Sports, Ink

The last shoe has dropped for the Bandits at the trading deadline.

Buffalo dealt defenseman Scott Self to the Rochester Knighthawks for forward Alex-Kedoh Hill. The transaction has not been announced by the two teams or the league as of this writing (7:45 p.m.), but Self confirmed the trade by phone while driving to a Rochester practice.

Self is a veteran defenseman who spent almost three full seasons as a Bandit after coming over from Minnesota. He saw plenty of playing time here, and it remains to be seen how that gap will be filled.

Hill is a promising young player, but has been on the Knighthawks' practice squad. He was a standout over the summer for Six Nations in Ontario, where he played for Bandits' assistant coach Rich Kilgour.

Meanwhile, Derek Hopcroft has been added to Buffalo's active roster. He was acquired from Colorado for a draft pick in the offseason.

Check out the News on line later tonight and in Thursday's editions for Self's thoughts on the deal.

--- Budd Bailey

The Buffalo Bandits have traded transition player Jimmy Purves to the Rochester Knighthawks for a second-round draft choice.

Purves played in eight games for the Bandits this season. He had two goals, one assist and 26 penalty minutes.

"It's tough to make a trade. Everyone is so even," Bandits assistant coach Rich Kilgour said Wednesday afternoon. "But we need draft picks. Jimmy is young (22), but you have to give up something. I like Jimmy on the back door; he had that mean attitude. It's hard to see him go, but it's the business we're in."

Purves was a fifth-round draft choice of the Bandits in 2010. He played one game for Buffalo in 2011 and 12 in 2012.

Kilgour also said that Jay Thorimbert and John Tavares took part in Tuesday night's practice, and they probably will be able to play against the Colorado Mammoth in Denver on Saturday.

--- Budd Bailey

While the National Football League's free agency period has attracted the most attention, the National Lacrosse League comes up another annual event Wednesday. The trading deadline arrives at 5 p.m. Usually, that's a quiet time but it's already different now.

Casey Powell was traded by Rochester to Colorado for Jon Sullivan and a third-round pick. The deal was completed on Monday night, but it was formally announced today. It's always a surprise when a former league MVP is dealt, but the Knighthawks haven't played consistently well this season. When I told someone in the league that I had picked Rochester to win the East before the season, he replied, "Not enough balls to go around," meaning the Knighthawks had too many weapons and only one lacrosse ball to share.

Powell probably will retire after this season, and he's probably happy to be reunited with Mammoth assistant coach Ray Comeau.

Last year, the biggest move was from Toronto, which picked up goalie Nick Rose from Calgary and released Matt Roik.

Will the Bandits do much? Tough to say. I've gone back over the last four years, and they didn't complete any moves of consequence. Buffalo does have a great many players around, some of whom are not on the active roster. I could see the Bandits giving up a player in exchange for a draft choice to clear the roster out slightly. I could also see Buffalo trying to trade for a faceoff man, or at least sign one, if Jay Thorimburt is going to be out for any length of time.

By the way, rosters are frozen on Friday. I suspect we'll hear more then about possible suspensions and appeals from last week's hijinks as well. I would think there would be appeals, if only because the two teams don't want to lose four guys from the lineup in the same week.

Meanwhile ... the NLL sent around a statistical packet today that has all sorts of information. A few noteworthy items:

* Bandits' power play is at 41 percent. That's the lowest figure in the league. Buffalo is fourth in penalty-killing at 49 percent.

* Bandits have scored three short-handed goals, and given up 12.

* Buffalo's penalty-minute average is up to 18.2 per game. That's seventh in the league. Colorado moved up to second in the NLL at 22.1 PIM per game.

* Bandits are second in the league in shots at 52.1 per game, and sixth in fourth in fewest shots allowed at 51.2.

--- Budd Bailey

I could have used a little more space (and time) for my stories on Saturday's game between the Bandits and the Colorado Mammoth. Obviously, it was a big mess. Here are a few additional thoughts and notes:

* Jay Thorimbert was injured during the second half of the game. The Bandits' faceoff specialist is not expected to play on Saturday when the teams meet again. Three different players tried their luck at faceoffs, including Scott Self, Derek Suddons and Jimmy Purves. They were a combined 1 for 5. I don't know if any other Bandits have experience in that area, but you'd have to think the team would look at that.

* Speaking of injuries, John Tavares missed the game with a calf injury. I would think he's game-to-game at this point, so we'll have to wait until Saturday to see how he does.

* The Bandits used Jamie Rooney for the first time this season, and he scored his first goal for Buffalo. Mat Giles was taken off the active roster for the time being, but we'll have to wait to see what happens there. He certainly could return in the near future.

* The National Lacrosse League usually examines possible disciplinary actions on Fridays, and I would think they'd take a look at the silly stuff at the end of the game. Apparently Chet Koneczny of the Mammoth received a gross misconduct for obscene gestures directed at the crowd. I would think he would get at least a game suspension after the NLL takes a look at it. More suspensions might be coming, especially with an immediate rematch. I've heard that benches need to be cleared before coaches are suspended; if that's true, fines may be as far as the league will go there.

* I still haven't been able to get a good look at what led up to the timeout by Colorado in the final minute. Coach Bob Hamley of the Mammoth said he could have handled the situation better. Scott Self of the Bandits said that Rochester had called a late timeout in a win over Buffalo, and that the action by the Mammoth probably raised tensions a bit. (See note below)

* Let me be fair about something. I didn't get a good luck at the postgame altercation by the benches untili I saw the video, in which the coaches got into a shouting match. When Bandits' coach Darris Kilgour was asked about the end of the game generically, he said it was just a matter of guys talking. I believe now he was just talking about matters after the game and not the brawls that came with 30 seconds left. My story indicated otherwise, so I don't think that was completely accurate.

* The teams certainly lit a match under my notebook item about the Bandits' penalty minutes dropping this year. A couple of interesting statistics didn't make the cut for the final edition. One, the Bandits have had more penalty minutes than their opponents in seven of the last eight seasons (the exception is 2008). Two, Buffalo has had back-to-back games 23 times since 2004. The Bandits are 15-8 in the first game and 11-12 in the second game.

P.S. Our friends at ILIndoor.com have a good video clip of the brawl. It looks as if a Colorado player might have been about to be double-teamed along the boards, but was out of danger when play stopped for a timeout with about 40 seconds to go. I think it's fair to say that the timeout didn't go over well, but there was plenty of frustration in the air anyway.

--- Budd Bailey

6:58 p.m. - The Buffalo Bandits finally get to play someone from the West tonight.

They've only had one game against a West Division team. Buffalo played Minnesota way back in its first weekend. Since then, nothing but Toronto, Philadelphia and Rochester. But tonight, Colorado comes to town.

It wouldn't be a Bandits' game without a couple of roster moves. Buffalo has released Mat Giles, who just returned to action after missing almost two months with an injury. He played two games last week. Jamie Rooney finally gets his turn at making an impression, as he has been activates.

Meanwhile, John Tavares apparently will not play tonight. He has been bothered by a calf injury.

The Bandits couldn't work out this morning, as workmen were breaking down the stage from last night's concert. So they had a video session instead.

Colorado didn't need a workout this morning. The Mammoth lost in Toronto Friday night, and get right back to work tonight. Colorado is at the bottom of the standings, and needs to win some games soon. Only one team misses the playoffs in this league, and the Mammoth is coming off an 11-win season.

One note that didn't make the paper this week - Jay Thorimburt was named the NLL's transition player of the week. He's having a nice season.

7:11 p.m. -  For those planning ahead, the Bandits' game against Washington on April 13 was supposed to be televised by the CBS Sports Network. Change of plans - CBS will do another game in the afternoon.

7:16 p.m. - John Gurtler has asked me to be his halftime guest tonight on Radio 1520. He knows I work cheap.

7:23 p.m. - Tonight is 200 games behind the bench for Darris Kilgour, the most in the NLL's history.

7:33 p.m. - The scratches for Buffalo - Tavares, Mike Hominuck and Mike McNamara.

7:36 p.m. - We're ready to go. Might be the biggest crowd of the season. Guess all of those Scouts did some good work moving tickets - they may get merit badges for marketing.

7:40 p.m. - Giles has been spotted in the press box tonight by an alert media member (thank you, Alan Rosenhoch). Therefore, you'd have to conclude he could be back at some point with the Bandits.

7:43 p.m. - Jamie Rooney has scored in his first game of the season. He came over from Toronto in an offseason trade. This is Rooney's sixth team, all in the East (including Boston and New York). 

7:51 p.m. - Dhane Smith makes it 2-0 with a low shot from the slot.

7:58 p.m. - Shots are 10-4 Colorado, but goals are 2-0, Buffalo. That may tell you something.

8:02 p.m. - Bandits blank Colorado in the first quarter and lead, 3-0. It's the 36th time in team history that Buffalo hasn't allowed a goal in a quarter. Jimmy Purves scored the other Bandits goal as he came out of the penalty box for a breakaway. Shots are 13-5, Colorado.

8:09 p.m. - It's been a strange game. Colorado is getting all the shots (18-7), but most of them have been outside. At one point, the Mammoth had seven straight shots at the goal before giving up possession. Not sure I've seen that before. Still 3-0 with 10 minutes left in the half.

8:21 p.m. - Colorado has climbed back into the game. Adam Jones, formerly of Canisius, scored the first goal, and Joey Cupido followed. Jones has a good-sized cheering section up in the 300 level. Either that, or the Mammoth really travels well.

8:28 p.m. - We're tied, 4-4, after 30 minutes. Shots are 32-14.

8:53 p.m. - Buffalo has jumped back ahead. Dhane Smith and Nick Cotter got the goals to put the Bandits ahead, 6-4.

9:02 p.m. - There is 4:48 to go in the third quarter, and it's still 6-4. No goals from Shawn Williams, Aaron Wilson and Luke Wiles, but the rest of the Bandits are helping out nicely. Shots on goal have evened out in this period (8-8).

9:06 p.m. - Just like that, the Mammoth score two goals in less than two minutes. We are tied up, 6-6.

9:10 p.m. - And that's where it stays after 45 minutes.

9:20 p.m. - Jordan McBride put Colorado ahead, 7-6. Nine minutes and 51 seconds left. Another good one.

9:31 p.m. - The Mammoth had scored four straight goals in the fourth quarter and lead, 10-6. Aajor reversal is needed for the Bandits to avoid a return to .500.

9:38 p.m. - All Colorado here. The Mammoth have a 12-6 lead in the final minute.

9:40 p.m. - A 10-man brawl broke out just before a faceoff. Not doing my deadlines any favors. Not sure what happened; Colorado's timeout with 30 seconds left may have angered the Bandits.

9:46 p.m - Bandits lose, 12-6. Not much handshaking after the game.

11:57 p.m. - Holy mackeral. A messy, messy performance by the Bandits, complete with an ugly ending. Hard to do that justice in a couple of stories, but they'll be posted on the News' website shortly. Bottom line is that the Bandits were outplayed from start to finish by a team that had lost five in a row.

As far as the fighting is concerned, the Bandits had been fifth in PIM in the league entering this weekend; that will certainly change. I'm not sure where members of the team stand when it comes to possible suspensions, but that's always possible. There were a bunch of game misconducts, etc. handed out (go to nll.com to get the game sheet).

Same two teams in a week in Denver. In the meantime, thanks for following along.

--- Budd Bailey

By Gene Kershner

We're 56 days from the Run for the Roses and this weekend on the Derby trail comes to you from Tampa Bay Downs and Santa Anita Park. Two Kentucky Derby Championship Series races are on the calendar and will provide the top four finishers the opportunity to claim valuable Derby points on the Road to Louisville.

The Tampa Bay Derby, a race that provided us with the 2007 Derby champion Street Sense, will be the first of the two Derby prep races to be held on Saturday afternoon. Santa Anita will host the San Felipe Stakes and a field of eight colts later that afternoon on the west coast.  

In Tampa, nine colts have entered the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby with a total purse of $350,000 to be run over 1 1/16-miles. One horse that has been generating a tremendous amount of hype is 6-Verrazano, a colt that will be making his third career start, winning his first two races by a combined 24 lengths.  He'll try two turns for the first time over the quirky Tampa dirt surface, which has been known to trip up more than one Derby contender (see War Pass, circa 2008).  

The More Than Ready colt has been working tremendously and will likely be a very short price on the tote board when they leave the gate in Florida on Saturday afternoon. 

Two challengers that I have my eye on that could challenge the heavy favorite are 3-Honorable Dillon, winner of the Grade 2 Hutcheson Stakes at Gulfstream who will stretch out for the first time for trainer Eddie Kenneally and 5-Dynamic Sky.  The Mark Casse-trained Dynamic Sky is an Ontario-bred who has a couple trips over the Tampa surface, the second going two turns in the Sam F. Davis where he finished second behind 9-Falling Sky, who will be in the outside post on Saturday.  

Those four appear to be the top contestants to claim Derby points. If you're looking for a long shot possibility, red-hot trainer Jane Cibelli (30 percent winner at the Tampa meet) will send out the Lion Heart colt 2-Purple Egg, who comes off a bullet work and a win in a non-graded stake in Tampa
during December.  

On the left coast, the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes will pit two of California's top runners against each other going the same 1 1/16-mile distance. Top trainer Bob Baffert sends out Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis winner 2-Flashback, who has posted back to back bullet workouts over the past two weeks, earning him 10 Derby points in the making. Baffert will be looking for a record setting fifth San Felipe win to break a tie with Hall of Famer Charlie Whittingham, and sends out 1-Carving in addition to Flashback.

He'll be vying against 3-Goldencents, winner of two Grade 3 Prep Season point races, the Delta Jackpot and the Sham Stakes. He currently sits in fifth place in the Derby standings with 24 points. Trainer Doug O'Neill looks to win back to back victories in America's biggest race on the First
Saturday in May.  

Jerry Hollendorfer enters the Ghostzapper gelding 5-Hear the Ghost who will be routing for the first time going two turns at the Great Race Place. Hollendorfer has been on fire at Santa Anita as of late, and should hit the board with this one behind the two top contenders.

The San Felipe last produced a Derby winner in 2000 when Fusaichi Pegasus won the race. The 2009 Derby runner-up, Pioneerof the Nile, also won the San Felipe during that year's Road to the Derby.

The current leaders through last weekend's results, highlighted by Vyjack's big win in the Gotham, shows a logjam at 10 points between 11 different horses. The tie-breaker to gain a gate in the Derby will be non-restricted graded earnings.

Gene Kershner, a Buffalo-based turf writer, is a member of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association, and tweets @EquiSpace.

7:12 p.m. - Brrr. It's a little cold in the First Niagara Center, but I have plenty of faith that the Bandits and Wings will warm things up tonight.

I can't recall if the Bandits ever played games back-to-back on a Thursday and Friday before. We'll see if it agrees with them. Buffalo is off to a good start. The Bandits rallied to defeat the Toronto Rock last night. That was an important win, as it prevented Toronto from running off and hiding from the rest of the East. Now we have a race for the top, and the Bandits could move into a tie for first with a win.

We'll have the scratches in a few minutes.

Should be a good one, as Philadelphia is right in the thick of the East race after a pair or wins last week. The Wings are 4-3 going into the contest.

7:16 p.m. - As advertised, the lineups have arrived, Mike McNamara, Nick Cotter and Carter Bender will be sitting tonight.  That means John Tavares will play tonight, as will Jon Harasym and Mike Hominuck.

Anthony Cosmo gets the start in goal for Buffalo. Brandon Miller will be his counterpart for the Wings. I believe they are the last two goaltenders of the week as picked by the league.

7:22 p.m. - You might have noticed in today's story of last night's game that I said the Bandits hadn't outscored an opponent by five goals in a quarter since 2009. I've started to keep track of a few things like that on my Bandits' history website so that I'll be able to access them quickly. You're invited to take a look through this link. I'll be adding to that site as matters come up. I've discovered that the scoresheets aren't available since 2005 or so, but even that is useful to have.

7:26 p.m. - The game is on YouTube. You can find the link through nll.com.

7:34 p.m. - We're ready to go. This is the third meeting between the teams, and they split the first two games. So if there's a tie between them at the end of the season, this game determines who is higher in the standings. That could be meaningful in terms of home-field advantage somewhere down the line.

7:45 p.m. - Bandits couldn't have asked for a better start. They have a 2-0 lead (Williams and Wiles). Heck, Steve Priolo even drew a penalty on a rare thrust to the net, and Wiles capitalized on the power play nine seconds later.

7:50 p.m. - My News coworker Mike Harrington hates the blooper reel shown during break. Mike, they do it here too.

7:54 p.m. - Anthony Cosmo has been nearly perfect so far, and his defense is giving him good looks at shots.

7:57 p.m. - It's 2-1 Buffalo after a period. Philadelphia pulled its goalie for a shot at the end of the quarter. Cosmo made the save and threw the ball down to the other end. It went into the net, but was well (couple of seconds) after the horn.

8:03 p.m. - Aaron Wilson had a nice short-handed goal moments ago. He's been a nice pickup this season, albeit under the radar. He leads the team in goals.

8:05 p.m. - Tempers are about to spill over. Priolo flattened a Wings player, and while retaliation was going on, we had breakaways at both ends. Could be a long night. 3-1, Buffalo, with 9:55 left.

8:11 p.m. - Make it 3-2, as Drew Westervelt was credited with a goal that was reviewed.

8:17 p.m. - Bandits have one power-play goal to make it 4-2 (Wiles). They still have three minutes on a major penalty to add to that total.

8:26 p.m. - Two more power-play goals by the Bandits are on the scoreboard. Buffalo leads, 6-2, and four PPGs are a big reason why. Philadelphia sets up for last possession of the half.

8:28 p.m. - And doesn't score. We finish 30 minutes at 6-2.

8:45 p.m. - Teams are back on the field. Luke Wiles has taken the team lead in power-play goals for the season with six.

8:51 p.m. - Lots of early scoring, thanks to power plays. Bandits lead, 7-4, with 11:49 to go. Another Buffalo penalty is coming up.

8:54 p.m. - Sure enough, Philly continues to close in on a PPG goal by Kevin Crowley. The Wings have it down to two goals. Blowouts are hard to come by in this league.

9:00 p.m. - Big goal by Dhane Smith to restore a three-goal lead by the Bandits. I was starting to wonder if the gas tank was getting low after a game yesterday.

9:08 p.m. - Bandits seem back in their rhythm. They have a 9-6 lead with 1:37 left in period.

9:12 p.m. - Short-handed goal by Kevin Buchanan cuts the lead to 9-7 after three. 

9:28 p.m. - Bandits holding on to a 10-7 lead with 7:40 left. Good goaltending on both ends, particularly from Brandon Miller.

9:34 p.m. - Wings cut it to 10-9 with 4:18 left. Never a dull moment in this sport.

9:38 p.m. - 1:21 left, and Wings on the power play.

9:41 p.m. - Jordan Hall apparently scored on a low shot witih 3.7 seconds left to tie it. It does count.

9:46 p.m - Two minutes into OT. Still 10-10.

9:47 p.m. - Not for long. Westervelt scores to make it 11-10, upon review. And it counts.

11:41 p.m. - As usual, the blog entries get shorter when the game is winding down, as I have to write the story for the first edition. From a Bandits' perspective, this one really hurts. You can't give up a three-goal lead in the final six minutes and lose in overtime. This cost them a share of first place and the tiebreaker with Philadelphia if it comes to that.

Darris Kilgour was unhappy that the shot clock wasn't reset a couple of times in the final couple of minutes, and he let the officials know about it after the game. Still, Buffalo shouldn't have been in that position.

The Wings did say they tried to pick up the tempo down the stretch, knowing Buffalo was playing a second game in two nights. Good idea.

Next up, a Western team! Colorado comes into town. Stories should be posted on our website shortly.

--- Budd Bailey 

March is here, with a small lion's roar. That must mean it's time for the Shamrock Run. It will go off tomorrow in the Old First Ward.

The race is officially sold out, so about 5,500 runners will start the event at noon. All of them will have a nice windbreaker to at least consider using at the race.

The event also is the start of the News' Runner of the Year series. The full calendar will be out on Sunday as part of the running column.

The weekend's other run is the Slush Run at SUNY-Fredonia. Starting time is 9 a.m. Sunday; call 673-3451 for details. Thanks to buffalorunners.com for the race listings.

See you Saturday, cold permitting.

-- Budd Bailey

By Gene Kershner

The Kentucky Derby Championship Series looks toward the Big Apple this weekend and the $400,000 Grade 2 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday afternoon. The third of eight races in the First Leg of the Championship Series races will provide an opportunity to significantly move up on the leaderboard. The top four finishers will be awarded points on a 50-20-10-5 basis. 

The race has drawn 12 colts seeking to gain a spot in the Kentucky Derby on May 4 at Churchill Downs. Last weekend saw Orb (Fountain of Youth) and long shot Ive Struck a Nerve (Risen Star) move to the top of the Derby points standings with 50 and 51 points, respectively. 

The top challengers in the Gotham include Grade 2 winners Overanalyze (Remsen) and Vyjack (Jerome) and the runnerup in the Grade 3 Withers, Escapefromreality, who finished a neck behind Revolutionary. Hall of Famer John Velazquez heads north from Gulfstream Park to grab the mount of Overanalyze, owned by Repole Stable. You may remember that Repole saddled Grade 1 stakes winners Uncle Mo and Stay Thirsty on the 2010 Derby trail. 

Let's take a look at the field (trainer, jockey, morning line odds and post position [pp] in parenthesis) for the Gotham to be raced at 1 1/16 miles on the winterized inner track: 

1 - Transparent (McLaughlin, Ortiz Jr., 8-1, pp5) The Bernardini colt broke his maiden late last month on the inner winning impressively by over five lengths. He finished eight lengths behind Revolutionary two races back. He's part of a coupled entry and looking elsewhere. 

1A - Now and Then (McLaughlin, Alvarado, 8-1, pp6) Second half of entry, who won his debut race on the inner last month. Seems to be training well and is by Tiznow, so he certainly should enjoy the stretch out in his first route race. Promising colt who could be an upset threat. 

2 - Champion Boy (Guerrero, Castro, 30-1, pp1) Big Brown progeny who draws the rail as a long shot hopeful. He has an intriguing pedigree with turf sire El Prado (IRE)on his dam's side.  Colt finished fifth in the Withers and third behind the 1A in his maiden voyage. 

3 - Escapefromreality (Schettino, Cohen, 6-1, pp2) The Read the Footnotes gelding sports some solid works coming off his valiant effort in the Withers. Has some stamina on his dam side as Medaglia d'Oro is his dam's sire. Has the top speed figure at the distance and looks to move forward in his second route race. Dangerous. 

4 - Ore Pass (Trombetta, Pimentel, 12-1, pp3) He's by freshman sire War Pass, and comes off a non-graded stakes win at Laurel Park. Has yet to duplicate the big fig he tossed out in his maiden win last November. This one seems to be a big step up in class. Pass (no pun intended).

5 - Amerigo Vespucci (Tullock Jr., Rodriguez, 20-1, pp4) Has finished behind the top contenders in here in his last two graded stakes at the Big A and has one point in the Derby standings earned via his fourth place finish in the Withers. Would only look to use underneath in the tri or super as others seem more logical.

6 - Siete de Oros (Preciado, Arroyo, 15-1, pp7) He was only two lengths behind the winner of the Withers after yielding the lead in the stretch. He's only missed the board once in six career efforts, that being his debut at Parx. The A.P. Warrior colt was a $2,000 purchase and already has over $138K in lifetime earnings.  His late leakage in the Withers indicates he may be more of a miler, but his trainer does well with routers, so I'm on the fence. 

7 - Vyjack (Rodriguez, Rosario, 3-1, pp8) Rudy's been killing 'em during the inner meet, winning at a 30 percent clip and this is the star of his barn. He recruits top jockey Joel Rosario to leave Gulfstream for the weekend. His sire Into Mischief performed well on the Derby trail before suffering an injury that kept him out of the Derby. It will be hard to bet against the red-hot Rodriguez. Win threat.  

8 - Elnaawi (McLaughlin, Hill, 8-1, pp9) Street Sense colt makes his third career start after breaking his maiden in a win over a muddy Big A track in early January. He's a half brother of To Honor and Serve. McLaughlin administers lasix for the first time. Looking for big things from this one.  

9 - Sky Captain (Casse, Mena, 8-1, pp10) Ships up from Gulfstream to take a shot at a Derby gate. Lost last out to Cerro who didn't fare well in the Fountain of Youth last weekend, where he faded to sixth.  Connections have to be respected and he comes in third off the layoff on the form cycle.  

10 - West Hills Giant (Terranova, Espinoza, 20-1, pp11) New York-bred steps up in class to take on a much tougher crew than he's raced. Has been working well and comes in off the layoff, and trainer Terranova adds blinkers to shake things up. This appears to be a big stretch. 

11 - Overanalyze (Pletcher, Velazquez, 5-2, pp12) The favorite drew the outside post, the same one that Hansen was in to win last year's edition. Was rested by Pletcher and emerges to capture valuable Derby points. Hard to discount the Pletcher/Velazquez factor, meaning he may go off around even money on the tote board. Lot of Pletcher hype on the trail, this one will be watched widely. Think he gets nipped at the wire.  

Post Time Outlook: 1 - Escapefromreality; 2 - Overanalyze; 3 - Vyjack; 4 -Elnaawi  

Good luck!  

Gene Kershner, a Buffalo-based turf writer, is a member of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association, and tweets @EquiSpace.

7:01 p.m. -- It's time for Thursday Night Lights in Toronto.

I'm not sure when the Bandits' last Thursday night game was, but they've got one tonight. They play the Rock here in Toronto. It's the start of a big week for Buffalo, as the Bandits will host the Philadelphia Wings tomorrow. So it's two games in two nights against the team's top rivals in the East Division race at the moment.

The most interesting aspect of the game as we head for the start is the Bandits' lineup. There have been a few changes.

Tracey Kelusky is said to be on the injured reserve list with a rib injury. He is said to have hurt it in the Bandits' last game, at Rochester.

John Tavares is in the lineup. He has missed the last month with a calf injury. Darris Kilgour, the coach of the team, said that he might rest Tavares tomorrow.

Here's another surprise - Mat Giles has been activated and is in the lineup. And Mike McNamara is back on defense. McNamara will be wearing #77 instead of #14; the usual number supposedly got lost. Hayden Smith and Brownell have been released, at least on paper. This is one crowded roster.

The scratches tonight - Jon Harasym, Mike Hominuck and Carter Bender. Kurtis Wagar is back to serve as the second-stringer behind Anthony Cosmo. Wonder if Wagar will get a start tomorrow?

7:31 p.m. - The game is on youtube.com through the Lacrosse Network. Go to nll.com for a link if that's easier.

This is not the place to be with a slight headache, the volume on the public address system is always pretty high. There aren't too many people in the building. It's hard to guess a number, but it won't be much of a home-court advantage.

NLL Commissioner George Daniel is in the house tonight. What's more, he was at the Bandits' game in Rochester two weeks ago, and he'll be in Buffalo tomorrow. I'm starting to think he's a secret Bandits fan.

7:46 p.m. - It's been a rather wide-open start to play. Aaron Wilson and Shawn Williams have the Buffalo goals.

7:55 p.m. - John Tavares looked fine when he scored a moment ago. He got a step on a defender, drove to the net, dove across the crease and stuffed it home. So welcome back, number 11. 3-2 Buffalo with 4:44 to go in the first.

8:02 p.m. - Bandits exit the first quarter with a 4-2 lead. Tavares made the proverbial sweet pass to Aaron Wilson for the fourth goal.

8:13 P.M. - Hard to keep the Rock quiet for long. Kasey Beirnes and Garrett Billings have made it a 4-4 game with 8:12 to go in the period.

8:21 p.m. - Wow. Shawn Williams just went behind-the-neck to score a go-ahead goal. Very nice. It's 6-5, Buffalo, with 3:57 left.

8:30 p.m. - Halftime, and the score is still 6-5. Bandits probably had a slight edge in play, but nothing decisive.

8:55 p.m. - The Rock scored two goals in less than a minute. That ties the score at 7-7 with 8:18 to go in the third quarter. Jay Thorimburt had an unassisted goal for the Bandits to start the quarter. He's having a fine, quiet year. If there were an award for unsung hero of the first half, which there isn't, Jay would get my vote.

9:02 p.m. - Toronto up, 8-7, and on the power play. ... And Colin Doyle dribbles one home for the biggest lead of the night.

9:13 p.m. - The third quarter wasn't all Rock, but it was close. Toronto has an 11-8 lead. The Rock can throw its five top scorers out shift after shift, and after a while they will get some goals.

9:18 p.m. - Two quick goals by the Bandits (Thorimburt and Shawn Williams) have cut the lead to one at 11-10. Oops. Buffalo strikes as I type this (Billy Dee Smith).

9:22 p.m. - Ten minutes to go, and the Bandits and Rock are tied 11-11.

9:29 p.m. - Who saw this coming? Bandits are up 13-11 with 6:32 to play.

9:35 p.m. - Bandits up 14-13 with two minutes left. OK, now make it 48 seconds left, and the Bandits have the ball.

9:44 p.m. - Tavares scores into an empty net, and the Bandits win, 15-13. Quite a win.

--- Budd Bailey