Another week, another collection of 5-at-10 - our family-oriented-Intertube-web-based-sports column at timesfreepress.com Monday through Friday. Here's some of what we learned:
There are a few things on the bucket list of almost every sports fan, and one of them is the Kentucky Derby, which will go off this afternoon for the 137th time.
While the Run for the Roses has a rich history, the story lines from Louisville have been dominated by the stomach issues that forced the withdrawal of Uncle Mo, one of the prerace favorites.
Great - or terrible. Whichever. Leading up to the Derby we have debated what would be the worst horse names ever. GlueStick and Go for Broken Leg were finalists. So were SeaBrisket, Man O'Pause and Seattle Slow.
The winning loser name for a racehorse was Beef-A-Reno - both as a moniker and as a possible food option. Just ask Kramer's steed Rusty or Uncle Mo about trying to gallop with some stomach ailments.
Since the strange-name invasion at the Masters last month, there has been more than a little hand-wringing about the golf emergence of non-American players - especially the younger generation.
The theories and reasons are wide ranging, but the man who once led the foreign invasion has deteriorating health. According to reports, 54-year-old Seve Ballesteros, who is recovering from a cancerous brain tumor, is not doing well. His "neurological condition has suffered a severe deterioration," according to his website.
The Spaniard was Mickelson with even more flair. There was no shot he would not try and no trouble that he could not solve. And that exuberance was palatable and his success - he won three British Opens and two Masters - opened the eyes and raised the goals of players around the world.
In last week's NASCAR race, there was bad blood and trash talkin' and a little bit of whiny-ness, and this was a weekend without Danica Patrick. Heading into tonight's race at Darlington, there seems to be a lot more passion and - not so surprisingly - better racing.
Hey, NASCAR drivers' blood is supposed to run as hot as their engines, and pushing and swearing have traditionally come as freely as the passing and swerving - and it's gone all the way to the top. Heck, last weekend five-time defending season champ and all-around Mr. Nice-Nice Jimmie Johnson didn't even say thank you on the radio. That rapscallion.
Auburn had all of four players drafted last week - or the same number Alabama had drafted in the first round and less than half of the nine players USC and North Carolina each had selected.
Don't know whether that means Auburn's coaches were better or Auburn's fortunes were more fortuitous or what. And don't know what it says about talent-to-success corollary: Clemson and Georgia each finished 6-7 and each had more players (six) drafted than any of the 10 teams in the BCS bowls.