Sire. That’s a great word. Simply, it means male parent, but for some reason it’s ring is so much grittier. Maybe it’s the etymology: vulgar latin (source: Merriam-Webster). In these decidedly non-feudal times, nowhere is the term sire more poignant than in horse racing. More often than not, the highly competitive colts or fillies have a story to tell with their lineage. At this year’s Kentucky Derby, the field is for the most part no different.

Take a moment to check out the dad’s associated with the Run for the Roses.

Smart Strike

Sired: Lookin At Lucky (3-1)*

Stats:

Daddy of Curlin

Mating fee jumped from 50 K to 75 K the year Curlin won the Preakness

Links:

Smart Strike a sought-after stud after Curlin wins Preakness

Candy Ride

Sired: Sidney’s Candy (5-1)

Stats:

Deemed the best horse sired by Ride on Rails, out of 362 offspring

Owned by Sid and Jenny…Craig that is

Links:

Candy Ride wiki

Jenny Craig seeking sweet treat in Kentucky Derby

Awesome Again

Sired: Awesome Act (10-1)

Stats:

Back in ’98, Awesome Again entered six races. He won them all.

Links:

Awesome Again wiki

Pulpit

Sired: Ice Box (10-1)

Stats:

In the race he was injured in before being put out to stud, Pulpit still finished fourth

Links:

Pulpit wiki

Cuvee:

Sired: Noble’s Promise (12-1)

Stats:

Nothing to write home about, except familial ties to Barbaro

Ghostzapper (stupid name)

Sired: Stately Victor (30-1)

Stats:

He was sired by Awesome Again (more points for Awesome Again)

Kitten’s Joy

Sired: Dean’s Kitten

Stats

Barbaro link alert: Kitten’s Joy is ridden regularly by Edgar Prado, who rode Barbaro to a 2006 Derby Victory. Reaching, yes.

Links:
Kitten’s Joy wiki

Sadler’s Wells

Sired: Paddy O’prado

Produced over 260 stakes winners

14 time Champion Sire in Great Britain & Ireland, given to the horse whose progeny earns the most prize money that year

Link:

Champ sire Sadler’s Wells retires (BBC)

Unbridled’s Song

Sired: Mission Impazible

Stats:

Reputation for “brittle-boned progeny” (see: Eight Belles)

Link:

Breeding of Eight Belles questioned, defended

Mineshaft

Sired: Discreetly Mine

Also sired Japan’s would-be hopeful for challenge Big Brown two-years ago, Casino Drive

Link:

Mineshaft wiki

Afleet Alex

Sired: Dublin

Stats:

Took the Preakness and Belmont in 2005

Afleet Alex wiki

Smarty Jones

Sired: Backtalk

Stats:

Winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes

Link:

Smarty Jones wiki

*Odds via today’s Courier-Journal

If you’re like me – meaning you don’t like Justice and don’t pay attention to them, even though they look really cool – you had never heard of French director Romain Gavras until this morning’s agitating M.I.A. video release. Now, if you’re like me, you not going to forget his name for sometime.

To be honest, I’m not sure I can name a single music video director other than Hype Williams. It takes a lot to make a lasting impression in that medium (copious overuse of fisheye lenses, etc.). Today, Gavras proved that blowing off a young ginger’s head is one way to do that – can I use ginger colloquially still or is that offensive? And what do the South Park creators think about this? This clip is a conversation starter.

If you want to avoid asking boorish questions like that, here are some more of Gavras’ videos to help get acquainted with his style – I think they call this verite. Or he might just like shooting close-ups of people looking angry.

In descending order of most violent…

People seen a little tense about Maurkice Pouncey. I don’t want to talk about Maurkice. I want to talk about Trent Williams. He may sound like a character from a movie co-starring Andrew McCarthy and Jami Gertz. He’s actually the 6′ 5”, 315-lb O-lineman taken by the Redskins with the fourth pick in last night’s draft. And since anyone who tells you that they know how anyone picked last night is going to pan out is lying, and since Williams was the only guy picked to give M.C. Taskmaster a big old hug when his name was called at the podium, let’s call Williams the feel good story of the first round.

Who knows if this guy is going to be any good. What we have learned about Trent in the last 24-hours: 1.) His nickname is Silverback and 2.) He has, to quote his close confidant and fellow draftee, Gerald McCoy, wrist game.

McCoy, who went #3, one pick ahead of Williams, was keeping track of the draft board’s wrist game throughout the night. He also posted what Joe Haden and himself were sporting at Radio City last night on TwitPic.

Back to Williams. They don’t just let anyone be known as Silverback. He’s probably going to be really good.

BREAKING: Skins Draft Trent Williams (Mr. Irrelevant)

The Kentucky Derby kicks off Triple Crown Season in less than 10 days. I for one am already stirring up emotion that will culminate with Early Times mint juleps and a triumphant return to my friendly neighborhood OTB next weekend.

Weeks back, conversation was mounting about the prospect of a horse called Radiohead, trained by household name (to the degenerate gambler dads in said households) Rick Dutrow, running in the Derby. Radiohead fell flat in his recent performance – like if Thom Yorke replaced Flea with the bassist from Spandau Ballet for his performance at Coachella – and he’s out. Instead, Dutrow is going with Homeboykris.

From Vegas Sports Odds:

Homeboykris would be a stunning upset for this year in 2010 Kentucky Derby betting odds as he opened as a 60-1 longshot at online sportsbooks to win this year’s Run for the Roses but has gained more value and is now at 35-1. So far this year as a three year old Homeboykris has two starts with one place and total earnings of $14,000. Last year as a two year old Homeboykris had four starts with two wins and total earnings of $260,000. It is that performance as a two year old that has Homeboykris listed as a bona fide Kentucky Derby contender.

60-1 doesn’t exactly bestow confidence (maybe in the most reckless addicted gambler dads), however, come Derby Day, Homeboykris will have the backing of at least one known winner. Joe Torre owns a stake in the colt and was down in Louisville on Wednesday to watch HBK work six furlongs on the track.

Homeboykris is actually on the bubble for the race at the moment. He’s ranked 20th in the money out of the twenty horses slated to race next Saturday, with the potential that he could be bumped from the list if Devil May Care is entered in the Derby instead of the Kentucky Oaks. Tense.

So, Los Angeles Dodgers fans, when you see Torre in the dugout looking a little addled.

Know that it’s even odds that he’s thinking about Garrett Anderson’s slow start or Homeboykris’ Derby status.

No hyperbole, I swear. Fordham is actually the greatest team in the history div. 1 college baseball.

Fordham Basketball Might Want To Contact Brian Kownacki

I’m guessing that a lot of bloggers saw Diddy tweet this and are avoiding posting because they feel that embedding a video with Puff announcing his vodka’s latest award is beneath them. I am not beneath that. What happens at the :20 second mark and the 1:47 mark ought to explain why.

And a raucous – highly devolving – rendition of We Are The Champions, to boot!

Found via Mr. Public Service Announcement, himself.

Putting the phenom tag to good use today, folks. Check out undeterred softball pitcher Cassie Chambless, born with three toes, a partial fibula and no ankle, she had her right leg amputated at 9 months.

She went on to be an ace at Tuttle High School and is currently an integral part of the starting rotation at Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Here’s a profile of Cassie from 2007 when she was a senior at Tuttle that aired on FOX 25 Oklahoma City.

From what I’ve gathered over the years, their is one type of pitcher in highly competitive softball – power. You’re either a full-scale Luis Tiant-type or you’re the shortstop – making Chambless that much more amazing.

Her SWOSU Bulldogs are having one their best seasons in team history.

See, it’s not all tongue-in-cheek and nonchalance when it comes to the phenom category.

Oh, old guys and the crazy business ventures as retirees.

Meet Grandpa Woody. He’s collected 2,500+ ticket stubs from Major League games played in by Barry Bonds. And he’ll sell you the whole lot – for the Buy It Now price of $75,000.



No surprise, the ultimate goal is to collect stubs from all 3,047 games of Barry’s MLB career (including post season and All-Star appearances). His listing also includes the 514 stubs he needs to complete the collection.

I’d love to know how many stubs Woody, a Santa Cruz-native, procured the old fashioned way – by going to the ballpark. I’m no Peter Falk, but If he’s seen even a third of Barry’s games, we could be talking about a reliable source in the Bonds investigation. (I’m clearly no Columbo.)

Woody is also working parallel paths and collecting every ticket for Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain’s games. He’s going to come after me for calling him a retiree with a crazy business venture, isn’t he?

Check out Grandpa Woody’s store on Ebay

Historically – or at least as far back as 2002 – the third Thursday in April is the officially recognized National High Five Day. This is particularly significant this year, because the third Thursday happens to be today, tax day – a day not historically known for its positive vibes.

Here’s the music video, presumably, brought to you by the curators of today’s festivities.

Not sure I’m compelled to fully embrace this, and start high-fiving randoms on the street. But I say good for those guys; they’re influencing the Winnipeg Free Press to dedicate a staffer to try and break the world record: Most High Fives in 24 Hours.

Check out the perceived origin of the high five and its ties to Duke basketball.

http://www.nationalhighfiveday.com/

Photo via TwitPic

If you don’t know Freddie Ljungberg, he’s a pro jock kind-of (MLS soccer player). He’s also a male model. He’s also Swedish. And I’m pretty sure the Dudesons would kick his ass.

According to a fan who recently sat next to Ljungberg on a flight, his bravado continues to teeter.

I was flying IAH/SEA last November on a Sunday night. The Seattle Sounders were on the flight having just lost to Houston.

I was in 1B and Freddie Ljungberg was in 1A. After we leveled off he headed up to the lav. On his way out, he grabbed a bag of nuts. The FA literally slapped his hand and said “drop that!” He looked like a little kid who had been scolded!

Later, as she took drink orders, she explained the one bag per seat rule. He smiled and apologized.

Heard the lady behind whisper to the FA “Do you know who that is?” and then proceeded to show her one of Freddie’s underwear adverts. Her face went a shade of red I have not seen in quite some time.

He never pulled any “star attitude” at all. Nice guy.

Via FlyerTalk.com (c/o @BrooklynBum)

To the writers of Zoolander 2: Take. Note.

And lastly, how bad do you wish this scenario happened instead to say a Tiger Woods, Ben Roethlisberger, Charles Barkley, Ron Artest, Gary Busey or a Kenny Powers? The whole underwear advert deal and all. Pretty bad.