Kentucky Derby hopeful Atomic Rain and trainer Kelly Breen cool off Wednesday after a morning workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. (AP)

By Max J. Dickstein

The first leg of the Triple Crown comes Saturday, when 20 horses kick up 1 1/4 miles of dirt at the Kentucky Derby (6 p.m. on NBC).

Lifelong horseplayer Stanley Bavlish, a handicapper and spokesman for the official... » more

By Ravi Shankar

Special to amNewYork

This weekend’s NFL draft will allow the Jets and Giants to supplement their offseason activity. Both New York teams lack a top-10 pick, however, so it is unlikely that either team will find a franchise player without trading up.

The Jets, having plugged some defensive holes via free agency this offseason, are hunting for offensive help.... » more

Senegalese star Macoumba Kandji, above, is looking comfortable alongside fellow Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel. (Getty Images)

By Andrew Keh

Special to amNewYork

Beginning Thursday night in Kansas City, the Red Bulls will play two games in four days against Kansas City and D.C. United, two Major League Soccer clubs that sit above them in the Eastern Conference standings.... » more

By Max J. Dickstein

Walking through the field-level tunnels of Citi Field on Sunday — the new ballpark's sixth regular-season date — I chanced upon an amusingly labeled room a few hundred feet down the hall from the visiting dugout along the third-base line.

The placard, complete with a Braille translation, read:

"Mr Met

1.35.07"

(Photo by Max J. Dickstein)

I... » more

John Madden, pictured at his Hall of Fame induction in 2006, will be missed in retirement. (Getty Images)

By Max J. Dickstein

Some Sunday night early this fall, it will hit us like a tackle: Boom! Where are John Madden’s excited insights, his deep chuckle, his sledgehammer reactions to hard hits?

The answer: Madden’s five young grandchildren in California,... » more

Now that the "new" Yankee Stadium has opened, it's a good time to look back to when the "old" stadium was renovated in 1974-75. Those two seasons, the Yanks actually played in Shea Stadium while their park was essentially gutted and remade.

One can argue that 1973 was the last year of the old park, not last season. There was little left of the original structure after those renovations.

Here's... » more

By Erick Blasco

Special to amNewYork

This NBA regular season saw the second straight year of the Eastern Conference’s rebirth, and a Western Conference stacked with fine teams.

But there are some differences from last year. Cleveland has replaced Boston as this year’s East juggernaut, while last year’s NBA Finals runner-up, the L.A. Lakers, is head and shoulders... » more

BY PETE CATAPANO

The Stanley Cup playoffs start tonight, when the NHL opens its 16-team postseason tournament.

Top contenders Detroit, the defending champion, and Boston, the East’s top seed, will be challenged by the West’s balanced No. 1, San Jose; star-driven teams from the East such as Pittsburgh and Washington; and New York’s two local entries, the

Rangers... » more

Milwaukee Brewers Carlos Villanueva, above, has the green-light in any save situation until all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman returns from injury. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

By Kyle Stack

Special to amNewYork

Instead of cringing at the thought of one of your players getting injured, think of it as an opportunity for another player. Early-season injuries are already... » more

Joe Frazier, the former Heavyweight Champion of the World poses for a portrait at his boxing gym on March 18, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

By Robert Levin

Special to amNewYork

Based solely on their achievements inside the boxing ring, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier should be remembered with equal fondness, having met for three bitterly contested... » more