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WWE Extreme Rules 2013: Superstars Who Will Pick Up Much-Needed Wins

Tim Daniels — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:18:36 -0400

Extreme Rules is an important bridge pay-per-view. The road to WrestleMania and the immediate aftermath are usually chaotic, and this year was no exception. Sunday's show is when things begin to normalize again around the WWE.

For superstars, that equates to a chance at a renewed push. The spots that were taken by part-time superstars during the WrestleMania build are now available for the taking. Those who pick up wins at Extreme Rules move one step closer to filling the voids.

Knowing that, let's take a closer look at three superstars who should secure much-needed victories at Extreme Rules and where it could lead them moving forward.

Randy Orton

Orton, once a stalwart member of the main event scene, has been bouncing around feuds without a general direction in recent months. It's time for him to start getting a big push with an eye toward an eventual storyline with World Heavyweight champ Dolph Ziggler.

Facing Big Show in an Extreme Rules match is a good place to start. Big Show's stock has also faded recently, but the gimmick aspect of the encounter should make it more interesting. It will also hide the giant's in-ring deficiencies.

Ultimately, it makes more sense for Orton to get the win as the start of his first sustained push in quite some time. He's still one of the most reliable workers on the roster. A feud with Ziggler down the line is exactly what the World Heavyweight title needs to boost SmackDown.

Fandango

Fandango is quickly learning what Brodus Clay found out when he debuted the Funkasaurus character. An initial surge with a new dancing gimmick enters the danger zone as soon as the fans become bored with the dancing, which doesn't take long.

The wrestler formerly known as Johnny Curtis became an astonishing success after beating Chris Jericho at WrestleMania. His intro music went viral, the fans started doing it during his matches and he started getting featured more prominently.

Now, the fan involvement is starting to fade and so is Fandango's momentum. The focus must shift toward his improving wrestling ability in the rematch with Jericho. The gimmick got him started, but progression must begin at Extreme Rules to avoid him fading out of the spotlight.

The Miz

The Miz won the Intercontinental Championship on the WrestleMania pre-show. Instead of that leading to a fresh push, he lost the rematch against Wade Barrett on Raw. He then left to film a movie, Christmas Bounty, before recently returning.

He'll face off with Cody Rhodes on the pre-show in what's actually a very important match. Both superstars are waiting for a chance to become involved in bigger storylines and the winner of Sunday's encounter takes the next step. The loser will remain in limbo.

Although The Miz may have to undergo another gimmick change––he's a much better natural heel––before returning to the main event, he's still a better candidate for a push than Rhodes. Expect him to begin his move up the card with an Extreme Rules win.

Preakness Odds: Breaking Down Best Prop Bets for Saturday's Race

Tyler Conway — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:00 -0400

While gambling is hardwired into the DNA of all sports, horse racing is one of a select few that openly embrace the monetary debauchery.

There are sanctioned tickets at almost every track across the nation, and horse racing isn't only for the high rollers of the world. Smaller tickets worth mere dollars are available to everyone in attendance, just for those looking to get a mini-thrill. One of my youngest memories is a friend's parents having us each pick up a horse and getting a $2 ticket for us to play. (We lost. And then I cried. Loudly.)

Most of the money spent on horses prior to Saturday's 138th Preakness Stakes won't be of such a small sum. With just nine horses running in this year's field, there has been plenty of time for folks to get a good feel for how each of these horses will fare at the legendary Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

And once the morning lines came out earlier this week, the gambling odds have almost become a story in and of themselves. Orb, the winner of the 2013 Kentucky Derby, is one of the heaviest favorites in recent memory. He comes off at 10-11 odds, which has led to plenty of discussion about the merits of that placement.

But we're not going to focus on the odds for each individual horse in this space. That's been well-covered throughout the World Wide Web and anyone with a bookmark to Alta Vista and a dial-up connection can figure out how the favorites stack out.

Instead, we're going to take a look at the less predictable but arguably more fun prop bets. While the Preakness isn't the Super Bowl and there aren't betting odds on the national anthem length, there are a few attractive wagers actually pertaining to the race worth noting.

Here is a look at a few of the best prop bets as we prepare for Saturday's race.

Preakness Field and Odds

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	10-11
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	8-1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	28-1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	13-2
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	13-2
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	16-1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12-1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	10-1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10-1

Via Bovada

Top Prop Bets (Via Bovada)

The Lock: Will Orb Finish in the Top 3? (Yes, -500)

If you even slightly believe in Orb, this prop might as well be called the "free money" bet. There are only nine horses in this field. Orb has a 33 percent chance of finishing somewhere within the first three positions by sheer basic probability. And considering Orb is the defending Kentucky Derby champion and rightful favorite of this race, the colt finishing outside the top three would be a profound shock to even the most strident detractors.

There is one major drawback of this bet—the astronomical deposit figure needed to make it worthwhile. It will cost $500 for anyone to win $100 on this prop. That's not a small amount of money, and even "free money" bets backfire sometimes. Horse racing remains one of the more unpredictable sports from a race-to-race basis because of the mitigating factors that not even jockeys can control.

With this one, you have to feel fully comfortable with Orb finishing inside the top three, which we do. He's the biggest favorite in this field and in the Triple Crown race since Big Brown in 2008, and has shown nothing but fine form throughout the process.

What we like most about this prop is the ability to hedge a bit. Most who have faith in Orb are going to take the 10-11 odds that he's going to win the race—even though they're slightly risky by themselves. Taking that number might be tempting on the surface, but it also affords nil in terms of wiggle room. If Orb gets off to a slow start and is pinched in behind by Goldencents in the No. 2 post for the first quarter-mile—a totally reasonable possibility—it may be just enough to deter him from actually winning the race.

But finishing outside the top three? We simply cannot see that happening, barring an injury. If you're willing to take a risk on a near-guarantee, here's your spot.

Other Orb bets worth considering: Will Orb win the Triple Crown? (Yes, +225), Orb over Departing (-225), Orb over Goldencents (-400).

Head-to-Head Matchup: Mylute vs. Goldencents (Mylute, -170)

The head-to-head props are completely straightforward: Who do you think will finish higher in the race? It doesn't matter whether these horses finish eighth and ninth or first and second at Pimlico—and that's the beauty of those picks.

Of any of the head-to-head matchups, we feel strongly about Mylute defeating Goldencents for a multitude of reasons. The first, of course, being their respective Kentucky Derby finishes. Mylute finished fifth at the Derby, but is the second-highest finisher among those headed to Pimlico.

Goldencents is coming off the most miserable finish of his career. After heading into the Derby with massive expectations following a triumph at the Santa Anita Derby, Goldencents finished 17th out of 19 horses participating in Lexington.

What's more, Mylute's surrounding pedigree suggests the three-year-old colt might be Orb's most strident contender on Saturday. Jockey Rosie Napravnik has become a national sensation in her quest to become the first woman to ever win the Preakness, and it's hard to bet against her history at this track.

Growing up in New Jersey, the 25-year-old Napravnik was a regular fixture at Pimlico in her youth. She won her first career race at the track and seems excited to get back on her home track.

‘‘It’s always an advantage if you know a track well,’’ Napravnik said (h/t The Boston Globe). ‘‘I won a lot of races at Pimlico and I like the track. I know the track like the back of my hand, and I appreciate that fact.’’

With Goldencents struggling and a bunch of signs pointing in Mylute's favor, this one seems like a no-brainer.

Just for Fun: Margin of Victory: Under 1.5 Lengths (-120)

Remember my little sob story about losing on that $2 ticket from the introduction? Well, if you're bringing a child or younger sibling to the track, do yourself a favor and give them this ticket—just don't spend anything resembling a significant sum of money.

There's almost no way we can scientifically break this prop down. The length by which a horse wins a race is one of the flukiest things in a sport filled with a never-ending stream of fluky happenstances.

Betting the over on this prop is equivalent to betting the under on a football score. While everyone else is cheering about the thrilling finish and high-scoring acrobatics, you're the guy wallowing that these darn players made the game too fun.

Same thing here. No one wants to see a blowout race. Everyone wants the photo finish and will invariably check out midway through if Orb or whoever opens up a lead so commanding that it becomes insurmountable.

Bet $5-10, give the ticket and have some fun. And if the bet loses and the child starts sobbing uncontrollably, buy him ice cream. I always wish we had gotten ice cream.

Follow @tylerconway22

2013 Preakness Post Positions: Horses That Will Have to Overcome Poor Draws

Patrick Clarke — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:00:00 -0400

Kentucky Derby winner Orb is the favorite to win the Triple Crown's second leg on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, but he'll have to overcome a tough post draw in order to keep his impressive winning streak alive.

Orb drew the rail for Saturday's 2013 Preakness Stakes. It's been 19 years since a horse won the Preakness from post No. 1. Tabasco Cat was the last to do so back in 1994.

But the Triple Crown hopeful isn't the only horse that will have to overcome a poor starting slot this weekend.

Below we'll take a look at where each horse will start on Saturday, breaking down three colts that will have their work cut out for them before the race even starts.

2013 Preakness Stakes Post Positions

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1/1
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	8/1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	30/1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	6/1
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5/1
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	15/1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12/1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	12/1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10/1

*Odds via Preakness.com.

Orb, Post No. 1

It's never good to draw the rail, but luckily for Kentucky Derby winner Orb, he drew the first post at Pimlico instead of Churchill Downs.

Orb's trainer, Shug McGaughey breaks down why it's better Orb drew the rail this time around as opposed to two weeks ago (via ESPN.com):

It's not nearly the problem it would be in the Derby. The Derby is kind of catty-cornered. You got to shove your way out of there or you get shut off down in there. It's pretty straightforward here. There are only nine horses. There's not going to be that kind of jockeying into the first turn. We'll just hold our position and see how the race plays out.

But Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman delivers another troubling stat for McGaughey and Orb:

Regardless of what's happened in the past, though, Orb certainly has the closing speed to outlast the field at Pimlico on Saturday. He'll need to get out fast and avoid being freight trained by the pack right out of the gate, if he wants to have a shot.

If Rosario can keep him clean early on, his poor post position will become forgotten history.

Goldencents, Post No. 2

It's been nearly 30 years since a horse won the Preakness Stakes from post No. 2.

On Saturday, Goldencents will attempt to become the first since Snow Chief in 1986 to run out of the second slot and into the history books.

Rick Pitino's talented colt burst onto the scene after winning the Santa Anita Derby, but then turned out a dismal performance at the Kentucky Derby, finishing 18th despite entering the post as a heavy favorite to win.

While the 1 3/16-mile distance at Pimlico is a fraction shorter than that of Churchill Downs, that doesn't mean much for Goldencents, who was running 15th after a mile at the Derby two weeks ago.

Titletown Five, Post No. 3

Keeping the close-to-the-rail theme alive, long-shot Titltetown Five will have to not only overcome poor odds, but an unfavorable draw on Saturday in order to pull off the shocker.

After all, it's been 20 years since a horse won the Preakness Stakes from post No. 3. Prairie Bayou was the last to do it 1993.

While it's not the rail, post No. 3 could spell serious doom for the underdog of D. Wayne Lukas' group, especially with Orb and Goldencents starting to the inside of him. If the two favorites can get out fast it may be Titletown Five that ends up getting pinned down by the pack.

It's safe to say that Titletown Five is one long-shot to avoid on Saturday.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.

Preakness 2013 Contenders: Popular Horses to Avoid at Pimlico Race Course

Patrick Clarke — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:00:00 -0400

The 19-horse field at the Kentucky Derby has been cut in half for the 2013 Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.

Derby-winner Orb will be the overwhelming favorite come post time, but there are a handful of other popular picks that bettors are considering at the Triple Crown's second leg this weekend, including Rick Pitino's Goldencents and Illinois Derby winner Departing.

Below we'll take a closer look at the Preakness field, highlighting a trio of popular picks to avoid on Saturday evening.

2013 Preakness Stakes Post Positions

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1/1
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	8/1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	30/1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	6/1
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5/1
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	15/1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12/1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	12/1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10/1

*Odds via Preakness.com.

Departing, 6-1

Despite winning the Grade III Illinois Derby last month, Departing wasn't fast enough to catch Revolutionary or Mylute at the Grade II Louisiana Derby back in March.

Albert Stall's colt certainly has potential, but the competition in this field is too talented.

Both Oxbow and Mylute, who will start right alongside Departing this weekend, posted strong finishes at Churchill Downs two weeks ago and have the closing strength to outlast Departing down the stretch.

Don't be shocked to see Departing finish out of the money on Saturday.

Goldencents, 8-1

Goldencents is a popular pick to win the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, but after a disappointing 18th-place finish at the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, bettors would be wise to avoid the Santa Anita Derby winner this weekend.

The Doug O'Neill-trained colt got off to a fast start at Churchill Downs, pulling into second place through the first quarter of a mile, but he then faded, falling way back and out of contention.

That's not to say Goldencents and jockey Kevin Krigger are going to finish dead last again this Saturday, but horse racing fans should be wary of the tandem following an eye-opening Derby performance.

Goldencents will start from post No. 2 right alongside favorite Orb on Saturday, and if he doesn't get off to a quick start, he could be forced to the back early.

Itsmyluckyday, 10-1

After winning the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes and then finishing second in the Grade I Florida Derby, Itsmyluckyday turned in a shockingly bad performance at the Kentucky Derby on May 4, coming home 15th.

Like Derby favorites Goldencents and Verrazano, Itsmyluckyday started well but then fell off the pace late in the race.

Eddie Plesa's colt will start way on the outside from post No. 9 on Saturday, which could be tough with Orb starting opposite along the rail. He challenged Orb in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in March but was ultimately outclassed by this weekend's favorite.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.

Sudirman Cup 2013: Draw, Dates, Full Schedule and Teams

Donald Wood — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:56:20 -0400

The 2013 Sudirman Cup is the biggest team tournament on the badminton schedule this year, and the 13th edition of the storied event is one of the most anticipated in the history of the competition.

With 31 teams from 31 nations represented at the event (12 teams made the official tourney), this is truly one of the biggest international sporting events of the year and should be celebrated as the grand spectacle it has become.

The Sudirman Cup is only held every two years, and with so much pride amongst competing nations in the sport of badminton, the action on the courts inside Putra Stadium in Malaysia will be the fiercest we’ve seen since the 2012 Summer Olympics from London.

If you Love badminton, you won’t want to miss a second of this amazing action!

Where: Putra Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

When: May 19-26

Full Tournament Information: BWF's Official Website

Groups 2 and 3 Seedings: BWF's Official Bracket

Team Draw Results

Group 1A

Team
China
Indonesia
India

Group 1B

Team
Thailand
Korea
Hong Kong

Group 1C

Team
Malaysia
Germany
Chinese Taipei

Group 1D

Team
Denmark
Japan
Singapore

Full Schedule

May 19, 2013: China vs. India (Group 1A)

May 19, 2013: Thailand vs. Hong Kong (Group 1B)

May 19, 2013: Malaysia vs. Chinese Taipei (Group 1C)

May 19, 2013: Denmark vs. Singapore (Group 1D)

May 20, 2013: Indonesia vs. India (Group 1A)

May 20, 2013: Korea vs. Hong Kong (Group 1B)

May 20, 2013: Germany vs. Chinese Taipei (Group 1C)

May 20, 2013: Japan vs. Singapore (Group 1D)

May 21, 2013: China vs. Indonesia (Group 1A)

May 21, 2013: Thailand vs. Korea (Group 1B)

May 21, 2013: Malaysia vs. Germany (Group 1C)

May 21, 2013: Denmark vs. Japan (Group 1D)

Tournament re-seeded using world rankings after group rounds.

Predicted Winner: China

There is no better nation on Earth at badminton than China, and the nation will look to further its dominance of the sport by utterly demolishing the 2013 Sudirman Cup.

China is going for its ninth team championship in 13 attempts.

The Chinese team is stacked with talented players like 2012 Olympic gold medalists Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng on the men’s side, and defending world singles champion Wang Yihan and London Olympic champion Li Xuerui on the women’s side.

With that much raw firepower, Team China is the clear favorite.

The Chinese team won’t have it easy, though, as both badminton superpowers Indonesia and India have been grouped with China and will be looking to make a mark on the tournament by beating the top nation in the opening matches.

While every team would like to dethrone the perennial championship threats, Team China is too good to be eliminated before the next round. Expect the Chinese team to make it to the finals and eventually win the entire tournament.

Follow @Donald_Wood

Preakness 2013 Post Positions: Horses That Will Benefit Most from Starting Spot

Joseph Zucker — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:30:00 -0400

If Orb is going to win the 2013 Preakness Stakes, he'll have to do it the hard way.

He drew the first position in the race, meaning he'll start against the rail. Drawing No. 1 has been unkind to horses at Pimlico (h/t David Grening of Daily Racing Form):

With only nine horses in the field, though, Orb won't have to deal with as much competition. He might get stuck against the rail early, but holes should open up that would allow him to make the moves necessary to get in the lead.

There's no doubting Orb is strong enough to continue his push for the Triple Crown, but he could be in trouble if he can't get off the rail.

In case you missed it, the field for the Preakness Stakes is listed below (h/t Preakness Stakes Twitter feed):

Here are three horses with starting spots that will be a boost at the Preakness Stakes.

Goldencents

Running right next to Orb will be Goldencents. Kentucky Derby aside, this is a great horse. He was one of the favorites at Churchill Downs but only managed a 17th-place finish. It's the kind of result Kevin Krigger will look to be atoning for at Pimlico.

Starting out at No. 2 will mean Goldencents isn't immediately stuck against the rail. He's a great sprinter, so he'll have enough space to be able to start well and not get pinned in with nowhere to go.

The track itself is also a nice boost to the horse. Pimlico is shorter than Churchill Downs, which benefits strong sprinters like Goldencents, and the weather should be much better, thus resulting in a better running surface.

Mylute

Mylute and Rosie Napravnik have the best of both worlds. Starting out at No. 5 means Mylute will be right about in the middle of the pack. He won't get stuck on the inside, yet he'll have plenty of room to make a move on the outside if necessary.

This is a horse with a nice combination of speed and power. The Derby helped in part to separate the fast horses from the powerful horses. Mylute demonstrated his power during the race. Finishing fifth was a nice result from him considering the muddy track.

With only two career wins, there should be some skepticism as to whether Mylute has enough to win at the Preakness. This is still a horse that has more than enough to finish near the top at the very least.

Itsmyluckyday

Normally getting stuck on the far post could spell doom. Or starting in ninth would mean getting bunched up with nowhere to go. With only nine horses in the field, Itsmyluckyday is in a fantastic position in ninth on the outside.

Itsmyluckyday is a strong sprinter, and getting on the outside will allow him to either set the pace early or hang near the pack before making a late move.

Then you've got a legendary jockey in John Velazquez. The Preakness is the only Triple Crown race missing on his resume as he won the Derby in 2011 and Belmont Stakes in 2007 and 2012. Velazquez has had more time to recover from the injury he suffered the day after the Wood Memorial, so that can only be a help as well.

CM Punk: Why His Return to the Company Must Happen the Night After Extreme Rules

David Levin — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:12:00 -0400

Once the “Extreme Rules” pay-per-view is finished and fans are screaming over a terrible main event between John Cena and Ryback (I predict Ryback wins this match, but it isn’t clean), all eyes and attention will be set upon CM Punk and his return to the ring.

“WWE Payback” is the next pay-per-view on the calendar and it just so happens to be in the Windy City of Chicago.

For those of you in the know, that is Punk’s hometown and the scene of Punk’s infamous theft of the WWE Title two years ago at SummerSlam.

Since his time away from the ring beginning April 8, Punk’s lack of stage presence has been bigger news than some of the angles the WWE is presently trying to promote. Good to know Punk’s appeal is so great that he is needed now more than ever to help the company get through the summer swing of shows and pay-per-views.

The WWE has had issues with booking and the loss of major superstars since the retirement of Edge, which threw everything off kilter. I am not blaming Adam Copeland for any of the bad booking, misguidance and the poor handling of superstars. That is all on the WWE and its management. But one move, in my opinion, sent this company into a tailspin and wrestlers like Punk have had to come to the aid of the WWE to bail it out of the doldrums it has been facing.

You could also make the case Wade Barrett’s injury did not help, plus the fact Rey Mysterio has been MIA for some time and Christian is still out of action have likely added to the existing problems.

However much we dislike the role of John Cena, the fact does remain he is there and fights through, much like Punk played through the pain. The time off (five weeks now) should give the superstar more than ample time to heal, rest and come back to the WWE.

It will be interesting to see if he is still the “Paul Heyman Guy” he was before he hugged his “friend” and drifted off into the sunset for some rest.

If the WWE is going to make any headway in its move toward SummerSlam, the second-biggest PPV of the year, Punk must begin his road back starting Monday night. There are 28 days between pay-per-views, which is plenty of time to build Punk as a conquering hero again if the company is so inclined. There are so many heels now on the dance card, the chances are Punk would need to resurface as a face to balance the powers in wrestling and help Cena and Alberto Del Rio fight the good fight against evil.

There is also plenty of talent on the WWE ladder to build from and transform the “main event” roster a bit.

Cody Rhodes is in purgatory. R-Truth could use a makeover of sorts. Wade Barrett could be great as a brawling hero. Chris Jericho always delivers.

But the main attraction is Punk, the leader of this band and the face of this company in terms of real value (sorry Cena). If the WWE is going to move forward and gain any momentum, it needs to happen in three days when the dust settles and “Payback” becomes the focal point on every wrestler and fans’ mind.

Punk needs to be leading that charge.

Preakness Stakes 2013: Post Time, TV Schedule and More

Patrick Clarke — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:10:24 -0400

Following a dominant performance down the stretch at Churchill Downs two weeks ago, Kentucky Derby winner Orb will look to move within one win of becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 35 years by conquering the 2013 Preakness Stakes.

The annual thoroughbred racing event is held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore and is run on a 1 3/16-mile dirt track, the shortest of the three Triple Crown races.

In 2012, it was I'll Have Another stealing the show, winning the Stakes to become the fifth horse since 2002 to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown. If Orb is going to become the first horse since 1978's Affirmed to win all three legs, he'll have to follow in I'll Have Another's footsteps on Saturday.

Below we'll get you up to speed with everything you need to know for the 138th Preakness Stakes.

Where: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore

When: Saturday, May 18, 2013

Post Time: 6:05 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

2013 Preakness Stakes TV Schedule

Date	Event	Coverage (ET)	Channel
Saturday, May 18	Preakness Stakes Prep	2:30 - 4:30 p.m.	NBC Sports Network
Saturday, May 18	138th Preakness Stakes	4:30 - 6:30 p.m.	NBC

*Information via NBCSports.com.

Here's a breakdown of Saturday's nine-horse field:

2013 Preakness Stakes Post Positions

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	1/1
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	8/1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	30/1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	6/1
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5/1
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	15/1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12/1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	12/1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10/1

*Odds via Preakness.com.

Contenders to Watch For

Orb, Even

Orb will be the overwhelming favorite to win the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, and for good reason.

Shug McGaughey's talented colt has won five straight races dating back to last November, including the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Grade I Florida Derby prior to May 4's Run for the Roses.

Despite his dominance, Orb, who drew the rail on Wednesday, will have to overcome a poor post draw on Saturday if he's going to keep the Triple Crown bid alive. It's been 19 years since a horse won the Preakness from the rail.

Tabasco Cat was the last to accomplish the feat back in 1994.

The good news for jockey Joel Rosario, though, is that there are only nine horses in this year's field, which means Orb will have a better chance of getting out cleanly.

Mylute, 5-1

Following a fifth-place finish at the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, Mylute will look to spoil Orb's Triple Crown bid in Baltimore this weekend.

Ridden by Rosie Napravnik, the Grade II Louisiana Derby runner-up will start smack dab in the middle of the nine-horse field, from post No. 5.

There's certainly no reason for Napravnik or trainer Tom Amoss to fret over Mylute's starting post on Saturday. After all, it's been only two years since a horse won the Preakness from post No. 5. Shackleford won from that slot in 2011.

Plus, Mylute demonstrated excellent closing speed at Churchill Downs two weeks ago, fighting off a sluggish start out of the gate to finish strong. With fewer horses to contend with on Saturday, Mylute is certain to be in the mix down the stretch.

Departing, 6-1

Albert Stall's emerging colt Departing did not run in the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago, but he did win the Grade III Illinois Derby in his most recent outing last month.

Running from post No. 4, Departing will look to make up for his third-place finish in the Grade II Louisiana Derby last March by winning the Preakness Stakes. He currently has the third-best odds to win behind Orb and Mylute.

While there is some doubt about the level of competition Departing has faced in his previous races, the results speak for themselves. In five career races, the impressive colt has produced four wins, finishing in the money in all five events.

With only nine horses set to run this weekend, perhaps the stage is set for Departing to deliver an upset from post No. 4 at Pimlico.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.

Power Ranking MLB's 6 Divisions by Difficulty

Chris Stephens — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:01 -0400

Coming into the 2013 Major League Baseball season, it was obvious which divisions would be the best.

The NL East had the Braves and the Nationals, while the AL West had the Angels, Rangers and Athletics.

However, through the first quarter of the season, those thoughts can be thrown out the window, as only one of those five teams has met expectations.

But what about the divisions? Has each division met or exceeded its expectations for the season?

Are there any surprises?

Here's a ranking of each division in baseball.

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Houston Texans: Who Is to Blame for Not Uncovering Ed Reed's Injury?

Jeffery Roy — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:01 -0400

The top story for the Houston Texans over the last 48 hours has been the history of Ed Reed’s hip injury. John McClain, Texans beat writer for the Houston Chronicle, first made it known to the world:

Last week, FS Ed Reed underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a small labral tear in his hip. He's expected to be ready for training camp.

— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) May 3, 2013

The story took a different turn when Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tried to connect the dots using an interview given by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kenneth R. First on Sports Radio 610 in Houston. During the interview Dr. First said:

“I wouldn’t be shocked if the (Baltimore) Ravens knew he had a hip problem as he went through the season last year. . . . You don’t tear your labrum just walking around. You know there’s something wrong.” (CBS Houston)

Florio titled his article “Ravens suspected Reed had hip problem, Texans apparently didn’t.” This is a prodigious leap in judgment. It presumes the Ravens had prior knowledge of the injury, and the Texans were unaware of it when they signed Reed to a three-year, $15 million contract. And all of that is based on what a doctor speculated using his medical experience.

It is entirely possible Ozzie Newsome, the GM of the Ravens, did not want to re-sign Reed knowing that he had a problem with his hip. The free safety missed the first seven games of 2010 with a similar problem that required extensive surgery.

But according to Dr. First this previous surgery was “on his other hip,” not the one that required the more recent arthroscopic procedure. This rather significant detail went unreported by Mr. Florio, and has been incorrectly identified as the same hip elsewhere.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who has a history of withholding injury information, has said, "There's no credence on the injury report now." The only body part that reportedly gave Reed any problems in 2012 was his shoulder. Given the habitual lack of full disclosure by the free agent’s former employer, should the Texans have been more wary?

You would think a player who will be 35 once the season starts would receive a thorough examination before being offered a contract. For the sake of argument, let us assume he was completely checked out in every reasonable way. The labral tear must have gone unnoticed.

This is fully consistent with the comments Dr. First made in his interview:

“You cannot see the labrum on a regular x-ray. The bottom line is, unless a player alerts you to ‘I have a hip problem,’ you’re probably not going to get this unless you do a very sophisticated MRI of every part of the body and really look for this.”

Does this make it the player’s responsibility to notify the team he might have such a problem? Or is it a case of caveat emptor: “Let the buyer beware?”

The Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified by the NFLPA in 2011 has several sections that place the burden on the player. The most applicable is under Article 44, Injury Grievance. In Section 3 (a) (2), one of the grounds for denial of a grievance is “That the player failed to make full and complete disclosure of his known physical or mental condition when questioned during a physical examination by the Club.”

Under this protection, the Texans could conceivably release Reed from his contract due to the injury. The club might even recoup the deferred portion of his signing bonus. This is unlikely to happen, and any recent cases where this has occurred have been difficult to identify.

In all probability, the former Raven will be on the roster of the 2013 Houston Texans—although it may take four to six months, according to Dr. First, to recover from the surgery.

If Reed is not on the field when the regular season begins, it will take somewhat longer for the fans and management of the team to forget the embarrassment surrounding his acquisition. Even if the circumstances were unavoidable.

David Beckham's World Football Legacy Will Never Be Matched

Dan Talintyre — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:01 -0400

David Beckham signed his first contract with Manchester United before I was even born. He was scoring goals like this while I was just beginning primary school.

So for me, the name and thought of Beckham has been inextricably mixed with world football for as long as I have known the great game.

And while many who witnessed the greats before my time such as Diego Maradona, Pele, Sir Bobby Charlton and so many more may attest otherwise, I don't think football will ever be subject to such an impact as what it received from Beckham.

As USA Today writes, "he came, he sold, he conquered."

That was simply what Beckham did.

He came, to seemingly every corner of the footballing world; he sold, in a marketable way that few athletes have managed to capture sense; and he conquered, with a long list of trophies from every club that he featured at in his illustrious career.

And whilst the world of football will certainly have its stars and legends of the game in years to come, none will ever be able to rival the impact and legacy of Beckham.

Take the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, for example.

Both are brilliant players who will go down in the history of the game as true legends. Both are also extremely marketable athletes as a result of their success, but it would be hard to say that they have had anywhere near the impact and success that Beckham has had in his career.

Messi has not won a title outside of Barcelona. Ronaldo has won in the Premier League also, but even then, he's won just four league titles and one Champions League trophy across his time at both Manchester United and Real Madrid. Which, compared to Beckham, simply doesn't even come close.

Beckham has won in England, Spain, France and the United States.

In England, he was perhaps the biggest reason behind Manchester United's emergence as a world footballing powerhouse once more under Sir Alex Ferguson.

In Spain, he helped Madrid win their first title in four years, which, for a club with the rich history and success like Los Blancos, must have felt like an eternity.

In France, he guided Paris Saint Germain to their first league title in 19 years, and helped them make the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League—an achievement that the likes of Chelsea and both Manchester clubs didn't manage to do.

And in the United States, not only did he twice win the MLS Cup and the MLS Supporters Shield, he basically built the appeal of soccer in an unfamiliar environment.

No player will ever have such a wide-reaching legacy ever again.

Players will become legends at their clubs and guys like Zlatan Ibrahimovic might win titles at many different clubs throughout their careers, but they won't ever be able to have the same impact as Beckham. For not only did he build an entire club into one of the most-followed clubs in world football, he made an unpopular sport "cool" once more in an entire country.

And whilst his treble-winning season and stunning free-kicks might seem like the highlights of his career, it is that legacy that is the greatest achievement of them all.

Hit me up on Twitter for more sports goodness: Follow @dantalintyre

Preakness 2013: How to Watch Second Leg of Triple Crown

Brian Mazique — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:01 -0400

Orb's chase for the second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown begins Saturday at the Preakness Stakes. A field shrunk by withdrawals could make the race more exciting and a little easier for Orb.

The Kentucky Derby winner drew the first position, which can be problematic at times. However, less horses will provide less pressure on Claude McGaughey's horse.

Here's how you can catch the action at Pimlico Race Course and a few things to watch during the race.

Where: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Md.

When: Saturday, May 18, at 6:20 p.m. ET

Post Time: 6:20 p.m. ET

Purse: $1 million

Television: NBC Sports Network

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Claude McGaughey	1-1
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	8-1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	30-1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Albert M. Stall Jr.	6-1
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5-1
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	15-1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12-1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	12-1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10-1

The Triple Crown Would Be Good for the Sport

Orb's quest for the first Triple Crown in 35 years is the biggest reason to watch the race. That is, unless you have some monetary motivation to tune in.

From a pure fan's standpoint, the sport would benefit from seeing Orb join the likes of Affirmed, Secretariat and Seattle Slew as the only horses to win the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.

Obviously, winning the Preakness would only give Orb two-thirds of the crown, but as we saw last year with I'll Have Another, the buzz can be huge once the second win is in the bag.

Unfortunately, I'll Have Another was unable to make a run at the Belmont. We can only hope Orb is able to give each race a try.

Other Horses to Watch

Goldencents

Goldencents fizzled out in the Derby despite being one of the favorites coming in. Positioned right to Orb's right, Doug O'Neill's pacesetter may find better luck at the Preakness.

On the shortest leg of the Triple Crown, his hard-driving style at the outset could be rewarded.

Chances are, Orb stays in striking distance and chases him down, but their initial duel will be interesting to watch.

Mylute

Despite a slow break out of the gate and a disappointing finish at the Derby, Mylute and jockey Rosie Napravnik could make some noise at the Preakness.

Napravnik knows that she can't allow Mylute to fall behind Orb again. Obviously, getting the horse to respond is an entirely different story. Napravnik told Colleen Thomas of Preakness Insider:

"He’s a little bit of a slow learner, but I think he’s really waking up and improving as a race horse, really getting that competitive drive."

The chemistry between jockey and horse seems to be strong in this instance. A strong run from them would be fun to see.

Follow me for Sports Did You Knows, News and Spirited Opinions

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Preakness Start Time: When to Watch Top Sprinters in This Year's Field

Dan Talintyre — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:01 -0400

While the Kentucky Derby might attract all the media attention and glamor, it's the Preakness Stakes that's often a better gauge for just how good a horse is.

Run over a shorter distance (9.5 furlongs) than the Run for the Roses, the Preakness Stakes often proves to be a very quick horse race, with the winner justified to make a claim as the best sprinter in the country. Retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, now an analyst for NBC, said of the Triple Crown's second leg (via FoxSports):

A lot of the difference [between the two races] is with 20 horses in the Kentucky Derby, there are a lot of bad trips and very few good trips. Whereas the Preakness with 14 horses, it's a lot easier to maneuver around. The atmosphere is a lot different. Everybody is more settled in at this point, and you get better trips. The Preakness is always won by a legitimate horse....

Who, then, are the legitimate horses to watch out for this year?

Read on for a full breakdown of the top sprinters in the field this year as well as all the need-to-know information and viewing details for the 2013 Preakness Stakes.

Date	Start Time	Watch	Live Stream
Saturday, May 18, 2013	6:20 p.m. ET	NBC	NBC Sports

Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Md. ($1 million purse, 1 and 3/16 miles)

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shyg McGaughey	1-1
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	8-1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	40-1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Albert M. Stall Jr.	6-1
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	5-1
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	15-1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12-1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	12-1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10-1

Odds via Vegas Insider; correct as of Friday, May 18, 2013 at 10:12 p.m. ET

Top Sprinters to Watch For in This Year's Field

Goldencents—Post No. 2

Don't be put off by his run at the 2013 Kentucky Derby; Goldencents is a very quick horse who, if he jumps well from an inside post, could well find himself in the lead heading into the first bend here.

With Kevin Krigger on board, the Santa Anita Derby winner will no doubt generate plenty of speed early here, and could well push that all the way to the finish—especially if pre-race favorite Orb doesn't jump as well as other races given his positioning in the No. 1 gate.

Goldencents probably won't be able to sweep the field and gun them down over the home straight, so he'll likely try to push to the front of the field in this one.

Whether he'll have enough speed to hold off those behind him still remains to be seen, but given his rich pedigree and previous success, there's no doubt Goldencents definitely has the ability to win here.

Orb—Post No. 1

With jockey Joel Rosario in the form of his life and Orb in the midst of a five-race winning streak, there's little doubting that the hot favorite will be very tough to beat at Pimlico this weekend.

He did draw an awkward post in the No. 1 gate, closest to the rail, but it's hard to seeing him being beat here. His pedigree is a great mix of residual stamina and he's proven throughout his career thus far that he's capable of winning from either the back or the front of the field and on whatever track.

Orb was brilliant in the Kentucky Derby and has been strong in workouts during the week, and with the Triple Crown in sight, will be a huge contender in this one.

Especially if he can get away to a good start.

Departing—Post No. 4

Departing comes into this race as somewhat of an underdog given the fact he didn't participate in the Kentucky Derby. Yet with a near-flawless race record under his belt and a terrific sprinters pedigree, there's little doubting that the Illinois Derby winner will be a huge contender this weekend.

He is well-rested, and will be peaking for this race—something that many contenders in the field can't testify to after the slogging away at Churchill Downs before.

Departing checked in third at the Louisiana Derby behind Mylute and Revolutionary, who both went on to have very strong runs at the Derby two weeks back.

That run proved himself to be more than capable of mixing it in this competition, and with a nice post position in the No. 4 gate, could well launch a big challenge down the stretch at Pimlico on Saturday. Especially if the pace is as quick as it was at Churchill Downs.

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Preakness 2013 Live Stream: Online Viewing Info and More

Tim Daniels — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:01 -0400

Two weeks ago, Orb was a fading Kentucky Derby favorite generating little hype, at least in terms of the oddsmakers' choice to win the biggest horse race of the year. Now, he's the prohibitive Preakness Stakes favorite and is being viewed as a serious Triple Crown threat.

After the post position draw, Orb was installed as the 1-1 morning-line favorite for the second leg of the Triple Crown. He will break from the extreme inside of a nine-horse field, which features three horses that didn't run in the Kentucky Derby.

Should Orb pull off another victory, only the Belmont Stakes would stand between him and the first Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. Here's a look at the viewing information to watch his run toward history followed by a race preview and prediction.

Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

When: Saturday, May 18 at 6 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Race Preview

Last year, I'll Have Another backed up his Kentucky Derby win with an equally impressive showing in the Preakness Stakes. Orb hopes to replicate that accomplishment before heading home to Belmont Park in search of the Triple Crown.

The most amazing aspect of Orb's rise was how quickly he transformed from an also-ran into a dominant force. He didn't break his maiden until the fourth race of his career, but he is now on a five-start winning streak, including two straight Grade 1 victories.

At Churchill Downs two weeks ago, the race fell perfectly for Orb. The unsustainable early pace eliminated multiple top horses from contention and allowed him to run past nearly the entire field with a perfectly timed late charge.

The early pace will once again be a critical factor. Two horses in the race, Goldencents and Itsmyluckyday, showed off good speed in the derby. But they went too hard, too soon and weren't able to sustain it for their entire trip.

Those horses will be much bigger threats to Orb if things get off to a more reasonable start in the second leg. It's up to jockeys Kevin Krigger (Goldencents) and John Velazquez (Itsmyluckyday) to make sure their horses have something left for the stretch.

The most intriguing entry that didn't run in the derby is Departing. He's won four of five career starts. His latest victory came in the Illinois Derby last month, which was a strong bounce-back performance after a third-place showing in the Louisiana Derby.

Departing's winning time in his last start was a shade under 1:51 and a fraction better than Orb's winning time in the Florida Derby, the last time he raced at the distance. So he's featured the potential necessary to pull off the upset and is working with a couple extra weeks of rest.

Ultimately, however, Orb is the rightful heavy favorite. His run in the Kentucky Derby showed he's peaking at the right time and should have plenty of energy left. He actually won his first race on two weeks of rest, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Orb should find the winner's circle once again, causing interest in the Belmont Stakes to skyrocket.

Prediction: Orb

World Football Gossip Roundup: Roberto Mancini, Arsenal, Napoli and a Pig's Head

Ian Rodgers — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:47:03 -0400

Roberto Mancini has used an unusual outlet to voice his gratitude to the Manchester City supporters following his sacking as manager this week.

City fans may also be saying goodbye to a star striker very soon, but who is it and where will he be going?

There could be significant change at Napoli in the very near future, while Arsene Wenger has confirmed that one young player is close to joining his Arsenal team next season.

And why have some players' banter gone a little too far at Stoke City?

Read on to find out more.

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Preakness 2013 Weather: Latest Reports and Conditions from Pimlico

Donald Wood — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:45:32 -0400

The excitement over the 138th edition of the Preakness Stakes is through the roof, but the focus for many of the jockeys and their respective teams has turned to Mother Nature and what role she will play in Saturday’s marquee race.

Pimlico Race Course is one of the most beautiful venues in the world, and with rain possible for the event dampening the spirits of those attending and those watching at home, the hope is that the weather will hold off long enough to get the track as dry as possible in order to have a fun race that is safe for all the participants.

Where: Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

When: Saturday, May 18

Post Time: 6:20 p.m. ET

Purse: $1 million

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports

Kentucky Derby winner Orb won his biggest race on the wet surface of Churchill Downs, so if the horse wants to win the second leg of the Triple Crown, he’ll have to overcome both the track conditions and a stellar field.

Horses like Departing, Goldencents and Mylute are all serious contenders coming into Saturday, and Orb’s run to a victory will not be as easy as many thought.

With rain expected throughout the day, the hope is that the post time of 6:20 p.m. ET is not delayed or even postponed.

If you will be attending the festivities at Pimlico Race Course or watching on television, be conscious of the weather and the havoc it could wreak on race day at the Preakness Stakes.

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Italian Open Tennis 2013: Biggest Storylines to Watch for in Men's Semifinals

Dan Talintyre — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:30:00 -0400

Just in case there hadn't already been enough drama this year, the men's tournament at the Italian Open is serving up plenty more intriguing storylines to watch for.

With the 2013 French Open just a week and a bit away from getting underway, all the big-name players made their way to Rome this week for the warm-up event.

And then came the drama, with Andy Murray's injury withdrawal and Novak Djokovic losing to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals, despite serving for the match two of the biggest talking points to emerge from this week.

However, those aren't the only storylines going on at the Italian Open at the moment, with several huge stories still prevalent heading into the men's semifinals.

Read on to see the biggest storylines to watch for in Rome this weekend.

Can Tomas Berdych Knock Out Another Tennis Giant?

Big-serving Tomas Berdych might not seem best suited to the clay-court surface, but with a big win over Djokovic in the quarterfinals, he finds himself just one win away from the final of the Italian Open.

Only problem is that win will have to come against Rafael Nadal.

Berdych hasn't been incredibly dominant on clay this season, but has always hung in there. That was shown most clearly against Djokovic, who served for the match at one point, and yet came undone thanks to the strong returning game of the Czech Republic international.

He does have somewhat of an advantage against Nadal's top spin given his height (6'5"), but it's certainly no easy task to defeat the Spaniard on clay.

Especially not when he's in the form that he's in.

Berdych's big serve should hold him in good stead against Nadal, and providing he holds himself well in the first set, could well make a strong challenge here.

He has a great ground game that forces his opponents to make big shots, and whilst Nadal is still more than capable of doing that, he's also capable of missing some big shots, like we saw in his clay-court loss to Djokovic—ironically enough—earlier in the season.

It would be arguably the biggest win of his career, but Berdych could actually come close to knocking off the clay-court maestro on his favorite surface in this one.

That's not to say that he will, per se, but he'll definitely come close.

How Important Is This Match for Roger Federer?

On paper, Roger Federer taking on Benoit Paire might not seem like a big match, but really couldn't be further from the truth for the Swiss international.

As much as he won't admit it, Federer is under a lot of pressure at the moment, and has struggled to adjust to the clay-court surface in 2013. He's made just two semifinals all year and hasn't won either of them, and his one game on clay saw him trounced by Japanese international Kei Nishikori.

Federer's had a relatively easy run to the semifinals thus far, but given the pressure he's under, Paire will be a tough matchup—especially given he can actually play.

Ranked No. 36 in the world, Paire has had a strong Italian Open so far—beating some very good clay-court players in Juan Monaco, Julien Benneteau, Juan Martin Del Potro and Marcel Granollers, with the latter being demolished 6-1, 6-0 by the 24-year-old.

He'll no doubt be full of confidence here against Federer and will be looking to go for big shots—turning this into a a make-it-or-break-it type of match.

That isn't ideal for Federer, but he needs to win these type of games if he's to be a legitimate contender at the French Open later this month. He hasn't shown any real clay-court prowess this year, and making his first final of the year would be a good way to show his Grand Slam intent in 2013.

Will Rafael Nadal Be Beat on Clay?

It's the same old question that seems to arise whenever Nadal plays on red clay, but the fact is that since his return, the Spaniard has again looked unbeatable.

His loss to Djokovic in the final at Monaco shows he is, technically, beatable, but few would claim his form is struggling. After all, he has won all but two games he's played on clay this year in his return from injury and has knocked out several of the surface's best players in the process.

He's beaten David Ferrer three times. He's also knocked off an in-form Stanislas Wawrinka and talented Nicolas Almagro as well as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

There is little disputing Nadal's clay-court dominance, and anyone who isn't yet convinced needs only to take a look at his glittering career to be shown otherwise.

So, is there any chance for Berdych in this one?

Well, perhaps. In Nadal's first tournament back from injury, he lost on red clay to World No. 73 Horacio Zeballos. That loss was obviously ruled out as an anomaly and not an issue since he was coming back for the first time in seven months, but it's worth noting in that game the success that Zeballos had on his forehand against the Nadal forehand.

Zeballos is a left-hander, and he was able to attack on Nadal's attacking shots across court as a result of that—something that the right-handed Federer, Djokovic and Ferrer simply can't do on their backhands, as good as they might be.

Berdych, as we all know, is left-handed, and whilst that might simply seem like coincidence, their match at this tournament last year proves the exact opposite.

Nadal did win in straight sets, but at 6-4, 7-5, it was a very close fixture indeed. And most importantly, it was Berdych's forehand that kept him in the match. Thus, while it'll no doubt be tough for the Czech Republic international to beat Nadal here, Berdych will know exactly what he's up against.

Yet even still, it's very hard to see Nadal losing on red clay—both here at the Italian Open and in two weeks time in the 2013 French Open at Roland Garros.

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Making the Case for WAR as Baseball's Most Perfect Statistic

Jason Catania — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:30:00 -0400

Who needs peace when we've got WAR?

Wins Above Replacement, that is.

With sites like Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus making all sorts of statistics easily accessible and readily available, there's no shortage of interesting, intriguing, intelligent—even fun—metrics to consider.

But in the battle to be baseball's best stat, WAR wins.

While the advanced metric may be a bit perplexing to some and certainly isn't as popular or widespread as ol' reliables like batting average, or runs batted in or even more new-age numbers like on-base percentage, WAR has it over all of them.

Here's why...

One Stat Fits All

The biggest notch in WAR's belt is that it's one of the few stats that actually encompasses all aspects of any and all player performance.

By comparison, on-base percentage (OBP) is an offense-only number.

Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), for instance, expresses solely how good a player is on defense.

Ultimate Baserunning Runs (UBR) meanwhile, measures a player's proficiency on the basepaths alone.

And Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) puts a pitcher's performance into context.

WAR, on the other hand, is one-stop shopping for rating baseball players in all of the above: offense, defense, baserunning and pitching.

The fine folks at FanGraphs explain it as well as anyone:

Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is an attempt by the sabermetric baseball community to summarize a player’s total contributions to their team in one statistic. You should always use more than one metric at a time when evaluating players, but WAR is pretty darn all-inclusive and provides a handy reference point. WAR basically looks at a player and asks the question, “If this player got injured and their team had to replace them with a minor leaguer or someone from their bench, how much value would the team be losing?” This value is expressed in a wins format, so we could say that Player X is worth +6.3 wins to their team while Player Y is only worth +3.5 wins.

A Unified WAR

While the two sources for WAR, FanGraphs (a.k.a. fWAR) and Baseball Reference (a.k.a., rWAR), previously had slightly different methods of calculation that caused frustration and confusion, there's now a unified replacement level, as Dave Cameron of FanGraphs wrote back in March.

In other words, it's another win for WAR, as HardballTalk's Craig Calcaterra wrote:

[The separate methods] led to at least some confusion among more casual observers and led to a lot of potshots from the fans and the press looking to take issue with any stat more complicated than batting average. “Hey, why should we care about WAR if you guys can’t even agree what it is,” they would say...

Basically, baseball's best stat just got even better.

Don't Get Caught Up

The blank looks one gets while trying to explain Wins Above Replacement are understandable, because the metric inherently raises the question: "What the heck is replacement level?"

Here's a quick-and-dirty answer from Baseball Prospectus' Sam Miller, who wrote a piece on WAR for ESPN The Magazine's March issue:

A measure of the average production of a bench or minor league player who can be acquired freely at minimum cost. Used as the baseline for calculating WAR.

If that still leaves you scratching your head, the important thing is not to get caught up in the concept and construct of the statistic—if you want more on those aspects, though, feel free to click any of the links we've included to this point and read through. Instead, focus on how to use it.

What WAR Is Good For

This is where WAR really shines.

You see, WAR puts a number to the amount of wins a player adds to his team's win total, and well, what's a more basic stat than a "W?"

Let's put it in simple terms with a player everyone can agree is great: Ryan Braun.

In 2011, Braun posted a 7.3 WAR (per FanGraphs)—meaning he was worth seven wins more than a run-of-the-mill waiver-wire player or minor leaguer. That year, Braun ranked fifth-best in FanGraphs' WAR and second-best in the NL to Matt Kemp's 8.4.

You'll remember that the 2011 NL MVP race was a heated battle between—no real surprise here—Braun and Kemp, which Braun ultimately won in an extremely close vote.

Point being, regardless of which of the two you think the winner should have been, WAR pretty much told us who the top two players were.

Putting WAR in Context

So Kemp's 8.4 WAR and Braun's 7.3 WAR in 2011 were great, but let's put those numbers in context.

For this, once again, we'll turn to FanGraphs, which breaks down the general guidelines for what each range of WAR translates to in terms of performance in a single season:

That shows just how great Braun and Kemp were in 2011.

Comparisons Made Easy

Another reason WAR is fun—if you'll pardon the pun...and the rhyme?

"WAR is context, league, and park neutral. This means you can use WAR to compare players between years, leagues, and teams," as the FanGraphs glossary page points out.

Wanna know how great Mike Trout's rookie season was? Try all-time great: It was the 31st-best year ever at 10.0 WAR.

How about comparing two of the best center fielders in MLB history? In their careers, the Say Hey Kid was worth almost twice as many wins as The Kid.

Curious about where Justin Verlander—who's widely considered the best pitcher in the game—actually ranks among all active pitchers for his career? Try 12th-best and rising quickly.

We should point out here that WAR is a cumulative metric, both over the course of a single season and over a career, and Verlander has dozens or even hundreds of fewer career starts than the 11 hurlers ahead of him.

Not Perfect, But Pretty Close

So is WAR the perfect baseball statistic? Of course not.

There are so many aspects, layers and underlying statistics that get rolled into one single, solitary number—and depending on whether you use FanGraphs' WAR or Baseball Reference's WAR, even that one number is different for any given player in any given season or career.

Put another way: WAR is neat, but it isn't always tidy.

Still, the concept of Wins Above Replacement and all that goes into it—especially the metric itself—makes for a pretty remarkable stat.

If you were already familiar with WAR before reading this, then hopefully you learned something or at least appreciated the journey.

If you hadn't really paid attention to or even heard of WAR prior to this, well, here's hoping you'll at least do one thing going forward:

Give WAR a chance.

Phil Jackson Proves It's All About the Money in Kobe vs. Jordan Debate

Martin Telleria — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:27:23 -0400

Since when did selling out for a few book sales become a practice of Zen?

One thing became clear after Phil Jackson’s declaration of Michael Jordan’s superiority to Kobe Bryant in his new book, Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, Jackson is more than just a basketball genius.

While Jackson has never been shy to take shots at Bryant, one thing always remained unsaid. It was something that the majority of us knew, but would find ultimate closure if it came from the mouth of Phil himself.

After all, who better to speak on the two but the man who benefited from eleven rings between the two elite stars?

Well, that closure has finally come.

Speaking on a number of things, ranging from their leadership abilities to their offensive and defensive prowess, Jackson proclaimed Jordan superior in every facet of not just the game of basketball, but as men and leaders as well (via ESPN.com):

"One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael's superior skills as a leader," wrote Jackson. "Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had in his bones."

In terms of their offensive prowess, it was Jordan’s sense of the moment that propelled him past Bryant:

"Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn't going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. Michael, on the other hand, would shift his attention to defense or passing or setting screens to help the team win the game."

While I’m not going to argue with someone as accomplished as Jackson, I do recall witnessing plenty of Jordan forcing the action.

It’s not as if I disagree with Jackson’s assessment of the two players. For my money, Jordan is without a doubt the greatest guard in the history of basketball and a top-3 player of all time, behind only the great Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (again, just my opinion, but check the ring count and stats).

It’s the timing that has me irked.

The fame, fortune and jewelry were not enough, apparently, to satisfy Jackson. It would appear that the two have still not done enough for the smuggest of “Zen Masters.” Jackson is now using the same star power that drove him to eleven championships to drive himself to higher book sales.

These are two legends of the game and deserve better than to be used as cash-grabs. More importantly, Bryant deserved better.

It’s not easy to try to emulate greatness. Yet he tried anyway and came as close as anyone ever could. That in itself is a feat that should be celebrated. Instead, Jackson chose to twist that greatness and thereby diminished it.

Jackson has placed Jordan on such a high pedestal that it has marred what he had in Bryant. Bryant should be remembered as Jordan’s closest peer. Instead, Jackson’s book made him out to be far from it.

The worst part of it all was that he did it for his own selfish reasons. Everyone knows that money, perhaps even as much as the rings, drives Jackson. There was a good chance he would have been the coach of the Lakers this season if it wasn't so important to him.

Money was what propelled him to throw one of the greatest stars of my lifetime under the bus. Money tarnished the legacy of Kobe Bryant. Money was all Phil Jackson was after.

Ranking Kevin Garnett's Career Among NBA's Great Power Forwards

Sloan Piva — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:19:08 -0400

As Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett's career nears its end, the comparisons to top power forwards of the history of the game become more prevalent.

Garnett has moved his way up the all-time marks with points and rebounds, and proved himself as one of the best defenders to ever step foot on the hardwood.

But is Garnett the best power forward of all time?

The following eight slides reveal the best power forwards ever, detailing why Garnett ranked either above or below each one.

Begin Slideshow

Roddy White: 'I Know We Know What It Takes to Get over the Super Bowl Hump'

Knox Bardeen — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:17:11 -0400

Playoff obstacles are nothing new to this Atlanta Falcons football team. In fact, enduring and overcoming past postseason hardships has made this team a more cohesive unit and taught them how to push forward.

With the arrival of general manager Thomas Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith in 2008 came unparalleled success for the franchise. In 2009 the Falcons put together their first back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. Since 2008 the Falcons have won 56 games and been to the playoffs four times in five seasons.

But the team’s first playoff win under Smith as coach and Matt Ryan as quarterback was elusive. After three one-and-done appearances in the postseason, the Falcons found a way in 2012 to put the pain of postseason’s past behind them by beating the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs and advancing to the NFC Championship Game.

The Falcons came up just a few yards shy of beating the San Francisco 49ers to move on to Super Bowl XLVII and that pain is something that still sticks with wide receiver Roddy White.

“When you’re 10 yards away from a Super Bowl and you’re right there at the doorstep, it adds incentive to make you go even harder than you’ve actually gone [before]," said White, almost four months removed from the loss at home to the 49ers.

With the recent success of the franchise, with all the pieces Dimtroff has put together for this team, Atlanta is extremely close to the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl. The Falcons are in absolute “win now” mode and the next playoff obstacle for Smith and Ryan and every other player on the roster is making it to Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey after the 2013 season.

The Falcons learned so much by suffering through three painfully early playoff exits that now White feels getting past this next obstacle and into the Super Bowl will be easier than getting the playoff-win monkey off their backs last season.

“I know we know what it takes to get over the Super Bowl hump,” said White. “So now the players we all realize we need to get to the Super Bowl. Everybody’s on the same page, so it’s time for us to get over the hump.”

White has been working feverishly in the offseason to prepare for the 2013 campaign. He said he had a specific routine that he follows, a training regimen that includes football activities, workouts and diet, and even the rewarding opportunity to take some time to teach kids about health and football.

White will take two days on June 17 and 18 in Marietta, Ga. to team up with ProCamps and popchips® at Lassiter High School and put on a football camp for boys and girls between the ages of seven and 14.

The advanced kids will doing a lot of 7-on-7 drills and activities that White called “more competitive” in nature. The younger kids will be learning football fundamentals, and everyone will be eating popchips®.

“Popchips, they’re doing an excellent job of teaching kids how to eat healthy and giving out healthy snacks and things like that,” said White. “We need people like that because of the obesity problem that kids are going through at such a young age.”

Once White finishes with the kids at his camp, he’ll return his full attention to the Falcons, who he feels have done an excellent job in the offseason at bringing in talent to upgrade the team.

“I think the Steven Jackson move was a great move for us,” said White. “It [the offense] will be much more balanced. That guy can run, catch; he’s a three-down back so we won’t ever have to take him out of the game.”

Being able to leave Jackson in the game at running back on all downs will help offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter disguise his play-calling even more in 2013. Instead of having to alternate running backs Michael Turner and Jacquizz Rodgers for different aspects of the offensive play-calling, having Jackson in there all the time will make it tougher for defensive coordinators to catch up with what Koetter’s offense does on a down-by-down basis.

That will greatly enhance on of Koetter’s best traits: His aggressive tendencies on offense.

White called Koetter a “fearless play-caller” and said he expects the offense in 2013 to be even better and to dial up big things. This Falcons offensive unit will regularly be on the attack and have a number of new wrinkles with the addition of Jackson and the natural and needed progression by Koetter from Year 1 to Year 2 as coordinator.

Another aspect of the Falcons offense to watch out for in 2013 is slot receiver Harry Douglas, who caught 38 passes last year and has averaged just over 30 catches per year in his four pro seasons (he missed the entire 2009 season with a knee injury).

White said he’s anxious for Douglas to break out and marvels over Douglas’ work ethic and preparation techniques.

“He’s [Douglas] kind of the hidden guy that’s waiting to explode,” said White. “I’m just hoping this is the year he takes off and all of us get 1,000 yards, just like the [Indianapolis] Colts when they had all those guys running up and down the field and catching all those balls.”

With White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez on the team, White admits it will be hard to find enough touches for Douglas, who White believes would catch 60 to 70 passes if the receiving corps were less crowded. But Koetter knows how to integrate numerous weapons into an offensive scheme, and with Jackson now in Atlanta, defenses will have to prepare more for an Atlanta rushing attack which will open up passing lanes for not only the Falcons’ “Big Three” but Douglas too.

This Atlanta team has improved in the offseason, but White’s also noticed improvement within the division (he still calls new Tampa Bay cornerback Darrelle Revis the best cornerback in the game) and among the powers of the NFC, San Francisco and Seattle.

“I still think from top to bottom we’re one of the best teams, if not the best team in the NFC,” said White. “We’ve just got to, with the experience that we have, go out there and find ways to win.”

And if the Falcons don’t find a way to take that next step?

“If we don’t get to the Super Bowl it’s going to be a disappointing season for the Atlanta Falcons,” said White.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and statements were obtained firsthand.

Knox Bardeen is the NFC South lead writer for Bleacher Report and the author of “100 Things Falcons Fans Should Know & Do Before they Die.” Be sure to follow Knox on Twitter.

2013 Preakness: Examining Best Horse-Jockey Tandems in Triple Crown Race

Mike Chiari — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:00:03 -0400

In horse racing, a jockey is only as good as his horse. Or is a horse only as good as his jockey? Whatever the case, it takes two to tango and that will be quite apparent during Saturday's Preakness as nine horses and jockeys look to make history.

Some bettors make the mistake of only looking at a horse or a jockey without examining the other side of the coin. Horses and jockeys work together to form an incredible vehicle, and they must work in lockstep. In order to produce a winning effort in a race like the Preakness, both elements need to be hitting on all cylinders.

Here are the three best horse-and-jockey combinations in the Preakness Stakes field. None of these tandems are guaranteed to win or even perform well, but the odds are definitely in their favor.

Starting Order

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	10-11
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O'Neill	8-1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	28-1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr.	Albert M. Stall Jr.	13-2
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	13-2
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	16-1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12-1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	10-1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10-1

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Orb and Joel Rosario

There is no better place to start when naming the best Preakness combinations than the Kentucky Derby-winning team of Orb and jockey Joel Rosario. While Orb has deservedly received plenty of credit since the win, it's important not to forget Rosario's role. He had Orb under perfect control throughout the race as they laid back and made a late surge. Rosario clearly knew that the initial pace was unsustainable and it resulted in Orb flying past the field late.

Of course, Rosario couldn't have done it if not for Orb's physical tools. He had plenty left in the tank by the end of the race and seemed like he could have kept running forever. That is a great sign for Rosario as he can potentially make his move a little earlier in the Preakness. Rosario is fully aware of the horse he has on his hands as he compared him to a luxury car, according to Claire Novak of Blood-Horse.

Not only may Rosario be the best "driver" in the field, but he may have the best "ride" as well. In addition to the Kentucky Derby, Rosario won the Dubai World Cup this year as well, so he has an incredible amount of momentum behind him. He also happens to be on board the top three-year-old in the country and perhaps the world, so they will be a very difficult pairing to knock off.

Will Take Charge and Mike Smith

With a little better luck, Will Take Charge might have won the Kentucky Derby or at least finished in the money. He ended up finishing eighth, but he made a late charge and proved capable of hanging with the very best horses. Will Take Charge unfortunately had a nightmare trip that saw him get caught up in traffic at various points, but that is extremely unlikely to happen in the Preakness now that Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will saddle him, according to Daily Racing Form.

While Jon Court is a good jockey, he didn't navigate the Derby field well and he doesn't quite measure up to a legend like Smith. Not only has he won all three Triple Crown races in his career, but Smith has won a number of Breeders' Cup races as well, so he knows how to excel under pressure. Will Take Charge may not be the best horse he has ever ridden, however, his Derby trip suggests that he has more in him than we have seen thus far.

Will Take Charge appears to be a closer much like Orb, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them in direct competition down the stretch. The perception is that Orb is far superior as he is a 10-11 favorite, but he had the benefit of open space in the Kentucky Derby. With the playing field even in the Preakness, it will be interesting to see who triumphs.

Itsmyluckyday and John Velazquez

Itsmyluckyday entered the Kentucky Derby as a popular pick, but he struggled to keep up with the blistering pace that was initially set and finished 15th. While it was obviously a disappointing finish for the promising colt, there is reason for optimism in the Preakness. Elvis Trujillo is a solid jockey, but Itsmyluckyday should get a huge boost as Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will guide him on Saturday, according to Tim Wilkin of the Albany Times Union.

Entering the Kentucky Derby, Itsmyluckyday had finishes of second, first and first in his previous three races, respectively. All of those races were against top competition as well at Gulfstream Park. He is obviously a talented horse, but perhaps he just needed a new direction. Since Itsmyluckyday and Velazquez will be starting on the outside, it will be fairly easy to manage him and ensure that he doesn't tire himself out early like he did in the Kentucky Derby.

Itsmyluckyday is much better than his last race suggests, so hopefully Velazquez can harness his ability and turn it into a good finish. Itsmyluckyday is definitely in good hands and has a chance to challenge the top contenders.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

Where Would the New England Patriots' Offensive Stars Play on Defense?

James DiMaio — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:00:02 -0400

What if the stars of the New England Patriots’ prolific offense were playing...on defense?

What position would Rob Gronkowski play? Tom Brady?

Strange thought, I know.

The Patriots' OTAs are still a week away, so while we’ve survived the bulk of the slowest part of the NFL offseason (if there is such a thing), we still need to think of creative ways to satisfy our football-hungry minds.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this fantasy scenario.

Begin Slideshow

Ranking the Biggest Surprise Stars of the 2013 NBA Playoffs

Michael Pina — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:00:02 -0400

The NBA playoffs are a perfect setting for the unexpected.

Players who aren't household names and spent the entire regular season shaded behind their teams' superstar(s) are able to make a big enough impact on a big enough stage to really get noticed. Here are five such players.

Each one has elevated his game to another level through the opening two rounds, either helping his team advance past the first, thriving in the second or all of the above.

The players are ranked by the degree in which they've so far surprised us.

Begin Slideshow

NBA Playoffs 2013: Complete Preview and Prediction for Pacers vs. Knicks Game 6

Tyler Conway — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:00:02 -0400

With 75 percent of the NBA's Final Four being set, it only feels right that this knockout, drag-out series between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers is our only straggler.

Serving as almost a reluctant throwback to the teams’ 1990s battles, the two sides head into Game 6 on Saturday worn down—or at least looking worn down. Thursday night’s Game 5 affair, in which the Knicks extended the series to six with a 85-75 win, was arguably the ugliest-played game of the entire postseason.

Both sides came out so sloppy that it took the Pacers almost literally giving the Knicks the game for them to take it. And while New York will take any victory over an Indiana squad that has owned this series, it goes without saying that the Knicks will have to step up to send the teams back to Madison Square Garden for Game 7.

That will be easier said than done. The Pacers are yet to lose in five games Bankers Life Fieldhouse this postseason, and they are sure to give fans plenty of motivational ploys to get up for this game. Decibels might never reach Oracle Arena levels, but the Knicks are going to have to earn this one.

With that in mind, here is a quick breakdown of a couple things to watch and our prediction for Saturday night’s outcome.

Game Information

When: Saturday, May 18 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis

Watch: ESPN

Stream: WatchESPN

What to Watch For

Can the Pacers Adjust to Life Without George Hill?

When the Pacers announced that Hill would miss Thursday's Game 5 with a concussion, many saw it as a possible turning point in the series. Even though Indiana walked into Madison Square Garden with a 3-1 lead, the team's rotational ecosystem was so fragile that any major change could do irreparable harm—especially considering Hill's role as a primary ball-handler.

If the first game of the post-Hill experiment is any indication, those fears might have been understated. The Pacers offense cratered without their point guard on the floor, becoming an amalgam of bad shots and turnovers that would make even the worst version of Indiana's inconsistent offense blush.

They shot just 36.2 percent from the field and had exactly one player make half or more of his shots—Ian Mahinmi, who was a robust 2-of-2 from the field. One quick look at the Pacers' NBA.com shot locations chart from Thursday night and you want to charge through your computer screen like a raging bull.

That's even before we get to Indiana's dreadful 19-of-33 performance at the free-throw line.

However, bad shooting nights can happen with or without Hill. More disconcerting was the seemingly never-ending stream of turnovers giving New York extra possessions. Six different players had multiple turnovers on Thursday night, as the Pacers finished with 18 giveaways.

On the surface, this looks like just another bad game from a wildly inconsistent offense. Remember, these are the same Pacers who looked like one of the five worst offensive clubs in basketball history in their 105-79 loss in Game 2. They have a turnover rate of 19.8 percent for this series—which is dreadful—but it is also greater than their 19.2 percent rate in Game 5, per NBA.com.

So no need for panic, right? Well, not so much. Saying the Pacers offensive attack is fine because they kept a similar turnover rate would ignore how those costly cough-ups happened.

Without a go-to primary ball-handler in Indiana's lineup, the Knicks all but abandoned their risky trap-heavy schemes. The aggressiveness throughout the series has helped create turnovers but has also left New York susceptible to giving up wide-open jumpers—ones with which the Pacers offense thrived.

Indiana's turnovers on Thursday were just plain sloppy indicators of a struggling team trying to find its way without an integral cog in the scheme. D.J. Augustin, Hill's replacement in the starting lineup, knocked down a few threes but looked lost at times when serving as the team's primary caretaker.

There was also a semi-amusing stretch where Gerald Green—suddenly in the rotation after being absent for nearly the whole series—turned the ball over three times in about four minutes of game time in the third and fourth quarters.

With Hill being listed as doubtful for Game 6, Indiana is going to have to adjust and to simply be smarter. A repeat of Game 5's debacle would be a one-way ticket back to Madison Square Garden for Game 7.

Will Mike Woodson Trust Chris Copeland and Pablo Prigioni?

When a team is struggling as mightily as the Knicks have been in this series, a coach tends to get a bit tinker-happy with his rotations. For a coach who has been around his team long enough and seen it do marvelous things, one can imagine how frustrating it's been to see shots that went in all season suddenly clanking off the side of the backboard.

So Mike Woodson has adjusted. And then he's adjusted again. And again. And so on and so forth, most of the time to little avail.

Kenyon Martin started alongside Tyson Chandler in Game 4 to counter Indiana's size before Woodson realized how terrible that lineup was offensively. Amar'e Stoudemire arrived as the potential savior only to be vanquished almost instantly. And they keep bringing out poor Jason Kidd to shovel some more dirt on his NBA grave.

All of these small rotational flaws have come at least at the partial expense of two players whose presences have set flame to the Knicks' stagnating offense all postseason—Chris Copeland and Pablo Prigioni.

Judging from the ovations Prigioni got almost every time he touched the ball in Game 5, it's safe to say the Knicks fans have caught on to the Argentine guard's effect. The Knicks offense has been oft-prone to collapsing in on itself when Prigioni hasn't been on the floor, thanks to an emphasis on isolation plays.

Though New York has done a fantastic job of late creating ball movement, the numbers bear out the Prigioni Effect. The Knicks have scored 16 points more per 100 possessions when Prigioni is on the floor compared to when he's on the bench, per NBA.com. The 35-year-old guard acts as a catalyst to the offense, always looking to get the ball in a better position to score.

And while the Prigioni isn't known for his defense, New York has been better with him on the floor in that area as well. Any minutes currently being given to Kidd should be siphoned off to Prigioni immediately—even if it involves playing the aging guard a few more minutes than he's used to.

The same very well could be said for Copeland, the 29-year-old rookie who has been yo-yoed in and out of Woodson’s rotation more than any other player this season. Though he’s only played in eight games and in limited minutes this postseason, the Knicks’ offense has thrived with Copeland on the floor. Small sample-size alert applies here, but the Knicks are plus-17.6 per 100 possessions with Copeland on the floor, per NBA.com.

Copeland's use going forward will be particularly interesting because of the array of options he gives the Knicks. He can play either forward position and shoot the rock from beyond the arc, giving Woodson the opportunity to have a size-shooting combination not found elsewhere on the roster.

Copeland and Prigioni haven’t shared the floor much in this series, but here’s a snapshot of what it could look like for those into Knicks lineup ‘shipping.

If Woodson is able to trust his two older-than-usual rookies, the Knicks offense might finally get into a rhythm.

Prediction

We've gone through this whole mini-preview without mentioning the names Carmelo Anthony purposefully. Over the course of five games, we've seen how the Pacers are going to defend the Knicks star—almost no matter how New York plans on getting him the ball.

Vogel is going to throw Paul George on Anthony in one-on-one situations and have his All-Star forward stick to his opponent hard even after screens. The only times Anthony sees anyone other than George is in transition, where David West often has to take over, because ‘Melo guards him on the opposite end and when George is on the bench.

Through the sheer force of George’s defensive excellence and the Pacers’ helping schemes, they have been able to force Anthony into impossible shots—even for the league’s best maker of impossible shots. Even in his "return to form" in Game 5, ‘Melo shot just 12-of-28 from the field.

And with J.R. Smith's struggles have been more pronounced than Anthony's, the answer of where the Knicks get offense remains in flux. If more minutes for Prigioni and Copeland is your team’s best option to save its season (and it is), there might be some deeper problems in need of addressing.

Those problems, of course, are that the Pacers’ defense is the best in the league. It’s been that way the entire season, and Indiana’s offense has only needed to be good enough throughout this series.

It wasn’t in Game 5, and it’s questionable to whether it will be without Hill on Saturday. But this club has had wild variance with its offensive productivity all season, and we’ve learned to never bet against the Pacers at this point.

This will be close, as Indiana will struggle with turnovers, but look for the Pacers to advance to face Miami in a rematch of last year’s tantalizing showdown.

Score Prediction: Pacers 88, Knicks 86

Follow @tylerconway22

NBA Playoffs 2013: Predicting Winner for Saturday's Round 2 Game

Maxwell Ogden — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:00:02 -0400

The 2013 NBA playoffs will continue on Saturday, May 18, as the Eastern Conference Semifinals take center stage. With the action limited to one monumental game, however, all eyes will be on the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The question is, how will the action transpire as the Indiana Pacers host the New York Knicks?

The Pacers enter Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead, but are coming off of an 85-75 loss at Madison Square Garden. With a potential Game 7 scheduled to be played in New York, the stage is set for Indiana to enter "must-win" territory.

As for the Knicks, they're one loss away from elimination—they've been in that scenario since Game 5.

Carmelo Anthony stepped up with 28 points in Game 6, while Chris Copeland supplied 13 huge points in 19 minutes. With Indiana going cold from the field and shooting just 36.2 percent, this enabled New York to grind out a close, but controlled, victory.

Don't expect Game 6 to be so one-sided offensively.

New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers, Game 6

Time: Saturday, May 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Stream: WatchESPN.com

Series Record: Indiana Pacers 3, New York Knicks 2

Indiana's X-Factor: George Hill's Health

The Indiana Pacers enter this game with both home-court advantage and a positional void that has led to a reasonable cause for concern. With all due respect to D.J. Augustin and his efforts during Game 5, that debilitating weakness can be found at the point guard position.

It's all about George Hill.

Hill is battling a concussion and was forced to miss Game 5—he could miss Game 6, as well.

Hill may not have the reputation of a top-tier point guard, but his impact on the Pacers has been undeniable. Not only has he helped lead their offense, but his defensive presence has been key for Indiana during the playoffs.

Just check the numbers.

Need we say more?

With Hill on the floor, the Pacers are the favorites to close out this series at home and move on to face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Without Hill, however, the Pacers proved how directionless their offense can be in Game 5.

Hill's health is the key here, and he'll need to pass the NBA's strict concussion tests to be available. Even if he is active, we can't help but wonder.

How effective can Hill be if he does play?

New York's X-Factor: J.R. Smith

The New York Knicks were playing like a title contender early in the postseason, winning three consecutive games over the Boston Celtics. Their defense was clicking on all cylinders, their offense was flowing when it needed to and they were just one win away from sweeping their rivals.

And then J.R. Smith was suspended for throwing an elbow at Celtics shooting guard Jason Terry.

Since Smith was suspended, he's averaging 13.3 points on a slash line of .294/.268/.733. Prior to the suspension, Smith had won the Sixth Man of the Year award and posted a regular-season average of 18.1 points per game.

Smith's disappearing act is a major reason for the Knicks going 3-5 during their past eight games and falling into a 3-2 hole against Indiana.

The fact that Smith has owned up to his mistakes is a step in the right direction.

During Game 5, Smith managed to go for 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block. Shooting 4-of-11 from the field is far from ideal, but Smith put together his most well-rounded game of the series.

The next step for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year is to find his jumper.

Prediction

The 2013 NBA playoffs have had their fair share of thrills, but we've seen just one Game 7. As one of the 1990s greatest rivalries rages on, the competitive nature and tension is growing, thus leaving us with one belief.

This series is destined to go to Game 7.

The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks met in six playoff series from 1993 to 2000. As fate would have it, they split those series at an even 3-3, going to seven games twice.

How did those two series go? You guessed it—both Indiana and New York won a seven-game series, earning yet another even split of 1-1.

In 2013, the rubber match will transpire, as both teams look to win the latest leg and earn bragging rights for their storied franchises.

The Pacers have a major question mark, as they enter this game with George Hill battling a concussion. As the previously alluded to statistics displayed, the Pacers are significantly worse when Hill is off of the floor.

Expect the Knicks to take advantage.

J.R. Smith may be struggling, but he's long overdue for a bounce-back performance—keep in mind, he won the Sixth Man of the Year award for a reason.

By rediscovering his shooting touch, Smith would thus provide Carmelo Anthony with the supporting fire he's so desperately needed. More importantly, he'd command the attention necessary for the Knicks' record-setting crop of three-point shooters to thrive.

Indiana is an elite defensive unit, but New York set the all-time record for three-point field goals made in one season—a strength we've yet to see in this series.

Indiana is far from helpless in this battle, as David West and Paul George will pace the offense and Roy Hibbert will man the interior. With that being said, we've yet to see New York play anything close to its regular-season standards.

Indiana deserves to be favored, but we cannot stress enough how important Hill's injury will be—this is New York's game to lose.

New York Knicks 92, Indiana Pacers 88

Devon Alexander vs. Lee Purdy: Odds and Prediction for Welterweight Clash

Alex Ballentine — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:00:02 -0400

IBF welterweight titleholder Devon Alexander (24-1) will enter his first fight as the IBF welterweight champion against Lee Purdy (16-3-1) as an overwhelming favorite.

After all, Purdy wasn't even expected to be challenging Alexander. He was a late replacement for mandatory challenger Kell Brook who was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a stress fracture in his right foot.

After Purdy missed weight for the second time in as many fights, the title will remain with Alexander regardless of who wins.

Despite the disappointing build to this fight, Alexander must now focus on living up to his favored status. An impressive win would show that he's prepared to step up to more well-known opponents in the future. Purdy, on the other hand, has the best opportunity in his career to make a statement by upsetting the champion.

Read on for a closer look at this welterweight clash.

When: Saturday, May 18 at 9 p.m. CT

Where: Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

TV: Showtime

Odds (according to Bovada): Alexander -2500, Purdy +1000

Keys for Alexander

There's a reason Alexander is the prohibitive favorite here. He's the much more gifted fighter athletically and is much more technical.

He has the hand speed and quickness to move in and score with clean combos, and move out without getting in danger. That being said, he needs to avoid getting into a brawl.

Alexander doesn't have incredible power, so forcing the knockout because he's facing an inferior opponent would not be wise. If he's patient and the knockout presents itself late in the fight, that's one thing, but his best path to victory is to utilize his quickness to frustrate Purdy.

Keys for Purdy

Purdy wasn't even supposed to be here and isn't expected to win so he has nothing to lose. He'll need to take advantage of that and swing for the fences.

The Englishman doesn't have the impressive athleticism or quickness of his foe, so the uglier the fight the better. He'll need to clinch, push and get on the inside if he wants to score and that will mean cutting off the ring and forcing Alexander to trade with him.

Purdy must get this fight to the ropes where he can force Alexander to brawl a bit. If he can get to the body early and slow Alexander down, he may have a shot to make this interesting.

Prediction: Alexander via TKO in Round 11

Alexander isn't the most exciting fighter in the world. He's not going to engage in a slugfest and he'll utilize his footwork to outpoint Purdy in the early rounds.

That's bad news for the underdog. If Purdy doesn't dish out some punishment to the body in the early going, Alexander will have plenty of energy to pour it on in the later rounds.

The champion doesn't have great power, but 11 rounds of getting beat is a lot for any fighter to take. Alexander should put Purdy away just before this one goes to the cards.

Rome Masters 2013: Predictions for Saturday's Men's Semifinal Action

Patrick Clarke — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:00:02 -0400

Three of the planet's top-six men's tennis players will be in action on Saturday in Rome, site of the 2013 Italian Open, the last stop before the French Open.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych will be joined by unseeded underdog Benoit Paire in the Italian capital, each aiming to inch one step closer to a Masters win.

So, will this weekend mark the first Federer-Nadal final since the 2011 French Open?

Here we'll take a closer look at Saturday's semifinal matchups, predicting a winner for each.

Tomas Berdych (6) vs. Rafael Nadal (5)

Six-time Italian Open champion Rafael Nadal enters Saturday's first semifinal matchup with Tomas Berdych riding an impressive 13-match winning streak against the Czech star.

That's right, Nadal hasn't lost to the 27-year-old Berdych since 2006 and is 14-3 against him all time.

On top of that, Nadal is 4-0 all-time against Berdych on clay, most recently defeating him in straight sets in the quarterfinals of this tournament a year ago.

Still, don't expect Nadal to roll over Berdych on Saturday. The 2010 Wimbledon finalist is coming off an upset win over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Friday in which he won nearly 80 percent of his first-serve points. If Berdych can recreate that performance on Saturday, Rafa could be in trouble.

Nadal was every bit as solid as Berdych in the quarterfinals, though, winning 40 percent of his first-serve return points and 52 percent of his second-serve return points against compatriot David Ferrer.

Assuming Rafa plays his usual, dominant clay-court game on Saturday, Berdych will have to be nearly superhuman in order to upend him. With the French Open looming, expect Nadal to get it done.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal

Benoit Paire vs. Roger Federer (2)

Frenchman Benoit Paire is clearly a player on the rise. The 24-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance this season in wins over Marin Cilic, Gilles Simon and most recently Juan Martin del Potro. Paire knocked off Delpo in straight sets in the third round on Thursday, acing the Argentine six times and winning 54 percent of his second-serve return points.

Unfortunately, the unseeded Paire has ways to go before he can be favored in a matchup against 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer.

The two last met in the first round at the 2013 Australian Open last January, with Fed winning easily in straight sets. Although these two have never met on clay, you have to love the Swiss legend's chances of claiming two sets.

After all, Fed has yet to drop a single set in Rome this week, cruising past Potito Starace, Gilles Simon and Jerzy Janowicz to reach the semifinals.

In Friday's straight-sets win over Janowicz, Federer looked like the Roger of old, recording 11 aces, zero double faults and winning over 70 percent of his service points.

Look for Fed to keep that momentum going on Saturday, beating Paire for the third-straight time to set up a thrilling Sunday final with his greatest rival.

Prediction: Roger Federer

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.

Preakness Picks: Underdogs That Will Have Strong Showings at Pimlico

Joseph Zucker — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:00:02 -0400

With only nine horses in the field for the 2013 Preakness Stakes, there's a great chance for a horse to surprise many and deny Orb his chance for the Triple Crown.

The field for the Kentucky Derby was 19 horses deep, so the race at Pimlico should be much easier for the jockeys involved. There's not going to be as much jostling on the track and the horses won't get as congested.

If you missed the draw for the race, the Preakness Stakes posted a photo of what it will look like:

With just nine horses involved, it's hard to discount any completely. There isn't a horse that is going going to be completely written off by race time. Among the underdogs for the Preakness, these three stand out.

Oxbow

Oxbow didn't have strong odds going into the Kentucky Derby, but he managed a sixth-place finish. That's not bad considering the 19-horse field. With the Preakness down to the nine, there's a chance Gary Stevens can get his third win at Pimlico.

Although Stevens has fallen off a bit and struggled with injuries over the past few years, he's still a legendary jockey and has more than enough experience to lead Oxbow to a win at the Preakness. Then you throw in a trainer like D. Wayne Lukas, who's won the Preakness five times. That's a great combo to have.

The conditions at Churchill Downs for the Derby were poor, and that led to difficulties for many of the horses. Oxbow did very well to finish six, dealing with both the muddy track and major congestion.

The variables for the Preakness will be much kinder for him, which should mean a much better performance for Stevens and Oxbow.

Governor Charlie

Governor Charlie was pulled from the Derby by trainer Bob Baffert. It was a good example of putting the long-term ahead of the short-term. Baffert could have run Governor Charlie at Churchill Downs, but he chose instead to ensure the horse was going to be strong for the remainder of the Triple Crown.

If you're doubting Governor Charlie's skills, don't forget how well he performed at the Sunland Derby. He won by five lengths in a course record 1:47.54. It was a massive statement going into the Kentucky Derby, but Governor Charlie didn't have the chance to show what he's got.

Now he does, and with his health issues aside, Governor Charlie is primed to make a great run at Pimlico.

Will Take Charge

Will Take Charge is another of Lukas' horses in the race. As stated before, Lukas has quite a pedigree at Pimlico.

Prior to finishing eighth at the Kentucky Derby, Will Take Charge won at the Rebel Stakes. It was a strong race from Will Take Charge. He kept up with the pace, never straying too far from the pack. Then, when the time was right, Jon Court pushed the horse at the right moment and picked up the victory.

Court has yet to pick up a win in a Triple Crown race, but he's a talented jockey nonetheless. With his experience on Will Take Charge, he knows exactly when and when not to push the horse during the race.

Preakness 2013 Horses: Thoroughbreds Most Likely to End Orb'S Triple Crown Bid

Tyler Conway — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:00:02 -0400

There might be eight other horses in Saturday's 138th running of the Preakness Stakes, but there's no denying the thoroughbred at the center of the show.

Orb, having won this year's Kentucky Derby, heads into Saturday's race at Pimlico Race Course fighting against history. Affirmed in 1978 is the last horse to win all three of the United States' most storied three-year-old races, and the desperation for Orb to give it a good run is palpable.

Horse racing, once a bastion of American culture, has slowly devolved into a niche sport. It's only in these Triple Crown races where the pageantry and beauty of horse racing in high-definition creates a reverberating shock through the culture.

And to see Orb lose on Saturday at Pimlico would rob those grasping to those Triple Crown straws. Triple Crown season would peter out at the Belmont, yet another season having passed without a transcendent colt.

The last two horses to win at Churchill Downs and Pimlico, I'll Have Another last year and Big Brown in 2008, failed in the most heartbreaking of fashions. I'll Have Another didn't even start the 2012 Belmont Stakes while Big Brown stopped in his tracks down the stretch and failed to finish the race.

Having already become the first favorite since Big Brown to win a Kentucky Derby, Orb is an overwhelming favorite for the Preakness. At 10-11 morning line odds, Orb is viewed as being so superior to his competition that it almost seems skewed too far in his direction. And with the Shug McGaughey-trained horse drawing the inside post on Wednesday—a historic death knell for Preakness contenders—it might behoove folks to start taking a deeper look at the other horses in the race.

With that in mind, here is a quick look at a few horses most likely to take down Orb on Saturday.

Race Information

Where: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Md.

When: Saturday, May 18

Post Time: 6:20 p.m. ET

Purse: $1 million

Television: NBC

Post Positions and Odds for 2013 Preakness Stakes

Post	Horse	Jockey	Trainer	Odds
1	Orb	Joel Rosario	Shug McGaughey	10-11
2	Goldencents	Kevin Krigger	Doug O’Neill	8-1
3	Titletown Five	Julien Leparoux	D. Wayne Lukas	28-1
4	Departing	Brian Hernandez Jr	Albert M. Stall, Jr	13-2
5	Mylute	Rosie Napravnik	Tom Amoss	13-2
6	Oxbow	Gary Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	16-1
7	Will Take Charge	Mike Smith	D. Wayne Lukas	12-1
8	Govenor Charlie	Martin Garcia	Bob Baffert	10-1
9	Itsmyluckyday	John Velazquez	Eddie Plesa Jr.	10-1

Odds via Bovada

No. 2 Goldencents

Buoyed by a high-profile and scintillating pedigree, Goldencents came into the Kentucky Derby as one of the horses to watch. Trained by I'll Have Another's Doug O'Neill and partially owned by Louisville Cardinals basketball coach Rick Pitino, the horse seemed to have everything going for it prior to Churchill Downs.

And then the gun sounded. With Kevin Krigger atop the three-year-old colt, things quickly fell apart. Goldencents was obviously not in his finest form whatsoever, and the horse languished toward the back of the pack.

In a field of 19 horses, Goldencents finished 17th. The thoroughbred could not handle the untenable conditions at Churchill Downs, as a cascading rain turned the entire infield into a mud pit. With so many formerly respected contenders pulling out at Pimlico, many wondered whether it was even worth it for O'Neill to bring his horse to the second Triple Crown race.

In typical O'Neill fashion, he and Goldencents arrived first. With a promising forecast (per Weather.com) and Krigger, one of the world's best jockeys, atop Goldencents, O'Neill is feeling quite confident again heading into the Preakness.

"I think we're going to see a much better result Saturday," O'Neill said (per the Associated Press).

Derby disappointment aside, O'Neill has plenty of reasons for confidence. Lining up at the No. 2 post, Goldencents and Krigger have the best opportunity to block off Orb's journey to the front. As pointed out by Rick Snider of the Washington Examiner, grabbing early position will be critical to the effort:

That makes the beginning of this race absolutely critical for Goldencents' chances. If you see Krigger successfully get to the inside without creating havoc, his colt might finally live up to its prestigious hype.

No. 5 Mylute

Any conversation about Mylute's chances begin with jockey Rosie Napravnik. The ascendant young jockey has become the toast of the town during this Triple Crown period, as her journey to semi-national stardom has been one of this week's biggest storylines.

If Mylute wins, Napravnik would bring forth a cavalcade of firsts. Trainer Tom Amoss would win his first Preakness after having so long been among the most respected names in the business. The Fair Grounds Hall of Fame member has never captured a Triple Crown race

And Napravnik, who rode Mylute to a respectable fifth-place finish at Churchill Downs, will be looking to become the first female jockey in history to win the Preakness. She is the only female jockey in the field, so that cross is hers alone to bear.

While the odds might seem stacked against her on the surface—I mean it is the138th race—that's not completely the case. The New Jersey native spent her youth riding at Pimlico, winning her first race at the legendary track and eventually capturing all the riding titles.

She spoke to the Associated Press' David Ginsburg (h/t The Boston Globe) about the kinship she feels at the Baltimore track earlier this week.

‘‘It’s always an advantage if you know a track well,’’ Napravnik said. ‘‘I won a lot of races at Pimlico and I like the track. I know the track like the back of my hand, and I appreciate that fact.’’

That's one of just many things pointing toward a strong run from Mylute Saturday. The three-year-old colt is the highest finisher other than Orb to enter the Preakness Stakes this year, and is looking to make some strategical changes to improve that standing.

According to TVG's Twitter feed, Amoss is considering pushing for a more aggressive pace throughout the run on Saturday:

It's an interesting strategy, one that could only work on the Preakness' semi-short track. But there's a decent enough shot that the risk pays a massive reward—especially with a veteran like Napravnik leading the way.

No. 8 Govenor Charlie

Legendary trainer Bob Baffert's decision to not enter any of his horses into the 2013 Kentucky Derby came as a major shock. Baffert has become a yearly fixture at the track, with three wins at the sport's most prestigious race on his resume. And with a well-respected horse like Govenor Charlie in his stable, the decision was shocking to almost everyone.

Though he waited until the very last minute, Baffert wouldn't give the remaining trainers that same pleasure at the Preakness. He entered Govenor Charlie in this week's race, and though there are three "new shooters" in this field, it's hard to argue against the Baffert-led colt being the best contender among them.

Baffert, though, has spent his entire week effusively praising Orb. As pointed out by the Lexington Herald-Leader's horse racing feed, Baffert has a healthy adoration of the Preakness favorite:

That being said, Govenor Charlie won't be entering this race merely hoping to finish second. Speaking with the Baltimore Sun's Chris Korman, Baffert noted he thinks he's bringing a real contender to Pimlico.

"Can we beat Orb?" he said. "We don't know, but I think he could be 1-2-3."

Contending at Pimlico is something Baffert knows quite a bit about. He's won five Preakness Stakes championships in 13 races entered prior to Saturday's race, and the legendary trainer is already off to a strong start.

Fiftyshadesofhay, a Baffert-trained three-year-old filly, won this year's Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on Friday. The victory was yet another indication of Baffert's expert navigator skills on this course, and jockey Martin Garcia is no slouch, either.

Govenor Charlie might not join Fiftyshadesofhay in the winner's circle, but anything less than a top-three finish would be a shocker.