I’m proud to say today’s post is the latter. Sports Blog Nation is a collection of the best tongue-in-cheek sports blogs in the world. And the best part is they’re all run by fans. Covering nearly all teams in nearly all professional leagues and the NCAA, this blog network is impressive. They boast approximately 200 blogs (and growing) and they’ve done an excellent job of scouting the best blogs out there. In fact, there’s a good chance that one of your team’s more popular blogs is part of SB Nation.

The best part of the SB Nation is the across the board attitude of all the blogs to not take sports or themselves too seriously. There is an abundance of wit and sarcasm that is rarely accepted in mainstream sports. It’s a great thing, really, because that style is exactly what’s missing in sports today. It’s a breath of fresh air to read the two cents of a no-name blogger who doesn’t need to worry about making anyone happy. Give them a blog and let them stir the sh*t. Then tune in to watch what happens. Who said there wasn’t such a thing as free entertainment.

Don’t take my word for it, though. Check out SB Nation.

Every May this event draws a large crowd, including some very famous celebrities (check out this year’s list of Derby probables.), who spend the day watching races and soaking in the warm Louisville sun.

I’m a huge fan of the Kentucky Derby, and all the ridiculousness of the pomp and circumstance at Churchill Downs only adds to the intrigue. It kind of reminds me of the old college days when even the smallest reason was good enough to throw a party. Who am I to object?

Anyways, because of the excitement and tradition that follows the Kentucky Derby each year, I thought it would be fun to put together a Cool Zone list of some of the best Kentucky Derby sites. I’ve tried to organize them as best as possible, but there will be some unavoidable overlapping I’m sure.

As always, feel free to add any that I’ve missed to the comments.

General Derby Sites

KentuckyDerby.com – the official site for the world’s most famous horse race. Get up to the minute news and odds as well as the best advice for attending the race.

ChurchillDowns.com – the official site for the track that is home to the world’s most famous horse race. Includes info on other races at the track also.

KentuckyDerby.info – a slightly less official Derby site with some great content about the history and traditions that surround the race.

A cool trick that I found that will give you some bonus Kentucky Derby sites is to slightly change the URL for KentuckyDerby.com. When you go to the site it automatically puts “/2009″ at the end of the address in your browser window. If you change the year to one from the past it will bring you to that year’s official Derby page.

The trick works all the way back to the 1999 Kentucky Derby. I thought it was cool how different the site looks from year to year. All the race results are there as well as some of the talk leading up to and after the race. Not groundbreaking stuff, I know, but it’s worth taking a look if you have some time.

Kentucky Derby Traditions

My Old Kentucky Home – the site is pretty ugly and there’s not much to it, but it’s got the complete lyrics and plays the instrumental of the Kentucky Derby’s sentimental theme song. The song plays while the horse’s are led out to post and many in attendance sing along. The rest are buying beers.

KentuckyDerby.com Hat Parade – this link off the official derby page has a small collection of some of the flamboyant hats that are common on race day.

Mint Julep – every year nearly 120,000 mint juleps are served at Churchill Downs over the two days of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby. The Mint Julep Wikipedia page has more.

Kentucky Derby Wagering

Bet on the Kentucky Derby – this site has some content designated specifically for betting on the Kentucky Derby. If you can’t get down to Louisville and are interested in placing some off-track bets, this is the place to do it.

Horse Betting Explained – although this site is mostly about poker, I thought its horse betting guide was pretty good. There are other links to betting tips and track info there as well.

More Derby Links

Horse Racing Glossary – you don’t have to look like a fool at the track anymore! This page has a complete glossary of horse racing terms and what they mean. From now on you can step up to the betting counter with confidence.

Churchill Downs on Twitter – follow the Derby updates via the Churchill Downs Twitter feed. While you’re at it, Follow SiteRoast too!

Kentucky Derby Party Links – about 40 links to help you throw the best Kentucky Derby party ever!

If you’ve never watched the Kentucky Derby, I highly suggest you take a look on May 2nd. The sites I listed will help you get a grasp on all the Derby hype. Browse through some or all of them and you’ll see why so many people make such a big deal about it.