Line of the day
"They may never win again"
-Marty B as Bronson Arroyo exited trailing 7-0 in the 2nd inning

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Question of the day
"If this keeps up, does it justify the firing of Wayne Krivsky? He put this thing together."
-Marty B to John Fay during the second inning

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Bengals moves
The Bengals today signed three players who participated on a tryout basis in this weekend's rookie minicamp.
* DT Antwon Burton (6-2, 325; Temple) signed a one-year contract. Burton is a third-year NFL player who was with the Denver Broncos in 2006 and '07. He played in six games for Denver last season, with eight tackles, and finished the season on Denver's practice squad. He played in one game as a rookie in 2006, after entering the NFL that year as a college free agent with the Broncos.
* LB Dan Howell and WR Clyde Logan signed two-year contracts as college free agents. Logan (6-3, 202) is from Idaho State, and Howell (6-0, 247) is from Washington

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Ohhhhhhhhh my goodness!
I can't take it anymore! I'm out running this morning and I hear another caller to Sports Talk insist the Reds should have traded Dunn to Texas instead of Josh Hamilton. I about veered off into a mailbox.
Please.....please....please. Why does ANYONE think the Rangers would have taken Dunn for Volquez instead of Hamilton? WHY? You don't want Dunn....but you think the Rangers would have?
Josh makes about $395,000 and Dunn makes about 13 million. The Rangers have Hamilton for four more years before he's a free agent. Dunn has four more months before free agency. Hamilton is at least three times the player Dunn is. Stop it. It's insane. Please. I beg you.

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Penn St wins national title with local product
Penn St beat Pepperdine to win the national title in men's volleyball Saturday night.
Who knew Penn St was good at volleyball? Not me. Purcell Marian grad Max Holt was named to the All Tournament Team.

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Final reward
Boston Globe
The family walked to home plate. Britton's father, James, said a prayer. The family, including three brothers and a sister, solemnly scattered Britton's ashes around the plate. One of the brothers wore a Red Sox jersey with "B. Broatch" stenciled on the back. It had been given to him by a Yankees fan at the wake.

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When all "hoop" disappears
Peter Vecsey, NY Post 
On March 12, 1958, the last game of the regular season between the Cincinnati Royals and the Minneapolis Lakers, Maurice Stokes went over the shoulder of an opponent and hit his head so hard on the floor he got knocked out.

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Is horse racing breeding itself to death?
Washington Post 
But thoroughbred racing is in a moral crisis, and everyone now knows it. Twice since 2006, magnificent animals have suffered catastrophic injuries on live television in Triple Crown races, and there is no explaining that away. Horses are being over-bred and over-raced, until their bodies cannot support their own ambitions, or those of the humans who race them. Barbaro and Eight Belles merely are the most famous horses who have fatally injured themselves. On Friday, a colt named Chelokee, trained by Barbaro's trainer Michael Matz, dislocated an ankle during an undercard for the Kentucky Oaks and was given a 50 percent chance of survival.According to several estimates, there are 1.5 career-ending breakdowns for every 1,000 racing starts in the United States. That's an average of two per day.

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Maxim Hometown Hottie
Careful opening

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Jo Jo Reyes
All that needs to be said about the Reds

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Victory/tragedy
Wow....what a change of emotions watching the Kentucky Derby. The whole family was gathered around the TV. Everyone tossed in three dollars and drew five horses prior to the race. We were all jumping around yelling for our horses. Casey had Big Brown so he was going crazy at the finish line. What a stretch run. I'm explaining to everyone how rare the win was...by a favorite, starting in the 20th post, having raced only three previous times. Then the TV camera panned to Eight Belles and my heart sank. That was Peyton's horse. Nothing like trying to explain to your kids what euthanized means. Sad

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Eight Belles is latest heartbreak
Eric Crawford, Louisville Courier Journal 
The filly, Eight Belles, ran her heart out. The filly finished second. The filly galloped on past the finish line. And then the filly fell down, her lower front legs shattered and collapsed. The filly lay on her side, and with her jockey, Gabriel Saez, watching, and national television cameras rolling, Eight Belles was euthanized by injection on the track.
It happened that fast. She was gone before trainer Larry Jones ever knew. His first hint was the solemn look of Big Brown jockey Kent Desormeaux coming back toward the Winner's Circle, far too somber for a man who had just won his third Kentucky Derby. 

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West dominates, Hornets beat Spurts
HoopsWorld.com
"I think that David (West) gets up for every game," Scott said. "This time of year is a special time. I just think that he knows that he is going against not only Tim Duncan, but the Spurs. They are the world champions. His level of concentration right now is extremely high."

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Hamilton wins AL Player Of The Month
Dallas Morning News
Josh Hamilton was recognized Saturday as the American League Player of the Month for April after hitting .330 with 32 RBIs during the month. It was the second-most RBIs in April in club history behind Juan Gonzalez's 35 in 1998.
"It's exciting to win the award, but I'd trade it for a better start for our team," Hamilton said. "Ultimately, it's not supposed to be about individual accomplishments, but reaching team goals. It