Big Brown is the best contender to win the Triple Crown in 30 years. Not since Affirmed did it in 1978 has there been so much hope and hype that it will happen. Big Brown won the first two jewels of the Triple Crown (Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes) in impressive fashion, leaving all opponents in the dust coming out of the final turn.

The Belmont Stakes is the longest jewel in the Triple Crown, and the extra distance will test Big Brown against horses bred for longer distances. He will have his work cut out for him going up against late bloomer and undefeated Casino Drive. Big Brown currently sits as a heavy favorite with odds of 2/7 to win.

Despite all that pressure and heavy expectations, Big Brown looks ready to join the immortals in the industry of horse racing on June 7 when he’s let loose by Kent Desormeaux and allowed to run.

It had to come down to a penalty shoot-out, but they did finally win it and in fine fashion at that. Ten days after winning the Premier League title, Manchester United tops the month off with a 6-5 win (after a 1-1 draw) over Chelsea in the first all-English Champions League final.

If you’re like me and you don’t know a whole lot about European soccer (or football, as they call it), then read the post-game review here. But let me see if I can break it down for you: It was raining…a couple of guys by the names of Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Lampard scored a goal for their respective teams during regulation time…some guy left the field with a bloody nose and a couple of other guys got into a slapping match and were given the boots…and then I think there were more penalties called as the clock ticked down to the final seconds, which meant the game had to go into extra time. The shoot-out resulted in the 6-5 win for Manchester United.

If you thought that recap sucked (and I’ll admit it’s pretty lame), then read this write-up from the Times Online. And here’s another solid review.

Two weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby in impressive fashion, Big Brown left the other contenders in the dust at Pimlico Race Course to win the 133rd Preakness Stakes. He got out of the gate well, and ran on the rail in third place until a little bit of contact with Riley Tucker prompted Kent Desormeaux to shift him to the outside. Coming out of the final turn Big Brown easily left the rest of the field behind for a 5 ¼ length victory in 1:54.48. Only the Belmont Stakes remain for the Triple Crown.

Late finishers Macho Again and Icabad Crane were closing on Big Brown in the final stages, but his lead was too much to close over the 1 3/16 mile course. Macho Again finished in second place, a half length ahead of Icabad Crane, who closed well after running in the back of the pack.

Can Big Brown win the Belmont Stakes to take the Triple Crown? Bet on it!

Horse racing fans will remember Barbaro’s tragic fall at the 2006 Preakness Stakes

Weighing risk and reward is something we do all the time. Yet most of us aren’t very good at it. Economists (and psychologists) say we are risk-averse; that is, we’ll take the safe route, even if the payout is lower at the end.

A value-conscious handicapper can be prone to going out of his or her way to avoid chalk. The favorite at a sporting event is often overrated. But Big Brown wiped out the competition at two major stakes races this year: the Florida Derby and the Kentucky Derby. Big Brown is a proven commodity.

Horseplayers will find it easier to place a bet on Big Brown now that his odds for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes have moved from 1-4 to 1-2. The change is because of the late inclusion of Gayego in the 13-horse field. Gayego is the second favorite at 8-1; if you believe he would win this race more than once in nine tries, then Gayego is your value pick.

How much do you want to bet that “Madden” football for Wii outsells “Madden” football for Playstation?

If you’re a big fan of Nintendo’s Wii game console then you’re going to love this bit of good news: Video-game publisher Electronic Arts is in the process of re-creating “Madden Football”, NBA Live” and “FIFA Soccer for Wii, along with other brand new sports games.

Apparently, Electronic Arts tried to adapt some of their games to the Wii system, but by only adding motion controls to their core game they didn’t really achieve the desired results. Unlike Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, Wii gamers look for an altogether different gaming experience that, compared to those other systems, is much simpler in function. So, EA’s designers had to take another crack at re-creating those games with the Wii player in mind.

“We can’t be blind to the fact that different consumers are coming into games now and shame on us if we can’t evolve and develop something for that crowd,” Peter Moore, head of EA Sports, told Reuters. “While we have no intention whatsoever of dumbing down the experience that we all love and that drives this multi-billion dollar business … we need to make sports games more approachable,” Moore said.

Read the press release on Electronic Art’s announcement to create more games for Wii. Want to bet on real sports? Check out the latest odds on the 2008 NBA playoffs.

A few weeks ago Cleveland’s Rock-And-Roll hall of Fame and Museum opened up its new exhibit: Take Me Out: Baseball Rocks. The exhibit was in honor and in celebration of baseball and music. If you don’t live in or around Cleveland here are a few of the tunes you are missing out on.

1. Catfish – Bob Dylan
2. Centerfield – John Fogerty
3. Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio – Les Brown Orchestra
4. Right Field – Peter, Paul and Mary
5. Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen
6. Take me out the Ball Game – The Hold Steady
7. The Baseball Game – Sister Wynonna Carr

Sportsbooks favor the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Stanley Cup by 9/4 odds. Can they do it?

They swept the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the NHL playoffs and they’re on their way to doing similar damage to the New York Rangers. Believe it or not, the Pittsburgh Penguins now find themselves without a loss in these playoffs and are the favorites to take the 2008 Stanley Cup. Crazy, huh?

“We all realize how hard we have worked to get to this point,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “We cannot get caught looking ahead. We have to keep the same mindset we have had all playoffs, which is worry about the next one. I think we have done a good job of playing the game, erasing it and focusing on the next one.”

Tonight’s game is a do or die situation for New York, but it’s also a must-win for the Penguins, who look to keep their playoff record squeaky clean. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Madison Square Garden.

Get all your Stanley Cup playoffs odds and NHL futures here.