Maddux Sports Blog

Impressive win by Macho Again in the Jim Dandy. As I said yesterday, I really like this horse. His race was troubled, and he was in traffic trouble on the last turn, but he found a way to make a move for the lead, and then he held off an impressive late charge by Pyro. This is the first graded stakes win for Macho Again, but I don’t expect it to be the last. The horse looks physically more impressive and mentally more mature with every start. In a perfect world he would run in the Travers next month, again in September, and then he’d make his way to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup. I’m not suggesting that he’s at the top of his class, but he is certainly among a handful of elite runners.

This weekend’s NASCAR race was one of the biggest jokes in recent sporting history, and it’s a scar on the sport. Goodyear delivered lousy tires that couldn’t hold up on the abrasive Indy track, so there had to be a caution every 10 laps or so so that the entire field could change their tires. That obviously robbed the drama and strategy out of the race, and it just turned it into a seven lap sprint at the end with a really long warm up. Jimmie Johnson won, and any victory counts, but this is not one to be proud of.

I am a big Manny Ramirez fan, and that comes from an equal mix of his incredible hitting talent and the bizarre spectacle that he is. I don’t have any love for the Red Sox, though, so the talk of a divorce between Man-Ram and the Sox makes me very happy. I don’t expect it to happen, but a move to Philly would really spice up the NL East race and make the Phillies a serious contender for post-season honors. Theo Epstein won’t pull the trigger on this one, though, because he doesn’t have to, and because Manny’s huge contract ensures that the Sox won’t be able to get equivalent value for him. Boston is in no position to downgrade their roster given the intense race that they are in. Manny might be a freak, but he’s a freak that can hit like almost no one else on the planet.

Things catching my eye today:

•  I know I have been writing about my hometown a lot recently, but, well, I can, so you’ll just have to deal with it. I was as shocked by the Calgary Flames as I have ever been in a lifetime (most of it, anyway) of watching them. They fell down 3-0 in the first three and a half minutes against San Jose on Sunday night. Normally, the team would just quit when that happens. They didn’t. They tightened up, fought back, and won it 4-3 with a late goal. I never would have said this a week ago, but the Flames are worth a serious betting look. That kind of heart can be deadly in the playoffs.
• The Spurs got smoked by the Lakers this afternoon. They have also been beaten badly by the Suns and the Jazz in the last ten days. Not that it makes me sad in any way, but this does not look like a strong, confident team going into the playoffs.
• Jimmie Johnson won at Phoenix. It was the first win for Hendricks this year after they won 18 last year. I expect this to open the floodgates for wins for the team. They clearly have caught up in testing, and they are not the kind of team that will tolerate losing.
• Congrats to Trevor Immelman, but is it just me or was this a pretty flat Masters? It didn’t seem to have a lot of spark or interest, and it is telling that Tiger can play as badly as we have seen him play in a long while and still end up in second. With all due respect to Immelman, if a guy like him can win it wire-to-wire then it isn’t as good as it can be.
• Michael Beasley is announcing his decision on his future tomorrow. If he stays in school I will chop of my right foot and eat it raw.
• David Ortiz was benched on Sunday after starting the season 3-for-43. Ouch. Big Papi can’t be a very happy guy right now, and he is kinda scary when he is happy, so he would be terrifying when he is mad.
• The game that Ortiz missed was not a pitcher’s duel. Dice-K looked pretty rough, allowing four earned runs in five innings. He was the reincarnation of Cy Young compared to the Yanks’ Phil Hughes. The young prodigy got dinged for seven runs in two innings. If both of those teams lost every night I would be a happy guy.