Betting on Big Brown in the Belmont Stakes may not be the sure thing it was in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. As strong as Big Brown has been, the Belmont Stakes is a mile and a half long, and horses with a pedigree for distance usually win this race. Big Brown was bred for strength but not stamina, and most of his ancestors had short careers of only three or four races. He also has hoof problems, and developed a small crack on one of them this week.

The other issue is the odds he’s getting. At 2/7 it takes a healthy wager to make any serious profit. Casino Drive has caught the attention of race books, and is only getting 4/1 odds to win. He’s bred for distance and is coming off a long rest going into the Belmont. Like Big Brown, he’s undefeated thus far.

By a whopping 12 million votes, David Cook beat the younger David Archuleta to become the winner of American Idol Season 7. After last night’s performances I honestly didn’t think that Cook had done enough to sway the voters but apparently the minds of the millions of voters had already been made and they were standing by their man — David Cook.

Following a grueling two-hour finale, complete with flashbacks, musical guests (George Michael!) and numerous performances by the season’s competitors/losers Ryan Seacrest at long last announced David Cook the winner…and I was at a loss for words. For once (or maybe the second time in the show’s history) the American public picked a true winner. Archuleta has a great voice to be sure, but he lacked soul and personality. But Cook has the voice, the personality, the charisma and the class.

It’s about damn time, people. You’ve finally picked an Idol worthy of a successful career in the music industry. Thank you.

They defeated the Senators, Rangers and Flyers to get this far. Now the Pittsburgh Penguins have just one more team standing between them and the first Stanley Cup in the Sidney Crosby Era.

We’re just not sure who that opponent is going to be yet. It figures to be the Detroit Red Wings; however, after going up 3-0 in the best-of seven Western Conference Final, Detroit coughed up a pair of games to the Dallas Stars. Odds for Monday’s Game 6 had yet to be posted as press time, although the Wings figure to be slight road favorites, as they were in Game 3.

Provided the Red Wings advance, they’ll be the Stanley Cup favorites. But from a value standpoint, it will be difficult to ignore the Penguins and all their talent, from Crosby up front to Marc-Andre Fleury in goal – he shut out the Flyers Sunday for his third bagel of the playoffs.

Didn’t I bet you a buck David Cook would be a finalist?

After Wednesday night’s elimination show where Seyesha Mercado got the boots (surprise, surprise), the only two American Idol hopefuls standings were the two Davids (surprise, surprise).

In one corner you’ve got the very young (as in only 17 years old young) David Archuleta, who has done a fairly good job at impressing the judges. But Archuleta has scored huge points with the younger audience and that could give him a slight edge. In the other corner you’ve got 25-year-old David Cook, who has bowled the judges over on several occasions and has managed to win the hearts of young women all across America.

To their credit, both Davids have shown incredible composure and consistency as they’ve progressed through this competition.

“I’ve always looked up to Cook and admired all the work he’s done with his talent,” Archuleta said when asked what he thought of the other David. “To be here standing next to him is just unbelievable.”

“I consider it a huge honor to share the stage with the kid. He’s the real deal,” Cook said in return about the younger David. “All the buzz coming in, he deserves.”

Archuleta won a coin flip taped after Wednesday’s show and chose to sing second for the final show. Statistically, the first contestant up has been referred to as a “jinx.”

The winner of American Idol Season 7 will be announced live on May 21 during the show’s final episode.

The Detroit Tigers are in last place in the American League Central at 16-22. They’ve dropped 10.58 units of cold, hard cash; only the Mariners and Padres have treated their supporters more unfavorably. But this short-term loss could add value to Detroit’s World Series odds.

At press time, the Tigers were 9-1 to win the Fall Classic, behind four other teams and tied with the Los Angeles Angels. There’s still more than enough hope to go around in Detroit after the offseason acquisitions of Miguel Cabrera, Edgar Renteria and Dontrelle Willis, among others.

If only the Tigers could figure out what’s wrong with their pitching staff. It ranks last of the 30 teams in ERA at 5.09, and the bullpen itself is 26th at 4.44 ERA after blowing five saves in 10 opportunities. Damning numbers, although Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press seems more concerned about clubhouse chemistry. Undervalued pitching is what makes the MLB betting world go ‘round.