NEW YORK -- California Chrome went home to the West Coast on Sunday with a bandaged right front foot -- and no Triple Crown -- after bumping another horse leaving the Belmont Stakes starting gate. Cheap Adidas Ultra Boost China . Steve Coburn, who co-owns California Chome, was still smarting, too. He was irked Belmont winner Tonalist didnt run in either of the first two legs of the Triple Crown. After the race, he complained others took "the cowards way out" by skipping the Derby and/or the Preakness. A day later, Coburn was unrepentant. "Its not fair to these horses that are running to entertain these people in all three legs of the Triple Crown," he said. "Its not fair to them to have somebody just show up at the last minute and run. I may have gone off half-cocked yesterday, but thats the way I feel." Under Coburns premise, there would have been just three horses in the $1.5 million Belmont, making it unlikely the third-largest crowd of 102,199 would have shown up or that a record $19,105,877 would have been wagered on-track. California Chrome, General a Rod and Ride On Curlin were the only horses to run in the Derby, Preakness and Belmont. General a Rod finished seventh and Ride On Curlin did not finish. Art Sherman, the 77-year-old trainer of California Chrome, distanced himself from Coburns comments. "Horses arent cowards and the people arent cowards," he said. "He was at the heat of the moment. Dont forget hes a fairly new owner. Sometimes your emotions get in front of you. He hasnt been in the game long and hasnt had any bad luck." Coburn and Perry Martin named their racing operation Dumb Ass Partners, with California Chrome the lone horse in their stable. The chestnut colt has earned $3,317,800 this year and brought a six-race winning streak into the Belmont. California Chrome had smooth trips in winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness to set up a shot at racings first Triple Crown in 36 years. But he had a rough trip in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont on Saturday, getting a chunk of flesh torn from his foot after bumping with Matterhorn coming out of the starting gate. California Chrome finished in a dead heat for fourth with Wicked Strong. "It was kind of scary. You come back and see a horse bleeding from the foot," Sherman said. "Hes never had anything wrong with him. Weve been awful fortunate." Sherman said California Chrome has a superficial wound that should heal in two to three weeks. The colt will then rest for six to seven weeks after a tough Triple Crown campaign that involved running in three races at different tracks and distances over five weeks. His camp plans to point him toward the Breeders Cup this fall at Santa Anita. Sherman thought Coburn would apologize for his comments. Instead, the outspoken co-owner went even further Sunday. "It wouldnt be fair if I played basketball with a child in a wheelchair because I got an unfair advantage," Coburn said. "If your horse is good enough to run in the Belmont, where was he in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness? It says Triple Crown, not one out of two, one out of three or two out of three." Sherman said, "I cant make excuses. Thats not really what you should do in these type of races." Frenchman Christophe Clement, who won his first Triple Crown race with Totalist, declined to comment on Coburns remarks. Coburn had predicted California Chrome would win the Triple Crown. "If they want to call me a sore loser, I dont care," he said. Horses are made eligible for the Triple Crown races in January. Owners and trainers of horses not nominated can pay a late fee of $6,000 in March to get in. The 20-horse field for the Kentucky Derby is decided by a points system, with horses earning points for running in prep races. The Preakness and Belmont have maximum fields of 14, but no points system is used. Its common for horses to drop in and out of the Triple Crown series. In 1978, when Affirmed won the Triple Crown, the Belmont had a five-horse field. Two of the colts rivals did not run in the first two legs and one only ran in the Derby. In 1977, Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown. The Belmont had eight horses, and five did not run in the first two legs. One ran only in the Preakness, and one other besides Slew raced in all three legs. On Saturday, second-place finisher Commissioner was new to the Triple Crown series. Winner Tonalist wasnt ready for the Derby, so trainer Clement prepared him for the Belmont. "California Chrome was running with tough, fresh horses that were waiting in the wings, and thats what happens," Sherman said. "We all know when youre on this trail you got to have an iron horse." The veteran trainer hopes California Chromes owners will keep him running next year as a 4-year-old. He credited the colt for having a lot of talent and taking his handlers on an exciting ride. "This is one of them races that we couldnt win," Sherman said, "but he didnt disgrace us any." Nike Air Max Plus Discount . The Maple Leafs may not have had a pick until the third round, but they have made the biggest move of the second day of the Draft, dealing defenceman Carl Gunnarsson and a fourth-round pick in the draft to the St. Discount Nike Air Max . The move - the latest twist in Greeces nearly three-year financial freefall -- is the first such action by any of the countrys major sports bodies. It immediately halts all domestic track and field competitions, including track meets May 12-13 in several Greek cities. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-air-max-china/max-720-clearance-sale.html . Lineup news, Fantasy and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES St. Louis Blues – After rolling the San Jose Sharks for seven goals, for the second time in a week, the Blues have a bunch of players on hot streaks.CLEVELAND - No player in the NBA, and perhaps in league history, can disrupt an opposing game plan quite like LeBron James. Dwane Caseys pre-game audible, opting to dust off the sparingly used Landry Fields and insert him into the starting lineup, came as mild surprise, but perhaps it shouldnt have been so shocking given the imposing force he was tasked with guarding. He is who we thought he was, Casey said of James, who had a game-high 35 points in the Cavaliers comeback victory over Toronto on Tuesday. Its not a surprise. Hes one of the best players in the league, or the best player, arguably. So he did what he was supposed to do. I thought we had him under control most of the night. Fields, with the assistance of James Johnson, had James under control, as much as one can possibly have him under control, until the fourth quarter. The Raptors had led by as many as 14 point on the night, 10 points early in the final frame before Cleveland clamped down on defence and James started making big plays on both ends of the floor. Toronto shot 30 per cent from the field, hitting one of six three-point attempts and scoring just 13 points while James poured in 10 of his own, including the go-ahead trey with 48 seconds left. They had entered the game with the NBAs best fourth-quarter point differential. The loss snapped their streak of 39 consecutive wins when leading after three quarters. I thought our guys battled, fought, controlled the game for most of the game but youve got to close it out, Casey said - his team had squandered a 17-point advantage to Denver the night prior before stealing a win in overtime. Thats where weve got to get better. We had some crucial turnovers, crucial rebounds that we didnt get at the end of the game and thats the name of the game. When youre playing playoff basketball and youre trying to be an elite team youve got to be able to make those plays and tonight we didnt. Their series with the Cavs has certainly had a playoff feel, in part because the two teams have seen each other three times in 18 days, an unusual wrinkle in the NBAs regular season schedule. The Raptors won the first meeting in Cleveland on Nov. 22 and the Cavs havent lost a game since - winners of eight in a row. In Fridays rematch, LeBron and company handed Toronto its most lopsided defeat of the campaign. This time around, Casey pulled out all the stops, hence the late lineup change, and it nearly paid off. He nearly let the cat out of the bag. One guy cant guard [LeBron James], Casey said ahead of Tuesdays rubber match. Youre going to have to have a team concept. That one guy guarding him has to be disciplined and work within what were trying to do as a team. He cant go rogue out on his own, he continued, before stumbling, appearing to misplace the name of Terrence Ross. So whoever guards him, whether its James [Johnson], or... or... or... Terrence?, I suggested. Terrence, thank you... Or whoever guards him has to be disciplined in what theyre doing and not go rogue. This has been a frequent dilemma for Casey - unwaveringly honest as a man, it paints him to lie, but understandably guarded as a head coach. How much should he reveal to the media when he addresses them 90 minutes ahead of tip-off, knowing whatever information he discloses - injuries, lineup changes - will be leaked on Twitter in the blink of an eye, becoming available to the opposition? Hes not required to give anything away until he fills out his lineup card just before the game. So when hes asked about his roster or rotation he smirks a mischievous smirk. He knows the question is coming. If hes feeling generous he may evven throw the assembled media a bone and volunteer some intel unprompted. Replica Shoes China Wholesale. He cant tell a lie. On this night, he didnt have to. Nobody asked, not directly, so he kept it to himself. An unlikely ace in the hole, something he used in the playoffs last spring when Fields stepped in to stymie Joe Johnson and the Nets in Game 2. Honestly, I just wanted to make things difficult, to kind of switch it up on [James], make him think about me more than anything else, said Fields, who found out he was making the spot start earlier in the day during a late afternoon walkthrough. It didnt go so well if you look at the stat sheet. He still played well and they ended up winning but that was just my whole mindset going in. Despite the result, Casey made the right call. Greivis Vasquez had started five straight games in place of the injured DeMar DeRozan but was under the weather and limited in his return to the bench on Tuesday. Terrence Ross, a promising but inexperienced defender giving up size and strength to James, had more ups than downs against the four-time MVP in the first two meetings. Johnson was re-acquired for match-ups like this one, but got caught up in a one-on-one battle with James in Toronto on Friday. What Fields lacks in athleticism, in comparison to Johnson, he makes up for in discipline, which was a prerequisite as Casey outlined before the game. Hes a smart player, moves well without the ball, knows his limitations on both ends of the floor and operates within them. By the end of the first quarter he had logged 11 minutes, exactly half his total through the teams first 21 games of the campaign. Entering Tuesdays contest, Fields appeared in just six games, playing less than a minute in two of them. But he was effective and helped Toronto get off to a 33- 26 lead, converting both of his looks near the basket and making James work on the other end. It can be tough, said the five-year vet, who hadnt played since mid-November. When I found out [about the start] it was a lot of emotions and thoughts went through my mind but, honestly, I went back to the room and prayed on it, kind of mellowed out, got here, shot the ball well and was doing well in warm ups. Fields made a couple of emergency starts last season - the first coming a year ago Monday when he stepped in for Rudy Gay against the Lakers, the night the trade was consummated. He made his last start on Mar. 2. Replacing the injured Terrence Ross, he was effective in a win over the Warriors, hitting four of his five shots and grabbing six rebounds in 25 minutes. Starting Fields allowed Casey to go back to his regular rotation off the bench, although Vasquez was limited to just 12 minutes. It also took some pressure off Ross as a defender, allowing him to thrive on the offensive end, where he put up a team-high 18 points. Johnson was also effective, particularly off the bench. But neither he nor Fields could solve the problem that was LeBron James down the stretch. He makes it tough for you because hes seen everything, Casey had said before the game. Whatever you throw at him multiple times hell exploit it. And thats why he is who he is. Hes arguably the best player in the league and probably the most cerebral player in the league when it comes to reading situations on both sides of the ball. That makes it difficult. But he puts his pants on like we do and his jersey on one arm at a time, I think. He didnt sound too sure, and with good reason. After stumbling out of the gate, the new-look Cavs have found their way and with James playing MVP-level basketball, yet again, that should hardly come as a surprise. ' ' '