The Best Bet

Being an amateur gambler for most of my life, I would venture to say that the Kentucky Derby is the single greatest sporting event to bet on.

Not because I know anything about horse racing, in fact quite the opposite. Since I have no idea about the ponies, and neither do any of the guys I bet against, the Kentucky Derby is the one time that all else is equal in our passion to wager anything and everything on sports. We pick our horses by their names, their numbers or the colors, not because of any preconceived notion, love (or hatred), or favoritism.

By the time the Preakness and Belmont come around, you have heard of all these 3-year olds. Not true for the Derby. In 2004, Smarty Jones won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. When the Belmont came around, Smarty was a household name. Because Smarty was such a favorite, that year, when we picked our Belmont horses, Smarty was ineligible for our friendly wager. There would never be an ineligible horse for the Derby since all these horses are no names to the layman viewer.

With that said, my prediction for this afternoon is:
Win: Storm In May (how can you bet against this horse running on Cinco de Mayo)
Place: Tiago (this just sounds like a Derby winner)
Show: Stormello (being a Nuggets fan, I sense that the spirit of our Melo Man will show)
Last Place: Sam P. (what a horrible name for a horse!)

==In other news==
The last prize fight of all-time (potentially) is tonight on HBO PPV. I haven't followed prize fighting since the Tyson-Holyfield era, but will go out on an uniformed limb and take Floyd Mayweather to remain unbeaten against Oscar De La Hoya. I think the younger, faster Mayweather will just be too much for the Golden Boy to handle tonight in Las Vegas.

==MLB Round Up==
The New York Yankees score 11 and lose to Seattle. There are big issues in New York, and I am happy I got off the Yanks bandwagon when they got rid of Rickey Henderson.

==NBA Playoffs==
The Nets defeat the Raptors in an exciting game in New Jersey to wrap up the series 4-2. Richard Jefferson showed that despite the his mid-season injury this year, he can still take it to the hoop to finish off the Raptors. Would it have been wise for Chris Both to have fouled him on the last basket? Jefferson's 95% free throw percentage in the playoffs suggests the same final score.

==NBA Semi Predictions==
Predictions will come tomorrow after the Rockets eliminate the Jazz in game 7 tonight. Too much T-Mac, not enough Boozer (coupled with an 81% home team winning percentage in game 7s)

Off to have a Mint Julep!