Triple Crowns and Slumpbusters.

Happy Birthday Reggie Jackson, a young 62 years of age. Remember where you were this day in 1980 when Mt. St. Helens erupted in the Northwest? It was also a birthdate for the late Pope John Paul II.

A pitching duel was anticipated between Vicente Padilla and Roy Oswalt was anticipated Saturday and that was exactly what we got. Despite a shaky start for Padilla and a high pitch count after two innings, another Ranger starter went at least six innings to allow for a 6-2 Ranger victory. This night Milton Bradley would go yard as Everyday Eddie Guardado would close out the 9th inning. The Ranger win also gave Texas their seventh straight series won. Texas is now 15-6 since that 19 run debacle in Detroit, 12-4 in the month of May. Team ERA since that Detroit game? 3.02! More importantly, if only for a day, Texas is back at .500.

Since Affirmed in 1978 there have been eleven horses who have won the first two legs of racings Triple Crown. None of the eleven were able to capture the final leg of that triangle-The Belmont. Big Brown will now get to enjoy three weeks of hype speculation, adulation, and wonderment as the pundits of the four legged creature espouse rhetoric about how good Big Brown is. Today he won the Preakness going away, reminding many of the victory Secretariat had in 1973 by 31 lengths. Before Affirmed you had Seattle Slew doing the deed in 1977. As much as I would welcome seeing a Triple Crown winner in 2008, history dictates that the extra distance at New York's racetrack tells me it is perhaps way too much to ask of a horse to keep on pace. June 7th we find out if history indeed shall be made.

For the first time since 1992 the Pittsburgh Penguins advance to the Stanley Cup Finals defeating the Flyers in convincing fashion. I am curious to see how well the tandem of Crosby, Malkin, and Hossa fare against (we believe) Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Kris Draper and company.

Game 7 between the Celtics and Cavaliers should be a barnburner. Keep in mind that no team who was winless on the road has ever advanced to the NBA Finals. This may bode well for Detroit. I'm just saying...

Two rounds of baseball, including an inaugural trip to Air Hogs country in Grand Prairie, Texas. Just living the dream.

Jason Giambi may want to consider taking his gold slumpbuster home with him and bronzing it. That's all that needs to be said.

Over and out in Big D

Mr. Will