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The Philadelphia Daily News is reporting that centre Jeff Carter played with a separated shoulder during the Flyers first round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a breakout season Carter was nonexistent during the postseason…the Boston Bruins have cast some kind of spell over Carolina Hurricane goalie Cam Ward. During the regular season Ward had a save percentage of .871 and a goals against average of 3.89 during four straight losses to the Beantowners…Jonathan Toews logged only 13 minutes for the Chicago Blackhawks during their 5-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks last night. This is very worrisome. Toews was a minus 2 on the night and ineffective. He is clearly playing with an injury of some sort…the St Louis Rams intend to start rookie Jason Smith, the left tackle taken second overall in the recent NFL draft. Quarterback Marc Bulger doesn’t deserve the hellish beating he’s going to receive this season. His former left tackle, veteran Orlando Pace, was virtually unbeatable when well enough to play……the St Paul Pioneer Press has reported that Brett Favre has been working out with a personal trainer. Their speculation is that Favre will threaten to play for the Minnesota Vikings unless Green Bay revives their 20 million, 16 year offer for Favre to serve as a goodwill ambassador for the Pack. Both clubs should probably wash their hands of the increasingly boorish and petulant QB…according to Serena Roberts new book, Alex Rodriguez made clubhouse attendants put toothpaste on his toothbrush after every game while he was a Texas Ranger. The book is going to contain a string of revelations, including the “All American Boys” proclivity for strippers and sex clubs…anyone wanting an understanding of why most horseplayers cringe at the thought of I Want Revenge’s trainer Jeff Mullins in the winning circle Derby Day should read Andrew Beyers Washington Post column today. It’s a scathing indictment of a trainer who lacks “basic ethics”. I’m hopeful the scrutiny his animal has been under this week has prevented the syringe work that is Mullin’s stock in trade…Beyer picks I Want Revenge to win the Derby. He suggests there is little depth in this years field and advises Dunkirk, Friesan Fire and the two Dubai horses as possible underneath plays. He strongly recommends tossing PioneeroftheNile, stating he believes he is a synthetics runner only (PioneeroftheNile has never raced on the dirt)…big fight rumours are all the rage whenever the throngs descend on Las Vegas. Yesterday’s juicy morsel claimed Rickey Hatton has been miserable training under Floyd Mayweather Sr and, further, that a split between the pair was imminent. Involved parties quickly denied any rupture. Still, the chatter is somewhat unsettling if your money has been invested on the Brit. If his associates are leaking rumours of a disrupted camp it could be a signal they are preparing excuses for an expected loss…update; CNN reported today that Hatton was upset by Mayweathers punctuality as they prepared for Pacquiao. Lots of smoke coming from this camp. Thomas Hauser’s publication of Dave Wolfs training notes, compiled during his time with Joe Frazier, outline how a contentious camp, like the one Frazier had before the second Ali fight, can take a fighter out of the zone. I haven’t bet the fight yet and I’m reading all I can about these developments. I don’t care what the specifics of the stories are; I’m very concerned, however, by the fact one camp is already laying the groundwork for a subpar performance. Hatton has never lost at 140 lbs and I would have thought his team would be brimming with confidence as they prepared to face a smaller man… Celestino Caballero, recent conqueror of Steve Molitor, defended his junior featherweight crowns last night with a narrow win over Jeffrey Mathebula. That the Panamanian, fighting in the Roberto Duran arena, walked out with a split decision in those friendly confines suggests it must have been a very hotly contested engagement… Hector “Macho” Camacho is scheduled to fight Yori “Boy” Campas on May 9^th in Atlantic City. Camacho is 47 and has fought only once in the last four years. Twelve years have past since his knockout of the vestiges of Sugar Ray Leonard on March 1^st 1997……