There is an old-fashioned reliability about California Chrome that is taken for granted in this age of speed figures and big-day performances.Put it this way: In a career of 23 races dating to his maiden special weight debut at Hollywood Park on April 26, 2013, California Chrome has never missed a start while under the training and management of Art Sherman and his crew.The only time California Chrome had to bow out of a commitment was at Royal Ascot in June 2015, when he had been removed from the Sherman stable and trained in Newmarket, England. California Chromes scratch from the Prince of Waless Stakes was a humiliating blow for Sherman, whose name was still associated with the champion despite an absence of more than two months from his care.Once California Chrome was returned to the Sherman stable last October, Sherman laid out a campaign for 2016 by the seasons, each season geared toward winning a major prize. The winter aimed for the $10 million Dubai World Cup with a comeback in the San Pasqual at Santa Anita and a minor prep in Dubai. Bulls-eye. The spring was for World Cup recovery, followed by two races during the summer at Del Mar in the San Diego Handicap and the $1 million Pacific Classic. Nailed them both.Now comes the autumn and Shermans two-step to the $6 million Breeders Cup Classic on Nov. 5. Step 1 comes Saturday in the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita, a race the trainer does not take lightly, even though he could if he wanted. Facing basically the same West Coast horses he has tamed three times this year, Sherman was asked if he was torn between letting California Chrome coast to a conservative score or uncork a doozy in hopes of scaring off Breeders Cup competition.I dont know -- what do you think? he replied, keeping his cards close. Im just hoping the race goes. The racing secretary said hed run if he had to.No doubt, Sherman has been blessed with a superior racehorse of intrinsic soundness, robust health, and strong recuperative powers. But the trainer takes nothing for granted.I think weve done a lot to make sure he stays the way he is, Sherman said last weekend, shortly after California Chrome turned in his final work at Los Alamitos for the Awesome Again. The double-wide stall he loves. The attention he gets from all our people. After every race, he gets X-rayed to make sure nothings changed. We take blood all the time to tell us if what we see is the real thing, because the good ones will sometimes fool you, and we dont want something sneaking up on us.The Awesome Again, a 1-1/8-mile race under allowance weight conditions, used to be a handicap called the Goodwood. The name was easy to lose since there was no reason to continue to honor the relationship between the Oak Tree Racing Association and Goodwood Racecourse in England once Oak Tree had been booted from its lease at Santa Anita Park.Oak Tree persists as a charitable entity by sponsoring meets at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif., so it is out of the big-race business. Goodwood, on the other hand, continues to run the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes during its Glorious Goodwood meet in late July, further evidence as to why there will always be an England.Everyone appreciates that Awesome Agains 1997 record of six wins in six starts -- including the Stephen Foster, the Whitney, and the Breeders Cup Classic -- should have earned him some kind of recognition beyond a place in the Canadian Hall of Fame. And no one has anything but admiration for Awesome Again as a stallion who boasts sons and daughters like Ghostzapper, Game On Dude, Ginger Punch, Round Pond, Awesome Gem, and Oxbow.We also get it that Frank Stronach raced Awesome Again and stands him at his Adena Springs Farm in Kentucky, and Santa Anita is Stronachs racetrack. Still, the renaming would have gone down a whole lot easier if Awesome Again had run at least once at Santa Anita, which he did not.You could slap the name of Trump University on Saturdays race, and it wouldnt make any difference to California Chrome. The last time he failed to fire his best shot was in the 2014 Pennsylvania Derby, when the size of the purse and the bonuses attached got the better of his people. Given the rare chance of campaigning a mature, 5-year-old stallion, Sherman awakens each day like a man with the weight of the game on his shoulders.Hes so honest, so straightforward, you just want to always do right by him, and for his fans, Sherman said. I think we have, but weve got a couple more challenges to go.Sherman stared off in the direction of California Chrome as he headed back to the stables after a work, then turned to his phone and punched in the clockers number.Thats what I got, Sherman said, and then hung up.The clocker told me Im getting better at the poles, Sherman said with a wink. He even offered me a job. Who knows, I might need one after Chromes gone. But I dont want to think about that just yet.Custom New York Mets Nike Jerseys . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. Custom Milwaukee Brewers Nike Jerseys . 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If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency.LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Malik Monk scored a career-high 26 points, DeAaron Fox added 16 and No. 1 Kentucky routed UT-Martin 111-76 on Friday night, the most points scored in the John Calipari Era.The taller Wildcats overcame a cold shooting start and 16-15 deficit to the athletic Skyhawks before rolling to a season-high margin of victory. Kentucky (6-0) shot a season-best 55 percent from the field by controlling the paint 54-28 and the boards 48-26.Monks 10-of-17 shooting led the way with Fox making 7 of 12 from the field. Monk has scored at least 23 points in three of his past four games. Wenyen Gabriel and Bam Adebayo each had 15 points for Kentucky, which won the game that was part of matchup of unbeaten teams in the Bluegrass Showcase.Matthew Butler scored 15 points and Jacolby Mobley had 14 for UT Martin (5-2), which shot just 33 percent in the second half and 41 percent overall in having its five-game winning streak stopped.---No. 5 KANSAS 95, UNC ASHEVILLEe 57LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Frank Mason III had 21 points and Udoka Azubuike added 17 as Kansas dunked its way to a victory.Josh Jackson contributed 14 points, Lagerald Vick had 12 and Devonte Graham finished with 11 assists, including consecutive alley-oop passes to Azubuike that helped the Jayhawks (5-1) win their 42nd straight game at Allen Fieldhouse.The only bummer for Kansas came in the closing minutes, when Graham banged up his right foot on a drive to the basket. He did not return, though the injury did not appear to be serious.Kevin Vannatta and Ahmad Thomas led Asheville (3-3) with 12 points apiece.---No. 7 VIRGINIA 74, IOWA 41NICEVILLE, Fla. -- Jerred Reuter led a well-balanced scoring attack with 14 points and Virginias stifling trademark defense set the tone for a victory in the semifinals of the Emerald Coast Classic.The Cavaliers (5-0) will play for the tournament title on Saturday against the winner of Fridays late game between Memphis and Providence.Three other Cavaliers scored in double figures: London Perrantes with 12, Isaiah Wilkins 11 and Darius Thompson 10.The Cavaliers began the day leading the nation in scoring defense by holding opponents to 38.8 points per game.Iowa (3-2) barely bested that average, led by Peter Joks 13 points.The Hawkeyes shot only 31.3 percent from the field including 26.1 percent from 3-point range.The Cavaliers hit 48.3 percent from the field including 47.1 percent on 3s.---PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- King McClure scored all 15 of his points in the second half and Baylor rallied from 22 points down in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.Johnathan Motley also had 15 points, and Terry Maston had 10 of his 12 in the final 20 minutes. The Bears (6-0) shot 65 percent in the second half in a stunning reversal from a start that saw the Cardinals shut down just about everything.Louisville led by 22 points late in the first half, by 20 early in the second and 54-42 on Quentin Sniders 3-pointer at the 10:07 mark. But the Bears responded with a 21-5 run, with Motley putting the ball on the floor to drive by Anas Mahmoud for the go-ahead dunk with 2:49 left.Motley was selected the tournament MVP.Donovan Mitchell scored 17 points for Louisville (5-1), which shot just 33 percent (9 of 27) in the second half.---TEMPLE 81, No. 19 WEST VIRGINIA 77NEW YORK -- Obi Enechionyia had 22 points and 12 reboundds to lead Temple to the upset in the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-Off.ddddddddddddEnechionyia scored 18 points in the first half for Temple (4-2), but it was his free throw with 1 second left that sealed the win. Alani Moore II added 18 points for the Owls, while Daniel Dingle finished with 15 and Quinton Rose had 12.Esa Ahmad led the Mountaineers (4-1) with 19 points, Teyvon Myers added 15, and Nathan Adrian and Tarik Phillip had 13 apiece.Enechionyia was named the Most Outstanding Player of the two-day tournament.---No. 21 IOWA ST. 73, MIAMI 56LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Deonte Burton scored 21 points and Darrell Bowie keyed a second-half surge that carried No. 21 Iowa State in the AdvoCare Invitational.The Cyclones (5-0) advanced to Sundays championship game, bouncing back from a poor shooting performance in a tournament-opening win over Indiana State.Matt Thomas had 12 points and Nazareth Mitrou-Long added 10 for Iowa State.Bowie hit an awkward layup as he tumbled to the court and made a short jumper during a 17-2 run the Cyclones put together over an 8-minute stretch of the second half.JaQuan Newton had 21 points for the Hurricanes (4-1), who shot 36 percent from the field, including 2 of 16 on 3-point attempts.---No. 23 RHODE ISLAND 82, BELMONT 73KINGSTON, R.I. -- Hassan Martin scored a career-high 31 points and Jarvis Garrett added a season-high 23 for Rhode Island.Kuran Iverson added 13 points for the Rams (5-1) while Dylan Windler had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Bruins (1-3).Belmont played without its leading scorer, Evan Bradds, who was sidelined with a concussion.The Rams held Belmont to 18.5 percent shooting (5 of 27) from beyond the 3-point arc which denied the Bruins a key part of their offense.Rhode Island forged a 46-31 lead and prevented the Bruins from getting closer than six points by shooting 55.4 percent from the field (31 of 56).Nick Smith had 17 points for Belmont.---No. 24 MICHIGAN ST. 77, WICHITA ST. 72Miles Bridges scored 21 points for Michigan State in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game.Eron Harris added 13 points for the Spartans (4-3), who followed Thursdays loss to No. 20 Baylor by building a huge second-half lead -- and then nearly blowing it.They led by 18 midway through the half and held a 15-point lead with 8:05 left, only to see the Shockers (5-2) turn to fullcourt pressure to get back in it. Wichita State ran off a 14-0 run to get to 66-65 on Daishon Smiths layup over Bridges with 4:13 left.The Shockers ultimately had one more chance to tie it in the final seconds, but Smith missed a long straightaway 3. Bridges grabbed the rebound and hit two clinching free throws with 4.7 seconds left.Darral Willis scored 16 points to lead Wichita State.---No. 25 FLORIDA ST. 72, ILLINOIS 61NEW YORK -- Dwayne Bacon scored 17 points to lead for Florida State in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off.Jonathan Isaac had 15 points and seven rebounds for Florida State (5-1).CJ Walker finished with 13 points and Xavier Rathan-Mayes had 10 for Florida State.Malcolm Hill had 18 points for Illinois (4-3), which lost its third straight. Leron Black chipped in with 15 points, and TeJon Lucas had 10. ' ' '