Month: May 2009 (Page 11 of 61)

      Calvin Borel to switch back to Mine That Bird for Belmont?

      May 27, 2009 /

      The 2009 Belmont Stakes, which is the third and final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, is still a couple weeks away (June 6 to be exact), but the big news surrounding the race so far is that Preakness winner Rachael Alexandra might not run.

      Apparently trainer Steve Smussen and majority owner Jess Jackson are leaning against running filly Rachael Alexandra in the Belmont since she has already had a long spring campaign and she has nothing left to prove after beating the boys at the Preakness.

      So what will Preakness-winning jockey Calvin Borel do for a ride then? Well, look no further than the horse he rode to victory at the Kentucky derby – Mine that Bird.

      Getting back to Borel, with Rachael Alexandra an uncertainty for the Belmont Stakes, he can continue his quest for a personel Triple Crown aboard Mine That Bird, because there is certainty that trainer “Chip” Worrel Jr. and owner Mark Allen would love to reunite Borel with Mine That Bird. One more intriguing scenario exists for Borel, in that if somehow Mine That Bird and Rachael Alexandra don’t run in the Belmont Stakes, then what if Calvin picks up a new mount for the Belmont Stakes and wins aboard him. That would be an incredible Triple Crown, to win all three races on three different horses! One for the ages, and most likely never be done again.

      This might not be a big deal to some, but a jockey winning the Triple Crown on three different horses would be quite the feat. Personally, I hope Rachael Alexandra runs at the Belmont, because she could be one of the best fillies to ever race and it would be a shame if she missed two of three Triple Crown legs.

      General Sports

      Is the clock ticking for Cubs to acquire Peavy?

      May 27, 2009 /

      If the Cubs are interested in acquiring ace Jake Peavy from the Padres, the clock could be ticking on the opportunity.

      Peavy said he would waive his no-trade option to join either the Cubs or Dodgers, but San Diego seemingly doesn’t want to deal the ace to someone in their division, so that would leave Chicago as their best trade partner at this point, unless another team emerges (Milwaukee?) in the upcoming days/weeks.

      But according to Daily Herald’s Barry Rozner, if the Padres can’t move Peavy’s contract off their books soon, then they might begin “offloading salaries” and if they do that, then they might as well just keep their top pitcher.

      The Cubs and Peavy seem like an excellent match, but as I recently wrote in my latest column, if Chicago is going to trade for anything right now it would probably be another bat. Milton Bradley has been dismal, Aramis Ramirez is on the DL and Derrek Lee has been as inconsistent as ever.

      The Cubs’ starters on the other hand, have been solid. Ted Lilly and Ryan Dempster have pitched well, Carlos Zambrano just got off the DL and Randy Wells has been a pleasant surprised as a fill-in for injured starters.

      So why give up prospects to add Peavy to a rotation that’s already good enough to win? The timing is off for the Cubs, which means in the end they could inevitably pass on the opportunity to trade for Peavy.

      NFL

      Vikings DT Pat Williams calls out Tarvaris Jackson

      May 27, 2009 /

      If Tarvaris Jackson wants to win the starting quarterback job for the Vikings, he’s going to have to work harder – or so says teammate Pat Williams.

      Jackson is locked in a fight for the starting quarterback job with Sage Rosenfels, and he has been put on notice by Williams, an outspoken team leader.

      “I talk to Tarvaris all the time (and) tell him you have to put in the time,” Williams said recently on Sirius NFL Radio. “This ain’t college no more. This is the NFL. You have to put in more time than you are used to putting in. If you are putting in four hours, you have to put in eight. You have to put in more time than what he’s doing. I think if he puts the right time in, he will be a great quarterback in the league.”

      Williams is one of the most respected veterans in the Vikings’ locker room, so the Pro Bowler’s comments carry significant weight. Jackson played poorly in Minnesota’s first-round playoff loss to Philadelphia last season, throwing a critical interception that was returned for a touchdown.

      “I told him if he comes we will open our arms to you, and if you don’t we understand,” Williams said.

      “He’s a hall of famer, and no one can take that from him. He’s still one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play.”

      Jackson should take Williams’ advice to heart, although I don’t know how much clout Williams has these days since he’s about to be suspended four games for violating the league’s substance absue policy.

      It seems as though there’s a lot of quarterbacks who make it to the NFL and try to rely on their natural ability to carry them instead of putting in the work. Michael Vick is just one example. He didn’t start putting the extra work in until the summer he got hauled away to jail on federal dog fighting charges. Had Vick put in the extra time at the start, maybe he would have spent his offseasons in the film room instead of in dog fighting rings. (Or maybe not considering he seemed to really, really like dog fighting.)

      The classic example of a quarterback who has always put in the preparation time is Peyton Manning, and the Colts have not missed the playoffs since his rookie year in ’98. Jackson might not have Manning’s ability, but there’s no excuse for him not to put in just as much work – especially considering he’s toeing the line of being a starting NFL quarterback and a developmental No. 2.

      NFL

      Is Rosenhaus to blame for Boldin’s situation with Cardinals?

      May 27, 2009 /

      According to a report by the Arizona Republic, agent Drew Rosenhaus is apparently to blame for the mess that currently is Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin’s contract situation.

      Boldin is under contract for two more years with the Cardinals, at $2.75 million this year and $3 million in 2010, a deal Rosenhaus renegotiated in 2005.

      Rosenhaus pushed for a new deal, however, after the Cardinals re-signed Fitzgerald to a four-year, $40 million extension before last season. The Cardinals told Boldin they would try to oblige but first had to attend to new deals for Dansby and Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson.

      Boldin, under advice from Rosenhaus, demanded a trade last summer and said he would never re-sign with the Cardinals. His position softened in the ensuing months and, after helping the Cardinals reach Super Bowl XLIII, dialogue resumed about a new contract.

      But through it all, Boldin’s reputation took a hit, although his performance on the field never came into question. He finished the 2008 regular season with 89 receptions for 1,038 yards and 11 touchdowns.

      If this is true, it would make sense why Boldin plans to fire Rosenhaus and is now seeking new representation. Maybe Boldin would be willing to take a modest pay raise (whatever that entails) from the Cards, but Rosenhaus kept pushing for more. Either way, with Rosenhaus out of the way it seems like Boldin is a safe bet to stay in AZ. In fact, Boldin might even report to minicamp sometime this week as a sign of good faith to the team.

      NFL

      Magic take care of business in Game 4

      May 26, 2009 /

      Despite some poor play down the stretch in regulation, the Magic survived another test from the Cavs, winning Game 4, 116-114, in overtime.

      The Magic had a six-point lead with 4:18 to go in the fourth quarter before this series of possessions:

      3:28 Hedo Turkoglu misses 13-foot jumper
      3:15 Rafer Alston misses 25-foot three point jumper
      2:55 Hedo Turkoglu traveling
      2:29 Rafer Alston bad pass (Anderson Varejao steals)
      2:03 Mickael Pietrus misses 24-foot three point jumper
      1:43 Dwight Howard misses free throw 1 of 2
      1:43 Dwight Howard makes free throw 2 of 2
      1:10 Rafer Alston misses 24-foot three point jumper
      0:45 Hedo Turkoglu misses 25-foot three point jumper
      0:07 Mickael Pietrus misses 24-foot three point jumper

      So in those nine possessions, the Magic scored one point (Howard’s free throw) on 0-6 shooting from the field and two turnovers. They found themselves trailing by a point with four seconds to play. Then Rashard Lewis hit a very difficult three pointer to give the Magic a two-point lead. It’s quite tough for a right-handed player to square up on his right foot and make a long shot like he did. On the Cavs next possession, LeBron took the ball to the hole and got the call when he collided with Mickael Pietrus in the lane. He hit both free throws to force overtime.

      In the extra period, it was the Dwight Howard show. He posted 10 points, including two clutch free throws with 0:21 to play to give the Magic a four-point lead. On the Cavs’ next possession, he had an amazing block on LeBron’s drive to the rim. The extra period was a defining moment for Orlando’s big man.

      With the Cavs trailing 3-1, it’s looking like there’s a good chance that we won’t see that Lakers/Cavs matchup that everyone was expecting. Howard and Co. have used this supposed inevitability as motivation and they now have a great shot at making the Finals.

      For Cleveland, LeBron isn’t getting much help. If you remove his field goal attempts from the equation, the rest of the Cavs have made 90 of 220 shots (41%) in the series, and that’s poor accuracy given how much attention the defense is paying to the Cavs’ superstar. Mo Williams is averaging 17.3 points per game in the series, but he’s not scoring efficiently. He went 5 of 15 from the field in Game 4, which puts him at just over 32% for the series. That’s not going to get it done.

      The Cavs have two of the last three games at home. If they can get a win in Game 5, the pressure is back on the Magic, who will treat Game 6 like it’s a Game 7 — they won’t want to go back to Cleveland. The series definitely isn’t over, but the fat lady is stage right warming up those vocal cords.

      NBA, NBA Finals

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