cheap seats behind the Indians dugout through StubHub and they even had the $4 concession value built in. So we opted to get super dogs. And they were good. The threat of rain was gone and it was most enjoyable to watch that victory.

BTW, SI has a feature on Choo. Very complimentary piece.

Visitor

6 Across: Texas Rangers CEO Nolan (4 letters) Answer: Ryan

It's probably time to start talking about the Indians. I have them pegged at 75 wins this year and I've seen some things since the start of the year that may cause a bit of a spike above that, but they are certainly not going to contend for anything. Realistically, you have to throw out this recent sweep of Seattle, simply because the Mariners don't hit. Great that the Indians took care of business out there, but let's not go overboard. They didn't have to face King Felix.

And could you believe Wedge's pet, Chris Gimenez, caught today's game for Seattle? "Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge said Friday, April 8, that he picked C Chris Gimenez over C Josh Bard as an injury replacement for C Adam Moore (knee) due to his versatility, reports Geoff Baker, of The Seattle Times. "The biggest part of that was just his versatility, the fact he can play multiple positions for us right now," Wedge said. "That entered into it as much as anything. I was really impressed with what I saw of him this spring." This demonstrates one of my biggest pet peeves in baseball, in general, of Eric Wedge, in particular. Sure, Gimenez is versatile, but weakens virtually every position he plays by his inability to hit major league pitching, as his .160 career batting average would attest.

Hitting-wise, I know no one wants to believe it, but Travis Hafner is starting to drive the ball again. He's OPSing like it's 2006 again. The fact that he did the Indians a solid by getting into better shape this year, may go a long way in determining their season. I'm happy with what I've seen from him.

Orlando Cabrera seems to be a good pickup. I thought this was a good late off-season move by Chris Antonetti. Seems motivated and provides that good veterean presence. How come no one told me he's old "Pretzel Boy" Jolbert Cabrera's brother? He's off to a good start, as is most everyone in the lineup. Shin-Soo Choo is coming out of it, but Travis Buck's playing time will evaporate, once Grady Sizemore returns.

Let's face it, Jack Hannahan won't be hitting like this all year. I'm still waitin' for The Chiz to get the callup. But Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana and Matt LaPorta haven't embarrassed themselves at bat so far, so it looks like the strength of the club may be the hitting.

Walks are up, as are strikeouts. But they rank 3rd in hitting, and 2nd in On-Base %. Wahoo Baseball is the way to go, because slugging only ranks 7th.

Pitching. Ah, pitching. If only I had a crystal ball. All starters in their mid-20s. We've seen gems from Carmona, Carrasco and Masterson, thus far. But we've also seen a bad Carmona start, and iffy starts from Carrasco and Tomlin. That's what you're gonna get this year. If Masterson doesn't have two whole months of awful like 2010, they'll be a more solid core. But far from dominant.

I thought the relief corps was top-notch last year. Rafael Perez saved his career and Chris Perez became a reliable closer. The cast of thousands filled in rather nicely, as well. This year, Tony Sipp is playing a prominent 8th inning role.

So far, they are 4th in strikeouts and have given up only 3 home runs. And they've given up less hits than innings pitched (Thanks, Seattle). Plus, only 5 errors in 8 games.

Probably gonna take til the end of the month to really formulate an opinion of where they'll end up. I'm liking what I've seen, thus far, but there is a long way to go.

More from DiaTribe.

Meal of Links

Joe Pos talks about Manny, the best hitter I ever saw. Why do I feel like he'll show up playing somewhere with the name of "Brown"?

10 online destinations that know a lot about you. Most of those you know already.

China bites back. Say, that kinda hurt.

This guy, I think, has the perfect approach to dying. Hey, if you don't want to make a fuss while you're living, why would you want that on the way out?

BTW, the Kentucky Derby underwent a big change yetesterday. As Uncle Mo lost the Wood Memorial.

Exercise Yard

Great to see Tiger Woods in the thick of it at the Masters. Unfortunately, he wasn't even close to matching his front nine magic on the backside. Probably was too much to ask.

So many people, excluding FIGJAM, had a chance at this one. Probably not the best ever, but certainly the most fun.

Visitor

None, on a really warm Sunday.

Although, I didn't place any bets this this year, my Dad and I had our annual ritual of watching the Breeders Cup today. All the focus was on the quest of Zenyatta to finish her career at an unbelievable 20-0. That race was the Classic and it actually lived up to the hype.

In typical fashion, ABC took the first two hours of coverage until 3:30, when ESPN would take over. Except for one thing. Michigan couldn't stop Illinois and vice versa, so we had to watch 3 overtimes to determine that Big Ten football winner. Then 22 minutes later, it was the Juvies almost finishing their post parade before they switched. Geez, horse racing always gets the shaft. I remember once the Travers, the Summer Derby, getting shuffled around because a Little League World Series game was rain-delayed. WTF? Maybe it's the dearth of non-US companies paying the freight of advertising of this event. Except for Sentient Jet, it was Fly Emirates and Grey Goose all day. Where is Budweiser?

Anyhow, there was some excitement before the big race, but not a whole lot. No jockey fights today! And, really, how hard is it to break up a jockey fight?

The Juvie Turf was won by Pluck. That was good, because I got to say, "Oh, Pluck!" after the win. They had to euthanize Rough Sailing after she slid into the first turn.

In the Sprint, it was one of those rare ones, when it was over early. Big Drama rolled wire-to-wire in that one. Give it up for the old master, D. Wayne Lukas. He got a winner of a claiming race last out into a second-place finish.

The BC Turf Sprint



I liked Bridgetown in the Turf Sprint and thought he had it in the bag. Central City on the hedge to his inside moved toward him a bit, and he got all discombobulated. Chamberlain Bridge picked up the pieces.

The BC Juvenile



My Dad picked Uncle Mo in the Juvenile. Look out. This is your early Derby favorite. Just an awesome move to win it. Notice how far the top 2 finishers are from the rest of the field. Stay Thirsty was also in this one.

Next up was the Mile. Goldikova won that race for the third time in a row. That's never been done before.

The Turf Mile had the longest shot of the day, Dakota Phone, hitting the board.

The BC Turf



The Turf was kind of a weird race. Not many greats here and no one wanted the lead. So, it was basically Champ Pegasus and Dangerous Midge going out for a ride. They were 1-2 the whole way, with Dangerous Midge and Frankie Dettori moving up to get the win late for a nice $172 exacta. This race was won at the 1:15 mark. Watch Rosario on Champ Pegasus give a peek behind him. That signalled to me that he realized he was sitting on a pokey pace and that he had a lot of horse and might win on the lead. Note how Dettori pushes the pace down the backstretch and both Champ Pegasus and Dangerous Midge start to separate from the field. Just a terrific tactical race from two of the longer shots in the field. That's why they call it gambling.

The BC Classic



Watching the coverage, it was definitely The Zenyatta Hour of Power. My God, Steve Cyphers was assigned Barry Bonds duty and had to watch her all day. Where she stood around and ate grass for the most part. My Dad wondering if we would get updates if she took a shit. So, it's very easy to get cynical about her.

As for the race, we were both all over Blame. Zenyatta had so many strikes against her. A better field than last year's Classic. She hadn't raced east hardly at all. She ran mostly on synthetic surfaces. And her running style of laying back and just getting to the wire at the end is tough to do, but she does it all the time. You have to figure some time, somewhere, some horse will beat her. Today, we thought it was Blame's turn.

And, as it turned out, we were right. But the charge of Zenyatta coming like a train at the wire and not getting the win this time just sucked the air, not just out of the room or Churchill Downs, but the whole world of racing. I can't tell you how many times in horse racing over the past several years (or couple of decades), when the Triple Crown is on the line or horses with huge winning streaks like Cigar are reaching for history, they all seem to fail.

Even a cynic like me, after that ending in the Classic, decided it would have been not only a good thing, but a great thing, if she had won. And it sure would have made a helluva movie.

Now she'll have to perhaps settle for just being the best filly ever. And, in today's world, probably disappear faster then you can say her name.

Recaps are here.

Meal of Links

Hitch firmly believes there needs to be cancer etiquette. "So I get straight to the point and say what the odds are. The swiftest way of doing this is to note that the thing about Stage Four is that there is no such thing as Stage Five."

Growth and trends of online spending. It's the way to go.

Response to LeBron James Ad



I'm sure we all did this today. Turn back your clocks and change smoke alarm batteries. Actually, I did my battery thing last week. And, obviously have synchronized my time devices already.

Berkeley Breathed talks about everything. Hard to believe it's been 21 years since "Bloom County" ended.

Studying Mexican Coke. This is now starting to show up at Giant Eagle for one dolla. Love that bottle.

I know I shouldn't have, but when David Cross stumbled upon the deaf tour of the House of Parliament in the season finale of "Todd Margaret", I loved it. One guy actually threw a shoe at him. I believe the line was, "Sir, these people are deaf, not retarded."

Exercise Yard

Windy says the Hornets showed the NBA the blueprint for beating the Heat. I'll be at the Cavs-Nets game on Wednesday. (Hat tip to Paul)

Visitor

33 Across: 16-time Gold Glove winning pitcher Jim (4 letters) Answer: Kaat

My Dad and I had a Steaks and Stakes Day today. After we lopped off some renegade stems in one of my bushes in the front yard (He had the Arte Johnson role of separating the leaves, while I had the Steve McQueen cutting the chain link fence role), we had some steaks.

My Dad buys these huge steaks from Buehler's every once in a while and they can be insanely cheap at times. Good cuts, too. They can't tip over the Flintstone car, but close. One more thing about Buehler's, you cannot beat their sale price on muffins at 79 cents every Wednesday. Anyhow, we fired up the grill and then stuffed ourselves.

Then it was on to horse racing. We watched an odds-on Baffert horse, Concord Point, win the West Virginia Derby and saw Blame (file him away for Breeders Cup Day) win the Whitney at Saratoga over Quality Road.

Time for a nap.

Meal of Links

The World Sauna Championships have ended in tragedy. First of all, I never knew they had World Sauna Championships. The winner is the one who can withstand 110 Degrees C the longest. Of course, some guy died.

Stuff about that other hand. You know, the left one.

I heard "Soul Man" yesterday and was thinking about "Play it, Steve". Here is something on Stax Records.

I bought some popcorn when I saw "Restrepo" yesterday. I then realized, hey, maybe that wasn't a popcorn type of film. But did you know you could microwave gourmet popcorn in a brown paper bag? And save money, as well.

I am a sucker for this goofy song when these two get together...



Negroponte says the physical book is dead in 5 years. I think I'm with him, as I am seriously considering the new Kindle.

The Taliban killing of 10 medics should have everyone upset. We cannot afford to lose people like these:

Karen Woo

and

Tom Little.

Exercise Yard

Soccer has already cranked up again. The Frenchies started Ligue 1 today. I saw Bocanegra was in the lineup for St, Etienne. And the annual kickoff of the EPL is tomorrow with the Community Shield.

The Community Shield matches the Premier League winner against the winner of the F.A. Cup. So that means it's between two teams you may have heard of: Manchester United vs. Chelsea.

And speaking of soccer, how about this for not only out of the box thinking, but perhaps out of their minds. The purchasers of the Silverdome want to divide it into three venues. Ground level will be a concert hall and a multi-purpose arena. On top of those, where the upper deck now starts, they want to build an outdoor soccer stadium.

"Tear the Roof Off The Sucka" (LIVE)/George Clinton



Visitor

41 Down: Theresa Dunn's ideal Mr. in a 1975 novel title (7 letters) Answer: Goodbar

I don't really want to talk about the Bruins. They only lost a Game 7, in a series they were leading, 3-0.

The Preakness wasn't that great either.

So, with the World Cup getting closer, time to catch up on soccer.

The EPL concluded play with Chelsea as champs. Today, they handled Portsmouth in the venerable FA Cup to conclude the English season and complete a rare double. Didier Drogba, straight from the cover of Vanity Fair, nailed the gamewinner on a very nice free kick.

Drogba Free Kick



The two things I took away from the match: The pitch at Wembley was awfully spotty and rightly criticized. And Prince William is losing his hair!

As for next year's EPL. Those relegated included Burnley, Hull City and Portsmouth. Moving up are returnees Newcastle and West Brom. Cardiff City and Blackpool play next Saturday for the final Premier League slot.

Tottenham gets the all-important fourth place and joins Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United in next year's Champions League.

So, what's next? Fox has moved the Champions league Final, Inter Milan vs. Bayern Munich from FX to the big network. That airs next Saturday at 2:00. Look for TMZ to be pre-empted.

The first World Cup match? Coming soon on June 11.

Meal of Links

The 50 Greatest Samples of Hip-Hop. You get the originals and their modern counterparts. Yes, even David McCallum got sampled on an all-timer by Dr. Dre. And that's only #40.

Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson have a new project. "Music For Dogs"!

Do you realize Kate Bush only toured once? Never came to America.

"Law and Order" (the original) finally gets cancelled. Other versions are still on, though.

Exercise Yard

You know, you sit down for a night of boxing on HBO and nothing can deflate you more than hearing these two words: Paulie Malignaggi. And then I find out that Lennox Lewis isn't calling any more fights on "Boxing After Dark" and this was the first broadcast without him. He wasn't the greatest, but definitely better than George Foreman.

Back to Malignaggi. I just can't stand the guy. Never thought he was any good. Only has 5 KO's, but yet, HBO keeps promoting him as someone I should take seriously. But I can't. My ears perked up, however, when I realized he was in a match at 140 lbs. with Amir Khan. Khan is very popular in the UK, and this was his first fight in the US.

Remember, boxing is the art of making your opponent participate in his own ass whipping. And Malignaggi obliged Khan by not moving. Stood right in front of him and ate leather for 11 rounds until the ref realized something his corner didn't. He was getting his ass handed to him. Then a funny thing happened. I started to not feel sorry for the "Future Legend" Malignaggi, but I realized he didn't have any quit in him. And, really, that's all you can ask from a fighter.

Amir Khan wins on a stoppage in the 11th. He was tossing a shutout at the time.

Visitor

38 Across: He played Will Scarlet in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (15 letters) Answer: Christian Slater

The Kentucky Derby was run today pretty much how I expected it to go down, but I didn't get the win. They ran the half in 46 flat, which was some ticks slower than I thought, maybe because of the sloppy track. Of course, I had Ice Box. He ran one of the most adventurous races you'll ever see. He layed back as I thought he would and had to eventually maneuver off the rail and go 5, maybe 6 wide to make his stretch run.

Certainly had lots left at the end, but still finished two-and-a-half lengths behind Super Saver, a horse my brother had in a blind draw. So, at least, someone won around here.

Here's the line on Ice Box from the Daily Racing Form:

"ICE BOX steadied early in traffic, was outrun for 6 furlongs, made a bold inside run leaving the three furlong marker, steadied when blocked nearing the stretch, angled out, steadied for a sixteenth of a mile once in the stretch, swung out near the furlong marker for a clear path then closed a late gap to be steadily getting to the winner late."

That's exhausting just reading it.

A couple of notes regarding NBC's coverage. As usual, they do a fine job on race production. But I was a bit surprised during the week how NBC kept promoting the fact that lots of women watch the Derby. It didn't hit me though until I tried to find the coverage of the Kentucky Oaks on Friday to truly grasp what this meant.

I left work to get home around 5:30. Turn on ESPN...nothing. How about ESPN2...nothing. Uh-oh. Maybe NBC? Nope, Dr. Phil is on. Let's go through the channels. Oh, here's a maybe. Bravo. WTF? Time Warner Cable had it listed like this: "Real Housewives of New Jersey at the Kentucky Derby (Special)". If they hadn't shown a live odds update on the Oaks at that very minute, I would have never known.

Today, NBC starts their coverage at 4:00. Seems like a long telecast now that the Derby goes off later than it used to, today at 6:32. So, what they do in that first hour? More cross-promotion with Bravo. This time with Al Roker and "Top Chef".

You have expected Johnny Weir to show up. Wait a minute, he did...


























Thank goodness Marisa Miller attended.


























Meal of Links

I had a coupon I needed to use at Johnny Mango last night. No more Bohemia there, shoot! I enlisted Gale and, lo and behold, she saw Fun Frank and Friend at work and they showed, as well. Let's see, Mojitos and lines like, "The last time I was in Brazil...". Went with the standard quesadilla, but the BBQ Chicken looked good.

And I happened to see Cleveland's new food truck, Dim and Den Sum, zipping down Bridge Avenue. Spiffy paint job.

An interview with Brian Eno. I am still fascinated by this guy. He's so smart.

Got an e-mail that lala was shutting down. More Apple vs. Google stuff.

"Family Guy" hits Episode No. 150 tomorrow.

Exercise Yard

The Cavs had a huge Game 1 win against the Celtics tonight. But, after that first half, do you think they kinda stole that game, even though they were at home? Thanks, Mo.

LeBron scored a whole bunch of points, but it certainly looked like he didn't want to hurt that elbow. After seeing him at the start of tonight's game, I think he wanted to get through this game, then go full tilt in Game 2 on Monday. Because Game 3 is not until Friday.

Not sure, but let's hope. I'm not sure even he can toss in 35 on cruise control each game.

Visitor

28 Down: "Desert Fox" Rommel (5 letters) Answer: Erwin

The Kentucky Derby is on Saturday. Much like one of Goldman Sachs deals, it's a pretty shitty year on the Triple Crown trail. Note there are only two horses with morning line odds below 10-1. That's Lookin at Lucky and Sidney's Candy. Bob Baffert trains Lookin for Lucky and he drew the rail. Sidney's Candy (from the Sid and Jenny Craig family) drew Post Position 20, the far outside. In between, there is a whole lot of nothin' goin' on.

But there is one horse I would not mind taking a shot with, and that's Ice Box, who drew Post Position 2 and is 10-1. Trained by Nick Zito, and he says Ice Box is a late bloomer. Even though the field is crap, there should be loads of speed in this one. Some are predicting the half-mile in 44 and change. That means it is setting up for the closers, of which Ice Box is one.

Check out the breeding on Ice Box. His Sire is Pulpit and his Dam is Spice Island. His Grandsire, of course, is A.P. Indy and his Damsire is Tabasco Cat. So, we have bloodlines going back to Seattle Slew and Secretariat and Storm Cat. On paper, it's a trail of racing royalty and that looks like a winner.

Meal of Links

Keith Richards says he's growing up. Don't believe it.

Is the music video back? Don't believe it.

Sarah Palin sticks her foot in her mouth again. Believe it. I wonder if she'll refer to "Lame Street" soon.

Steve Carell says one more year for "The Office" ought to do it for him. Don't believe it.

Catching up with T-Bone Burnett. An American gem. Believe it.

Bob Bennett probably loses his Senate seat in Utah. Does that mean the end of legislating in the Senate? Don't want to believe it.

Today is the 7th anniversary of an all-timer from Sheed:

"Both Teams Played Hard"



Exercise Yard

Who is the most hated team in major league baseball? The Yankees? Red Sox? Dodgers? Nope. It's the Indians!

Visitor

11 Down: Five-time NHL scoring leader Jaromir (4 letters) Answer: Jagr

Malcolm McLaren died the other day. Produced the Sex Pistols and Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow (remember "The Burundi Beat"?). Truly a one-of-a-kind visionary. Many links here. I think if you are described as a "raconteur" and a "provocateur", you've probably lived a full life.

"Dog Eat Dog"/Adam and the Ants


TEXT

"Anarchy in the UK"/Sex Pistols



Then there was this ("...all that scratchin' is makin' me itch...")

"Buffalo Gals"/Malcolm McLaren



Meal of Links

"Treme" starts tomorrow on HBO. And, if you're David Simon, the critics usually love what you do. Or, maybe not. It's all those nagging comparisons to "The Wire", I guess.

Adobe guy hates Apple. Isn't this something you used to chat about around the Adobe water cooler, but not necessarily for public consumption?

As I say during every golf major. Go to Jason Sobel's liveblog on ESPN. Make sure you get the Round 3 one today. I'm with Lee Westwood this week, not DoDo (I mean, FIGJAM).

Jim Rome went off a week or so ago about people on the "Family Feud". Clapping for the most inane "good answer"s. Well, here's proof.

Ellen Hates The USA



Exercise Yard

Personal Ensign also died. The best filly I ever saw.

Rare finish here:

Win-Personal Ensign (undefeated lifetime)
Place-Winning Colors (a Kentucky Derby winner)
Show-Goodbye Halo (a Kentucky Oaks winner)

1988 Breeders Cup Distaff



Visitor

52 Across: Former NBA star, Dave ____, now mayor of Detroit (4 letters) Answer: Bing

If you want to catch up on some very good thoughts about the aftermath of healthcare reform, you need to read some items from two people.

David Frum on the right.

Glenn Greenwald on the left.

And Ezra Klein's blog in the Washington Post has been very informative, as well.

Meal of Links

They signed Beau Bridges to play Rocky in "The Rockford Files". I guarantee a Hispanic person will play Angel Martin. A really good summary of the old show is here. Even Tom Selleck, who was Lance White in the original, says you can't remake the show without James Garner. Can you imagine Dermot Mulroney pulling this off:

Rockford Wins A Fight



"Maury" makes a comeback. Ratings are up 44%. He may outlast them all.

How to nap. Hey, at 20 minutes, I'm barely gettin' started on napping.

"The Future of Rock and Roll" is on life support. Again. "If I had a million dollars..."

Memorable elevator scenes. Even "Vanilla Sky" is represented.

Dwight Yoakam and the Bakersfield sound. A proud Ohio State dropout. If you listen to anything here, make it "This Drinkin' Will Kill Me".

Sinead O'Connor is still mad at the Pope. Not the old Pope, the new guy.

Chris Matthews got healthcare wrong. Really wrong. It is train-wreck hilarious.

The Onion seems to not like Brady Quinn. Like TBS, very funny.

Exercise Yard

The Preakness wises up. Attendance dropped last year, so how to bring the kids back? The $20 bottomless mug of beer!

Visitor

47 Across: Obama attorney general Eric (6 letters) Answer: Holder

I finally made it to new Capitol Theatre on 65th. My Dad and I saw the latest Coen Brothers movie, "A Serious Man". Big crowd of 10. A movie on two fronts. "Every act has a consequence", it seemed, and what life was probably like for Jews living in Minnesota during the late sixties, an autobiographical nod from the Coens.

After a lengthy tale to start, in Yiddish with subtitles, the strains of Jefferson Airplane can be heard. They did a magnificent job with props and set design. A can of Orange Hi-C, a calendar on the wall with big black numbers and red for holidays, a Mustang in a driveway, "F Troop" on TV, the Columbia Record Club, all spot on.

Some of these actors you've seen, others you have not. But the casting again was terrific. This is one of those movies that grows on you and definitely you can have fun thinking about it and all its possibilities. Will be making lots of year-end best lists.

BTW, the Capitol has free popcorn on Tuesdays and a nice concession area. Our film was upstairs, where the theatre seats 131. No reclining chairs or cup holders, but pretty comfy. Might get a little cramped with a full house though.

Meal of Links

Bad Chinese. In Copenhagen.

"Rain Man" dies. Kmart still sucks.

Jeff Probst agrees. Russell got screwed.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

What a cheesy Christmas set. I mean, the effect is dulled when the camera pulls back. I think Dino could sing this song in his sleep. And, after watching this video, he may have actually done it. Hey, Dean, watch that cig, will ya?

"It's time to play, it's a whipped cream day..."

"A Marshmallow World"/Dean Martin



Exercise Yard

These are the types of things that are threatened, but rarely happen. The Belmont Stakes is in jeopardy.

For years I heard the Preakness would move from Pimlico or Pimlico would shut down. Yet, every May, I see the Preakness run at Pimlico.

Visitor

14 Across: Actor Arkin (4 letters) Answer: Adam (Oddly enough, he was in "A Serious Man".)

Old habits die hard, I guess. Even though I did not bet this year, I still watched the Breeders Cup. It was at Santa Anita and that means you get to see the Turf Sprint, which kind of has that "over the river and through the woods" vibe going. California Flag took that in a romp.

The highlight for me was picking Vale of York in the Juvenile, which was a nice 31-1 pick. And although Zenyatta and her Girl Power victory over the boys in the Classic was the best story of the day, the announce crew was so over the top during the prerace, I thought they should have just installed a Zenyatta Cam as a feature. Good grief! She has these funny, pawing at the dirt moves with her front hoof and, of course, that led to a "Dancing With The Stars" clip with that Len guy. Terrific close by Zenyatta, though.

That race was also marred by a horrible loading of the horse, Quality Road, into the starting gate. They even said he was a Juvenile Delinquent before the race, but they put the hood on him to load him and then all hell broke loose. Call me silly, but I don't think he liked the hood! He became the first ever gate scratch in the history of the Breeders Cup.

The Best Race In America...the Turf Sprint at Santa Anita



Quality Road says, "Oh, no, you dint!"



Zenyatta Beats The Boys



Meal of Links

Yep, he's my Congressman. Dennis Kucinich votes, once again, with his head. Check out the other Democratic No votes. Many of those Democrats are in districts that McCain carried in 2008 with huge margins.

It's TubeRadio. This sorts through videos on YouTube and you can make your own video playlists. I decided I hadn't heard "Squonk" in a while. And it found it and stored it easily.

Do we really need snoods? Skorts? OK, I guess. Sporks, yes. Snoods? Not so sure.

Exercise Yard

Today was a day I crammed in a lot of stuff. For instance, this morning, I watched Chelsea-Manchester United. I'm glad someone else noticed this besides me. I actually replayed it a few times and laughed each time.

BTW, Chelsea won, One-Nil.

Visitor

None, on what may have been the last great weather Sunday of the year.

Methinks I've done it now. While going through some paperwork this a.m., I realized the last church envelopes I received were in February. Uh-oh. Hopefully, just a cost-saving measure and not Step One in some sort of ritual I am unaware.

Meal of Links

A Clint Eastwood primer. very good stuff here.

Dexter now has his own bobblehead. If Grady Sizemore can drive a car and Shin-Soo Choo wear a suit for their bobbleheads, Dex can certainly hold a bloody knife. Behind his back.

The Philippines have attacked a MILF base. MILFs say, "No way." They were probably making a porno.

D-Day today.

This made me laugh out loud last night.

"Hi, Jesus!"



Exercise Yard

The pick in today's Belmont is: Charitable Man

So, there will be no Calvin Crown this year.

Drew Carey. Soccer savior.

Visitor

17 Across: 200-mph swooper (15 letters) Answer: Peregrine Falcon

As I watched the Preakness yesterday, the one thing that stood out aside from the race was a shot from the blimp. It appeared that hardly anyone was in the infield. And that was the backstory of the race, attendance dropped 35,000 in one year. Many issues abound. Maryland horse racing has been in turmoil for years regarding slots, the track owner is in bankruptcy, horse racing dying, etc.

But the main reason for the attendance drop...lack of beer. Or should I say a lack of bringing your own beer. The infield had been known as a knockdown, drag out beerfest and this year ownership said nope, it's over. They decided to charge $3.50 for a 16-oz. Bud (incredibly reasonable for any sporting event in America, I might add. FYI, Cleveland State charged $5 this past season) and $1 Bud Lights in the morning and no one showed up. I guess they thought security would limit the amount of beer you could drink. Gee, they should go to a Browns game.

As for the race itself, it was historic. The filly, Rachel Alexandra won, beating the Derby winner, Mine That Bird, who was flying at the end. Another strange thing. That exacta, 13-2, paid $39.20, and to get that price for two of the top favorites seemed like stealing to me.

The Belmont remains a puzzle. I think Mine That Bird goes. To hear RA's jockey, Calvin Borel, talk after the race, not sure about her chances. And trainer Steve Asmussen has a Horse of the Year contender and probably sits out. Third place finisher, Musket Man, will not go either. BTW, Borel becomes to first jockey to win two Triple Crowns races in the same year with different mounts.

Meal of Links

Two employees were caught peeing in Old Faithful. That's some geyser.

"It's All Pipes"



Terry Pluto just figured out the Browns can't run the ball nor defend the run. Uh, where's he been?

Iggy does Christmas.

Woman was arrested for not holding an escalator rail. Happened in Montreal.

Churches as small businesses. Pretty high fail rate.

The Indians finally cut the cord with Masa Kobayashi. Hopefully, he goes elsewhere to pitch and not back to Columbus. Do you realize we had a club option on this stiff for 2010? One of the worst signings of the Shapiro Era. Basically bid against themselves for a guy who was not even the closer in his final half-season in Japan. They could have asked his manager, Booby Valentine. He speaks English. As I've said ad nauseum, the fans were sold a bill of goods on this guy. David Dellucci now assumes the hot seat. If Travis Hafner's rehab goes well, he's done.

To replace Masa, the Tribe called up David Huff. Only this past week, I heard Huff was not throwing as hard as the Indians would like, still topping out at 89.

James A. Garfield lost his head. His statue had just been moved to Hiram and he became headless 24 hours later. In the PD, the Hiram President curiously defended students as being the culprits. Huh?

Exercise Yard

Manchester United wins the EPL. Again.

Randy Lerner's Other Team really spit the bit at the midway mark. They have only won 2 league games since February 1.

Next week, it's the final week of the season. Therefore, relegation time. Newcastle is the biggest team in the drop zone.

Visitor

None, it's a cool sunny Sunday.

Well, wouldn't you know the horse I chose for the Kentucky Derby actually became the favorite. The previous favorite, I Want Revenge, wanted no part of a muddy track, and was scratched. So, with the track turning up wet, all eyes looked toward Friesan Fire, an AP Indy horse, to win. Um, that didn't happen. The favorite in this race almost always never comes through.

It was a slow half-mile in 47-and-change, when I saw Friesan Fire in about 6th, just off the pace. A good spot, I thought. Then he disappeared like Keyser Soze, WTF? What I didn't know was, see, he stepped on himself at the start. So, he hurt pretty much bled through that half-mile before spitting the bit. Friesan Fire eventually finished 18th, probably walking at the finish. I pity the fool who finished behind him.

Mine That Bird, a 50-1 shot, had the ride of his lifetime and was the winner. The second-biggest upset in Derby history. We'll see if they load up the van and head for the Preakness. That race was not in the cards before the Derby, I assure you.

However, the Preakness might be a great betting race if Mine That Bird shows up. if you hated him at 50-1 this week, you may really hate him as a favorite (or second or third choice) in two weeks.

Meal of Links

This might change the Internets forever. It's called Wolfram Alpha. I think it sounds fascinating.

Tiananmen Square, twenty years later. I still recall Dan Rather, outside of a TV truck, on the air until they pulled the plug on him.

Why does it take the NBA three weekends to finish their first round of playoffs, then immediately put the second round into hockey mode. That is, every other day. Very strange and they've been doing it for years. Cavs-Hawks schedule. What the hell, another look at LeBron (Virtually everyone I ask about this ad remembers the exact play):



Old Farts Making You Smile



Senator Schumer wants New York State maple syrup to be used at the IHOP. By God, what's good for Vermont, is good for New York. A couple of weeks ago, I was hankering for pancakes so bad, I went to The Big Egg. And they were good.

Exercise Yard

Saw the Pacquiao-Hatton fight on...shhh...YouTube, of all places, en espanol. I have been solidly behind Manny Pacquiao for many years and relish this type of fight, where he gets to box the overhyped Ricky Hatton. My goodness, the crowd was amped for this one. Of course, Hatton's followers show up, but Pacquiao has somehow over the years united Filipinos, Mexicans and Los Americanos in his corner.

Pacquiao figured out Hatton in about, oh, 90 seconds or so. He put him down 2 minutes in with a big right hand and followed up with another knockdown before the end of the first round. Uh, that's Pacquiao, 10-7, on your scorecard at home. Then near the end of the second round, BAM, left hand to chin. Game over!

With Floyd Mayweather, Jr., coming out of retirement (or is it recession?), Pacquiao-Mayweather looms in the future. Pacquiao truly is a gift from the boxing gods.

Visitor

None, a nice May day.

Today is always one of the best days of the year. The men in my family came over for another viewing of The Breeders Cup. This event now incorporates two days of racing. Friday is for the ladies, Saturday is for the Men. So, we men watched six hours of horse racing from Santa Anita, where it was a nice 92 degrees with no fires locally.

Didn't bet this year, as I really had watched very little racing since the Triple Crown and hardly read anything this week. But the juices got flowing while watching some races a few weeks ago and I suggested we put the big TV to work today. The broadcast was split between ABC and ESPN. My God, ABC's bass was working terribly. I could not figure out if this was a Channel 5 problem, an ABC problem, or a Time Warner Cable issue. Anyhow, the sound was incredibly bad and I could not wait for 3:30 to come around to see the rest of the races on ESPN. The sound issue went away, thank goodness, on ESPN. But that sound issue remained a problem throughout the Michigan-Michigan State and Ohio State-Penn State games on ABC, so I have no idea who was at the switch.

Since the racing was from Santa Anita, we get Trevor Denman and his "Away they go." calls. he did a much better job this year. And even without wagering, you get to see the most unique venue for a race in the States. And that is the turf course at Santa Anita where they employ the hill. When they start the race on TV, you don't even think you're watching a race from the same course. It's almost like "over the river and through the woods" racing. They used it for one race today, a 6-1/2 furlong sprint on the grass, where Richard Migliore, "The Mig", won on Desert Code:

Breeders Cup Turf Sprint



Later on, of course, they asked Frankie Dettori, a European jockey, about the difference between American grass and European grass, where I always get to reply: "I'd say it's less harsh." Oh, we said many jokes today.

Here's Frankie leaping after one of his two wins:



























You know, in his younger days, Dettori used to really get up in the air on these, where it could be legitimately called a flying dismount. Looking at this picture, it looks goofy, as if he tripped getting out of the saddle or something. Hopefully, it's the camera angle. I fear it is age creeping in, however.

Since it was near Hollywood, we saw: Kurt Russell, Dennis Hopper, Turtle, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Bo Derek (still gettin' it done, BTW), Ahnold, Gary Player, Stacy Kiebler, the All-Star Buglers (with "Bohemian Rhapsody" before a call to the post) to name a few.

But we had lots of fun this year and hope to attend Churchill two years from now. Hell, it's back in Santa Anita next year and hey, let's think about that one, while we're at it.

Meal of Links

Halloween candy is purchased. Here is the list:

Butterfinger
100 Grand
Milky Way
Dark Chocolate 3 Musketeers with Mint
Snickers

Speaking of Halloween. Try your hand at Cat Bowling.

Sarah Palin is a "diva". That quote comes from the McCain camp, incidentally.

Check out O'Reilly's Electoral Map. Hahahahahahahahaha!

Unlimited solar power. Wouldn't that be nice. Somehow cheap and easy to implement sounds good, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Exercise Yard

This is what makes boxing so interesting, you never know. ShoBox had a fight on last night with a finish that looked very fishy.

The ref explains himself.



Visitor

28 Down: "The Getaway" actress (10 letters) Answer: Ali MacGraw

Barack Obama finally wrapped up (I think) the Democratic nomination last night. Why all the talk of Hillary Clinton as Vice President? I've heard commentary on her "demands", ranging from paying off campaign debt, becoming VP, or even getting a seat on the Supreme Court.

Any demands on issues are probably moot, because on most things, they are close ideologically. But the sense that she is "owed" something by the Obama campaign honks me off. I think she'll get a well-deserved timeslot at the convention, help with debt and that's really about it. The focus needs to turn to McCain, who has stumbled along these past few months, with hardly a rebuke of any sort from the D's.

Time to get busy on November.

Speaking of November, this guy hates Joe Lieberman.

Meal of Links

The 100 Greatest Movie Posters. Lots of good ones here. I've always liked "Straw Dogs". Look at the juxtaposition of Nicholson in "The Last Detail" and "About Schmidt". Check out Deneuve on that "Belle De Jour" poster. Hot!

I watched a few "family Guy" episodes on TBS this week. I understand advertising other shows with graphics, some with motion, during the broadcast. But these Bill Engvall ads cross the line. Twenty minutes into each "Family Guy", he strolls on from the left with a remote and pauses the program, so you can hear him talk. Then a commercial ensues shortly thereafter. Extremely annoying.

Vanity Fair has another interesting article. No, not about Gina Gershon, but how the web was won.

Exercise Yard

They drew posts for the Belmont. Big Brown drew post position 1. Since there has been no Triple Crowns in the last 30 years (and I thought that chatter between Citation and Secretariat was getting old), the talk turns to ganging up on Big Brown.

Visitor

1 Across: Network with the slogan "very funny" (3 letters) Answer: TBS (except for those Bill Engvall ads)