Eight Belles, with Trainer Larry Jones

Larry Jones, who trained this year’s Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles, says he will retire after the 2009 Breeders Cup.

“I’m just physically tired, and it seems like I have a hard time keeping everybody happy,” Jones said. (Kentucky.com)

Jones fell under intense scrutiny after Eight Belles’ tragic collapse and death at this year’s 2008 Kentucky Derby, criticism that he told the AP, “took a toll on his life.”

This coming year’s run for the roses will be Jones’ last shot at the Kentucky Derby victory that has eluded him throughout his career. Along with Eight Belles, Jones trained Kentucky Oaks winner Proud Spell and Derby runner-up Hard Spun.

Links:

Eight Belles’ trainer Jones to retire (Associated Press)

photo credit

Kings of Leon rocked Webster Hall last night. And Rolling Stone has deemed their newly released album Epic.

NAME THAT FALL TV STAR (The World or Isaac)
The Office: Sports Edition (NE Patriots Draft)
Rising NHLer KO’d By Evil Golf Cart (Sports By Brooks)
Keith Olbermann: The Goof That Changed The Game (via The Big Lead)
Diagnosing Chuck Klosterman (via Pop Candy)

…and here’s KOL at Webster Hall back in 2005.

Heroic linksmen ran to the aid of two passengers of a single engine Cessna that crashed shortly after a failed landing yesterday afternoon in Carlsbad, CA.

CARLSBAD – Golfers pulled two injured men from their two-seat plane that crashed into a ravine late yesterday afternoon after a touch-and-go takeoff from McClellan-Palomar Airport, authorities said.

The single-engine Cessna 152, rented in Long Beach, hit a brushy slope near the 16th hole of The Crossings at Carlsbad golf course, about half a mile northwest of the runway. (via SignOnSanDiego.com)

The golfers heard the plane sputtering overhead, before it went down falling 30-feet into a ravine! The two passengers, 19 and 22, suffered only fractures and cuts, and were said to be “alert but confused” as they were taken from the scene.

LINK:

Plane crashes into ravine; pilot, passenger hurt (San Diego Union-Tribune)

He doesn’t sound all in, but a recent blog post by Doyle Brunson, poker’s most legendary maverick , on Doyle’s Room makes him seem to be leaning towards McCain:

“It’s hard to believe, but McCain has taken the lead in the Presidential race. They rolled the dice when they chose Governor Palin to run for Vice-President and they threw a seven, because she really turned things around for the Republicans.”

Brunson then continued: “It’s hard not to be in McCain’s camp after listening to his life story. He really is an American hero. I’m not sure either Presidential candidate is the right person to lead our country over the next few years.” (via 911gambling.com)

Brunson had initially said he’d be voting Democrat for the first time in his life this election.

In a survey of 1639 American Poker players, Yahoo! Sports UK reports that 64% support Obama over McCain, who both are apparently proficient poker players in their own right. Sarah Palin has also been known to play a few hands. However, the trump card (not to mix bad gambling puns, or nothing) goes to Joe Biden, whose son, according to 911Gambling, was a lobbyist for online gambling site PartyGaming.

If the most recently proposed $700 billion bailout goes through, if and when Obama gets elected it sounds like he might be playing short stacked, concerning his spending programs.

Kings of Leon celebrate today’s release of their new album Only By The Night with a show at Webster Hall in NYC tonight. I’ll be there, it should be pretty rockin’.

British Media Happily Teeing Off on Nick Faldo (FANHOUSE)
Four Major Labels Make Deal To Release Memory Card Albums (Rolling Stone ROCK N’ ROLL DAILY)
Warren Sapp Sets Miami Football Back 25 Years (Hugging Harold Reynolds)
Even Ronnie Lott Knows The SEC Is Awesome (MoonDog Sports)
Magnetic Fields’ Merritt Inspires Line of Footwear (Pitchfork Media)

Welcome to part six of my seemingly infinite discourse on the wacky (sometimes wackness) from the wide world of kickball.

Though we’re not exactly sure what this edition’s transgressor is up to, some guy who calls himself Kickball Jesus is pumping some kind of kickball meets desolation art exhibit in the Mojave Desert on his blog P.I.M.P.S (People Making Psychogeography Sexy)

Coming November 7th, 2008…

…Only at High Desert Test Sites (HDTS) The Worlds of Kickball and “Sub Fine” Art Collide in The Mojave Desert like Never Before!!

Stay Tuned for more info!!!

~Kickball Jesus (KJ)

Kickball’s Second Coming also affiliates himself with an organization dubbed ‘Kickball Jesus Speculative Ocean Front Property Development Corporation’, which he owns the copyright on.

Whatever this is (probably just a guy whose government name is now kickball jesus), it will be the inaugural exhibit of the Wonder Valley Institute of Art, located in the cultural mecca of Mojave.

Links:

Wonder Valley International C(K)ickball Association (P.I.M.P.S)
Wonder Valley Institute of Contemporary Art

Travis Barker and DJ AM are expected to make a full recovery after sustaining second and third degree burns when their plane exploded during take-off over the weekend. My thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends. (via Pop Candy)

David Eggers Interviews Chris Elliot (The Sound of Young America)
Who do you want on your couch today? Obama or McCain? (The Shutdown Corner)
10 wild card players in the NBA this season (Cuzoogle)
Joey Porter, Anthony Smith: Tale of the Tape (NE Patriots Draft)
Jim Zorn To Steve Largent, Top Pass Combo, Video (NESW Sports)

Just because the track is no longer slanted, does not mean the semantics of competition can’t be. For example, instead of conventional cheerleaders hell on wheels has….jeerleaders!

OR, even better, fearleaders!

These diabolical pep mavens are sort of a cross between the Knicks City Dancers (if they were all tatted up) and the creatures that comprise the Raiders fan base.

No better way to get acquainted with them than watching a dance off! Here are LA Derby Dolls Fearleaders facing off against the Gotham City Jeerleaders at last year’s RollerCon…

Baroness has been described as the musical equivalent of bodyblow-bodyblow-uppercut. You ever get in the mood to just listen to metal? I do, frequently.

Blogger Interview: Hugging Harold Reynolds (The Big Picture)
Wee Man Picks Shaq Up Off the Ground, Video (NESW Sports)
David Stern renames NBA teams due to boredom (Cuzoogle)
Jets Flight Crew got new unis; Sterger still employed (on205th)
10 Hottest Actresses in Sports Movies (InGameNow blog)
These Go To Eleven: Hottest Cartoon Characters (Brahsome)

…that’s a masterful post by Brahsome, by the way. Speaking of which, Baroness was a pretty hot G.I. Joe character herself.

In 2007, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation issued a report called Recess Rules. Obviously. Recess was excellent, except for indoor recess – especially back in the 80′s when we had one Commodore 64 in the classroom. I maintain that bad weather depression is not an innate response, but a learned condition from years spent playing paper football during recess on gloomy days (sucked).