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Comparing comments by NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers before and after a race can often reveal much about strategy and reality.

The NSCS Subway Fresh Fit 500 on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., was no wreck-fest like the Daytona 500, but PIR is a 1.0-mile track and Daytona is 2.5-mile track. Both tracks have been recently resurfaced, but PIR was only completed late last year and has had little time to age.

The 312 lap race was more about gas mileage than any effects of crashing.
Common thought indicates that it takes four or five races before the strongest teams emerge, but early results may be predictive.

The top three finishers in Sunday’s race, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle had comments before the green flag and after the checkered flag.

Denny Hamlin (No. 11 Toyota) Finished first. (Started 13th)

Before the green flag:

“During testing, I was very worried about how the race was going to be,” Hamlin said. “I think the time we got on it and the rubber that laid down — it raced better than expected. It will still be two to three years before we see really good side-by-side racing, but they had to make changes.”

After the checkered flag:

“If you would have asked me at the beginning of the day, I would have said I’d take a top-15 finish,” Hamlin said. “Just an amazing job by this FedEx Office team. Just kept working on it. Every time we worked on it, it got better.

“Huge momentum. We’ve never been in this position this early in the season. We’ve always struggled. We’ve always taken our time – five or six races in – before we hit our stride. This is particularly not my type of race track – new pavement.

“We knew we were going to have a rebound year and I told everyone we were. You got to prove it. You got to go out and win these races. A great step in the right direction for our race team.”

Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Chevrolet) Finished second. (Started eighth)

Before the green flag:

“They did a great job prepping for the race,” Harvick said. “With the shorter tracks, the grip is greater but it’s a different environment than what you experience on the mile-and-a-half tracks.

“They spent a lot time laying the track out, taking their strength and weaknesses and thinking about the fans as to what they can see from their seats. It all played out really well and I hope to have another good race this weekend.”

After the checkered flag:

I was really nervous coming here about how we were going to run,” Harvick said. “You cut the fuel mileage that close, you’re figuring it right. So I’m proud of all my guys. When they come to a place like this where we struggled so much, and then race for a win, is hopefully what sets the tone for the year.”

Greg Biffle (No. 16 Ford) Finished third. (Started seventh)

Before the green flag:

“I am ready to get on the track in Phoenix and I think the fans are going to love our 3Mwraps.com paint scheme,” Biffle said. “After Phoenix I get to spend a little time at the sand dunes on my way to Vegas, which is always fun.”

After the checkered flag:

“It started out really loose and then we would go dead right,” Biffle said. “We got the balance much better toward the end of that race and got some track position. The guys did a great job with the 3M Ford Fusion. I wish I wouldn’t have tried to save so much gas. I probably would have caught the 29, but you just never know how much gas you’ve got.”

FYI WIRZ is the select presentation of topics by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com. Unless otherwise noted, quotes and information were obtained from official release materials provided by NASCAR and team representatives. Photo credit: Dwight Drum at Racetake.com

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1090692-fyi-wirz-nascars-top-3-finishers-talk-sprint-cup-desert-win-at-phoenix

Dallas Braden David Price Felix Hernandez Francisco Liriano Gio Gonzalez

Source: http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/3/7/2852079/oakland-athletics-san-jose-statement

CC Sabathia Chad Billingsley Chris Carpenter Clay Buchholz Clayton Kershaw

Source: http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/3/7/2852514/the-new-moneyball

Manu Ginobili Michael Beasley Monta Ellis Nick Young Pau Gasol

Racin’ with Russ

After struggling for most of 2011 with marginal results, Denny Hamlin bounced back on Sunday afternoon to capture the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Phoenix with a hard charging Kevin Harvick just a car length back before running out of gas with one to go.

The race began with veteran racer Mark Martin claiming his 52nd career pole position. He led the opening lap, but quickly gave it up to Tony Stewart, who led nine laps before Harvick took the point and often.

Jimmie Johnson led a bunch of laps, as did Kyle Busch, along with a rapid Martin Truex Jr. Toward the later stages of the event, Harvick worked hard to pass Busch before eventually giving up the point during one of the final pit stops.

Gas concerns, or the lack thereof, certainly came into play before this race was over. Hamlin, Harvick and Marcos Ambrose all rolled the dice in this department with two coming up short. With Harvick making up a sizable deficit to leader Hamlin, he ran out while in hot pursuit. Ambrose came up short, but may have suffered an engine issue with little more than a dozen to go.

The official margin of victory was well over seven seconds, but only because of the gas issue—the white flag lap showed only a car length apart. Capping off the top five were the cars of Greg Biffle, Johnson and Keselowski.

Others with gas issues or incidents on the day included Tony Stewart having a car that wouldn’t re-fire, winding up two laps down in 22nd. His teammate Ryan Newman got together with Carl Edwards in a slight on-track altercation, leaving Newman backed into the wall and a 21st place finish.

Edwards improved throughout the day, running among the top 10 in the closing stages, only to run out of gas and finish 17th.

Hamlin’s 18th career win vaults him into the points lead with Greg Biffle second and Harvick sitting in third.

Nationwide

Denny Hamlin won the pole for the Nationwide race on Saturday and led a lot of laps, as did Kevin Harvick. But despite the two teaming up to lead the most laps, Nationwide full-timer Elliott Sadler managed to get up on the wheel for the final two dozen laps and grab his first Nationwide trophy in nearly 14 years!

Others in the top five included Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Austin Dillon and Harvick.
Sadler’s win elevates him to the top of the charts in points, just 10 points over rookie Dillon and 17 ahead of Trevor Bayne.

Danica Patrick’s second Nat run of the year netted a 21st place finish, some three laps down from the leader. Immediately after the race, she stomped off to her trailer, refusing post-race interviews.

From Rumorville

Those fines and penalties in regards to Jimmie Johnson’s Sprint Cup car failing pre-race inspection with illegal “C” pillars at Daytona were announced last week. Crew chief and car chief were both set down for six weeks, in addition to a $100,000 fine for Chad Knaus. Throw in a 25 point penalty to driver Johnson and owner Jeff Gordon and the overall picture was rather severe.

My problem with the situation is that the car never made it onto the racetrack, yet the penalties were harsh. Sometimes, NASCAR allows teams to massage on the body panels to get them into spec and other times not. Team Hendrick has appealed NASCAR’s ruling, so I’d expect a decision in the next few weeks, but I don’t see any kind of reversal.

Roger Penske’s NASCAR program made a big announcement this past week to proclaim their switch to Ford power for 2013 and beyond. Seeing that their Dodge powered cars have been performing well enough to have both been in the Chase makes this a little surprising, but with the only other Dodge in the field, that being Robby Gordon, there’s ‘slim pickins’ to bounce information off of. I think this was only a natural decision to make and may leave Dodge on the outside looking in down the road.

That’s it for this week. Next week, RWR will review the NASCAR results from Las Vegas along with more racing news from around the globe.

concluded Ward

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1090827-nascar-denny-hamlin-back-to-winners-circle-in-phoenix

Drew Brees David Garrard Jon Kitna Kyle Orton Jay Cutler

The Philadelphia Union are preparing for the upcoming MLS season with a trip to Costa Rica, home to their very first partner club, Deportivo Saprissa. Whatever goodwill between Philly and Costa Rica was established with that deal was quickly bruised, however, when the Union fell behind 2-0 to Primera Division club Belen FC in a routine friendly before proving are already in midseason scuffling form.

After getting frustrated by a Belen defender, Union midfielder Michael Farfan decided to unleash his fury with a lunge from behind on another Belen player, who avoided it with an impressive bit of levitation. With a bit of convenient editing, the video uploaded by Belen cuts to the two teams fighting and the Union’s Keon Daniel chucking the ball at an opponent.

The match was soon abandoned even though they only made it midway through the first half and Belen’s official website accused Philadelphia of “anti-futbol.”

This is definitely a team ready to beat the LA Galaxy. Or at least throw balls at them.

Video: The Brotherly Game via Deadspin

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/dtotd-philadelphia-union-prepare-season-fighting-costa-rican-074104213.html

Jered Weaver Johan Santana Johnny Cueto Jon Garland Jon Lester

As a Wimbledon fan, it’s not easy to recall the opening day of the 1996/97 season, when I sat slumped in disbelief as Davey Becks put away Manchester United’s third goal of the afternoon from his own half. In the Spanish second division tie between Elche and Almeria, unpronounceable midfielder Xumetra pulled a Beckham of his own with a tremendous long-range lob over the Almeria keeper. Thanks for bringing up the fun memory, Xumetra.

Another contender for goal of the weekend: Miroslav Stoch’s awesome volley in the Turkish Super League

Video H/T: 101GG

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/elche-xumetra-scores-beckham-esque-60-yard-goal-165853250.html

Clay Buchholz Clayton Kershaw Cliff Lee Cole Hamels Dallas Braden

How much is your handicap worth to you? For one golfer in Ireland, it’s apparently worth ?10m (about $13.2 million USD). In a bizarre story that, honestly, belongs in The Onion, 75-year-old golfer Thomas Talbot is suing his former club, Hermitage Golf Club, after the handicap secretary reduced his handicap by 7.7 shots between 1999 and 2004.

As the Irish Independent reported, Talbot claimed the handicap reduction took a personal toll on him over the last six years, as friends at his former club refused to play with him and labeled him a cheat.

The golf club claimed  that based on GUI Rule 19, it had an obligation to lower his handicap if it felt it was too high relative to his ability on the course. But Talbot didn’t see it that way, and so here we are … talking about a guy suing his golf club for a lowered handicap. A LOWERED handicap.

“This case has been going on for the past six years. It has been hugely stressful. I didn’t care so much about the handicap issue, it is more the principle of it.

“I’d turn up for a competition and there would be nobody to play with. I have learned the hard way that friends are a funny species — they’re never there when you want them.["]

On one hand, I feel bad for Talbot because playing golf with friends is one of the best things on earth. But on the other hand, I want to know how he went five years without questioning his handicap. If this was such a big deal back then, why didn’t he just talk to someone at the club and get things cleared up? That’s the real question that needs to be answered.

More golf news from the Yahoo! Sports Minute:

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/golf-devil-ball-golf/mans-sues-golf-club-13-2-million-lowering-175136549.html

Mike Tolbert Ronnie Brown Chris Ivory Brandon Jackson Ryan Mathews

When Benson Henderson walked out of the cage after winning the UFC lightweight title, he walked right past security and the UFC staff who was directing him towards the locker room. He had to go celebrate with the woman who has supported him throughout his career: his mom.

In a sweet moment, Henderson hugged his mother. She pulled back and grabbed at his belt, bursting with pride over her son’s accomplishment. Henderson provided another great performance in beating Frankie Edgar, but didn’t forget to say thank you to his mom.

He admitted that he did hear her cheering during his fight.

“”My mom has a pretty distinct voice. I can hear her everywhere,” Henderson said.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/photo-benson-henderson-celebrates-ufc-lightweight-title-mom-070500889.html

Michael Young Miguel Cabrera Nick Markakis Nick Swisher Orlando Hudson

Making your mark on the PGA Tour as a fresh-faced rookie can sometimes seem like a daunting task. But over the years, guys like Keegan Bradley, Jhonattan Vegas and, this season, John Huh have proved that making a splash is possible.

Harris English is another who knows all about making a splash in the professional ranks. Just last season as a senior at the University of Georgia, the then-21-year-old showed up at a Nationwide Tour Children’s Hospital Invitational, as an amateur, and walked away with the title.

If anything, the win taught us that English would be one to watch this season when he teed it up for the first time on the PGA Tour. And so far, it appears the Georgia product is living up to the sky-high expectations.

Aside from making the cut in all five of his starts this season, English also has two top-20 finishes, something most rookies would kill to have this early in the year. By Sunday afternoon, he could have something even more important if things fall his way, after English fired a 4-under 66 on Saturday — he’s currently ranked third in greens in regulation this week at PGA National — to get within two of Rory McIlroy going into the final round.

While Rory isn’t Kyle Stanley (at Torrey Pines), Spencer Levin or Robert Allenby, there’s always a chance he could coming crashing down to earth, and if that happens, don’t be surprised if English is there waiting in the wings.

He’s a rookie and he’s never been in the final group on Sunday at a PGA Tour event — so you have to think nerves may play a role — but based on the confidence English has shown in his game recently (and the win he picked up on the Nationwide Tour as an amateur), you have to like his chances not just in the final round, but going forward.

He’s definitely one to keep an eye. And while it seems like these young guns keep coming up in bunches, English has more than separated himself from the pack as a future star. We’ve seen crazier things happen on Sunday this season; who knows, maybe this is his time to jump into the spotlight. He certainly has the game to make it happen.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/golf-devil-ball-golf/harris-english-continues-strong-play-honda-classic-033619497.html

Chris Bosh Danny Granger David West DeMar DeRozan Deron Williams

With England down 2-0 to Holland, temporary(?) captain Scott Parker had to take control and will his side back into the match. But before he did that, he tried to get a little too creative with his footwork and ended up tackling himself in the center circle, surrendering possession of the ball in the process.

Perhaps relaxed by their captain’s comedy routine, England went on to score two goals in five minutes shortly after this. But then Arjen Robben scored his second goal of the night in added time to give Holland the win.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/dtotd-england-captain-scott-parker-tackles-himself-210102356.html

Michael Beasley Monta Ellis Nick Young Pau Gasol Paul Millsap

Search for “long volleyball rally” on YouTube and you’ll get back results of videos lasting anywhere from 29 to 90 seconds. And then there’s this clip from a recent Chinese volleyball game in which two women’s teams engage in an unbelievable two-minute rally that’s so exciting, it makes you wonder why volleyball isn’t more popular worldwide:

What does it take to get a standing ovation at a Chinese volleyball game?

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olympics-fourth-place-medal/video-unbelievable-chinese-volleyball-rally-161817552.html

Maurice Jones-Drew Adrian Peterson Rashard Mendenhall Steven Jackson Ahmad Bradshaw

Let’s be honest, we’re all incredibly busy. Nobody has time to sit down and watch four rounds of golf coverage — unless, of course, you watch TV for a living, and if that’s the case, please email us your number. So in an effort to condense the tournament coverage for you into a few quick hits, here are five things we learned from the Honda Classic.

Rory McIlroy is the new king of golf ? We knew McIlroy would eventually pass Luke Donald and take over the top spot in the Official World Golf Ranking, but I’m not sure many expected the 22-year-old to make it a reality just one week after he failed to close out Hunter Mahan at the Accenture Match Play final. Playing against on of the best fields in the world, McIlroy looked calm, cool and collected on Sunday with Tiger Woods only a couple shots back of the lead. It was the kind of performance you expected to see from golf’s new king. With his confidence at an all-time high, it seems like McIlroy finally has the belief in himself that when he’s holding a lead in the final round, he’s unbeatable. That’s bad new for his competition.

Tiger Woods is back … for at least one week ? Rory McIlroy stole the show at the Honda Classic, but a certain 36-year-old, former No. 1 tried his best to upstage the kid’s coronation with a red-hot 62 on Sunday afternoon. We haven’t seen a round like that from Tiger Woods in a while — especially the closing stretch that saw him finish birdie-eagle and post 10-under for the tournament. It’s easy to look at the round and proclaim that Tiger’s back. But is that really the case? Throw out the 62 (tied for the lowest round of Woods’ career) and you have a mixed bag of errant iron shots and missed putts. The good news is his game seemed to improve every round, and that’s always a positive going forward. But the fact of the matter is Woods has been known to throw up a great round and regress, so at this point, we’d be inclined to play the wait and see game before starting the “Tiger’s back” talk. Plus, the guy still hasn’t won an official tournament since 2009.

The Honda Classic has officially passed Bay Hill as the top tour stop on the Florida Swing ? Arnie’s tournament will always hold a special place for plenty of players, but after watching what transpired at the Honda over the weekend, it’s clear there’s a new sheriff in town. With Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in the field, plus a host of other big names, you can’t help but notice there’s a Florida Swing power shift going on. It used to be that Bay Hill drew the best field of the four events in the Sunshine State, but as players continue to migrate to Jupiter, Fla., expect to see the Honda field get even better in the future. Once a mid-level event, the tournament at the Champion Course at PGA National is quickly turning into a must-play event.

PGA National is toothless when the wind isn’t blowing ? PGA National is continually ranked as one of the most difficult stops on the tour schedule each year … when the wind is blowing. The wind failed to show up for the first three days, as Brian Harman (61) shattered the course record on Friday, and countless other players in the field — including Tiger Woods — posted rounds in the low 60′s. Even wind gusts upwards of 30 mph early in the final round failed to deter the field from tearing the Champions Course apart. This was only the second time since the the tournament moved sites, in 2007, that the winner posted a double-digit score under par.

Plenty of big names made a move on Sunday ? Tiger Woods wasn’t the only notable name making a Sunday charge. World No. 3 Lee Westwood fired a salty 7-under 63 that was overshadowed by Woods’ 62; and Rickie Fowler posted his best round, and finish (T-7), of the season on Sunday with a 4-under 66. Not bad for two guys who are still looking for their first major championship.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/golf-devil-ball-golf/five-things-learned-honda-classic-164758185.html

Kevin Love Kevin Martin Kobe Bryant LaMarcus Aldridge LeBron James

“Sin City” is the next stop for the elite drivers of NASCAR who will gamble for a win in a high-stakes game at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Fast cars and driver skill may be secondary to the strategy that will win the race.

The track, just north of the epicenter of glitz and glamor, is a fast 1.5-mile, multigroove racing oval with 20-degree banking in the turns.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made the trek from the Valley of the Sun, Phoenix to its next stop in the desert for the third race of the season at the Kobalt Tools 400.

Some drivers adapt well to the intermediate tracks, sometimes called cookie-cutter tracks, while others struggle to get a handle on contending for wins at this style track.

Usually, failure to be in the lead pack is because of the long green runs that can easily foul up tire and fuel strategy, unless you just don’t have a fast car.

Carl Edwards won for the second time at this track last year, but it may well be the driver who has the sponsor of the race on his No. 48 car that adds a marker to his win column.

 Let’s see the drivers, in no particular order, who will be in the mix when the checkered flag flies.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1089188-nascar-sprint-cup-at-las-vegas-carl-edwards-and-10-drivers-in-the-mix-to-win

Jonathan Stewart Shonn Greene Ryan Torain Marshawn Lynch Tim Hightower

UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre headed to Japan for UFC 144. He visited a school for young kids and was promptly beaten by children wielding swords.

Seriously, watch the first two and a half minutes of this video. Your day will improve. Watch as GSP beams while the children warm up, then see him not keep up as they run through exercises with plastic swords. Finally, see how they suddenly turn on him and beat GSP over the head until he submits to strikes.

After he talks about how he would have rather played with swords as a kid than with a hockey stick, they show a visit to the mayor of Saitama, Japan, and a visit to a dojo where kids aged around seven beat each other up. But if you can’t watch the whole six minutes, at least press play for the first two and half.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/watch-georges-st-pierre-beaten-japanese-children-cutest-161240226.html

Thomas Jones Frank Gore Brandon Jacobs Felix Jones Knowshon Moreno

We are two races into the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and we have a lot of different stories to follow. From Danica to Matt Kenseth winning the Daytona 500, to the Jet Dryer fire to Jimmie Johnson’s impending penalties. 

Flying under the radar is Marcos Ambrose.

With A.J. Allmendinger gone from Richard Petty Motorsports, Ambrose is already showing that he can carry the load of being the team’s top driver.

Ambrose has looked strong all during Speedweek, the Daytona 500 and this past Sunday in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix.

Ambrose finished third in the Budweiser Shootout and the first Gatorade Duel race.

He ran up front for a good portion of the Daytona 500 and held his own against the top NASCAR teams, finishing 13th.

Now Daytona is a track where any team can win with how wild the racing and the drafting is.

But Phoenix is where Ambrose really showed his skills and his team’s strength.

Marcos ran up front for most of the race, getting up to third with less than 20 laps to go. Then disaster stuck.

The motor blew on the No. 9 Stanley Tools Ford and ruined Ambrose’s day.  He ended up finishing in 32nd.

Ambrose’s run in Phoenix was really impressive for a team that has had some rough seasons and a questionable future.

What has helped Ambrose is working with veteran crew chief Todd Parrott. Parrott’s experience has helped Ambrose adjust to NASCAR and get better every race.

Ambrose has tremendous driving skills, which he shows at the road course races in both the Sprint Cup and the Nationwide Series.

Ambrose broke through and won his first career Sprint Cup Series race last season at Watkins Glen. Now the question is, when will Marcos Ambrose win an oval race?

I believe that answer is 2012.  

Both Ambrose and his team keep getting better on oval tracks and as the season goes on, Ambrose is only going to improve and be in contention to win.  

He’s going to be the favorite at the road course races and he could sweep both races.  I expect him to win at least one oval race this year.  

While everyone is focused on Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards and the other top drivers, watch out for the Tasmanian to strike and steal a few wins in 2012.

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1093058-marcos-ambrose-will-win-at-least-one-oval-nascar-race-this-season

Peyton Hillis Darren McFadden Cedric Benson LeSean McCoy Matt Forte

Davis Love III tore up the Honda Classic on Thursday, posting a 64 and a two-shot lead. Tiger Woods? He didn’t do so well. But Rory McIlroy did, as did Harris English and some other cats in Florida. Catch up now en route to Round 2.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/golf-devil-ball-golf/video-davis-love-iii-turns-back-clock-turns-163050270.html

Ryan Mathews Michael Vick Ricky Williams Michael Bush Jahvid Best

Bahrain went into Wednesday night’s World Cup qualifier with Indonesia needing to overcome a nine-goal deficit to have any hope of progressing out of its group. As luck would have it, it managed to beat its feckless opponents 10-0. 

Following the serendipitous result ? in which it even managed to miss two penalties ? the side managed by former England head honcho Peter Taylor now faces a match-fixing probe from FIFA. Reports the BBC: 

“Fifa will conduct a routine examination of this game and its result,” a spokesman told BBC Sport. 

“[This is due to] the unusual outcome in relation to the result expectation and head-to-head history – and in the interests of maintaining unequivocal confidence in our game.” 

Indonesia’s fortunes in the match weren’t helped by the fact that its goalkeeper was dismissed after two minutes, and it is believed many of its senior players were banned for having attempted to form a breakaway league in the country. Also, coming up against a side whose manager was sacked by Leicester, Wycombe and Crystal Palace is never easy. 

If any foul play was involved in the result, it was in vain: Fellow Group E side Qatar pulled off a 2-2 draw with Iran, leaving Bahrain outside of Asian zone qualifying.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/bahrain-face-fifa-investigation-suspicious-10-0-win-165534562.html

Luol Deng Manu Ginobili Michael Beasley Monta Ellis Nick Young

Mark Hunt made his name in combat sports in Japan, as he was a well-known and credentialed kickboxer. He thanked the Japanese fans with a quick knockout of Cheick Kongo at UFC 144.

[Video: Watch Hunt-Kongo fight highlights]

The two tentatively felt each other out, but when Kongo came inside, Hunt met him with a huge left that sent Kongo flying. Kongo returned to his feet, then Hunt threw a right-left combo that wobbled his opponent. He followed it with uppercuts until Kongo’s legs fell out from underneath him. The bout was stopped at 2:11 in the first round.

At 37 years old, Hunt now has three straight wins in the UFC and an overall record of 8-7. For Kongo, this loss stops him from getting a three-fight win streak.

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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/mark-hunt-takes-cheick-kongo-first-round-ufc-051328019.html

Aaron Rodgers Michael Vick Ben Roethlisberger Josh Freeman Joe Flacco

The Arizona Wildcats football program has a big problem on its hands after four players were arrested on Friday night for their role in a party brawl, according to a report on the school’s official website.

Jourdon Grandon, Fabbians Ebbele and Eric Bender were arrested on charges of criminal trespassing in the first degree and assault. Jared Tevis was arrested for trespassing. 

According to police records, residents asked Tevis and the other players to leave because they were not invited. One of the men responded by shoving one of the women backwards. The man was later identified as former safety Joshua Robbins. After being shoved, the resident slapped Robbins, who then proceeded to punch her in the face — starting a brawl between the football players and members of the party.

The report also says that the players returned to the party in a bigger group of people, “between 10 and 30.” After they returned more brawls broke out, and women reportedly were attacked by these players. 

This has to be a zero-tolerance situation for new head coach Rich Rodriguez and the Arizona athletic department.

What these players are accused of doing is disgusting, and there is no reason that they should be allowed to continue their college careers. They should be kicked out of school immediately. 

There is a legal process that they have to go through, obviously, but that is an entirely separate issue from the school. This is an embarrassment to the football program, the coaching staff, other players and the university as a whole. 

Rodriguez can’t afford to tolerate these actions. This is the first major crisis of his tenure with the Wildcats, and it has to be handled in an appropriate manner. 

Grandon, Ebbele, Bender and Tevis should be embarrassed by this entire situation. If there is any justice in the college football world, they will have plenty of time to think about it since they shouldn’t be allowed back on the field. 

Follow @adamwells1985

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1094339-arizona-football-why-university-must-make-example-of-arrested-players

Luke Scott Marco Scutaro Michael Cuddyer Michael Young Miguel Cabrera

All the stuff being covered outside the unfriendly confines of the award-winning Dirty Tackle…

That’s how Dortmund fans intimidated Wolfsburg before their side’s 5-1 win last weekend. Well done. [Brasil Mundial]

American football player wears Cristiano Ronaldo’s boots, confuses refs. [KCKRS]

Is this enough poppies? [TBG]

Even if you’re not a Bayern Munich fan and you don’t celebrate Christmas, you need this advent calendar. [FC Bayern]

Wake up. [Twisted Blood]

The perfect manager. [IBWM]

Shut up and enjoy the show — La Liga’s pub fight to the death. [Surreal Football]

Two years later — what can we learn from Robert Enke’s tragic death? [Bundesliga Fanatic]

Robin van Persie entering his prime. [STI]

Retired tennis player says Fulham players have special phones to use when calling their mistresses. [Kickette]

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/More-links-And-Borussia-Dortmund-s-awesome-skul?urn=sow-wp6545

Michael Cuddyer Michael Young

Adam Scott sure does enjoy making the most difficult shots look insanely easy. One week after he holed out for eagle at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, the Aussie marked his return to his homeland with an impressive 3-under 68 on Thursday that included an incredible albatross on the par-5 eighth hole.

After knocking his drive short of the bunker on the hole, Scott took dead aim at the pin, hitting the ball absolutely flush and then watching as it hit short of the hole and rolled in on the second shot.

Even more amazing is that Scott accomplished his two most recent hole-outs just days after having to deal with the Tiger-Stevie saga. Who knows, maybe he needs Steve Williams to make some more off-course noise. It certainly seems to be helping his game.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Adam-Scott-cards-unbelievable-albatross-at-Austr?urn=golf-wp6813

Tony Parker Zach Randolph Tom Brady Philip Rivers Aaron Rodgers

It just wouldn’t be a proper 7-on-7 without an update on some broken San Diego running back, so let’s get started with the delicate flower pictured above…

? Ryan Mathews reportedly put in a full practice on Tuesday, so he looks promising for the Thursday night match-up with the Raiders. Mathews has managed to top 100 scrimmage yards in six of his seven games this season, so you can’t easily bench him, not unless your bench options are stellar. Oakland’s defense currently ranks No. 29 against the run (139.6 YPG, 5.2 YPC), and of course that group just allowed triple-digit yardage to both Willis McGahee and Tim Tebow.

? Darren McFadden is apparently still riding around in a Rascal, a warm blanket on his lap, wishing his grandkids would call more often. Doesn’t sound like he’ll be playing on Thursday, so it’s another excellent week to start Michael Bush. Here are some key McFadden details, via Steve Corkran:

It’s a long-shot, at best, that McFadden will return after missing most of the Kansas City Chiefs game, every practice the past two-plus weeks and the Denver Broncos game last Sunday.

When last spotted, McFadden was on crutches and with his right foot in a protective boot. The smart money says, Jackson rests McFadden this week in hopes of getting him back for the Minnesota Vikings game Nov. 20.

? Hakeem Nicks (hamstring) is expected to practice in some capacity did not practice on Wednesday. Neither did Ahmad Bradshaw (broken foot). The match-up ahead against San Francisco isn’t too appealing for anyone ? the Niners are holding opponents to just 14.8 points per game, the lowest number in the league ? but it’s particularly bad for the New York running game. San Francisco has the NFL’s top-ranked run D and, incredibly enough, they still haven’t allowed a rushing score.

? There’s no link in this blurb, just a piece of advice: We’re nearly finished with the bye weeks, so it’s time to deal. As we get closer to the end-game, it becomes increasingly important to have the best possible starting fantasy roster. Trade surplus, upgrade your active lineup. Make a strong multi-player offer, maybe trading three singles for another owner’s five. When we hit Weeks 15 and 16, all those useful bench players will be wasted resources.

? I can’t see any obvious reason to be hopeful about a Felix Jones return this week. He’s not practicing on Wednesday, instead just heading in for ankle maintenance. I’ve got DeMarco Murray at No. 5 in my RB ranks this week, facing a Buffalo defense that allows 4.6 yards per carry and 120.8 rushing yards per game. Murray was fantastic last Sunday, against a highly ranked Seattle run D. He gets the strongest possible endorsement in Week 10.

? As you might have already heard, the Lions re-signed Kevin Smith recently, and he’s now running behind Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams. The team would like you to believe that this addition is unrelated to Jahvid Best’s playing status, but … well, c’mon. There hasn’t been much in the way of good news on Best, who’s suffered multiple concussions this season. Best is not likely to be available in Week 10 against the Bears, but he’s talking as if he still expects to play at some point in the second half. So that’s somewhat encouraging.

? Frank Gore suffered a left ankle sprain in Week 9 and limped away from the Niners’ win. But when asked about his availability for the Giants game, he said, “I’ll be all right.” He wore no boot on Monday, which is a relatively good sign. There’s really no benching him now, as he’s coming off five straight 100-yard performances.

—

Photo via Getty Images

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog/roto_arcade/post/7-on-7-Mathews-looks-good-for-Thursday-McFadde?urn=fantasy-wp11125

Michael Vick Ben Roethlisberger Josh Freeman Joe Flacco Matt Cassel

In what has to be a first for any league’s Most Valuable Player, the 2011 MLS MVP is Dwayne De Rosario — a man who was traded twice and played for three different teams in two different countries this season before ending the year with DC United as the league’s highest scorer. That makes him the only athlete in the history of North American professional sports to win an MVP award for a season in which he played for three different teams.

From MLSsoccer.com:

De Rosario began the year with TFC, his hometown club, but was dealt to New York on April 1 after just two games. From his central midfield spot he helped guide the Red Bulls to the top of the table by the end of April, but a prolonged, team-wide slump through May and June prompted RBNY to deal him to United for Dax McCarty.

His arrival in Washington lit the spark that propelled De Rosario to one of the most memorable hot streaks in league history. He racked up 13 goals and seven assists in his 18 games with D.C., giving him a total of 16 and 12 on the year. He was the only player in MLS to reach double-digits in both categories in 2011, finishing tied with Chris Wondolowski for the league lead in goals and placing fourth overall in assists.

Though two of the three teams he played for didn’t make the playoffs and the third just barely eked in after he left, 33-year-old De Rosario’s numbers are undeniable (he even notched a hat trick over a span of nine minutes against Salt Lake — an MLS record). Plus, you can probably make the argument that just on the sheer number of teams he played for, he really was the league’s most valuable player. Even though he made some enemies in Toronto with his check signing goal celebration last season during his contract negotiations and his harsh words for the city while on trial with Celtic during the offseason.

Here’s the MVP campaign video DC United put together for him…

Houston’s Brad Davis, Dallas’ Brek Shea and the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan rounded out the top four (in that order) in the MVP scoring, which was a weighted vote among clubs, media and players. Noticeably absent from even the top five: the league’s second-leading assist leader, David Beckham (15 assists), and the league’s third-leading goal scorer, Thierry Henry (14 goals). Also, the league’s top teammate insulter, Rafa Marquez.

So with this award added to his Golden Boot, De Rosario can now set his sights on a new goal for next season: winning both awards after playing for four different teams in one year.

Photos: Getty

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/The-2011-MLS-Most-Valuable-Player-was-traded-twi?urn=sow-wp6753

Chauncey Billups Chris Bosh Danny Granger David West DeMar DeRozan

With a jubilant presentation headlined by figure skating champ Yu-Na Kim and Korean-American bronze medalist Toby Dawson as well as a strong and compact plan for the Games, Pyeongchang captured the bid for the 2018 Olympics. It was their third bid, and their experience helped them win.

Well, that’s one way to look at it. If you’re from Munich, the city that lost to Pyeongchang, you may see it slightly differently.

“We know that in sport winning is not everything and that defeat does not spell the end,” said IOC Vice President Thomas Bach, a German who was one of Munich’s bid leaders. “But obviously we are very disappointed. It seems that the sympathy effect for the Korean proposal played its role.”

Yikes! The sympathy effect, Munich? That’s not nice. Pyeongchang worked hard to overcome their last two losses. Their presentation was moving and focused on what the legacy of sport can do for a country. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Katarina Witt would understand that, right?

“At the moment I am at a loss for words,” Witt told reporters. “Obviously we are bitterly disappointed but the decision seems to have been taken before our good presentation today and we could just not turn it around.”

Ouch, Katarina. Look, it’s awful to have your city lose out on the Olympics you’ve dreamed about for years. Trust me, I know this all too well. Even when every pundit in the world was saying that Chicago wouldn’t get the Olympics because of the political problems between the USOC and the IOC and the IOC’s wish to get an Olympics in South America, I held out hope that I’d get to see the Olympic flame burn on the shores of Lake Michigan. That means I was broken-hearted by the my city’s humiliating defeat in the race for the 2016 Olympics.

But I got over it, and you will too, Katarina and Thomas and all the other good people of Munich. It helps to indulge in two of your country’s best exports: beer and chocolate. Time eases the pain, as does a Stanley Cup championship. In a few years, you’ll forget about the disappointment, pain and hole left in your heart from your city not winning the Olympics.

At least, that’s what I’ve been told.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Munich-bitter-in-2018-Olympics-loss?urn=oly-wp406

Joe Mauer Johnny Damon Josh Hamilton Juan Pierre Luke Scott

This week has seen the UFC come up with several upcoming bouts as the Rio, Super Bowl weekend and Japan fight cards start to fill up.

UFC 142 in Brazil: Siyar Bahadurzada revealed via Twitter that he will take on Erick Silva. Silva destroyed Luis Ramos in just 0:40 at UFC 134. Bahadurzada will be making his UFC debut after putting together a record of 20-4 in Europe, Japan and Brazil. Mike Massenzio and Rousimar Palhares have also been added to this card.

UFC 143 in Las Vegas: Featherweights Erik Koch and Dustin Poirier will fight on Super Bowl Weekend. Poirier asked for the bout which will pit two rising stars against each other.

UFC 144 in Japan: Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon will meet on Feb. 26. Both lightweights are coming off wins, with Pettis taking out Jeremy Stephens and Lauzon submitting Melvin Guillard.

Jake Shields will try to put his tough 2011 behind him with a bout against Yoshihiro Akiyama. Shields lost to Jake Ellenberger in September just weeks after losing his father. This will be Akiyama’s first fight at welterweight.

In his first fight since losing in a title fight to Anderson Silva, Yushin Okami will meet Tim Boetsch in Okami’s native Japan.

Who will win these fights? Tell us in the comments or on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Matchmaker-matchmaker-Pettis-Shields-Lauzon-?urn=mma-wp9508

Dirk Nowitzki Dorell Wright Dwight Howard Dwyane Wade Joe Johnson

Tiger Woods was always going to be the biggest story at the Presidents Cup; Fred Couples made sure of that when he decided to announce more than a month prior to finalizing his team that Woods would be a part of the event, regardless of where he stood in the standings.

Since the announcement was made, we’ve seen a handful of high profile names come out and question the decision to put a struggling Woods on the team. But despite the criticism, Couples has not wavered one bit from his initial opinion that the former No. 1 was a worth pick.

Couples seems to have a lot of faith in Woods, but that still doesn’t mean he’s not trying to find other ways to make sure Woods is in a good frame of mind when he steps on the first tee on November 17th. After Michael Jordan decided to step down from his post as assistant captain at the Presidents Cup, Couples went out and tabbed John Cook to be his right-hand man.

The move seemed like a smart one. Couples and Cook were good friends, and the new assistant captain had a good relationship with the rest of the players on the team — most notably, Tiger Woods.

One Wednesday, Couples admitted that while Cook would have “probably” been his pick all along, the main reason he brought him on in the first place was to help the one player that needs a confidence boost: Tiger Woods.

“I felt like John and Tiger are very close, and that would help Tiger as much as any of the other guys,” Couples said during his press conference at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Cook even admitted that while he’s happy to be a part of the team, his main reason for being there in the first place is to do whatever it takes to have Tiger Woods ready to go.

“[Woods] just texted me and said, ‘Congrats. Really excited to have you aboard.’ I said, ‘I’ll do whatever you want me to do,” Cook said. “Get you water, get your energy bars, you know, whatever.’ That’s going to be my job.”

Honestly, I have no problem with the Cook pick. I think he’ll make a great assistant captain during the event. But the way Couples and Cook have gone about this whole announcement makes it appear that the only thing that matters at the moment is how Tiger’s feeling.

If Couples was trying to add some extra scrutiny to the pick by bringing Cook abroad to help Tiger, as well as heaping more pressure on Woods, well, he’s doing a pretty good job of making this all about one man.

The President Cup may be a team event, but if Couples continues to keep Tiger front and center, we may just find out there’s an “I” in team, after all.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
? Writer’s hope for Tiger Woods in his 2012 golf wishes
? Baseball’s ultimate free-agent tracker: What will happen to Albert Pujols?
? DaJuan Summers’ cautionary tale about life overseas during NBA lockout

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Fred-Couples-admits-he-picked-John-Cook-to-help-?urn=golf-wp6682

LeSean McCoy Matt Forte BenJarvus Green-Ellis LeGarrette Blount Fred Jackson

The Presidents Cup kicks off in one day, and that meant Fred Couples and Greg Norman were set to announce the opening-day pairings for the foursomes. Every player is out on Thursday in Melbourne, and without further ado, your American versus International pairings.

Match No. 1: Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson vs. Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa — Not a complete shocker on the American side as both these guys have become friends and share a similar outlook on faith, but a little bit of a surprise on the International side splitting up Ishikawa and Y.E. Yang. The good thing is, you pair young Ryo with a veteran in Ernie, which could really help the talented Japanese phenom.

Match No. 2: Bill Haas and Nick Watney vs. Geoff Ogilvy and Charl Schwartzel – A duo of great 2011 seasons on the American side going up against a major-heavy International team. Might not be the final match of the first day in terms of hype, but could definitely be the most competitive.

Match No. 3: Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar vs. Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day — The first set of all-Australians for the International team will be up against a tough American squad in Kuchar-Johnson. Word on the street was Johnson might get thrown out with Tiger, but it might be nice to have similar outlooks on the game for the Americans.

Match No. 4: Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk vs. Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby — While this match might have been a lot sexier in 2005, it’s still bound to be exciting with the long-hitting Lefty paired with the accurate Furyk. The biggest problem for the Americans here? The short-stick, which both have been struggling with this season.

Match No. 5: Hunter Mahan and David Toms vs. K.T. Kim and Y.E. Yang — Don’t look past this International pairing that I really like together and think could be a consistent one for Norman all week.

Match No. 6: Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker vs. Adam Scott and K.J. Choi — Here is your storyline of the first day, as Tiger will be stuck in the same group with his old caddie for the first time in competition since they broke up. Yes, Williams/Woods is the story of the first day, but watch out for Scott, who is arguably the hottest player in Australia right now, and paired with Choi, will be looking to steal the first ever point from Woods and Stricker in these matches.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Presidents-Cup-pairings-announced-Woods-William?urn=golf-wp6895

Philip Rivers Aaron Rodgers Michael Vick Ben Roethlisberger Josh Freeman

A little over a week ago, I wrote this article claiming that Penn State should receive the death penalty for what Jerry Sandusky allegedly did to those children. It received a ton of different emotions and started this huge debate of whether or not they should receive the NCAA harshest penalty if Sandusky did in fact molest little boys.

I stood firmly behind that opinion and I still do to this day.

I received tons of comments and emails saying that Penn State could not be punished by the NCAA because they didn’t break any NCAA bylaws. Well, not that we know of at least. The case is just getting started and I’m sure more and more evidence will come to light once this goes to court.

But I’m almost positive that you can read the NCAA rulebook and find a few things to use against Penn State if you really wanted to. The rulebook is over several hundred pages, there has to be something that fits this crime.

It didn’t take me long as I looked over the rules and regulations to come across this rule 2.4.

For intercollegiate athletics to promote the character development of participants, to enhance the integrity of higher education and to promote civility in society, student-athletes, coaches, and all others associated with these athletics programs and events should adhere to such fundamental values as respect, fairness, civility, honesty and responsibility. These values should be manifest not only in athletics participation, but also in the broad spectrum of activities affecting the athletics program. It is the responsibility of each institution…

Maybe I’m crazy, but I think covering up sexual abuse falls under breaking this rule. Coaches, the school president and athletic directors allegedly knew about what was happening and they chose to cover it up.

As you skim down to section 19, which is the enforcement part of the rulebook, you’ll come across rule 19.01.2 which says:

Individuals employed by or associated with member institutions for the administration, the conduct or the coaching of intercollegiate athletics are, in the final analysis, teachers of young people. Their responsibility is an affirmative one, and they must do more than avoid improper conduct or questionable acts. Their own moral values must be so certain and positive that those younger and more pliable will be influenced by a fine example. Much more is expected of them than of the less critically placed citizen.

If what Sandusky did happens to be true, this rule has been broken no matter how you want to flip or turn it. Sandusky was associated with Penn State University and allegedly molested little boys in the Penn State locker room.

He did not avoid improper conduct or questionable acts.

But let’s say that Penn State didn’t break any NCAA rules, they still did something that was beyond horrible. Does it really take a recruiting violation or a player selling a jersey to get the NCAA to step in? So, people can run around raping little boys in the showers of our schools and nothing happens, but Ohio State players get tattoos and it’s World War III?

Seems like we need to add a few more rules to the rulebook, huh? Probably the only reason that “molesting little children” isn’t in the rulebook to begin with is because nobody would have ever thought something like this would actually happen.

While I still stand beside the death penalty wish, I also understand that it probably won’t happen. Penn State is too much of a valuable football program and they bring way too much money in for the NCAA. It also wouldn’t be fair to the student-athletes that didn’t do anything wrong in this whole mess.

NCAA president Mark Emmert said they will wait and see before possibly punishing the university.

“Well we have rules and bylaws that while they were never written to address anything quite like this of course, they speak directly to the control that institutions have to maintain over their athletic departments and their programs,” Emmert said. “And they speak very directly to ethical behavior of people in those programs and we’ll apply those bylaws, and if the allegations hold up then we’ll act accordingly.”

I proved that what Sandusky allegedly did violates NCAA rules.

Let’s see if the NCAA will do something about it.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or Randy.Chambers7@yahoo.com

Bleacher Report is your home for college football for the 2011 season. From scores, news, analysis, live blogs and updates on your favorite teams and the big national games every week, keep it on Bleacher Report for the very latest in college football news.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/946880-penn-state-scandal-ncaa-may-do-something-but-it-wont-be-death-penalty

Felix Hernandez Francisco Liriano Gio Gonzalez Hiroki Kuroda Jaime Garcia

UPDATE: Kit Cope is now off the Lion Fights card because of problems with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and his use of testosterone replacement therapy. Watch the video with a cool dummy at his side to hear Cope’s side of the story.

For a guy with a 4-7 record in mixed martial arts, Kit Cope has always been able to maintain some buzz amongst MMA fans. It helps when you have a big mouth and a history with Gina Carano. People want to hear what Cope has to say.

This weekend, he can lean on his fighting a little more as he goes back to his roots on a big kickboxing card in Las Vegas. A muay thai champ for much of his early 20′s, Cope explained why he’s back in the ring with the bigger gloves.

“I never really left on purpose. It’s just that there weren’t anymore interesting kickboxing fights. There weren’t anymore interesting kickboxing promotions. Now finally there’s a resurgence from the mid-90′s, where it’s starting to gain popularity,” said Cope.

The 34-year-old is fighting all the way down at 147 pounds. He’s spent most his MMA career at 155. Cope lost to some pretty high level MMA fighters including Kenny Florian in his lone UFC fight and Rob McCullough in the WEC. You’ll notice a trend with his MMA losses, the word “submission” is awfully prevalent. Cope can laugh about his deficiencies. He acknowledges that he simply has more passion for the stand-up game.

“You’ll see a lot of awesome action. All the stuff when you’re into the UFC, you’re watching and people are cheering, and they’re like ‘oh my gosh, this is so awesome.’ That’s cause they’re standing up and doing muay thai,” Cope said. “That’s what we’re doing. So you get to stand up and cheer and think it’s awesome the entire time. Instead of waiting for (the referee) to stand them up.”

Cope is part of Lion Fight Promotions: “Battle In The Desert 4″ at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas this Saturday.

Check out the entire interview. Cope also updates everyone on his television career and his thoughts on Gina Carano and her June fight cancellation.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Update-Waifish-Kit-Cope-is-off-Vegas-kickboxi?urn=mma-wp9531

David Garrard Jon Kitna Kyle Orton Jay Cutler Eli Manning

UPDATE: Kit Cope is now off the Lion Fights card because of problems with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and his use of testosterone replacement therapy. Watch the video with a cool dummy at his side to hear Cope’s side of the story.

For a guy with a 4-7 record in mixed martial arts, Kit Cope has always been able to maintain some buzz amongst MMA fans. It helps when you have a big mouth and a history with Gina Carano. People want to hear what Cope has to say.

This weekend, he can lean on his fighting a little more as he goes back to his roots on a big kickboxing card in Las Vegas. A muay thai champ for much of his early 20′s, Cope explained why he’s back in the ring with the bigger gloves.

“I never really left on purpose. It’s just that there weren’t anymore interesting kickboxing fights. There weren’t anymore interesting kickboxing promotions. Now finally there’s a resurgence from the mid-90′s, where it’s starting to gain popularity,” said Cope.

The 34-year-old is fighting all the way down at 147 pounds. He’s spent most his MMA career at 155. Cope lost to some pretty high level MMA fighters including Kenny Florian in his lone UFC fight and Rob McCullough in the WEC. You’ll notice a trend with his MMA losses, the word “submission” is awfully prevalent. Cope can laugh about his deficiencies. He acknowledges that he simply has more passion for the stand-up game.

“You’ll see a lot of awesome action. All the stuff when you’re into the UFC, you’re watching and people are cheering, and they’re like ‘oh my gosh, this is so awesome.’ That’s cause they’re standing up and doing muay thai,” Cope said. “That’s what we’re doing. So you get to stand up and cheer and think it’s awesome the entire time. Instead of waiting for (the referee) to stand them up.”

Cope is part of Lion Fight Promotions: “Battle In The Desert 4″ at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas this Saturday.

Check out the entire interview. Cope also updates everyone on his television career and his thoughts on Gina Carano and her June fight cancellation.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Update-Waifish-Kit-Cope-is-off-Vegas-kickboxi?urn=mma-wp9531

Ronnie Brown Chris Ivory Brandon Jackson Ryan Mathews Michael Vick

In what has to be a first for any league’s Most Valuable Player, the 2011 MLS MVP is Dwayne De Rosario — a man who was traded twice and played for three different teams in two different countries this season before ending the year with DC United as the league’s highest scorer. That makes him the only athlete in the history of North American professional sports to win an MVP award for a season in which he played for three different teams.

From MLSsoccer.com:

De Rosario began the year with TFC, his hometown club, but was dealt to New York on April 1 after just two games. From his central midfield spot he helped guide the Red Bulls to the top of the table by the end of April, but a prolonged, team-wide slump through May and June prompted RBNY to deal him to United for Dax McCarty.

His arrival in Washington lit the spark that propelled De Rosario to one of the most memorable hot streaks in league history. He racked up 13 goals and seven assists in his 18 games with D.C., giving him a total of 16 and 12 on the year. He was the only player in MLS to reach double-digits in both categories in 2011, finishing tied with Chris Wondolowski for the league lead in goals and placing fourth overall in assists.

Though two of the three teams he played for didn’t make the playoffs and the third just barely eked in after he left, 33-year-old De Rosario’s numbers are undeniable (he even notched a hat trick over a span of nine minutes against Salt Lake — an MLS record). Plus, you can probably make the argument that just on the sheer number of teams he played for, he really was the league’s most valuable player. Even though he made some enemies in Toronto with his check signing goal celebration last season during his contract negotiations and his harsh words for the city while on trial with Celtic during the offseason.

Here’s the MVP campaign video DC United put together for him…

Houston’s Brad Davis, Dallas’ Brek Shea and the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan rounded out the top four (in that order) in the MVP scoring, which was a weighted vote among clubs, media and players. Noticeably absent from even the top five: the league’s second-leading assist leader, David Beckham (15 assists), and the league’s third-leading goal scorer, Thierry Henry (14 goals). Also, the league’s top teammate insulter, Rafa Marquez.

So with this award added to his Golden Boot, De Rosario can now set his sights on a new goal for next season: winning both awards after playing for four different teams in one year.

Photos: Getty

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/The-2011-MLS-Most-Valuable-Player-was-traded-twi?urn=sow-wp6753

Chris Bosh Danny Granger David West DeMar DeRozan Deron Williams

After an exciting week of tennis at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, the finals field for London is set.

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London will kick off on November 20th, and the competition is intense. 

The Tour Finals are always heated and have a history of producing some surprise winners or runners up. (David Ferrer runner-up in 2007, James Blake when he was runner up in 2006, Champion David Nalbandian in 2005, and 2009 champ Nikolay Davydenko)

I’ll lay out my own personal opinion on odds for each player to claim his title in O2 arena.

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/938696-mens-tennis-odds-for-each-player-to-win-the-london-tour-finals

Hiroki Kuroda Jaime Garcia Jered Weaver Johan Santana Johnny Cueto

While we wait for the Presidents’ Cup Day 2 matches to begin, take a moment to check out this fine new track from the ’80s hair metal knockoff band Steel Panther. (You MUST visit their website.) Crank up the neighborhood-fertilizing music; no one at work is going to mind this peppy little number. And tell me you’re not going to be singing “If you wanna be like Tiger Woods…” the rest of the day.

Visor tip: Reader Brett.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/The-greatest-80s-hair-metal-style-Tiger-Woods-s?urn=golf-wp6975

Russell Westbrook Stephen Curry Stephen Jackson Tony Parker Zach Randolph

Currently languishing a single point outside the League 2 relegation zone, former Premier League side Bradford City are having a tough season. Bantams fans faced a little more humiliation last weekend, when their 2012 official calendar went on sale at the Valley Parade club shop. The front cover of West Yorkshire’s must-have Christmas gift features an array of Bradford stars ? plus Dele Adebola. The striker enjoyed a brief loan spell with the Paraders in 2004, but he now plays for Hull. Which is why he’s wearing a Hull kit on the calendar.

The Bradford Telegraph and Argus explains that the epic fail was down to a designer who was too lazy to proof his work or consider that two teams might play in similar looking colors:

City provided images for the cover but were not part of the proofing. The pictures included a pre-season shot of Guy Branston challenging one-time Bantams loanee Adebola in a friendly at the KC Stadium.

But when the picture was used in the front-cover montage, Branston had been cropped off.

The erroneous calendars have now been recalled, and City’s Director of Operations put a positive spin on the situation, insisting that those who bought them are now in possession of a “collector’s item”.

Frankly, why anyone would want a wall calendar that features anything other than dogs doing yoga is beyond me.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/Bradford-put-Hull-City-player-on-the-front-of-th?urn=sow-wp6619

Tim Hudson Tim Lincecum Tommy Hanson Trevor Cahill Ubaldo Jimenez

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim isn’t believing the molestation allegations against Bernie Fine for a second. While the public may remain uncertain as to how true the allegations are, Boeheim accuses the victim of attempting to gain money by lying about molestation charges in light of the Penn State scandal.

Many coaches would shy away from calling coming out and calling a perceived victim a liar, but Boeheim believes he’s got the accusers motives all figured out, saying,

The Penn State thing came out and the kid behind this is trying to get money. He’s tried before. And now he’s trying again. If he gets this, he’s going to sue the university and Bernie. What do you think is going to happen at Penn State? You know how much money is going to be involved in civil suits? I’d say about $50 million. That’s what this is about. Money.

Nobody wants to see the Penn State scandal spark a molestation accusation frenzy if the claims are unwarranted, but completely writing off the claims, as Boeheim is, will land him in extremely hot water if anything comes of this investigation.

It’s unclear at this point who is telling the truth, but if the former ball boy’s claims end up holding any sort of merit, these remarks from Boeheim are going to appear unbelievably insensitive.

With so many people showing such strong support for the Penn State victims and asking others who are affected to step forward, Boeheim is really putting himself out there by calling the accuser a money-seeking liar.

The claims of extortion go too far. Even if Boeheim believes that is the only logical explanation, he’s gone beyond supporting his assistant and has officially crossed the line.

Boeheim has now jumped in the fire with his assistant. He doesn’t benefit whatsoever from doing so, and the backlash he receives is justified, whether or not he turns out to be correct.

Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/946585-bernie-fine-scandal-jim-boeheims-extortion-claims-take-defense-of-fine-too-far

Vladimir Guerrero Adam Wainwright Anibal Sanchez Brett Myers C.J. Wilson

I went through last week with a chip on my shoulder.

I was angry about the news circulating regarding the grand jury findings and subsequent charges against former Penn State defensive coach Jerry Sandusky.

I was mad as hell and I wasn’t going to take it anymore.

So I wrote this.

Even with some of the rumors circulating about what people knew or didn’t know, I felt I said my piece and had no inclination to revisit Sandusky or any other molestation story. It’s not exactly what sports writers dream about writing and the whole vocabulary needed to write such columns churns my stomach.

With the unpleasantness out of my system, I decided it was time to start writing about the upcoming matchup between the much-heralded Syracuse Orange and its once and future conference rival, Virginia Tech, in next week’s NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals in Madison Square Garden.

Then I read this headline…Syracuse coach Fine in molestation inquiry. I was shocked.

I feel the world has desensitized me somewhat.

Mass media has evolved into a beast that spews every factoid a person wanted to know was out there but was afraid to ask.

We also get everything we never cared to know. 

We used to get our news from just three major networks.

If something crazy happened in the world, it had to be important and shocking enough that it would make the 6:30 news or it wasn’t getting broadcast.

We were rationed our crazy world with a 19” pixelated sippy cup.

Today, anything and everything that happens in the world from Kardashian to Kazakhstan is a click or a pop-up away and nothing shocks me anymore, or at least I thought.

The Sandusky story shocks me. Not Sandusky’s alleged acts, but that a perceived good man such as Joe Paterno could make such terrible decisions for what seems to be either loyalty or school pride.

As far as Sandusky is concerned, the charges aren’t as shocking as they are sickening, but that is because I haven’t been familiar with the man other than him being a name in passing over the years at Penn State.

Syracuse men’s basketball assistant coach Bernie Fine, on the other hand, is someone who I’ve been familiar with since I was a lad.

Again, I’m shocked at a time when I didn’t think it was possible.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Coach Fine a few times. Nothing more than a handshake or two, and I won’t ever claim to know the man, but something about this story just isn’t sitting right with me.

He didn’t come off creepy like Sandusky. He just seemed to be a guy who, like his longtime coaching partner Jim Boeheim, bleeds orange and loves the game of basketball.

So what’s different?

I had to look deep into my own psyche and figure out if I was just in denial.

I’ve been following Syracuse Basketball since before I could spell Seikaly.

We never really know our sports idols intimately, save a few sound bites here and there, but when we put our time, treasure and hearts into our sports teams, they feel like family.

We fight and argue, all in the name of being a good fan.

The problem is that even if it’s family, there are some things that can’t be overlooked.

The allegations against Bernie Fine are just alleged at the present, but they can’t be overlooked nor dismissed just because he seems like a good guy.

When the Sandusky story broke, I wondered how I would feel if one of the beloved teams I root for went through a similar allegation.

I’ve been through New Jersey Net Jayson Williams killing his limo driver, Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry’s cocaine problems and Mike Tyson…well, take your pick with Tyson. But molestation is something I’m not familiar with and it makes me uncomfortable and angry, as it should.

I would now, unfortunately, get the answer to my inquiring mind.

It’s far too early in the process to pass judgment, but if Jim Boeheim’s word is worth anything, he vehemently claimed that Fine’s accuser, Bobby Davis, is lying about statements involving seeing Jim Boeheim in Fine’s hotel rooms at various locations.

I’d like to take Boeheim at his word.

If Davis is lying about this detail; what else could he be lying about?

Everything will come out in the wash, but the once-clean image of a man whose development of Syracuse’s big men has been almost as significant as the implementation of the 2-3 zone at the Carrier Dome, is forever tarnished.

If Davis is telling the truth, then may Fine be damned.

If Davis turns out to have made up a story to ruin a man’s career, well, I guess I’ll just be shocked again.

This time around, I would welcome the shock.

Read more College Basketball news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/946192-syracuse-basketball-allegations-a-bernie-fine-mess

LeSean McCoy Matt Forte BenJarvus Green-Ellis LeGarrette Blount Fred Jackson

No one leaves the UFC voluntarily. Dan Henderson broke that unwritten rule back in 2009 when he bolted for a bigger deal with Strikeforce. It appeared that he’d never fight for Dana White again, but crazy things happen in the world of MMA.

A nasty win streak combined with Zuffa’s unexpected purchase of Strikeforce, has Hendo right in the middle of the mix again with the UFC. The former PRIDE middleweight and light heavyweight champ faces a fellow PRIDE veteran and former UFC 205-pound champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the main event of UFC 139 tomorrow night in San Jose, Ca.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Henderson told UFC.com’s Tom Gerbasi. “When I left the UFC and went to Strikeforce, I didn’t know what was in the future. It was always a possibility; I knew the UFC wasn’t going anywhere and I know I didn’t leave on bad terms at all, so it was a matter of how things worked out at Strikeforce. And (UFC President) Dana (White) missed me so much he had to go buy Strikeforce.”

At the time, White thought Henderson (28-8, 5-2 UFC) wasn’t worth the money he was getting from Strikeforce and that his style wasn’t that crowd pleasing. Henderson changed that image by turning off the lights of Renato “Babalu” Sobral, Rafael Cavalcante and Fedor Emelianenko. Amazingly, he posted those dynamic finishes of three veteran fighters at the ages of 40 and 41.

Henderson seems to be getting better. The former Greco-Roman wrestling Olympian (1992 and 1996) says he’s gotten more proficient at pinpointing what he needs to do before and during fights to counter the aging process.

“[...] Give me a week and I’ll give you a list of what I used to be able to do. But the key is experience, knowing that I can relax in a lot of places where I used to not relax. I could keep going back then, but now I go when I need to go, and I put my energy and strength in the right places.”

An impressive win by Henderson could put him in line for a title shot against Anderson Silva at middleweight or 205-pound phenom Jon Jones. Chael Sonnen showed holes in Silva’s game. Jones is slowly earning the label of unbeatable, but Henderson doesn’t agree.

“I do think that would be a fight I would enjoy. He’s awkward and unorthodox and it creates something to think about and how to beat that, and that’s what excites me these days,” Henderson said. “I’m not one to buy into things too quickly. I’ve been doing this for a long time and seen a lot of guys beat a lot of tough guys really quick and then die out. I think he’s going to be around a long time, he’s just going to get better. But at this point he’s still got a lot to improve on, and he’s athletic and talented and he does learn. He’s got a huge future, but I think he’s got a little ways to go.”

Henderson is excited about his future which could resemble a Randy Couture or Bernard Hopkins-like run down the stretch.

“I do this for the challenge as well, and not saying there’s not tough guys to challenge me in Strikeforce, but the bigger fights and better matchups for me right now are in the UFC, so I think I will be retiring in the UFC, and not somewhere else,” he said. “I’m not retiring soon, but I won’t be going anywhere and I’ll be fighting the remainder of my fights in the UFC I’m sure.”

Anyone willing to bet against Henderson? With what we’ve seen recently, who can doubt him?

Watch UFC 139 right here on Yahoo! Sports

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Older-but-wiser-Dan-Henderson-returns-to-UFC-wit?urn=mma-wp9611

Ryan Torain Marshawn Lynch Tim Hightower Mike Tolbert Ronnie Brown

Ian Thorpe is returning to the pool next month in hopes of making an Olympic comeback in London. Except, he’s not at all confident about his prospects and already is making excuses for his failure. In a rambling interview with The Telegraph, Thorpe laid out his modest expectations for the comeback, then contradicted himself a few times before restating said modest expectations. We’ve highlighted some of the most defeatist quotes from the interview:

1. “I’m more comfortable knowing that, chances are, I’m going to fail at this. I’ve become comfortable with that.”

That’s the spirit!

2. “My goal at the start — and this will remain my goal through the Olympics – was to be able to swim faster than I used to. If at any stage I didn’t think I could do that, I don’t know if I’d continue.”

If that was his goal and he has already said he’s going to fail at his goal, shouldn’t he not continue? It’s a maze of reasoning that I don’t quite understand. Who exactly is Thorpe lowering expectations for? The public or himself?

3. “Medals are good but, for us in swimming, times are better because you have very little control over who wins.”

Right, because Michael Phelps totally would have been happy in Milorad Cavic out-touching him in the 100 fly in Beijing because, more important than the gold medal he lost, he’d have had a best time.

4. “Push yourself beyond that and take that attitude of not just trying to win by one tenth of a second when you can win by two seconds. Take it that far. That’s athletic accomplishment, not just what you get to wear around your neck.”

I thought it doesn’t matter whether you win or not?

5. “I don’t think anyone’s done this before with the timeframe that I have. Realistically, it’s probably too short.”

Either he fails to live up to the loftiest, unrealistic expectations as predicted or he surpasses them and sets himself up as a conquering hero. In a way, it actually could be a brilliant PR move.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Ian-Thorpe-s-defeatist-circular-logic-about-his-?urn=oly-wp834

Peyton Manning Matt Ryan Drew Brees David Garrard Jon Kitna

If you wondered why the UFC was so eager to return to Brazil, just months after their jam-packed UFC 134 event, watch this video of Junior dos Santos returning home to Brazil after winning the heavyweight championship. You don’t have to watch the whole thing to get the idea — especially if you get seasick — but catch the last 20 seconds to see “Cigano” celebrate atop a firetruck.

Who wouldn’t want to be greeted by a brass band, hordes of cheering fans, media, cameras and a firetruck? That sort of passion for dos Santos speaks both to the love of MMA in Brazil and to his popularity.

Thanks to Ariel Helwani.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Watch-Junior-dos-Santos-return-to-Brazil-after-w?urn=mma-wp9566

Danny Granger David West DeMar DeRozan Deron Williams Derrick Rose

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/11/17/2568334/bob-davie-hired-new-mexico-coach-notre-dame

Michael Bush Jahvid Best Danny Woodhead Justin Forsett Brandon Lloyd

It’s hard to remember a time when the Heisman race was this wide open so late in the season. With the season coming to a close, it’s impossible to pick a front-runner.

The upcoming games are going to be critical, and though the field has been cut down significantly, Andrew Luck’s performance against Oregon proves that it only takes one game to completely turn the Heisman race upside down.

There are a number of potential finalists still lurking in the race. Here are seven players who are in contention to be a Heisman finalist.

Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State

Brandon Weeden has become the Heisman front-runner. He put up an insane 502 yards through the air and four touchdowns against Kansas State and followed it up with a 423-yard performance and five touchdowns against the Texas Tech team that fed Landry Jones a loss.

Weeden still has Oklahoma lying in front of him. Oklahoma State’s offense has been unstoppable this season, and if he takes down Jones and the Sooners, he’s not just a lock to be a finalist, he’s a lock to win the award.

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

So Andrew Luck is human. Somebody sound the alarm.

All of the hype surrounding Luck has people completely caught off guard when he makes a bad throw. Chris Owusu going down has made it so Stanford has virtually no true playmaker wide receivers in the offense.

Luck still has a chance to bounce back, but he faces an uphill battle in competing with Weeden. Weeden is throwing to Justin Blackmon in Oklahoma State’s high-octane offense.

That doesn’t mean that he’s out of contention though. He’s thrown 29 touchdowns on the season, and one bad game against the Ducks shouldn’t define his season. Luck is a shoo-in for one of the finalist spots.

Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Trent Richardson is an absolute beast. He’s the most complete back in the nation and with an incredible seven games of over 100 yards, he’s the best player on one of the best teams in the entire nation.

While the No. 1-ranked Alabama defense is deservedly soaking up a lot of the attention, Trent Richardson has been the best player on the field in every game he’s played in this season, including the one against LSU, where Richardson had 89 yards rushing and another 80 receiving.

Case Keenum, QB, Houston

It’s unclear if Case Keenum is just a product of the Houston offense, and frankly, it doesn’t matter. He’s the driving force behind the No. 1 offense in the nation and is putting up numbers that put Luck and Weeden’s numbers to shame.

Is he taking advantage of weak Conference USA opponents, picking apart defenses with the offense that has perfected spacing out defenses and putting up insane numbers that would be impossible to attain in a major conference?

Yep.

Even so, he has to be given credit for throwing 37 touchdowns and just three picks. He’s just 49 yards away from hitting the 4,000-yard mark, and his historic nine-touchdown performance against Rice launched him right into the thick of the Heisman race.

Houston is on the verge of cracking the top 10. How long is the “system quarterback” connotation going to be used as an excuse to write off ridiculously productive quarterbacks who make all the right decisions?

LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

LaMichael James isn’t going to let a little missed time knock him out of the Heisman race. Battling back from an ugly dislocated elbow makes his season even more unforgettable.

It’s incredible that his brief time away didn’t deter him from racking up 1,207 rushing yards this season. His three touchdowns and 146 yards against Stanford are even more impressive than the 288 yards he racked up against Arizona.

Many felt James was out of the race the moment he dislocated his elbow. Apparently, he didn’t get the memo.

Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

Kellen Moore took a huge hit in the Heisman race when Boise State lost to TCU. If he had managed to bring Boise State within striking distance of a national championship, he may have had a shot at winning the award.

While he’s got no chance at winning the award now, he’s still got a chance to be a finalist. Keenum’s numbers dwarf his, and he isn’t having the season that Oklahoma State is.

A win over Georgia to start the season should outweigh the one-point loss to TCU, but voters have to be stingy with the talented group of candidates in the race.

His numbers, 2,549 and 31 touchdowns, are impressive, Moore is just up against it with the crop of quarterbacks he’s up against.

Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma

Landry Jones gets to square off against Robert Griffin III and Brandon Weeden before the season ends. Jones lost to Texas Tech, but taking down those talented quarterbacks after demolishing Kansas State will make voters have a quick memory.

Jones has a chance to finish out this season with a bang and even with their ugly loss, they aren’t out of the national championship picture.

He’s got a solid chance at finishing the season with over 4,000 yards, and if he is able to win out, he’s going to be a dark horse to win the award outright.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/947013-heisman-watch-2011-projecting-legitimate-trophy-finalists

Deron Williams Derrick Rose Dirk Nowitzki Dorell Wright Dwight Howard

It may be tough to remember now, but there was a time when Tiger Woods was the most dominant player in golf. (It’s true. We checked.) And while he’s had his troubles in match play events, he was dead-bang flawless in the 2009 Presidents Cup at Harding Park Golf Club in San Francisco. The U.S. thumped the internationals, 19½ to 14½, marking the sixth American win in eight gatherings.

The U.S. team, captained by Fred Couples and vice-captained by Michael Jordan, was a mix of old-line stars (Woods, Phil Mickelson, Kenny Perry) and newcomers (Anthony Kim, Lucas Glover, Hunter Mahan). Greg Norman‘s internationals were even more diverse, ranging from Vijay Singh and Ernie Els to 18-year-old Ryo Ishikawa.

Oh, and this was only about six weeks before a certain one-car accident. We were all so young then, weren’t we?

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Presidents-Cup-flashback-Tiger-Woods-dominates-?urn=golf-wp6873

Pau Gasol Paul Millsap Paul Pierce Ray Allen Russell Westbrook

Well hello there.

I see you’ve caught me jetting around the world during the international break. Now that I’m retired from dominating the early qualifying rounds of international football, I, like you, must find inventive and erotic ways to occupy my time during the many long and tedious international dates. And since you’re not currently making out with me right now, I’m assuming you’re quite bored. So here are a few arousing options to help you fill your Berba-barren minutes.

-Read a magazine The Berba Way: Right now I am reading The Economist because I require intellectual stimulation just as much as physical stimulation — which you can begin at any time, by the way. But instead of reading it in the unintelligent way it was written, I change every third word to either “sexy,” “thrusting,” or “mayonnaise” to ensure every article is titillating and meaningful. So while we wait for my hot tub filled with dairy products to heat up, you can do the same with the issue of Playboy beside you. Ha-HA!

-Play a board game The Berba Way: Board games are often thought of as activities for slow children and elderly couples who can’t afford lubricants, but this is not entirely true. With slight modifications, board games can bring enjoyment to groups of all legal ages. For example, in the back of this plane, I have a custom Monopoly board that looks very similar to a water bed with a large video camera manned by my cousin Timitar at the foot of it. Would you like to start a new game by drawing a custom Chance card? Ha-HA! … No, you can’t use a “get out of jail free” card to force me to never speak to you again.

-Loitering in department store dressing rooms The Berba Way: Would you like to meet new people and see them in various states of surprise and undress? Then partake in the very best form of volunteer work as an unpaid yet extremely “hands-on” dressing room attendant. In addition to being asked existential questions like, “What are you doing here?!” you also get the added adventure of never being able to visit the same store twice and frequent guest appearances by the local police, who present a whole additional spectrum of networking opportunities.

Of course, those are just a few of the ways to keep yourself occupied during the lack of club football. There are several more I can think of right now, but it would be best if I removed these restrictive tear-away trousers first.

Oh-OHHH! These trousers were not tear-aways! Oh, this is terrible. Not being allowed to try on clothing in certain shops is the only drawback to loitering in department store dressing rooms The Berba Way. Now I’ll have to spend the rest of the flight without pants. Please alert the stewardesses. Ha-HA!

Join us again next time for another chapter in the life of…The Continental…

Photo: Getty

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/Dimitar-Berbatov-is-The-Continental?urn=sow-wp6597

Derrick Rose Dirk Nowitzki Dorell Wright Dwight Howard Dwyane Wade

In 2001, I had my first big motorsports interview with NHRA Funny Car legend John Force in the quiet luxury of his motor coach at Gainesville Raceway in Florida. To no surprise to any of his many fans, Force was anything but silent.

That interview was supposed to be limited to 15 minutes, but it went on for a raucous hour when Force shifted to his entertainment mode.

I prepared weeks in advance for that interview moment and had dozens of questions logged in a small notebook. It was my first big opportunity.

After five questions with solid answering by Force, I asked him this.

In some ways success can be tougher than failure. What bugs you the most about being successful?

“People take you for granted, that you always did it,” Force said. “Like they want to say, ‘he was always rich’, and some people aren’t always rich, they earn it. Ask that whole question again.”

I repeated the question, but as I did Force asked for and snatched my notebook and started flipping through the pages. As he held my notebook captive he was quick to blurt.
“You didn’t make these (expletive) questions up,” Force said. “You ain’t that (expletive) smart.”

I laughed and answered, “I created them, John.” I was also wondering what I was going to do without my questions, but John let me get my notebook back after he read several of my questions

Force has mellowed some since then and tossed his use of profanity, but his animated character remains as colorful as ever.

But back then during our first interview my questions were outside the normal routine journalistic inquiry. His curiosity was challenged and he seemed to enjoy the nature of my probing and sometimes unique questions. That’s probably why a 15 minute limit turned into a fun hour.

Several years after Force got my question book, I was on the way to a racing event on a back road trip in the southern Georgia. One of several road-side Vidalia onion display stands caught my eye and brakes.

The roof of the stand had onions hanging in net-like bags with two sizes and two prices. As I studied the bags I wondered, too, about the onions—small ones in three-pound bags and large ones in five-pound bags. The price was not hefty for either.

As a young girl, about 16 years old, sat at the front of the stand—an older lady worked behind the structure, bagging onions.

I pondered a bit about the produce and then asked the young girl what the difference was between the small onions and the large onions. She wasn’t prepared for any inquiry and turned to her mom for an answer.

“Momma … What’s the difference between the big’ns and little’ns?”

Momma wasn’t swift answer, but with a smooth Southern drawl she soon spoke in a helpful country way.

“The Big’ns had been in the ground longer.”

It was all I could to buy a five pound bag without laughing.

As I drove away and down the quite country road smiling, it hit me after a few miles that my question was not specific. I should have asked about taste in addition to size. That lesson in specifics has followed me for about a decade.

My access and media credibility grew with the Internet, and with it chances to ask questions rose exponentially.

Many times since the onion encounter I’ve been privileged to ask many NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA stars and other celebrities multiple questions.

As my access improved I worked harder to make my questions tough and specific. Thousands of experiences later the effort has proved productive.

I like to think my questions are sometimes unique, intense and prone to swift delivery, but what do I know? I learned as much from an onion lady on a country road as I did in numerous writing classes.

It’s time to fast forward and return to the present. Comparing the John Force of a decade ago to the present champion is the focus of this series and more quotes from the past will be placed side-by-side with present thoughts for fan review.

Force answered this question in 2011.

Some might say John Force has a built-in power cord to supply energy. Where do you believe you get your energy?

“I never lie, but I embellish a lot. Basically I’m kind of full of it sometimes. But I’m full of a dream. I sell everything I can. That’s what it’s all about. Instead of just giving energy, I’m a storyteller–sometimes not so good. I’ve been thrown out of the few shows.

“I stay with what I know, auto racing. That’s what I do. I try to entertain, because we’re in the entertainment business. We think we just race for a living, but we’re in the entertainment business.”

Following John Force, an FYI WIRZ series by Dwight Drum at Racetake.com will return with the next part soon.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained from personal interviews provided by John Force Racing or during NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series teleconferences.

Photo credit: Dwight Drum at Racetake.com

Read more Motorsports news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/941701-fyi-wirz-following-nhras-john-force-a-fast-decade-of-questions-and-answers

Marques Colston Brandon Marshall Jason Witten Terrell Owens Jeremy Maclin

Junior dos Santos won the UFC heavyweight belt with a quick knockout of Cain Velasquez on the UFC’s network debut on Saturday night. If you had any doubt that referee John McCarthy made the right call in stopping the fight, this picture from Tracy Lee should erase it.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Photo-Junior-dos-Santos-convincing-KO-of-Cain-?urn=mma-wp9429

Andre Johnson Dwayne Bowe Larry Fitzgerald Calvin Johnson Santana Moss

The IOC announced Friday that athletes at the 2012 Olympics will be banned from possessing needles and syringes. The announcement is part of the IOC’s ongoing efforts to rid the event of performance-enhancing drugs.

Athletes and doctors will need medical clearance to bring needles in living areas, locker rooms, practice sites and competition venues.

Some thoughts:

1. Have athletes been openly flaunting their needle possession? Because that’s the only way this rule would have any impact. Of all the things that cheating athletes have to do to cover-up steroid use, hiding the needle is probably the easiest thing. This is like DUI enforcement teams banning empty beer bottles from cars.

2. “We won’t accept medical equipment like syringes and needles in the field of play.” – IOC medical commission chairman Arne Ljungqvist

Finally! There have been far too many instances in past Olympics of sprinters shooting themselves up with deca durabolin during races. Remember when those East Germans would get on the starting blocks wearing bathing suits, goggles, caps and fanny packs filled with syringes and vials? Or that infamous 1988 incident in which Soviet doctors injected a boxer with anabolic steroids in full view of reporters and his wife/manager before a big fight? (Note: This may have been “Rocky IV.”)

3. What’s the next step, banning all pills that look similar to steroids? All shady-looking doctors? Words that contain the letters E-P-O?

4. How is enforcement of this rule going to work anyway? Unless the IOC is proposing random room and bag checks, there’s no way to catch violators unless they’re really dumb, in which case they probably wouldn’t be able to evade testing in the first place.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/IOC-bans-needles-from-Olympics-because-that-will?urn=oly-wp421

DeSean Jackson Hakeem Nicks Miles Austin Marques Colston Brandon Marshall

Is it going to be a flat serve out wide, is it going to be a slice serve, a top spin serve or will it be a kick serve? 

This is the thought process you go through as you watch your opponent eye up the descending ball. 

Like chess, there are a variety of strategies in tennis implemented when serving. 

Let’s look at the 30 most feared male tennis servers in the history of the game. 

Begin Slideshow

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/941313-roger-federer-and-the-30-most-feared-servers-of-all-time

Luis Scola Luol Deng Manu Ginobili Michael Beasley Monta Ellis

It’s a loaded pod this week ? or at least it felt that way ? as we scrapped the usual game previews in favor of a forward-looking mid-season sweep of the league. We discuss buy-low and sell-high candidates, we talk trade strategy, we name a few players you can safely drop, then we list teams that have the friendliest fantasy playoff schedules. Again: Loaded. And then we spend the final minutes discussing fantasy pick-ups for Week 9. Do the do…

The Fantasy 46, Mid-Season Review

In future weeks, the idea is to focus more on individual match-ups and sit/start dilemmas, maybe take some Twitter questions. I’d like this thing to complement the fine audio work that Doug Farrar and Greg Cosell are already doing on Shutdown Corner. No need for multiple game previews. Please check out the SC podcast, because those two are as good as it gets. I’ll be over here, recommending running backs and receivers.

To subscribe to the 46, you can click this. (I won’t make anymore iTunes promises until that’s a done deal). If you have a question for the hosts, hit these links: @andybehrens, @bmac670. We’re both willing to respond, sometimes correctly. And as always, feel free to use the comments section however you like…

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Photo via US Presswire

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog/roto_arcade/post/The-Fantasy-46-Podcast-ep-10-Special-mid-seas?urn=fantasy-wp10853

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There was always an idea current, during Roger Federer’s heady days of dominance, that winning the French Open would make up for all the losses he had had to suffer there. He had won five Wimbledons from 2003-07, but still couldn’t quite get past the hurdle of the Parisian terre-battue.

That all ended, of course, in 2009, when he clinched that career-defining maiden Roland Garros title.

Something similar happened yesterday, when, more than two years since he last won in Paris, and nearly two years since he last won a grand slam, Federer claimed the Paris Masters 2011.

It was something on a smaller scale, for sure, and little to be compared to the other titanic achievements of his illustrious career. But as it goes with Federer nowadays, any victory makes history, and this one was no different.

For one, he faced his first final at the Paris Masters, but one which completed a remarkable set that had begun nearly 10 years ago, with his first Masters Series final at Miami in 2002. No one, ever, has made it to all the finals of the Masters Series circuit; but here, Roger the Extraordinary made history even before swatting a forehand against Jo-WIlfried Tsonga.

Unfortunately for the Frenchman, Federer did come out swatting forehands, and he did just about everything right to emerge the undoubted champion for 2011, 6-1, 7-6. For the most part it was a sublime performance. Perhaps it wasn’t as dazzling as his dismantling of Tomas Berdych the day before.

He faced break points—something the Czech had failed even to muster—for many a service game, had to fend off deuces and tight moments. He was holding serve even where he probably shouldn’t have, while Tsonga was losing his when he probably should have held.

The truer story was told in the second set, when both men held serve unflinchingly to force a tiebreak. Tsonga, it should be said, held close to Federer; but only close. He could not surpass.

When the right moments came the Swiss master raised his game appropriately. At 5-6, and serving for a tiebreak, one was held spellbound by a succession of ferocious forehands, inside in and inside out. Some have said that Federer lacks the power of others, but there it was unleashed, effortlessly and irrepressibly.

It was a return to the old days, simple and short. Paris 2011 will be the sequel to many a late-season title charge that Federer pursued in the past, and in fact was highly reminiscent of the last few months of his annus mirabilis in 2006. Tsonga was chalked up just as Federer had so many other victims—Gonzalez, Hewitt, Henman and Roddick, of all.

Victory over Tsonga, and Berdych in the semis, and on both occasions so convincingly, must surely be satisfying for Federer. He is not vengeful, but Paris has now avenged Wimbledon. Where he had always won, on the lawns of Wimbledon, he had lately been dethroned by these two very foes—in 2010 by Berdych in the quarters, and this year by Tsonga in the same round.

They were both, no doubt, crushing defeats in some sense. Federer will likely only achieve an apt measure of retribution in defeating them there sometime in the future. But where they had defeated him at a tournament he had always won, he had now defeated them, at a tournament he was almost never going to win.

At least, it took nine appearances before he did so. Federer isn’t done yet—one would know that when, even at 30, he is achieving firsts in his career.

Read more Tennis news on BleacherReport.com

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/939251-roger-federer-wins-paris-masters-for-the-first-time-avenges-wimbledon

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Junior dos Santos knows all about Cain Velasquez’s decorated wrestling background and legendary stamina, but he thinks his technical boxing will be the difference in making it a short night for the reigning UFC heavyweight champ.

JDS began working with famed Brazilian boxing coach Luis Carlos Dorea back in 2006. He quickly transitioned from being a guy who relied on his jiu-jitsu to one who could overwhelm opponents with good footwork, hand speed and power punching. Dos Santos said that combination will prevent the fight from going the full five rounds.

“No, no … for sure no. I’m going to finish this fight before that. I want to finish,” Dos Santos told the media gathered at the UFC on Fox workout day in Rosemead, Ca. “Heavyweight fights, when they go five rounds they’re boring fights. I know Cain Velasquez is very fast. He’s a different heavyweight. Me too, I’m very fast for the division too. For sure, it’s going to be a war. I think it’s going to finish before the third round.”

Dos Santos has also worked a lot with Acelino “Popo” Freitas, a world champ at both 130 and 135 pounds. The Brazilian stopped fighting in 2007 with 38-2 record that included 36 KO’s. Dos Santos’ camp also covered the wrestling aspect of the fight by bringing in a huge wrestler to simulate Velasquez’s hard-charging style. Josh Janousek, a squatty, fast wrestler in the mold of Velasquez has been working with JDS and Antonio Nogueira since the beginning of the year.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-on-Fox-video-Dos-Santos-says-boxing-coaches?urn=mma-wp9280

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