A Look Back: 1999 Belmont Stakes

Jockey Jose Santos after winning the Belmont Stakes ten years ago aboard Lemon Drop Kid, his first win in a Triple Crown race. Santos denied the Crown bid of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Charismatic in this race. (Photo courtesy of UPI - you can see a video of this race by clicking here)The 131st running of the...

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Nadal Loses For First Time At Roland Garros

Sweden's Robin Soderling, seeded 23rd in French Open, walks away with biggest upset in tournament as he knocks out top-seeded Rafael Nadal in four-set round of 16 matchup, handing Nadal his first loss ever in Paris. (Photo courtesy of London Times Online)The king is dead, long live the king. At least for another year.Rafael...

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#88 Team No Longer All In The Family

Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes to the track earlier in the season behind the wheel of his Hendrick Motorsports #88 Chevrolet. Earnhardt will have a new crew chief atop his pit box this Sunday at Dover, as former head wrench Tony Eury Jr. has been replaced. (Photo courtesy of Jayski.com)What was expected to be a move that defined...

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Rachel Out; Borel Back On Bird

Rachel Alexandra (second horse from left) holds off Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird to take Preakness, but filly will not be back for an encore in next Saturday's Belmont Stakes. (Photo courtesy of BBC News)After riding him to an improbable Kentucky Derby win and then riding against him to win the Preakness, Calvin...

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Rockies Attempt To Jump Hurdle By Starting Over

Clint Hurdle, who led Colorado to its only World Series just two years ago, was fired by Rockies today. Bench coach Jim Tracy will replace Hurdle. (Photo courtesy of New York Times)Two years ago, the Colorado Rockies had a sensational end to the regular season, capped off by a win in their winner-take-all playoff game...

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Bird Looks To Take Flight In Belmont

Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird arrives at Pimlico with trainer Chip Woolley, eventually finishing second to Rachel Alexandra. With the filly undecided in regard to running in Belmont, Mine That Bird could be prohibitive favorite in Saturday's final leg of Triple Crown. (Photo courtesy of New York Daily News)No horse...

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Deja Vu In Motown

Henrik Zetterberg, who won Conn Smythe Trophy during Red Wings' march to Stanley Cup championship last year, must help his team overcome adversity and injuries as they meet Pittsburgh for second straight year in Cup Finals. (Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated)Alexander Ovechkin doesn't play in the Western Conference...

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Stan The Man For Magic

Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy has every reason to enjoy life right now, as his Orlando squad is just one win away from franchise's second Eastern Conference championship. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)Ever since he broke into the NBA head coaching ranks with the Miami Heat, there are many people that still believe Stan Van...

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New York State Of Mind

Mark Teixeira makes his Yankee Stadium debut during his introductory press conference in January. Four months later, Teixeira is hitting .275 with 15 home runs and 39 RBI for Yankees, who are tied with Red Sox for first place in AL East. (Photo courtesy of Newsday)It took over a year, but the New York Yankees are back...

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Jay Talks To Sixers But Will Stay At 'Nova

After guiding Villanova to its first Final Four appearance since 1985, Jay Wright will return to the Main Line, despite speaking to Philadelphia 76ers regarding their head coaching vacancy. (Photo courtesy of Washington Post)Jay Wright flirted with the NBA, but apparently the chemistry isn't strong enough for a second...

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Nuggets Ready To Get Raw With WWE

WWE chairman Vince McMahon is in a real-life storyline, this time against the Denver Nuggets; who are preparing to play Game 4 of Western Conference finals on their home court as the Pepsi Center on Monday night, even though McMahon has booked the arena for "WWE Monday Night Raw." (Photo courtesy of USA Today)His past...

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L.A. Looks Like New Home For The Blake Show

Oklahoma's Blake Griffin drives past eventual national champion Tyler Hansbrough and North Carolina during NCAA Tournament. Griffin is likely headed to Los Angeles to begin his pro career after Clippers won last night's draft lottery. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)The City of Angels may be welcoming another gifted basketball...

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Magic Look To Knock Someone Else Off The Throne

They may be teammates at the All-Star Game, but LeBron James (left) and Dwight Howard (right) are adversaries this week, as Cavaliers and Magic face off in Eastern Conference finals starting tomorrow night in Cleveland. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)The Orlando Magic have already survived a scare from Philadelphia in the first...

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Yanks Celebrate With A Coke & Two Six-Packs

Phil Coke picks up his first career save in Yankees' 7-6 win over Twins, the sixth straight victory for Bombers. (Photo courtesy of New York Daily News)Six was the number of the day for the New York Yankees last night at the Stadium.Six, as in the number of runs the Bombers scored in the first inning, or even the number...

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Damon Gets His Piece Of Walk-Off Pie

Johnny Damon became third consecutive Yankee to win game for Bombers with a walk-off hit, as his 10th-inning home run off Minnesota's Jesse Crain gave Yanks a 3-2 win over the Twins, their fifth consecutive victory. (Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated) Add Johnny Damon to the list of Yankee heroes; and while you're at...

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Kane Not Inclined To Stand Pat vs. Wings

Chicago Blackhawks make their return to Western Conference finals, where they will face reigning Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. Above, Chicago's team leaders: captain Jonathan Toews (19) and last year's Calder Trophy winner, Patrick Kane. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)It's been forty-eight years since the Chicago Blackhawks...

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Wayman Tisdale: 1964-2009

Wayman Tisdale, regarded to be among greatest players in history of Oklahoma's basketball program, died today after a long battle with cancer. He was 44. (Photo courtesy of SoonerSports.com)When he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma two years ago, Blake Griffin donned number 23, which had been retired for legendary...

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13 Set To Go In Preakness

Jockey Calvin Borel guides Rachel Alexandra to a record 20 1/4-length win in Kentucky Oaks on May 1st. Now in the stable of Steve Asmussen, the filly is morning-line favorite for Saturday's Preakness. (Photo courtesy of Fox Sports)If Mine That Bird is to continue his path to the Triple Crown, he will need to do it from...

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30 Rocks For Zimmerman During Hitting Streak

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman may not be the first name you think of at his position, but he's certainly one of the better ones, and it has nothing to do with his current 30-game hitting streak. (Photo courtesy of Washington Post)At a position that is dominated by the likes of Alex Rodriguez and David Wright,...

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Anaheim Ducks Elimination; Forces Game 7

Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood stops Anaheim's Corey Perry during Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series. Perry got the better of Osgood last night, however, scoring the game-winning goal in Ducks' 2-1 win over Detroit to force a seventh game at the Joe Louis Arena. (Photo courtesy of Reuters)The Stanley Cup...

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Martin Still Making His Mark At 50

Mark Martin takes the checkered flag in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix last month. Through 11 races this season, the 50-year-old Martin is 11th in points, with two wins, the latest coming in Saturday night's Southern 500. (Photo courtesy of ABC News)Hendrick Motorsports has four wins in the first eleven races of...

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Damon Johnny On The Spot For Struggling Yanks

Johnny Damon connects for a home run for Yankees. This year, Damon has been consistent for Yanks, with nine home runs and 25 runs batted in during his contract year. (Photo courtesy of New York Daily News)It seems like the story is the same every year for the New York Yankees. An injured star leaves a gaping hole in the...

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Chuck Daly: 1930-2009

Coach Chuck Daly with the "Dream Team," the 1992 United States Olympic basketball team, which became the first professional squad to win a gold medal. Daly lost his battle with pancreatic cancer this morning at the age of 78. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)After a memorable career that included two NBA championships and an...

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Manny's Sideshow Act Canceled For 50 Games

Manny Ramirez slides into home plate with Los Angeles Dodgers. After today's revelation that he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, Manny won't be sliding anywhere anytime soon, except down the Hall of Fame ballot. Ramirez has been suspended 50 games, and will not be eligible to return to Los Angeles until...

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17 Again

The world famous 17th hole at the TPC of Sawgrass, known for its island green, is once again the center of attention as the PGA Tour tees off at The Players Championship, held on Pete Dye's Stadium course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo courtesy of Golf Digest)The leaderboard after the first day of The Players Championship...

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Party of Five

Just over a week after hitting a game-tying home run against Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth inning at Fenway Park, Jason Bay connects against Yankees once again, this time in the first against Joba Chamberlain last night at Yankee Stadium.  Boston beat the Bombers 7-3 for their fifth consecutive victory...

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Brett's Latest Saga Is Favre From Over

Brett Favre during one of the better moments of his career after winning Super Bowl XXXI with Green Bay Packers.  After being a part of latest Jets collapse last season and then announcing his retirement, Favre will meet with Vikings head coach Brad Childress later this week, the latest step in yet another comeback....

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NBA Royalty Has A New Title

LeBron James takes flight during last summer's Olympic Games in Beijing, where he helped Team USA win its first gold medal since 2000.  Yesterday, the Cavaliers forward was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player, the first time he has earned that honor.  (Photo courtesy of NBA.com)LeBron James may not have a championship...

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Preakness Is Even More Wide Open Than Derby

Big Brown coasts to victory in last year's Preakness under Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux. This year, the middle leg of the Triple Crown will not feature a prohibitive favorite, especially after Mine That Bird lit up the board in yesterday's Kentucky Derby. (Photo courtesy of Daily Racing Form)In recent years, the...

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A Bird In The Hand Is Worth $2 Million In The Bush

Jockey Calvin Borel is pumped up as he guides 50-1 shot Mine That Bird to smashing 6 3/4 length upset win in yesterday's Kentucky Derby. Mine That Bird paid $103.20 to win, the second-highest win payout in the history of the Run for the Roses. (Photo courtesy of New York Times)All week, the Kentucky Derby had been a wide-open...

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This Derby Is Anyone's Game

From top to bottom are the favorites in this year's Kentucky Derby: Florida Derby runner-up Dunkirk, (photo courtesy of ESPN) Louisiana Derby winner Friesan Fire, (photo courtesy of ESPN) and Wood Memorial winner I Want Revenge, the 3-1 morning line favorite. (Photo courtesy of NBC)The 135th Kentucky Derby goes to the...

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Raging Bulls Look To Stampede Over Champs

Bulls guard Derrick Rose drives over Celtics' Ray Allen in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Rookie of the Year Rose and Chicago take on the Celtics tomorrow night in deciding seventh game at TD Banknorth Garden. (Photo courtesy of Chicago Sun-Times)It looks like history is repeating itself for the Boston...

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Backlash Against Plates Is Unrestricted

Carl Edwards is used to being in the air, doing a backflip after he wins. However, he's not usually in this position, as his Aflac Ford flips at Talladega on the final lap of Sunday's Aaron's 499, where Brad Keselowski (foreground) drives away for his first Sprint Cup Series win. (Photo courtesy of Newsday)"We're going...

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Yanks' Young Guns Keep Them In Shooting Range

Ramiro Pena (top) gets first runs batted in of his major league career in Yankees' 7-4 win over Angels last night at Yankee Stadium, just after Melky Cabrera (bottom) breaks 4-4 tie with bases-loaded single in eighth inning. Bombers have now won three in a row after snapping a four-game losing streak. (Both photos courtesy...

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