My4Albany

The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow. And while I can't guarentee I can give you the winner...I can guarentee something about what will happen in horse racing/ media circles over the next 5-weeks (I've gotten this one right for the last 25 years).

a) A horse will win the Derby

b) The racing media (or what there is of one) will begin touting the winner as a Triple Crown contender

c) The Derby winner will either lose the Preakness or the Belmont...or get injured along the way...or his handlers will realize the horse they have is now move valuable to them as a breeder than a runner and will rest him, fearing injury.

This is a lock. Take it to any bank you choose. FDIC insurance not necessary. And that scenario...in a nutshell...is what has killed the overall populaity of thoroughbred racing. The good horses don't race long enough or often enough to capture the fancy of the American public or the mainstream media. Horse racing has become a niche sport.

And I've been around long enough to remember when that WASN'T the case. When people...regular people...followed the sport year 'round to the point that they could name the half dozen top contenders for the Derby weeks before the first Saturday in May.

I challenge you to do that today. And racing has no one to blame but itself. The greed of the individal owners and trainers has turned a once great industry into an after thought.

Sure...millions will watch tomorrow...but more out of curiosity than passion. And without passion...from the fans and the insiders...no sport can survive...let alone thrive.

And, oh, by the way...there will NEVER be another Triple Crown winner. Never. That's the best bet of all.

As for my pick: This is the most wide-open field of average 3 year olds in recent Derby memory. Because of that I'm temped to triple box every horse in the field...and root for longshots (it'll cost you a bundle...but pay an even larger bundle).

But if you are of limited resourse (and a little more cautious) here's the Triple to run with:

Pyro, Colonial John, Z Fortune.

 Enjoy "the ONLY 2 minutes in racing" that anyone cares about.

By the way....before I go...let me get this straight: 15 year old Mylie Cyrus poses suggestively for Vanity Fair and now she and all her handlers are upset that the pictures are out. Please...don't fall for this thinly-veiled publicity stunt. Her people are trying to lay the ground work for the next move into a more mature phases of her career. This is an embarrassing strategy for everyone involved...especailly those of you who are falling for it.

Another major black eye for The Sport of Kings. Or so that's how the death of the filly Eight Belles is being treated by the national media. It didn't take more than a few minutes following the collapse and subsequent euthanization of Eight Belles on the track at Churchill Downs on Saturday for the questions begin...most of them coming from reporters and commentators who couldn't tell the back end of a horse from the front.

Did Eight Belles breakdown because she was a girl running against guys?

Are dirt-surface race tracks too hard and therefore dangerous for thoroughbreds to run on?

(And this beauty) Shouldn't jockey Gabriel Saez have known something was wrong a pulled the horse up before she could injure herself?

Each of these questions...of course...ridiculous. And yet, not surprising. Whenever a race horse breaks down on the track it becomes a media event. And when it happens in a major race - forget it. It's headline news.

But here's the thing that everyone should have figured out by now: these incidents, as tragic and heartbreaking as they might be...are part of the game. They are...in war terms...collaterial damage. They aren't a necessary evil...but they are unavoidable. And for the public and the mainstream media to approach these relatively rare events as catastrophies is both naive and irresponsible.

Would it be great if thoroughbreds were indestructable...virtual machines covered with horse flesh...incapable of being injured? Of course. But...sorry folks...that's just not the case.

I would have hoped that...following the long, drawn-out Barbaro saga...the world would have finally have come to grips with the dangers associated with these thousand pound + animals running as fast as they can on those spindly legs...while carrying ahuman beings on their backs.

Horse racing isn't just the beauty and the pagentry and the colors and the tradition and the little kid on his father's shoulders watching the horses coming down the stretch and the 80 year old grandma hitting the superfecta playing her grandchildren's birthdays.  There's a dark side...and we saw it again on Saturday.

Horss racingis a rough sport. One that is not for the faint of heart.  And after what happened on Saturday maybe, just maybe, fans, casual observers and members of the media will finally realize that mand learn to deal with it. 

So...for the first time in his career...Kobe Bryant is the NBA's MVP. And he deserves the honor. Oh, you'll be hearing people making claims for Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett and a few others. And it's tough in the NBA to use the "If you took him off his team they'd be terrible" arguement because you can use that rationale with the best player on practically every team in the league. What would the Spurs be without Tim Duncan? A .500 team with no hope for the playoffs. Same with the Cavs and Lebron. But does that means those guys are legit MVP candidates? Of course not.

 Here's why Kobe deserves the award: beacuse not only is he "the most valuable player on the Lakers", and therefore without him they's be a joke. But he's also THE MOST TALENTED PLAYER in the league. That's a tough combination to overlook. In fact he's been the most talented player in the league for some time...but was never in position to also be the main driving force of a team capable of winning a championship.

The most amazing thing about all of this is that a few years ago Kobe Bryant was a mess. Rape allegations. Constant soap opera sagas with Shaq and Phil Jackson. Physical problems. And now here he is...the toast of the league.

Like him or not...you've got to give Kobe credit for the turn around. And if he finds a way to lead the Lakers to another NBA title...he will have cemented his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time. 

It is absolutely the right move by NY Buzz GM Nitty Singh to move her World Team Tennis team to Albany. While there is some great history in Schenectady...beginning with the OTB Tournament (which was one of the best sporting events this area ever enjoyed)...because of the nature of the WTT, an indoor facility is a must to make this franchise work.

No responsible team owner can leave the fate of the season in the hands on Mother Nature. One or two rain-outs (and heaven knows there are plenty of nights during each Capital Region summer when early-evening thunderstorms wreck outdoor plans) bring this franchise to it's knees.

Singh has teetered on disaster a few times during the existence of The Buzz. There was no reason for her to continue to roll the dice with, what is, a pretty good product.

As for the choice of the Armory - let's be honest - Singh didn't have much choice. The TUC is too large and too expensive. None of the indoor tennis centers have enough seating. And, like it or not, the Armory is a pretty central location. Parking? Clearly a problem. Security? An issue. Will suburban tennis fans from Clifton Park, Guilderland, et al venture into downtown Albany on a sweltering summer night (especially if they've seen any Spike Lee movies)? It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

My guess: for the marquee matches the crowds will come, while for the regular nights, crowds may be off a little bit from Central Park. (face it, one of the draws of the outdoor matches in Schenectady was being outside on a nice summer night).

But evening if attendance figures, overall, are down this season, that won't mean that moving the team was the wrong move. The Buzz, if they are going to survive, and thrive, need a secure home. And like it or not, that means a home with a roof.

It is absolutely the right move by NY Buzz GM Nitty Singh to move her World Team Tennis team to Albany. While there is some great history in Schenectady...beginning with the OTB Tournament (which was one of the best sporting events this area ever enjoyed)...because of the nature of the WTT, an indoor facility is a must to make this franchise work.

No responsible team owner can leave the fate of the season in the hands on Mother Nature. One or two rain-outs (and heaven knows there are plenty of nights during each Capital Region summer when early-evening thunderstorms wreck outdoor plans) bring this franchise to it's knees.

Singh has teetered on disaster a few times during the existence of The Buzz. There was no reason for her to continue to roll the dice with, what is, a pretty good product.

As for the choice of the Armory - let's be honest - Singh didn't have much choice. The TUC is too large and too expensive. None of the indoor tennis centers have enough seating. And, like it or not, the Armory is a pretty central location. Parking? Clearly a problem. Security? An issue. Will suburban tennis fans from Clifton Park, Guilderland, et al venture into downtown Albany on a sweltering summer night (especially if they've seen any Spike Lee movies)? It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

My guess: for the marquee matches the crowds will come, while for the regular nights, crowds may be off a little bit from Central Park. (face it, one of the draws of the outdoor matches in Schenectady was being outside on a nice summer night).

But evening if attendance figures, overall, are down this season, that won't mean that moving the team was the wrong move. The Buzz, if they are going to survive, and thrive, need a secure home. And like it or not, that means a home with a roof.

Don't you love how The Players Championship has become the 5th major. Well, sorry guys, it just isn't. It may be the best/most important tournament on the PGA Tour AFTER the 4 majors, but it's NOT a major.

That being said, I feel really good for Sergio Garcia. I've always like Sergio and have been waiting, along with millions of others, for him to blossom into a superstar and a legitimate challenger to Tiger's reign as the greatest in the world.

Never happened. Never will happen. But Sunday at Sawgrass Garcia finally got it done in the big spot. Yes, he needed the tournament leader - Paul Goydos - to choke down the stretch and then find the water on the first playoff hole, But that's the kind of finish we'd come to expect from Sergio.

Instead, he made some huge putts late and was able to hit the island green in OT, while the journeyman Goydos was swimming with the fishes (literally and figuratively). Well done, Sergio.

But please - stop with this talk that he's now, finally arrived and is ready to make that step-up to the next level - Tiger's level. That ain't happening. It all came together for Garcia on a memorable Mother's Day. To expect him to do it again, ever again, is just too much to ask.  

I was very optimistic about the future of the NFL when Roger Goodell took over as commissioner. However, this guy has been a major disappointment and how he's handling this final chapter of "Spygate" is the ultimate embarrassment and will tarnish his legacy forever.

We are supposed to believe that the tapes that Matt Walsh has handed-over to the league are the only one's he had?

We are supposed to belive that what we - fans, media members - are being shown  on these tapes are the only things that were on these tapes?

We are supposed to believe that the Patriots didn't use these tapes DURING GAMES, to gain an unfair advantage over opponents?

And as far as there not being a Super Bowl walk-thought tape...what do you think? Common. It may not exist anymore but you can't tell me that a perpetual cheater wouldn't also cheat prior to the biggest game of the season.

Please. Goodell is making a big mistake here. He's playing us for fools. He thinks that by downplaying the existance of these tapes we'll all forgive and forget.
 

Never going to happen. The Patriots CHEATED, likely at a level so far beyond what we know now that if/when the truth actually comes out, the scandal would bring the NFL to it's knees. And that's why Goodell and his cronies are doing everything they can to put an end to this story.

He's not protecting the Patriots. I'm sure behind closed doors he's furious with Bill Belichick for putting him and the league in this position. No, Goodell is doing this whitewash to protect the NFL, the most popular and lucrative sports league in the world. And if the truth came out...that the most successful franchise in the league in the past decade had achieved that success by cheating, itwould rank as one of the greatest black eyes in sports history.

But, here's the thing: whether the commissioner likes it or not, in my mind we're already there. 

I've been waiting until now to comment on the Knicks hiring of Mike D'Antoni as their new coach because I was hoping that ownership might come to it's senses at the last minute and go in a different direction.

Silly me for thinking that the Knicks might do something right. Nothing against D'Antoni...who put together some exciting teams in Phoenix. No championships, mind you, but some exciting teams. 

But, even if you believe in D'Antoni's style...it won't work with the Knicks...for a lot of reasons: 

1) He doesn't have the players in N.Y. to play up tempo...run and gun basketball. He barely has players AT ALL, let alone ones who are talented in the open court and are willing to play end-to-end.

2) D'Antoni's teams don;t play defense. And...in the Eastern Conference...teams must play defense to win. You can point to the "New Big 3" in Boston all you want...but the reason the Celtics had the best record in the league this season was that they were the best defensive team in the league. The Pistons. The Cavs. Even Orlando. Good defensive teams.

Out West (with a few exceptions) it's all about "flash and dash." Teams win by outscoring each other. In the East you have to be able to prevent the other team from scoring. Mike D'Antoni has never shown the ability to coach defense. Maybe he'll surprise us and add that element to his game. But not with the motley group of players he's inherited.

The Knicks have a tremendous number of needs to get back to a respectable franchise. One of those was a "down and dirty" coach...not a pretty boy. But I give D'Antoni credit: he took the Knicks to the bank. Of course...considering what's happened with that team in recent years...I guess it doesn't take a lot of talent to do that.

As many of you know I've never been a big beiliever of a home court, home field, home ice advantage. History has shown that, in most cases, the better team wins not matter when they game is played.

So, you might ask, how to explain what's going on right now with the NBA? Home teams are 16-1 in the second round of the playoffs. How can this be if there's no such thing as a home court advantage?

Well, here's how it can be: the better teams are winning each of those games...and it just so happens that the home team is the better team on that given night. The more important question is: how can a team...say...the Boston Celtics...play so well on their floor and so poorly in Cleveland. In fact, how can the Celtics be without a road victory at this point in the playoffs?

You can point to the officiating. The NBA can deny it all they want but the fact is home teams get the calls. But officiating alone can't explain this phenomenon. The home crowd certainly helps elevate individual players energy level. But cheering can't make marginal players into stars...even for a night.

There really isn't an answer for 16-1. My best explaination is that these teams are so close....so evenly matched...that the suble boost from home fans, officiating, and comfort level...that teams get from playing at home put them over the top.

As for the Celtics. Everyone's worried that this lack of winning on the road is going to prevent them from winning it all. But here's the good news: they don't have to win a single road game over the next month to become NBA champs. Would it be nice? Sure. But as long as they stay clean at The Garden, they'll be hoisting the trophy.

As many of you know I've never been a big beiliever of a home court, home field, home ice advantage. History has shown that, in most cases, the better team wins not matter when they game is played.

So, you might ask, how to explain what's going on right now with the NBA? Home teams are 16-1 in the second round of the playoffs. How can this be if there's no such thing as a home court advantage?

Well, here's how it can be: the better teams are winning each of those games...and it just so happens that the home team is the better team on that given night. The more important question is: how can a team...say...the Boston Celtics...play so well on their floor and so poorly in Cleveland. In fact, how can the Celtics be without a road victory at this point in the playoffs?

You can point to the officiating. The NBA can deny it all they want but the fact is home teams get the calls. But officiating alone can't explain this phenomenon. The home crowd certainly helps elevate individual players energy level. But cheering can't make marginal players into stars...even for a night.

There really isn't an answer for 16-1. My best explaination is that these teams are so close....so evenly matched...that the suble boost from home fans, officiating, and comfort level...that teams get from playing at home put them over the top.

As for the Celtics. Everyone's worried that this lack of winning on the road is going to prevent them from winning it all. But here's the good news: they don't have to win a single road game over the next month to become NBA champs. Would it be nice? Sure. But as long as they stay clean at The Garden, they'll be hoisting the trophy.

The historic collapse of '07 has carried over to '08. The N.Y. Mets are a mess. And you have to point the finger directly at manager Willie Randolph. This guy has not proven...at any point of his managerial career...that he can get it done. His lack of fire...combined with his regular displays of strategic ineptitude...add up to trouble.

The Mets are playing .500 baseball over the past 150 games...incredible considering the talent on their roster and financial investment in their roster. And the cracks are starting to show. Billy Wagner's criticism of teammate Carlos Delgado for not talking to the media following Thursday's loss is just one example. And while I agree with Wagner...and appreciate his embarrassment with his teammates...this should have been handled "within" the clubhouse. In fact...it should have been handled by the manager...not the team's closer.

But...again...where's Randolph? He's left to deal with this problem after the fact...instead of being out in front and making sure the issue didn't become public. 

I never thought that Randolph should have gotten this job...so I'm a little biased...but I can't see him lasting too long if the Mets don't turn this thing around...say...by July 1st. This is one of those cases that a managerial change would definately help. Who gets the job? It's too early for that. But I think most Mets fans will agree that ANYBODY is better than Randolph.

I agree with those who are comparing yesterday's Paul Pierce-LeBron James showdown in game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals to the classic Larry Bird-Dominique Wilkins one-on-one battle nearly 20 years ago. But I don't see that as a compliment. In both cases the players took the game upon themselves instead of sticking with the "team" concept. In both cases the players forced shots in an effort to get their team a win.

In the case of Wilkins and James you can almost forgive them since neither had much talent around them. But Bird and Pierce had plenty of help, they just chose not to use it.

If the Celtics have any chance of advancing past the Pistons they need to get most fluid and efficient on offense. Detroit will take Pierce and Garnett away (at times). Ray Allen...where are you?

Last night's bad call on what should have been a Carlos Delgado 3-run homer proves something I've been saying for yerars: MLB needs instant replay. All those misguided arugements against replay: it would take too long, slowing down an already slow game; you'd need more cameras,; it would undermine the umpires - all hogwash.

Here's why: replay would only be used for specific things: determining a home run (fair/foul, over the wall or not) and a catch (clean or a trap). Replay would not be used on balls and strikes, or safe or out calls on the bases. This would still give the umpires plenty to do. And...frankly, as we saw again last night, most of theses umps can't see further than about 10 feet so limiting their jurisdiction to the bases would be the smart thing to do.

The past two nights the myth of home court/ice advantage has been exposed. The Lakers win in Utah, the Spurs win (a game 7) in New Orleans and the Red Wings win in Dallas. In each case, as I talked about last week, the better team won and nothing - the crowd, home cookin' by officials or anything else - could prevent it. Look for more of the same in both NBA Conference Championship series and the Stanley Cup finals.

Much like what the NFL is doing with "Spygate", the NBA is pulling-out all the stops to make the referee scandal go away - now! However, I believe what Donaghy and his attorney are saying - that the league has knowledge of other dirty refs and crimes that go well beyond what Donaghy has been prosecuted for - but that the league offiice has succeeded in having this information squelshed.

Don't get me wrong...Donaghy should get the chair. But you can't tell me that he was the only official fixing games. But, just as in "Spygate", if the truth got out, the integrity of the entire league: billions of $$$, careers, the financial futures of some cities, would go up in smoke. So, instead, the whitewash. Donaghy will get crucified and the rest of the dirty facts will stay hidden...at least until some reporter breaks the story.

As much as I enjoy the NBA...especially at playoff time...I hope, somehow and someday, that the truth comes out. 

It may be time for Mets manager Willie Randolph to start collecting collecting cardboard boxes. What in the world was Randolph thinking...wondering...out loud...to a reporter if the negative criticism that he's dealing with is racially motivated? Foolish...on both fronts. As miserable as the Mets have been for the past 150 games...including last year's collapse and this mediocre start...it doesn't make any difference what the managers race, creed or colors is: he (or she) is going to get blasted.

By inserting race into the equation (and even with his lame explanation) Randolph is committing suicide. You can't win that arguement. He won't get any pity from fans or the media. Better he stay silent (like he does during most games) instead of trying to come up with excuses...with no logical basis...for the team's poor play.

Originally I thought Willie would last until at least the All-Star break. But if the Mets swoon continues...and Randolph continues to shoot off his mouth....he could be gone a lot sooner than that.

And that would turn-out to be a blessing for the Mets.

It's the official start of summer! Not just because it's Memorial Day weekend but because another season of American Idol has come and gone.

To say I was pleasantly surprised that David Cook won the other night would be an understatement. I guess it showed that the judges opinions mean a little less than I thought, because all three members of the panel had already crowned Archie the winner, even before the voting began.

Cook would have become a huge star...win or lose. Archie? I'm not so sure if there's an audience for a 17 year old ballad singer with no charisma or pop potential. Good luck turning him into the male Hannah Montana (which is what you gotta believe the music exec's were hoping to do).

We may also be very close to the first managerial firing of the MLB season. The Braves four-game series sweep of the Mets, on top of everything else, may have sealed Willie Randolph's fate. And I can't feel sorry for the guy. I said from the start that he was unequipt for the job. Sitting next to Joe Torre for a few years doesn't qualify one as a Major League manager.

While the Mets spend the weekend in Colorado...you've got to believe the Wilpons are making arrangements for Randolph's replacement.

Everyone's writing-off the Celtics because they lost a home game. Not so fast. All they need to do is take one of...likely...three game in Detroit over the next week to re-claim serve. And they will.

Stanley Cup Finals prediction: Penguins in 7.

"Indiana Jones" review: Good, not great.  

I know it. You know it. The Wilpons know it. All Mets fan know it. Willie Randolph is NOT going to survive the season. So why prolong the agony? Randolph, as I've made clear in this space in the past, has no business keeping his job as manager of the Mets. In fact, he had no business getting the job in the first place. The Mets need to make the move, turn the page and start getting back on track, before the season begin to slip away...emotionally asd much as on the field.

Speaking of emotion...as hard as I tried I couldn't get excited about watching the Indianapolis 500. I'm a pretty good racing fan and I can remember past years when watching the 500 was a must. Is it me...or the fact that what luster their used to be surrounding the race is just gone?

Big Brown's run to immortality has taken a misstep. It's inevidible that something will happen to prevent this horse from doing the most difficult thing is all of sports: winning 3 races in 5-weeks at 3 different distances at 3 different tracks. If he overcomes the cracked hoof and still wins on Saturday it will mean two things: 1) He's an incredible horse and 2) This is a poor 3 year old crop.

Hey, we all know that that was a foul at the end of last night's "Lakers-Spurs" game, right? If Derek Fisher does that to some guy walking through a mall in San Antonio he gets charged with assualt and battery. So why, in the final seconds of the biggest game of the season for these two teams to date, is there no whistle?

Well...for a couple of reasons. First of all, because the guy with the ball was Brent Barry. If that was Tim Duncan, or Ginobli or Parker...chances are the whistle is blown. Secondly, Barry made the mistake of putting the ball on the floor instead of going-up for a shot after the pump fake, when he had Fisher in the air. If Barry had gone stright up and into Fisher, the officials would have had no choice but to make the call and send Barry to the free thrown line for three and a chance to win the game in regulation, which would have capped one of the great late-game comebacks in playoff history.

Instead, the Lakers have all but clinched a spot in the finals, and should wrap-up in the series, at home, in game 5. And that will give them a nice break before the Championship round, since the Celtics and Pistons series will likely go 7 games.

Now, should a foul in the closing seconds of a game have to be more blatant than at any other point during a game? I don't think so. A foul's a foul. But NBA officials have always followed the credo of "not wanting to decide the game." However, by not blowing the whistle for an obvious foul late in the game aren't they also "deciding the game"?

I agree that a call against Fisher last night would have been controversal, but it would have been justified. He leaves his feet on the pump fake - a cardinal sin for a defender, especially a guy who's been around as long as Derek Fisher. He and the Lakers dodged a major bullet...because the refs were too afraid to pull the trigger. Expect more whistles in game 5, as the officials will try to make amends. But it'l be too late for the Spurs to get back into the series. 

Forget Kobe, KG, Tim Duncan and all the other "stars" competing in the NBA Conference Finals. The most entertaining player who's still in the playoffs is without a doubt the Celtics' Rajon Rondo.

He's not the best player by any means. In fact at times it looks as if he doesn't belong on the floor...or even in the league. But that's part of why he's so entertaining to watch - you never know what you're going to see. Last night, in game 5 against the Pistons...Rondo was both atrocious and incredible. He couldn't hit a shot to save his life, passed-up a half-dozen open 10-footers that kids playing CYO would knock down, most times passing the ball to a teammate in a WORSE position to shoot the ball.

And yet, in the final minutes, Rondo made some outstanding plays, including a driving, left-handed lay-up from the right side of the basket that ended-up being the basket that has put Boston in the driver's seat in the series.

For some reason I'm rooting for the Celtics in this series (as a Sixers fan I guess I just hate the Pistons more). I think it's because I want to see Rondo play in the NBA Finals. Here's a guy who could end up being the starting point guard on an NBA Champion, even though he gambles too much on defense, is often very sloppy with the basketball and can't make shots at the rate that most NBA players should be able to.

He is clearly the "wild card" in ever series that the Celtics play, but I've got to give him credit for making more plays than he's messed-up. If that trend continues the Celts have a great shot at winning it all. Or the veteran Lakers backcourt will eat him alive.

Either way, it's going to be a heck of a lot of fun to watch.

Rondo has the chance to be the starting

- that the WNBA was still around? If not for those pathetic promo's running during the NBA games on ESPN and TNT I never would have believed that that league still existed. The big question, of course, is WHY?

- that American tennis players would be struggling at the French Open? We always to do well over there. Isn't it about time that everyone acknowledge that James Blake ISN'T and NEVER WILL BE then next Agassi or McEnroe. The only reason he remains ranked so high in that tennis is the US is in such a sorry state.

- that the "Sex and the City" movie is going to be a bomb at the box office? Well, actually, I predicted that from the moment I learned that they were making the movie. A film with such a narrow appeal: only women...who actually got HBO...could never pull-in huge audiences...even if it had a great story and great acting (and this one has neither). In fact, follow-up's to cultish, flash-in-the-pan TV shows don't translate well to big screen success. The producers of the upcoming "X Files" movie are going to learn that hard lesson as well.

- that the Tampa Bay Rays would have the best record in the AL heading into the final weekend in May? What the devil is going on here? Hey, wait a minute, Maybe when they exorcized the Devil from their nickname they also were able to flush away all the demons that have haunted this franchise since it's inception. Maybe not. The collapse is coming. Prediction: the Rays will still finish last in the division, but it'll be a better "last."