I'll Have Another Wins Another Triple Crown Race

Photo Credit: Matt Slocum/AP Photo

There's just something about horse racing that gets the heart pumping. You cheer on a horse and jockey you had likely never heard of before. I saw myself doing it as I watched the Preakness today. When I sat down to watch the Kentucky Derby less than two weeks ago, I had never heard of I'll Have Another. He was just another racehorse to me. The name Mario Gutierrez didn't ring a bell. He was just another short jockey to me. But then as I watched the Kentucky Derby, I saw Gutierrez masterfully guide his horse through the pack, eventually into the lead, and finally to victory. I gained the desire to know more about the horse, his jockey, and his trainer. I wanted to know their stories. That it what inspired my post-Kentucky Derby post about them. That is the reason I knew that no matter what, I would be cheering for I'll Have Another when it came time for the Preakness.

The day for the Preakness came today. I settled down in my recliner, hoping to see yet another beautifully executed run by Gutierrez and his horse. Today's race began much the same as the Derby with Bodemeister taking a substantial lead early. I'll Have Another stayed with the pack in fourth out of 11-horse field. Round the bend the came and into the straight away. Gutierrez began to make his move. Into second sprinted I'll Have Another, gaining on Bodemeister. Call me a doubter, but I didn't think there was enough time left for I'll Have Another to take the lead. On the edge of my seat, I watched intently as I'll Have Another did take the lead within a hair of the wire to win by a neck.

Now, we know what this means. Triple Crown watch: Kentucky Derby: 1st, Preakness: 1st, Belmont: still to come. I'll Have Another is the most recent to have a shot at the illusive Triple Crown. Of course, no horse has won the coveted honor since Affirmed in 1978. Since then, eleven horses have won the first two legs, but come up short in the Belmont Stakes. Belmont is the longest of the three races at 1 1/2 miles, which has earned it the name, "Test of the Champion." One thing to consider is that Bodemeister's trainer Bob Baffert has announced that his horse will not run at Belmont. With his obvious rival out of the way, buzz is quickly growing around I'll Have Another. People have been waiting decades for this. I know I will be cheering for him come June 9th. There's just something in you that wants to see history accomplished before your eyes. Now all that remains to be seen is if I'll Have Another has another dramatic win for us come June.

Here is a link to a video if you want to see the race yourself: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7950296

Lundqvist Shines as Rangers Shutout Devils

Henrik Lundqvist stood in front of the net during a brief intermission. The Swede shrugged his shoulders as he sighed, trying to calm his nerves. The Statue of Liberty painted on the side of his helmet bounced the light from the Prudential Center onto the ice. There were still two and a half minutes left, and Lundqvist knew the game of hockey too well to assume the victory already belonged to the Rangers.

And then his captain buried an empty-net goal to salt away the victory. 3-0 Rangers, with a 2-1 series lead.


http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20112012,3,313


It's hard to think of a playoff series that has had this combination of goaltending skill, defensive sacrifice, and offensive chances from both teams every single night. New York's Henrik Lundqvist has been incredible--two shutouts in three playoff games. After Game 3, he is averaging only 1 goal against per game (and all three of the Devil's goals came in Game 2). Martin Brodeur has been just as fun to watch; as the legendary Mike Emerick said, "We've seen two lobsters and a scorpion" in reference to Brodeur's sprawling saves throughout the series.

Unfortunately for Brodeur, all his saves mean nothing if New Jersey can't score.

His coach knows that. Coach Peter DeBoer answered a reporter's question shortly and succinctly in his post-game press conference, when asked what he'd like to see different from the past game.

"Score a goal," said DeBoer, without waiting for the reporter to finish the question.

As DeBoer went on to point out, the Devils have had plenty of opportunities to score. And just look at the names on this team: Parise, Zubrus, Kovalchuck...and the list could go on. But there is still one name that has made the difference in the scoring.

Unfortunately for the Devils, that name is "Henrik Lundqvist." And unless the Devils can find a way to solve the Swedish goaltender, New York will be heading back to Madison Square Garden with a 3-1 series lead.

Kerry Wood Retires After Throwing One Last K

Photo Credit: Fred Jewell/AP Photo

May 6, 1998. Despite being only 20 years old, Kerry Wood struck out 20 hitters in a complete game shutout win against the Houston Astros. Many baseball fans and experts believe it was the greatest game every pitched. In just his fifth major league start, Wood stuck out 20 of the 27 batters he faced. Furthermore, the Astros had a tough lineup to get through back then. The Astros did manage one infield single, and Wood hit a batter, so it wasn't a perfect game or no-hitter. But this was a different type of dominance. This wasn't luck or pure chance. No, this was a whole new level of dominance. The Astros hitters didn't stand a chance. The game earned Wood the nickname "Kid K."

The problem was that Wood's health couldn't sustain that effort. Wood through across his body when he pitched, and experts predicted an injury would come as a result. That rookie season he threw eight games of 120+ pitches. Sure enough, Wood's elbow required Tommy John surgery the next spring. Wood made a recovery, but his stuff was never as dominant ever again. In 2003, he made the All-Star team and led the National League in strikeouts. The Cubs won the division that season. Wood pitched a gem in Game 5 of the divisional series against the Atlanta Braves. Wood started Game 7 of the NLCS against the Florida Marlins, with the Cubs one win away from a shot at the illusive World Series. Unfortunately, Wood seemed to run out of steam, and the Cubs lost the game.

Wood declined further after that. He got injured again and was finally relegated to the bullpen. He eventually left the Cubs and took on bullpen stints with the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees, before returning to the Cubs. Sources revealed Friday that Wood would make one last appearance before retiring. Wood got the call in the eighth inning of this afternoon's matinee against the Chicago White Sox. Wood faced one batter, Dayan Viciedo, and lived up to his nickname. He struck him out swinging and knew that was the way he wanted to go out. The Wrigley faithful gave him a standing ovation. They had watched the Kid who dominated like no other. They knew he left everything he had on that pitching mound. Wood shook hands with his teammates, tipped his hat to the crowd, and embraced his son, who had run onto the field. Kid K went out just the way it seemed he ought to.