WHERE WAS I? TRIPLE CROWN 2008 SPECIAL EDITION

This time around, the competition revolves around guessing the top finishers of Saturday's Belmont Stakes. As you may know, Big Brown (a horse associated with Long Island) has a chance of being the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years. And the horse has dominated so far. But it has a hoof injury that might give it trouble.

As of yesterday, the field of horses consists of these ten, listed by post position.

1. Big Brown Kent Desormeaux 2-5
2. Guadalcanal Javier Castellano 50-1
3. Macho Again Garrett Gomez 20-1
4. Denis of Cork Robby Albarado 12-1
5. Casino Drive Edgar Prado 7-2
6. Da'Tara Alan Garcia 30-1
7. Tale of Ekati Eibar Coa 20-1
8. Anak Nakal Julien Leparoux 30-1
9. Ready's Echo John Velazquez 30-1
10. Icabad Crane Jeremy Rose 20-1

For this week's competition, pick the first three finishers in order by 5pm EST on Saturday, June 7. You can change your guess right up to that moment—and it's possible there will be scratches by that point. I haven't figured out exactly how I'll dish out points, but I do recommend you play this round. I will definitely consider special points to anyone who does better than I do—and in this case I will tend to follow the morning line. So at the moment, my selection is

Big Brown
Casino Drive
Denis of Cork

Looking for tips? Don't look at me, kid! Here's something from Steven Crist and here's something else from Timothy Peach.

And root for the horses to come out of this healthy as a...well, a horse—because if any of them seem to be seriously hurt, all bets may be off. (I am actually extremely ambivalent when it comes to this sport—and this year's Triple Crown contests have already resulted in the death of the filly Eight Belles.)

So leave your guesses in the comments section using a distinct moniker so you're not confused with the other players.

And, after the race, your self-scoring will be appreciated.

WHERE WAS I? SPECIAL EDITION: FROM BELMONT TO BROADWAY AND BEYOND!

For this week's contest I was in a generous state of mind.

The highest possible total of correct guesses in this week's special edition would have been 27. My score was 17--and nearly all of the tip sheets that I cited did well enough Tony-wise that going with their predictions would have ensured a score better than mine.

So this was a golden point-scoring opportunity--answers were there for the taking--but somehow I couldn't get anyone but Debbie and Myra to play along...and Myra's impressive votes didn't get through! I had asked everyone to post their totals to spare me the effort of figuring them out, but that's not necessary since I can easily see that Debbie got four out of five and no commenter did better.

So, invoking Rule Number One of this game--You Gotta Be In It To Win It--the win goes to Debbie. In addition, Debbie gets an Attendance Award--another point. And Myra gets tons of respect for knowing the Tony score. She seems to have done at least as well as many if not all of the pros.

I hope everyone will be rested, refreshed, and ready to participate in the next challenge!

10 Scott (Gold Medal plus one unredeemed WWI? credit)
9 Gary (plus one unredeemed WWI? Silver credit)
8 Debbie (includes Attendance Award and Gold Medal plus one unredeemed WWI? Silver credit)
3 David (Bronze Medal)
1 Dolph (plus one unredeemed WWI? Bronze credit)
1 Myra
1 Myron
1 Trapezia

WHERE WAS I? SPECIAL EDITION: FROM BELMONT TO BROADWAY AND BEYOND!

So far Debbie and I are neck and neck, thanks to a certain filly named Rags to Riches--the first female to win the Belmont in more than 100 years! The race itself turned out to be neck and neck too in the final stretch, with Curlin surging slightly ahead at times but not being able to sustain a winning pace. Street Sense was completely out of the running, having been pulled out well in advance of the race--but you might see him at Saratoga come August.

So now we await tonight's two Tony events--the Broadway awards as well as The Sopranos. Feel free to add your picks here by 4:44 pm Broadway time today.

WHERE WAS I? SPECIAL EDITION: FROM BELMONT TO BROADWAY AND BEYOND!

Hm. So far it looks like there's even less competition than there'll be in the Belmont!

For another tip sheet on the Tony Awards, try Manhattan User's Guide.

And add your guesses here.

WHERE WAS I? SPECIAL EDITION: FROM BELMONT TO BROADWAY AND BEYOND!

You know how WWI? usually works: You've got to guess where I was in the five boroughs. But this week we take a break from the routine and try something different. And, as usual, anyone can play (using a distinct player name).

So guess the winner of Saturday's Belmont Stakes and the winners of Sunday's Tony Awards. (You'll see I've also created a special Tony category.) Post your guesses in the comments section by Saturday at 4:44 pm.

Anyone can participate. All participants will be responsible for reporting their own scores by 11:59 pm Broadway Time on Monday. Anyone who guesses better than I do (and I'm no expert on any of this) will get a point. If no one guesses better than I do, the point(s) will go to the best guesser(s) among the participants.

Following are my guesses. For other perspectives, you might want to consider AM New York, Entertainment Weekly, little voice, Someone in a Tree, and Time Out New York, or another of the many options out there.

Winner of 2007 The Belmont Stakes
Curlin

Best Play
The Coast of Utopia

Best Musical
Spring Awakening

Best Book of a Musical
Grey Gardens

Best Original Score
Spring Awakening

Best Revival of a Play
Inherit the Wind

Best Revival of a Musical
Company

Best Special Theatrical Event
A tie

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Christopher Plummer, Inherit the Wind

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Eve Best, A Moon for the Misbegotten

Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Raúl Esparza, Company

Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Christine Ebersole, Grey Gardens

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Billy Crudup, The Coast of Utopia

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Jennifer Ehle, The Coast of Utopia

Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
John Gallagher, Jr., Spring Awakening

Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Mary Louise Wilson, Grey Gardens

Best Direction of a Play
Jack O'Brien, The Coast of Utopia

Best Direction of a Musical
Michael Mayer, Spring Awakening

Best Choreography
Matthew Bourne and Stephen Mear, Mary Poppins

Best Orchestrations
Duncan Sheik, Spring Awakening

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Bob Crowley & Scott Pask, The Coast of Utopia

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Anna Louizos, High Fidelity

Best Costume Design of a Play
Catherine Zuber, The Coast of Utopia

Best Costume Design of a Musical
William Ivey Long, Grey Gardens

Best Lighting Design in a Play
Brian MacDevitt, Kenneth Posner, and Natasha Katz, The Coast of Utopia

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Christopher Akerlind, 110 in the Shade

(Tony) Soprano: Lives or Dies?
Lives

This is not an endorsement of horse racing or awards shows or series finales.