The Kentucky Derby held its triumphant spectacle in the Bluegrass State and there were brilliant winners and a shocking post-race death. Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby, the so-called “most thrilling two minutes in sports” - and moments after the euphoria of victory came the tragedy of defeat.

The filly, Eight Belles, soon after crossing the finish line, took a spill and suffered a life-ending break in both its front ankles. She was immediately euthanized. Big Brown was celebrating its victory over Eight Belles by 4 3/4 lengths in a thrilling horse race merely yards away. 

Immediately, the celebration of 150,000 people turned hauntingly quiet. It took a few moments to sink in, but the reality of the situation lay on the track in front of all of them and a world television audience and before long, it was over. Eight Belles has passed, released from its misery.

The Kentucky Derby has never seen such sensation quickly turn to sadness in its history.

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Country crooner Mindy McCready is embroiled in a sex scandal that is astoundingly connected to pitcher Roger Clemens and his recent appearance before Congress.

Allegations of the decade-long affair first arose as a part of a  current Clemens’ defamation lawsuit.

During the Boston Red Sox days as pitcher, Clemens was 28 when he met the 15 year-old McCready. Although the report says their relationship did not turn inappropriate at that point, the allegations imply that eventually it did and continued for almost 10 years.

When asked about the story late Monday, McGrady simply said, “I cannot refute anything in the story.”

Looks like Clemens’ hot water troubles are continuing. The likelihood that McCready will be called as a witness in the above mentioned suit is extremely likely.

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The Indy race-car circuit is nothing if it’s known for being a man’s world. The old boys racing cars around circular tracks dates back to running Moonshine.

Now a female driver has made history. After enduring sexist remarks and even slander over her first 49 starts, Danica Patrick finished first over the weekend.

Patrick won the Japan 300 over the weekend becoming the first female to win an Indy car event ever. The 26-year-old driver who was discovered by David Letterman has made waves since her debut on the circuit just years ago.

Filled with promise, she raced with the big boys on some of the world’s most famous tracks. By winning the Japan 300, she has now joined an elite group of racers who have reached the checkered flag first.

“Dreams really do come true,” she said to reporters after her win. “You just have to be persistent enough. This was a long time coming. I can only say that I’m just glad it’s over.”

It’s great to see her pull past the Anna Kournikova’s of the world who win in their sport while posing in bikinis for Sports Illustrated.

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As his Los Angeles Lakers are making a run at another championship, Kobe Bryant is making news off the court once again.

The professional basketball player had one run-in with the law in Colorado that stained his reputation only to have him live to slam dunk another day.

Now he is in the headlines once again. Parents across the country are questioning the cumulative result on their kids of a video buzzing across the Internet showing Kobe jumping over a speeding car.

The video is below — you be the judge. Is it real? Or is it a stunt?

Either answer is unacceptable to parental watch-dog groups who are considering a campaign to have it banned. Kobe does address the camera after leaping over a speeding Aston Martin, “do not try this at home.”

For us at The Wire, that is all the disclaimer we need! Have you watched this man play basketball? After witnessing the video, this writer actually thinks this is a big deal over nothing. I believe Kobe can jump higher than that!

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It is a ceremony that dates back to ancient Olympia, the lighting of the Olympic Games torch. Held yesterday in Greece in anticipation for this summer’s China-hosted Olympics, the ceremony was brought to a temporary halt by protesters objecting to China’s treatment of Tibet.

The protesters were urging a worldwide boycott of the upcoming games as a proper response to the Chinese government crackdown on Tibet and their allies within mainland China. The group unfurled a banner featuring the Olympic rings as handcuffs before being pulled away by Greek police. The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders made their presence felt as three of their members were arrested.

As Liu Qi, president of the Chinese organizing committee was giving a speech to thousands in a ceremony that has been repeated for millennia, the group began their loud chants. Immediately following the banner unfurling, a Tibetan woman covered herself in red paint in front of the first Olympic flame runner.

Greek television carried the scene live while Chinese television quickly cut away to a pre-recorded segment.

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The NCAA released its brackets for the NCAA women’s college basketball championships yesterday and the top seeds were hardly a surprise.

Women’s athletic stalwarts UConn and Tennessee are joined by North Carolina and Maryland as the number one seeds in the four regions.

The tourney begins March 22 and SheKnows has a printable bracket for the women’s game to accompany the men’s brackets released yesterday.

Good luck!

The women’s NCAA Division I basketball championship bracket.

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The women and men’s college basketball madness is just beginning. Pulses across the country are simply commencing their rapid fire pumping until a champion is crowned in a few short weeks.

After Sunday’s men’s selection show, the top seeds were given their ticket to enormous expectations. The top teams headlining the four regions feeding into the champsionship are UCLA, North Carolina, Memphis and Kansas.

Now the fun part starts as office workers and friends across the world work their brackets. With play beginning this week, the mayhem that is March Madness has officially begun.

University alumnus from every corner of the country will be wearing their school’s colors with pride as they make or break their way through the 2008 NCAA basketball championships.

To help the process, The Wire has links to the men’s brackets (the women’s arrive tomorrow), all filled out ready for you to add your two cents. Good luck and may the Cinderella teams out there make this a tourney to remember.

Here’s the men’s bracket from CBS ready for download:

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/brackets/viewable_men

Watch for The Wire’s analysis of the women’s brackets Tuesday.

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The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race crowned its champion early this morning. Once again, the crowd in Nome, Alaska was cheering ‘Yeah, Baby!’

Driver Lance Mackey won his second consecutive Iditarod race finishing the trek in nine and a half days. In a scene mirroring an Austin Powers convention, crowds encircled Mackey chanting the spy spoof’s iconic phrase repeatedly.

The Iditarod race began in 1925 as a means to celebrate the brave dogs who traversed the Alaskan wilderness bringing a serum for diphtheria to Nome - a city that has served as the starting and finishing point ever since.

With its 1,100-mile course, the event - almost a decade into a new century - still defines determination.

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You got to give it to those Australians. You’d think they invented the streak. From every conceivable professional sporting event Down Under, someone has ran across the field naked.

Now here is the latest to undertake that selfless task of showing off one’s wares to the world. At the Brisbane court, Robert Murray David Ogilvie was fined $1500 for his run in front of 80,000 people and the broadcast audience at home. Of the incident, Oglivie said, “It’s just something I had to do.”

The lucky fielder who leveled Ogilvie, batsman Andrew Symonds, says he too had something to do…knocking Oglivie on his bum.

Note as the Australian play-by-play announcer tries to determine of our streaker is a boy or a girl.

“It’s a boy,” he announces as if he’s presenting a newborn.

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Ever an athlete popular with female fans of the NFL, quarterback Brett Favre announced hours ago that when it comes to playing football, he is finished.

Speculation had swirled around the Super Bowl-winning QB for years during every off season whether he would return to the huddle the next fall. After a surprisingly successful year with a young team, the Green Bay Packer stalwart decided to hang up his cleats confident the team was heading in the right direction.

Packer general manager is now faced with the tough task of replacing a legend that will most certainly find his way to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

“He has had one of the greatest careers in the history of the National Football League, and he is able to walk away from the game on his own terms - not many players are able to do that,” said GM Ted Thompson.

The three-time MVP also won the Super Bowl for a Green Bay fan base that had not seen a championship since the Super Bowl was in its infancy.

Personally, I will always remember Favre for dancing on the tables at the Belly Up Tavern in San Diego before his he lost the Super Bowl to John Elway and the Denver Broncos. And let’s not forget his turn in “Something About Mary.” That film does not work without Brett being Brett Fav–re.

Here’s a compilation of the motor-mouth’s best on the field.

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