There is so much going on in the world of sports we're going to cut out the usual low-quality nonsense and get right to it.

The Wrong Athlete Chasing A Record Pulled Up Lame This Weekend.
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro - a horse some thought had a chance to win the Triple Crown - suffered a life-threatening and career ending leg fracture during the first few hundred yards of Saturday's Preakness. Meanwhile Barry Bonds hit his 714th home run. Too bad.

Interleague Play. I'm so sick of the debate surrounding interleague play that takes the approach that somehow these games are bad. How can Yankees/Mets, Cubs/White Sox, or Giants/A's games be bad? This past weekend's series were for the most part competitive and interesting. Critics of interleague play should just relax and enjoy it — these games are here to say.

NCAA Lacrosse. Top-ranked Virginia, Syracuse, Maryland, and the University of Massachusetts have advanced to the lacrosse Final Four, which will be played next weekend in Philly and will be televised on ESPN. Three of the four quarterfinal games were competitive and two of these games were outright barnburners. Lacrosse has always been very popular in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, and is growing in leaps and bounds in terms of spectator popularity and level of participation. If you are a sports fan and have never watched lacrosse I highly recommend that you check it out, especially if you like football.

NBA Officiating. I hate the NBA and don't care who wins or loses. I also hate the brand of dreck that is broadcast during "prime time," an oxymoron if I've ever heard one. I am also a glutton for punishment, so I watch the NBA playoffs. Besides the Knicks, David Stern's biggest concern for his league should be the lack of quality playoff game officiating. It stinks. The NHL laughs at the NBA's quality of officiating.

Women's Beach Volleyball. After Saturday's Billy Wagner meltdown in the Mets/Yankees game, Fox broadcasted a women's beach volleyball tournament final. If you're all for watching scantily clad women grunt, groan, shriek, sweat, hug and kiss — a lot — then beach volleyball is the game to watch. In plain sight, this kind of activity that in years past men had to search for in secret, is now available on network television during normal viewing hours, several times a week. Wow.

Fire Met Pitching Coach Rick Peterson. New York Mets pitcher Victor Zambrano is still on the disabled list recuperating from Tommy John surgery. Phenom Scott Kazmir, who the Mets gave away on Peterson's advice, has been pitching up a storm for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Now 7-2 with a 2.39 ERA, Kazmir won Sunday, struck out 11, walked 1 and give up only 4 hits in 8 innings as the D-Rays won over the Marlins 3-0. Zambrano, meanwhile, probably spent the day icing his elbow and forearm. Rick must go.

There's oodles of sports this week - like two NBA game sevens on Monday night - so we'll see you real soon. Real soon.