A class act

She would be Cary Grant, if Cary Grant were a 75-year-old black jewel thief.

Never did she grab the jewels and run. That wasn't her way. Instead, she glided in, engaged the clerk in one of her stories, confused them and easily slipped away with a diamond ring, usually to a waiting taxi cab.

She is, says retired Denver Police Detective Gail Riddell, like a character from a movie — a female Cary Grant, smooth and confident.

"She is very good at what she does," said Riddell. "She has the style."

When Rock, Paper, and Scissors Just Won't Do

Many, many ways to make Rochambeau more interesting... or at least way more confusing -- and complete with a diagram! [Thanks, The Morning News!)

Why the Internet's glory will persist

I have a new favorite baseball team. So what if they're working to get Jim Palmer in their rotation? They still have Johnny Damon. The Flogging Mollys, a rotisserie team out of a place called First, also have the greatest news coverage on the Web.

Sometimes the most random and obsessive things are greatest.

Bob Nastanovich Would Be Proud

Were Harry actually blogging and not being a slave to the criminal justice system (albeit via cathode and T1), he would undoubtedly link to this story on The Morning News and say something interesting about horse racing. While I've successfully handicapped a race or two myself, I'm hardly an expert, so I'll leave the storytelling (with pretty pictures!) to the boys at TMN.

Related: Gusto on The Kentucky Derby and a Mint Julep recipe.

Smarty Antsy

Triple Crown hopeful Smarty Jones is suddenly a superstar. Thousands of fans showed up for the horse's arrival in Baltimore to prepare for this weekend's Preakness Stakes. Some of the better horses who lost the Kentucky Derby are sitting this one out in order to get some rest and challenge Smarty at the Belmont in two weeks. In the meantime, there's the "middle jewel" -- the Preakness, where champions are made and wanna-bes get the boot. Anyone have any tips?

Stop and Watch the Run for the Roses

It's Kentucky Derby day! Eighteen of the greatest athletes in the world are gathered in Louisville to begin the race for the Triple Crown. The fact that these athletes are of a different species and carry little midgets on their backs makes it all the more bizarre and compelling.

This year it's any horse's race. There are no clear favorites and every horse has its own story. Most handicappers are betting that the classic pedigree of The Cliff's Edge will make him the horse to beat. TCE loves the track at Churchill Downs and is coming off a victory at the Blue Grass Stakes. But this horse has attitude and was underwhelming in his practice runs on a muddy track earlier in the week. So we're betting that he'll flake out, and we're going to pass on the obvious choice (which won't come in at great odds, anyway).

The biggest factor today is a wet racetrack. It rained a bit yesterday, and it's probably going to rain again today. And it's very simple: some horses like mud, some don't. So here's my completely amateurish money-down-the-drain call on who you should bet for when Derby-goers put up their umbrellas:

1. Pollard's Vision
This horse is coming off the best Beyer Speed stat of his life (107), and there's nothing to indicate he can't replicate it. He won the Illinois Derby by three lengths and still had oomph. He performs great in the mud and has the highest Tomlinson number in the field, which is a stat that measures a horse's ability to handle a wet track. The problem is that Pollard's Vision has done well under lesser competition, but has never raced the best horses of his generation. No one's picking this horse, and it's a real long shot -- but with a huge payoff. If conditions are right, PV will pull it off.

2. Smarty Jones
The Cinderella Story of today's lineup comes to Lexington undefeated after beating several of the horses he's competing against today. Yet because he lacks the classic pedigree, handicappers are avoiding him a bit. His last win in the Arkansas Derby was on a muddy track, and he's going onto Lasix for the first time. This horse has been blazing through warmups at Churchill.

3. Borrego
This horse came in second to Smarty Jones at the Arkansas Derby and I predict he'll be looking at the same horse's ass here. He loves the slop and was gaining on SJ in what was a shorter track by 1/8 of a mile. If Smarty Jones' workouts were a bit *too* vigorous, it's possible that this horse will best him.

The 130th running of the Kentucky Derby will be broadcast live from Churchill Downs on NBC today at 6:05pm.