Big Brown allegedly threw Belmont Stakes to repay large gambling debt

BELMONT, NY - As an inspection the day after Big Brown's stunning last-place finish at the Belmont Stakes found nothing physically wrong with the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner, a cloud of suspicion fell over the racing world as allegations surfaced that the champion horse may have thrown the race in order to pay off heavy gambling debts incurred during a trip to Atlantic City with Charles Barkley the previous weekend.

Pictures circulated online today showing a horse bearing a striking resemblance to Big Brown at the betting window at Belmont Park early Saturday morning. Belmont Park officials also reported that a bettor who identified himself as "I. Horse" collected a $2,000 bet on Belmont Stakes winner Da'Tara, a 30 to 1 underdog. The winning ticket, shown to reporters at a press conference, smelled of manure and was covered in apple and carrot stains.

Several witnesses have come forward anonymously to paint a portrait of a star horse thrust into the national spotlight and unable to cope with the pressure. One person, an insider with ties to the horse who would only identify himself as "Kent", said that the issues became worse after the Preakness when he "began running with celebrities" and getting into a fast and loose lifestyle. The worst influence on Big Brown was former NBA great Charles Barkley, a noted gambler who recently settled a case involving a large sum of money owed to a Las Vegas casino.

"The weekend before the race, I heard that Charles was going to be in town and I knew it was bad news," said "Kent." "The next thing I know, I'm hearing these stories about tens of thousands of dollars begin lost at the blackjack table, and all sorts of...well...ugly things."

"Kent" said that he had heard rumors that Big Brown, 3, had run into trouble at one casino after being caught trying to implement a crude "card counting" system.

"Apparently, it was the same system those M.I.T. kids used in that movie," said "Kent." "The problem is that, like all horses, Big Brown has to rely on a rudimentary system of stomping to count. That was a dead giveaway. From what I heard, a few goons roughed him up pretty good - let's just say that he didn't get that 'cracked hoof' from running too many practice laps."

Although he admits that Big Brown should have known better, "Kent" said that Barkley clearly led him down the wrong path.

"I mean, Big Brown can't afford to be a high rolling gambler," said "Kent." "He gets paid in oats - literally. And the second Big Brown really got in a bad way, suddenly Charles is all 'hey, I gotta go run off to LA to shoot a new commercial with D-Wade and he's gone. Some friend, huh?"

National Horse Racing Association officials said that if the allegations were true, they would mark the darkest moment in horse racing history since "that last really bad scandal we had a few weeks ago about...I forget which one that was - doping...cheating...overuse?"

Big Brown offered a simple "Neigh Comment" when reached by this reporter.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 10:08 PM 2 comments  

Dear ESPN Euro 2008 Studio Host...

In soccer, they are called "goalkeepers" - you use the term "goaltenders" in hockey. Also, when you throw to the announce team that is going to call the US vs. Argentina friendly, the color guy's name is pronounced "Harks" - the "e" is silent. Since he's a US Soccer Hall of Famer and the network's lead soccer analyst, you might want to get that straight.

Hope this helps,
The Duke

P.S. Just as a good rule of thumb - when you are talking, take a look at Andy Gray - he's the Scottish guy sitting to your left that seems to actually know a lot about the sport...no, not the chick - that's Julie Foudy. Anyway, if he is clutching his pencil like he wants to use it as a weapon to jam into your windpipe to shut you up, you probably are off on the wrong track.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 7:12 PM 1 comments  

R.I.P. Jim McKay

If there was one person whom I could point to as being the key person in forming me into a sports fan from a young age, that person wouldn't be a star athlete or coach. It would be an announcer - Jim McKay. No one has ever been better at conveying the real emotion that goes into sports - any sport. As he would say each week in the intro to "Wide World of Sports", it was "the human drama of athletic competition" that he understood and perhaps was better than anyone at getting through to the audience.

Jim McKay died today at his home in Maryland at the age of 86. Most obituaries will (rightfully) lead with his coverage of the Munich Olympics tragedy, the former newspaper police beat reporter thrust into the role of television newsman telling the world about the most horrific of all crimes. And having covered 12 Olympics, the link between the event and McKay is strong.

But what made McKay such a great Olympics host is what made him perfect for his "Wide World of Sports" duties. He was able to take a sporting event - any sporting event - and decipher the real emotion of the competitors. It might be the Gran Prix in Monaco, or a table tennis championship in China, or demolition derby from Florida - for the men and women competing, these events meant the world to them, and he owed it to them to get that across to the audience.

In his autobiography, he tells of broadcasting from the World Barrel Jumping championships from upstate New York in the 1960s. The leading competitor was trying to break a world record for barrels cleared (something like 17), one that was considered to be unbreakable by those in the barrel jumping world. And when this person made his attempt, and set the world record, the crowd reacted as if it was a home run in Game 7 of the World Series. The crowd rushed the ice to carry him off on their shoulders; his wife came to greet him in tears; and as McKay noted in his book, it was hard not to get caught up in the excitement, and why not - for this group of people, this was the biggest event in their worlds. His job was to make sure that the rest of us understood that feeling, even if our interests in barrel jumping were limited.

As I've mentioned, I'll always link Jim McKay and the Indianapolis 500 in my mind. I think that Jim McKay was such a unique motorsports announcer for me because he didn't try to be oblivious or dismissive of the dangers associated with the sport. In fact, he quit broadcasting the 500 for several years in the 1970s after becoming tired of seeing brave men be carried away in stretchers or body bags. But at the same time, it's that ever-present danger that makes auto racing such a uniquely compelling sport - you care because it's not just hyperbole to say that the drivers are "putting it all on the line" every race.

I'll leave with Jim McKay's commentary (along with Sam Posey) of the final few laps of the 1982 Indianapolis 500, and Rick Mears' frantic attempts to catch and pass Gordon Johncock. I'm sorry if you don't get goosebumps the same way I do. There never will be another broadcaster like Jim McKay, not that I can see. Announcers today feel the need to resort to shouting, screaming and other vocal tics to let you know that THIS IS INTENSE!!! Jim McKay was able to convey that ten times over with half the volume and frenetics, because he actually felt the emotion.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 1:56 PM 1 comments  

Your UFC 85 Preview

I like mixed martial arts. And I know about as much about the sport as a short, pudgy guy with no martial arts training can. (The closest I come is that my dad used to use Hi Karate cologne - hope that helps!) But I want to make sure that you, the Your Face reader, is as informed as possible about this fascinating, cauliflower-ear popping sport.

So let me introduce you to Stock, who is going to be providing occasional MMA coverage for the site. Unlike my pansy ass, Stock is an amateur MMA fighter who has trained with some top fighters. And I've personally seen him put a guy into an armbar and then throw him into a hotel swimming pool - all while sans clothing - at 3 a.m. (I didn't actually see this, but judging by the underwear that was down at the hotel pool the next morning, I'll take his word for it.)

Stock is previewing tomorrow night's upcoming UFC 85 PPV event. Although this is the first UFC PPV card in recent memory without a title bout, it should still be a highly-entertaining card stocked deep with quality matches.

Without any further adieu, here is Stock with your UFC 85 Preview:

Saturday, June 7, 2008
Live from the O2 Arena in London on PPV at 2pm (CST).
Replayed on PPV at 9pm (CST)

Matt Hughes vs Thiago Alves (Main Event)
Matt Hughes may go down as the best welterweight ever. Until losing to Georges St. Pierre in late 2006, Hughes went on a 2 year roll walking thru tough competitors such as Frank Trigg, Royce Gracie, Georges St. Pierre, and BJ Penn. Although GSP seems to have Hughes number now (beating him twice), many feel Hughes is still the 2nd best fighter in the division. This is a huge fight for Matt Hughes if he intends to ever get a shot at the title again before he retires. For Alves, this could put him on the fast track for a title shot. He is coming off 5 straight wins in the UFC (most recently KO'ing Karo Parisyan).

Thiago definitely has the advantage in the stand up game. However Hughes will likely try to use his wrestling and superior strength to get Thiago down to the ground and pound him out. Things look bright for Alves considering Karo (a world known Judo expert) was unable to take him down.

The odds makers are favoring Hughes by about a 62/38 margin, but Alves is on a roll and hungry for a title shot.

Michael Bisping vs Jason Day (Co-Main Event)
Michael Bisping will be a huge crowd favorite fighting in his homeland in England. He was very successful Light Heavyweight after winning "The Ultimate Fighter" reality show on SpikeTV. However, (being a little small for that weight class), he dropped down to Middle Weight in UFC 83 and put a beat down on Charles McCarthy making him unable to answer the bell for the 2nd round. If Bisping can make quick work out of Jason Day, he may be a fight away from a title shot at seemingly invincible Anderson Silva. Jason Day had an impressive first round KO over Alan Belcher in UFC 83, but many think that Bisping is in an entire different league when it comes to striking.

The odds makers are giving Bisping a 77/23 edge, but I don't see Bisping losing this one on his home court.

Brandon Vera vs Fabricio Werdum (Live Heavyweight)
Vera came into the UFC like a bolt of lightning; 4-0 quickly finishing off Frank Mir, Justin Eilers, Assuerio Silva, and Fabiano Sherner. He looked to be on top of the world until he fought Tim Sylvia who exposed Vera's seemingly only weakness (his size). He is pretty small relative to most heavyweights and Werdum will not be an easy test coming off a loss.

Although Werdum lost by unanimous decision in his UFC debut against Andre Arlovski, he rebounded quickly by knocking out Gabe Gonzaga in the 2nd round of UFC 80. Werdum has excellent submissions (submitting his victims in all 3 of his Pride victories), but obviously has good standup skills given his last fight against Gonzaga. This should not come as a surprise being Mirko Cro Cop's training partner in Japan.

The odds makers are giving a very slim edge to Werdum (53/47), and may be the most difficult fight to call of the night. Both fighters have great Jiu Jitsu and great standup.


Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick (Live Welterweight)
Swick made his welterweight debut in January and despite looking a little sluggish from the drop in weight was able to pull out a decision victory over Josh Burkman. Assuming he is used to the new weight class now, most are expecting him to look a lot more explosive like he was in the heavier weight class.

Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis is a very exciting fighter with heavy hands. He is moving his way quickly up the rankings, and is still undefeated in the UFC (6-0). His only weakness so far may be the quality of the opponents he has fought so far (no huge names). Swick will be his toughest competitor to date.

The odds makers give a 62/38 advantage to Davis. Will Davis continue to roll his way up the welterweight rankings or will Swick show that he has a home in this new weight class?

Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites (Live Middleweight)
Marquardt has pretty much manhandled everyone in the division except for Silva (the champ). He is a very strong, good wrestler with excellent submissions. His strength allows him to neutralize most fighters' strengths and eventually can get it to the ground and work for submissions.

Thales Leites is on a 3 fight winning streak despite losing in his UFC debut to Martin Kampmann by decision.

Leites has the submission skills to put away just about anyone, but will Marquardt's strength be too much to handle?

The odds makers are favoring Marquardt 75/25.

Other fights on the card that will not be shown live. Some may be shown prerecorded if time permits in the 3 hour PPV slot.
Martin Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Jess Liaudin vs. Paul Taylor
Eddie Sanchez vs. Antoni Hardonk
Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
Kevin Burns vs. Roan Carneiro
Luiz Cane vs. Jason Lambert

Watch for a big KO in the Sanchez/Hardonk fight. These heavyweights both have very heavy hands and can throw bombs with the best.

The Kampmann/Rivera fight should also be a great one. Kampmann is undefeated in the UFC (3-0), and is coming off a big win over Drew McFedries. Rivera is coming off a big 1st round KO victory over Kendel Grove.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 1:48 PM 0 comments  

RBI Baseball: It's Back...Officially

You may have read that a recent release by the Electronic Software Ratings Board (ESRB) revealed a couple of new titles planned for the XBox 360 Arcade. One of them was listed as RBI Baseball, published by Six Degrees Games. Yes, that RBI Baseball. Now, there were a lot of questions about whether this was actually happening - nothing was listed on the Six Degrees Games Web site, and there have been other rumors of revivals of the RBI Baseball franchise that have come to nothing. Was this just another mirage that would bring a faint glimmer of hope to the millions thousands of fans of the greatest sports game ever created.

Well, allow me to be the first blog to officially break the news to you...

IT...IS...ON!

An intrepid soul (and Your Face reader...) named Beefmaster at the Dee-Nee RBI Baseball Forums (the nexus of the RBI Baseball Universe) took the time to write to Six Degrees Games to get some information. Surprisingly, he received this response soon after:

I'm a senior producer at Six Degrees Games and ultimately responsible for R.B.I. Baseball, currently being developed for Xbox LIVE.

We're not really responding to formal inquiries about the game at this time, but as R.B.I. Baseball fans, we relate to you in a big way. It's that same love for R.B.I. Baseball that made us sidetrack from the development of our virtual world (Action AllStars for young sports enthusiasts) in order to remake this awesome game for LIVE.

It's not a port, but the re-write is being done by people who were members of the old R.B.I. Baseball development team, and so a lot of the old nuances are being preserved. It's still easy, fast and fun baseball that doesn't require a complicated control scheme and it will feature the present day MLB teams and players.

We're having a ball testing it! The feedback from external groups is really positive, and I hope you can wait just a little longer while we put the final tuning on the game. There's not much more I can say than that, and I won't be able to answer any direct questions at this time.

Of course, the big news here is that it is official: Six Degrees Games is in the process of creating a new version of RBI Baseball for the XBox 360 Arcade. Which is pretty much enough reason for me to immediately run to Best Buy and get an XBox 360 JUST TO BE READY FOR IT.

But it also leaves a lot of questions unanswered: how similar is this going to be to the original version; can you create a new version for the XBox and keep the same feel and simplicity that has made RBI Baseball such a cult hit more than two decades later; who are these mysterious "members of the old R.B.I. Baseball development team" that Jason is talking about (as far as is common knowledge, Peter Lipson is the only person who was involved with the port from the Japanese Famicom version to the American RBI Baseball - are they bringing back the old Famicom development team); and most importantly - will Manny Ramirez be fat, white and approximately 400 pounds in the new version of the game? (We know the answer to two-thirds of that question for David Ortiz.)

I'm sure that there will be a crusty sub-section of the RBI Baseball community that will be pissed off at the new version, no matter what the development team does. And Six Degrees Games is a new company with a track record to feel good or bad about.

Me? If there's a chance, even remote, that I can hit a baseball that goes through the right field wall for a home run, I'll be a happy man.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 2:45 PM 3 comments  

The college football magazines are out!

Well, Lindy's and Athlon's so far - Sporting News isn't out yet, as it's always the last to arrive. But hot damn, who cares - for the true college football fan, getting the first college football preview magazine is like Christmas, New Year's and your birthday all rolled into one. I'll be giddy for weeks as I cramp my brain trying to read every bit of information about every team. I'm like the dad from "A Christmas Story" after he receives his major award: these magazines are hot sex for me.

Trust me, many, many more updates to follow. Why?

BECAUSE COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 9:42 PM 1 comments  

The worst/best weekend ever for MMA

Almost undoubtedly, this weekend marked a huge embarrassment for Mixed Martial Arts in the United States, a blight that might have set MMA back years in the public's eye. Or, it was a banner weekend with exciting, anticipated matches that more than lived up to the hype. Actually, it was probably both.

Confused? Let me explain.

CBS held its much-hyped first-ever network TV broadcast of an MMA fight on Saturday night. It wasn't from one of the established organizations, but from Elite XC, which is about like placing a AA baseball game on in primetime as someone's first exposure to baseball. And to make sure they put butts in the seats, they headlined with "Internet sensation" Kimbo Slice, a man who rose to fame by fighting people in alleys for money, and then having the videotaped results show up on YouTube.

(Which kind of undercut Frank Shamrock's point in the into that "these aren't guys fighting in bars or on the street.)

It was, in almost every way possible, a train wreck. Slice almost got beat by designated opponent James "Colossus" Thompson, who apparently didn't realize that he was getting paid to look frightening, then find a soft place to land as he had done in six of his previous eight fights.

(At least he had the "look frightening" part down, at least his disgusting cauliflower ear which then popped, spewing blood, pus and God knows what else all over the place. Truly a fine moment in the Tiffany Network's history.)

The co-headliner was a match featuring "the face of female MMA" and current American Gladiator Gina Carano, who distinguished herself by coming in four pounds overweight, and then blaming that on her Gladiators taping schedule, showing the commitment and dedication you want from one of our marquee athletes. She did manage to turn the face of her opponent into a modern art project, which is always nice to see.

The only thing CBS had going for it was that Mr. Excitement Gus Johnson was on the call. He showed his usual amount of restraint and perspective during his call of the fight, which is to say none. Actually, Screamin' Gus did a decent job, and the announcing was probably the best thing about the broadcast. Which isn't saying much, since it ran more than 30 minutes over, had lots of skanky cheerleaders, and generally looked like it was produced as a visual arts project in high school.

Contrast that with the WEC card that was on Versus last night. If you aren't aware, WEC is the sister organization of UFC (both owned by the same company), which runs live, free fights on Versus. They focus on the lighter divisions (which UFC doesn't have) and generally has some of the best talent available in those weight classes.

Last night's card was a showcase for the company, featuring featherweight champ Urijah Faber taking on Jens Pulver in a match-up between two of the best in that weight class in the world. And the fight matched expectations. Faber showed an unknown level of skill with his stand-up, pummeling Faber with hook after hook. And Faber took everything and kept pressing forward for all five rounds while delivering some bombs of his own, losing the decision but gaining a ton of respect in a total classic.

Throw in Miguel Torres' tougher-than-expected brawl with Yoshiro Maeda and you had a free card that rivaled anything that UFC has done on a PPV. If this had been the introduction that most casual viewers had to MMA, a lot of people would be checking out future matches. It was compelling for even the novice.

Of course it wasn't, and that's that. Dan Wetzel posted a column about it on Yahoo that sums up a lot of my feelings, which is worth checking out. The bottom line: this weekend didn't kill MMA's chances of mainstream acceptance in the US...but a major opportunity was botched.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 10:59 AM 3 comments  

One half of the NBA Finals is set

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers, for re-enacting the last scene from "Old Yeller" last night, only in this case the dog was the San Antonio Spurs and there was a lot less crying. I know that Kobe Bryant is a polarizing figure, and he's done everything to deserve any bad feelings anyone might have about him. But that being said...I can't imagine how any fan without a rooting interest would rather have seen the Spurs play in the Finals versus the Lakers. The Lakers were clearly the better team, and certainly the more entertaining to watch.

And, Kobe's "we're used to playing in the Finals" comment after the game, they are a new face in the Finals. Which they accomplished by specifically NOT BEING THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS. We've seen Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, etc., for long enough to know what to expect from them: solid, "fundamentally sound" basketball that leaves you about as impressed an excited as a WNBA game. The Lakers are always a wild card: Kobe might score two points in the first half and then 30 in the second. Lamar Odom might dominate, or disappear. Phil Jackson might have a shit-eating grin on his face while saying something snide and sarcastic to Michelle Tafoya at halftime (OK, that's pretty much a guarantee).

Here's my confession about basketball: I don't have an NBA team. I used to be a huge fan of the Showtime Lakers when I was growing up. I mean, seriously, if you were a kid in California in the 1980s, there was no team that was cooler or that you would have wanted to be on more - in any sport - than the Lakers. The 49ers might have been just as if not more successful, but they were about as "exciting" as their leader. While Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and company were all about hard work and that bullshit your parents tried to teach you, the Lakers were glitz and glamour and more than anything else, about style. The 49ers would get you to the top, but the Lakers would get you laid, so to speak.

But I gave up on the Lakers a few years ago. Mainly it was the Kobe/Shaq/Phil drama - there had always been some drama with the Lakers (hello Magic "Coach Killer" Johnson), but never had it seemed so venal and petty. And the fans...oh Lord, the fans. Maybe growing up several hundred miles away insulated me from the mass of Laker fans. Maybe we didn't have talk radio 24/7 lime we do now. Or maybe Chick Hearn being around to cut off an idiot caller on Post Game Laker Talk was enough to keep people in line, but the endless rounds of "Kobe is the best" followed by "Kobe needs to go" followed by "Shaq should have stayed" and on and on...it just drove me past the breaking point.

(Actually, the breaking point is the thousands of Lakers flags that mysteriously appear on car windows during the playoffs when the Lakers were doing well byt suddenly disappeared as soon as they were knocked out.)

So, will I be rooting for the Lakers? Yeah, I guess. I sure as hell can't root for Boston or Detroit, that's for sure. But will I be that broken up if they get swept? Not really.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 11:11 AM 3 comments  

Well, there goes that...

Hey, Boston Celtics: remember all that hard work that went into that long, grueling regular season to make sure that you got the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and with it, home court advantage? It's amazing that all it took was one off night (where the team really wasn't that off) to see that go "poof" in a cloud of green smoke. Last night's 103-97 loss to the Detroit Pistons leveled their Eastern Conference Finals series at 1-1, which normally wouldn't be cause for alarm. Except that the Celtics now have to do something they haven't done all post-season: win a game on the road.

Equally bad news: Doc Rivers hinted in the post-game comments that Sam Cassell might see some playing time in Game 3. I know several Celtics fans who are loading up their pistols to shoot out their TVs in advance in case this happens.

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 9:43 AM 0 comments  

Lester no-hitter leaves little room for snark

I didn't post about Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester's no-hitter from last night for a very good reason: what else can I say? (And also in response to the smug tone of Boston sports fans that is symbolized by Dan Shaughnessy's column linked above. And an embarrassment of riches? Wow, your basketball was taken to seven games in both series against far weaker teams, and your football team fell flat on its face at the doorstep of history. Note to all Boston sports fans who wonder why everyone else is getting to hate them: this is why.)

But back to the topic at hand - less than two years ago, we was diagnosed with a rare form of lymphomia. And now - he's been the winning pitcher in a World Series clinching game and he's thrown a no-hitter to boot. Throw in the fact that he's by all accounts a great kid, and it's a story that not even the most venal and snarky blogger could ruin.
















But man, aren't Boston fans a bunch of assholes?

Posted by The Duke of Everything at 2:14 PM 1 comments