racingmeridian.com

…bookies have made the Tampa Rays, at -135, favourites to win the World Series. There is an angle on that price, however. Since the Rays were offered at 200-1 at the start of the season the House (or THE MAN) simply does not want any more exposure on the AL Champs. They are hoping to spark interest in the Phillies with a plump +1.15, and baby, I’m in…rumour is that Brett Favre called the Detroit Lions organization before they played his ex-team, the Green Bay Packers, and provided insider info on the team’s offence. Everybody is denying the allegation. The Lions were whipped anyway, losing 48-25…Jay Cutler ignited controversy in Denver this week with his proclamation that he has a stronger arm than John Elway. What a foolish thing to say. The Broncos have an explosive offense but, as we observed last night, their defence is inept and, seemingly, getting worse. Mr Cutler needs to go back to basics, weaving a power running game into a balanced, time consuming attack. When he is sporting a couple of chunky Super bowl rings I’ll be willing to entertain his comparisons to footballs elites…Mike Nolan, fired as the coach of the San Francisco 49ers yesterday, had accumulated a 18-37 record over the past four and a bit seasons…J T O’Sullivan has 10 interceptions and four fumbles in the 49ers past four games. The tip off regarding the QB may have been his inability to crack that stellar Chicago Bears signal caller’s core…love the scout’s column in The Sporting News. The observations provide a different twist on game analysis. For instance, while many were down on the Green Bay Packers this weekend for running Ryan Grant 31 times for a skinny 105 yards, the scouts note this persistent attack on the Colts gut opened up the passing game downfield for a busted up Aaron Rodgers. I would take it a step further and underline the value of melting the clock when you have a lead, and also when you are facing Peyton Manning…the scout’s note that the Houston Texans are starting to roll with Matt Schaub finally being afforded a modicum of protection. The QB had 646 passing yards in the past two games…the stumbling Anaheim Ducks are 1-5 this year. The Leafs should be the tonic…the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL’s biggest off season spenders, are winless through five games and two continents. Prized rookie Steve Stamkos and grizzled vet Gary Roberts are both seeing limited ice time. That might change in a week or so, under the new head coach…like you, I passed on Alex Semin in my pools. The Washington Capital has six goals, but hold on, he also has a history of injuries. I’ll start kicking myself if he gets to the halfway point of the season without showing up on the injured reserve list…with four races left in the NASCAR season, Jimmy Johnson leads Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton by 149 and 152 points, respectively. When the stock car mavens torched their manner of designating a champion, they did not envision the Chase devolving into such a dud…they take entries for the Breeders Cup races today. With so many animals cross entered we are sure to have a better sense of the fields by mid afternoon…the best local chance, by consensus, is Fatal Bullet, a contender in the sprint. Only eight horses are expected in a race which usually draws a full field…