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Arizona's Webb silently stellar
SPOTLIGHT STAYS ON DERBY'S AFTERMATH
By John ClayHERALD-LEADER SPORTS COLUMNIST
Random notes:
• While we were all wrapped up in the Kentucky Derby, Ashland's own Brandon Webb was improving his record to 7-0. And the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching ace, and former Cy Young Award winner, will be gunning for his eighth straight win Thursday against visiting Philadelphia.
• Here's the best thing I've read lately: "We are at a crisis state," Dr. Larry Bramlage told the Wall Street Journal when asked about the status of horse racing. "The soundness of the horses has completely gone out the window because we don't reward it anymore. Pretty soon we won't have the animals that can go in more than one race."
When Dr. Bramlage talks, racing needs to listen.
• Question of the day: Will more people watch the Preakness because of all the publicity surrounding Eight Belles' death in the Kentucky Derby, or fewer?
• As it stands right now, Kentucky baseball is tied for the final berth in the Southeastern Conference Tournament with Tennessee. And the Cats are in Knoxville this weekend.
• When Simon Cowell told contestant Jason Castro after Castro's I Shot the Sheriff rendition on Tuesday's American Idol, "That was utterly atrocious," could Cowell have been speaking about the first game of the Cavs-Celtics series?
• Best wishes to Eastern Kentucky women's hoops coach Larry Inman, who after 480 wins and 16 Ohio Valley Conference titles, announced his retirement last week.
• Those who knocked Chris Lofton for a poor senior season might be feeling a pang of guilt right now.
• What exactly was that nutty face that trainer Richard Dutrow made into the NBC cameras after Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby on Sunday, anyway?
• I don't profess to know Larry Jones personally, but I've been around him enough to believe that the Eight Belles trainer would never have put that filly at risk.
• After hearing NBC red carpet reporter Billy Bush continually refer to the "Brownstable Barn" party, it dawned on me that he might be related to our president -- and he is.
• Since the mother of new UK commitment Vinny Zollo says Billy Gillispie broke into tears when Zollo pledged to become a Cat, remind me never to watch Brian's Song with Coach G.
• A Chicago radio host on Bears running back Cedric Benson's run-in with Texas water police after a boating dispute: "No one was surprised that Benson showed no escapability."
• Getting serious about upgrading its women's basketball program, South Carolina put a financial package together to lure Coach Dawn Staley away from Temple.
• Good friend Tony Barnhart, aka "Mr. College Football" for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, lists his top 10 for 2008: 1. Georgia, 2. Southern California, 3. Missouri, 4. Florida, 5. Ohio State, 6. Oklahoma, 7. Clemson, 8. Illinois, 9. West Virginia, 10. Auburn.
• The Reds say they will not trade Ken Griffey Jr., but they should.
• I bet that covering Ozzie Guillen is a "bleeping" lot of fun.
• With college football thriving, the BCS is never going to accept a plus-one because it knows that might be the first step toward more inclusive playoffs.
• After first saying he would play for new Louisiana State basketball coach Trent Johnson, 6-foot-10 signee J'Mison Morgan has asked for his release.
• How did that Shaquille O'Neal trade to Phoenix work out, by the way?
• If it were the old days, network Derby coverage on Saturday would have had Jack Whitaker closing the broadcast with a poignant commentary on the significance of the events of the day.