racingmeridian.com

Toronto Maple Leaf coach Ron Wilson has now talked about playing Justin Pogge a few more times this season, maybe twice a month, with an eye to turning the goalie into a capable player, “in a couple of years time”. It is a compassionate way of taking heat off the dreadful Pogge and I admire Wilson for demonstrating traces of a human heart…what a kick in the stomach for Leaf fans; Tuukka Rask played Saturday afternoon for the Boston Bruins and recorded a shutout over the New York Rangers. The imbecile John Ferguson traded Rask for Andrew Raycroft in a move that, even at the time, had keen hockey followers gasping. Rask was the number one rated goaltending prospect in the world at the time but Ferguson elected to retain Pogge as the Leaf netminding saviour…the Vancouver Sun reported the Vancouver Canucks engaged in a series of brawls at practice yesterday. The team is struggling and only the leadership of Mats Seldom, provided he is back from Whistler in time, can calm the young studs and teach them to stoically practice indifference as losses mount…Michael Vick, ex QB of the Atlanta Falcons is scheduled to be released on July 20^th. The San Francisco 49ers lead a group of NFL teams, regardless of what you read in the mainstream media, who are salivating at the prospect of acquiring the scoundrel…Hines Ward will start for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. He will play with a knee brace and will not be at 100%. Of particular difficulty will be “cutting” and “running at full speed” That doesn’t sound particularly appetizing, but Ward is a vicious downfield blocker who does bring certain intangibles to the Steeler offence…Roy Williams, receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, ripped the team in a radio interview yesterday. The malcontented prima donna, one of the worst acquisitions in Cowboy history, was particularly inane when suggesting his old team, the Detroit Lions, trained harder than the Boys. Williams complained QB Tony Romo would not “look his way” and suggested a more creative approach to play calling is needed. Huh. The real issue is the savvy of management in Texas when players like Pacman Jones and the aforementioned wideout are taken on board without considering the havoc they wreak. The rot starts at the head with this storied franchise…what will Bruce Springsteen play at half time? He is allotted twelve minutes, about three songs, and bars around the nation were gripped by song selection mania as arguments were unveiled for various compositions. My particular group concluded with, The Rising, Born to Run and yech, Dancing In The Dark…Rafael Nadal is 4-2 against Roger Federer in six previous Grand Slam finals. But he really has his work cut out for him tonight, in the Australian heat, after an arduous five hour semi-final win… trainers Rick Dutrow and Marvin Wolfson have responded angrily to Andrew Beyer’s now-famous column gently suggesting the pair were “supertrainers” providing their animals with illegal stimulants. It will be interesting to see if the pair will launch a lawsuit. I’m guessing no. The duo would not want their operation scrutinized by the legal system. They’ll take the Beyer hit and continue their practice of engendering massive improvement from recent purchases…Dutrow will be on the Kentucky Derby Trail again this year with the highly regarded Patena. The son of Seeking the Gold won the Display Stakes at Woodbine last December while in the hands of Josie Carroll. The move to the Dutrow barn could be deadly if the trainer can continue his, um, pattern of explosive improvement with new charges (don’t sue me, Beyer said it!). Patena boasts the bloodlines of Mr. Prospector and A P Indy in his immediate family and could offer a terrific mix of speed and stamina…Steve Haskin has released his first list of Kentucky Derby contenders (available at the Bloodhorse site). The list is topped by Hello Broadway, whose best race was a second place finish in the Nashua Stakes at Aqueduct last November. It’s a puzzling choice, but we are taking our first tentative steps on the road to Churchill so every opinion is treated with interest. The horse who has caught my fancy is Pioneerof the Nile, and the Bob Baffert trained colt will see plenty of my cash when the Kentucky Derby futures window opens in a couple of week’s time…