Courtesy of RingSports.com

History is in the making as the boxing scene is buzzing about the recent retirement of Floyd Mayweather and its effect on the Oscar De La Hoya. As De La Hoya eagerly searches for a worthy opponent, he will find one in former Middleweight champion, Ronald “Winky” Wright, of whom he’s been avoiding for years. Upon hearing the news, Wright exclaims, “It’s destiny… Floyd retired, nobody cares to fight Oscar, but here I am. He can’t run from me any more.”

De La Hoya has yet to concede to Wright’s call; however, Wright plans to aggressively pursue De La Hoya. “I’m not giving up…” Wright says, “If he thinks I’m going to fall back and let it go – he’s wrong. He must have forgotten who I am. I’m the guy who’s fought around the world to prove I’m the best pound for pound fighter. And after I pound Oscar, the world will see what I’ve been telling them my whole career: that I am the greatest.”

While Wright’s comments may raise eyebrows due to his hiatus from the ring due to his recovery period and alleged outstanding financial requests, he assures that this fight can be a reality. He states, “See, you can’t get caught up in the hype. I can and will do everything in my power to make this fight happen. I’ve been dying to get at Oscar for years, but he’s just been too scared. He, along with the rest of the world, may think the fight won’t happen because I’ve been out of the ring or want too much money, but that’s not true.”

Wright continues to clear up the confusion and speculation, adding why Oscar needs to step up to the plate. “What the media won’t tell you is that I’ve always had to get the short end of the stick in order to make fights happen.” He says. “I took a pay cut, so these fights could happen. So now that I’m asking for what I’m worth I supposedly want ‘too much money’? Everyone knows a Wright – De La Hoya fight is a big ticket, so give me my justice. I’ve worked for it and I deserve it. He knows what this fight can do for him too. He knows he can really get paid, so why keep running? It’s about time that the best get back to fighting the best in boxing. No more warm up fights. Just get in the ring with me and go for twelve rounds. Just do it.”

No official discussions have been made, but Wright’s camp is ready, willing and able. Damian Ramirez, Wright’s advisor agrees with Wright. He says, “It’s about time. This needs to happen. Not just for Winky, but for boxing. Everyone’s hungry for a fight like this.”

By The Canadian Press

LAS VEGAS — There is bad blood in the main event, star power in the rest of the card and a number of promising newcomers. UFC 84: Ill Will offers up an intriguing mixed martial arts menu Saturday night.

B.J. (The Prodigy) Penn defends his lightweight crown against former champion Sean (The Muscle Shark) Sherk in a bout set against a backdrop of the positive steroids test that cost Sherk his belt. Sherk has denied doping but that hasn’t stopped Penn from pushing Sherk’s buttons in advance of the fight, labelling him a coward and a cheat.

Sherk (35-2-1) is a relentless wrestler who repeatedly smashed through the guard of jiu-jitsu black belt Hermes Franca last time out at UFC 73 in July 2007, when both fighters failed drug tests. Penn (13-4-1) is also a black belt but is considered in a class of his own when it comes to jiu-jitsu. And he showed surprising power in his January win over Joe Stevenson for the vacant title, stunning Stevenson with the second punch of the fight.

“I see both of these guys as having the potential to win this fight, for sure,” said lightweight contender Kenny Florian. “I don’t think it’s one of those fights where there’s a clearcut winner.

“Sherk makes for an interesting matchup against B.J. I think the first two rounds are going to be critical. He needs to be able to put enough pressure on B.J. to really wear on him and B.J. needs to get the job done in the first couple of rounds.”

Sherk, 34, is a workout freak who has gone five rounds in three of his last five UFC fights (including a win over Florian for the vacant title at UFC 64). Penn, 29, has had cardio issues in the past but seems to have got his act together since returning to the 155-pound lightweight division.

Still Sherk is unconvinced that Penn has a new gas tank.

“He says he just woke up one day and decided ‘Hey, I think I’m going to start training harder,”‘ he said. “Maybe he did, maybe he woke up and decided he was going to start training harder but it really is a 24-hour a day, seven-day-a-week commitment. There’s no off time.

“For me, I don’t even take time off my diet. I diet for 14 weeks straight, same crappy food all the time and that’s what it takes to get great cardio and I just don’t think he’s done that. We’ll find out Saturday night but I don’t think it’s going to be as good as he says it is.”

“All I can say is I trained as hard as I could . . .I feel ready,” answers Penn.

Stevenson and Jens Pulver weren’t able to test Sherk’s theory. Neither made it to the third round.

“The way that B.J. fights, I’m not even sure he’s concerned with that (cardio),” said Florian, who could face the winner for the title if he survives Roger Huerta at UFC 87 in August. “He just goes the good old blitzkrieg, as soon as the fight starts.”

Sherk, for his part, has had trouble putting opponents away. That could cost him against Penn, who won’t be giving up many freebies in the cage,

Elsewhere, Tito (The Huntington Beach Bad Boy) Ortiz makes his UFC swan song before heading over to greener pastures elsewhere in the MMA world. UFC president Dana White, who once managed Ortiz, loathes the former light-heavyweight champion and has done him no favours with a farewell date with unbeaten Brazilian Lyoto Machida (12-0).

Ortiz made his feelings known at Friday’s weigh-in when he wore a T-shirt that said “Dana is my Bitch!” White did not attend the weigh-in.

It will be the 21st UFC fight for the 33-year-old Ortiz, who will be mighty motivated to leave the organization on a win. Ortiz (16-5-1) is the bigger man, but is on the downside of his career. Machida, 29, is hitting his prime.

“He’s the new breed of mixed martial arts fighter,” said Florian. “He’s good everywhere. … He poses a lot of problems for Tito Ortiz.

“I think maybe the younger Tito Ortiz, I’d give him more of a chance but right now Tito definitely has his hands full.”

“Lyoto is a very complete fighter,” said fellow Brazilian Wanderlei (The Axe Murderer) Silva.

Silva, who sees Ortiz’s chances as 50-50, has his own challenge in Keith (The Dean of Mean) Jardine on Saturday. The former Pride star has lost his last three fights, although admittedly they were to Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell, Dan Henderson and Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic.

At UFC 79 in December, Silva (31-8-1) was unable to handle the reach of the bigger Liddell. Jardine (13-4-1) is also bigger so there will be more of the same Saturday. Plus the Dean of Mean has renowned trainer Greg Jackson in his corner.

“I think he’s going to win and he’s going to shock a lot of people,” said welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who often trains with Jardine.

Another 205-pounder worth watching Saturday is unbeaten Brazilian Thiago Silva, who took down Houston (The Assassin) Alexander at UFC 78. Thiago Silva (11-0) is big and has a mean streak. He’ll be looking to show off his trademark throat-slashing gesture with a win over UFC newcomer Antonio Mendes (14-2) of Brazil.

One-time NFL prospect Shane Carwin (8-0) makes his UFC debut in a heavyweight tilt with Christian Wellisch (9-2). The 33-year-old Carwin, an engineer to Wellisch’s lawyer, is six foot three inches and 260 pounds of lean beef.

“He’s phenomenal. He’s a big monster,” said Jackson. “He boxes well, he wrestles well. You’re going to be real impressed with him.”

Another newcomer is 24-year-old Croatian light-heavyweight Goran Reljic (7-0), who is matched up against Wilson Gouveia (10-4). The six-foot-three Reljic has matinee ideal good looks to go with a purple belt in jiu-jitsu under Roger Gracie. Gouveia, who hold a black belt and is coming off a KO over Jason (The Punisher) Lambert, will test his skills.

Canadian-born middleweight Ivan Salaverry (12-5-1), who now calls Seattle home, faces Rousimar Palhares (16-1) in the Brazilian grappler’s first UFC fight

by Andrew Strieber
The 2010 Chevy Camaro is one of the most highly-anticipated new vehicles to come from GM in years. Ever since it was announced, a stream of pics and speculation have fed ever growing excitement for the reborn muscle car’s return. Enthusiasts have already seen virtual road tests, camo-free spy shots, and even videos of the car in action, but now one intrepid spy has managed to take things a step further — they may be a little blurry, but someone captured an example of the 2010 Camaro making its way down the production line.

It’s unclear where or when they were taken, but speculation is these pics are from GM’s Oshawa, Ontario plant where the Camaro will be built. Given that the car is set to launch as a 2010 model (and the assembly line is conspicuously empty) these are almost certainly just preproduction examples, but it’s interesting to see how the hot new coupe will be put together. One surprising thing about the photos is the complete lack of human beings in them — meaning either the plant wasn’t running at the time, or the General’s assembly robots have really come a long way. Also in some shots you can get a good view of the car’s final shape, including the presence of a pretty serious blind spot from the large C-pillar. Then again, with a rumored 400 horsepower coming from either the 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 of the Corvette or the 6.0-liter L76 V-8 powering the Pontiac G8, you shouldn’t have any trouble avoiding people on the freeway.

The all-new 2010 Camaro isn’t set to debut until next year’s Detroit Auto Show in January, and should go on sale midway through next year. Until then, if you happen to catch one out on the road, be sure to snap a photo — you can never have enough spy shots out there

 Michael David Smith

On Thursdays post about which fight various MMA writers most want to see, FanHouse commenter Drew asked, “MDS, you watched ESPN.com Original series MMA Live???? discuss it after viewing it.”
So there you have it, the premier episode of MMA Live, a 30-minute show that appears to be taped in an ESPN studio in Bristol, just like SportsCenter and ESPN’s other studio shows, but that is shown only on ESPN.com, not on television.

I liked it a lot. Host Jon Anik and analysts Kenny Florian and Franklin McNeil offered good analysis of all the major issues — Fedor Emelianenko’s upcoming Affliction fight, Tito Ortiz’s upcoming final UFC fight, whether Randy Couture will ever have another fight, and so on.

I also like the fact that this is ESPN covering mixed martial arts as a sport and not as a spectacle. That is a very good sign that there are people at ESPN who “get it” when it comes to MMA.

Will the show succeed? Will it ever move off ESPN.com and onto TV? I don’t know. There are three commercial for Toyota Trucks during the show, so I assume it’s bringing in some revenue, but I also as

Big Brown will face a surprisingly large field of rivals in the 1 3/16 miles Preakness Stakes; odds makers have been sharpening their Preakness odds all day Friday and will continue to do so up until post time.

Here is a “screenshot” of the Preakness odds as of Saturday, May 17 at 9am ET. Alternatively you may logon to any of our preferred online racebooks (Bodog Racebook, SBG Global Racebook and Bookmaker Racebook) to check out the latest odds, matchups and props for the 133rd running of the Preakness Stakes.

Gate    Horse                       Odds
 1      Macho Again                20/1
 2      Tres Borrachos             30/1
 3      Icabad Crane                30/1
 4      Yankee Bravo               15/1
 6      Racecar Rhapsody        30/1
 7      Big Brown                     1/2
 8      Kentucky Bear              15/1
 9      Stevil                            30/1
10     Riley Tucker                 30/1
11     Giant Moon                  30/1
12     Gayego                         8/1
13     Hey Byrn                      20/1

Naturally, undefeated Big Brown holds the upper hand off his impressive Derby triumph. “He’s good,” trainer Rick Dutrow said. “He came out of the race good and he’s been training good.”

These contenders have the best chance of hitting the board despite obvious drawbacks.

Hey Byrn, 20-1, post 13: Colt won an allowance contest in February at Gulfstream Park with a 97 Beyer in the first of three triumphs in four starts this year, including the Holy Bull on April 12 at 1 3/16 miles. He and Big Brown are the only two winners beyond 1 1/8 miles.

Gayego, 8-1, post 12: Can hit the board if he stays out of trouble and manages a clean trip. Adding blinkers should keep him focused.

Post time of the Preakness Stakes (race number 12) is 6.15pm ET.
 
Get all your Preakness odds, up-to-date contenders analysis and bet on the Preakness Stakes in our preferred online racebooks.

AP

NEW YORK  — Alex Rodriguez passed out during the birth of his first daughter.

“The one nurse had a cold cloth on his head. The other nurse had the blood pressure on his arm. And my mother was like rubbing his back. And he is passed out on a couch. And I am there, in the middle of labor,” Cynthia Rodriguez, wife of the New York Yankees star, said on an episode of the YES Network’s “YESterdays” that is scheduled to be broadcast Wednesday night.

“And really, I am not being paid much attention to besides the doctor and a couple of nurses,” she said. “And he is there moaning. In between pushing, I am going, `Honey, are you OK?’ and `Are you breathing? Are you OK?’ ”

Natasha Alexander Rodriguez was born on Nov. 18, 2004.

“As tough and big as he seems, he is real wimpy around doctors or any type of medical situation,” Cynthia Rodriguez said, according to excerpts released Tuesday by YES. “I don’t know why I thought the birth of our child would be different. In the middle of the night, I realized that I needed to go to the hospital. I wake him up. The first thing that comes out of his mouth, `Can we call your mother?’ … A few hours later, I said, `I think you can call my mom now.’ Uh, and the color came back to his face when I told him he could call my mom.”

A-Rod traveled from New York last week and arrived at a Miami-area hospital about 10 minutes after the birth of his second daughter, Ella Alexander Rodriguez, on April 21.

Alex and Cynthia met in 1996 at a gym in Miami.

“I scouted her out for a month,” he said. “I wanted to see her routine, and I wanted to see what time she came in, see how consistent she was. And sure enough, she was like a machine. She would come in right after work, and get on the treadmill and do her abs. And finally, I build enough courage after about 3 1/2 weeks. And I said, `I know you are going to go do some abs after. And do you mind if I join you?”

Cynthia said she was unaware of his celebrity status at first.

“I know he played baseball, because everybody in the gym said, `Do you know who that is? And he plays baseball’ or whatever,” she said. “I didn’t grow up in a sports-oriented family. So, I wasn’t aware that you could have an entire livelihood off of a sport. So when they would say, `Oh, he plays baseball,’ I always think, `Oh, I wonder what else he does’ — like `that’s a nice hobby — but what does he really do?”

Report and Opinion By Dave Wilcox

An announced crowd of 30,000 screaming Oscar De La Hoya groupies packed The Home Depot Center in Carson, Cal. to see their hero take on Contender alumnus Steve Forbes in what Golden Boy promotions billed as “Homecoming”. For the first time since 2001, Oscar De La Hoya was fighting in front of his hometown fans in Los Angeles.

The idea here was for Oscar was to prove to everyone that he could in fact do better in a proposed September rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. by doing a number on a similar type fighter in Steve Forbes. He might have done just the opposite.

As Steve “2 pound” Forbes entered the ring to a chorus of boos from the Oscar faithful, I couldn’t help but notice how small he looked in comparison to De La Hoya. Although both guys came in at the contracted weight of 150 pounds, Oscar was clearly the more comfortable 150 pound fighter and looked much bigger than Stevie.

As round one began De La Hoya came out throwing a hard jab and he worked the body nicely. Forbes threw a nice flurry at the end of the first, but Oscar easily won the round. It looked as if would be a short night for Stevie Forbes.

Forbes said he was not going to be a “tune up” for Oscar and said he came to fight and win. Unfortunately, you can’t win a fight backing up without throwing any punches. Stevie backed up all night as Oscar pushed the action.

Oscar continued to work the body and jab as Forbes mugged for the crowd. It became obvious that Steve Forbes just didn’t have the work rate to be effective against Oscar. He was spirited and came to fight, but was completely out classed by the battle tested and mush stronger De La Hoya. Something funny happened on the way to shut out, on my card lighting struck and I gave Forbes round eight. Oscar was not throwing enough in the round and Stevie was able to out work Oscar and win the eight round. As round nine started it was back to status quo with “The Golden Boy” going back to the jab and pushing the action.

Round ten had the best back and fourth action of the night. Both fighters landed with flurries and crowd came alive.

All eyes were on Oscar for the final two rounds to see if he could close the show in spectacular fashion. As it turns out, he did close the show, but it was far from spectacular. As the final bell rang at the end of the twelfth and final round, the crowd actually booed. I think most fans were hoping and expecting Oscar to knockout Steve Forbes. I think most might not have known that Forbes has not only never been knocked out, but he has never even been knocked down in his thirty nine fight career.

Steve Forbes fought hard and did the best he could, but he just didn’t do enough in this one. When it was all said and done and Oscar was announced as the winner, all was forgiven and the De La Hoya faithful had reason to celebrate Cinco de Mayo early.

Judges Max De Luca and Marty Sammon came back with identical scores of 119-109 while judge Marcos Rosales scored the bout as a shut out at 120-108. All three Judges had it in favor of the “Golden Boy”, Oscar De La Hoya. Yours truly scored it 119-109 for Oscar.

De La Hoya improves his record to 39-5 (30). Steve Forbes falls to 33-6 (9)

The meaningless and over used punch stat numbers came back with Oscar landing 253 out of 810 and Forbes threw 776 and landed 152 shots. Oscar connected on 31% of his jabs. (127 out of 406)

I’ve never seem a crowd so disappointed in a shut out. The crowd wanted excitement, and unfortunately, this fight didn’t deliver. I think it was Lloyd Bentsen that once said, “I’ve met Floyd Mayweather, and you Stevie Forbes are no Floyd Mayweather”. Oscar won the fight with ease, but did he convince anyone he can do any better in a rematch against “The Pretty Boy”? I for one can’t see how the rematch will be much different from the first bout with Mayweather. In fact, based on what I saw tonight, it might be worse. Oscar is a year older and a year slower.

I give Oscar a lot of credit for his willingness to always fight the best opponents throughout his career. If more fighters did that, maybe MMA wouldn’t be nipping on our ankles like a little chihuahua. Having said that, I would give Oscar very little chance to defeat Floyd Mayweather in the rematch. Of course by September the hype machine will have me believing again that Oscar can pull it off and another fifty bucks will go down the drain to my beloved Pay-Per View provider.

The Undercard:

Golden Boy Promotions raising star, Victor Ortiz (21-1-1, 16ko) faced off in a slugfest against Dario Esalas scheduled for 10 rounds. (31-13, 25ko) The first two rounds it looked as if Ortiz would have an easy night. In round three a hard combination put Esalas down and it seemed his night would be short. Then seconds after he got up from the knockdown, he put Ortiz down with a straight right hand and the fight was on. The fourth round saw Ortiz continue to land harder punches. In the fifth round another straight right put Esalas out for good. As he shook his head no to referee Tony Crebs, the bout was halted at 2:31 of the fifth round and Victor Ortiz continued his path to a potential title shot down the road.

Another potential star was in action as undefeated Daniel “The Golden Child” Jacobs (6-0, 6ko) blew out his opponent in .53 seconds of the opening round in their scheduled four round affair. A left hook/uppercut and then an overhand right did the trick as his opponent; Jose Pena, 2-3-1, (2) went down and out for good.

Undefeated prospect Danny Garcia, 6-0, (5) was also in action and shut out Julio Gamboa (26-13-2, (16) with a unanimous decision victory. All three judges scored the scheduled six round bout 60-54 in favor of Garcia.

In other action:

Puerto Rican, Hector Sanchez, 13-0, (5) won a unanimous decision over Arturo Brambilia, 9-13, (4) All three judges scored the four rounder 40-36.

In a scheduled eight round fight, Sven Paris from Frosinone, Italy (24-3, 1 (6) and Freddy Curiel from New Jersey, 18-7-2, (8) put on the best and most competitive fight of the night. Both guys threw bombs and traded hard shots for the entire eight rounds. Curiel is another Contender alumnus. In round two, Paris landed a huge left hook and dropped Curiel. Curiel would go on to gain his composure and fight back. In the end, the knock down was too much to come back from. Sven Paris was able to come away with the split decision victory. Jude David Mendoza scored the fight 78-73 for Curiel. Not sure what fight he was watching. Dr James Jen Kin had 78-73 for Paris and Judge Jerry Curtain had 76-75 for Paris. My score car had Paris winning 77 - 74.

In the opening fight of the afternoon, Wes Ferguson, 18-3-1, (5) from Las Vegas won a unanimous decision over Miguel Munguia, 16-12-1, (13) from Mexico City in an uninspiring affair.

The Press Conference:

In the post fight press conference, Oscar’s trainer, Floyd Mayweather, Sr. thought Oscar did well, but needed to get back to the gym and work on a few things. “Oscar didn’t do everything I wanted him to, but he still looked good.” “You have to remember that Stevie Forbes is no slouch” said Mayweather. Senior would go on to say that he thought Oscar would show more power in the fight. “We need to work on the power and will do that when we get back in the gym.” “We are going to have a good fight against Junior in September.”

Steve Forbes hit the podium before Oscar and seemed pretty content with his effort. “I told you guys I was coming to fight, and I did.” “I didn’t run, I fought with Oscar”

Forbes would go on to say that it was an honor to fight Oscar and he thanked everyone involved. “I will be back.” said Forbes. Most likely he will back at 140 to chase a title at that weight. It was quite apparent that 150 is not his best fighting weight. With his new found celebrity and the backing of Golden Boy promotions, I’m sure we will see Stevie Forbes sooner than later.

Next on the podium was Oscar De La Hoya and his face actually showed signs that he was in fact in a fight with swollen eyes and face. Oscar also mentioned a hand injury as well. “I hit him with a left jab on top of his head in about the fourth round” “I had to really dig deep to continue with the jab” “It’s all about the jab in this fight and against Mayweather”

When asked about the upcoming rematch with Mayweather, De La Hoya was confident. “I can’t wait for September and I will win” said De La Hoya. “I have to fight loose and can’t be tight” he would go on to say.

When asked what he will do differently the second time against Mayweather, Oscar was insistent that he must throw the jab and stay on his toes to win.

According to De La Hoya, the rematch will take place at the same catch weight of 150 pounds. Oscar was asked what will be at stake in the rematch. “No title, I just want to fight the best”

That sounds like a good plan to me. Heck there are so many titles out there that we have become numb to them anyways. They are actually quite meaningless. If Oscar does the unthinkable and pulls off the upset, I’m sure he’ll be recognized as the true champ.

Star watching:

As usual for a big event, the stars came out. Can Sylvester Stallone go anywhere without getting a “Rocky” chant? Apparently he can’t go to Carson without getting one. Spider man himself, Tobey MaGuire was ringside, along with everyone’s favorite Donkey, Eddie Murphy. Tommy Lasorda took time away from the pasta bar to sit ringside. Fighting legend Marco Antonio Barrera was there. All time great Bobby Chacon was announced as well. What a crowd pleaser he was in the day. Once he was announced, our ringside discussion quickly shifted to the likes of “Bazooka” Limon and Cornelius Boza Edwards.

Mike Tyson was also there. The post fight reports are in and I believe all ears escaped unharmed.

Final thoughts:

I guess Joe Calzaghe is not the only guy who can sell out Soccer stadiums. It was really neat to watch and listen to this raucous crowd. As much as this fight was put down by media morons like me, these types of events are good for Boxing.

It was very nice to see the great Michael Buffer in the ring tonight. It was my first time seeing him live since his battle with Cancer. He looks great and sounds like he never missed a beat. Welcome back!

As a precautionary measure, I would like to wish my beautiful mother and lovely wife a Happy Mother’s Day in advance. I forgot last year and almost didn’t make it to 2008.

2008 Kentucky Derby: Odds, post time, weather and more

 A few hours left until the start time of the 2008 Kentucky Derby and we are here to answer the most asked questions today, such as start time, weather, odds and picks. First, let’s begin with what time does the Kentucky Derby start. The 2008 Kentucky Derby post time is at 6:04 pm EST. Where to watch the Kentucky Derby - preferably at Churchill Downs, but if you couldn’t make it to Louisville, you can watch the race on TV on NBC, their Derby program will start at 4:00 pm EST.

 What’s the weather going to be for the Kentucky Derby? Well, this will be the biggest unknown entering the race today. According to the Weather Channel there is about 30% chance of isolated thunderstorms over Louisville from 4:00pm until 7:00pm local time, which could muddy the track for the Derby post time. If the track gets damp, keep an eye on Cool Coal Man, Visionaire, Smooth Air and Denis of Cork, all of which have won on wet tracks before, as well as Pyro, who finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at muddy Monmouth Park. Colonel John will race on dirt for the first time and mud is quite different compared to wet synthetic. Big Black Jack is in the same position as Colonel John.

 Now to the 2008 Kentucky Derby betting odds and off-track betting. Currently at the online bookmaker BodogSports the odds are still in favor of Big Brown, who is listed at 3/1 to win the Kentucky Derby. Keep in mind that we know very little about this 3-year-old, other than the hype his trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. is trying to create. Post No.20, possible wet track, inexperience and the betting trends (only three favorites have ever won the Kentucky Derby) all work against Big Brown, but the odds makers think he has the best chance of winning the race, considering his five-length victory in the Florida Derby leaving from the outside post, thus his odds are at 3/1. Colonel John holds second best odds at 4/1 and for him the biggest variable is the dirt track. If he can manage to run on dirt as good as he runs on synthetic - Colonel John certainly has what it takes to win the race, including good No.10 post position. And finally we come to Pyro, the Louisiana Derby winner, whose 10th finish in the Blue Grass hangs over his head like a bad spell with the bookmakers at BodogSports, who have him with odds 6/1 to win the Kentucky Derby. One thing to keep in mind, however, when it comes to Pyro - the Blue Grass at Keeneland was the first time Pyro ran on synthetic, it just comes to show you the difference between the tracks’ covers. All things considered, our pick to win the 2008 Kentucky Derby is indeed Pyro.

 About the Derby - The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May. The race is one and a quarter miles at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds and fillies 121 pounds. The race is known in the United States as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” for its approximate duration, and is also called “The Run for the Roses” for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is the first leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in the US and typically draws over 150,000 fans. The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Curtis Eichelberger

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is under investigation in his hometown of Philadelphia in a shooting that took place earlier this week, a source close to the investigation told Anthony Gargano of Philadelphia’s WIP Radio.

The shooting reportedly occurred early Tuesday afternoon outside a North Philadelphia bar owned by Harrison. Harrison has yet to be arrested or charged with the crime. Police spokesman Sgt. Ray Evers had no comment Friday.”I just walked off the practice field [at rookie minicamp] and heard about the incident, and that’s all I know,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said Friday. “We’re obviously going to look into it. I haven’t spoken to Marvin yet.” Calls by ESPN to Harrison and his agent have not been returned. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league was “aware of the report, and we are looking into it.” The source said the alleged victim came into the bar, Playmakers, around 5 p.m. and engaged in an argument with Harrison, who was at the bar. The victim then left the bar, heading to his car, with Harrison following. Gunfire broke out, the victim was hit in the hand, and a young girl was slightly injured by flying glass from a car that apparently was hit by a bullet.

Police came to scene, but the victim did not identify a shooter. On Wednesday, according to the source, ballistic tests showed that the gun that had fired the shots was a custom-made Belgian weapon, and police determined that Harrison owned such a gun. Police then went to a Philadelphia car wash owned by Harrison to question him about the gun. Harrison admitted owning such a weapon, but claimed it never left his suburban Philadelphia home. However, the source said the gun was discovered in a bucket at the car wash, and tests showed that it had fired seven bullets that matched those found at the scene. The source said police were contacted Friday by an attorney representing a second alleged victim in the shooting, and police are now waiting for that individual to come forward.

Harisson

Jose Canseco, the former AL MVP who made millions during his baseball career, has had his home foreclosed.

Canseco told the syndicated TV show “Inside Edition” that he walked away from his $2.5 million, 7,300-square foot home in suburban Encino because it didn’t make sense to continue making payments.

“I do have a judgment on my home and it to me is very strange because it didn’t make financial sense for me to keep paying a mortgage on a home that was basically owned by someone else,” he said in an interview that aired Thursday.

“You know my life, this financial thing, is a very complicated issue. Obviously, when you make all that money, people think, `OK, let’s assume it is $35 million.’ People have to understand that $35 million, you’re paying the government 41 percent. That leaves you with about $17 or $18 million, not even. Then you’re taking care of your whole family.”

He added that a couple of divorces cost him $7 million or $8 million.

Canseco said his top earnings year was $6 million and that his financial situation obviously is different than most people who are losing their homes.

“What about other families that we’re hearing on TV, that they’re saying, `We have nowhere else to go,’” he said. “I mean, that is amazing. I’ve got books (he’s put out two expose-type books on drug use in baseball), we’re now trying to produce the movie to both.

“Like I said, my situation was a little more different than most. I decided to just let it (the house) go, but in most cases and most families, they have nowhere else to go.”