THE PREAKNESS & RACHEL ALEXANDRA

Well, here goes the second leg of the Triple Crown and up steps the filly, Rachel Alexandra.

With all her prior dominance, the inevitable comparisons to Ruffian and Secretariat have been put on the table. No pressure at all--comparison to arguably the best filly and the best colt of all time. Good thing the horse can't read the papers.

I just pray that if she does compare favorably it ends up being to Secretariat.

She is clearly superior to anything the distaff side can throw at her as illustrated by her 20-length demolition of the Kentucky Oaks field. Jockey Calvin Borel has stated that he hasn't had to go to the whip to motivate her to win. Against a field of colts, that may no longer be the case.

Racing aficionados still debate whether fillies should even run against colts. That they are not strong enough or capable enough. When this racing mind-set has opportunity to manifest itself, inevitably human emotions run high. It's easy to pit feminist against neanderthal-man in an effort to promote the race or match.

I remember the quote of Foolish Pleasure's handlers after their horse emerged victorious against Ruffian. As Ruffian was carted off in the veterinarian's wagon, FP's handlers gloated in the winners circle.

FROM THE BOOK Ruffian : Burning From the Start by Jane Schwartz

"His father, however, was exultant. Two years ago Moody Jolley had picked out this son of What a Pleasure for $20,000 up at Saratoga, and now he could not refrain from gloating. When asked what he thought of the turn of events, the senior Jolley grinned. Away from the television microphones, but loud enough for those around him to hear, he exclaimed, "First time they threw some speed at her, and the bitch comes unbuckled!" Reporters who thought they had heard everything were shocked. A great racehorse had just broken down. They didn't expect Moody to be gracious, but they didn't expect such ugliness either."

One of the most classless, insensitive quotes in the history of sports. But this was the way of the world in 1975. A woman dared not ply her trade in a man's world. It was unthinkable. Title IX was law, but it really hadn't taken hold the way we see it today. Billie Jean King beat Bobbie Riggs in a "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match, but that was dismissed as a joke.

The times they are a changin', right man? Maybe not as much as we think sometimes. Interestingly enough some of the pre-race drama centered around "the boys" and their handlers conspiring to keep "the girl" out of the race entirely. As if they were afraid of her. Now that's CHANGE.

And so, with the pre-race melodrama and the memories of Ruffian, Barbaro and Eight Belles as an unfortunate backdrop, Rachel Alexandra attempts to run her way into history.

My hope is she runs with the champions heart of Ruffian and the strength and determination of Secretariat. And that she finishes. On four healthy legs. VICTORIOUS.

As race fans, we can only bear to see records broken here, not our hearts. Not again.

Godspeed Rachel Alexandra. GODSPEED!!

RUFFIAN AT THE ACORN STAKES:


"She had done what no horse had ever done and was buried where no horse was ever buried. The great wings were folded about her and Pegasus flew no more" - Gene Smith

A-ROD, ROCKET, MANNY AND FAVRE

BRETT FAVRE - WHAT PART OF GOOD-BYE DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?

OMG, Brett Favre is coming out of retirement!!! Didn't see that coming. We're going to have to get Roger Goodell to change the name from NFL to NWFL--the Not Without Favre League--because apparently we can't play a season anymore without Brett Favre in it.

Now John Madden, another fossilized icon, will have to come out of retirement and
do all the Minnesota Favre's broadcasts.

And kudos to Minnesota for giving Brett this opportunity to get this petulant, childish, "I'll-show-you-Green-Bay" vendetta out of his system before he actually DOES retire.

I feel bad about it, but at times I feel a career ending injury is in order. Some people don't understand the meaning of the word retire.
--------------


MANNY RAMIREZ TESTS POSITIVE - WHO SAW THIS COMING?

Apparently not George Mitchell, whose famed report has now been turned into a 400+ page doorstop. See-no-Red Sox users, hear-no-Red Sox users, speak-no-Red Sox users is that correct Senator Mitchell?

THE MITCHELL REPORT POLICY RE: RED SOX PLAYERS




I mean, what was to see here? Manny's body type certainly didn't change much from his Indians days throughout the Red Sox era. It's not like his head, obscured by the dreads, didn't grow right before our very eyes.

I'm sorry, those are not valid criteria anymore? Hard to keep up with the changes in the spin from the media acolytes. More flips and spins than in a Flying Walenda circus show.

On-deck, as he was for many years with the Red Sox during the Sox nation glory years, David Ortiz. He already presented his "maybe I took PED's by mistake in one of those Dominican milkshakes" excuse.

Where are all the stat-heads and roto-heads with their pocket protectors now? Care to run a before-testing vs. after testing look at Ortiz's power numbers. That's OK, you can wait until he hits his next HR this season, which will be his first HR this season, by the way.

But this fits in with the owners strategy of throwing selected players under the bus, taking no responsibility themselves for the culture that they and theirs turned a blind eye to on the one hand, while gleefully ringing the cash register and fleecing the taxpayers for low-cost stadiums on the other hand. Not once have they taken responsibility for their role in the "steroid era".

MLB POSITION RE: THEIR ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STEROID ERA



The same media hand-puppets who have always aided and abetted the owners in shaping the agenda and public perception also continue to profit on both ends of the deal.

These guys will pen glowing autobiographies on the one hand--as Lupica did for McGwire--and when the tide turns, they simply pen tear-down books about A-Rod or Barry or Clemens.

Seems rather scummy to me and it comes as no surprise that the same newspapers that these guys and gals work for are seemingly going bankrupt by the day. When you are morally bankrupt as a business person, it doesn't take too long before you become economically bankrupt as well.
----------------


A-ROD IS A USER? - WOW AND THE MSM LOVES HIM SO MUCH


And still does, don't kid yourself. At least the New York centric media hacks and the ESPN crowd seem to be falling in line BEHIND A-Rod and against Selena Roberts, the reporter who broke the story.

Remember how the Game of Shadows authors were held up as potential Pulitzer Prize winners? That is until the Pulitzer prize committee took an unbiased, critical look at the book and spit on it.

Where is the pathetic daily whining from the panty-waisted crowd now that their self-selected Savior of the Game has been stained? Isn't A-Rod tainting the legacy of Ruth and Gehrig and DiMaggio? Where are Costas and Lupica now? How about Yankee acolyte Olbermann and his sidekick Little Danny Patrick?

The spin changes now that one of their own is caught. And the media is so good at identifying cheaters aren't they? They are going to put a guy or two into the Hall of Fame, who it will later come out conclusively cheated and then they will be stuck right in the middle the problem.

Baseball had its chance to get out of this mess from a PR standpoint around the time of the Mitchell Report by adopting the Giambi solution and having all parties, ALL PARTIES apologize to the fans, draw a line in the sand and say "From this day forward, if you test positive...God help you". But they didn't, they went to their separate corners and came out swinging, undoing years of cooperation between the players and the owners. The next labor negotiations ought to be a real doozy.
-----------------


CLEMENS AND HIS FORMER BFFL ANDY PETTITTE

And now a book about the rise and fall of Roger Clemens. Couldn't see that one coming either. To be fair, I have never understood why there has not been a parallel story to the Bonds - Griffey conversation regarding Bonds' jealousy of McGwire - Sosa as the motivation to Bonds getting all geared up.

The Clemens story would revolve around the infamous quote from then Boston Red Sox GM Dan Duquette that Clemens was "in the twilight of his career". This was justification for the Sox not re-signing Clemens and led to his subsequent rebirth with Toronto-the Yankees-Astros. Wouldn't shoving Duquette's very personal words up his butt qualify as motivation to get jacked up?

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see why MLB chooses to blackball Bonds and now Clemens, while Tejada still plays on as if nothing happened.

And we're spending $12 million dollars and counting to prosecute Bonds, in a case that seems to be heading to the same level of cultural disappointment (or higher) reached after the O.J. verdict.

TEJADA'S LEGAL PROBLEM-RESOLUTION (from Wikipedia):

On February 10, 2009, Tejada was charged with lying to Congress about performance enhancing drug usage in Major League Baseball.[14] On February 11, Tejada pleaded guilty to charges that he lied to Congress in 2005. He faced up to one year in federal prison and deportation.[15]. On 26 March, 2009, he received a one year probation.[16]

So let's review. One year probation for lying to Congress. Not sure what Bonds would get for lying to a federal grand jury, Clemens would have been lying to Congress as well.

That just seems like a lot of money, time and effort to prosecute a case where the penalty falls in the "spitting on the sidewalk" category. Again, maybe it's just me.
Sort of like trying to kill a housefly with a hammer.

MOVING ON UP....????

FUTURE GIANTS STARTER - RHP TIM ALDERSON

The Giants moved future starters RHP Tim Alderson and LHP Madison Bumgarner to AA Connecticut last week, along with SS Brandon Crawford.

Alderson pitched 6 2/3 innings of no-hit ball in an early outing. Crawford is handling the bat well and Bumgarner has shown no signs of being in over his head at this level.

So for now, Giants fans can have visions of a starting rotation of Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner, Alderson and Sanchez. You can win some titles with that. What about Mr. Zito, you ask? Beer league softball is my guess.

Ideally, all three of the prospects (along with 3B Conor Gilaspie, RF Roger Kieschnick and C Buster Posey) should spend the entire season at the AA-AAA level. All three are likely September call ups if the Gigantes are out of the playoff picture by then.

Eventually, if Crawford continues to hit, Renteria can join Zito in the BLSB circuit.

If I'm looking at the Giants hitting stats correctly, the guys at the top of the productivity scale (using OPS), are the lower paid, younger prospects like Sandoval, and Freddie Lewis. Ishakawa is the only one struggling.

The big money guys like Renteria, Winn and Rowand are abysmal. Bengie Molina is the exception to the rule. Ironic isn't it that the Giants system would produce a Molina clone in Pablo Sandoval.

And can anyone, ANYONE in the organization not see that Rich Aurilia is DONE?

At what point do some of these decisions reflect poorly on GM Brian Sabean's personnel decisions and his colossal waste of payroll dollars that has set back this franchise? In the past his poor decisions were obscured because of having a guy named Bonds who made chicken salad out of chicken poop. But the flushing of payroll dollars has been going on for over a decade.

Recently, Giant fans have seen progress in the standings only to the extent that the Rockies and Padres have been equally inept personnel-wise. The top of the division has to come down to the Giants rather than the Giants becoming good enough to compete. The recent Dodgers/Manny-as-the-Octo-Mom fiasco comes to mind.

Maybe time for a change to put the franchise on a new course. It shouldn't be good enough for this once proud franchise to be content with being the prettiest girl in the bar at last call. While that may get you some lovin', you still have to wake up in the morning and face the consequences of your choices.

KENTUCKY DERBY - 2009

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby held today. Still "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports".

It seems like the way that pre-race favorites are dropping off that it does not bode well for the chances of the Derby winner following through and winning the Triple Crown, but that's why they run the races. The contenders who dropped out can regroup and rest up and take on the Derby winner in the Preakness or the Belmont.

My pick to win the race is Dunkirk. No Benjamins were put at risk as a result of this race but if I were there, I would plunk a few on Dunkirk.

THE KIPER-MCSHAY DEBATES

KIPER & MCSHAY - SO HAPPY TOGETHER???


As a rule, I don't like to get in the middle of lovers quarrels--but for these two guys--I will make an exception. And in this case I will say both are wrong, but one is less wrong than the other.

In the NFL draft aftermath, it is part of the process to grade each teams performance in drafting potential future players. In the ESPN battle of the talking heads/draft gurus McShay took a stab or two at Kiper for giving teams ANY grade at all. He feels like you can't grade the draft until a few years out. DUH!!! But the whole reason these two grace our screens for this event is to give an "educated guess" on the "presently unknown - future prospects" of these collegians.

It's the whole purpose of ranking guys and having a draft list!!! And you can't venture an educated guess on which team did a better job of it than another.

C'mon McShay get a clue. You have your list of players ranked with razor sharp precision--somebody is ranked #1, #2, etc. And the teams are conveniently drafting in an eerily similar fashion--numerical order #1, #2, etc.

So can you not back into a reasonable grade, based on your list going into the draft and comparing it versus each team? Let's say we have Team A who drafts in the 1st, 33rd, 65th, 97th and 129th spot and gets the #1, #33, #65, #97 and #129 ranked prospect--then that team did about as well as expected--BASED ON YOUR MAGIC LIST.

And could you not conclude that if they get lower ranked players based on their draft slot CONSISTENTLY, then they received good value? And the opposite would be true as well.

It seems like this was the nexus of a lot of the debate about GOOD CHOICE/BAD CHOICE
that filled time between choices.

So you are either telling us that this ranking of players--your area of expertise--is just so much show-filler or you don't have the confidence or expertise to translate it into a team grade, which seems to be a relatively simple exercise.

Why were eyebrows raised when the Raiders took Heyward-Bey? Because he wasn't the highest ranked receiver, and his ranking on both of your lists was higher than the slot he was selected at--i.e. BAD PICK or a reach. Too many of those and a team could find itself rebuilding for a decade.

OK, enough for pounding the McShay position. Now on to Kiper. I cannot for the life of me understand how Mel can continually give the Jets and the Bucs almost anyone who trades up to get "their" guy solid grades.

MEL'S GRADES LISTED HERE:
http://www.faniq.com/article/Mel-Kiper-Jr-2009-NFL-Draft-Team-Grades-1561200

Part of it could be I'm not real sold on Sanchez. He was over-hyped by the USC hype machine. If you watch most of the highlights, his receivers were so wide open, I could have drop-kicked passes to them and completed a good number. We'll see how good he is when he has to throw into tight windows after getting smacked in the mouth a time or two--something else he has limited experience with.

How do the Bucs get a good grade for mismanaging their roster so much that they NEED to trade up to get a project QB, who may not help them for years? That is almost beyond belief.

At least you give out grades, Mel. BRAVO. But having the cajones to trade up does not always make a good draft. The Eagle made a good "trade-up" to get Maclin who was a great value at the spot due to the domino effect of the Raiders reaching for DHB earlier. There was not another impact WR that they could have sat in their spot and waited for--they spotted an opportunity and pounced on it. The Bucs likely could have had Freeman later and Sanchez at minimum has to bring the Jets a playoff victory very soon to justify the hype and the cost to obtain him.

But, I was wrong about Eli, so who knows.

SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM.....

People who were driving a school bus blindfolded (and crashed it) should never be given a new bus. The economics establishment (universities, regulators, central bankers, government officials, various organisations staffed with economists) lost its legitimacy with the failure of the system. It is irresponsible and foolish to put our trust in the ability of such experts to get us out of this mess. - Nassim Nicholas Taleb: Ten principles for a Black Swan-proof world

Part of a great article titled "Ten principles for a Black Swan-proof world" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in FT.com

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5d5aa24e-23a4-11de-996a-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
---------------

Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude. - Alexis de Tocqueville (1848)

---------------

In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first. - Harry S. Truman

---------------

To be content with what we possess is the greatest and most secure of riches. - Marcus Tullius Cicero

---------------

Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

---------------

The great statesmen of the past saw themselves as heroes who took on the burden of their societies' painful journey from the familiar to the as yet unknown. The modern politician is less interested in being a hero than a superstar. Heroes walk alone; stars derive their status from approbation. Heroes are defined by inner values; stars by consensus. When a candidate's views are forged in focus groups and ratified by television anchorpersons, insecurity and superficiality become congenital. - Henry Kissinger in Years of Renewal

----------------

THE NFL DRAFT 2009: SECOND DAY

MEL KIPER'S HAIR HAS NOT LOST A STEP - THAT SUCKER COULD DEFLECT BULLETS

Mel's hair was on full display the second day of the draft - which is the day drafts are made. The first round picks and those made on the first day certainly garner the most attention, but team success is heavily dependent on the contributions of the players drafted on the second day.

How did the G-men do?

Jerry Reese is beginning to cement his reputation as one of the best talent evaluators in the NFL. He may have helped his reputation even more yesterday.

After not being able to swing a deal for a marquee WR to replace Plax--although Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin could still end up in Blue--Reese & Co. managed to provide depth to the WR core and diversified the offense with WR Hakeem Nicks and TE/H-Back Beckum as well as red-zone threat 6-6 WR Ramses Barden. RB Andre Brown in the fourth round is a steal and provides replacement for Dedrick Ward. Second rounders William Beatty T and Clint Sintim LB project as solid pro prospects. No real reaches or gambles in the bunch.

GIANTS PICKS:
1 - Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina (6-1, 212)
2 - Clint Sintim, LB, Virginia (6-3, 256)
2 - William Beatty, T, (6-6, 307)
3 - Ramses Barden, WR, Cal Poly (6-6, 229)
3 - Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin (6-3, 239)
4 - Andre Brown, RB, N.C. State (6-0, 224)
5 - Rhett Bomar, QB, Sam Houston State (6-2, 225)
6 - DeAndre Wright, CB, New Mexico (5-11, 198)
7 - Stoney Woodson, CB, South Carolina (5-11, 195)

The only knock so far is that they could have gone for a S rather than QB project Bomar in the fifth. The 6-7 picks are so far down the depth chart of available CB's that I would be surprised if they stick.

THE NFL DRAFT 2009

My viewing of the NFL Draft was limited to less than an hour today. The reason. Steve Young. Probably the most insufferable analysis of any event in human history.

At first, I was hoping someone would hand him some decaf. Then I realized we were way beyond that stage and needed someone to shot him with a tranquilizer dart. Where are Marlon Perkins and his trusty sidekick Jim Fowler when you need them?

By the fifth or sixth pick, I was looking for a gun for Steve and I wasn't limiting my search to a tranquilizer gun if you must know.

So thanks Steve. And thanks ESPN. You think a producer could have told Steve to knock it down a few notches? Would that have been too much to ask for? You would think that the World Wide Leader would recognize over the top douche baggery when they hear it and see it and would be willing to protect their audience, but I guess not.

It wasn't so much his constantly interrupting Mel Kiper's hair--which is why I watch the NFL Draft. By the way, rumors of Kiper's hair being in the twilight of it's career should have been dispelled last night, but Steve prevented Mel from demonstrating his continued greatness. Way to be a good teammate Steve.

The Sanchez salivation segment was the second strike and we're only four picks in.

Then the Oher interview with Erin Andrews was stepped on and crushed by Steve's over the top rantings. I mean, who wants to work with this guy?
-----
Anyway, on to the picks:

1. Detroit Matthew Stafford QB Georgia
BIG SURPRISE HERE. Detroit gets a guy that actually wants to play in Detroit.

2. St. Louis Jason Smith OT Baylor
Replaces Orlando Pace. Good move.

3. Kansas City Tyson Jackson DE LSU
First surprise and a bit of a reach. I think most would have had Curry here, but new-GM Pioli knows his stuff.

4. Seattle Aaron Curry OLB Wake Forest
Seattle had to be giddy that Curry fell to them and they stay out of the Sanchez sweepstakes.

5. NY Jets (from Cleveland) Mark Sanchez QB USC
Boom or bust pick here for the Jets. Didn't give up as much as suspected to move up, so I guess it's a good move. Fans needed some post-Favre marquee value before ponying up for PSL's.

6. Cincinnati Andre Smith OT Alabama
I felt like the Bungles would blow the pick and they never disappoint. This guy will fit right in with Dysfunctional Central. His shirtless romp has forever scarred millions of viewers and left me wary of ever watching the NFL Scouting Combine again. Oh wait....that would be a good thing.

7. Oakland Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Maryland
Further evidence that Al Davis is still large and in charge in Oakland. And perhaps slipping into football senility. If Macklin outperforms Bey, well you do the math.

8. Jacksonville Eugene Monroe OT Virginia
Don't know much about Monroe, looks good in a suit though.

9. Green Bay B.J. Raji DT Boston College
The Warren Sapp of the draft, courtesy of SI.com. If he has half the career Sapp did, GB is happy.

10. San Francisco Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech
If Crabtree was making house hunting plans in the Oakland area, he can probably continue in most of the same market now.

11. Buffalo Aaron Maybin DE Penn State
Second big time reach here.

12. Denver Knowshon Moreno RB Georgia
Now we know the Sanchez interest was a smoke screen.

13. Washington Brian Orakpo DE Texas
Still need a QB.

14. New Orleans Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio State
Good pick for the Cajuns.

15. Houston Brian Cushing OLB USC
Interesting choice here. I thought Mauluka was the better USC LB.

16. San Diego Larry English DE Northern Illinois
Dang. I thought the Giants had a shot at him early second round. Might be a bit of a reach here, but not if he plays like he should.

17. Tampa Bay (from New York Jets through Cleveland) Josh Freeman QB Kansas State
Boom or bust. I thought Chuckie the QB-collector was out of town?


18. Denver (from Chicago) Robert Ayers DE Tennessee
The Jay Cutler trade dividend.

19. Philadelphia (from Tampa Bay through Cleveland) Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri
Dang. Good move by Philly. I think Maclin and Crabtree will be the biggest impact WR's here.

20. Detroit (from Dallas) Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma State
Big target for Stafford to complement Calvin Johnson on the outside. Plus, he blocks.

21. Cleveland (from Philadelphia) Alex Mack OC California
A little high for a center, but he anchors the line for ten years or more if he projects well.

22. Minnesota Percy Harvin WR Florida
Seems like a typical Minnesota WR-with-issues pick.

23. Baltimore (from New England) Michael Oher OT Mississippi
Good pick, good story. Great interview with Erin.

24. Atlanta Peria Jerry DT Mississippi
Seems like a bit of a reach, but the Falcons have been making a lot of great personnel moves lately.

25. Miami Vontae Davis CB Illinois
A Parcells type pick. True to form.

26. Green Bay (from Baltimore through New England) Clay Matthews OLB USC
Wait a minute, this was the walk-on at USC and Mauluga is still on the board? Somebody done F-d up. Can't go against the pedigree though.

27. Indianapolis Donald Brown RB Connecticut
This seems like a typical Indy pick that's going to pan out just the way they thought it would.

28. Buffalo (from Carolina through Philadelphia) Eric Wood OC Louisville
The run on centers continues. Good move for the Bills. Fans may yawn at first.

29. NY Giants Hakeem Nicks WR North Carolina
It was Nicks or Britt for me. I thought the early attention Nicks' way by the G-men was a diversion to draft Britt, but I guess not. We'll see how it plays out, but Nicks seems like the safer pick, more likely to play early.

30. Tennessee Kenny Britt WR Rutgers
OK.

31. Arizona Chris Wells RB Ohio State
There goes Edge. Cards are going to have a ground game.

32. Pittsburgh Evander Hood DT Missouri
Ho-hum pick here for the Steelers.

GOOD NEWS FOR BASEBALL

This is a good start. Baseball simply cannot keep pointing to the example of Jackie Robinson as an example that the sport is color blind and ignore the situation as it stands. There needs to be more participation on the field, in the dugout and in the GM and owners boxes.

On the gender side, I have been saying for years, MLB should find a way to partner with and fund the women's professional softball league so that they are not beholden to the I.O.C. for their survival.

The marketing and promotional synergies that would be presented would be unbelievable.
----------
FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS:

NEW YORK -- The percentage of black players in the major leagues increased to 10.2 percent last year, the first rise since the 1995 season.

The sport had reached an all-time low of 8.2 percent in 2007, according to Richard Lapchick, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports.

Baseball received an A for race hiring for the first time in his annual report, which was released Wednesday, up from an A- last year. He cited 10 "managers of color" at the start of this season, matching the previous high in 2002.

The sport got a B for gender hiring, up from a C+.

FULL REPORT AVAILABLE HERE:
http://web.bus.ucf.edu/documents/sport/2009_mlb_rgrc.pdf

CONGRATS TO TAMPA JESUIT - B.A. #1 RANKED HS BASEBALL

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/high-school/team-rankings/2009/267943.html

High School Top 25

Tampa's Jesuit High climbs to No. 1

April 14, 2009

Just as Bellaire (Texas) High was lying in wait for Bishop Gorman High (Las Vegas) to misstep, the Tigers of Tampa's Jesuit High pounced after Bellaire lost to Houston's Westside High 5-2. Jesuit is the new No. 1 in the Baseball America/National High School Baseball Coaches Association Top 25. Read more about the Tigers in the latest Around The Nation.