Smarty Has a Chance to Smoke the Competition

Smarty Jones has already earned $7.4 million, and a victory in the Belmont on June 5 would mean his second $5-million bonus in five weeks. It would also mean that Smarty Jones would be horse racing’s all-time leading money winner.

“For now,” writes Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times, “Smarty Jones is close, but he’s no Cigar.”

Equine mail: Letters and e-mails for Smarty Jones have been pouring into Philadelphia Park, the horse’s home track.

“One of the craziest e-mails was from a woman who said she’s a horse-massage therapist,” track publicist Keith Jones told the Philadelphia Daily News.

Another woman proposed marriage -- to Smarty Jones, not Keith Jones.

Trivia time: Today’s Will Rogers Stakes has been run at Hollywood Park every year since 1938, but in 1949 was held at Santa Anita. Why?

Exodus: Steve Vanderpool of Stats Inc. notes that Mike Montgomery is the third consecutive recipient of the John Wooden “Legends of Coaching” award to leave his school soon after winning the honor.

In 2003, Roy Williams left Kansas for North Carolina, and in 2002 Denny Crum left Louisville for retirement.

On target: Some people were offended when Kevin Garnett’s battle cry before Game 7 of the Minnesota-Sacramento series included Uzis, M-16s, silencers, grenades and missile launchers.

Says Randy Hill of FoxSports.com: “Considering that he’s top dog at a venue called the Target Center, who could blame him?”

A different twist: Reader Joe Gutierrez of Cambria e-mailed this letter :

“I’m ready to capture Bin Laden. In order for us to win the war, I’ll put on my Nikes, bounce my ball, pick and roll, and load my Gatorade. This is basketball!

“Sincerely,

“Cpl. Kevin Garnett

“U.S. Army”

A twist of fate: Tom Arnold, who co-stars with Snoop Dogg in the movie “Soul Plane,” told the New York Daily News that Kobe Bryant was originally offered the cameo role that went to Karl Malone.

“He was considering it,” Arnold said. “But he called back and said, ‘I have to be in Colorado that day to get a little bit of surgery.’

“It is the only time in history that someone could say, ‘If I had only been with Snoop Dogg last night, I wouldn’t have gotten in trouble.’ ”

Fight expert: Jerry Springer, a recent guest on Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” was asked about the fight between Sacramento’s Anthony Peeler and Garnett.

“Honestly,” Springer said, “we’ve seen better punches during our breaks.”

Trivia answer: A fire destroyed the grandstand at Hollywood Park.

And finally: Bud Geracie of the San Jose Mercury News, on the Cleveland Indians’ trading away Stubby Clapp: “For a player to be named better.”

Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.