Maddux Sports Blog

The Dodgers look to have a live arm to help with the problems at the bottom of their rotation. They rushed their next phenom, Clayton Kershaw, into the lineup straight from Double-A on Sunday. They needed his arm because they have no others - they cut Esteban Loaiza on Saturday because he couldn’t get it done anymore, and they hadn’t found anyone better. They are pretty desperate right now, too - they play 17 straight without a rest, so they will need five arms to keep the Diamondbacks within sight. Kershaw was the first high schooler chosen in the 2006 draft when he went to the Dodgers seventh overall. He was the national player of the year as a high school senior. The 20 year old was 0-3 in Double-A, but he wasn’t getting much run support. His ERA was only 2.28, and the most eye-opening number was his 47 Ks in 43 innings. He has a solid fastball, a nasty curve that drops more than 20 mph from that fastball, and a circle change. His first appearance in the pros was a decent one. He lasted six innings, striking out seven with just one walk. He allowed five hits and two earned runs. He didn’t get a decision, but his new team did beat the Cards. On Tuesday I’m going to take a look at how to deal with these phenoms as they come along.

The biggest single day of car racing of the year didn’t disappoint. Lewis Hamilton won an exciting F1 race in Monte Carlo to start off the day. Scott Dixon followed it up with win in the Indy 500. That result was sweet justice for him - he was the fastest car all month and he stayed out of trouble in a race that was far from accident-free. The biggest non-story of the day was Danica Patrick - she ended up 22nd when she was taken out in pit lane by Ryan Briscoe. The best part was that she looked like she was going to beat Briscoe senseless. The nigh ended with a win by Kasey Kahne in the longest NASCAR race of the year, the Coca Cola 600. As is so often the case, Tony Stewart was the biggest story - he should have won, but he gave up his lead with three laps left when he bumped the wall and got a flat tire.

The Belmont is still two weeks away, but there is no end of intrigue on that front. Big Brown has a small crack in his left front foot. He’s missed two days of training and could miss three more. He’s getting the best possible care, and it’s pretty likely that he’ll be just fine by race time. More interestingly, there are rumors out there that Kent Desormeaux’s agent is angling to get his charge the mount on Casino Drive in the Belmont. The rider of that horse will be named on Wednesday. It seems almost impossible that this would be true sine Desormeaux is on Big Brown, but it opens up a million different possibilities for conspiracy theorists.

Joakim Noah got arrested in Gainesville for drinking in public and marijuana possession. Also, Noah is an idiot.

Phil Mickelson won this weekend with a spectacular wedge shot on the 72nd hole to set up winning birdie putt. Now all he has to do is put together a knockout blow like that against Tiger Woods instead of Rod Pampling.

Almost nobody cares about American open wheel racing outside of one weekend each year. That weekend is here, though, so it is time to pay attention. Even if you aren’t a fan of Indy racing you’ll probably catch a minute or two of the Indy 500 on TV on Sunday. If you’re going to watch then you might as well bet on it, so here’s a look at the big names in the race and their betting prospects.

Scott Dixon (3/1) - Dixon earned the pole, so he is the favorite by a comfortable margin. He has had a good year so far with a win and two thirds in five races. He’s also been one of the more consistent drivers on the circuit the last three years, finishing second in the standings last year and fourth the year before. He’s never won at Indy, but he has been close. He was second last year and fourth the year before. He started fourth both years, so he is a row farther forward, and his car is running perhaps better than ever. THe pole has been a decent place to start from recently - Sam Hornish Jr. won from there is 2006, and so did Buddy Rice in 2004.

Helio Castroneves (9/2) - I never thought I would say something like this, but Castroneves has probably been bet down a bit because he is a good dancer. He won Dancing with the Stars to gain international fame outside of the world of car racing. He’s more than just a pair of fancy feet, though. He’s currently leading the point standings for the ciruit with two second place finishes and two fourth. He’s also a two time winner of this race, though the last of those came in 2002. Castroneves will certainly be a big part of this race, but I’m not convinced that these odds make him much of a value pick - he’s more likely to be close than in front at the checkered flag.

Dan Wheldon (9/2) - The man with the famously bad temper won this race in 2005, and he comes into this year’s version of a win in Kansas. He’s had a rough time of it the last two years at Indy, but his car is faster this year, and he seems more determined than ever. He could certainly win.

Tony Kanaan (5/1) - Sooner or later this Brazilian is going to win an Indy 500. He’s too good not to. He’s held a lead at some point in each of the last five races in Indianapolis, but he’s always found problems and has only found the podium twice in that time. He’s been solid this year, with a second in Kansas and two other top five finishes.

Danica Patrick (10/1) - She’s the biggest name in Indy racing, but she isn’t the biggest bargain. She has a win this year (finally), but her chances of winning aren’t well reflected by these odds. Her car was solid in qualifying, but it was definitely a step below the best. She hasn’t done particularly well here, with back-to-back 8th place finishes. There is a good chance she will be in the picture, but I would confidently say that she would win less than one in ten times this race was run. That doesn’t make her a good bet. She’d look pretty good with a milk mustache if she did win, though.