By Thomas Chambers

Justify, the huge son of Scat Daddy, out of the Ghostzapper mare Stage Magic, agreeing to join a blistering pace, became the first horse since 1882’s Apollo to win the Kentucky Derby without having run a race at two-years-old.
Justify won the 144th running; Apollo the eighth.
His nearly three-length victory over Good Magic was a tremendous performance that culminated a Saturday, and weekend, that deteriorated before our very eyes into primordial slop as Louisville found itself trapped under the train tracks of heavy rain storms, which also prompted flood warnings in the area.
On another storm front, NBC Sports descended into a septic tank of a two-day broadcast that stunk of demographic research, a hungover rerun of last year’s telecast, key players out of position, embarrassing laziness and blatant disregard of horse racing as a festival to be celebrated. The conspiracy bin is full, but it would not be at all shocking if Churchill Downs Inc. had its soldiers in the pre-show production meeting. No flipping, we’ll get to it.

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Posted on May 6, 2018

By Thomas Chambers

Doctor! Doctor!
I’ve got the fever, Derby Fever.
Or do I?

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Posted on May 4, 2018

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

What Up With Youth? Plus: Spammy Sosa; White Sox Stuff; Bears Breakdown; Schweinsteiger!; Chicago’s Pearl; and Meet The Chicago Wildfire.

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Posted on May 4, 2018

Week 5 Of The American Ultimate Disc League Season

* Indianapolis AlleyCats prevail.
* Wildfire go to 1-2.
* 20 players have returned from last season.

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Posted on May 3, 2018

The ‘Variety Pack’ Mexican, Puerto Rican, Black, Filipino, Irish Fighter Grew Up In Pilsen And Cicero

“Strawweight contender Pearl Gonzalez and her journey from the hard streets of Chicago (and the Cook County Jail) to the Invicta cage.”

Directed and edited by Cynthia Vance. Cinematography by Cynthia Vance and Ruben Rodriguez.

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Posted on May 2, 2018

By Jennifer Roberts/The Conversation

The gambling world is waiting with bated breath for the U.S. Supreme Court decision that could result in an expansion of sports betting. The decision could be announced anytime between today and the end of June.
Because I teach sports betting regulation and gambling law, I’ve been closely watching the developments as well. Although Nevada has had a robust sports betting industry for decades, New Jersey has been at the forefront of the push to legalize sports betting.
In recent years, many other states have prepared for a ruling from the Supreme Court that would overturn the prohibition of sports betting. Even professional sports leagues – which have emerged as the leading opponents of efforts to legalize and regulate sports betting – are looking to cash in.

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Posted on May 1, 2018

By Roger Wallenstein

This is a quiz. Name the statistic where the major league leader can go 0-for-4, striking out each time, and still continue to be the MLB leader?
Here’s a hint. As of Sunday morning, Yoan Moncada, Franchy Cordero, Jorge Alfaro and Teoscar Hernandez all were in the top 10 in the category. We’re familiar with Moncada, but who are these other guys?
I’ll save you the trouble of investigating. Cordero is a rookie outfielder with the Padres; Alfaro, a catcher, has played a total of 53 games for the Phillies; and Hernandez roams the outfield for Toronto.
What we’re talking about here is the stat du jour, otherwise known as exit velocity, just one of the analytic gems produced by cameras and radar that apparently are present in ballparks throughout the country.

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Posted on April 30, 2018

By Jim Coffman and Steve Rhodes

He got the Bears’ first-round pick right Thursday night, but he only filled a hole of his own making. Plus: The Cubs Are Cohering; The White Sox Aren’t Worth Watching Yet Like We Thought They’d Be: and Men In Red Over Red Bulls.

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Posted on April 27, 2018

By Jim Coffman

Consistently good NFL teams trade down in the draft way more than they trade up. Exhibit A is the Patriots’ draft record over the past 15 years – they have consistently made moves to increase their number of picks rather than decrease them, and that is a big reason they are good year after year after year.
Successful NFL teams are always on the lookout for a sucker who falls too hard for a prospect and is willing to give up multiple picks so that at the very least he can appear to be aggressive. Sound like someone we know? And so many members of the professional sports commentariat continue to fall for it. The local guys shouldn’t feel too bad – the national guys do it too.
Because of course we remember what general manager Ryan Pace has done in the Bears’ last two drafts. He has moved up. The guy who is supposedly building through the draft had all of five picks in the third one he oversaw for the Bears last year. The Packers, Vikings and Lions averaged 10 picks each.

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Posted on April 26, 2018

By Steve Rhodes

First of a new ongoing series tracking the movements of those who have worn Cubbie blue.
1. The ‘Special’ Skill Gleyber Torres Is Already Showing.
“After going hitless in his first game, Gleyber Torres has shown at least some of why the Yankees have been so high on the second baseman,” Dan Martin writes for the New York Post.
“In Tuesday’s 8-3 win over the Twins, Torres had a pair of singles for his first multi-hit game and added his first RBI.”
The special skill is his makeup, though in another report it’s his ability to adjust.
Comment: It’s gonna hurt to watch Torres become a star, but no Cubs fan should regret trading him to the Yankees for the right to abuse Aroldis Chapman on the way to a World Series championship.
By the way, the Yankees also got Billy McKinney, Rashad Crawford and Adam Warren in the deal. Then they signed Chapman back as a free agent after the season. Well played, Brian Cashman.

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Posted on April 25, 2018