2012 Preakness Stakes … WOW … ‘I’ll Have Another’ Wins Another … Fantastic Race Beats Bodemeister at the Finish by a Neck … Goes for Triple Crown at Belmont

The 2012 Preakness Stakes was one for the ages. The rematch between ‘Bodemeister’ and ‘I’ll Have Another’ did not disappoint …

‘I’ll Have Another’ won the 137th Preakness at the finish defeating ‘Bodemeister’ to take home the second jewel of the Triple crown. Two weeks following the Kentucky Derby that saw ‘I’ll Have Another’ defeat ‘Bodemeister’ coming from behind down the stretch, it was  de ja vous all over again.

It was exactly that. I’ll Have Another caught Bodemeister at the wire today to win the 137th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course and the first two races of the Triple Crown. He will go to the Belmont looking to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.

‘I’ll Have Another’ ran a near perfect race even though the pace of the race was much slower than the Kentucky Derby. One would have thought that ‘Bodemeister’ would have had more than enough left in the tank to hold off ‘I’ll Have Another’. However, that was not the case. ‘I’ll Have Another’ in fact did have another as the California horse took the second jewel and will now go for the Triple Crown at the 1-1/2 mile Belmont in three weeks on June 9th.

No horse has won the Triple Crown for 34 years since 1978 since Affirmed. Why not, ‘I’ll Have Another’?

Dead Man’s Body Found at Churchill Downs’ Barn #8, One Day After I’ll Have Another Wins Kentucky Derby (Update: Death Investigated as Homicide)

One day after the running of the 138th Kentucky Derby, a man’s body has been found in one of the barns at Churchill Downs.  The body was found this morning around 5AM in barn number 8. The unidentified dead man’s body was found a few barns away from where Kentucky Derby winner I’ll Have Another is kept. Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley stated that it was too early to determine if the person died of natural causes and are awaiting a cause of death from the coroner.

Louisville police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley says authorities were called early Sunday morning to a barn on the backside of the track where the derby took place the night before.

Smiley says police are conducting a death investigation, and a coroner had been called to the scene. She says the body is believed to be a man.

The investigation is under way at barn eight, just four barns away from where I’ll Have Another is kept.

Bizarre, finding dead bodies the day after the Run for the Roses is becoming as common as woman wearing hats and mint Juleps. Last year following the Kentucky Derby,  24 year old Michael Baze, a Kentucky Derby jockey, was found dead in his vehicle at Churchill Downs.

UPDATE I: Death of unidentified Hispanic man ruled a homicide. Although there reportedly was no sign of a struggle, the death of the unidentified man is being investigated as a homicide, but there is no connection to the race track or the Kentucky Derby, police said. Hmm, I wonder how they know that so early in an investigation?

Foul play is suspected in the death of a man whose body was found in a barn behind Churchill Downs just hours after the Kentucky Derby was run at the track.

Police have ruled the death a homicide, Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman  Alicia Smiley said Sunday.

NFL Great and Former San Diego Charger Junior Seau Dead at the Age of 43 of Apparent Suicide

Tragic news from the NFL … former San Diego Charger great and 12 time Pro-Bowler Junior Seau dead at the age of 43. According to police accounts, Seau was found unconscious by his girl friend with a gun shot wound to his chest. Life saving efforts were unsuccessful. It is believed that Junior Seau’s death was a suicide as a gun was found near his body; however, no note was found. Junior Seau attended USC and played 20 seasons in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. When Seau becomes eligible, he will most certainly be a first ballot NFL Hall of Famer. What a shame.

Junior Seau: 1969 – 2012, Rest in Peace

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Junior Seau, a homegrown superstar who was the fist-pumping, emotional leader of the San Diego Chargers for 13 years, was found shot to death at his home Wednesday morning. He was 43.

Police Chief Frank McCoy said Seau’s girlfriend reported finding him unconscious with a gunshot wound to the chest and lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful. A gun was found near him, McCoy said, and police were investigating the possibility that Seau’s death was a suicide. Police said no suicide note was found and they didn’t immediately know to whom the gun was registered.

Sadly, Seau could handle 20 years in the NFL and became a larger than life icon in the San Diego area as a local boy made good. However, tragically Junior Seau’s death shows an continued alarming trend of ex-NFL player who have committed suicide.

Former Charger GM Bobby Bethard who drafted Seau out of USC in1990 remembers the Super Charger.

“It’s a sad thing. It’s hard to understand,” said Bobby Beathard, who as Chargers general manager took Seau out of Southern California with the fifth pick overall in the 1990 draft. “He was really just a great guy. If you drew up a player you’d love to have the opportunity to draft and have on the team and as a teammate, Junior and Rodney (Harrison), they’d be the kind of guys you’d like to have.”Watch former teammate and ESPN analyst  Marcellus Wiley’s tearful remembrance of Junior Seau (VIDEO).

The Washington Post has numerous remarks of those who played with Seau as they remember him. Also some eye opening stats of many other players who have died before the age of 45.

Several former NFL players have died unexpectedly in recent months. Last month, authorities in Richmond told Fox that former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling’s death had been ruled a suicide. Easterling was among the former NFL players involved in concussion-related litigation against the league.

Seau was not known to be involved in any of the concussion-related lawsuits against the NFL. He survived a 100-foot fall down a cliff in his car in October 2010, a few hours after being arrested in a domestic incident. He was hospitalized but reportedly suffered only minor injuries and police said it was believed he fell asleep at the wheel.

He is the eighth member of the 1994 Chargers team, which reached the Super Bowl, to die before age 45. The others are Chris Mims, David Griggs, Rodney Culver, Lew Bush, Doug Miller, Curtis Whitley and Shawn Lee.

Junior Seau was a joy yo watch on the field and always came across as an ultimate leader as he inspired so many others. He was so full of life on the field, it is so tragic that he could not do the same off. Next stop Canton and the Football Hall of Fame.

REST IN PEACE JUNIOR SEAU.

Welcome to NBA Thug Life: Because Metta World Peace has Nothing to do With Peace … Lakers Ron Artest Violently Elbows Thunder’s Harden in the Head (VIDEO) (Update: No Major Suspension, No Peace)

PEACE (definition) – a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations.

You can take the Metta World Peace out of the Ron Artest, but you can’t take the Ron Artest out of  the Metta World Peace.

If it’s the NBA, it must be thug life. This afternoon the LA Lakers Metta World Peace, formerly known as the artist called Ron Artest, viciously elbowed the Oklahoma City’s Thunder James Harden. Metta World Peace was then ejected from the game for the flagrant foul and overall uncalled for thug behavior. After the violent elbow, he was seen on the court trying to BS his way out of the violent and uncalled for elbow. Look for a suspension to follow and then some in an era when concussions are such an issue.

World Peace had just dunked on a fast break and was celebrating his basket while running upcourt when he ran into Harden. While World Peace pounded his chest with his right arm, he threw his left elbow right over Harden’s shoulder and into the back of his head.

Does not look like much has changed since last year’s classless LA Lakesr display from the NBA playoffs when they were swept by the Dallas Mavericks.

We can all remember the Brawl in the Palace from Detroit, MI when the Indiana Pacers played the Detroit Pistons and all hell broke loose. Ben Wallace initially hit Ron Artest and then Artest went into the crowd and attacked a fan.

UPDATE I: No Justice elbow , no Peace!

The NBA should come down as hard on “No Peace” as his elbow did on Harden’s head. How about suspending “No Peace” for the Lakers’ final regular-season game plus their first-round playoff series?

Anything less would mean the NBA toler­ates on-court assaults of its players from thug ballers such as “No Peace.”

Separation of Baseball & State … President Barack Obama Booed at Boston’s Fenway Park During 100th Year Anniversary Speech

Doesn’t this President get it that there is a “separation of Baseball and State”?

How bad has it become for President Barack Obama as he seeks reelection in 2012? During Friday night’s game between the Boston Red Sox and the NY Yankee’s in historic Fenway Park, President Barack Obama delivered a video message recognizing the 100th anniversary of  Fenway Park in Boston, MA. Oh, by the way … Obama’s speech was met with boos. Wow, just one more reason to love the Red Sox and Red Sox Nation.

During Friday’s Red Sox game, President Obama delivered a video message recognizing the 100th of Fenway Park, in Boston. Several people are reporting that his message was met with booing.

Hey Barack, stick to basketball and leave baseball and such hollowed events like 100 years of baseball to those who actually have followed the sport, not a politician like yourself who is merely pandering. After all Mr. President we have seen you throw a baseball in your mom jeans … you really need to be no part of the game. What’s the matter, no NASCAR events on Friday night to attend to try and some how shoe you are the common man?

LOL, as the Gateway Pundit reminds us … the booing of Obama took place in the deep blue city of Boston, Mass. Looks like the folks in Fenway are none too happy with Obama’s “hope & change”. They must be racists.

BTW, we all know what libs are the owners of the Boston Red Sox. We all remember how peeved Red Sox management got back in 2004 when Curt “the bloody sock” Schilling endorsed GWB on GMA and actually went to a couple of stops stumping with Bush.   However, I actually attended the rally in Portsmouth, NH and BTW, the event was awesome and yes got to shake W’s hand. There is nothing like being 50 yards away from Air Force One.

Red Sox pitching ace Curt Schilling will accompany President George W. Bush to his campaign stops in Manchester and Portsmouth on Friday.

The Union Leader has learned Schilling will appear with Bush at rallies at the Verizon Wireless Arena and at the Pease International Tradeport.

Daily Commentary – Friday, April 20, 2012 – Baseball fans will love this!

• Jamie Moyer at age 49 becomes the oldest pitcher to ever win a major league contest

Daily Commentary – Friday, April 20, 2012 Download

The End of an Era on Rocky Top … Legendary Womans’s NCAA Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Coach Pat Summit Steps Down

An Icon steps down …

It is the end of an era at the University of Tennessee as Pat Summitt, the winiest NCAA basketball coach steps down. After 38 years, an incredible 1,098 victories and eight NCAA titles, P as the head coach of the Lady Vols, the legendary Pat Summitt will no longer grace the sidelines. What a sad yet expected day at Good Ol’ Rocky Top. It is safe to say that no sport will ever see another coach like Pat Summitt, ever! She was a true original and a pioneer of the game. No one, but no one had the stare and the intensity of Pat Summitt. All I can say is Thank you Pat!

Pat Summitt is stepping aside as Tennessee’s head coach after 38 seasons, the last an emotionally draining farewell tour for the woman who won more games than anyone else in NCAA college basketball history.

“I’ve loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role,” the 59-year-old Hall of Famer said in a statement issued Wednesday by the school.

Summitt will discuss the move, including the promotion of longtime assistant Holly Warlick as her replacement, at a Thursday news conference on the court named in her honor the night she won her 1,000th game. Making the decision had been only a matter of time since Summitt revealed Aug. 23 that she had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer’s type.

Pat Summitt dresses up like cheerleader and sings Rocky Top

VIDEO

Let me preface this by saying that I am a long time and huge University of Connecticut Lady Huskies fan; however, there is no coach that I respect more than Pat Summitt. Without Pat and the amazing run of the Lady Vols there would be no woman’s NCAA basketball. The Vols, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominian, Stanford and UCONN made it cool to watch and root for woman’s college basketball. That being said, Pat Summitt was probably the most fiery and demanding coach in the game with all due deference to Geno and Bobby Knight. Pat Summitt expected the best out of her player on and off the court. Comment from UCONN Lady Huskies coach Geno Auriemma:

“Pat’s vision for the game of women’s basketball and her relentless drive pushed the game to a new level and made it possible for the rest of us to accomplish what we did,” Auriemma said. “In her new role, I’m sure she will continue to make significant impacts to the University of Tennessee and to the game of women’s basketball as a whole.

Read more

Add Another Round of Golf to Obama’s List … Second Time This Spring

Add another round of golf to President Barack Obama’s ever growing tally. It was the second round of golf for Obama this Spring.  Looks like Obama has been taking advantage of the above average temperatures. That was the 93rd round of golf of his Presidency. Oh, but he is so busy handling the economy and jobs. Nothing says Good Friday or Easter Sunday like golf.  Also, how could not resist interjecting himself into the Augusta National membership issue. Far be it from Obama to miss a chance to pander to women.

President Obama hit the links on Saturday, visiting what has become his home course at Andrews Air Force Base.

The president, a frequent golfer, left the White House shortly before 1 p.m. for a ride to what has become his home course at Andrews Air Force Base.

On Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the president thinks women should be allowed membership at Augusta National, the Georgia golf club that is hosting the Masters tournament this week.

San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Alex Smith Helps Search for Missing California Teen Sierra LaMar

All too often we hear of negative stories related to sports athletes, here is one courtesy of the SF 49′ers that we can be proud of …

15 year old Sierra LaMar has been missing since March 16, 2012 when she was last seen at about 6 AM leaving her home to go to school at Sobrato High School. There have been several searches for the missing California teen and although investigators have recovered Sierra LaMar’s cell phone and pink “Juicy” brand bag, there have been few clues as to what happened to her.

Over the weekend, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith joined the 581 volunteers on Saturday to help search for missing  Sierra LaMar. KUDOS to Alex Smith for being so selfless and helping search for the missing teen. As Marc Klaas the founder of the KlaasKids Foundation stated, “He wasn’t there for attention. He was there to search. It was about his heart. It’s certainly a touching thing, and it’s a huge thing, too. By showing up, he provided a value that went well beyond his own presence as a searcher.”

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has reportedly joined the search for a missing California girl who disappeared more than two weeks ago on her way to school.

Smith was among 581 volunteers who turned out Saturday to search for 15-year-old Sierra LaMar, of Morgan Hill, Calif., who was last seen March 16, the Contra Costa Times reported.

KUDOS to Alex Smith, you are a class act. As reported at the Mercury News, without any PR pomp and circumstance, without making it all about him, Smith dropped off food and water for the search volunteer before joining the search. NICE!

If anyone has any information regarding the teenager’s whereabouts, please call the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department at 408-299-2311.

Lin-Sanity Finished for the Year … Knee Lin-Jury & Surgery for Knicks Guard Jeremy Lin Out for the Season

The meteoric ride of LIN-SANITY has come to a crashing end …

It has been one of the best, fun and uplifting stories of the NBA season, one mired in the aftermath of the bitter owner-players strike and lock out that nearly ended the entire season. Sadly for  Knicks Guard Jeremy Lin his season is over as he suffered a knee injury and will require surgery.

What makes Jeremy Lin such a compelling story? He is a real life “Rocky” story of an undrafted, unheralded player who thanks God for his chance to play in the NBA. In a sport where we hear so many unflattering stories, there is now one that all can be proud of. He has become a role model to so many.

LINSANITY captured the imagination of many, including many that really did not follow the NBA that closely. How does an undrafted guard out of Harvard become the media focal point and most covered player in the NBA with such stars stars as Dwayne Wayne, Lebron James, Kobie Bryant and Kevin Durant? Add in the fact that he plays for a struggling Knicks team in the huge media market of NYC and you have … LIN-SANITY!!!

Jeremy Lin will miss the rest of the regular season because he needs knee surgery that will sideline him six weeks and could leave the Knicks without their star point guard in the playoffs – if they make it that far.

Lin had an MRI exam this week that revealed a small, chronic meniscus tear and he has elected to have surgery next week in New York.

With the regular season ending April 26, the biggest story in basketball this season is done unless the Knicks make a deep postseason run.

The birth of LIN-SANITY:

The Knicks were under .500 and looking like a mess when Lin was given a chance to play extended minutes at point guard for then-coach Mike D’Antoni on Feb. 4 against New Jersey.

Lin, the first American-born player of Taiwanese or Chinese descent to play in the NBA, scored 25 points with seven assists in that New York victory, was inserted into the starting lineup two days later against Utah, and took the Knicks on a seven-game winning streak that gained world-wide attention.

GET WELL SOON JEREMY.