Friday, May 02, 2008

Thoughts on The Derby


It's time for My Old Kentucky Home, Mint Juleps, and discarded tickets...the Kentucky Derby is here...

This year's Derby is wide open with no clearcut favorite...since 2000, the favorite has won three times: Fusaichi Pegasus (2000), Smarty Jones (2004), and Street Sense (2007)...even the great Barbaro was not the favorite...

This year's favorite, Big Brown (3-1), is coming out of the 20th post position and has only raced three times...Big Brown is followed by Colonel John (4-1) and Pyro (6-1)...after that, every other horse is double digits in odds...

I like to play trainers...Bob Baffert has no horses this years...Todd Pletcher has two horses (Cowboy Cal 20-1 and Monba 15-1)...the trainer that I am looking at this year is Barclay Tagg...

Tagg has two horses - Tale of Ekati (15-1) and Big Truck (50-1)...the one that is piquing my interest is Big Truck who looked fast and had a good workout the other day...Big Truck got noticed after pulling an upset at the Tampa Derby in mid-March...however, he came back with a clunker 11th place finish at the Toyota Blue Grass in mid-April...

But in a year where there is no clear favorite, I'll throw a few bucks on Big Truck in the upset...

Check back Saturday for my complete predictions...

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Rachel Ray - Is She Hot or Am I Missing Something?

Today, "Is She Hot or Am I Missing Something?" is looking at the peppy and often annoying kitchen wiz Rachel Ray...

Dunkin Donuts Gal
Ray was born in 1968 and is part Sicilian and Cajun...she grew up in the New York City area and worked at the candy counter at Macy's in the Big Apple...she married John M. Cusimano, the lead singer of the rock band The Cringe...as you know, she is everywhere - from cookbooks, to commercials, to talk shows, to her own show...

She is often ripped for not being a "true cook" because of her 30 minute meal recipes...and her recent allegiance with Dunkin Donuts have health nuts criticizing her for promoting an unhealthy food chain...

My thoughts - Ray is an interesting woman...sometimes she looks hot (photos) and sometimes she doesn't...I could understand where she would be annoying with her constant chatter...I would say she is hot in a "bad girl" kinda way - but not in the class of Giada or the Money Honey...this leads to the questions:

Do you think Rachel Ray is hot?

If so, why doesn't she get the publicity?

Am I missing something?

Leave your comments

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Lloyd Carr - Michigan Man or Ohio State Man?

On Monday I gave my thoughts about Justin Boren transferring from Michigan to Ohio State...today I want to tackle the alleged issue of former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr helping Boren get released from his scholarship at Michigan in order to transfer to Ohio State...

Last week, Rob Oller of The Columbus Dispatch wrote in a column that Carr worked behind the scenes to help Boren obtain his scholarship release from Michigan...Oller also wrote that Carr allegedly encouraged Boren to transfer to Ohio State because "Ohio State is the closest thing to Michigan that he would find and that there are "good people" in Columbus."...

Since this was reported, Carr denied that he was involved in Boren's transfer...this is a matter of "he said, she said"...

I know that Carr cares deeply for his all his former players...he is like a grandfather to them...however, he also has a responsibility to the University of Michigan and its thousands of alumni and fans who loyally pack The Big House on Saturdays every fall...he has a responsibility to us Michigan fans who bleed Maize and Blue...it is unthinkable that Carr would encourage Boren to transfer to Ohio State, especially after Ohio State and Jim Tressel basically cost Carr his job...

If this is true that Carr encouraged Boren to transfer to Ohio State, then Bill Martin, director of athletics at Michigan, must ask Carr to remove himself from all matters involving Michigan football - immediately...

Carr is a good person...in fact, he is too good of a person...he lacked that conniving deceit that permeates within the Woody Hayes Center in Columbus...Carr is a grandfather to his "boys"...but if this is true, it is time to put grandpa into a nursing home and get him out of the way of helping Ohio State on an annual basis...

Monday, April 28, 2008

Justin Boren is a TRAITOR!!!!

Justin Boren is a traitor....flat out!!!....

For those who do not know what I am writing about, just a few months ago, Justin Boren started on the offensive line for Michigan when they played Ohio State...he would have been a junior this coming season and the anchor on the line....but things changed...Boren has now decided to leave Ann Arbor and play for Ohio State....

Boren stated that Michigan did not have the "family atmosphere" under new head coach Rich Rodriguez....

There are many facets to this story....first off, I have no problem if Boren, wanted to transfer out of Michigan....when a new coach comes in, often times personalities do not mesh well....quarterback Ryan Mallet transferred to Arkansas in early January because of a difference in offensive philosophy.....I wish Mallet nothing but success at Arkansas and thank him for wanting to play for Michigan.....however, Boren has taken a difference course....he could have transferred to any freakin college in this country....any school!!!!...but no, he choice Ohio State...

To me, Boren was never truly a Michigan Man....no way would any player from Michigan transfer to Ohio State and vice versa...only a true Michigan and Ohio State fan would understand this...I know that Boren is originally from just outside of Columbus, but that should not matter...if he wanted to play closer to his family, he could have transferred to Cincinnati, Purdue, Indiana, Pitt....but no, he chose freakin Ohio State...

Just two months ago this kid was singing The Victors and wearing Maize and Blue....how in the world could he switch to Ohio State and now be singing Carmen, Ohio????...this would be like a North Carolina basketball player transferring to Duke....or an Alabama football player transferring to Auburn.....

This happens often in professional sports when a player and/or coach leaves a team to play or coach for a rival....such the case with Johnny Damon leaving Boston to play for the Yankees....but there is one big difference - MONEY!!!!....in professional sports, money dictates where players or coaches are going to play or coach.....there was no money involved in this situation with Boren....

My personal opinion is that Boren did not want to put in all the work and running that Rodriguez now mandates for the Michigan football program....Rodriguez demands that his players run to the line and from station to station in practice....during winter conditioning players like Morgan Trent and Greg Matthews said they have never run as much as they did during that period.....

So when the score was 14-3 in favor of Ohio State last November, what was Justin Boren thinking?????.....for him to easily turn his back on his Michigan teammates, coaches, and fans and transfer to Ohio State means that he gave up in that game...he did not have the true heart and desire...plain and simple - he quit...the proof of that is when he quit again on his team and transferred to Michigan’s biggest rival...I wish Boren nothing but the worst of luck and hope that Michigan stomps his ass when he comes to Ann Arbor in 2009 wearing the gray helmet...

Tomorrow my thoughts about Lloyd Carr's suppposed behind-the-scenes assistance with this matter