Kentucky Derby this weekend - who cares?

I know I am so "un-Kentucky" like. But the Derby bores me. Little people beat a horse for two minutes. Wow, what a sport. Wow, Kid Rock is coming.... Michael Jordan is coming. And?

Gas prices are up due to this joke.... Crime always seem to go up during Derby.... DUI and hit and runs seem to go up around Derby time. Girls get naked and act like hookers... Yes, what a great thing! Derby does nothing for me. I'd rather watch reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond than watch the Derby.

Alabama to postpone sports also

http://sports.espn.go.com/highschool/rise/news/story?id=4115194

Alabama officials have shut down all athletic events following the discovery of likely cases of swine flu in Huntsville.

"Right now, we are being advised by our Medical Advisory Committee to shut down all activities until further notice," said Steve Savarese, executive director of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. "We hope to be able to resume activities by next Tuesday, but right now we must study the situation and take it one day at a time."

The move means the Alabama state track and field championships, scheduled for May 1-2, will be rescheduled. All other postseason activities scheduled through May 4 in sports including baseball, soccer, softball and golf are postponed until further notice.

"This is not something we want to do," Savarese said. "Right now, we want to be cautious."

On Tuesday, Texas officials postponed all public high school athletic and academic competitions on Wednesday until May 11 because of the swine flu outbreak.

School officials say 53,000 students are out of school due to concern over the virus, and dozens of schools were closed to be sanitized. With 16 confirmed cases of swine flu in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry announced a disaster declaration Wednesday for the entire state.

"This is a particularly contagious virus that is easily transmitted by contact," ESPN medical analyst Dr. Michael Kaplan said. "Any physical contact or inhalation/ingestion can infect another person. While most flu viruses are more virulent or dangerous for the very young and old debilitated individual, this strain seems most devastating to the young healthy adult."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Swine flu ruining sports all over Texas

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/29/SP1O17BIP8.DTL

The move suspends the baseball and softball seasons and eliminates the regional track championships that were to start Friday, said Charles Breithaupt, executive director of the University Interscholastic League. He said league officials acted on the recommendation of public health officials.

School officials say 53,000 students are out of school due to concern over the virus, and dozens of schools were closed.

In Bridgeview, Ill., A few fans wore surgical masks and hand sanitizers were installed around Toyota Park as thousands watched the Chicago Fire play an exhibition against Mexico's Club America, whose players received medical clearance before traveling.

Meantime in Mexico, the Nationwide Tour has postponed the Mexico Open golf tournament May 21-24 until later in the year and the nation's soccer games will remain only for players.

All 176 professional matches this weekend will be played behind closed doors, with fans staying home to avoid the outbreak suspected of causing at least 160 deaths in Mexico. At least six top-division matches - normally only on pay-per-view - will be available on free TV channels.

Mexican officials are suggesting clubs will lose about $2 million in ticket sales.

A-Rod may have doped in high school

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2009/04/report_arod_use.html

Relaying details from an upcoming book on Alex Rodriguez by Sports Illustrated's Selena Roberts, the New York Daily News reports today that Rodriguez may have started taking steroids as early as high school and is suspected of continuing his use of performance-enhancing drugs with the New York Yankees.



A front-page headline (right) reads, "A-Rod book bombshell" with text below adding, "Slugger may have taken HGH while playing for the Yankees" and, "Hints he took steroids as early as high school days."

The report indicates that a high school teammate of Rodriguez's told Roberts that A-Rod took steroids before being drafted as a No. 1 pick and that his high school coach knew it -- an allegation the coach, Rich Hoffman, denied.

The book also indicates that two anonymous Yankees said they believed Rodriguez was using banned substances based on visual side effects, which reportedly led to Rodriguez gaining an unflattering nickname that referenced an increased pectoral size comparable to a woman's chest. The report also notes that a clubhouse staffer suggested management had a suspicion that the third baseman may have been juicing.

Ki-Jana Carter - biggest NFL bust of all time?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki-Jana_Carter

I still say Ryan Leaf beats him out. But thousands of Cincy fans may disagree.

NFL draft - sick of hearing about it

I am sick of mock drafts. I am sick of guesses about who the number one pick will be. I am sick of hearing about this year's biggest busts. Who cares? We won't know until it happens. Pick a new topic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Neat Story - 100 year-old man lives dream; batboy for a day

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/wwlp_nbc_strange_100yosoxfanreadytomakehistory_2009

BOSTON (NBC) - A Connecticut man is set to fulfill a life-long dream this weekend at the tender age of 100. He's going to be a Red Sox bat boy.

Arthur Giddon will take the field at Fenway Park this weekend, when the Red Sox take on the Yankees.

Tickets to the game were the only thing the life-long baseball lover wanted for his hundredth birthday. That and the chance to be a bat boy for the first batter.

He'll get his birthday wish during the team's batting practice.

And he won't be hard to spot. He’ll be sporting a "Big Pappy" number 100 on his jersey.

He does have some experience at this, over 85 years ago. Giddon was a bat boy for the Boston Braves back in 1922 and 1923.