THUMBS UP

        1. The Reds. Hey, winning is fun. And now they're a bunch of media darlings , from ESPN radio to the studio TV shows on the west coast. (By the way, nothing is stronger than hearing that Dodger Stadium organ playing away in the backround as you listen to late-night games).

        2. The Flying Pig marathon. Even if you don't get the running thing, it has emerged as one of the city's greatest events.

        3. NBA playoffs. The flurry of Game 5s in the first round was a welcome sight. Reggie Miller, Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowitzki, Baron Davis. The stars were out and shining bright. (It almost was enough to make us forget it took two weeks to play the series).

        4. Mike Cameron. Unlike an untold number of talk-show callers, we're not silly enough say the Reds should not have traded him for Ken Griffey Jr. Nevertheless, he's one of baseball's good guys and we're glad to see he became the 13th player in history to hit four home runs in a game. (Besides, it's probably just a coincidence the Mariners entered Saturday 101 games over .500 since the deal).

        5. A real life Bengals quarterback battle. Gus Frerotte may not be Drew Bledsoe, but at least someone is going to have to earn the right to quarterback the local club.

       THUMBS DOWN

        1. Weak choice 90210: Lou Gehrig's famous farewell speech, in which he called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth,” will be repeated by celebrities in 15 major league parks before games on June 1. Cincinnati's representative? TV's Luke Perry. What, Scott Baio and the Webster guy were busy?

        2. Mike Tyson. His vulgar ESPN interview and continued barbaric antics are more disturbing than ever. Nice job by Memphis. Go ahead and reward his behavior so you can fill the arena and created tourist dollars. Weak.

        3. The bean ball wars. Look, we understand why Sean Casey was upset about getting hit in the head. But it sure seems the Reds overreacted. After all, Gabe White threw over Barry Bonds' head first.

        4. Bowl games. Three more bowl games? Hey, Xavier, it's not too late to reinstitute football. (And, by the way, how can Charlotte have the Queen City Bowl?)

        5. The talk shows. An entire week of trade Griffey, sit Griffey, what happens when the injured pitchers come back? Everything, that is, except for talking about the Reds winning.

Sports Stories

Stun for the Roses SULLIVAN: Money rules the Derby 128th Derby means big bucks payoffs 2nd-place finish has Proud Citizen's trainer beaming Adoption program saves old racehorses Derby-winning Saudi prince to America: 'I love you' Derby infield slightly tamer this year Derby photo gallery Espinoza wins in second Derby start Harlan didn't have his day It's a cloche call for best sartorial display Jockey atones for '01 Jockey's family basks in the past Quick Facts about the 128th Kentucky Derby Quotes from Saturday's Kentucky Derby Security measures working at Kentucky Derby DAUGHERTY: Flying Pig On the road again - for the 177th time Carroll hopes for Cup race in '03 Enquirer Page Two power rankings It's not 'N Sync, but it's close Puttin' the smack down Avalanche 8, Sharks 2 Choi still leads Compaq Classic Kings 108, Mavericks 91 Maple Leafs 3, Senators 2, 3OT Rain suspends Pontiac 400 after 66 laps Red Wings 3, Blues 2 Venus Williams sweeps past Hingis to final Coming up this week

And, they're off! Race for quarterback is on
First-year players impress on first day
Bengals Q&A w/Mark Curnutte
Spurrier already making mark
Studley returns to his coaching roots
Middletown boys roll in Roosevelt meet
Cincinnati highlites
Baseball results
Softball results
Tennis results
Track results
Another swing and a miss
Reds box, runs
Reds Q&A with John Fay
Fay's MLB power ratings
Notes: Injured pitchers close to returning
A ballplayer's journey
Cinergy Countdown
On the farm
Bonds gets No. 400 as a Giant
MLB: Stottlemeyer on DL
Baseball insider
AL roundup
NL roundup
Notes from Saturday's games