Confetti fell and euphoria reigned as manager Ozzie Guillen and his team paraded through the streets after the Chicago White Sox won the World Series for the first time in 88 years. That day less than two years ago seems so long ago now. In a stunning and swift collapse, the White Sox have plummeted to the bottom of the AL Central at 57-74.
Australia’s richest and most important horse race will likely be without its Japan-based defending champion and runner-up due to the equine influenza outbreaks in both countries. The news that last year’s winner, Delta Blues, and runner-up, Pop Rock, will probably not travel to Australia for the Nov.
Russell Baze, the winningest jockey in thoroughbred racing history, was suspended for 15 days and fined on Sunday for using his whip on an injured horse who later died. Baze, who has 9,826 career victories, was headed to an easy win aboard Imperial Eyes in the first race Thursday at Bay Meadows when the horse took a bad step and broke down in the deep stretch.
Houston Rockets guard Rafer Alston was released without bail on Tuesday after being charged with stabbing a man at a Manhattan nightspot — his second brush with the law this month. Police arrested Alston, 31, early Monday on felony assault charges after responding to a brawl at a nightclub. A criminal complaint alleges that amid the ruckus, he slashed a man at the club in the neck.
Carrots Only overtook Fagedaboudit Sal in the deep stretch and beat him by a neck in the $135,000 Charles Hesse Jersey Breeders’ Handicap at Monmouth Park on Sunday. Trained by John Mazza and ridden by Chris DeCarlo, Carrots Only covered 1 1-16 miles over the fast main track in 1:42.4 and paid $5.20, $3 and $2.80.
Street Sense will enjoy a few more days at the Spa, then it’s back home to Kentucky to begin training for the next race of an already exceptional career. Just when and where that will be remained the biggest question a day after the Kentucky Derby winner’s hard-fought, half-length victory over Grasshopper in the $1 million Travers Stakes.
This is not the way Craig Biggio wanted his final season to end. Still, when manager Phil Garner and general manager Tim Purpura were fired, it pretty much told the story of what has happened to the Houston Astros. Owner Drayton McLane fired Garner and Purpura on Monday, saying the franchise “needed a fresh start” after a plunge to the bottom of the NL Central.
Michael Vick stood behind a podium, all alone. His amazing speed and quickness was of no use in this predicament. He couldn’t scramble away from trouble with one of those nifty moves. All he could do was apologize. And ask for forgiveness. And start “bettering Michael Vick the person, not the football player.” Looking somber and speaking without notes, Vick said Monday he was taking full…
This was money well spent for Jim Raymer. The trainer of Green Day paid a $60,000 supplemental entry and won the Yonkers Trot, the second leg of trotting’s Triple Crown. Raymer was rewarded with a payoff of $322,356 for the wire-to-wire victory by the 3-year-old bay gelding. Green Day, driven by Catello Manzi, was timed in 1:56 for the mile race at Yonkers Raceway on Saturday night.
