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The athletes, staff, friends and families of the Iditarod are sad and will say their last goodbyes to a pioneer and hero of the Last Great Race on Earth, on September 2, 2006.

Four-time winner of the Iditarod, Susan Butcher, age 51, died Aug. 5 in a Seattle hospital after battling leukemia for a year. Her body rejected a bone marrow transplant after having received a stem cell transplant two months previous. She lived less than a year after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2005. This life is over just way too fast.

A memorial service will be held in Fairbanks, Alaska on September 2, according to the Iditarod champion web site. The service will be held in the Davis Concert Hall on the University of Alaska, Fairbanks Campus, beginning at 4 p.m. Alaska time. Please take a few moments at that time, wherever you are, to pay silent respects to Ms. Butcher and send a few good thoughts for her grieving family.

The Iditarod is a feat of endurance just to begin, let alone finish, let alone win. And she won 4 times. Because of Butcher, people like the legally-blind young woman, Rachel Scdoris, gained the courage to try the 1100-mile race through blizzard and ice themselves. Legally blind. She scratched in 2005, but she didn't come in last in 2006 - she was 57 out of 83 - she beat 26 people who could see! America is certainly a testament to the determination and courage if its people who come from all over the world. Maybe that's why we usually seem to all get along better for the two weeks or so of the Summer and Winter Olympics every two years.

This Iditarod Sled Dog Race was all male from its beginning in 1973, and women competed in early years, but were not serious competition. Butcher began closing in though, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, moving steadily northwest. Steadily away from civilization as well. She moved to the Alaska bush and trained dogs, living without electricity or even running water, all alone. Meeting Joe Redington Sr., the founder of the Iditarod, she trained on his family's property near Anchorage. He became her mentor and friend. This should be a movie! Later, Redington, Butcher, their guide Ray Genet, and a photographer executed an extreme adventure by mushing dog teams to the 20,320-foot peak of the highest mountain in North America - Mt. McKinley - in 1979. When you can do something like this, everyday problems seem quite small. That's why people do these things. By doing them, they also set an example for others to gain hope for overcoming adversity, and have fun while doing it.

Some detractors put down the Iditarod as animal abuse; and yes, some dogs die every year. But the ones that live are happy. And the ones that are pulled out for health reasons become depressed when they cannot run. One pulled dog in 2005 escaped from his crate at the airport and ran around the field and nearby woods for 24 hours before being captured to go home. He wanted to race. In 1925, part of the Iditarod Trail became a life-saving route for fighting the Diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska. Diphtheria threatened lives and the serum had to be brought in by dog mushers and their faithful dogs. The Iditarod is a commemoration of this life-saving event and the lives of the two hardest working dogs in 1925: Togo and Balto. Iditarod means clear water and was named by the Shageluk Indians for the Iditarod River.

From 1978, Susan worked her way up from 19th to second place in the Iditarod in 1985 and was disappointed, but also spurred on toward meeting the challenge. She re-entered the race and won in 1986, 1987 and 1988 with lead dog Granite. She took second place again in 1989 and, not willing to settle for second best, Susan came back to become the only four-time grand champion in 1990. The Iditarod took up nearly her whole life for 10 years and she did not have her children until 1994, after she had retired from the Last Great Race.

Susan's husband has lost a good partner and friend and we send prayers up for him and the kids and good thoughts his way as well. David Monson has also been a musher himself, and a champion of the Yukon Quest, the 1000-mile sled dog race. While Susan Butcher could be funny and charming, she was brusque during the race, concentrating and highly focused. David always supported her. Their oldest daughter, Tekla, is named after the lead sled dog that saved the lives of Butcher and her whole sled dog team by refusing to mush across overflowing river water and melting ice that others did not see. Daughter Tekla is 11, and her sister Chisana is only 6. They have quite a legacy behind them and they have her dogs.

Susan has a childrens book coming out this fall: 'GRANITE is Susan's self-published children's book about her legendary lead dog Granite. Susan tells the story of how Granite overcame adversity through a combination of Susan's love and guidance, and his own strength, spirit, and drive to dominate sled dog racing for many years. Full color linoleum block prints illustrate Susan and Granite's life together in Alaska and the many adventures they experience out on the trail.' - from Susan's Butcher Web site.


I do not know the word quit. Either I never did, or I have abolished it. - Susan Butcher.

By Simon Woodhouse

To many people, Netball is seen as the poor relation of Basketball. Basketball has the big stars, the big TV contracts, the big sponsorship deals - the big money. Basketball also features big men; giants who fill the court, tower over the basket, and make the rest of us feel very inadequate. On the other hand, Netball appears to be a more sedate game, played primarily by women, and something real men shouldn't get involved with. And I must admit that was how I saw Netball until I actually sat down and watched a game.

Here in New Zealand there's a small but well-supported domestic Netball league. The season is short, starting at the end of April and lasting for no more than ten weeks. But during those ten weeks the action is full on. Whoever thinks Netball is a non-contact sport should try watching a game. The women on court may look feminine, but from the moment the first whistle is blown all things gentile and ladylike are brushed aside.

Each fifteen minute quarter is played with a level of commitment and intensity that rivals anything Basketball, or any other team sport come to that, has to offer. But because there's no running with the ball allowed, scoring isn't a matter of an individual player rushing from one end of the court to the other and slamming the ball in the net. Netball requires an element of strategic thought on the part of the coach. The players are also restricted to particular zones of play outside of which they're not allowed to venture, so quick, accurate passing is the key to winning. Quick being the operative word, because you're not allowed to hold onto the ball for more than three seconds.

A sense of urgency purveys every move, and it's probably this constant, high-energy pace that leads to tempers becoming a little frayed. This isn't Ice Hockey though, no one actually comes to blows and tries to batter the opponent, but there's plenty of pushing and shoving.

The New Zealand Domestic league provides a short, well-contested spectacle. International matches, on the other hand, ramp the action up to a whole other level. For such a small country (population around four million), New Zealand does very well on the international Netball scene. And I suppose it's only fitting their greatest rival is Australia. Each year the two countries play about half a dozen matches, which from the word go are hard fought contests. Normal, gentile women turn into the sort of people you really wouldn't want to mess with. Because the zoning rule only allows certain players to occupy specific areas of the court, part of the Netball strategy is to closely mark members of the other team. Over the course of sixty minutes you can see real grudge matches developing, all be it played out with a degree of restraint demanded by the non-contact rule.

This year (2006) the Commonwealth Games took place in Melbourne, Australia. Netball became a recognized Commonwealth sport in 1998, so it's still a relatively new addition to the event. Twelve teams competed in the tournament, but like something from a Hollywood movie script (Netball meets Rocky), New Zealand and Australia ended up facing each other in the final. Not only the final, but also the very last event in the whole Commonwealth Games schedule. Up until that point Australia had been the clear leaders in the medal table, with over eighty golds, compared to England, their nearest rival, with only thirty six. New Zealand had five, a less than stellar showing. Could the Netball team pull something out of the bag and not only get another gold, but stuff it to the Aussies in the process? Yes, of course they could, and they did. Though it was a close thing in the end, with New Zealand winning 60 - 55.

Though the domestic league doesn't offer enough financial support to allow the players to become professionals, they are certainly recognizable faces. Perhaps they don't attain the same god-like status as pro Basketballers in the US, but they do pop up on TV advertising everything from whirlpools spas, cheap flights on the national airline, and (rather predictably) domestic kitchen appliances. There are plans afoot to double the number of games played each season, which I think will be a real winner. In a country ruled by Rugby, one of the most macho of all the male dominated sports, it's nice to see the ladies getting a look in, and for all the right reasons as well.

There are people all over the world in numbers ranging in the millions who are looking for a great exercise program that will eliminate unwanted fat. This is a noble cause. What people need to realize, however, is that it is not so much finding the right exercise program (although it is extremely important), but also a simple understanding of what constitutes fat.

It is important that people understand what fat actually is. Fat is excess calories that were not burned by the body and, as such, have been relegated to being stored for fuel at a later date. Now, if one continues to overeat on top of the stored calories that one has consumed, then that stored away fat will never be accessed for use as energy. What needs to happen is that the fat be utilized either by a diet reduction in the number of calories to consume or by doing a great deal of cardio exercise so as to burn the excess weight off. Actually, the best option would be to perform a combination of both diet and exercise.

On a side note, calorie reduction, many times, has nothing to do with eating less, but with eating right. If one is eating good food, then one will be consuming less calories because good food will be low in fat and sugar, both of which, by their very nature, are high calorie foods.

To eliminate one pound of fat from one's diet, one would need to eliminate 3,500 calories that have been stored as fact. If one is wondering what kind of activity will burn that much fat in one session, the answer is to run the Boston Marathon. 3,500 calories is an insane amount. Realistically, one may be able to burn 1 to 1.5lbs a week. Anything beyond that would be quite difficult. After all, how much time does one have to dedicate to doing cardio work? Doing an hour of cardio a night will probably be all one will have time to do. Those athletes who are ripped to shreds usually look that way because they are working out three or more hours a day.

Yes, there are those out there who will have claimed to have lost five to seven pounds in one week. There is no doubt this is true. Losing seven pounds of WEIGHT, however, is not the same thing as losing seven pounds of FAT. When one drops weight, one not only loses fat, one can also lose water, muscle or glycogen stores.

This is the secret of the low carb diets. When one goes on a low carb diet, most of the weight that is initially dropped is water. Carbs stores water and when the carb reserves are depleted over a period of time, then there will be a corresponding drop in water weight that will be pretty pronounced. Yes, one will lose fat on a low carb diet, but this is due to the dropping of calories as many carbs are very high in calories, particularly simple carbs that come from processed sugars.

Eliminating calories must come from the elimination of really bad foods that contain a ton of useless carbs and fat. A McDonald's lunch will be loaded with an insane amount of both and will rack up quite a bit of calories. A Big Mac, French Fries and Vanilla Shake may contain upwards of 1,700 calories that won't even keep a person full beyond a couple of hours. (None of the ingredients contained in such bad food digests slowly, so the body ends up getting hungry quicker)

So, eat leaner meats and vegetables along with getting one's carbs from natural sources of fruits and grains. Be forewarned, even if one eats too many good carbs, one's weight may balloon when the unused glucose turns to fat. Carbs are for energy and should be used on days when one is more active. Carbs should not be demonized, but they do need to have an eye kept on them.

Ultimately, getting rid of excess fat requires a person to show discipline at the dinner table and in the gym. When one develops that disciplined nature, one will have ninety-percent of all weight loss problems solved.

In the world of kickboxing in the United States, most practitioners will define kickboxing as the PKA style that was popular in the 1970's and the emergence of Muay Thai into the United States years later. Of course, kickboxing is a far wider world than what its history in the USA is. Probably one of the most overlooked martial arts during this timeline has been the French Kickboxing art of Savate.

In the USA, kickboxing is not the spectator sport it once was so, this piece will focus primarily on an overview of savate training in North America. Savate training in France would, of course, be much different with an emphasis on fighting professionally and in front of large crowds. Since this landscape does not exist in North America, savate is primarily trained for fun and hobby and competitions are generally an extension of the classroom.

Savate's origins date back over three hundred years. It is believed that Savate (loosely translated as "old boot") was developed by sailors on the high seas and that the kicking grew out of the needed to extend one's arms for balance when the boat rocked back and forth. In time, savate became a ring sport and it practiced all over the world. While savate is hugely popular in some areas, it is virtually unknown in other areas. In the United States, it has a very small following as the number of savate schools and instructors in North America are few and far between.

Savate's use of kicks is far different than many other systems in that savate operates as a precision kicking art that uses the tip of the shoe to deliver damage. Other arts use a more disbursed impact method where the instep or the shin is used to delivering damage. Both are effective and compliment each other quite well.

Of course, the toe will break if such a kick is delivered barefoot so savate, until virtually all kicking arts, wears the shoe during training and develops the use of the shoe as a weapon. This can come in handy as a self defense art as it changes the dynamic of the kick and a lot of power is not needed.

As a competition, there is three levels of competition light and full contact amateur and full contact pro. Light contact is pretty much the types of events that are held in the USA and the emphasis is to display technique and not try to knock someone out. This allows this form of competition to be more accessible to students who wish to won their skills. In amateur Muay Thai, for example, there is more chance of injury because the level of physical contact is much more pronounced. There is no light contact variant of this art.

This is not to say the Savate training is not physical. The training is very tough and includes a significant amount of cardio training that is required in order to handle the fast paced nature of the sport. In Savate, there is heavy emphasis on footwork and movement and people who wish to do this art well must constantly be moving. If one is not in great cardio shape, finishing a savate workout will be much tougher.

This does not mean that one has to be a super athlete to have fun in savate. Anyone can do it, it will just be a matter of pacing oneself until the development of a higher level of cardio is maintained. If there was one attribute that many people will definitely struggle with more than cardio, it will be the need for quite a bit of flexibility. Savate utilizes a great deal of high kicks and this means anyone with limited flexibility will probably have a tough time. But like any other attribute, flexibility can be developed and developed to a decent degree.

So what if one does not have a savate school nearby? In today's world, martial arts instructional videos are quite popular and there are quite a number of savate DVDS out there. One just needs to get motivated to do the workouts on one's own. If not, at least the DVDS can be kind of fun to watch! (But participation will always be better)

At the age of five, Cassie Campbell first laced on a pair of ice skates in Ontario and never quit skating. Recently, as the Captain of Canada's National Women's Hockey Team, she has heroically participated in three Winter Olympic Games, seven International Ice Hockey Federation World Women's Championships, nine Four Nations Cups and the Torino Ice Tournament. It has been quite a career and her teams have won 21 medals, including 17 gold medals and four silver medals. Cassie Campbell's gold-medal count with the Canadian women's hockey team will hold now at a total of eight, because the Captain won Olympic hockey gold with Canada in 2002. The left winger took on the role of captain again in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, and again successfully led her team to the Gold Medal with a 4 - 1 win over Team Sweden. The 32-year-old forward, retired from the squad Wednesday, August 30 2006, just six months after taking her final gold medal at the Torino Winter Olympics.

Campbell was not only one of the fastest skaters on the Canadian woman's national team, but one of the most successful and recognizable players in whole of women's ice hockey history. The five-foot-seven Calgary resident has worn the captain "C" for the Calgary X-Treme of the Western Women's Hockey League and also skated with the Toronto Aeros of the National Women's Hockey League. Bold, dynamic, and full of spark, Cassie drew on her accomplishments as the captain of the Canadian Women's Olympic Hockey Team to explore the dynamic lessons of leadership, vision, teamwork, determination, and drive. A passionate speaker, she knows firsthand how teamwork, determination, and great leadership play vital roles in challenging times. She likely will continue to be a keynote speaker to inspire, inform, and entertain thousands of youth and adults in the future.

"While it is difficult for me to retire from the game that has given me such pleasure," she said today, "I can now look back with great fondness on my time with the national team and my years playing hockey."

Campbell is the lone Canadian hockey player of either gender to captain a national team to two Olympic golds. Four years ago, she helped Canada defeat the United States in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has done Canada proud. She also earned six world titles in her 157-game career with the national club. Captain of the Canadian team since the 2001-02 hockey season, she finished with 32 goals and 68 assists for 100 points overall. Quite a role model for determination and stick-to-itiveness! She has done modeling, and hosted women's hockey segments on TSN's hockey broadcasts. She is an alumna of the University of Guelph, in Guelph Ontario, Canada. In 1996 she was named Sportswoman of the Year for the University of Guelph, from where she holds an Honors Sociology Degree. She is also a member of the Brampton Citify Sports Hall of Fame.

The Brampton, Ontario, Canada native will now take up the career of sports broadcasting, using her excellent speaking skills that will engage viewers and listeners everywhere. Previously working as a color commentator on numerous TV and radio hockey broadcasts, she has built a strong foundation for sports broadcasting for the play by plays.

Campbell broke into hockey with the Canadian women's national team in 1994 as a defenseman and was soon named an All Star at the 1997 World Championship before becoming a forward for her team in the following hockey season.

"Cassie Campbell's contributions to women's hockey go far beyond her tremendous success with the national women's team," Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said. "Cassie has been and will continue to be an ambassador for the women's game, as well as a role model and hero to thousands of young girls playing hockey in Canada."

Fifty-seven players, including those from the Olympic roster, have all been invited to attend an evaluation camp this Saturday in Kenora, Ontario. It should be a fun and valuable experience, to say the least. Outstanding Canadian coach Melody Davidson will form a roster of players from out of this evaluation to compete at the Four Nations Cup in Kitchener, Ontario in November 2006. The 2007 World Championship is scheduled for April in Winnipeg. We look forward to Cassie Campbell in her new role of sports broadcaster for these games in the future.

One of the toughest decisions star athletes have to face in their careers is when to retire from the sport that has defined their lives for so long. It can be difficult for elite athletes to step aside because they'll always feel that they can do better than a majority of the other players in the league. Michael Jordan tried to retire once, but came back to lead the Chicago Bulls to an amazing three more NBA championship titles before retiring for good.

He's one of the few athletes who actually do hang it up too early, as his three additional rings prove. Most of the time, athletes cling too long to their past glory and end up playing on mostly reputation alone. Patrick Ewing comes to mind as just one example of a once-great athlete who barely had anything left in the tank during their last few playing seasons. Pete Rose is another player that many sports analysts feel overstayed his welcome in the game of baseball.

A more recent example of this phenomenon -- at least in my opinion -- is Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers. Favre has been the starting quarterback for the Packers since 1992, an incredible span during which he revived the franchise and led the team to a Super Bowl win in the 1996-97 season. Favre has been overwhelmingly dominant in his 14 years as a starter in the NFL, and was named the league MVP three times in three consecutive seasons from 1995 to 1997. As a Chicago Bears fan, I couldn't allow myself to like Brett Favre, but at the same time I couldn't help but respect him as a football player. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.

However, anyone (other than a Packers fan) that has watched Favre play in the last two or three seasons will tell you that Favre is well past his prime and should retire from football for good. The retirement question is nearly always posed to Favre at some point during the season by the media, and actually seemed to be a weekly inquiry last season. Whenever the media starts peppering a player with the retirement question, then it's probably high time for that athlete to move on.

The case against Favre is really twofold. On the one hand, you need only look at his stats to see that he's not playing at the same level that football fans have become accustomed to over the last decade and a half. Although Favre threw for a very respectable 3,881 yards last season, he did so on 607 attempts, which was the most ever in his career. His passer rating was a miserable 70.9 (the worst in his career) and the 4-12 record that the Packers posted was the team's worst season with Favre at the helm. Prior to 2005, the Packers had never finished below .500 in Favre's career with the team. In addition, Favre threw 29 interceptions last year (again, the worst mark in his career) versus only 20 touchdowns (tied for the third-lowest total in his career).

The second argument against the Packers retaining Favre for another year is that doing so will delay the development of backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers for another whole season. Rodgers, who played college ball at California, was Green Bay's first round draft pick (24th overall) in the 2005 draft. A lot of analysts are expecting big things out of this young man, but much like the Philip Rivers situation in San Diego prior to this year, Rodgers simply hasn't had a chance to play because Favre is still around. Sure, Rodgers is undoubtedly learning a lot from Favre, but he needs to get in some games and get some actual experience. You don't draft a guy in the first round just to sit him on the bench for a few years.

Favre obviously has his own reasons for wanting to play another year and he certainly doesn't have to explain himself or justify his actions to anyone. But I would rather remember Favre as the gunslinger that he was in his prime, the reason that the Pack could never be counted out of a game until the final seconds ticked off the clock than as an aging QB who throws 30 percent more interceptions than touchdowns and doesn't give his team the best chance to win. It's been a great career, but it's time to move on.

Posted by JE

I've been a hockey fan since I was in grade school. Unlike other professional sports where my allegiances changed from time to time, the only favorite hockey team I ever had was my hometown team, the Chicago Blackhawks. I used to listen to every single home game on the radio (the owner refused to broadcast these games on TV) and I used to watch every single road game on one of the cable sports channels. I never missed a game, not even if the Hawks were playing on the West Coast on a school night. Plus, my family and I went to the old Chicago Stadium for at least two or three games per year, and we had season tickets when I was in junior high school.

My interest in the Blackhawks diminished right about the time that they traded Jeremy Roenick to the Phoenix Coyotes for Alex Zhamnov. The Blackhawks' record started tanking at right around the same time and the team was no longer a lock for the playoffs every season. I was in a quandary. I loved hockey too much to give it up altogether, but it was no longer fun to be a Blackhawks fan. Rooting for another team in the NHL was entirely out of the question, so I figured I would have to either take the Hawks as they were or else not have a winter sport to follow. But then I decided the give the Chicago Wolves a chance.
The Chicago Wolves are a professional hockey team that plays in the AHL. The Wolves have been around for nearly 10 years, and have enjoyed pretty decent success in that time. They've won three league championships (two from when they were in the IHL, I believe, and one from the 2002 season after they joined the AHL), so this was definitely a team that I could get behind. In addition, the Wolves played their home games in the Northwest Suburbs, which was much, much closer to my house than the United Center. Although I had never been to an AHL game before and despite the fact that I didn't recognize a single name on the Wolves' roster, I decided to buy some tickets and check out a game with my friends.

Right from the start, I could tell that the Wolves game would be different from any Blackhawks game I ever attended. First of all, the Wolves entered the ice through a tunnel with something like sparks or flames shooting off the sides. It looked more like the entrance of a football team during the Super Bowl than that of a hockey game. The atmosphere was much better, too. Instead of the lackluster crowd that the Blackhawks usually attract, Wolves fans were very loud and energetic. It was clear that they loved the team and were ready to have some fun.

Even after the game started, the extra entertainment didn't die down. The Wolves' mascot was circulating through the stands, trying to fire the crowd up and I have to say it was fun to watch his antics. This is something you definitely don't see at NHL games. Then during the intermissions, someone would come out and toss t-shirts and other prizes out to the crowd. None of the swag came close to me, but it was still cool to see how other people were reacting to the prizes.

I also have to mention price here. The group I went with had awesome seats right on the redline. We could see the whole rink and didn't have any blind spots to contend with. Best of all, our tickets cost right around $20 each. Comparable seats for a Blackhawks game would probably be at least $75, if not a lot more. So we were able to see great hockey (these guys are professional athletes, after all, and frequently get called up to the NHL when roster spots are open) at a great price.

After that initial experience, my friends and I became instant converts. We are now full-fledged Wolves fans and are planning on attending a bunch of games during this upcoming season. The low ticket prices ensure that we'll be able to do it even with a tight budget.

So if your NHL team is letting you down or if you just want an affordable night out at a professional hockey game, I recommend attending an AHL game sometime soon!

Posted by JE

By Ed Jennett

Well, the former Wolverine has worn out his welcome again. Just as he has in every other city that he has played for in his professional career, former Fab Five star and former multiple-time NBA All-Star power forward Chris Webber has aggravated the team that employs him so much that they are now desperate to trade him.

After winning the rigged joke known as the NBA Draft Lottery, the Orlando Magic used the first pick of the 1993 draft to select Webber after his sophomore season at the University of Michigan. Instead of teaming him up with Rookie-of-the-Year center Shaquille O'Neal, the Magic traded the draft rights of Webber to the Golden State Warriors for the draft rights to the third overall pick, Anfernee Hardaway, and three first-round draft picks. The first trade in the career of Webber would be the only one that was not his own fault.

Webber quickly clashed with Golden State Head Coach Don Nelson. Webber was mad at Nelson because he felt that Nelson was not treating him like a man. Nelson was mad at Webber because Webber did not want to play out of position at center for the undersized and undermanned Warriors. Despite the feud being a classic example of both a vicious cycle and which came first, the chicken or the egg question, Nelson decided that he should try to put an end to their disputes. Nelson was also the General Manager of the Warriors and trade small forward Billy Owens to the Miami Heat for center Rony Seikaly. Owens would play out of position at power forward when Webber played out of position at center. Nelson planned to play Seikaly at center move Webber back to his natural position of power forward.

The Warriors never had the chance to implement that plan as Webber took the trade of Owens, who was a close friend of his, as Nelson continuing their feud. Webber no longer wanted to play for the Warriors and refused to report to training camp because of his problems with Nelson. He was traded to the Washington Bullets (who are now known as the Washington Wizards) for small forward/power forward Tom Gugliotta and three first-round draft picks. The Bullets had drafted another Webber ally at the previous draft, fellow Fab Five power forward Juwan Howard.

With the Bullets, Webber was constantly injured and ran into problems with the law, managing the impressive accomplishment of getting arrested and maced for possession of marijuana. Apparently the Washington franchise decided that having the brittle and misbehaving Webber on their roster was worse than being named the Bullets while playing in a city known for shootings. Washington traded Webber to the Sacramento Kings for the unimpressive package of fading veterans Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe.

Although he was initially upset about being traded to the Kings, Webber quickly led Sacramento back to respectability and the playoffs. But during the entire season before he became an unrestricted free agent, Webber badmouthed the city of Sacramento because it lacked racial diversity. He also talked about how numerous other teams in the league would be a great fit for him. Kings fans quickly soured on Webber because of this and never really forgave him, even though he eventually re-signed with the team that offseason. Webber also began badmouthing, and feuding with, Kings All-Star small forward Peja Stojakovic. Sacramento ended the Webber era by trading him, along with forwards Michael Bradley and Matt Barnes, to Philadelphia shortly before the 2005 trading deadline for forwards Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas, and Corliss Williamson.

The Sixers acquired Webber to be a second offensive option behind All-Star point guard Allen Iverson. Although he was not very effective on the court (averaging only 15.6 points and 7.9 rebounds during his first half season in Philadelphia) because he was still struggling to recover from the microfracture knee surgery that has made him a shell of the player that he used to be, the team still made the playoffs and Webber became close friends with Iverson off the court.

In his first full year in Philadelphia this past season, Webber improved his numbers to 20.2 points and 9.9 rebounds. His defense though, which was never a strong part of his game, was worse than ever. The friendship between Webber and Iverson also caused problems for the Sixers.

Philadelphia spent the entire season fluctuating between being mediocre and lousy, and ended up missing the playoffs in the abysmal Eastern Conference. The Sixers held a Fan Appreciation Day at one of their home games towards the end of the season in order to thank the fans for their support during a bad year for the club. Iverson and Webber were both injured and did not show in time to attend Fan Appreciation Day. Sixers management began shopping Iverson once the season ended. Once it became obvious that any deal involving trading The Answer would result in the team getting ripped off, the Sixers decided that the answer to their problems would be trading Webber.

Despite the fact that Webber is not nearly as good as he used to be, has a bad knee, has a huge contract, and will be 34 in March, the Sixers may be able to find another team that is willing to take him off of their hands. The sad story for Philadelphia is that the teams who will be willing to trade for Webber will most likely not be willing to give up something the Sixers want. Even though you may believe otherwise from watching television, it is not always sunny in Philadelphia. Here are the teams and trades that may bring an end to the Webber version of the Philadelphia Experiment:

Denver Nuggets: The Denver Nuggets are as desperate to rid themselves of their own microfracture surgery power forward Kenyon Martin. Like C-Webb, K-Mart angered the management of his team even further at the end of season. After frequently missing practices and games while he recovered from his knee surgery, feuding with Nuggets Head Coach George Karl during the regular season, allegedly sending his friends into the stands to beat up fans who were heckling him, and being his usual surly self during the regular season, K-Mart decided to step up his game for the playoffs and be even more obnoxious. During a first-round game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Martin spent more time than he would have liked to on the bench in the first half. In a move that would only make sense in the Bizarro World of DC Comics, Martin decided that the best way to get more playing time was by cursing out his coaches and his teammates in the locker room at half time. Not surprisingly, the Nuggets responded by not playing Martin in the second half of the game and then suspending him indefinitely.

Swapping these two headaches would seem like a quick, although painful, and easy way out for both clubs. But the contracts of the two former All-Stars could get in the way. Webber makes over $20 million this season and over $22 million next. Martin makes over $11 million this year and has several years remaining on his contract. Denver will have to put an additional player, or players, into the trade for it to work under the salary cap. Even if the Nuggets were willing to do this, there is no guarantee that the Sixers would be willing to take on the extra years of the gargantuan contract that Denver signed Martin to.

Portland Trail Blazers: The Portland Trail Blazers have the horrible misfortune of being stuck with two forwards on their roster that they are desperate to dump, power forward Zach Randolph and small forward Darius Miles. Both players have had knee surgeries (Randolph has had the dreaded microfracture surgeries), both players have terrible contracts, and both players have attitudes that are even worse than their contracts. The major difference between the two is that Randolph prefers to anger Portland management and fans by getting into legal trouble and Miles prefers to anger Portland management and fans by being lazy and acting crazy. Both Miles and Randolph have hilariously made requests to Blazers management to be traded. They would if they could gentlemen.

The problem with the Sixers and Blazers making any possible swap of unwanted forwards is that neither Miles ($7.75 million) nor Randolph ($12 million) makes enough money to be traded for Webber in a one player-for-one player swap. Like K-Mart they also have several years remaining on their contracts. The most likely trade scenario between the teams would be for Philadelphia to trade Webber to Portland for both Miles and Randolph. Not only may the Sixers be unwilling to take on both of their contracts, current Philadelphia Head Coach Maurice Cheeks used to be the Head Coach in Portland and it is highly unlikely that he would support bringing these two to another team that he is coaching.

Boston: The trade that would make the most sense for Philadelphia is with a team in their own putrid Atlantic Division, the Boston Celtics. Boston was the frontrunner to acquire Iverson but was unable to put together a deal that satisfied the Sixers. It will be much easier to put together a package to send to Philadelphia for Webber however.

Ironically the two players that were the centerpiece for all potential Iverson deals were shooting guard/small forward Wally Szczerbiak and center Theo Ratliff. If a trade for Webber can be worked out, they are the two players who will most likely head to Philadelphia. The injury plagued Ratliff is clearly on the downside of his career, but he was at his best as a member of the Sixers several years ago. The outside shooting of Szczerbiak would help spread the floor and make it much more difficult for the opposing team to converge on Iverson. If Szczerbiak and fellow shooting guard/small forward Kyle Korver are on the floor at the same time it would provide Iverson with even more space. Szczerbiak makes $11 million and Ratliff makes $11.666 million (his agent must have had a cruel sense of humor) so the duo is a salary cap match for Webber. While Szcerbiak has a contract that is a year longer than that of Webber, the contract of Ratliff expires the same year as the contract of Webber, so it is not nearly as bad financially as the other trade scenarios.

New York: The second best trading partner for the Sixers would be another team in the embarrassment known as the Atlantic Division, the New York Knicks. The two clubs had already discussed a Webber trade earlier this offseason. It has been speculated that the offer from New York was shooting guard/small forward Quentin Richardson, the expiring contract of Maurice Taylor, and Philadelphia-native Malik Rose for Webber and another Sixer. The Sixers turned down this proposal and apparently did not counter offer with a smaller trade of Richardson and the expiring contract of Taylor for Webber. That deal would have worked under the cap, given the Sixers another outside shooter, and lowered the Sixers payroll. Although Richardson has several years left on his deal his he is paid $6.96 million, $ 8.10 million, $ 8.25 million and $ 9.35 million. That is much less than what Webber makes.

If the Sixers do eventually trade Webber to the Knicks however it will most likely be for the expiring contract of his friend and fellow Fab Fiver Jalen Rose. If New York is unable to find a better deal before the trade deadline Jalen Rose will most likely be offered to Philadelphia. This scenario would not only allow the Sixers to avoid paying the luxury tax, it would also put them slightly under the salary cap. Webber is still a much better player than his former teammate and New York could use him as trade bait next year when he has an expiring contract.

If anything, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has proven to be hard to put down for the count. When the UFC first debuted in November of 1993, it had all the look and silly atmosphere of a B-Grade martial arts film. In fact, it was most reminiscent of martial arts tournament plot device driven films such as Enter The Dragon (1973), Bloodsport (1987) and, for those who are truly ardent fans, Kill Or Be Killed (1981), a film that actually spawned a sequel in Kill and Kill Again (1982)

The early UFC's wrapped themselves up in the martial arts magazine driven world of self defense and was primarily a vehicle for Gracie Jiu Jitsu. The formula was successful and the first several UFC's were quite successful. However, an over the top advertising campaign that pushed the violence quotient of the events lead to a loss of many PPV outlets. The UFC's future did not seem very bright, but it chugged along for nearly a decade before being taken over by Zuffa Entertainment which has been responsible for the enormous success of the last three years of PPV revenue. The UFC PPV's pull down several millions of dollars in PPV revenue and live gate ticket sales. Also, the UFC has a successful reality show on Spike TV that draws in a solid fan base of viewers. This program has been a major contributing factor to the success of the recent spate of multi-million dollar Pay Per Views.

Unfortunately, there have been a downswing in terms of the quality of several PPV's. The highly touted return of Royce Gracie after over a decade away from a UFC event did fairly well in terms of PPV buys, but the match was a huge disappointment. Last night's event, UFC 62, was a step up from previous PPV's, but could have been a bit better.

Jamie Varner vs. Hermes Franca

Franca made this match very good, although Varner did work hard at several takedown attempts. Unfortunately, Varner ended up eating a particularly vicious knee that knocked him silly and it was all downhill for him from there. Hermes capitalized on Varner's weakened condition and clobbered him. Hermes eventually caught him in an armlock and won the match via submission in round three.

Christian Wellisch vs. Chieck Kongo

These guys were huge and impressive looking, but no one really knew who they were so they did not get much of a reaction during the fight. Fight was ok, nothing spectacular as is usually the case in big man matches (both guys were over 230lbs) Kongo won via knee, but again, the crowd didn't seem to care.

Nick Diaz vs. Josh Neer

This was an exciting match with a lot of good slugging and punching. It was, however, a bit one sided with Diaz pretty much one upping Neer throughout the match. Diaz eventually took it to the ground and won with a brutal bent armlock. Neer's shoulder may have been popped.

Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar

This was another action packed match, but again it was a bit one sided with Griffin doing quite a bit of damage to Bonnar winning a unanimous decision. Oddly, the fans booed Griffin who came back on the mic with a few exchanges with the crowd that were colorful, but Griffin didn't have the mouth skills to be a truly cocky or humorously insulting. He should watch some old wrestling interviews from 1977.

Chuck Liddell vs. Renato Sobral

Total one sided annihilation of Sobral. Sobral kept charging Liddell in a straight line with weak arm strength punches that had no effect on a kickboxer the caliber of Liddell. Liddell won the match in under two minutes in spectacular knock out fashion. The fans loved the wild, quick knock out, but, really, how good can a two minute main event be?

The event was a good event and entertaining, but the one sided action got a little tiring after a while. The blow out main event didn't help either. The next event, in September, with a Welterweight title bout of Matt Hughes Vs. BJ Penn should be a great show.

One a side note: while it is understandable that the UFC has a meat and potatoes philosophy about how its events are run, some more interesting and entertaining interviews and promos would be quite appreciated.

By Robert Rousseau

For those of you that have never come across The Ultimate Fighter Reality Television Show (TUF), you may want to; it's certainly some exciting television. Up to this point (TUF 4), the show has basically been about up and coming fighters. Guys that were good but had never really fought on either of MMA's largest stages- Pride or the UFC. These fighters were on the show getting their first shot at true stardom. Further, on TUF's 1-3, the show always asked the two trainers that had been chosen for that particular series, both always well- known fighters, to pick teams from the competitors. These up and coming fighters then got to train with the trainer that chose them, in order to prepare themselves for single elimination bouts with members of the opposing team. In other words, each episode would end with a fighter from one team squaring off with another in the octagon. As with boxing's, The Contender, the winners would stay on the show, the losers would go home. The final prize- a six figure contract in the UFC.

Things are different this time around.

TUF 4 is not about up and coming fighters; rather, it's about those that have fought in the UFC in the past, but never broke through. A second chance, if you will, which is why this season is called, "The Comeback". And this time the trainers are guides, not the all or nothing word in their camps as they've been in the past. Last rule change- after fighters lose, they don't leave. Rather, they stay on to train because Dana White is expecting some injuries and wants backup competitors to step in if needed.

Here are how the two teams break down. For further information on each fighter, see the following Sport- Blog article- www.sport-blog.com/2006/07/tuf-4-preview.html.

TEAM MOJO

Welterweights

Shonie Carter

Matt Serra

Chris Lytle

Din Thomas

Middleweights

Edwin DeWees

Patrick Cote

Pete Sell

Scott Smith

TEAM NO LOVE

Welterweights

Rich Clementi

Mikey Burnett

Jeremy Jackson

Pete Spratt

Middleweights

Charles McCarthy

Gideon Ray

Jorge Rivera

Travis Lutter

In the first episode, Team No Love got control of things via a coin flip, and Rich Clementi called Shonie Carter out.

Big mistake.

Coming in, Carter was not in the best shape of his career, but still he proved to be a crafty veteran. Further, Matt Serra, an unlikely friend on the show considering Carter knocked him out in an earlier UFC contest, really did a good job of cornering Carter. Altogether, it meant a decision win for Shonie.

Now for the second episode.

First, it should be noted that there's been little mention of either of the main trainers, Georges St. Pierre or Randy Couture, thus far. Perhaps their roles haven't elevated to the level of a guide as was planned, or perhaps they'll become more visible later on, but for whatever reason, their faces haven't graced the television much. In this episode St. Pierre did say a few words about Team No Love, though, appearing to believe that some members of the team weren't putting in as much effort as they should've been.

On the other hand, Team Mojo is clearly training hard. They're also working better together, as Mark DellaGrotte- an additional trainer- said on the show, even if Mojo had to scold Shonie Carter for writing their fight plan down and leaving it on the table for everyone to see (he's lucky the other team didn't get their hands on it).

As episode 2 went on, it became increasingly obvious that Charles McCarthy was getting edgy, wondering if Mojo was going to pick him to square off (the winning team always gets to choose the next fight). He went as far as to ask several of his competitors if this was going to be the case (all of which, of course, told him nothing). Therefore, when the teams got together with Dana White, and Shonie Carter came out to say which fighters would be going at it next, things got a bit humorous. Carter started, in a rather quirky and melodic voice by saying, "Charles McCarthy,". . . which prompted McCarthy to step forward with an angry, anxious look on his face (thinking he'd been picked to fight). But then Carter continued the song he'd started by saying, "it is not you." He had to repeat the jingle several times- "Charles McCarthy, it is not you"- before McCarthy truly understood that he'd just been had.

Then Mojo called out No Love's Gideon Ray (0-2 record in the UFC) to take on their own Edwin DeWees (also 0-2 in the UFC). The show then went in depth on the losses both fighters had incurred in the UFC with Dana White narrating. Ray lost his fights by stoppage to David Loiseau (a fight he took with very little notice) and Mike "Quick" Swick. DeWees lost his fights to UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin by stoppage and Chris Leben by submission.

Mojo's thinking behind the move was simple. Gideon Ray is a striker with less than adequate ground skills. DeWees has excellent ground skills. So, the old grappler versus striker mentality (9 out of 10 times, the grappler wins), was the backbone of their decision.

In the first round the two stood for awhile before a couple of well- placed low kicks by Ray got DeWees motivated enough to take him down. There DeWees bounced from full mount to Gideon's half guard for most of the round, going for submissions and striking throughout.

In the second round, DeWees once again took Ray to the ground. However, a Gideon Ray elbow opened up a cut near DeWees's hairline that bled like a waterfall for the rest of the fight. Despite this, it seemed that DeWees controlled enough of the round, putting his hand over the cut to stop the blood flow over his eyes, to win it.

But the judges saw things differently. Therefore, it all went to a third round (in the event of a tie, these 2 round fights always go to a 3^rd and final round).

Despite blood flowing from his head freely throughout the overtime round, DeWees was able to capture the last five minutes and the decision. Afterwards, Dana White indicated that he thought DeWees had actually won all three rounds.

So did I. And that's how the episode ended.

Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith has never had a problem saying that Rex Grossman is the team's starting quarterback. This happened last season a couple weeks after Grossman returned from an injury, and despite the fact that then-rookie Kyle Orton had led the team to a 9-4 record in Grossman's absence. Smith continued his Grossman-is-the-starter mantra even after the Bears signed veteran quarterback Brian Griese during the offseason to provide a bit of extra insurance. And Smith has adamantly stated that there's no quarterback controversy during training camp this year because -- you guessed it -- Rex Grossman is the starter.

Well, after the first three preseason games, I know I'm not the only Chicago fan hoping that Smith doesn't persist in this almost childlike stubbornness. Griese has outplayed Grossman in just about every way imaginable, has produced points and conducted scoring drives like the seasoned veteran that he is, and has simply shown over and over again that he is the better quarterback right here and now. With the Bears set to open the season in just two short weeks against their most bitter rival in the league, the Green Bay Packers (and at Lambeau Field, no less), Grossman is running out of time to prove that he deserves the starting job.

For the most recent example of how ineffective Grossman is as the Bears quarterback, you need only look to Friday night's game against the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams allowed their starters to play deep into the contest, so Grossman was on the field with the first string offense for the better part of three quarters. He was able to complete 13 out of 21 passes for 117 yards. Unfortunately, he didn't connect for any touchdowns and was picked off once. Griese entered the game to a rousing ovation and promptly marched the Bears down the field for a score. The 9th-year man out of Michigan completed 10 out of 14 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

How do the two quarterbacks stack up thus far through the preseason. Grossman stands at 23-for-46 for 247 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. His longest pass in three games was for 24 yards, he's been sacked twice for a total loss of 22 yards, and his passer rating is a dismal 48.0. Griese, on the other hand, has completed 18-of-25 passes for 281 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His longest pass went for 41 yards, he hasn't been sacked, and his passer rating is a stellar 148.5. I don't know what coach Smith is thinking, but if you just look at the numbers, it's clear whose number should be called for the start on September 10 in Green Bay.

It's not as though anyone is surprised by how well Griese has been performing. After all, he has appeared in 75 NFL games throughout his career, and 72 of those appearances were made as a starter. He has proven that he has what it takes to win ballgames and the Bears will no doubt turn to him to lead the team at some point during the 2006-07 season. Let's just hope that it happens quickly, before a different team starts running away with the NFC North.

I have to say that I've never been on the Grossman bandwagon to begin with. Sure, he had one fantastic year of college ball at Florida. But I think he should have returned to school for at least one more season to back that performance up. I think the Bears made a mistake in drafting him, and have a feeling that this four-year "experiment" will end this season. Grossman will either be relegated to a full-time backup role or he will be out of a Bears uniform in 2007. There's no way that this young man will become the long-term starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears.

Head coach Lovie Smith owes it to the team and to the fans to let the best quarterback assume the starting role for the opening game of the season. His commitment to Grossman seems unwarranted at this point, particularly given the way that Grossman's performances stack up against those of Griese. The regular season is no time to foolishly stick to a system that isn't working, so let's hope that Griese is allowed to take over the job that he has rightfully earned on the field.

Posted by JE

By Robert Rousseau

Over the past few years the compliments have been coming in a steady flow for Hines Ward on the national scene. Sean Salisbury, the popular ESPN commentator, has consistently called him "a football player," in reference to what we can assume is his great heart, versatility on the football field, and toughness. In fact, that's the going opinion, that Hines Ward, wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is one heckuva football player. Similar thoughts seem to go way back. Mike Keith from Tennessee Titans Radio, when asked who was the best SEC football player he ever covered, indicated that it was Hines Ward. High praise no doubt. Then Keith finished, "I covered better running backs. I covered better quarterbacks. I covered better wide receivers. But Georgia's Hines Ward was the best football player I covered."

First, I think it's great that Keith was able to acknowledge how special a player Ward was even in college. One can certainly understand why he said what he did as Ward played running back, wide receiver, and quarterback at Georgia, making it difficult to even categorize his college career by one position. But nowadays, that argument just doesn't fly. Hines Ward has played the position of wide receiver for many years in the NFL, which leads to the following question. If someone is considered one of the best football players in this league, and they have a true position, doesn't that make them one of the best at their position as well?

So many people have praised Ward as an elite football player that I've lost count. Yet, when one does a quick check of expert and fan picks regarding the best wide receivers in football (after Hines Ward has made the Pro Bowl 4 out of the last 5 years and won both a Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP), for the most part Ward consistently finds himself looking in at the top 5 on the list. In fact, several fan sites and publications have him ranked lower than the tenth best wide receiver, some as low as 14^th. Perhaps this is because many have trouble rectifying what they believe is a wide receiver's job in relation to what Hines Ward does on the football field. For example, at KidzWorld.com they state that, "a wide receiver's job in football is pretty simple: catch the ball." I submit that the position of wide receiver is hardly that simple. It may have taken a while, but when people rank running backs these days they certainly consider their ability to run the ball as paramount. However, they also look at their ability to catch passes and protect a quarterback from the rush. Why is it then that some people have such a narrow view of wide receiver?

So, what does a wide receiver do? The same as what any good football player does.

On the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hines Ward is a star. We've heard that good teams have role players and stars, which of course is true, but in reality all stars also have roles to fill as well. On the Steelers, Ward fills his role to a T. He can't put up the kind of statistics in the current Steelers offense that others in more high octane offenses can because that's not what the team asks of him. In 2003, a year when the world was turned upside down due to the Steelers inability to run the football- they were ranked 31^st in the league in rushing yards, a huge anomaly- Ward had a great year from a statistical end. He caught 95 balls for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns. But, his team wasn't good. The very next year his numbers dropped immensely, but his team won, and not so surprisingly, the team was ranked second in offensive rushing yards. The Steelers want to run the ball, stop the run, and avoid mistakes. Ward does his part by being the best blocking receiver in football today. He hasn't lost a fumble to another team since 2002 (when he caught 112 balls for 1329 yards and 12 touchdowns in a more pass happy offense). Yet he still made big plays this past season when the Steelers needed him to, coming in second to all NFL wide receivers with 11 touchdowns. Of course, he continued to make plays in the playoffs as evidenced by his attainment of Super Bowl MVP.

Hines Ward fits the bill; he always has. Ask him to catch a ton of balls and he does it (as evidenced by his 2002 and 2003 statistics). Ask him to help a more conservative rushing offense, and he'll do that too, even if many of the receivers ranked ahead of him would complain louder than a volcano if their touches dropped. Hines Ward just wants to win, period. He's a stark contrast to highly ranked receivers that are so abrasive their teams actually get rid of them; he's certainly not the kind of player that would even consider walking off the field until the final bell. Heck, Ward has only missed one game due to injury in his entire career. Further, he loves football and never stops smiling while he's playing it. The guy couldn't even holdout right due to his intense desire to get back to the gridiron. What do you call a man who loves the game, does more than what you ask of him, always shows up, exhibits great determination and toughness, and makes big plays? You call him a leader, a great player, and in this case, a top tier wide receiver.

In short, if Hines Ward isn't on your great football player list, you may want to rethink things. And if he is on your great football player list, he should be somewhere in the upper echelon of your wide receiver list too. If not, then perhaps you should expand your definition of what a wide receiver is. After all, wide receivers are football players, aren't they? I submit that they aren't just out there to catch passes. Rather, they're out there to do what it takes to win.

Consider this in finality. When Hines Ward was asked to catch a lot of balls in a pass happy offense, he proved that he could. How many wide receivers ranked ahead of him could do the opposite, as he has? How many receivers now in high octane offenses are capable of helping a conservative team win through great blocking, selfless play, leadership, and big play capability?

By Ed Jennett


This is about you and me.
This is about you and me changing the world.
This is about you and me saying
it’s not about the commercials, the gimmicks,
the dollar signs. This is about you and me showing the
world that it can be done. Starbury is my life.
This line was built on what I’ve been through.
From Coney Island to Madison Square Garden.
These are the shoes I wear on the court;
these are the clothes I wear off it.
This is what I believe in.
I’m tired of people saying it can’t be done.
Change the world with me.


This is what is written on the card attached to some of the products in the Starbury merchandise line. This is what is written by Stephon Marbury to his fans, to his critics, to the sports world, and to the apparel industry. The Brooklyn, New York born Marbury has teamed up with the Port Washington, New York based Steve and Barry’s University Sportswear to create Starbury, a fashionable and inexpensive apparel line christened with the nickname of the two-time All-Star point guard.

The idea behind the apparel line is to provide New Yorkers with a high-fashion product line that is also incredibly inexpensive. The stylish and budget-friendly line does exactly that.

Steve and Barry’s University Sportswear has stores throughout the country, with a high concentration in the New York metropolitan area. The chain has two stores in the state of New Jersey and ten stores in the state of New York.

Following a season in which the hometown star Marbury was booed at Madison Square Garden during Knicks home games, this appeared to be a very risky business venture. But as is often the case, appearances can be deceiving. Starbury has actually turned into an incredibly successful business venture. Sports fans and high-fashion fans are used to having to pay outrageous prices for name brand, high quality merchandise. New York is the largest market in the country, so New Yorkers have to deal with this more any one else in the country. Starbury did much more than provide New Yorkers with an inexpensive, fashionable apparel line endorsed by a hometown sports figure. It also returned the hometown sports figure that it was named after to favorite son status.

By becoming involved with this business venture, Marbury has made himself the most popular sports figure in the New York Metropolitan area. Not only has it made Marbury popular once again, it has also made him successful once again. Every product in the Starbury line is selling extremely well except for one type of product. The sneaker line is not just selling well. It is selling out. Steve and Barry’s store in Manhattan puts out a new shipment of sneakers every morning. When the store opens at 9 AM, the sneakers are sold out again within a half hour. This is because people have already been waiting outside of the store for a few hours when it opens.

The launch of the Starbury line was timed perfectly. Children will be heading back to school soon, so families are already starting their back to school shopping. Kids will obviously want to wear the stylish product line of a hometown athlete. Their parents will be thrilled to buy the products because they are so inexpensive. The priciest items in the collection are the sneakers, which sell for $15. While parents are shopping for their children they are very likely to see an item (or items) that they like and decide to purchase for themselves because all of the products are so affordable. In fact, the products are so affordable that buying from the Starbury line might allow parents to spend less money on school clothes than they had initially budgeted for. Fans of Marbury, the New York Knicks, and of high fashion who do not have children have also been frequenting the Steve and Barry’s stores and buying from the Starbury line.

While Marbury does not receive any payment for endorsing the products, he does receive a percentage of everything that is sold. This arrangement will end up being to his advantage because the money Marbury will make from all of the products sold will be much greater than Steve and Barry’s could have possibly paid him under a standard endorsement contact.

The good fortune, and increasing fortunes, of Marbury make him one of the only people associated with the Knicks who is having a good offseason. Although he is a basketball player, Marbury has scored a hat trick out of season. The Knicks fired Larry Brown (who Marbury had been openly feuding with) and replaced him as Head Coach with team President and General Manager Isiah Thomas, who is a friend, mentor, and neighbor of Marbury. Thomas used the Knicks mid-level exception to steal athletic, defensive-minded small forward Jared Jeffries away from the penny-pinching Washington Wizards. Jeffries does not need the ball to be effective and will complement the other projected starters of the team, Marbury at point guard, three-time All-Star Steve Francis at shooting guard, Channing Frye at power forward, and Eddy Curry at center. Adding the sudden and shocking success of his Steve and Barry’s apparel line has truly made this the Summer of Starbury.

By Robert Rousseau

The Associated Press recently published its preseason NCAA Football Top 25 list. The truth is, preseason rankings actually hurt our chances of seeing the best teams play in BCS bowl games, in my opinion, because they tend to bias voter judgements (and as we all know, the AP and Coaches' Polls are more important than any other statistic when it comes to the final BCS outcome).

Still, preseason rankings sure do give writers something to write about. For example, let's look at the AP Top Ten. What are the chances that its perfect? Right- zero. So the question then becomes, where are they wrong?

Forthcoming is a breakdown of each team in the AP Top 10 and my final prediction on whether they'll still be in the top 10 at the end of the 2006- 07 season.

1. Ohio State

Offense- Troy Smith looked like a national championship quarterback in the Fiesta Bowl win against Notre Dame. Beyond his strong arm and ability to run, he appears to have a hold of this team from a leadership standpoint; the other Buckeyes' players really seem to gravitate to him. Multi- purpose talent Ted Ginn Jr. is a great athlete whose abilities will be utilized better this season than in the past because of Smith. Running back Antonio Pittman is a very good college football player. However, he could spelled at times by freshman Chris Wells (6-1, 225). Wells was considered by many to be the best running back prospect in the country last year.

On one hand, the offensive line is inexperienced. On the other, they have talented players returning in highly touted sophomore offensive tackle, Alex Boone (6-8, 315), junior tackle Kirk Barton, and senior center Doug Datish.

Defense- Losing players like A.J. Hawk (one of the best Buckeyes ever), Bobby Carpenter, Anthony Shlegel, Ashton Youbouty, and Donte Whitner is never a good thing; neither is the fact that only two starters are returning to last year's stellar unit. However, Head Coach Jim Tressel has built a reputation for building defenses, and he certainly has talent coming back, even if it is for the most part inexperienced. Thankfully, a very strong player in All American defensive tackle candidate Quinn Pitcock is returning, and two talented sophomores- cornerback Malcolm Jenkins and linebacker Marcus Freeman will suit up for the Buckeyes as well.

Games to watch.

At Texas (9/9/06)- Another instant classic?

At Iowa (9/30/06)- If it was in Columbus, they'd definitely win. But in Iowa City? Tough call.

Michigan (11/18/06)- Both teams are talented this year, but does athletic skill mean much in this one? Not really. It's just who wants it more.

Final Prediction

The Ohio State Buckeyes will be in the top 10 at the end of the year. They're simply too talented not to be.

2. Notre Dame

Offense- The skills positions look great with quarterback Brady Quinn, running back Darius Walker, and wide receiver Jeff Samardzija leading the way. If things go according to plan, Quinn will get serious consideration for the Heisman Trophy. Further, the line returns 3 starters including tackle Ryan Harris (an Outland Trophy/ All American candidate).

Defense- Nine starters return. The defensive line will be experienced at all positions with senior end Victor Abiamiri leading the rush (8 sacks last season). The defensive backs also have significant experience, but this may not be a good thing as they were terrible last year. Unfortunately for the Irish, the linebackers are rather inexperienced.

Games to watch.

Michigan (9/16/06)- Don't expect the Wolverines to have another off defense year.

At Michigan State (9/23/06)- The Spartans always pose a problem for the Irish.

At USC (11/25/06)- By November, the youthful Trojans will have jelled. Tough time of year to play a team with this much talent.

Final Prediction

The Irish just have too much experience at the skill positions to fall out of the top 10. Expect them to set up camp with these elite teams throughout.

3. Texas

Offense- Colt McCoy looks like the favorite to beat out Jevan Snead and take over for Vince Young. Fortunately for McCoy, he looks to have a trio of talent in the backfield with him in runners Selvin Young, Jamaal Charles, and Henry Melton. The offensive line has some real studs with senior tackle Justin Blalock (6-4, 335) and senior center Lyle Sendlein returning. The wide receivers, as usual, are highly talented.

Defense- Senior ends Tim Crowder and Brian Robison are both candidates for the Ted Hendricks Award. The linebackers are being shuffled around but do have some playing experience. Talent and experience is abound in the defensive backfield with senior strong safety Michael Griffin (124 tackles, 4 interceptions in 2005) and senior corner Aaron Ross leading a unit where all 4 players have NFL capability.

Games to watch.

Ohio State (9/9/06)- Can't wait.

Oklahoma (10/7/06)- The rivalry. If Oklahoma wins this one, the whole Rhett Bomar thing will seem like a distant memory.

At Texas Tech (10/28/06)- Don't underestimate the Red Raiders (especially in Lubbock).

Final Prediction

Tough one to call. I see Texas as the possible loser against Ohio State and Texas Tech (that's right, I said possible). Then there's the bowl game. Still, even if they lose two of three, they still probably make the top 10 considering where they started. So. . .

They stay in the top 10.

4. Auburn Tigers

Offense- Despite the fact that they lost a duo of excellent tackles in McNeill and Reddick, the replacement candidates- Leon Hart (6-4, 300), Jonathan Palmer (6-4, 325), and King Dunlap (6-8, 313)- are huge and athletic. They lost two receivers as well in Obomanu and Aromashodu, but Courtney Taylor, their leader in reception yards in 2004, is back. Quarterback Brandon Cox stopped the bad decisions after the first game where he threw 4 interceptions (he threw only 4 more picks the entire rest of the season). Their 2005 leading rusher Kenny Irons (1,283 yards) is also back. He's another in a long line of outstanding Auburn running backs.

Defense- Former safety and leading tackler Michael Herring (6-2, 220), will transition to linebacker in a move designed to help replace losses there and perhaps boost his own NFL stock. Unfortunately, Tray Blackmon and Kevin Sears are suspended for at least the first 3 games due to alcohol- related charges, thus thrusting talented though inexperienced sophomore Merrill Johnson and freshman Craig Stevens into significant roles before it was anticipated. The defensive backfield is experienced and outstanding with corners David Irons (48 tackles and 11 pass break ups in 2005), and Jonathan Wilhite (47 tackles, 7 pass break ups), leading the way. The Tigers are somewhat inexperienced on the line, but the talent is definitely there.

Games to watch.

LSU (9/16/06)- Auburn lost last year in OT at LSU 20-17. This time they're home.

At South Carolina (9/28/06)- The Ole' Ball Coach always has some tricks up his sleeve.

Florida (10/14/06)- Nobody, not even Auburn, will run consistently on the Gators. So that begs the question- can Cox lead them through the air? Tune in to find out.

Georgia (11/11/06)- Georgia may be somewhat down this year, but they're a power. So by the time this game takes place, the Bulldogs will be ready. Another tough home game for the Tigers. Could the schedule, as tough as it is, be in their favor?

Final Prediction

The SEC will be the best conference in football this year. Therefore, Auburn could lose up to two games in the SEC this year (including the championship game). However, even if that happens, they're likely to win their bowl game because of the competition they've played against, and two losses will keep them in the top 10.

5. West Virginia

Offense- The offensive line should be more than solid with center Dan Mozez and guards Jeremy Sheffey and Ryan Stanchek de-cleating opponents (the line absolutely ripped Georgia in last year's Sugar Bowl, and much of the cast is back). Sophomores Pat White (quarterback) and Steve Slaton (running back) are Heisman Trophy candidates that will benefit from the big guys in front of them. The receivers can block and are a solid, though unspectacular unit.

Defense- The linebacking unit is strong with Kevin McLee (All Big East last season), Jay Henry, Bobby Hathaway, and Marc Magro suiting up. They also return 7 letterman to the defensive line (they did lose Ernest Hunter, an all conference player). However, the secondary is highly inexperienced and is therefore a big time question mark.

At Louisville (11/2/06)- For the Big East title.

Final Prediction

West Virginia has a very easy schedule. In short, it all comes down to the Louisville game. The fact that their defensive backs are young may not bode well for them in The Land of the Cardinal. Further, it's my humble opinion that if they make it to a BCS bowl, they won't sneak up on anyone this year (and their weak schedule will hurt them in the rankings). Therefore, expect two losses, one to Louisville and one in a bowl, that will in effect drop them from the top 10.

6. USC

Offense- Gone are Matt Leinert, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, and virtually everyone else that you might remember from last year. However, quarterback John David Booty is no joke, particularly if he can stay healthy. The line lost a lot but junior tackle Sam Baker and senior center Ryan Kalil (both Outland Trophy candidates), hope to make you forget the past. The running backs are all inexperienced, even if highly recruited. The receiving core should be phenomenal with All American Dwayne Jarrett (91 catches last season) and Steve Smith (60 catches last season) leading the way. Both of these guys have NFL talent.

Defense- Talented end Lawrence Jackson (10 sacks last season) will look to lead an inexperienced front. The linebackers, however, are excellent with Dallas Sartz, Oscar Lua, and Keith Rivers sure to make waves. Unfortunately for the Trojans, the secondary returns only one starter (free safety Josh Pinkard). With all the passing that goes on in the PAC 10, it's never good when your defensive backs haven't played before.

Games to watch.

Oregon (11/11/06)- Tough game at home. The fact that it's late in the year will help (the youngsters will have grown).

California (11/18/06)- California is going to be good this year, but they may have trouble keeping pace with the USC offense this late in the year.

Notre Dame (11/25/06)- Could be the biggest game of the season. In The Golden Dome, the Trojans would get beat. But at home?

At UCLA (12/2/06)- Don't underestimate this rivalry, nor UCLA (Karl Dorrell will have this team vying for national championships soon).

Final Prediction

Pete Carroll has built a machine in Southern California. Though they won't be as good as last year, the record may be similar. Figure on one loss, maybe two, and a top 10 finish.

7. Florida

Offense- The Gators will bring more than half the offense back from a rather disappointing 2005 campaign. Don't believe the hype on quarterback Chris Leak (a soon to be Heisman candidate); he's talented and smart enough to find a way to fit into Head Coach Urban Meyer's offense. Deshawn Wynn, last year's leading rusher, also returns. Still, the Gators lost nearly their entire offensive line and WR Chad Jackson. Even with the loss of Jackson, the name of the game at receiver will be 'reload' more than 'rebuild' with Jemalle Cornelius, Dallas Baker, and Andre Caldwell all ready to make an impact. Urban Meyer offenses have done well everywhere. The SEC will soon be added to that list.

Defense- The defense is also bringing back 6 starters, 5 of which will be up front (Ray McDonald and Jarvis Moss are on the Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Watch List, DT Marcus Thomas is on the Outland Trophy Watch List, and linebackers Earl Everett and Brandon Siler have been named to the Bednarik Award Watch List). Nobody will field a better defensive front in college football in 2006. They do have some holes to fill in the secondary, though, even with talented junior safety Reggie Nelson returning.

Games to watch.

LSU (10/7/06)- This will be a war. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Florida will make it difficult for them to run. Can Russell win it through the air? I doubt it, but that's why they play the games.

At Auburn (10/14/06)- Very tough back to back games.

At FSU (11/25/06)- Always a big game. Florida is the better team, but it's a rivalry so anything goes.

Final Prediction

Florida has a very tough schedule in the best conference in college football. However, they're also one of the best teams in the nation. Translation- yes, they will be in the top 10 at the end of the season, perhaps even higher than most think.

8. LSU

Offense- Alley Broussard, Justin Vincent, and Jacob Hester make up one of the top two running back trios in the nation (look to the Longhorns for the other). Jamarcus Russell is a good quarterback with talented young players Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux waiting in the wings if he were to falter. The line lost a lot and is inexperienced.

Defense- Five starters return on defense, but they must replace three defensive linemen. At linebacker, Ali Highsmith is experienced and excellent, but the rest of the cast is inexperienced. Free safety LaRon Landry, who led the team in interceptions last year is a special player. He leads an experienced and outstanding defensive backfield.

Games to watch.

At Auburn (9/16/06)- Tough one on the road.

At Florida (10/7/06)- The Gators are going to be tougher than most think.

Final Prediction

Someone is going to fall off of this bandwagon in the SEC; the goings are just too tough. Figure on LSU being an excellent team with only a very good record. They are likely to be a casualty from this list and a second 10 finisher.

9. California

Offense- Talented sophomore Nate Longshore is likely to take the quarterback reigns from his predecessor, senior Joseph Ayoob, who got the job by default last year when Longshore busted an ankle. The running backs are outstanding and deep with Heisman Trophy candidate Marshawn Lynch leading the way (1,246 rushing yards last season), and junior Justin Forsett (999 yards rushing last season), backing him up. Further, the receivers are a solid group with speedy sophomore wideout DeSean Jackson (4.3, 40 yard dash) and junior receiver Robert Jordan leading the way. Tight end Craig Stevens will also be a force. Unfortunately, the line is inexperienced and a big question mark.

Defense- The defensive line will be solid with All American senior defensive tackle Brandon Mebane leading the way. The linebackers are all athletic, and returning senior Desmond Bishop made 89 tackles last season (imagine what he might do this year). Senior cornerback Daymeion Hughes (5 interceptions last season), will be an All American candidate, but the rest of the defensive backfield is a question mark.

Games to Watch

At Tennessee (9/2/06)- On one hand, California has more talent. On the other, Head Coach Phil Fulmer and the Volunteers' faithful are desperate, and away games in the SEC are something to fear.

Oregon (10/7/06)- The Ducks have an excellent offensive line and are a solid team. Still, this one is in Golden Bears' country.

UCLA (11/4/06)- Dorrell is doing a great job with the Bruins. Is this the year they catapult themselves into the national spotlight?

At USC (11/18/06)- The USC team that California plays will not be an inexperienced one. That doesn't bode well on the road.

Final Prediction

California has some great parts. However, the inexperience on the offensive line, in the defensive backfield, and at the quarterback position may limit them more than is being predicted this year. Expect 2, probably 3 losses at season's end, which will likely relegate them to the second ten in the polls.

10. Oklahoma

Offense- With quarterback Rhett Bomar now gone from the team for good, running back Adrian Peterson, one of the best in the nation, will need to shoulder the majority of the offensive load. Further, the receivers and offensive line are inexperienced, though talented. Senior tackle Chris Mesner is a good one.

Defense- The Sooners have ends with pro talent returning in possible All Americans Calvin Thibodeaux (10 sacks last season) and C.J. Ah You. Rufus Alexander and Zach Latimer lead the way for an exceptional group of linebackers, and though none of the defensive backs' names jump out at you, they're solid.

Games to watch.

At Oregon (9/16/06)- Oregon is a tough place to play, particularly with a highly inexperienced offense.

At Texas (10/7/06)- Gonna be tough.

Texas Tech (11/11/06)- Oklahoma lost to the Red Raiders last year; at least they get this one at home. Still, Texas Tech is now a power, even if the majority of the world keeps acting as if they aren't.

Final Prediction

Oklahoma wasn't as good as predicted when Bomar was returning. Though the coaching will be stellar and the defense strong, it won't be enough to make up for the disabled passing offense, even with the Big 12 being down this year.

Expect the Sooners to fall from their top 10 perch by the end of the season.

The Replacement Teams

There are plenty of teams in this category, and usually at least one of them is a complete surprise. Still, here are some teams to watch.

Boise State- They have a very weak schedule and should be the favorite in every game they play this season. In short, the Broncos may very well post and undefeated regular season record. The question even if they do- can they win their bowl game?

Florida State- Quarterback has been the problem over the last several years. Not this time, though. Drew Weatherford is going to be good, and the Seminoles once again have talent. A return to the promised land is not out of the question for Bobby Bowden. Not at all.

Michigan Wolverines- They have the talent at the skills positions on offense, but will a much more experienced defense step up this year? We'll see.

Louisville- The Cards have a relatively weak schedule and an unbelievably talented offense (Michael Bush and Brian Brohm are serious Heisman candidates). Can they beat Miami and West Virginia? Tune in to find out.

Texas Tech- This team has talent; it's not just the system anymore. I repeat, this team has talent; it's not just the system anymore. But the system is darn good, isn't it?

The highly successful Nigeria Taekwondo Foundation75 was founded by the pioneers of the martial arts and additional self defense and organized sports in the nation of Nigeria over three decades ago. The founders and their work took root with determination and have grown the organization continually ever since the very beginning, with no retreat and always looking to a successful future. The Nigerian government supports and promotes the martial arts and all sports, especially for the Olympics and in all its universities. Nigeria Taekwondo Foundation75 has become an exponentially driving force in Taekwondo and other martial arts in Africa, as well as a promoter of many other Olympic Sports. This is especially true within the last five years, the organization gaining membership all over Nigeria and West Africa, and forming associations and partnerships the world over. This is including in the United States of America in several states. American connections have been most frequently in Ohio, Illinois, Florida, and Texas, with many more to come.

Grandmaster Emmanuel Ikpeme was the tireless Team Leader to Nigerias 1st World Cup Taekwondo win in 2004 in the great state of Florida. Nigerian participants were also winners at the US Open of 2006. Nigeria's Master Nicholas Dutse earned 2 Gold Medals at the Dallas, Texas site of the US Open Taekwondo Championships in February, in the Light Weight Division for Poomse (forms) & Kyeorugi (sparring). Nigerian martial artists in competitions and demonstrations were an outstanding example of hard work, belief, faith, determination, sportsmanship, beauty and strength to us Americans. They will be back! Several African nations, including Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, Togo, others, plan to compete and put on demos at the Arnold Martial Arts Festival during its weekend-long run in early March, 2007 in Central Ohio at the yearly Fitness Expo. The martial arts venue was moved to Nationwide Arena from the Columbus (Ohio) Convention Center in 2006 in order to have more room, the move and was a tremendous success overall. The Arnold is expanding every year and offers free transportation between venues, hotels, and other buildings on plush luxury limousine buses.

Nigeria Taekwondo Foundation75 founding members and their successors make up a grass roots organization begun in 1975, expanding currently at lightning speed under the leadership of the learned Grandmaster Emmanuel Ikpeme, who travels cross-country over Africa in his promotion of martial arts, sports, and good will. Not only that, but he also does a regular Taekwondo and martial arts radio broadcast and publishes an online magazine and newsletter. The organization is registered also as NTF75 with the Corporate Affairs Commission, FTC, Abuja, Nigeria, and is located in Surulere, Lagos. The major local Taekwondo instructional facility is in Lagos at:

Action Martial Arts Training Academy
University of Jos; Lagos, Nigeria
ITF (AIMAA) & WTF Taekwondo

Tae Kwon Do and martial arts are not just about kicking, punching, and loud yelling! Grandmaster Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme is an esteemed member of the faculty of the University of Calabar in Cross River State, Nigeria. Recently this summer on June 8-11, 2006, GM Ikpeme presented a paper from Sports Psychology to the attendees of the 1st International Sports Psychology Conference at the University of Lagos, in Akoka, Nigeria. Participants included professors, social workers, counselors, coaches and representatives of state sports organizations, and National and International Institutions promoting teaching, research and learning. It was a wonderful conference. The theme was Exploring the Multifaceted Dimensions in Exercise and Sports Psychology and was supported by WomenSport International of the USA. The topics covered by the conference included: Performance Enhancement, Counseling & Psychotherapy, Group Dynamics & Team Building, Gender & Youth Issues, Health Psychology, Coaching Psychology, Leadership and job performance in Sports, Psychological readiness in Sport, and Emotions in Sports, among others.

Nigeria Taekwondo Foundation75 is associated with Sports for All Nigeria/Nigeria Olympic Committee, the New International Jidokwan Federation in Ohio, USA; the Amateur Athletic Union (USA), the International Olympic Committee Mailing List, World Taekwondo Federation, Supreme Council for Sports in Africa Zone-3, World United Martial Arts Alliance, and the Oriental Martial Arts College across the USA.

Aiding Grandmaster Ikpeme in his travels to America and securing working relationships with tournament sponsors and directors, and governmental leaders, is Grandmaster Patty Inglish, founder of the New International Jidokwan Federation headquartered in Ohio and Michigan in the USA. GM Inglish is the USA Representative for the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa Zone-3 and a member of Karate for Christ International. Together, GM's Ikpeme and Inglish have over 60 years of experience in the academia, martial arts, health psychology, and service to humankind.

GM Inglish just this month was named official International Advisor to Mali, the appointment approved by Consular General of the Republic of Mali to the country's Association of Malian Martial Arts Integration (AMAMI). They are headquartered at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos and their Executive Board of AMAMI appointed GM Inglish by unanimous accord. AMAMI is an all-style martial arts organization of Masters and martial arts and other professional s dedicated to the promotion and advancement of traditional and contemporary self defense disciplines for youth and sports development in Mali and West Africa as a whole. AMAMI includes not only karate and Taekwondo, but Sumo, wrestling, boxing and other systems as well. GM Inglish is also an advisor the Cameroonian Taekwondo group that is headed by the talented and skilled Master Alberta Kekuna. Master Kekuna is also active in wrestling and is most skilled and adept in this endeavor as well.

Keep your eye peeled for future accomplishments by the martial artists and other sports men and women of Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Togo, and other countries in the noble African nations.

By Robert Rousseau

One down, and a whole bunch to more to go if Arizona fans have anything to say about it.

Former University of Southern California Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart's professional football career finally took flight last night when his Arizona Cardinals visited the New England Patriots in a preseason match up. Though the Cardinals lost 30-3, Leinart did play well even if his passing statistics really didn't show it (he went 4-11 for 49 yards). In fact, Leinart looked darn good during the 4 drives he captained considering 2 well thrown balls were dropped, one receiver ran the wrong pattern on him, and he was under intense pressure from the Patriots' defense on nearly every play. The former USC helmsman and two- time national champion was even confident enough to audible one of the plays at the line of scrimmage, thereby exhibiting the football acumen that made him one of the most successful college quarterbacks in history. If he was able to figure out a better call at the line of scrimmage for the Cardinals after only 4 practice days and some controversy concerning his holdout, imagine what he'll be capable of by the start of the regular season.

Matt Leinart was one of 3 very high profile draftees this year, despite the fact that he was taken with only the 10^th overall pick (former college teammate Reggie Bush and Vince Young being the others). Possibly because he had been expecting to be taken with a higher pick that would've commanded more contract money, he was the last of the first round picks to sign with their prospective team this year. Not only did the holdout keep him out of camp for a time, but it also infuriated Head Coach Dennis Green enough to say the following before Leinart finally put his pen to the paper. "It would be a shame if Matt Leinart is still sitting out there as the only player in the National Football League who is not in the National Football League, and you've got an impressive deal on the table." Of course, he was saying this in reference to the New England game mentioned in this article.

So the fact that Leinart was able to manufacture the Cardinals' only points at the end of the 1^st half in their hurry up offense (with only a little over a minute left in the half), really says something pretty significant, especially considering how rusty he must be. In addition, Leinart showed an ability to sidestep rushers and decisively scramble that hadn't really been evident in college, rushing twice for 29 yards. His instinctiveness and athleticism in the pocket even caught the eye of one two- time Super Bowl MVP named Tom Brady. "I though he did a great job," Brady verbalized in an August 19^th NFL.com wire report. "He's a big strong kid. What impressed me was that he had such excellent scrambling ability. I remember when I was a rookie. There's so much to learn and he's coming in with just four days practice, which makes it doubly tough."

Kurt Warner agreed that Leinart had been impressive as reported in the same story referenced earlier. "I don't think anyone could have expected any more," Warner said. "I thought he did a great job in the two minute drill. He handled the situation well."

So Matt Leinart is off to a pretty impressive start considering. If the Cardinals find themselves in playoff contention with Kurt Warner at the helm, the preseason may be all we see of this potential star this season. In fact, sometimes the changing of the guard can take a lot longer than expected (example- the Philip Rivers situation). But if things don't go right for the Cards, particularly if Edgerrin James doesn't push the offense to another level as advertised or the defense continues to allow first half college basketball like- scoring to opposing teams, we just may see Matt Leinart suit up in the regular season.

Besides, Kurt Warner is no Brett Favre. He's struggled through injuries before, and he's likely to do it again. And when Leinart finally does get his real chance, one has to figure that he'll play well. After all, he did pretty well under pressure in the Hollywood sun. Why should the Arizona sun be any different?

By Robert Rousseau

The San Diego Chargers of 2005 played great in the middle of the season, going 9-3. Unfortunately for them, the beginning and the end of last year left something to be desired. The Chargers started the 2005 campaign out dropping two straight games to the Cowboys and Broncos. Then they finished with much of the same, losing to Kansas City and the arch rival Broncos once again.

Still, there is a lot of reason to be hopeful coming into 2006. First, they have the best running back in football, LaDanian Tomlinson. Second, they have the best pass catching tight end in Antonio Gates. And last, they have a superstar in the making on defense in Shawne Merriman. So how does it break down and what will it all translate to? Let's find out.

HEAD COACH

Marty Schottenheimer is an underrated coach. He brings a 186-124-1 career record into this season. During his long and illustrious career he's brought 3 teams to the playoffs (the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Diego Chargers). Further, people forget that in his one season with the Redskins, he coached them to a .500 record, far better than Spurrier and Gibbs did after him in their first seasons. However, his 5-12 record in the playoffs is poor, mostly because his Kansas City teams always seemed to play over their heads in the regular season, only to fall apart in crunch time.

OFFENSE

Quarterback

Philip Rivers is the starter, taking over for Drew Brees who left for the Saints in the off season. Though many believe that money was the number one factor in the decision to let Brees go, that philosophy simply isn't true. The team is very high on Rivers, particularly his football acumen, and feel as if he exhibits leadership qualities that are rarely seen. In fact, Rivers has always presented as a leader. According to SignOnSanDiego.com (San Diego Union- Tribune), former NC State offensive coordinator Norm Chow said the following regarding Rivers during his freshman year. "He was such an instant leader. You knew he was special the minute he got here by his demeanor." According the Sporting News Magazine (August 18^th issue), Chargers general manager A.J. Smith even likens him to Dan Marino.

Backing Rivers up are A.J. Feeley- a journeyman of sorts- and rookie Charlie Whitehurst from Clemson. Whitehurst has impressed in camp, and seems to have all the physical tools to play in this league.

Position Prognosis: Expect Rivers to struggle early (he's good, but he is not Dan Marino). However, by midseason he'll find his groove. By the end of the year, Philip Rivers will be a better than average starter.

Running Back

LaDainian Tomlinson is the starting halfback, so we're talking strength here. In his 5 seasons in the NFL Tomlinson has never rushed for less than 1,200 yards in a season. Further, he's had over 50 receptions in each of his years with the Chargers. He is a truly special player.

Backing him up is Michael Turner. Turner was a very good player for Northern Illinois during his college days, and though he hasn't gotten much of a chance because of who he plays behind, he's still impressed the Chargers faithful enough for them to try and find ways to get him involved in the offense.

Lorenzo Neal is the fullback, perhaps one of the best blocking backs that has ever played this game. Backing up Neal is Andrew Pinnock, a very strong and capable player in his own right (he was a beast at South Carolina).

Position Prognosis: The Chargers have the best running backs in the NFL, period. They're strong at each position and have quality depth.

Pass Receivers

In 2005 their number one wideout, Keenan McCardell, caught 70 balls for less than 1,000 yards. In short, he's not nearly what he used to be even if he is still a solid, though unspectacular, performer. Their number 2 wide receiver, Eric Parker, caught 57 passes last year and is solid. The team doesn't have a proven #3 at all as Vincent Jackson and Kassim Osgood have done next to nothing in the pros thus far.

Saving the day is tight end, Antonio Gates. If Gates can avoid injury, he's going to one day be considered one of the top playmaking tight ends of all time. In each of the last two years he's caught more than 80 balls for the club.

Position prognosis: Without Gates, the pass catchers are scarce. With him, the total picture is average

Offensive Line

The interior linemen are solid with Hardwick at center and Dielman and Goff manning the guard positions. Though right tackle Shane Olivea was somewhat of a disappointment last year after a very promising rookie campaign, expect him to have a good year in 2006. The fallout from losing offensive line coach Hudson Houck last year to Miami will begin to settle for this young player. However, left tackle is a huge problem. Roman Oben's foot injury hasn't cleared up yet, leaving Leander Jordan the current starter (despite the fact that thus far in his career he's been anything but a consistent NFL starter). Look for rookie Marcus McNeill to take over at the midway point unless Jordan shows something that has eluded him thus far in his career.

Position Prognosis: It's not the starting line that's the problem, it's the left tackle position. And it's likely going to be a problem all year unless Oben comes back healthy (a rookie and unproven veteran is not what you need for your first year staring quarterback's blind side). Further, there seems to be a lack of bodies on this line capable of stepping in if further injuries occur.

DEFENSE

Linebacker

Shawne Merriman is the only player I've heard people call the next Lawrence Taylor that I had to think twice about before saying, "No, not Taylor." He's not just a pass rusher (though his 10 sacks last year as a rookie were spectacular), nor is he just a run defender (though he did come up with 57 tackles). He's a football player, and a big athletic one at that (274 lbs. of "oh, no!"). With 8 years of experience under his belt at the other outside linebacker slot is Steve Foley. Foley is a very solid player.

The starters inside are Randall Godfrey (765 career tackles) and Donnie Edwards (1218 career tackles). In short, these are both aging players that seem to still have something left in the tank (Edwards accumulated 152 total tackles last year).

Position Prognosis: The Chargers have one of the best linebacking cores in the game today. Further, they have some inexperienced talent in Carlos Polk and Matt Wilhelm backing things up.

Defensive Line

Jamal Williams, all 348 lbs. of him, will man the nose tackle position, while Luis Castillo will take up one of the ends. The other defensive end, Igor Olshansky, is one of the strongest players in the league and looks poised to take his game to another level. Word is he's developed a pass rush to go with his manhandling run skills.

Position Prognosis: Olshansky will be a monster if he can stay healthy, and Williams is a Pro Bowl player. However, experienced depth is lacking with the exception of defensive end Jacques Cesaire.

Defensive Back

Cornerback Quentin Jammer is a hard hitter that the team feels is about to breakthrough as an outstanding player. Strong safety Terrence Kiel had 97 tackles in 2004, Drayton Florence is an experienced corner, and free safety Marlon McCree was their only significant free agent pickup in the off season (he had 88 tackles last year). Further, they have experienced backups at the safety position with Bhawoh Jue and Clinton Hart, and talent behind the corners with 1^st round pick Antonio Cromarte.

Position Prognosis: Very solid all around. No one great yet, but some players that seem on the fringe of making a name for themselves.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicking Game

Nate Kaeding is one of the best place kickers in the league, and punter Mike Scifres only had 26 of his 71 punts returned last year which was tops in the league.

Position Prognosis: The Chargers are very solid in the kicking game.

Returners/ Miscellaneous

Running back Michael Turner is slated to return kicks this year. Eric Parker is an experienced punt returner. Hanik Milligan is a Pro Bowl special teamer.

Position Prognosis: Solid.

Team Prognosis: The San Diego Chargers have a core of truly special players in LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, and Shawne Merriman. Though they play different positions than the Cowboys' once famous threesome, the number of stars and talent is similar. Further, San Diego will be scary good this year on defense with a very tough line, an elite linebacking core with one of the best young defensive players to come along in recent memory (Merriman), and a more than solid defensive backfield.

On offense, the team has little depth on the line, and left tackle is a real issue. Philip Rivers will struggle early, and the tackle problem will not help, but as long as the rest of the linemen stay healthy, Tomlinson and Gates should be able to do enough to keep the team somewhere near the playoff pack early on.

Further, the Chargers have an excellent kicking game and a very good coach.

Barring more injuries, figure that the Chargers will make the playoffs as a wild card. But by the end of the season, with a more experienced Rivers, this team will be a beast (the defense should be phenomenal).

In short, the Chargers probably won't make the Super Bowl this year, but they will scare teams on that level. Next season, however, just may be their year.

By most people's perception, boxing is a spectator sport designed for people who wish to sit in front of the television set and watch the pros have a solid, pugilistic contest. Some of the luckier fans will watch as spectators from box seats in an arena setting. Considering that the prices that boxing tickets go for these fans are far and few between.

Then there are those people who are active participants in the sport of boxing. For many years, a participant in the sport referred to someone who was either a pro or an amateur who competed regularly. Many of these individuals rose to heights of fame and fortune few people would ever dream of reaching. However, these competitors are not the only people who seem to be taking an active role in the sport of boxing as the sweet science as many people have taken up the sport as a form of hobby and exercise.

Boxing is a tremendous means of getting in shape. The workout burns upwards of 1,000 calories an hour or 1/3 of a pound of fat. That's quite a serious workout! When one takes into consideration all the exercises that go into a boxing workout, it is no surprise that boxing burns up that many calories. Jumping rope, hitting focus mitts, sparring in the ring, hitting the heavy bag, working with medicine balls all require quite a bit of energy and the body burns through a ton of calories in order to provide the energy needed to make it through the workout.

This means that the body will need a mix of good carbs, proteins and fats in order to get through the workout. Diet is everything as the calories one ingests are the gasoline that fuels the body's engine. It is suggested that one draw most of the calories for a boxing workout from carbs (50%) and split the other calories 25/25 between protein and good fats. Yes, there has been a lot of negative info in the media about carbs, but if one is on a low carb diet, one will never make it through a boxing workout or any decent workout for that matter. Get your carbs from fruit and grains and they will provide the endurance necessary for the workout. Protein and fat alone will NEVER get someone through a one hour boxing workout. After fifteen minutes, endurance will drop down to zero.

Note: If one eats a lot of carbs, there WILL be a weight gain that is fairly significant, but it is primarily glycogen and water. So, if one lays off the carbs for a couple days, the glycogen and water will deplete so no need to panic.

Now, carbs alone will not get one through a boxing workout. There will need to be a bit of cardio work employed in order to develop the wind necessary to go an hour without getting tired. Granted, the best way of developing endurance for any type of activity is to actually do the activity, but that takes time. If one is picking up boxing as a means of exercise, then the first few weeks will require a supplementary series of endurance exercises so as to expand cardio capacity.

Like the classic image in all boxing gym pictures, jumping rope remains a top notch way of building stamina. Jumping rope as well as jogging has never gone out of style. They still remain excellent ways of upping cardio. If one is so inclined, venturing into the world of sprinting will provide even greater endurance building. Sprinting, however, can be a difficult activity to undertake so do not try to rush into it.

Now, if one is going to be boxing, jumping rope, jogging, etc then one will definitely need to up one's protein intake as well as get at least two days in the gym to lift weights. The reason for this is that all this physical activity will burn up not only carbs and fat, but also quite a bit of muscle if the muscle is not replenished with protein supplements as well as having the muscle built with weightlifting.

Boxing is not only a great spectator sport and a great athletic contest, it is a great form of exercise provided one takes the proper nutritional supplements and performs secondary exercising endeavors to make the boxing workout more productive.

"ECW! ECW! ECW!" That was the mantra the Extreme Championship Wrestling fans would yell at the venues where ECW's stars would perform. An innovator and originator, ECW, under the direction of Paul Heyman helped revitalize what was an utterly stagnant professional wrestling scene in the late 1990's. The ECW that is currently polluting the airwaves of the Sci-Fi Channel, however, is ECW in name only as which the WWE acquired after ECW filed bankruptcy.

Heyman's vision of what a small wrestling league needed to promote in order to survive was nothing short of brilliant. Heyman understood that there was a great deal of talent out there that had been neglected by the top organizations such as the WWF (Now WWE) and the late WCW. The WWF was fond of only pushing big men and bodybuilders although it did have huge success with smaller workers such as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. WCW simply only pushed people who had made a name in the 1980's or in the WWF. While they would occasionally push home grown talent, their creative ability usually developed major flops with these "stars."

Heyman brought in a ton of talent that had been overlooked by the big two leagues as well as taking some very untalented "talent" and hiding their weaknesses with carefully plotting in ring movement and, when that failed, simply re-editing the matches in post-production. ECW became a cult hit, but costs always exceeded whatever money it generated. A wrestling war between the WWF and the WWE led to the big two raiding ECW talent so as to have a giant roster that could fill up TV air time. In the year 2000, with losses mounting and a very important TV deal with TNN (now Spike TV) cancelled. ECW closed up shop seemingly for good.

In ECW's bankruptcy court litigation, the WWE acquired the ECW tape library and rights to the ECW name. This was done to feed the demand in the DVD market and the expanded cable universe where WWE launched 24/7 a mini pay channel that provided only wrestling programming. Ironically, had the landscape been like that in 1998, ECW would have probably made millions as the company's videotape sales were always strong, but limited to mail order sales. There was no monstrous DVD market for wrestling DVDs in those days.

When the WWE took a chance on an ECW Pay Per View event entitles ONE NIGHT STAND, some were skeptical that it would succeed. Fortunately, it was a hit and it seemed that ECW would continue to exist as a quarterly Pay Per View series of specials.
This all changed when it was decided to go full tilt ahead with a weekly series on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Fans were thrilled ECW was returning, but many wondered how ECW would fit into the type of programming on the Sci-Fi Channel. When word leaked that the Sci-Fi Channel execs had ideas that included the ECW wrestlers venturing into outer space and alternate universes as part of the show, most fans realized that this show was going to be a disaster. While the WWE talked the Sci-Fi Channel out of such idiotic ideas, there was a concession made that wrestlers patterned after monsters would need to be part of the show.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time monsters were used in wrestling. A wrestling Count Dracula and wrestling Gorilla Man appeared in the 1950's. 1971 saw The Mummy terrorize California with bad matches. The wrestling Mummy's outfit was filled with SAND so that when he was hit, the sand would fly proving that he had been buried for thousands of years. As dumb as this was, Los Angeles wrestling brought out a wrestling Frankenstein Monster in 1981. This wasn't even original. There was a wrestling Frankenstein Monster in 1978 in Memphis.

Let the record reflect the following: the wrestling monster gimmick has never drawn a dime. It simply does not work because it is so absurd that the ability to suspend disbelief can not be achieved. The addition of the silly wrestling vampire Thorn and his fortune telling assistant is dying a slow death on ECW TV, but the character HAS to appear per Sci-Fi Channel mandate. Never mind the fact that it does not put any money in the coffers of the promotion.

Weird trivia: The reason the Sandman beat up a wrestling Zombie on the debut show was because the Sci-Fi Channel told the WWE that the original plan to beat up an Alien would not be allowed on their channel. Please don't try and figure out why beating up an alien is bad and beating up a zombie is acceptable. (Trivia: There have been wrestling aliens before such as Spaceman Frank Hickey, another wrestling promotional failure of years gone by)

Beyond all this nonsense, was a worse problem. Vince McMahon threw out all of Paul Heyman's ideas and re-wrote the debut show. It was extremely (pun intended) removed from the method of presentation and booking that ECW had that it really was ECW in nothing more than name only. It had become an infomercial for WWE pay per view's while presenting a WWE style of wrestling that made the ECW show simply a third WWE promotion instead of an original entity.

While the ratings are excellent and the program will continue for a while, ECW remains dead and a pretender sits on the throne. They should have let it rest in peace.

The ball sails thru the air with a slight wobble but right on target. The Titans slot receiver has caught the ball on a beautiful 30-yard post, behind the linebackers put in front of safety, the correct read for the QB on this particular double post. The safety grabs on to the receivers shoulders, slides down to his hips and finally manages to trip up the 6 foot 5 burner. First and goal from the nine-yard line. Yes... We are going in for the score. Commercial break. Ughhh...

A 30 second commercial spot comes on for a 3-pendant diamond necklace, a radiant, sparkling, gorgeous piece of jewelry. The camera angle pans it from every angle and lastly shows it being placed on a gorgeous supermodel. As the spot runs 25, 26 seconds the price hit's the screen only $2,999. Retailers like to price things under the $3000 mark. This is a psychological edge, under three thousand. Like one dollar would make a difference at that price.

The next ad starts up with a beautiful black luxury sedan. You get the idea.
I stare at the TV and think, who can afford luxuries like that.
Then I think the answer is right in front of you, professional athletes.

I am a huge sports fan and love watching the games. I find them highly entertaining and I believe they add to the quality of life for the community. Sports provide a way for the community to live vigorously thru their teams. Professional sports teams give people a way to feel like they are winners. That for once in their life they can say they are #1 based on their teams performance. It is also gives the community a great way to build friendships and common interest.

However, the professional athlete is ridiculously overpaid and it is a shame what it says for our society. Most recently David Wright on the New York Mets signed a 6-year, 55 million dollar contract. That comes to a little over 9 million dollars a year. 55 million dollars for hitting a baseball. It takes a special talent to hit a baseball, but is our viewing pleasure worth paying these players MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

In my hometown, a professional athlete was at an impasse with his contract and was quoted in the paper as saying "How can I feed my family". This ludicrous statement was not taken well by the public, nor should it be.

How much does a person need to live comfortable. Athletes have often claimed that their career span is short and they need to make as much as they can while they can. I think this statement holds some merit, if we did not run around in the luxury cars, have 30 room mansions, and spend money on the dime sized diamond earrings.

You know why most athletes have the thick muscular necks? Answer: to hold up the four pounds of 14K gold around their necks.

Of the professional sports, baseball and basketball have the most ridiculous union bargaining agreements. Contracts are guaranteed. If I sign a ten-year deal for $100 million dollars and do not play one game, the team still needs to pay me. What a joke. If I get hurt, I get disability at 60% my wage, while I try to figure out how to make the house payment and put food on my table.

Baseball also has a neat little thing called arbitration. Arbitration is when a third party must decide on a player's salary because a player and a team cannot agree on an acceptable amount. The arbitrator rules and you get a nice fat raise. Many a player has performed statistically less favorable than the year before and gotten a 30% raise. If you or I perform at a level less than par, we are looking at being fired.

Owners in this writer's opinion create the animal that is the professional athlete. To give an 18, 19 and 20 year olds, many who lack financial maturity, millions of dollars is just silly. We wonder why these people fail as role models. I still do not understand who ever decided they were.

The sports athlete is an overpaid, over worshiped, profession. Unfortunately in our society I do not see the current system with the lawyers, owners, agents, and the players union changing. No, the onus will have to be on individual responsibility and accountability. What? I have to take responsibility for my actions. I know a saying that goes, it's not my fault. I have a good lawyer who tells me it is your fault, and he can prove it.

Seriously, it will actually be up to the individual player. The rare breed of individual, and there are a few who have done this, that accepts less money to play. They do this for a variety of reasons including the fan base, hometown ties, and a chance to win a championship. I would love to see more players stand up and say, "You know, I made 5 million dollars on my last contract and that will be more than enough money for my family and me. I am very humbled and thankful by your 30% increase offer, but I have enough."

Wouldn't that be nice.

By Robert Rousseau

If you're a fan of mixed martial arts and don't have a strong opinion on Diego Sanchez, then you're in the minority. This man that literally dominated the competition on the way to the TUF 1 crown had certainly achieved, at least up to August 16^th, a rather peculiar relationship with UFC fans. Up until his fight with Karo Parisyan on the 17^th, this relationship was difficult to define in a nice way. Hence, I won't try to sugarcoat things.

In short, a good number of fans had seemed to truly despise him.

Sure he had his supporters, but the fan- love that found its way to the other TUF 1 fighters, particularly the other winner from the show, Forrest Griffin, had very much eluded Sanchez. He'd been booed repeatedly on UFC shows, absolutely ripped on message boards, and it seems that every time he won, there were hosts of people saying that he didn't. For example, when he beat John Alessio it seemed that people were lining up on message boards everywhere saying he lost (even if his opponent did little more than defend the takedown and back up). Many of his detractors had much the same to say after Diego's unanimous decision victory over Nick Diaz, a tough fighter that was completely unable to keep Diego from taking him down repeatedly.

So it was no surprise that he was an underdog heading into the Karo Parisyan fight. After all, the haters have been, well, quite loud.

There have been articles- even one written by this writer- that had attempted to explain the phenomenon known as Diego hating. In this famous article by yours truly (well perhaps not that famous), it was determined that Sanchez's strange relationship with MMA fans was due to his extreme confidence combined with the fact that he hadn't defeated enough high quality opponents to match that confidence. Many great fighters have turned fans off, at least initially, with arrogance (Tito Ortiz being one of them), before finally winning them over with quality wins. Of course, Tito has since fallen out of favor with fans, and if the aforementioned is true, his fall from grace could be attributed to the recent losses he's accumulated against top notch fighters (his confidence no longer matches his wins, perhaps, in many fan's opinions).

Some agreed with this theory, while others did not. Those that didn't blamed the problem on other things- racism, his overzealous religious beliefs, even ignorance. Forget all of that now, though. It doesn't matter.

Because on August 17^th while Diego was busy making Karo Parisyan a believer, something very strange happened during the fight. At first, it was hard to hear. Then the chanting began to make sense. "Diego, Diego, Diego."

Finally, they've begun to come around. And now even the blind can see.

Simply hanging with Karo Parisyan started the chanting (well that and his family and friends), but after his victory was announced, there were some real cheers to be heard (far more, certainly, than the boos that had met the announcement of his victory against Alessio).

So why now?

First, Diego was quite respectful to his opponent in the post- fight interview with Joe Rogan, perhaps contradicting his cocky attitude before the fight. Second, the fight may have simply won them over. Especially the third round. During that final stanza, Sanchez literally dominated Parisyan, unleashing a ground and pound assault that was simply frightening. Further, Sanchez won the stand up part of that round in convincing fashion as well. Yes, that's right, now Sanchez has even begun to improve his striking. In the end, Diego once again exhibited outstanding cardio and phenomenal jiu- jitsu. But even more importantly, his skills are beginning to look well- rounded.

In short, he's scary good. Any mixed martial arts fan with even a morsel of fairness in their bones would have to admit it. After all, mixed martial arts fans know how good Parisyan is. Further, everyone, even the blind, could see who won this one. When the fight was over, Karo looked like a very beaten man; Sanchez looked fine.

Does this mean that Sanchez is going to beat St. Pierre or Hughes? Not necessarily. After all, these are great fighters we're talking about. Heck, Hughes may be the greatest pound for pound fighter in the history of MMA. But what it does mean is that Diego Sanchez's skills are beginning to win over some of the haters.

Diego Sanchez may not be good enough to take Hughes' belt. Regardless, Hughes certainly deserves to be the favorite if that match ever takes place. But then again Sanchez may just be what the doctor ordered for the welterweight division, and fair fans know it to be true.

Even the blind can see.

Sports have always been a hobby of mine. I was never been really interested in who received the most RBI"s for the season or which team managed to gain the most offensive yards rushing in one quarter. Statistics are what they are, just statistics. I think the fascination with statistics come with the wanting for a measurable depiction of who is the "best team" or who is the "greatest athlete".

Its amusing to me that statistics are such a big commodity in sports when most children are taught that being the best is not everything. It is the way that you play the game. The competition is what draws me to sports, not who is the best.

Even though the love of sports had driven me through high school and onto college intramurals, I never had the drive to obtain more. One reason for this is my sexual orientation.
Undoubtedly, there are hundreds of gay professional athletes in sports today. They have been present for many years. Only until recently, did athletes start to come out of the closet to profess their love for the same sex. Even today, there is a handful for openly gay professional athletes in the worlds of sports.

My love of the game and not the glory did not deter me from participating in high school sports. It was only my size and physical prowess that stood in the way of obtaining the statistical majesty that so many pro-sporters long for. Not only was my size a hindrance, it was also the fact that I enjoyed the company of the same sex. This, along with a number of other not so niceties that would not be appropriate for this blog, was one of the reason I had so much hassle in the locker room. My uncontrollable hormones kept me from participating in the homoerotic, yet subtly sensual after-practice shower shenanigans. When on the football practice field, I refrained from the normal -slapping of the butts- because I felt embarrassed that my hand would linger a bit too long. My shying away from physical contact did not label me gay, but an outsider, incapable of becoming one of the "in crowd" and undeserving of approval.
I am not the only one who feels this way. Later in life, I found a blog written by a gay athlete, which conveys some of the same sentiment.

I have found several outlets to vent my frustration concerning this diabolical situation. Realjock.com and Gay.com"s fitness section are great avenues where my homosexual mind can run free. In addition, joining an all-gay softball softball team which plays against other all (or the majority of the people who play are same sex lovers) gay teams have been another place where I can freely show my competitive spirit without hiding who I really am. Keith Boykin introduced me to a competition that competes on a worldwide level. I found out about the Gay Games a little too late to participate this go around, but I will definitely be participating in track and field competitions at the 2010 Gay Games in Europe. Although I was not able to play this year, read about my recount of my experience with the 2006 gay Games in the following excerpt from my blog, Cincinnati NAMja (namjablog.blogspot.com):


Why I went To Chicago
When I first read that Keith Boykin would be participating in
the 2006 Gay Games in
Chicago, the wheels in my head started churning, trying to figure out ways that
I could make it there just on the chance that I would be able to see him at a
venue in person.Because I was already going on vacation to Michigan the week
before the Games, I decided to take an extra few days of vacation days and try
to spend them in Chicago. It just so happened that a Cincinnati friend of mine
had already rented a three-bedroom apartment in Chicago because he was
participating in the Games and was driving to Chicago the day after I returned
to Cincy from Michigan.PERFECT TIMING!Running into my hometown buddies and
hanging out in the VIP lounge of the House of Blues was not
on my agenda during my stay in the Windy City, but since it happened, I did not
complain too much. Not with the great food that I experienced at Red Light and amazingly cool evening
with friends at Crew.

Yesterday was the last day of my Chicago vacation. My bus for Cincinnati was scheduled to leave at 3pm so I did not have that much time to explore the city more before I had to get ready and head out of town. I did meander to Evanston, IL where the Keith Boykin and the Gay Games' Wrestling event were.I guess I thought it would be cool if I could just see Keith in person.According to the website, the
wrestling event was to begin at 9am, so when I arrived at 10am my hopes to see
Mr. Boykin had left me as fast as the L-train leaving Belmont Station.On arrival
I see that there are many wrestlers on the large, tri-serviced mat, but it
seemed as though they were taking a break, so I walked half way up the stands
where there was a walking row that went around the entire gymnasium. Standing
there alone and taking in the sites, I turned my right and less than 5 feet away
from me is Keith Boykin walking towards me!I had a split second to think and the
only thing that came to my mind was to say his name. We shook hands and after a
couple of seconds of stuttered speech (done by me of course) he resumed on to
his seat.TOO LUCKY!Time was running short and I was not sure if I would be able
to wait until Keith wrestled, but a few moments later the competition started
and Keith was the first match. He lost the first match, and I had to leave, but
his other matches he won and went on to win the Gold in his division.So if you
read this Keith, great job, but I wish I could have watched you win a
match.Today, I spent my first full day back to work and it was definitely
sobering. It's ok though.PS-I promise that the subsequent post will be a bit
more informative...



Not only are there more gay athletes them we know or most people care about, we are coming out of the closet more and more often. So do not be surprised if the next time you turn on Sports Center, you find your favorite hockey player locking lips with another man.

As we head into the final months of the Major League Baseball season, the races for the divisional pennants and the two wild card berths are really starting to heat up. For all intents and purposes, this is crunch time for all teams hoping to make it to the postseason. Unfortunately for those teams, this is also the time that nagging injuries to regular starters, as well as sheer fatigue from the long season, begin to take their toll. That's why teams that expect to make a push down the stretch better have good players on the bench.

As far as backup players go, I think the Chicago White Sox have one of the best in Alex Cintron. Cintron is a utility infielder who can fill in at third base, shortstop, and second base, which gives manager Ozzie Guillen a chance to give starters Joe Crede, Juan Uribe, and Tadahit Iguchi, respectively, some much-needed rest on a regular basis. In most cases managers expect to give up a little bit in the way of hitting or fielding when the starters rest. After all, the backup is a backup for a reason: he usually doesn't possess the same skills to the same degree that the starters do.

But that's not how it is when Guillen inserts Cintron into the lineup. That's because the fifth-year veteran is batting a very respectable .281 with four home runs and 33 RBI. He is also very solid in the field, having committed only 6 errors in 233 chances, for a fielding percentage of .974. Cintron has appeared in 60 games for the White Sox thus far in the 2006 season, and always seems to give the team a boost when he is in the lineup.

For example, just two days ago the White Sox were trailing the Kansas City Royals by a score of 10-0 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Cintron, who had started the game at shortstop, came up to bat with the bases loaded and one out, and proceeded to knock out a grand slam. Sure, it was pretty meaningless in the big picture since the White Sox ended up losing anyway. But there's no question that Cintron's slam provided a brief spark to an otherwise bleak evening at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

Charging up his teammates is nothing new to Cintron, who was acquired in a March 8 deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks that involved pitcher Jeff Bajenaru. Cintron was a starter for two years in Arizona, before being relegated to the utility role in 2005. In the 2003 season, Cintron played 117 games, most of them at shortstop. He batted .317 on the year with 13 homers and 61 RBI. The Diamondbacks certainly looked as though they had a bright young star on their hands.
Cintron didn't disappoint the next season, either, though there was a dip in his offensive output. In 2004 he played in 154 games for the Diamondbacks, which led the team. His average tapered off to .262, his home run total dropped to 4, and his RBI production slipped to 49. Nevertheless, he was beginning to establish himself as a player that definitely belonged in the big leagues, and it would only be a matter of time before he matured as a hitter.  

Some players can't bring themselves to accept a backup role once they've tasted life as a starter. But Cintron handled the utility role in Arizona very well in 2005. Even though he wasn't starting every day as he'd become accustomed to doing, Cintron still managed to appear in 122 games during the season. And it was in this utility role that the White Sox envisioned Cintron, which is why General Manager Kenny Williams made the trade in the offseason.

Cintron's presence on the White Sox bench definitely gives the team an advantage over their American League opponents. Although Cintron isn't going to come off the bench and hit a home run every time he's thrust into a pinch-hitting role, neither is he going to come up and strike out. He usually makes contact when he's at the plate, and can execute a bunt or hit-and-run with the best of them. Look for Cintron to come up big for the White Sox as they vie for a playoff spot in the coming weeks.

Posted by JE

Maurice Clarett has now been ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation, with a super-large bail amount set in order to keep him from flying over the cuckoo's nest and into escape, until the next time. Maurice's trial for the robbery inthe wee hours of Jan. 1 was postponed until Sept. 18 to accommodate a psychiatric evaluation. His bond for an equally early-morning high-speed chase Aug. 9 is now $5 million. We don't think he will flee, but should accept some sort of plea bargain, because he cannot come up with that kind of cash and he needs to be reigned in before someone is killed.

In today's developments of the Clarett miniseries to be, a gag order is coming down for the former Ohio State football star. His attorneys said they received what they referenced as a "cryptic" death threat toward their client. In additionally, police have denied allegations that he suffered injuries after being handcuffed following a high-speed chase on Aug. 9, 2006. Judge David A. Fais saw both sides in court for 10 minutes Tuesday Aug. 15, after assistant Franklin County prosecutor Doug Stead asked for a gag order for the defense.

Mr. Stead stated that Clarett's attorneys have been talking too much to reporters. Judge Fais said he would take Mr. Stead's request under advisement and more than likely issue the gag order very soon. he further stated that this gag order would control the out-of-control discussions of this case on its merits."This case will be tried in the courtroom and not in some newspaper or radio station or TV station or in some national publication," he said (AP, 8/17/06).
We wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Stead next requests a change of venue, due to the extreme prejudice arising in the case that is resulting form extreme media coverage. Maybe Clarett can go to that little berg where local mayor's wife Frankie Coleman went to serve her confinement for recent a DUI conviction.

Here is Maurice Clarett's Rap Sheet so far:

Clarett was suspended by Ohio State for the 2003 athletic year after being charged for filing a false police report claiming that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment was stolen from a car he borrowed from a local dealership in September 2003. [borrowed?] Athletic Director Andy Geiger stated that Clarett received thousands of dollars in special benefits and repeatedly misled investigators. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser criminal charge in that incident.

On January 1, 2006, police announced they were searching for Clarett in relation to two incidents of armed robbery that took place at 1:46am outside the Opium Lounge danceclub in Columbus, Ohio. Clarett is alleged to have robbed two people with a .45 caliber handgun and then escaped in a white SUV with two unidentified persons. Clarett reportedly took only a cell phone valued at $150 from one of the victims.

In the early hours of August 9, 2006, Clarett was arrested in Columbus, Ohio, after he failed to comply with police subsequent to leading the law on a high-speed chase in a sport utility vehicle. After driving over a police-mounted tire spike strip, the chase ended in a nearby restaurant parking lot. According to a police spokesperson, the law enforcement officers discovered four loaded guns - some semi automatic - and an open bottle of vodka in the SUV with Clarett. The officers were forced to gag him and use mace to subdue Clarett after a stun-gun proved ineffective gainst a bullet-proof vest he was wearing [a Kevlar vest for stealing a cell phone???].

Maurice Claretts bond has been set at $5 million dollars. It is very likely that Clarett will be sitting in jail until he gets his day in court. Clarett supposedly is already $1 million dollars in debt in attorney fees from where Clarett attempted to sue the NFL to gain early entry to the league as an underclassman.


This all sounds like a very bad Bat Man TV series plot. What would Clarett's villian's name be, besides Clarett, the Best of Whines? After the trial in that small berg in about 5 years, considering the speed of our judicial and mental health systems, you know that there is going to be a book deal and a movie. He'll make more than his buddy LeBron James! When the Pandora's Box of mental health issues is uncovered and released to the press after Clarett's psychiatric evaluation, there may be some long-term care in a forensic institute coming Clarett's way. Watch out for the lobotomy, Maurice.

Even though the Cincinnati's baseball team has failed to produce a winning National League baseball team since 1990, the Cincinnati Reds' Opening Day celebration is a very big "to do" here in the Queen City. The beginning of April brings the day when downtown Cincinnati is filled to the hilt with Cincinnati Reds fans along with corporate movers and shakers who want nothing more than to capitalize on the Reds' frenzy. Among the crowd, you may even find a confused United States President hob-knobbing with his former business partner.

Yup, that's right, President Bush was knighted to throw the ceremonial "first pitch" at the Red's Opener this year. George W. is the only sitting President of the United States to ever do this at a Cincinnati Reds Opening Day game. Do you think that the fact that the Reds' new owner, Bob Castellini, used to be co-owners of the Texas Rangers with the Prez?The only other sitting President ever to attend a Reds Opening Day game was Cincinnati native William Howard Taft in 1912.

Opening Day festivities are not exclusively located at the Great American Ball Park. All over downtown Cincinnati area, people were celebrating the first day of the Cincinnati Reds baseball season. One of the most popular and highly publicized of these events is Opening Day Parade. Sponsored by Findley Market, this is the eighty-seventh year of the traditional parade. Due to a number of morning meetings, I was not able to attend, but with the magic or web casting, that even Harry Potter would be impressed with, I was able to catch a few minutes of the parade in between my appointments.I was happy to see that Project Lily Pad was represented. Give Back Cincinnati and METRO have collaborated to provide "wi-fi" access in and around their buildings. A former neighbor of mine, Jim Tarbell was in good spirits, specked out in a black tuxedo suit and top hat, commemorating the memory of Peanut Jim.Congresswoman Jean Schmidt also attended. When being interviewed by the reporter as she passed, he was not able to get a question out because of her loud and shameless decree of "I can't wait to see the President!" (I was a bit frightening actually)The excitement of Opening Day was not enough to carry the Reds to a victory today on that day. They fell to the Chicago Cubs 16 to 7.


Good thing opening day was did not depict how last week game went.

Last week, while having a few drinks at a local dive in Covington, KY after an AMAZING dinner at Riverside Korean Restaurant, we were playing darts and every so often, I would look up at the big screen television to check out the score of the Reds game. When we arrived, Reds were down 4-0, playing against the St. Louis Cardinals. Next thing you know, the people who were bellied up to the bar busted in a fit of excitement. The following is from today's Cincinnati Enquirer and it recounts what happened.

Picture it. Cincinnati. Great American Ball Park. Bases loaded. Ross up to bat. And slammed home run, clearing the bases.

Attendance at GABP: 41,649.

It was the bottom of the ninth and some how the Cincinnati Reds came back from deficits of 4-0 and 6-3 against CyYoung winner Chris Carpenter to just trail by three. A night that started awfully ended beautifully for the Reds.

Ross comes up to bat, when he hits the ball, it heads right out of the park. Remember when I told you about the tremendously loud uproar while playing darts in the bar? Well, it was because of this unbelievable hit.

Distance of the home run: 442 feet.

Now I know why people watch baseball. Its for experiences like that one.
Score: Reds 8, Cardinals 7.

The Bengals are back with a vengeance. In their first pre-season game last Sunday, they rolled over the Washington Redskins 19-3 with the same formula they used in the 2005 season, a combination of turnovers and hail Mary's. The Striped Slayers Bengals did not look half bad, and I am not just speaking of the way that they played. Is it me, or are these bois looking better and better in their uniforms? I watched the locally televised game will during the commercials of some Lifetime made for television movie. I was impressed with the turnout at Paul Brown Stadium and the job that the Bengals did. All that and without Carson Palmer at the helm. I see some good things on the horizon for out football team.

By Robert Rousseau

On August 26^th UFC 62: Liddell versus Sobral will air live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The show will be televised on Pay Per View at 10 P.M.

This version of the Ultimate Fighting Championship is especially interesting for three reasons. First, one of the greatest mixed martial arts matches of all time is about to revisited as TUF 1 star Stephan Bonnar will try to avenge his controversial decision loss in the TUF 1 finale to Forrest Griffin. Second, Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck 'The Iceman' Liddell and Renato 'Babalu' Sobral will also mix it up again. Sobral has not been defeated since he was knocked out in 2002 by Liddell. Last, if 'The Iceman' comes through against Sobral then he'll have met his end of the bargain regarding the possibility of a true world title match against Wanderlei Silva (Liddell needs to win and Silva needs to stay injury free in the Pride Grand Prix Open Weight Tournament). Pride champion versus UFC champion- does it get any better than that?

Forthcoming is a breakdown of the UFC 62 fights scheduled to be televised. Hope you enjoy it.

Cheick Kongo vs. Christian Wellisch

What Kongo brings to the table.

Kongo sports an overall MMA record of 8-2-1 and has a whole lot of power (6 (T)KO's). He's a good striker who won his only UFC match via (T)KO against Giblert Aldana. Further, he's gone to the 2^nd round several times in his career, seeming to indicate that he comes to fight in shape. Kongo's strengths mostly lie with his stand up.

What Wellisch brings to the table.

Wellisch bring a 6-2 overall MMA record to this bout. He's only fought in the smaller markets, but has accumulated 4 (T)KO's in them. Further, he's also gone multiple round before, seeming to indicate that his cardio is good. Ground fighting is not his strength.

In the Octagon.

I simply think that Kongo's one time experience in the Octagon combined with his athleticism will prove to be too much.

Kongo wins via (T)KO in the 2^nd round.

Hermes Franca vs. Jamie Varner

What Franca brings to the table.

Brings a 15-5 overall MMA record to this bout. Franca is an excellent jiu- jitsu/ submission fighter with 9 of his wins coming via this route. His technical striking skills are average, perhaps mildly better than average, and he does have some power (5 (T)KO's). In his last large market appearance (UFC on 7/8/06 against Joe Jordan), he triangle choked his opponent in the 3^rd round. Overall, he's 3-2 in the UFC with his only losses coming via close decisions to two excellent fighters- Yves Edwards and Josh Thomson. He's only been stopped once (via TKO), so he's got staying power as well.

What Varner brings to the table.

Sports an 11-1 overall MMA record. Varner has never fought in a large market event; thus, he may get wide- eyed. However, he has solid jiu- jitsu/ submission skills as evidenced by his 8 submission victories. His stand up looks to be decent, but he doesn't necessarily bring a lot of power (only 2 (T)KO's). In short, he's fought a lot of below average professional fighters.

In the Octagon.

Franca's experience against top- notch competition is going to be a significant advantage here. Expect him to win the stand up battle which will eventually translate to his taking Varner down.

Franca wins via submission in the 2^nd round.

Thiago Alves vs. Josh Neer

What Alves brings to the table.

Brings an 8-3 overall MMA record to this bout. Alves is 2-2 in UFC appearances. On one hand, he appears to have good striking skills and power (4 (T)KO's to his credit). Further, his jiu- jitsu skills also look well developed. On the other hand, he's inconsistent and prone to big mistakes. Alves is, however, very athletic and a threat to anyone. Further, he fights out of a good camp (American Top Team).

What Neer brings to the table.

Neer sports an overall MMA record of 17-4-1 and fights out of one of the sport's best camps (Miletich). He's skilled in all areas of fighting as his 7 (T)KO's and 7 submission victories will attest to. Though he did lose his last UFC fight to Josh Burkman via decision, he still put up a very good fight. Neer isn't necessarily great at anything, but he's good at a lot of things and is a very tough hombre.

In the Octagon.

I see Alves making a mistake born of inconsistency here; a mental lapse if you will. Neer is the kind of guy to capitalize on such a mistake.

Neer wins via 2^nd round submission.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin

What Griffin brings to the table.

This beloved light heavyweight winner of TUF 1 was involved in one of the best stand up wars in MMA history against Stephan Bonner in the TV show's finale; now they're ready to get it on again in a highly anticipated rematch. Griffin has accumulated an overall MMA record of 12-3 that includes decision victories over Jeff 'The Snowman' Monson, Stephan Bonnar (albeit a somewhat controversial decision), and a close loss at the hands of superpower Tito Ortiz (another somewhat controversial decision).

Griffin is highly intelligent and as tough as they come. He's got very good striking skills, nice power (even if it has only translated into 3 (T)KO's), and average, perhaps mildly below average submission skills (he tends to do well with chokes after stunning someone with his hands; five of his fights have ended via a choke hold). In addition, Griffin did exhibit good takedown defense against Tito Ortiz in his last fight, and he's in great shape every time he steps into the ring. However, he doesn't appear to have much in the line of takedowns.

What Bonnar brings to the table.

Bonnar sports an overall MMA record of 9-3. He has excellent jiu- jitsu/ submission skills (has ended 6 of his fights via submission) and very good technical striking skills. However, he has little power despite his reputation for swinging away (he has only accumulated one 1 (T)KO during his career).

In fact, strength may be his major weakness. Though Bonnar has good technical striking skills and takedown defense, he's struggled getting stronger opponents to the canvas because his athletic skills and power fell short (this was on display in his recent decision loss to Rashad Evans). Even so, Bonnar, like Griffin, is tough as nails.

In the Octagon.

Bonnar would probably like to bring this one to the mat as he'd almost certainly win under such circumstances. But considering Griffin's takedown defense looks even better than it was when they first met (ala the training he underwent for the Tito Ortiz match), it's doubtful that Bonnar will be able to pull that off. So guess what? That's right, another slugfest, which is good news for the UFC and medical professionals alike (the bills are likely to be outrageous).

Since there's no quit in either of these guys, I see another great stand up match. Bonnar is the better technical striker, in my opinion (only by an iota), but Griffin has more power. Hence, we may be in for another controversial decision. Bonnar needs this one more, but Griffin is more confident coming in (even in losing to Tito Ortiz, he gained something).

Griffin wins via split decision.

Chuck 'The Iceman' Liddell vs. Renato 'Babalu' Sobral

What Liddell brings to the table.

This UFC Light Heavyweight Champion sports an 18-3 overall MMA record. In short, he fears nothing and is perhaps the organization's most marketable name. A good way to test this is to ask a regular sports guy (non- MMA fan), who they've heard of in the UFC. His name is one of two or three likely responses, along with, "how about that guy with the mohawk?"

Chuck Liddell is a good boxer with ridiculous power (as his 11 (T)KO's will attest to). Though his punches are hardly worthy of a demo on straightness, his unorthodox strikes have time and time again shown to be one punch knockout worthy (Pride's Alistair Overeem knows all about it). In addition, Chuck needs very little space to put someone to sleep, and never was this more on display than against Randy 'The Natural' Couture in their second meeting. Powerful kicks are also a part of Liddell's arsenal, even if they are rarely used. Unfortunately for his opponent, Babalu has tasted one of those kicks to his own demise (Liddell knocked Sobral out with one on 11/22/02). In short, Liddell is always a threat to end any fight he's in.

Just as impressive as his power may be Chuck's takedown defense; it's what has allowed him to defeat great wrestlers/ ground control guys like Tito Ortiz, Kevin Randleman, and Randy Couture. Even when combatants get Liddell to the canvas they find that keeping him there is another thing. In this sense, Liddell has a truly unique talent.

It's hard to comment on 'The Iceman's' takedown skills because he never attempts to take anyone down. His jiu- jitsu and guard, though proven serviceable against the likes of Couture in their first fight, surely are not strengths. In the past, his cardio has looked somewhat questionable (against Rampage and in the first Couture fight), but rumor was that he was injured at the time. Recently, there's been no reason to question his ability to fight late into contests.

What Sobral brings to the table.

Babalu sports a 27-5 overall MMA record and has won 10 straight (his last loss was to Liddell back in 2002). Further, he's a jiu- jitsu/ submission nightmare for opponents, having finished 14 of his fights in that fashion. Along with this, Babalu has very good takedowns, excellent cardio, and solid technical striking skills. He has some striking power, but not enough to make a lot of waves (he's only accumulated 2 knockout wins during his career). Despite this, he has a relatively intimidating glare and persona. Babalu, like Liddell, has been in there against some of the best the sport has to offer. Along with this, in 2003 he submitted Mauricio Rua, handing the Pride Grand Prix Champion one of only two MMA losses.

In the Octagon.

If Babalu is able to get Liddell to the ground, then 'The Iceman' is in for some trouble. Problem for Babalu is that's doubtful. On their feet it's only a matter of time before Liddell lands a big punch (or kick as in their first encounter), and that's likely where the majority, if not all of this fight is going to take place.

However, Liddell's pending meeting with Pride Champion Wanderlei Silva may be on his mind. The Silva fight is a dream match up for Liddell, one he's always wanted. Could he get caught looking ahead? Is Liddell training as hard for this fight as he should be? If not, might he tire out and then get taken to the ground in the 4^th or 5^th? Possible.

But doubtful. The likely scenario-

Liddell wins via 3^rd round knockout.

Prior to the advent of pay per view, professional wrestling made its money primarily as a live show event. While today, wrestling does swing into town for a live show, it usually only plays in a city once or twice a year. In the grand old days, wrestling would run monthly, bi-weekly and even weekly in the same town. There were many arenas that ran wrestling in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's, but the most famous of all was Madison Square Garden.

The Garden had a vibe to it that was seldom duplicated in any other arena. One of the reasons for this the fact that the Garden was positively huge in terms of the number of seats it could hold for wrestling. 22,000 fans could cram inside and, when there was a sell out, it was not uncommon to sell and additional 4,000 for closed circuit TV at the Felt Forum next door.

In the early 1970's, Home Box Office started airing WWWF Wrestling from MSG as a TV special. (Today's WWE was previously known was the WWF and the WWWF at earlier times in its history) When the Madison Square Garden Network began airing on cable, MSG wrestling cards became a monthly staple. In the 1990's, MSG network stopped airing wrestling due to declining live attendance figures. Recently, the network has reached into its tape library to air MSG Wrestling classics as a series of one hour specials (The WWE’s 24/7 channel airs MSG shows uncut in two hour blocks)

Recently, MSG turned back the clock and gave aired the three main events from 1983, one of which was a famous classic bout.

The three bouts were Sgt. Slaughter vs. Ivan Putski, Bob Backlund vs. The Masked Superstar and the famous cage match between Jimmy Snuka and Don Muraco.

1.) Sgt. Slaughter Vs. Ivan Putski
In his day, the Sarge was one of the best working big men (300 lbs.) around. Ivan Putski, in his day, had to be one of the all time worst wrestlers in existence. Putski, however, had a bodybuilder physique that virtually no one else in wrestling could match and he was heavily marketed to the Polish community in the Northeast who would buy tickets to see him.

This match is real dull with Putski keeping the Sarge in a headlock through 90% of the match. Putski had two moves, The Polish Hammer double axehandle and the headlock. The headlock existed solely because it was a move that allowed him to do absolutely NOTHING in the ring. I can't comment on this bout too much because virtually nothing happens other than the Sarge seems to legitimately hurt his knee and can’t stand on it or straighten his leg out for a few minutes.

2.) Bob Backlund vs. The Masked Superstar

Now THIS is a great bout! The Masked Superstar was a major draw in Georgia prior to coming to New York for a program with Backlund for the title. Backlund’s best days were behind him and he would lose the title in two more MSG shows. His marketability was dying and his matches with the Superstar simply didn't sell tickets as it worked its way around the circuit. What a shame. This match is a real good match and one of Backlund’s better matches in several defense.

3.) Jimmy Snuka vs. Don Muraco (Cage Bout)
This match drew the sellout for this event as it was the culmination of a huge feud and the first time the IC title topped the World title on the card. Poor Snuka. He was hugely popular with the fans and his popularity clearly overshadowed Backlund. Unfortunately, Jimmy couldn't get his head on straight and had personal demons and troubles with the law that ended his WWF tenure shortly after this match.

Match is cool with the screwy ending where Muraco wins on a fluke and an enraged Snuka drags him back in the cage and then leaps off the top of the cage and crashes into the prone body of Muraco with the Superfly leap. While today this would not seem impressive, in 1983 it was considered an insane stunt.

All in all, this was a great hour of classic footage! Maybe we'll get to see some rare 1970's footage sometime.

The moment you start thinking about injuries is usually the moment you get injured. Case in point is the latest rash of injuries in the NFL specifically Clinton Portis who partially dislocated his left shoulder in the first pre season game for the Washington Redskins.

Portis started the game off with an 8 yard run. But a few plays later, on a pass attempt by Washington Redskins' quarterback Mark Brunell, Portis was injured making a tackle on Cincinnati Bengals' cornerback Keiwan Ratliff after an interception. Protis's left arm was extended when he tackled Ratliff. An MRI confirmed the dislocation.

Not only did the Redskins lose the game to the Bengals but they lost their top offensive weapon for an indefinite amount of time." Right now, it's tough to say," coach Joe Gibbs said. "Obviously, it's going to be a while." Common treatments for Portis's injury involve rest and strengthening exercises. After the game, Portis had his left arm in a blue sling. "Who knows what it is?" Portis said of his injury. "Even if it's not serious, to be nicked up for the first week of the season …"

Clinton Portis reportedly didn't even want to play in the pre season game. And after the first few plays, Portis wanted out of the game. "After that 8-yard run, I was like, 'Get me out of that game,'" Portis said. "That's what I was thinking."
Washington Redskins's head coach Joe Gibbs planned to keep Portis and the starters in for a brief series or two. "We wanted to have one good drive," Gibbs said. "We didn't want him to carry the ball more than one or two times."
After the game, Portis echoed fellow NFL players in heir attempts to get the NFL to shorten the pre season. "For whoever's watching: Let's get rid of some of these games," Portis said. "Four games is ridiculous. Then you play a 16-game season and the playoffs behind that."

With the addition of, offensive genius and assistant coach, Al Saunders to the Washington Redskins were excited about this year's potential offensive explosion especially with Clinton Portis. Last season Portis ran for a club-record 1,516 yards and the Washington made the NFL playoffs as a wild-card team. In Kansas City, Saunders turned Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson into MVP candidates. Without Portis, the Washington Redskins will lean on backup running back Ladell Betts to give them a competent running attack. Lat year, Betts ran for 338 yards last but missed four games due to a knee injury.

Portis's injury also has a huge impact on fantasy football. Portis was ranked as high as the 4th overall running back meaning he would go by the 5th pick in most fantasy football drafts. Now, Portis will be overlooked in the first round and possibly drop all the way down to the third round. Not knowing how long he will be out is a scare for most owners.

I personally believe that 4 pre-season games is fine; it's the one hundred practices that the players have to go through during training camp that is the problem. Training camp and preseason is a double edged sword. You need both to get your teams prepared for the regular season but I think NFL owners have taken it a little too far. You see, the owners make more money by selling out stadiums and televising these pre season games. The players don't get paid more or less for these games. Another problem with pre-season is that most of the games are meant for back up players to get playing time for coaches to see who will get cut or make the roster. Clinton Portis really had no reason to play in the first pre season game. In my opinion, play your top players in the second and third pre season games. Two games is enough to get them ready.

The other side of the coin is that every year there are serious injuries to players. It's part of football and is just another factor in developing a successful team. It's sad that great players can get hurt, but I don't hear anyone complaining when a walk on 4th string punter breaks a leg. I guess it's only the superstars like Portis who should have shortened pre seasons.


Double R

On Saturday August 12, 2006, Canada won a place in the Rugby World Cup 2007.

Yesterday's Rugby World Cup Qualifying match in front of a crowd of 5,000 at the field in St. John's between Canada and the USA had been called "The One Million Dollar Game". However, it was worth much more than that in the currencies of money, esteem, and confidence for Canada and its team and fans. The game was full of memories, but before the kickoff, there was also a memorable moment: Aaron Carpenter was one of the Canadian players who didn't dress for the game, but he helped his team earn a victory with his moral support. When he arrived at the arena an hour before kickoff, he walked onto the field and embedded a Canadian loonie at center field. Perhaps this enchanted the playing field in favor of the Canadians. The American paper dollar would not make such a good showing if crumpled up and stuck in the same dirt.

During the game, Canada looked to be on fire with more energy and skill than the Americans. They boldly ran with inter-passing between their forwards and backs.
When called on to defend, they met the USA's Eagles with murderous tackles right on the gain line, repeatedly driving them back. It was totally high class rugby of the best kind. Some spectators said it was Canada's best game since tromping Scotland 26-23 in Vancouver in 2002.

Canadian right winger James Pritchard scored 36 points to garner the tremendous victory for Canada in their 56-7 stomping of the USA, Reserving a sure spot for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Pritchard's total was a national team's single-game record that broke the old record of 29 that he, himself, set in Canada's previous match with Barbados. He scored six conversions, three penalty kicks, and three tries. In addition, prop Rod Snow, having played club rugby previously for 10 years in Wales for Newport and the Dragons, also scored a try in front of his hometown fans in Newfoundland, 13 minutes into the game. Canada now advances to next year's Americas 2 entry in the World Cup to be held in France. They will play in Pool B, which includes Australia, Fiji, Wales, and a qualifier to be determined from Asia.

The Canadian team coach, Ric Suggitt, who fielded the nation's best team since becoming coach in February of 2004, described Pritchard's game performance as launching the Canadians to a flawless victory over the American's Eagles. However, he warned that they would still face a trial within their World Cup pool. They will have an early chance to prove themselves fit against Wales when they travel to Cardiff to face Gareth Jenkins' side on November 17 of this year.

Canada and the US are ranked 13th and 14th in the world, respectively, and the teams were reportedly closely matched, but the Americans could not meet the Canadian challenge. The game was the final of the Webb Ellis Cup, a three-team qualifying tournament involving Canada, the US, and Barbados. America can still qualify for the tournament as the Americas 3 entry if they win a later series of games over Uruguay.

The Canadians really put the US Eagles under consistent intense pressure from the very start of the match. Fullback Mike Pyke of Victoria scored early, with a try six minutes into the game and a bone crushing defense negated American efforts until flanker Todd Clever broke through for a try midway through the second half. The Americans were simply outgunned throughout the entire match, according to Eagles' coach Peter Thorburn.

The Eagles now must take on Uruguay. They must prepare to play Uruguay in Montevideo on September 31st, and again in Stanford, California on October 7th, 2006. The winner of that home-and-away match series will become Americas 3 and will join England, South Africa, Samoa, and Repechage 2 in Pool A. The loser of the Americas 3 home-and-away match series will enter a repechage competition against the winner of a contest between the winner of Africa 2 and Europe 4. The winner of this Repechage #1 will be placed into Pool C, which already includes New Zealand, Scotland, Europe 1, and Europe 2.

All of these playoffs are eagerly awaited by rugby fans and should be quite interesting. Interesting too, will be the French reaction to having America on the French soil of its playing field in the future, if the USA actually qualifies. Best wishes to all the teams.

Rugby's history in Canada dates back nearly 150 years to its first appearance in the 1860's, at the time of the American Civil War in the US. Introduction of the game and its growth was spurred by immigrants who were members of the Canadian regimental armies, and to the Royal Navy located in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Esquimalt, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. Today, the game of rugby in Canada is well represented in all ten provincial unions and is played by girls and boys, men and women. Although Canadian Rugby still benefits from having players from overseas, the majority of new players are homeland Canadian athletes. These young Canadians are the game's solid future. Currently, women's and girls' teams at the national, club, high school and mini levels flourish all across the country, with 125 clubs in Canada that have women's teams, 20 universities, and approximately 250 high school teams in Canada.

Ohio is a vortex of sad occurrences, such as those in the life of Maurice Clarett, a football hero wannabe and a whiner. Our sports-driven Columbus, Ohio, the football Mecca on the Scioto River, is the town that would close down if not for the OSU Football machine and the surrounding businesses associated with the sales of sports memorabilia and gear. Why, even in the little leagues and peewee leagues of football in Franklin County suburbs, the biggest part of the activity is often the parents' and friends' sales of sports related gear, their betting on the games, and the parties afterwards. Football is big money and winning is important in the game, both for self esteem factors and for the income is produces for the chosen few athletes who succeed big-time. Unfortunately, all this has spawned, enabled, and encouraged the bad behaviors of a local whine known as The Clarett. As a college football player he has wanted to become famous, but instead, has become infamous -- a legend of the wrong kind.

Welcome to the Vortex of the Wicked Tailback of the Midwest! See the tail that is now in jail!

Clarett's short 22-year life began its decline in earnest when he was a tailback for Ohio State University. He was suspended for the entire 2003 season after leading the Buckeyes to a national championship in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, because of having falsified a police report. He dropped out of college at that point and sued to be included in the draft of the 2004 NFL. He was a third-round draft pick in 2005, but was cut by the Denver Broncos in the preseason.

Clarett slipped further into the breach this past Wednesday when police subdued him after a car chase and found four loaded guns and an open bottle of vodka in his borrowed SUV. They charged Clarett with carrying a concealed weapon and a traffic violation, having observed him weaving in and out of traffic lanes and performing a U-turn on a freeway full of cars. All this he did with an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, so we wonder where the DUI charge is.

Clarett refused to leave his SUV after it was stopped by tire-damaging spike sticks thrown by police officers, and was then pepper sprayed. Police found a 22-caliber semi-automatic handgun under his legs and an AK-47-type rifle beside him on the passenger seat. There were two other semi-automatic handguns in the SUV as well. Police used a stun gun on Clarett after the pepper spray, but he wore a bulletproof vest that interfered with the shock. All this looks pretty bad. What was he doing with an open bottle of booze and four semi-automatic weapons in his SUV, while wearing a bulletproof vest and doing a U-turn on the freeway? No breath test was administered, because police aw no indication that Clarett was intoxicated, according to Sgt Mike Woods said. What's weaving in and out of traffic lanes and pulling a U-Turn on the FREEWAY while driving with an open container of alcohol, if not a signal of DUI?

To top it all off, Clarett's most recent arrest occurred within earshot of the home of a witness that has already agreed to testify against him during the week of August 14 in a separate robbery case, according to County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien. How coincidental is that? Clarett was charged with robbery and carrying a concealed weapon when he was identified by witnesses as having flashed a gun and robbed two people of a cell phone in an alley in Columbus early Jan. 1st. Who needs a gun to steal a cell phone? You can get a Tracfone for $19.99.

For this latest arrest, the judge raised Clarett's bond on the previous robbery charges to $1.1 million, while Clarett's attorney Nick Mango said it was probably unlikely that Clarett would be able to post that bond. He will stay in jail for the duration of his trial starting August 14. In addition, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating whether Clarett violated federal gun laws against possession of firearm while under indictment. To whom do those four guns in the SUV belong?

Police additionally found a music CD of children's songs recorded by Ohio prison inmates and given out in July to all local prisoners and their families. Perhaps The Clarett can use it for Christmas this year in the Prisoner's Pageant. We wonder what Clarett's high school friend LeBron James thinks about all this. Amid all the notoriety, with OSU retire Maurice's jersey number? At any rate, Clarett has pumped up interest in football for the upcoming high school college and pro seasons.

Clarett plans to play for Youngstown's Mahoning Valley Hitmen (that's an appropriate name) in the Eastern Indoor Football League. Hitmen coach and owner Jim Terry has said that there was no indication of anything wrong as he spoke with Maurice on the phone early Wednesday morning, but the cell call was dropped about 1 a.m. and Terry missed Clarett's second one around 2:30am when police saw him making the U-turn.

"The arrest will not affect Clarett's status with the team," Terry said, according to the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Well, we think it should.

"We gave him a chance and now we'll wait to see what happens." Terry stated, also according to the AP on Wednesday. "I've seen far worse situations than this."

That's why they got worse - nothing was done about them.

It is a partly sunny 70 degree fall day, with a nice 5 mph southeasterly breeze. You have just finished mowing the lawn on Saturday morning and it is time to flip on the 54 inch Samsung with the pioneer surround sound. College football in HDTV baby, it is a beautiful thing.

Rummaging around the coffee table, you finally look under the sports page. There you discover the white remote behind the folded up college game page.Does anyone really know how to work all of the buttons? They should label them, college football, pro football, baseball, wifes channels... There would be no need for a TV guide.

You punch in the college football channel and some young college age lad with his pants half way down his butt holds up the were number 1 finger. Hate to tell you kid; your teams not even in the top 25 and the club aint looking real strong this year. I am thinking your team wont be number one at the end of the year.

Speaking of being number one at the end of the year, we kick of the 2006 college football season with a new BCS format.It is called the double host format and will add to the excitement of the current BCS.

The double host format in a nutshell adds 2 more teams to the BCS games. You have the traditional four games, the Rose bowl, Sugar bowl, Fiesta bowl, and Orange bowl, but you add a National Championship game.Said another way if you are playing in the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta or Orange you will not be playing for the National Championship. There are no play-in games for the title. The National Championship will be a separate came.The game however will be played at one of the big four sites after the major bowls have been completed, thus the name, double hosting.

This year Glendale Arizona, the site of the Fiesta bowl has the honor on January 8th 2007. The following year it will be in New Orleans and the site of the Sugar bowl. In 2009, the game shifts to Miami and the Orange bowl with Pasadena and the Rose bowl hosting in 2010.

Another important point of the new format is a slight change in teams selected for the BCS bowls.The same conference champions that were in last year are still included. However this year Notre Dame gets a bid if they are ranked over 8th in the BCS bowl, and one conference champion from among WAC, Sun-belt, Mountain West, Mid America and Conference USA.These conference champions must be ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS or in the top 16 of the final BCS ahead of one of the automatic conference champion qualifiers.The NCAA trying its best to please everyone.

Hopefully this will eliminate the whining from the coaches of the smaller conferences who’s schedule included The fighting Mathematicians, The school Bocce ball club, and we just moved up to division one, how many players do we need?

Since 1998, team 1 vs. 2 has met in the championship five times and provided some thrilling games.Games that I might add, made it quite clear who were the best two teams in the country.

In 1998, we had Tennessee and Payton Manning winning over Florida State for the Vols perfect season.

In 1999, Virginia Tech with Hokie nation running wild behind Michael Vick was contained by Florida States smothering D. FSU is national champions.

In 2000, Oklahoma won an ugly game over Florida State. Miami was the better team at the time but had lost to FSU earlier in the year and did not make the championship game.

In 2001, Miami runs off its 23rd consecutive victory smashing the Cornhuskers in the first Rose Bowl game, not to include Pac 10 and Big Ten participants.

In 2002, Ohio State wins a thrilling double overtime victory over the Hurricanes to snap the canes 34 game winning streak. The college overtime rule is great.

In 2003, #2 LSU defeats Oklahoma and leads to a split national champion. LSU shares the honor with USC.

In 2004, USC is back at it again and buries the Sooners for a clear-cut number one. USCs passing offense looked so good, you thought you were watching an NFL highlight film.

Finally, in 2005, we had the thrilling Texas victory over the Trojans in an all time classic. This was the second National Championship classic played in two years counting the 2002 thriller.

After these eight games, the national champion was a unanimous decision in seven out of the eight years. The one exception was 2003.That being said, the BCS has come up with a thrilling formula that has worked.

So you over lubricated poorly dressed X generation college students, try and think of something else to do in front of the camera, while your team gets pummeled.Going into 2006 this fan is pumped with high expectations for another exciting, thrilling countdown to BCS, January 8th 2007.

He has of course become known as Danny the Dealer. His propensity to trade his players tops that of any other GM in basketball today.

Clearly Boston's Danny Ainge has been given carte blanche by ownership to do his best to upgrade the Celtics. And Ainge has responded to that freedom with deal after deal and a total make over of the ball club.

The key question everyone is asking, however, are the Celtics any better now than when Ainge took over? Most NBA experts would say no and with the recent developments, many die hard Boston fans would also likely say no.

The latest shenanigans involve the draft day deals that gave everyone the impression Ainge was collecting certain talent to make a major trade for the likes of Allen Iverson. Even Boston fans had to be thinking that Iverson or some other NBA veteran was on his way to Garden to try to give the Celtics another presence amongst its cast of young players.

First off, Ainge unloaded the big contract of Raef Lafrentz in a trade that also sent the number seven draft pick to Portland for point guard Sebastian Telfair. Now whether or not you like Telfair as a player, the deal seemed very bizarre for several reasons.

First the Celtics could have had Randy Foye in the draft had they held position. All Foye did was tear up the summer league and earn most valuable player status. They could also have had Marcus Williams of Connecticut if they felt they needed another point guard.

Though much was made of Telfair coming to Boston, clearly the deal was to unload Lafrentz, one of the first Ainge acquisitions when the former Celtic guard took over as team GM. The move seemed very curious as even though there was no doubt Lafrentz was being paid too much and he wasn't going to make the Celtics a front runner for the NBA finals, he was the veteran presence the team needed. The 6-11 veteran out of Kansas handled his move from starter to coming off the bench in exemplary fashion, something that had to be a key teaching point for the many Boston youngsters.

The public statement also was that Celtic didn't need Randy Foye, as they already had too many swing players as it was, making it tough to get Foye playing time. That seemed true, as the Celts of course have Paul Pierce, Wally Szczerbiak, Tony Allen and Gerald Green - four players who can play the two or three, but none that can truly play the four position.

But things got even more curious when Ainge made yet another draft day deal to collect point guard Rajon Rondo of Kentucky. Rondo was coveted by the Celtics initially, the team liked him much better the more publicized Williams, but having just secured Telfair, the deal seemed bizarre.

Making the move all the more curious was the impact on the Celtics starting point guard, Delonte West, a player who performed very well for the C's and appeared to be the point guard of the future for the team. When Ainge was asked about having too many point guards, he talked of West playing alongside the likes of Telfair and Rondo at times, a move that would make West an even greater offensive threat.

That of course made little sense since the team supposedly had a back log of swing players already, hence the rationale for passing on Foye. Listening to the Celtics GM, one had to wonder if he actually has any kind of plan for improving the Celtics and whether or not he is implementing it.

That is what lead to the notion of a possible trade upcoming. Those who wanted to give Ainge some credit thought perhaps his moves were to assemble the right mix of players to make a monster trade for a name and a top notch talent that would push the team back into the playoff mix.

That seemed even more likely with two other unusual moves. Trading again during the draft to get Leon Powe, a 6-7 power forward from California, and giving him a three year contract with the first year guaranteed, then signing the 6-foot-11-inch free agent Kevin Pittsnogle of West Virginia to a two-year, partially guaranteed deal, led everyone to believe that Ainge was adding depth in order for Boston to pull of a trade that would send multiple players for a key veteran.

Instead, Boston has 16 players under contract (they can keep 15) and back logs at every single position. How Powe can gain playing time with the similar undersized overachiever Ryan Gomes at power forward and at the same time the team can find minutes for Al Jefferson and Gerald Green, two young talents who have to be given some playing time to see if they truly have the goods, is beyond the scope of comprehension. And what of West and Telfair, or Szczerbiak, Allen and Pierce, how will they all get the minutes they need?

Sadly, Danny the Dealer, ridiculed by the NBA media previously, now has Boston fans singing the same tune. No one has been able to make any sense of the team he has assembled other than it is stockpiled with similar, young, unproven players.

Something that most Celtics fans fear is nothing more than a recipe for disaster.

By Robert Rousseau

Recently, the opponents for Takanori Gomi, Hayato Sakurai, and Mitsuhiro Ishida were announced for Pride's Bushido 12. For the most part, the fighters set to take on these Japanese warriors are somewhat untested (haven't really fought in the larger markets). Thus, if any of the more established Pride fighters lose, it's going to be an upset.

Forthcoming is a breakdown of each of these recently announced matches (Bushido 12 is set to air on Fox Sports Net on August 27^th).

Takanori Gomi vs. David Baron

What Gomi brings to the table.

Gomi is the Pride Lightweight Champion, though he did lose his most recent contest in a non- title bout to Marcus Aurelio. Thus, the undisputed part of the title may have been lost. Still, he sports a 24-3 overall MMA record and has the best stand up in the lightweight division. Gomi has unbelievably fast reflexes and astounding knockout power in both hands (as evidenced by his 8 (T)KO's). Further, he's stopped 5 opponents via submission during his career, but more than one of these submissions- such as his win against Tatsuya Kawajiri- was in reality due to his marvelous stand up. In other words, Gomi has been known to daze opponents with his fists and then submit them while they're trying to figure out what just happened. Beyond this, Gomi has excellent takedown defense- he has a wrestling background- and good submissions from the top position.

Gomi's main weakness was on display in his most recent bout, a non- title loss to Marcus Aurelio (his only Pride defeat). If he ends up on his back, a place he rarely finds himself because of devastating power and excellent takedown defense, he may have problems. In short, he uses his guard to try and bide time- not much more. Thus, if he finds himself on his back against an excellent jiu- jitsu practitioner- Aurelio, anyone?- he can be submitted (2 of his 3 losses have come this route). Even in the second match against Luiz Azeredo, he seemed unable to get off his back until the referee stood them up. Simply put, if you get Gomi to his back you have a chance. If not, it's all over.

What Baron brings to the table.

Baron sports a 10-1 overall MMA record. However, none of his fights have occurred in Pride or the UFC; hence, his impressive record has been achieved in the smaller markets which clearly leaves a lot of question marks. Baron does have a solid judo background (so takedowns are a strength). Though he doesn't seem to have much in the line of striking skills or power, he still has accumulated 2 (T)KO's during his career. Baron's greatest strength appears to be his jiu- jitsu/ submission skills. He's finished 6 of his fights by way of a submission hold (and has stopped his opponent in 8 of his 10 victories). So he fights to win, not just survive.

In the ring.

Baron seems to have the resume to beat Gomi- good takedowns and submission skills. However, his wins have all come via smaller market events, and oftentimes we find that first time competitors in Pride and UFC events seem to have trouble (the larger events tend to play on their nerves). Plus, Gomi is angry and determined after having lost his last bout against Aurelio (his first loss in Pride). Before that loss Gomi looked near unstoppable. This one all rides on whether Baron can get Gomi to the ground and on his back. In short, I doubt it. He just hasn't fought against the same level of competition yet.

Gomi wins via 1^st round knockout.

Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Cristiano Marcello

What Ishida brings to the table.

Sports a 12-2-1 overall MMA record that includes a very impressive recent victory over Marcus Aurelio- the man that defeated Takanori Gomi. He trains with Kawajiri in T- Blood and has won his last 2 fights via the Pride circuit, and his last 6 overall.

Ishida exhibits outstanding takedowns (including judo throws) and cardio. In his last fight against Aurelio, he brought a pace that I have rarely, if ever seen. Further, Ishida is very hard to stop as evidenced by the fact that he's never been knocked out or submitted (both of his losses have come via decision). Though he doesn't get stopped by other fighters, he is also unable to stop them (of his wins, 4 have come via stoppage, and only one came via submission). Therefore, Ishida doesn't appear to have much in the line of striking power, nor submissions.

What Marcello brings to the table.

Not a lot of experience. He sports an overall MMA record of 2-1 and has only fought once since 2002 (a TKO of Do Hyung Kim). He fights with Royler Gracie's team, so clearly his submission skills are good. However, very little is truly known about him.

In the ring.

Expect Ishida to do the same thing to Marcello that he did to Aurelio (ground and pound). Though Ishida may find himself on his back for a portion of the fighting, he's likely to be on top against such a rusty fighter for the majority.

Ishida wins via a unanimous decision.

Hayato Sakurai vs. Luciano Azevedo

What Sakurai brings to the table.

Sports a career MMA record of 28-7-2. Sakurai is a very well- rounded fighter. In fact, he's better than even his record says. Furthering that statement, Sakurai has excellent technical striking skills with good power (he's won 6 bouts via (T)KO and absolutely floored Olaf Alfonso in his last contest), above average jiu- jitsu/ submission skills (he's finished 10 opponents via submission), a good jaw (he went the distance in a loss to Anderson Silva), good cardio, and good takedown defense. Further, he's been in against some of the best there is including Joachim Hansen (decision win), Jens Pulver ((T)KO win), Frank Trigg ((T)KO win), Takanori Gomi ((T)KO loss), and Matt Hughes ((T)KO loss), amongst others. So experience is clearly on his side.

Though he's got a good jaw, Sakurai can be stopped via TKO and submission (he's lost via both routes). So he's not impenetrable (even if just darn tough to stop).

What Azevedo brings to the table.

Sports an overall MMA record of 9-2 that was obtained in the smaller markets. Azevedo has a wrestling background. Along with this, he's got excellent jiu- jitsu/ submission skills (he's finished 7 fights by way of submission). He's also never been stopped as both of his losses came via decision. However, it seems that his stand up isn't great (he's never knocked anyone out).

In the ring.

Azevedo may be star struck as this is his first time in the Pride ring. Further, he's likely to find it hard to take Sakurai down. Hence, look for a knockout here.

Sakurai wins via 2^nd round technical knockout.

By Robert Rousseau

In their August 4^th issue as a backdrop to a feature story on Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera chalking up his 400^th save, Sporting News Magazine put out their rankings of the greatest relievers in history (decided by the Sporting News editors). Let's put it this way- Dennis Eckersley came in second. Yes, Mariano Rivera, as per Sporting News staff, is considered the best of all- time at his position.

To be frank, they're absolutely correct. One simply cannot ignore the fact that Rivera's 34 postseason saves are 19 more than anyone else has (he's only blown five in the playoffs, one of those on a rather lucky bloop hit by Gonzalez in the World Series). Non- believers often point to the fact that he's been in more playoff games than other relievers; thus, he should have more saves. A bogus claim. First, Mariano Rivera hasn't just been in a lot of playoff games, nor simply accumulated a lot of saves in them. He's actually the all- time ERA leader in postseason contests. Even more important, there is the thing that the naysayers tend to consistently miss (besides the fact that when he gets a chance in the playoffs he nearly always comes through). Rivera is the major reason that the Yankees have enjoyed the postseason so often. He, even above Derek Jeter (obviously a great player in his own right), has spurred this team to victory more so than any other player since Mickey Mantle himself. In reference to the World Series wins (in the same Sporting News piece referenced above), Jorge Posada seemed to say it best. "We don't have Mo, I don't think we even win one."

Who would know better than the catcher?

So where is this going? After all, saying that Rivera is the best relief pitcher in history isn't really all that profound. I mean, Sporting News just said it. Besides, bringing up his playoff success has been done before, so nothing noteworthy there.

Here's where this is going- Mariano Rivera may actually be underrated by the masses. He deserves the recognition Sporting News recently bestowed; eventually, he'll deserve enshrinement in the Hall of Fame (we'll know if the relief pitcher bias is truly gone depending on whether he gets in, as deserved, on the first ballot). Believe it or not, though, Mariano Rivera deserves even more than that. He's the quintessential Yankee, always coming through in the greatest of circumstances. He's the best player the Yankees have fielded since the days of Mickey Mantle, and therefore. . . he should join Mantle in the stadium as a monument (not a plaque). This is the greatest honor a New York baseball player can be given, and considering the New York Yankees history, it may be the highest honor a baseball player can be given, period.

There are only 5 monuments in Yankees Stadium. Miller Huggins, Babe Ruth, and Lou Gehrig's can be found in fair territory, while Joe DiMaggio's and Mickey Mantle's are beyond the fences. The stadium also houses hosts of plaques beyond the fence depicting outstanding players and people the likes of Ed Barrow, Jacob Ruppert, DiMaggio, Mantle, Casey Stengel, Joe McCarthy, Pope Paul VI, Thurman Munson, Pope John Paul II, Billy Martin, Whitey Ford, Lefty Gomez, Roger Maris, Allie Reynolds, Elston Howard, Phil Rizzuto, Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, and Don Mattingly. Clearly all of them are deserving of notoriety. But when it comes to baseball, it is my belief that Mariano Rivera deserves a monument sitting next to DiMaggio and Mantle. Big time, right? Here's why.

We've already spoken of the postseason prowess, and let's face it, that's what being a Yankee is all about. But here's some more- the Yankees won that first 90's world championship against the Braves in 1996 because of the relief pitching. Rivera and Wetteland helped the team to a 70-3 record when leading after the 6^th inning that year, and never was the strong relief more obvious than against Atlanta in their famous comeback from two down. By the way, he wasn't the even the closer back then; hence, the save statistics didn't even really start to accumulate until the next year. Further, Rivera was on the field to finish the 1998, 1999, and 2000 world championships. Despite all of this, one needs to look beyond what's already been said to truly understand Rivera's true greatness.

Most fans across the nation only see Rivera in the postseason; thus, that's their only measuring stick (and a fine one at that). Even the fact that he's one of a mere four closers with 400 saves is only a portion of the story. After all, there's a reason why many great players fall apart once they hit New York, and it's called PRESSURE. Combine that with the following question. Is there any position on a baseball field that must compete under more intense scrutiny than a relief pitcher?

New York fans have watched Mariano Rivera perform remarkably well under intense circumstances far more times than his postseason record gives him credit for. Late season contests with the playoffs or league title on the line, games with a ton of men on base and no room for error. I could begin to name many of the specific performances but to do so would only leave many, many out. No matter what the situation, Rivera comes through. Even better, on the rare occasion that he blows a save, even a big one, fans know that it will not hinder his future performances. This is not only the mark of a great relief pitcher, but even more importantly, a great player. Rivera is the Joe Montana of baseball- cool no matter what the situation. He's the trump card, the guy that everyone hopes they don't have to face in the final moments of a contest with everything on the line. There is a prejudice against relief pitchers still out there, even if it is lessening. Hopefully by the time Rivera retires, Yankees management will give him the ultimate honor.

In short, Mariano Rivera isn't just the best relief pitcher in baseball history (remember, his career isn't even over yet). Mariano Rivera is simply one of the greatest players in baseball history. Someday, in my opinion, children should get the chance to look at a monument in Yankees Stadium and ask their father who that is. And then they should hear, "that's Mariano Rivera. The best relief pitcher ever. A player of the caliber of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Mantle before him."

No matter what the sport, the greatest insult you can possibly direct at fans is to accuse them of jumping on the bandwagon or being a fair weather fan. This means, of course, that the person only became a fan of a particular athlete or team after said athlete or team started winning. It implies that the fan doesn't stand behind the athlete or team during the lean years, opting instead to root for a different athlete or team -- one that is winning.

Bandwagon and fair weather fans are such a common phenomenon in major sports that you just learn to deal with it. High-profile programs obviously are at higher risk for this kind of fan base. Had you ever known so many USC fans before Palmer, Leinart, Bush, White, and Jarrett became household names? Did you notice how many Notre Dame football fans came crawling out of the woodwork after last year's resurgence under Charlie Weis? Are the Dallas Cowboys still "America's Team" now that they're not winning Super Bowls? Have you noticed the lack of New York Yankees baseball caps on fans in cities other than New York? There was a time in the late 1990s when fitted wool Yankees caps were a must-have fashion accessory on college campuses, but that's clearly no longer the case.

Sometimes there's a legitimate reason for becoming a bandwagon fan. Perhaps you're new to the sport and have to choose a particular team to root for. It just makes sense that you'd want to choose a winning program. Or, maybe you've just moved to a different city and have the choice of trying to follow your old favorite team via the Internet, newspapers, and sports highlight shows or getting completely on board with the new home team. If that new team happens to be winning, most other fans would claim you're merely jumping on the bandwagon. But it's definitely understandable in these cases.

And now for a personal confession: I am guilty of being a bandwagon fan myself! I don't know exactly when it happened and I definitely wasn't expecting it, but it has happened. I live in Chicago and have been a Cubs fan all my life. I never liked the White Sox at all, even though I went to quite a few games at the old Comiskey Park when I was growing up. What can I say? White Sox tickets were cheap (or free) and there were always seats available. Even though I went to all those games, I never considered myself a White Sox fan.

Last season, I wasn't even particularly happy when the White Sox won the World Series, and I swore to myself that I would maintain my North Side allegiance to the Cubs no matter what happened. Well, apparently that resolution was far easier said than done!

You see, the Cubs have a record of  48-66 right now and have been having an utterly dismal season. Again. Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, the team's two aces from the 2003 NLCS run, have been on the disabled list for most of the year. Again. And rumors are swirling about manager Dusty Baker's future with the team. Again. This makes watching games very hard to bear, and it's all the worse because the Cubs don't have any bona fide star players, except Carlos Zambrano and Derrek Lee (perhaps Michael Barrett as well).

The White Sox, meanwhile, have a 67-46 record and are still in the hunt for the AL Wild Card. The Sox get all the media attention in Chicago these days, and have a roster full of colorful figures from manager Ozzie Guillen all the way down to utility infielder Alex Cintron and closer Bobby Jenks. White Sox games are exciting (witness the recent three-game series against the Yankees where each game was decided by a single run) and you always feel that the team is in it until the final out is recorded. That's a huge difference from knowing the game is over in the fifth inning, as with the Cubs.

So there you have it. After more than 30 years, I am now a bandwagon White Sox fan. Start with the insults now, if you must. At least my team is winning!

It seems like just a few short years ago that Alex Rodriguez was one of the most popular players in Major League Baseball. Back then, he was the likable young shortstop of the Seattle Mariners who had all the tools to become one of baseball's greatest players. He could hit for power and average, had excellent range out on the field, had a strong throwing arm, and an solid glove. Rodriguez, or A-Rod as he is commonly called, was destined to be a superstar.

A-Rod's years with the Mariners organization were mostly good ones. He signed a million dollar contract with Seattle when he was just 17 years old, and decided not to follow through on his intent to play college ball at the University of Miami. Instead, he played in the Arizona Instructional League as a member of the Seattle organization.

Rodriguez made his Major League debut in 1994 a couple of weeks before his 19th birthday. He was an immediate fan favorite in Seattle, not only because of what he was doing on the field but also because of his age and his easy-going demeanor. Rodriguez was a key component in a powerhouse Mariners team that also featured players like Ken Griffey, Jr. and Randy Johnson, both of whom were in their prime.

Because the Mariners were such a good team, A-Rod started to get national attention. As a result, he was popular in other many other major markets, not just in the Pacific Northwest. Even though I was in Chicago at the time, I knew exactly who A-Rod was. He was actually one of my favorite players, and I ended up buying a #3 Rodriguez jersey. Let me tell you, I wasn't the only one. It seemed that everywhere I went, I saw people sporting that jersey.

The tide of A-Rod's popularity began to turn when he became a free agent at the end of the 2000 season. He was coming off a year in which he hit .316 with 41 home runs and 132 RBI, so he was definitely one of the most highly sought after players on the market. Initially, Rodriguez said he wanted to sign with a contender. He had made it to the postseason several times as a member of the Mariners, but apparently didn't feel that the team was heading in the right direction. His agent was in talks with the New York Mets for a time. However, Rodriguez ended up signing a deal with the last-place Texas Rangers in which he was to receive a record $252 million dollars over 10 years.

Word on the street at that time was that the Rangers offer was at least 25 percent higher than what other teams were willing to give up for Rodriguez. I think it was the shockingly high dollar figure of A-Rod's contract, which was $63 million dollars more than Derek Jeter's  (the next most lucrative deal in the majors). The number was so completely gaudy and excessive that fans started talking about Rodriguez being greedy -- especially in light of the fact that he signed with a last-place team.

Although Rodriguez put up good numbers in Texas, he didn't carry the team to the postseason as hoped. His popularity was steadily declining already, and he was frequently taunted in opposing ballparks by fans holding fistfuls of fake dollar bills. They twisted his nickname into "Pay-Rod". And they reigned boos down on him whenever he came up to bat or handled the ball in the field.

Then, when A-Rod asked for and was granted a trade to the New York Yankees after just three years in Texas, it seemed that his popularity had a chance to surge again. If he could coexist with teammate Derek Jeter, if he could come through in the clutch and help the Yanks get back to the World Series, if the tough New York fans took to him, he would surely be able to rebound.

Unfortunately for Rodriguez, none of those things have happened. In his first two seasons with the club, Rodriguez has failed to come up big when important games were on the line. When the Yankees collapsed in the 2004 American League Championship Series against eventual World Series winner Boston, many sports analysts and fans pointed to A-Rod's subpar hitting over the last four games of the series. He had a reputation of putting up big offensive numbers only when his team didn't really need the help, and of choking miserably when the game was on the line. In addition, there were whispers that his squeaky-clean, humble image was largely a sham.

Despite playing in all 162 games, hitting .321 with 48 home runs and 130 RBI, and being named the 2005 American League Most Valuable Player, Rodriguez hasn't really won a strong following in New York City. He had to move over to third base from his usual shortstop position because Jeter was the established SS in the Bronx. As a result, A-Rod's defense has suffered. He already has 18 errors on the season, and is on pace to break his career-worst 24 errors in a season (which happened in 1997 with the Mariners). By contrast, Jeter has just 9 errors in the same number of games.

I'm sure A-Rod's popularity is not an issue for him. After all, he has $252 million dollars to console himself with. But it really does make me wonder what "might have been" if he had stayed in Seattle all these years.

Minnesota Twins rookie sensation Francisco Liriano might be out for the rest of the season with an arm injury. Liriano had a second, more enhanced MRI exam Thursday. A shot of dye was injected into Liriano's arm to obtain better reading.

The MRI showed a mild chronic strain of Liriano's ulnar collateral ligament. A clinical exam revealed weakness and stiffness in Liriano's shoulder that is causing the pain in his forearm near the elbow.

The Twins and team physician Dr. John Steubs are optimistic, but not totally confident that the young pitcher will return this season. Francisco Liriano will receive physical therapy treatment for his shoulder and elbow. Manager Ron Gardenhire said, following Thursday's 5-0 loss to the Toronto Bluejays, that he expects Liriano to return this year, but refused to put a time on the return. "However long that takes, that takes." said Gardenhire.

Liriano said he was planning to pitch when eligible to come off the disabled list. He was due to return in less than two weeks, but the Twins have expressed cautious optimism about bringing Liriano back. They're listing Liriano's as indefinitely absent.

After skipping one start to rest his sore elbow, Liriano was rocked in Detroit on Monday. He lasted only four innings due to escalating pain near his elbow. After the game, Liriano was almost in tears during interviews with reporters. Dr. Steubs believes that Liriano's injury was not made worse during Monday's outing.

Liriano says he made a mistake by not telling Twins manager Gardenhire or pitching coach Rick Anderson about this condition sooner. Liriano claims that he first noticed pain in July. This was his second outing after the 2006 MLB All-Star break. Liriano also had a similar injury in 2002 while in the minors. It caused him to miss four starts.

Even with this disappointment Liriano is attempting to stay positive. "I'll be all right," Liriano said. "Everything happens for a reason. I've just got to be patient. I've just got to stay healthy and do whatever is best for me," he said.

Francisco Liriano was on his way to a possible CY Young. He had become the Twin's ace pitcher which says a lot considering the Twins still have former Cy Young winner Johan Santana. Santana has also battled through injuries this season.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins called up Matt Garza this week. Garza will make his debut on Friday night against Toronto. Gardenhire is confident in Garza. "I really believe he'll handle it pretty decently." said Gardenhire.

Last summer, the Minnesota Twins drafted Garza in the first round out of Fresno State. Garza started the 2006 season at Class A Fort Myers, then moving on to Double-A New Britain. After that, Garza went to Triple-A Rochester. He dominated each class level putting up some impressive stats. In his minor league career, including stints last year in rookie league and low Class A, Garza is 18-8 with a 2.73 ERA and 243 strikeouts in 37 starts.

Currently the Minnesota Twins are in the middle of the American League Wild Card race. Garza can hardly contain his excitement about being called up and playing for a potential playoff spot. "It's always fun. That's what you basically want to come into. You want to come into something that means something. I just want to have a blast and enjoy every minute of it." said Garza. Even coach Gardenhire noticed Garza's excitement. "Like a kid in a candy store," said Gardenhire.

With the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox fighting the Twins for the American League Wild Card, it is a bad time for the Twins to lose players. After Thursday's loss to Toronto, outfielder Rondell White was placed on the 15 day disabled list. White is suffering from a strained left hamstring. The Twins called up Lew Ford from Triple-A Rochester.

In the next two weeks, the Twins play six games against divisional and wild card foe the Chicago White Sox. These two series could possibly decide the wild card or at least knock one team out of the running. With the injuries that the Twins are facing I don't like their chances. But they have a bright future with a solid pitching rotation and a clutch hitters like catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau.

Double R

You are a rookie out of the University of Southern California. You slide down to the 45th spot of the 2006 NFL draft due to weight issues and a hamstring injury. You are trying to get out from the shadows of your ex teammate at USC, and current New Orleans Saints' rookie running back, Reggie Bush. So the best way to overcome all of this is to work hard in practice and show your coaches why they were right for picking you. Instead, LenDale White picks fights with his teammates. He went from special to spoiled in a matter of minutes.

Early Thursday morning, Tennessee Titans' rookie running back LenDale White got into two brawls with teammates during practice. After an emotional running play, White was bumped as he was returning to the offensive huddle. Safety Donnie Nickey took his helmet and pushed White when LenDale was approaching. According to Titans' line backer Keith Bullock, White had spit in the face of Donnie Nickey.

A few plays later, LenDale White was hit by Titans' rookie Cortland Finnegan and couldn't catch an outlet pass from back up quarterback Matt Mauck. After the play, Nickey charged up the field and shoved White in the back. During the pushing and shoving, Titans' safety was elbowed by White. Nickey, a three year veteran out of Ohio State, threw at least one punch at White before other Tennessee Titans players broke up the brawl.

Donnie Nickey threw his helmet on the ground in disgust as he walked pass reporters. Both brawls were caught on tape by a local television cameraman. LenDale White walked by reporters only to say "No Comment". A few plays later practice had ended with an angry, Tennessee Titans' head coach, Jeff Fisher calling the team together for an impromptu meeting.
Apparently, Jeff Fisher addressed the team about the brawls amongst other things. Fisher admitted later that he found out what caused the brawl and apologized to Titans' safety Donnie Nickey. Fisher claimed that what happened out there was a violation of the code of ethics." I didn't know everything, but there's stuff that goes on out there that shouldn't have gone on out there. Donnie understands, and LenDale understands he crossed the line. You just don't do that. It will not happen again. I assure you it will not happen again," Fisher said. Currently White was working behind Titans' running backs Chris Brown and Travis Henry.

This is a poor way to earn respect with your teammates. All this accomplishes is ill feelings towards each other. Also, this won't help White's chanced of moving up from third on the depth chart at running back. White has been getting into better shape off the field. He has lost at least ten pounds since the College football National Championship game in January. White's USC Trojans lost to the Texans Longhorns and fellow rookie Vince Young. Young's brilliant performance at quarter back led the Texas Longhorns to a dramatic victory. Unlike White, Young has impressed his new team and coaches by displaying his powerful arm and his amazing athletic abilities.

"I thought he was incredible for a rookie," Titans' defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth said. "With all the pressure and all the expectations, I think he lived up to it. He could do a little better, but he's a natural leader on the field. I think he's going to be really, really good for this franchise." Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher was also praising Vince Young."His presence, his instinctive leadership qualities, his desire, his competitiveness, those things are going to take him a long ways. He has the tools." said Jeff Fisher.

White came out of USC after his junior season where he showed both his power and dependability. White had 52 rushing touchdowns and only four fumbles in his last 541 carries. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry and led the nation in scoring with 156 points in 2005. Numbers that would have put him in the top 10 of the 2006 NFL draft if it were not for the previously mentioned hamstring injury.

The Tennessee Titans play their first preseason game against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday August 12. We'll see if there is any fall out from this brawl. We will also see if White can out-perform former USC teammate Reggie Bush.

Double R

Fans of the Chicago White Sox have long known who Joe Crede is. After all, the slugging third baseman has been in the White Sox farm system since 1996 when he was just 18 years old. But it's only recently that the rest of Major League Baseball fans have come to know and respect this South Side star. Currently batting .305 with 25 home runs and 78 RBI, Crede is an integral part of the defending World Series champions' lineup. Let's take a look at how he went from Rookie Sarasota league standout to World Series winner in less than a decade.

Crede played prep ball at Fatima High School in Westphalia, Missouri. He was twice named to the All-State team, and put up impressive power numbers -- .559 average, 36 home runs, and 106 RBI -- during his playing days. Upon graduating in 1996, Crede opted to skip college ball and head directly to the Rookie Sarasota league, now known as the Gulf Coast League. His outstanding play in 1996, when he was at or near the top of the league in almost every major offensive category, impressed a couple of White Sox scouts who immediately recommended that the team sign this up-and-comer.

After a short stint in Class A Hickory, Crede went on to play Class A ball at Winston-Salem in 1998. He earned Carolina League MVP honors that year after posting a .315 average, knocking 20 home runs out of the park, and driving in 88 runs. These gaudy numbers helped garner some notice from respected national baseball publications, and it seemed like the White Sox definitely had a top prospect on their hands.

Next, Crede moved on to the Southern League where he played at Class AA Birmingham (the team made famous by Michael Jordan's attempt to break in with them). Crede's offensive output didn't slow down at all in Class AA, and the White Sox finally called him up in September of 2000. He made his major league debut against the Detroit Tigers on September 12 of that year as appeared in a total of seven games for the Sox.

In 2001, Crede appeared in a total of 17 games for the Sox, while spending most of the season in Class AAA Charlotte. All of this time, Crede's defense was coming along and improving to the point where it was finally on par with his offensive prowess. In fact, he was earned Best Defensive Third Baseman honors for the International League that season.

Crede became a full-time major league player during the 2003 season when he was Chicago's starting third baseman on Opening Day. He played in 151 of the team's 162 games, batted a respectable .261 on the year, and had 19 home runs along with 75 RBI. Crede experienced something of a sophomore slump in 2004, where his average dropped to a dismal .239, which was the third-worst in the American League among starting players. He improved his home run total to 21, but saw a slight drop in RBI to 69.

The 2005 season saw Crede rebound in several offensive categories. He appeared in 132 games for the White Sox, and compiled a .252 average with 22 home runs and 62 RBI. More important to the team, however, was the spark he provided in the playoffs. Crede hit .289 in the postseason and had seven extra-base hits (including four home runs) as the White Sox swept through the playoffs. He contributed 11 RBI and often started run-scoring rallies by either getting on base against tough pitchers or driving in runs when the opportunity arose.

This year, Crede is still going strong. He has really matured as a hitter, as evidenced by his .305 average, 25 home runs, and 78 RBI. Those are all career-highs, and there are still 50 games left in the season.

Prior to Crede's arrival in the big leagues, the Chicago White Sox went through a string of seven different starting third baseman on Opening Day in seven consecutive years. Now, however, it seems the team has finally found someone who can handle the Hot Corner on a consistent basis. Crede is poised to give Sox fans exciting moments for many years to come!

Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett was charged today on multiple accounts after a high speed chase with the police. Clarett made an illegal U-turn and failed to stop when officers flashed their lights to pull him over. The Police pursued Clarett onto Interstate 70 heading eastbound. Clarett then crossed the median and began heading west on Interstate 70. Shortly after driving over a spike strip, Clarett exited the highway and pulled into a restaurant parking lot. After refusing to obey orders, officers removed Clarett from parked SUV.

Maurice Clarett engaged in a physical altercation with officers after being removed from his SUV. Initially the officers tried to use a stun gun on Clarett but he was wearing a bullet proof vest. So the officers used Mace on the former collegiate standout. Apparently it took several officers to subdue and handcuff Clarett and then place him in the paddy wagon. Inside the paddy wagon, Clarett continued to kick the doors and scream at the officers.

Clarett's tussle with the police wasn't the end of this sad ordeal. When the officers inspected Clarett's SUV they found four loaded guns and a half bottle of Vodka. There was a loaded assault rifle and three handguns with one being a 9 mm handgun found under Clarett's legs in the driver's seat. Police don't know where he got the guns or where he was heading. Clarett will be charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and several moving violations.

Unless his attorneys can get him out earlier, Maurice Clarett is to be held until an arraignment on Thursday morning; expected to happen between 8 am and 11 a.m. eastern time. Clarett was arrested near the home of a witness in a robbery case against him. According to Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien, the witness is supposed to testify against Clarett next week.

Maurice Clarett is currently awaiting trial for two counts of aggravated robbery, four counts of robbery and one count of carrying a concealed weapon in a separate case. Assistant Franklin County Prosecutor Tim Mitchell's attempt to get Clarett's bond revoked was denied. Instead the bond was raised to $1.1 million. Clarett's attorneys say that it is unlikely that Clarett will be able to post the bond.

Currently, Maurice Clarett was planning to play for the Mahoning Valley Hitmen of the Eastern Indoor Football League. The team is located in Clarett's hometown of Youngstown and is set to begin play in January 2007. According to the Hitmen coach and owner Jim Terry, the arrest will not affect Clarett's position with the team. Clarett has not yet officially signed a contract with the Mahoning Valley Hitmen.

Ever since Maurice Clarett scored the winning touch down in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, his life has seemed to spiral out of control. On July 29, 2003 Ohio State confirmed that the NCAA was investigating Clarett's claim that more than $10,000 in CDs, clothing, stereo equipment and cash was stolen from a 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that Clarett supposedly borrowed from a local dealership in April 2003. A few months later, Clarett was charged with falsifying the police report filed on the theft. The next day, Ohio State suspends Clarett for the entire season due to his misleading of investigators and receiving special benefits

. After being suspended for the 2003 college football season, Clarett unsuccessfully sued the NFL. He challenged the NFL's rule that a player must be out of high school for three years before being eligible for the NFL draft. Clarett started attending classes at Ohio State in January 2002 after graduating from high school early.

On Jan. 14, 2004, Maurice Clarett pleads guilty to failure to aid a law enforcement officer. This was a lesser charge than falsifying a police report. The judge ordered him to pay a fine of $100 and that there would be no jail time.

Clarett continued, through court, to pursue entering the NFL draft. February 2004, Clarett was ruled eligible for the NFL draft by a U.S. District Judge in New York; but two months later a federal appeals court puts the February ruling on hold. Clarett filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court whom refused to intervene. A second emergency appeal was turned down and in May 2004 the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals formally ruled against Clarett. The ruling stated that Clarett would not be eligible for a NFL supplemental draft and he would have to wait for the 2005 NFL draft.

In the 2005 NFL draft, Clarett was taken in the third round by the Denver Broncos. He finally got his chance to play in the NFL. In another sad twist of fate, Clarett suffered a groin injury and was subsequently cut before the regular season began.

This truly is a sad story to a once highly touted athlete. Every time you think it couldn’t get worse for Maurice Clarett, it does. We will have to wait for the court proceedings to play out before we know what the immediate future will hold for the 22 year old Clarett.

Another day in the battle on steroids and another black mark on the image of Mark McGwire. Big Mac has become nothing short of a big question mark. According to a New York Daily News report, Mark McGwire has not cooperated with former Sen. George Mitchell's investigation into performance-enhancers in baseball. The former superstar has refused to meet with Senator George Mitchell and his investigators, sparking more questions and concerns about McGwire's possible steroid use.

In March 2006, former Senate majority leader George Mitchell was appointed by Commissioner Bud Selig to lead Major League Baseball's investigation into the use of steroids in professional baseball. Mitchell and his investigators have talked to several Major League Baseball personnel. However, George Mitchell's investigation can't make anyone testify; which is how McGwire can avoid any communications with this investigation.

Since the 2005 Congressional hearing on steroids, Big Mac has gone deeper into hiding. He has avoided all major public appearances and turns down invitations from the St. Louis Cardinals to come to the stadium. The last image we have of Big is of a man crying and saying he doesn't want to talk about the past but that he would help speak out against steroids for the sake of our children. I'll tell you this; I don’t want my child listening to anything Mark McGwire has to say. If a man can't hold himself accountable for his actions then he shouldn't be heard.

The waters are definitely muddy for Big Mac. Former teammate Jose Canseco, in his controversial book "Juiced," said Mark McGwire used steroids. Canseco went on to add that he even helped inject Big Mac with steroids. 8 years ago, the legal supplement androstenedione was found in McGwire's locker. This was the same season he broke Roger Maris' single season home run record and the very same season McGwire supposedly saved baseball. Unfortunately all Mark McGwire is concerned about saving is himself.

According to several sources, one reason Mark McGwire is reluctant to talk about the past is because he might face criminal prosecution. Whether he admits it or not, McGwire has a big role in Major League Baseball's steroid scandal.Rep. Tom Davis, the Virginia Republican who chaired last year's hearing, told the New York Daily News that Mark McGwire may be keeping a low profile until the statute of limitations passes. "I think that if we could have provided him immunity he would have come clean," Davis told the newspaper. "But this guy had quit four years before and there was a five-year statute of limitations, and he would have subjected himself to criminal prosecution."

I personally believe that McGwire is a man that doesn't want to face the public backlash if he admits to being a steroid user. His credibility would be shot, his image would be destroyed, no chance of getting into the Hall of Fame, and probably equally important is the fact that his family would be subjected to the backlash. The last reason is something I can accept. I just wish McGwire would say something. He still has fans and they still want to believe him. Hope is hard to maintain when their hero won't speak.

Even if McGwire came out and said that he won't participate in any of this steroid stuff for the sake of his family then we would have something to chew on. I could personally accept that because I have a child and I would do anything to protect my family. The problem is nobody would really believe him. Even his die hard fans, which I was, are becoming stained by this scandal.

Big Mac could come back in a big way if he came out and assisted Major League Baseball in ridding the sport of steroids. McGwire would truly save baseball this time. He would turn a positive into a negative, become a respectable figure again, and truly help the young athletes that he claims to want to help. It's a shame that he doesn’t see this as an opportunity. It's a shame that he doesn't see this as a second chance to truly be a hero. It's a shame that we looked up to a guy that cheated for a living and duped all of us.

Double R

By Robert Rousseau

Ten years ago, I wonder if anyone outside of the athletes competing knew just how rampant illegal performance enhancing drug use was becoming (or would become), in sports. I think all sports fans felt that there was a decent percentage of football players taking the stuff, and many were beginning to see what baseball had become, but now we're talking track and cycling for crying out loud. CYCLING and steroids; it just all seems so crazy. But that's what things have come to.

This could have been an uplifting story. After all, Floyd Landis rode through the entire Tour de France while suffering from a hip ailment due to a condition called Osteonecrosis (the same condition that forced Bo Jackson out of sports). Osteonecrosis develops when blood vessels that feed bones are injured, destroyed, or blocked according to a July 26^th story at CBSNews.com. Basically, it leads to bone death (the bones literally crumble), and a lot of pain. This is what Floyd Landis had to endure on his way to winning The Tour de France. Simply amazing.

Unfortunately, so was what transpired after his win. Apparently during the race (after stage 17), a urine test indicated an unusually high testosterone to epitestosterone ratio for Landis. But the cyclist's emphatic denial of having ever used any performance enhancing drugs seemed to keep judgements at bay waiting his B sample. Unfortunately for him, the B sample came back positive as well. In reference to this, according to Mike Greenberg of ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning Show, Landis said, "I was tested eight times at the Tour. Four times before that stage and three times after, including three blood tests. Only one came back positive. Nobody in their right mind would take testosterone just once. It doesn't work that way."

On August 7th, the Mike and Mike in the Morning Show interviewed steroid expert Dr. Gary Wadler (a member of the World's Anti Doping Agency's Prohibited List and Methods Committee). Wadler's testimony was very telling and informative, perhaps more so than any other interview I've witnessed concerning performance enhancing drugs. According to Dr. Wadler, Landis is right in that "a single dose of testosterone does not typically alter performance, and certainly (doesn't) alter performance to the extent that his was enhanced- gaining eight minutes in the 17^th leg of the race." Therefore, in this regard, the cyclist's pleas seem to have some teeth.

Also according to Wadler, however, pharmaceutical or synthetic testosterone was found in Landis's body, and there's nothing natural about that. Therefore, regardless of how it got there, it was there, and that's a doping penalty. Further, in answer to a question posed by Mike Golic, Wadler indicated that there was no way the testosterone found in Landis's body could've been naturally formed because it was not natural testosterone, it was synthetic. He also was able to explain the speed with which the effects of such drugs can disappear. "Typically in the past testosterone was injected and would hang around for long periods of time, many, many weeks," he said. "Now with the use of creams and patches and the like, we're talking in terms of hours, not days or weeks."

Landis is going to lose his Tour de France title if things are upheld (and there's no reason to believe the rulings won't be). After hearing Dr. Wadler speak, things have cleared up for me at least. Regardless of how that synthetic testosterone got in his system, it's a doping penalty. The only possibility for Landis seems to ride on if he can prove that someone with access to his sample compromised it. The fact that one dose of testosterone wouldn't have helped him in any way is the only piece of evidence, thus far, to work toward that theory (and that's pretty weak support).

Is there enough anti- American sentiment out there for such a thing to occur? It has often been said that Lance Armstrong felt the French were out to get him (with all the steroid rumors), but it's also hard to ignore the fact that he never tested positive.

In sum, though it's doubtful that his tests were tainted by outside influences, such an explanation seems to be the only recourse available to Floyd Landis. An outside shot for sure, especially considering proving something like that is next to impossible. If he can't, then he did it, plain and simple.

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Everyone who watches college football knows that preseason rankings mean little, if anything, in terms of whether or not a team has a legitimate shot at a national title. For example, last year the Tennessee Volunteers began the season ranked #3 in the AP Poll, but were not even in the Top 25 once the season ended. The same can be said of Michigan (ranked #4 in Week One), Iowa (#11), Purdue (#15), Texas A&M (#17), Boise State (#18), Arizona State (#20),  Pittsburgh (#23), Fresno State (#24), and Virginia (#25).

All told, ten teams that were ranked in the preseason poll didn't make it on the season-ending poll. That's 40 percent, for those of you who are keeping track at home. And of course, when teams drop out of the Top 25, that means other teams move up to take their places. So there were an equal number of newcomers to the final poll of the season, including Penn State (all the way up to #3), West Virginia (#5), Alabama (#8), Notre Dame (#9), TCU (#11), Oregon (tied with Florida at #12), Wisconsin (#15), UCLA (#16), Clemson (#21), and Nebraska (#24).

Last season wasn't an anomaly by any means. In fact, the frequency of teams dropping out of and entering the college football polls is part of what makes the sport so exciting and appealing to fans. I can understand this angle as far as the polls go. What I can't understand is why people continue to take the polls so seriously.

For example, there were a couple of surprises in the USA Today preseason poll that was released last week. For one thing, the defending BCS champions, the Texas Longhorns, didn't get the top spot in the poll. Instead, that "honor" went to the Ohio State Buckeyes. This number one ranking comes despite the fact that Ohio State finished with a 10-2 record last season (compared to Texas' 13-0 mark) and the fact that Ohio State lost several key players from the defensive unit, including, as every sports article about the team points out, all three starting linebackers.

Texas, meanwhile, must find a quarterback to take over for Vince Young, who pretty much single-handedly won the Rose Bowl for them. Apparently, the coaches in the poll believe that it is much harder to replace a starting quarterback than three starting linebackers.

Another surprise was the fact that USC polled in a tie for third with Notre Dame. Even though the Trojans finished the 2005 season with the #2 rank and Notre Dame exited with the #9 rank, the teams seem to be headed in opposite directions. Notre Dame is returning nearly every important player from its explosive offense of last season: Brady Quinn, Darius Walker, Jeff Samardzija, and Rhema McKnight will all be back, which means that the Irish will likely be able to put up the 37.6 points per game that they averaged in 2005 -- if not more.

USC, on the other hand, lost 2005 Heisman trophy winner Reggie Bush, 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart, and LenDale White from the offense. Head coach Pete Carroll hasn't named a starting quarterback yet, but the preseason battle will be between John David Booty, who has spent the last three years in the backup role, and redshirt freshman Mark Sanchez, who has already faced some off-field disciplinary problems that kept him away from the team for a while. Even though both of those guys were highly-touted prep prospects, I find it hard to believe that either one will be able to lead USC to dominance in the Pac-10 let alone in the nationwide polls. I'll go on record right now as saying that USC won't finish the 2006 season ranked in the top 10 in either of the big polls.

One thing that wasn't surprising about the poll was that West Virginia was ranked #7. The Mountaineers are coming off an 11-1 season in which they defeated a tough Georgia team in the Sugar Bowl, and they'll have most of their key players returning.

Overall, there's definitely no point in putting much stock in preseason NCAA football polls because there will be significant movement in the rankings by the end of the year. It sure is fun to analyze the polls, though!

Mike Krzyzewski's always thought about coaching at the NBA level. But when you have the coveted Duke Blue Devil Basketball job it is tough to think there could be any greener grass.

Greater challenges yes, but greener grass no. That is why the match of Mike Krzyzewski and the current contingent set to try and restore Olympic basketball glory is the perfect pairing. NBA players need to restore their image and Coach K wants to prove he can coach pro players. What could be a more perfect pairing?

Showing the renewed commitment to winning, the appointment Krzyzewski carries is not just a few short months. The USA is no longer going to rely on its prior, all star selection, who wants to go process. There is also not going to be short training camps that seemingly rely on a faith-based approach that NBA players are so talented they can cake walk through the international field. Instead, he gets the three-year assignment that attempts to both re-inspire and restore faith in the game that America once owned.

Krzyzewski did serve as an assistant for the so called Dream Team in 1992. But this is the first time he is in charge and the man with three NCAA championships is reported immersing himself in the project. According to the press, he wears "Team USA's colors and logos on nearly every article of clothing these days." That is a tad misleading as it also has been reported that he still wears his "Duke for Life" blue bracelet and the watch that commemorates the 2004 Duke Final Four team daily as well.

The Duke coach has surrounded himself with some very capable assistants to help him in the process. The Phoenix Suns' underrated Mike D'Antoni joins the Trailblazers' Nate McMillan and another college star, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim. It is an interesting cast, both Coach K and McMillan are known as fierce taskmasters while D'Antoni and Boeheim are known as "let them play guys."

To no one's surprise, at least not those who follow Coach K, the decision was made to emphasize defense and teamwork. Those two areas are of course not known as NBA staples - moreover, many have thought that no one would be able to get such a commitment from the current crop of NBA stars.

But Krzyzewski insists that he will likely use every player on his twelve man roster and that with the proper approach he can get his boys to commit to the defensive end. Coach K understands that the 82 game NBA season wears down players and that a commitment to in your face, man-to-man defense is downright impossible. Not if a team wants its players to have any legs left for the postseason.

But as much as Krzyzewski understands that point, he also believes the players are capable of playing that way for the short time that constitutes the World Championships or the Olympics. The Blue Devils head coach has no doubt that the NBA players can play that way if they practice the concepts before hand.

He already has had a major impact on the team that will be set to challenge the world in 2008. Players have reported intense preparations that have included extensive film sessions followed by three-hour practices. The schedule set up by Krzyzewski has produced more pre-competition workout time already than the entire process for the 2004 Olympic team.

The past two American editions in world competition have been deemed dismal failures. Led by two of the most successful NBA coaches in the game today, George Karl and Larry Brown, USA basketball finished sixth at the World Championships four years ago and third in the 2004 Olympics.

The American International dominance took a huge hit in the country's own back yard. Sporting a record of 58-0 in international competition, the U.S. pros had dominated since the Dream Team hit Barcelona in 1992. But in Indianapolis, George Karl's crew would lose three times, to Argentina, Yugoslavia and Spain. Once devoid of a chance at first, the Yanks hit rock bottom with a lackluster effort against Spain, the final game for fifth place won by the Spaniards when they scored the game's final nine points against a team of NBA stars.

Karl blamed the players and "the greed of the NBA" for his team's poor performance. The current coach of the Nuggets made little connection to the team's ability to win and its preparation.

In 2004, the word arrogance moved to the forefront, ahead of the word greed. Coach Larry Brown blamed his team's loss on the roster selection committee. Brown insisted he had been given a team that severely lacked perimeter shooting. Arrogance became the word when many learned that Brown had a say in every roster pick including the final slots.

Unlike Brown and Karl, Coach K has been thrilled to coach players of the talent level he has been given. Unlike Brown and Karl, Krzyzewski seems to like his team of players he has referred to as "hard-working pros."

Instead of foisting the continued idea that NBA players don't have to work hard and cannot be coached, Krzyzewski has stated just the opposite. Coach K insists that he has nothing but respect for these talented individuals who have worked hard and displayed the attitude that Krzyzewski believes is necessary for the concept of team success.

Unfair perhaps, but Krzyzewski takes yet another gold-or-bust mandate to both the World Games in Japan and for the Olympics in Beijing in 2008. Coach K will also be making those trips without some of the game's biggest starts, but he will be taking the top two youngsters in the NBA, Miami's Dwayne Wade and Cleveland's Lebron James. Though Wade already has a championship under his belt, both will seemingly carry the enthusiasm of youth with talent beyond their years as the USA hopes to regain its basketball prominence.

Indeed, it all seems like a match made in heaven. A college coach who wants to prove he can coach NBA players and a generation of basketball stars who want to restore American glory have folks envisioning a return to the first Dream Team in 1992.

That seems unlikely given that the rest of the world has caught up with the Americans. But it does appear to be a proper game plan to at least return America to the top of the basketball world, a place many feel we should never have lost.

This past Wednesday, sources told ESPN's Joe Schad and ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach that Rhett Bomar would not play for the Sooners this year. Soon after, it was all confirmed. The man that was supposed to lead the Sooners back to the promised land that had eluded them since the days of Josh Heupel would do no such thing. Simply put, Bomar will never wear an Oklahoma Sooners uniform again. Why? Despite NFL talent and multiple warnings from Sooners coaches, he took undeserved money from a booster owned car dealership called Big Red Sports/ Imports in Norman, Oklahoma. Basically, it appears he was paid $18,000 for nothing close to $18,000 worth of work. Not surprising, I guess. It seems like every year several similar situations come to the forefront. What did surprise me were some of the comments I heard after Bomar got caught (though I guess this shouldn't have thrown me for a loop either).

On August 3^rd, in reference to the situation, Cold Pizza's Skip Bayless said the following. "All I know for sure is that Bob Stoops has to be held responsible for all of this." Then later on he added, "he has to be aware of what's going on there." Now if Bob Stoops or anyone else on staff knew what was going on at any time then he and the program deserves to be severely punished. But given the circumstances I think that until any information surfaces that proves he knew about this previously, we should steer clear of blaming him. Here's why.

First, the investigation was started by the team. They didn't need someone else to come in and try to catch them; they went after this issue themselves. Second, when they did find out that rules were being broken, regardless of the fact that their starting quarterback was the person at risk, they took swift action. Hell, they booted him off the team. How often does that happen? There are plenty of situations that come to mind where coverups have surfaced, but. . . the star player being booted off the team due to an internal investigation? A real rarity. Finally, Oklahoma had warned Bomar repeatedly about boosters, taking money, and everything else that a superstar college quarterback needs to know. Thus, it would seem that Oklahoma acted appropriately.

It's not that the program shouldn't be investigated; of course it should. Further, the Oklahoma coaches and powers that be should evaluate the situation and draw up a better plan of prevention for the future. It's just that until someone is able to prove that there was foul play on the part of the university, they should be left alone. In fact, maybe even praise is in order.

It's just too easy to blame the coach (as evidenced by the fact that everyone always does). Sure, they're in charge, and yes they are adults. But no one is denying that they warned their kids about boosters and taking money. Rhett Bomar knew the rules. So here's the thing, when Skip Bayless first spoke on the situation, why didn't he start with something like the following. "Boy, that Rhett Bomar. He screwed up. They tried to warn him; they tried to do right by him, and he still went and took money. Bad mistake that he's unfortunately going to pay for."

Bomar is young, and youth is oftentimes an aphrodisiac for mistakes. He'll hopefully learn from this and come back. However, Bomar is not six years old; if he's old enough to go to war then he's also old enough to know right from wrong. There were warnings, but he simply didn't heed them. Even if there hadn't been any university warnings he still should've known not to take the money (though there were plenty of talks initiated by the university on the subject).

In sum, shouldn't Bomar field the brunt of the blame here? I'm not asking for the media to attack him; that would be ridiculous. But if a kid does steroids and the staff aren't aware of it, is it their fault? If you've ever gone to college, perhaps played football there, then you know that it's literally impossible to keep tabs on everything a player does. As Bob Davie, former Head Coach at Notre Dame said in reference to this situation, "at the end of the day, it comes down to guys making the proper decisions."

I agree with that. Thus far, the only thing we know is that Rhett Bomar and a booster made some bad decisions. Let's not crucify the kid, but let's put the majority of the blame where it belongs until we hear different.

Travis Pastrana is the poster boy of that elusive class of professionals known as extreme sports athletes. That is to say, Pastrana doesn't have a particular calling, but instead dabbles in many different extreme sports and does them all well. He first rose to prominence as a professional motocross and supercross racer, winning championships in both of those disciplines before he even reached 18 years of age. But chronic injuries dampened both Pastrana's ability and desire to compete full time on the professional motocross and supercross circuits, so Pastrana decided to branch out.

At first, Pastrana pretty much stuck to the things he already knew how to do. He continued to enter a few motocross and supercross races here and there (though he hasn't finished a race since 2001), and he entered freestyle motocross (or FMX) contests whenever the fancy grabbed hold of him. In addition, Pastrana produced a few very popular videos called Travis and the Nitro Circus that basically feature him and his friends pulling off crazy stunts on practically anything that has wheels. This lifestyle seemed to suit Pastrana for a while, but he eventually concluded that he wanted to do more.

The next sport Pastrana tackled was Supermoto, which is a racing discipline that combines elements of off-road motocross obstacles as well as slick road-racing sections. At first, Supermoto appeared to be a rather odd choice for Pastrana, since the emphasis is really on skill and technique instead of outright speed and fearlessness. And indeed, Pastrana has done well in a few races, but hasn't exactly taken the Supermoto World by storm.

Pastrana has also delved into rally car racing in the last few years. He drives for the Subaru WRX team and has won several stages and events in the U.S. Pastrana has also competed in a few European rally races, but has yet to win on that continent.

These days, Pastrana is in the news again because it's time for the annual X Games. This year's event, which, incidentally, is X Games 12, is taking place once again in Los Angeles. If ever there was an event that was tailor-made for Pastrana, it would have to be the X Games. Not only are there two freestyle motocross events (Moto X Freestyle and Moto X Best Trick), but Supermoto and rally racing are now both on the agenda. The 2006 X Games will be the third one featuring Supermoto; it is the inaugural games for rally racing.

Pastrana will participate in the four events mentioned above, but really only has a legitimate shot at three gold medals. As of this writing, Pastrana has already won the Moto X Best Trick event by virtue of pulling off the first double backflip in competition. His incredible jump earned a perfect "10" from all but one judge, leaving him with a final score of 98.6 -- well ahead of Mat Rebeaud's 93.8 in second place. Pastrana is also a heavy favorite to win the Moto X Freestyle event, and currently sits in second place (just .5 seconds behind leader Colin McRae). The only event that Pastrana is not expected to even medal in is Supermoto, where he hasn't turned in very good results in the last two years.

Although Pastrana isn't in the public eye as much as he was when racing motocross and supercross, he still does get his fair share of attention from the mainstream media. In fact, a recent issue of ESPN the Magazine featured several pages of pictures (as well as a brief interview) regarding Pastrana's now-famous home in Maryland. Apparently, Pastrana has an outdoor foam pit (for practicing his freestyle tricks), several motocross bikes, a few ATVs, some shifter karts, and even a mechanical rodeo bull on nearly 100 acres of land. Things get so wild at the Pastrana place that he requires all guests to sign a waiver before they are permitted entry!

After several years of trying his hand at different racing disciplines, it appears that Travis Pastrana has finally found his niche. The funny thing is, his niche is simply being a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to motorsports. That's not only a good deal for Pastrana, but also for his legions of fans as well.

Fantasy football has become more than just a game. It has become a part of mainstream America. From work places to church, everyone is talking about who to pick in fantasy football. This game has become a multi-million dollar enterprise with major sports entities cashing in on it. ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX, Sports Illustrated and even the National Football League are capitalizing on the huge popularity of fantasy football.

Every one of these sports entities has a fantasy football expert which can include current and/or former NFL players. Every expert has an opinion on which player to take and what round to take the player in. There are draft guides and cheat sheets. Television stations like ESPN and the NFL network air weekly shows all about fantasy football. The internet is a haven for fantasy football advice, info, and resources. And if that were not enough, you could always call a 1-800 number and get some advice for a fee.

There are many different types of fantasy football leagues. Some leagues are free and some leagues you have to pay for. Some leagues are keeper leagues and some leagues are basic. A keeper league allows coaches to keep some of their fantasy football players for the following season. Other leagues could have defensive players, special teams, and/or bench players and some leagues might have four starting running backs, two starting tight ends, and two starting quarterbacks. It's important for an individual to pick a league that is to his or her comfort level.
Scoring systems are also a huge factor in determining which fantasy football league to play in. This is the most complicated part of any fantasy football league. A scoring system determines who to draft, how to draft, who will get you the most points, and what will get you the most points. For example, if the league only gives points for touchdowns then you would pick a player who gets a lot of goal line carries as opposed to someone who only gets the ball at mid field. Other scoring possibilities could include points for catches, carries, big plays, field goals, sacks and so on.

After joining a league, it becomes time to prepare for the fantasy football draft. Develop strategies of who to pick based on the league's scoring system and draft position. One strategy for drafting is to try and get top fantasy players from the same team. This way you can get double the points if your fantasy quarterback throws a touchdown pass to your fantasy wide receiver. Use all the previously mentioned fantasy football resources to construct a draft cheat sheet. A draft cheat sheet breaks down the top players at each position, when to take the player, and whatever other strategies or information relative to the draft. Consider factors such as a team's strength of schedule, a player's history of injuries, match ups and more. Also, know when each team has a bye week. Do not draft multiple players with the same by week especially at the same position. Do your homework. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail and a fantasy football is no different.

The strategies and preparation does not stop once the draft is over. Managing a team is a weekly, if not daily, task. Keep track of all the NFL news and notes to see if anything might affect a player's performance. News such as a player's injury or off the field troubles will definitely impact their performance on the field. Constantly check the fantasy football league's waiver wire. A waiver wire is the pool of free agents that are not on any fantasy football team. This waiver wire is the best way to build depth, pick up a gem, or replace a player lost to injury. Trades also can be made to improve a fantasy football team. Be aware of any trade deadlines or waiver wire deadlines in the league.

Between the strategies and the excitement, fantasy football has become a way of life for some people. It's now synonymous with the beginning of the NFL season and it makes some of the professional football games more fun to watch. In fact, televised games have fantasy trackers throughout the entire game. These trackers give you the stats on the top players and identify who the fantasy stars and busts are.

Double R

Yet another sorry episode in Ohio State sports history, the violation of NCAA recruiting rules and the lawsuit of a coach fired for his involvement, hit the public air waves this week. Like the sad case of Maurice Clarett, this sorry episode also appears to not yet be over with despite a recent court ruling attempting to resolve the issue.

Former Boston College and Ohio State basketball coach Jim O'Brien appeared to receive some retribution from a judge who ruled Wednesday that Ohio State owed O'Brien $2.2 million plus interest because of the university's failure to follow the terms of the contract O'Brien had with Ohio State. In the suit, O'Brien was seeking $3.6 million, nearly twice the amount awarded by the judge.

O'Brien had been fired in June of 2004 because the coach reportedly gave $6,000 to a basketball recruit, then lied about it to school officials in an attempt to cover up the violation. The funds were paid to a Serbian basketball recruit, Aleksandar Radojevic. O'Brien insisted that he gave the money to Radojevic because the player's father was dying and that the funds were to provide Radojevic's family with money for medicine and a funeral.

The incident occurred in 1999, but the athletic director at the time, Andy Geiger, did not learn of the payment for the better part of five years. During that period of time, the NCAA ruled the Serbian recruit ineligible because he accepted $9,000 to play basketball in Yugoslavia. O'Brien and Ohio State sought to appeal the ineligibility of Radojevic and restore the recruit's college options to play for the Buckeyes.

The NCAA appeal was rejected and Radojevic never played for the school. The key issue was that during the lengthy appeal process O'Brien never mentioned the payment he made to Radojevic's family.

In his suit of the university, O'Brien charged that the school failed to properly follow the specific clauses in his contract when it dismissed him. The Judge agreed, ruling that even though O'Brien violated his contract when he gave money to the recruit, the improper behavior did not warrant firing.

In what represents the growing complexity of collegiate sports and the money associated with the major university sports' programs, the essence of the issue was simple. The ruling in the legal matter essentially stated that the contract that O'Brien had negotiated protected him from being fired for NCAA violations without compensation.

In making the ruling, the Ohio judge handling the case noted the result might seem unfair given that O'Brien broke NCAA rules. However, the judge noted that the university failed to properly follow the provisions of a contract that proved extremely favorable to the Coach.

The sorry affair has left the school with many sour tastes beyond just that of the suit. Ohio State was given three years of probation by the NCAA last March for recruiting violations. In addition, the collegiate governing body stipulated that Ohio State must erase all references to its Final Four appearance in 1999 and repay more than $800,000 it received in tournament revenue for the four period of 1998-2002.

On the hardwood, the coach had a relatively positive run for the Buckeyes prior to his running afoul of NCAA rules. During his seven years with the school O'Brien had a 133-88 record, two Big Ten Regular Season titles, one Big Ten Conference Tournament title and the trip to the NCAA Final Four in 1999.

Though O'Brien was initially the clear winner, Ohio State officials indicated they were not willing to put the matter to rest. Announcing that the university would appeal the decision, school officials insisted that the sanctions given the school indicated the severity of O'Brien's behavior and therefore gave the university justification for the termination of the contract without payment.

The pending appeal ensures that this sorry affair will continue to receive air time in the months and years ahead. The size of the award, at $2.2 million, virtually guarantees the university will continue to challenge the issue in court.

It also puts the whole NCAA amateur sports in its true perspective. How could the coach of an amateur college team receive an award of $2.2 million in back pay, whether he violated NCAA rules or not?

The new football season wasn't supposed to begin this way for the Oklahoma Sooners. For a team that played in the BCS title game in January of 2005 (to cap off the 2004 season) things were supposed to be getting better after last year's somewhat disappointing campaign. Indeed, the 2005 regular season saw star running back Adrian Peterson hobbled by an ankle injury for most of the year and saw red shirt freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar make mistake after painful mistake early in the season before coming on strong in the final few games.

This year, things were supposed to be better. Vince Young was gone from the Texas team that ran the table in the Big 12 Conference and won the national championship. By all accounts, the Sooners, who finished last season ranked #22 in the nation, were in line to win back the Big 12 title. Peterson is healthy and will be playing at full speed. Bomar had a full year of experience to build on and would certainly show improvement in every aspect. Linebacker Rufus Alexander would again be back to lead a speedy, stifling defense. The Sooners would be back on track, and might even challenge for a BCS berth once more.

But a big blow was delivered to Oklahoma's 2006 title hopes when the Sooners learned that Bomar had been "permanently dismissed" from the football team for allegedly violating NCAA rules in connection with his offseason job. According to published reports on the ESPN website, Bomar reported income of $18,000 for at an auto dealership in Norman, where the OU campus is located. The problem is, Bomar was only working there on a part-time basis, and even then the term "working" was used very loosely. An investigation by the OU athletic department apparently showed that Bomar, and, incidentally, offensive lineman J.D. Quinn, were actually getting paid for more hours than they really worked.

Those who are familiar with Bomar's activities off the field might not be as shocked by this latest development as those who don't follow Sooners athletics. This is not the first time Bomar has been in trouble. He was cited on no less than two previous occasions for underage possession or consumption of alcohol. Nevertheless, the severity of Bomar's punishment this time around has left Sooner Nation reeling.

Last season, Bomar started 11 games for Oklahoma after Paul Thompson proved to be completely ineffective in the team's first contest -- a 17-10 loss at the hands of the TCU Horned Frogs. Bomar saw limited action in that game after coming on in relief of Thompson. Bomar then went on to complete 167 out of 308 passes on the season for a total of 2,018 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Although those numbers don't exactly jump out as anything special, it must be remembered that Bomar was just a freshman at the time. Proof of his development came in the Holiday Bowl, which pitted the Sooners against the Oregon Ducks. Bomar was 17-of-30 in the game for 229 yards and 1 TD, stats which were good enough to earn Offensive MVP honors. That game was part of the reason why so many people were optimistic about Oklahoma's chances of returning to glory in  2006.

Bomar, who was once the top-ranked high school quarterback prospect in the nation, now faces an uncertain future as far as college football is concerned. Even if he transfers out of Oklahoma, he won't be eligible to compete in NCAA-sanctioned games until he is granted reinstatement. Since reinstatement cases obviously have a lot of unique factors and circumstances surrounding them, it's difficult to say what Bomar's chances of success are. He'll almost certainly miss the entire 2006 season, unless he chooses to transfer to an institution that isn't part of the NCAA's jurisdiction. Either way, Bomar has now established the fact that he has "character issues," and his NFL stock has surely plummeted.

This is definitely not a good time to be a Sooners fan. Just when it seemed like things were looking up, Bomar's dismissal changes everything. Even if another decent quarterback emerges during training camp, the Bomar situation is likely to be a distraction for players and coaches. Let's see how the Sooners bounce back from this latest disappointment.

By Robert Rousseau

The great thing about NCAA Football is that every year teams sneak into the championship mix that simply weren't supposed to. Two years ago there were three teams- Boise St., Utah, and Louisville- that made noise. A year ago there was Paterno's Nittany Lions and Weiss's Irish. Usually when a surprise team does begin to make headway, the media starts complaining about preseason rankings and rightfully so. After all, they do tend to bias us toward the teams that were ranked high early, don't they? In other words, there has certainly been more than one occasion where those who vote in these top 25 lists have kept a team above another simply because they were ranked higher earlier (similar to the you have to beat the champion to be the champion mentality). Of course, the difference here is that teams ranked high in the preseason don't deserve that type of notoriety because they were placed in that position before they beat anyone. These teams are not champions through anything other than predictive popular opinion. Further, the BCS relies very heavily on rankings so the fact that preseason assumptions seem to give certain teams an edge in voting can really harm a surprise team's title hopes. So this diatribe probably means that I'm not going to consider preseason rankings in this article, right?

Wrong.

Here I'm going to attempt to predict some of those surprise teams early on. Forthcoming is a list of five teams that may have a shot at a BCS Championship that people aren't necessarily counting on (in alphabetical order). After all, no teams on the following list made the Rivals.com Preseason Top 10 published in January 2006 (for the Rivals Preseason Top 10, please see the end of this article).

Rivals Preseason Rank- Unranked

Over the past several years the Broncos have deserved the tag of offensive juggernaut. Despite the fact that their highly successful former coach Dan Hawkins has left for Colorado, don't expect this to change. After all, their new head coach Chris Peterson, last year's offensive coordinator, certainly had a hand in some of that offensive success. Besides, for a mid- major program the Broncos are as close to a power as there is; they don't rebuild, they reload. With senior quarterback Jared Zabransky leading the charge from the quarterback position, Boise State has a tough, physical veteran who has looked great at times but also has made his share of mistakes. At running back the Broncos should be in good shape with sophomore home run threat Ian Johnson and bruising junior Jon Helmandollar leading the way. The receiving core will bring more of the same with two experienced receivers (Drisan James and Jerard Rabb), and a dual blocking/ receiving threat in senior tight end Derek Schouman. Last but certainly not least is the offensive line where 4 players with experience are returning, including two All American prospects in sophomore tackle, Ryan Clady and junior guard Tad Miller.

Defensively, the Broncos have oodles of talent. The line returns three players with significant experience, even if the unit is without star power. The linebackers are more than solid with senior All American candidate Korey Hall and all conference hopeful Colt Brooks returning. The defensive backs are also particularly strong with three experienced players back including a potential all conference cornerback in sophomore Orlando Scandrick and a possible All American safety in junior Marty Tadman.

Beyond Offense and Defense- Boise State and their blue field is one of the best and most intimidating college atmospheres to play in. A huge home field advantage.

Important Games:

Fresno State (11/1/06)- Fresno State and Boise State are always in the hunt for the WAC title. Though Boise is the better team this year and is certainly tough to beat at home, the potential is always there to lose in this rivalry game.

At Nevada (11/25/06)- Nevada has a lot of experienced talent on offense, and they get the Broncos at home here. The conference championship may be decided in this game.

Why they have a shot.- The Broncos have by far the easiest schedule of all the teams on this list, and are likely to be favorites in every game this year. If some of the big guns lose, and Boise is able to pull off an undefeated season, it could put them in an enviable position. Of course, it would likely take two losses by some of the superpowers to make this a reality, but you never know. Expect a whole lot of yelling if Boise State somehow pulls this off.

Preseason Ranking- 14

Quarterback Drew Weatherford, considering the help he had, was nothing short of remarkable last year on offense (he threw for 3,208 yards and 18 touchdowns as a freshman). If this team does get into a title race, Weatherford will be the number one reason why. An experienced offensive line also returns that has something to prove (many worked through injury at one point or another last season), and although inexperience is abound at running back, there is talent with Lorenzo Booker. Receiver is a strength with playmaking threat Chris Davis (51 catches in 2005) returning. In short, the offense has speed and athleticism.

It's never easy to build a consistent defensive line after losing players of the caliber of Brodrick Bunkley and Kamerion Wimbley; however, the Seminoles are stacked with inexperienced talent up front. The Seminoles also must deal with the loss of linebackers Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson to the NFL, but Buster Davis (81 tackles) is solid. The defensive backs will be good, with freshman safety Myron Rolle already impressing.

Beyond Offense and Defense- The Seminoles are always talented. However, they're also always good for one or two major off the field distractions.

Important Games:

At Miami (9/4/06)- Tough one to play this early. As usual, it will have a large effect on the team's national championship aspirations.

Florida (11/25/06)- Florida is better, and they're playing in The Swamp , but this is a rivalry game so all that gets thrown out.

Why they have a shot.- In recent years Florida State has fallen out of national title contention for the most part because of poor quarterback play. However, with Drew Weatherford, there is hope. If he improves on last year this team is capable of competing with anyone.

Preseason Rank- 15

Offense is the key for the Cardinals; it's their trump card. Quarterback Brian Brohm has a pro arm and mind set, but his legs are a question mark after coming off of knee surgery. The loss of both starting offensive tackles from last year may force him to test his legs before he's ready, but sophomore center Eric Wood (a freshman All American) and senior guard Kurt Quarterman (an Outland Trophy candidate), will help the interior rushing and protection. Running back Michael Bush is simply underrated (and he's a Heisman candidate, so that says something). Word is he's in tremendous shape and has lost some weight without impacting his trademark power. This is a guy that will certainly play on Sundays; he's got a nose for the end zone. The Cards also have talent at wide receiver with sophomore Mario Urrutia leading the way.

The good news for the defense is that nine starters return to a unit that was ranked 23^rd in the nation last year. The bad news is that the best pass rushing end in school history, Elvis Dumervil, has taken his talent to the NFL. Still, the line will be solid with senior DT Amobi Okoye leading the way. They return two linebackers with significant experience, and one of them, Nate Harris, really came on late for the unit and could make a push for all conference if things continue to progress. All four defensive backs also return which should be handy when they come up against the very talented West Virginia Mountaineers offense. Senior cornerback William Gay brings speed and should make some waves.

Beyond Offense and Defense- The Cards have a favorable schedule, and Bobby Petrino is one of the best coaches in the nation. Further, Arthur Carmody is one of America's best college place kickers

Important Games:

Miami (9/16/06)- Away this would be one tall order. But at home? A win here might do a lot toward gaining superpower status. Miami will have problems scoring enough to keep up with the Cards.

West Virginia (11/2/06)- Huge implications here. Brohm and Bush versus White and Slaton. This game could very well be one of the biggest in the nation this season and is likely to be the contest that decides the Big East. Though many experts are claiming that West Virginia is the more talented team, don't believe it. The game will come down to special teams and turnovers. The home crowd certainly won't hurt Louisville's chances, though.

Why they have a shot.- First, the favorable schedule; there are only two games on the docket that should test them. Second, they play both of these games at home. Third, they legitimately have two of the best players in the nation, guys that could be drafted in the top 10 in Brohm and Bush. Finally, there's Petrino and Carmody (their kicker). Never underestimate special teams and coaching.

Preseason Ranking- 12

Chad Henne is simply an underrated quarterback. Anyone that is able to achieve the amount of starts he has in an elite conference like The Big Ten has something going for them, even if he doesn't get the positive media attention he deserves. Further, junior running back Mike Hart and senior receiver/ returner Steve Breaston both have All American potential. Unfortunately, the line lost three starters to graduation this past season which is never easy to deal with, particularly when last year's unit wasn't all that consistent to begin with. However, junior offensive tackle Jake Long is an All American candidate.

Eight starters return from a defense that had more problems than any other Wolverines unit in recent memory. Half the four person line has significant experience while half does not, but senior end LaMar Woodley looks to be a possible superstar, especially when it comes to big plays (he's come through with 30 tackles for a loss over the past two seasons). Further, the linebackers are all experienced and athletic. However, the secondary is the place to look as Michigan is experienced, deep, and talented with cornerback Leon Hall (All Big 10 last year with 61 tackles and 4 picks), leading the way.

Beyond Offense and Defense- Breaston is a special teams superstar, which could be a trump card for the Wolverines at any time during a ball game. Unfortunately, Coach Lloyd Carr is beginning to lose the support of the people around him.

Important Games:

Notre Dame (9/16/06)- Always a tough game. The difference- this year Notre Dame really is good.

Iowa (10/21/06)- The Hawkeyes have been a recruiting machine over the last few years, and they have a very good coach. It's all going to translate into BCS contention soon.

Ohio State (11/18/06)- The biggest rivalry in sports west of the Red Sox and Yankees. Troy Smith will give the Wolverines problems, but then again he's going to give everyone issues. If Michigan wins this game, the season is a success.

Why they have a shot.- Michigan has outstanding talent. Further, this outstanding talent can be found in every area of the offense with Hart (running back), Breaston (wide receiver), Long (line), and Henne (quarterback). All of these players have also logged considerable playing time during their Wolverine careers. The defense is also experienced and athletic. Don't expect the Wolverines to have another poor defensive season. That only happens once every couple decades or so.

Preseason Ranking- Not ranked.

Graham Harrell will likely replace Cody Hodges at the quarterback position. Most people forget that at the beginning of last year the two were neck and neck in competition for first team status until Harrell was injured, so Tech is not likely to experience a significant downgrade at the offensive helm. The wide receiver position is a major strength with Joel Filani (Playboy All American last season), speedster Jarrett Hicks (many feel he's the best Tech receiver), and Robert Johnson all returning. The line is also strong with two All American candidates returning in senior guard Manuel Ramirez (6-4, 328) and center Brandon Jones. However, running back is a big question mark. Still, with Mike Leach's system one has to wonder just how much that actually matters.

Word is that the defense looked awfully good in April's Red- Black Game (last year they were a top 30 unit). All four slated starters on the line are experienced, including powerhouse tackle Ken Strong. The linebackers should also be good with Fletcher Session and part- time linebacker/ pass rushing specialist Keyunta Dawson (DE/ LB) both returning. The defensive backs are fast and hard hitting, led by senior cornerback Antonio Huffman. In fact, there's more than one possible pro talent in the defensive backfield if people come along as they should.

Beyond Offense and Defense- Coach Mike Leach is an offensive genius. He's one of the best and perhaps most underrated coaches in the nation. After all, where was Tech before him?

Important Games:

Texas (10/28/06)- This time they won't have to contend with Vince Young's mobility. His ability to pass and run in the past has destroyed Tech. With Young gone, expect this to be a very good game that is decided in the last few minutes.

At Oklahoma (11/11/06)- Texas Tech is hard to keep up with, particularly if your offense isn't dynamic. Last year the Sooners weren't up to it all. Will this year be different? Doubtful, especially considering Rhett Bomar is now gone from the team for a violation.

Why they have a shot.- First, Vince Young is gone. Second, while others like Texas and Oklahoma have been keeping the media's attention, Head Coach Mike Leach has been building a winner through recruiting. No longer is Tech just a system; now they're a talented team with a great system. Besides, the defense is actually good now too. Tech is a very dangerous team that could get on a major roll if things break right.

For your information, below is the Rivals Preseason Top 10 referred to in this piece.

1. Ohio State

2. Notre Dame

3. West Virginia

4. USC

5. LSU

6. Texas

7. Auburn

8. Florida

9. Oklahoma

10. Miami of Florida

As we head into the home stretch of the Major League Baseball season, the biggest story on the sports wires these days has nothing to do with pennant races or playoff scenarios. Instead, all the talk is centered around Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley's hitting streak. As getting a single in the first inning of tonight's game against the Cardinals, Utley has now hit safely in 33 consecutive games. The major league record, of course, is 56 games, set by the great Joe DiMaggio beack in 1941.

There is a persistent debate among baseball fans as to which records can be considered "unbeatable." Until recently, Roger Maris' mark of 61 home runs in a single season was one that many thought would stand for a long time. However, that mark fell in 1998 when not one but two major leaguers -- Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa -- surpassed 61 home runs. Since 1998, the 61-homer plateau has been passed a couple more times: Sosa did it again, and of course Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants put 73 on the board just three years later in 2001. Even now, experts believe that Bonds' home run record won't last more than a couple of decades before someone reaches 74 in one season.

With the home run record so recently established, the "real" debate about unbreakable baseball records falls to DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak versus Ted Williams' single-season batting average of .406 (which, incidentally, was also set in 1941). There are many people who argue that maintaining a .400 batting average over the course of an entire season is much harder to do than hit safely in 56 consecutive games, just as there are those who say the opposite. It's virtually impossible to supply any real evidence to back up each position, so the debate continues with no end in sight. No end, that is, until one of the records fall -- in which case the one left standing will by default be considered the most difficult hitting record to achieve.

Regardless of which feat is truly more difficult, it's safe to say that both marks have been the "Holy Grail" of major league hitters for more than 60 years. The closest anyone in the modern era has gotten to the .400 batting average plateau was in 1980 when George Brett of the Kansas City Royals hit .390 and in 1977 when Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins hit .388. As for hitting streaks, Pete Rose got all the way up to 44 games in the 1978 season, and Jimmy Rollins (Utley's teammate in Philadelphia), pushed a streak to 38 games across two seasons.

Utley's streak began on June 23 against the Boston Red Sox when he went 1-for-4, the hit being a home run. Since that time, he has a .404 batting average (57-for-141) over the last 33 games, and has 20 multi-hit games. In total, Utley has nine homers, two triples, and 14 doubles during the streak, as well as 22 RBI. He has walked 11 times and has struck out a total of 19 times.

For the sake of comparison, here are Joe DiMaggio's numbers from his 56-game hitting streak. DiMaggio was 91-for-223 for an average of .410, and had 22 multi-hit games. Joltin' Joe knocked out 15 home runs, four triples, and 16 doubles during his streak, and had a total of 55 RBI. So you can see that Utley is on pace for more multi-hit games and more doubles, but probably won't catch DiMaggio's RBI or home run totals. That is, of course, if Utley can even keep the streak going.

I know there are a lot of fans out there who like to see these old-time records stand for as long as possible, but I'm not one of them. Even though I'm not a Phillies fan and barely know anything about Chase Utley, I would definitely like to see him extend his hitting streak for as long as possible.

Will Utley be able to do it? Obviously there's no way to predict with any amount of certainty, but the odds are clearly against him at this point. Then again, I guess you can argue that all records will be broken at one time or another. In Utley's case, game 57 would come on August 26 against the New York Mets.

By Robert Rousseau

The Japanese based Pride Fighting Championships, commonly referred to simply as Pride, are one of the two most influential mixed martial arts organizations on the planet (the other of course being the UFC). Though Pride events have historically taken place in Japan, the organization has plans on invading the United States later this year in Vegas. Pride events have been available on Pay Per View in America, but this one is rumored for Fox Sports Net.

The Bushido series in Pride was originally started for lightweight fighters and it has really succeeded in bringing these more diminutive martial artists into the spotlight. Bushido 12 will also showcase the second round of the Welterweight Grand Prix. Pride's Grand Prix events are awesome to watch and follow a playoff format. Simply put, this one started with 16 fighters that have now dwindled to 8. After August 26^th, only 4 fighters will remain. Interested? Hopefully you are because with the following I'll attempt to break down each fight and pick a winner.

Dan "Hollywood" Henderson vs. Kazuo Misaki

What Henderson brings to the table (the current Pride welterweight champion).

World class wrestling skills (he made it to both the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Wrestling Teams), a great jaw (he's never been stopped via knockout and has survived against potent strikers like Wanderlei Silva), and a very powerful right hand (he's won 9 of his fights via knockout). Henderson is always in good shape and is finally in the right division (for the majority of his Pride career he's fought as a middleweight). He fights out of a great camp in (Team Quest which is Randy Couture's stomping grounds), and boasts an overall MMA record of 20-4.

"Hollywood" has also been hard to stop via submission. He's survived against the likes of Carlos Newton (win), Renzo Gracie (win), Ricardo Arona (decision loss), Renato "Babalu" Sobral (win), and Murilo Bustamante (win) without being submitted. On the other hand, he's been submitted by both of the Nogueiras. Of course, getting caught in a hold by the likes of them isn't exactly unheard of (together they've finished 23 people that way). Despite all of this, half of Henderson's wins have come via decision (10). When he doesn't knock you out, he tends to either ground and pound or box you into a loss.

What Misaki brings to the table

Misaki brings a career MMA record of 16-6-2 to this bout. He has above average submission skills, above average takedowns (some nice judo throws were on display in his bout against Baroni), above average striking skills, and a very good jaw. In short, Misaki has a ton of heart, is hard to submit, and is one tough, rather underrated hombre. He's only lost one bout before the final bell, and that was due to a broken arm suffered against an excellent fighter in Nathan Marquardt. Further, more than half of his wins have come via stoppage (3 (T)KO's, 7 submissions). However, one of his losses was in a recent bout against Henderson, via decision. Despite the loss, Misaki gained a lot of respect in the bout.

In the ring.

Considering Misaki likely gained some confidence in his first bout against Henderson, it's probable that he'll be even more game this time around. Still, the combatants are about equal when it comes to technical striking skills, but Henderson simply has more power. Hence, I believe that his power will be the difference. Though it's doubtful (even if certainly possible), that Henderson will knock Misaki out (he's got a great jaw and has endured once with the champ), "Hollywood" will land enough power shots to hurt the Japanese fighter and gain points on the scorecards. Further, it's unlikely that this bout will go to the ground for any length of time as "Hollywood" had some problems getting and keeping Misaki there last time, and Henderson's takedown defense is simply too good for Misaki to make a living attempting to score points in that fashion.

Henderson wins by unanimous decision.

Akihiro Gono vs. Gegard Mousasi

What Gono brings to the table.

Gono brings a career MMA record of 25-11-7 to the bout (with most of his fights taking place in Shooto and Pancrase). He's a good striker with solid takedown defense and submission skills that has won 6 of his last 7 (the loss being to Dan Henderson via 1^st round knockout). In the past, Gono has beaten the likes of Ivan Salaverry and lost to both Matt Hughes and Mauricio Rua, so he's thrown down with some good fighters. Gono has lost fights by both knockout and submission during his career (2 losses via (T)KO, 4 by submission, 4 by decision, and 1 by disqualification), so although he's not easy to stop, he's certainly not impervious to anything. Gono comes to fights in shape and is always capable of going the distance.

What Mousasi brings to the table.

Sports a 13-1-1 career MMA record. Mousasi is an excellent boxer with power as evidenced by his 9 wins via (T)KO. However, he's also got some decent submission skills (his other 4 victories came by way of a jiu- jitsu style hold). In fact, all of Mousasi's wins and losses have come before the final bell. With the exception of one draw, he's never gone the distance. Therefore, his cardio is a question mark, as is much of the competition he's faced, but he does come to fight.

In the ring.

Mousasi is a strong puncher who could clearly catch Gono early, but you've got to like how Gono fought through a very tough opening few minutes against Hector Lombard in his last fight to win via decision. Gono is a crafty plodder who knows how to get his points. Figure on Mousasi starting strong and hurting his opponent early, but then seeing Gono's leg strikes begin to wear Mousasi down. By the second round, expect a reversal of fortunes with Gono landing and Mousasi on the defensive. Some may say that this is a stretch, but. . .

Gono wins in a close decision.

Ryo Chonan vs. Paulo Filho

What Chonan brings to the table

Boasts a 12-6 career MMA record. Chonan is a good offensive striker with solid submission skills (in 2004 he pulled off one of the best heel hooks I've ever seen against Anderson Silva). However, his jaw is questionable and his stand up defense has led to being hit hard in the past.

In his last bout against the very talented Joey Villasenor, Chonan looked good, showing a better jaw and stand up defense than he's exhibited in the past (he was training with Dan Henderson, which is going to help any fighter). Further, he looked bigger and stronger with better takedown defense than he exhibited previously.

What Filho brings to the table

Pride announcer Mauro Ranallo has reported that the legendary Mario Sperry has labeled this undefeated Brazilian Top Team fighter the most gifted athlete he has ever coached. On the way to a 12-0 MMA record, he has steamrolled tough opponents like Gregory Bouchelaghem, Murilo Rua, Ryuta Sakurai, Amar Suloev, and Ikuhiso "The Punk" Minowa with the best takedowns (mostly of the wrestling variety), that this division has to offer. Further, once Filho gets opponents to the ground, he's been able to control them rather easily. He has good submissions from the top position.

Filho looks to be a below average MMA striker at this juncture, though no one has been able to take advantage of this because opponents always end up on their back. Further, we don't know how good his guard is because he never ends up there either. Filho does tend to settle for decision wins via ground and pound. In other words, thus far he hasn't shown the ability to consistently finish fights, thereby allowing his opponents to stick around (out of 12 fights only 7 have went the distance).

In the ring.

Though Chonan looks bigger, stronger, and improved, he's still likely end up on his back, and probably rather quickly. The good news for Chonan is that Filho's game probably won't test his chin much standing. The bad news- he's likely to receive a ground and pound walloping from Filho. Chonan is simply going to be on his back for the majority of this fight; after all, if Suloev couldn't keep things standing against Filho, it's doubtful Chonan will be able to. Since both fighters are hard to catch in a submission, this one will likely go to the cards.

Filho wins by a unanimous and decisive decision.

Denis Kang vs. Amar Suloev

What Kang brings to the table.

Kang is 17-0-1 in his last 18 fights. Though most of these wins were accumulated in smaller market arenas, 4 of his last 6 wins have come via the Pride circuit (including a devastating first round knockout of Murilo Rua). Kang has excellent submissions (13 of his wins have come via this route), very solid stand up (he's (T)KO'd 7 opponents), and has excellent cardio. In short, he's experienced and has no obvious weaknesses (he was submitted a couple of times in 2003 but has improved since then as evidenced by his record). Kang is a tough out for anyone.

What Suloev brings to the table.

He has won 8 of his last 9 bouts and sports a 21-5 career MMA record. Suloev is a very good striker (he's finished 8 fights by (T)KO), while his ground skills are about average. However, on display against Dean Lister in a 2004 match were his takedown defense skills; in short, they're some of the best this division has to offer. Suloev has beaten some excellent fighters in his day such as Murilo Bustamante, Dean Lister, and Andrei Semenov. He's also taken knockout great Chuck Liddell to a decision (even though it was a loss, staying upright against the current UFC champ says something).

In the ring.

Suloev is an excellent striker, but Kang also has very good stand up. Expect a tactical upright bout for the majority of this fight due to Suloev's unbelievable takedown defense (Kang is likely to try for takedowns because he's clearly better than his opponent on the ground). However, at some point Kang will get Suloev to the mat (he'll have a better chance than Lister because his solid striking skills will help him set something up). Once on the ground, Kang will of course attempt submissions. Though Suloev will probably recover and get back to his feet, the takedowns and attempts to end the fight from Kang will be the difference on the judge's scorecards

Kang wins a unanimous, though close decision.

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Chris Brennan

What Kawajiri brings to the table.

Kawajiri brings a career MMA record of 17-3-2 to the table and has only lost once in his last 12 fights (to Pride champion Takanori Gomi, nothing to be embarrassed about). In short, Kawajiri has very good striking skills, good power (he's (T)KO'd 8 opponents during his career), very good wrestling/ ground control skills, and efficient submissions as well (he has 5 submission victories to his credit). In short, he has no major weaknesses.

What Brennan brings to the table.

Brings an 18-10-1 career MMA record to the table. Brennan is a very good jiu- jitsu/ submission fighter (he's submitted 13 opponents in his career). However, he's a below average MMA striker with only one (T)KO to his name. In the past he's beaten TUF 2 star Joe Stevenson (when Stevenson was quite inexperienced- 1999), and lost to both Pat Miletich and Takanori Gomi. Further, four of Brennan's losses have come the route of (T)KO or submission due to strikes.

In the ring.

Kawajiri is simply a better striker than Brennan. Since Brennan will likely have a difficult time trying to take Kawijiri down, this one could be quick.

Kawajiri wins by (T)KO in the 1^st round.

Shinya Aoki vs. Jason Black

What Aoki brings to the table.

Brings a career 5-2 MMA record to the bout. Very little is known about him as he doesn't have a lot of experience, but he did take Hayato Sakurai the distance. Further, he's both knocked out and submitted fighters on his way to 5 wins. However, Aoki has never fought in a big market event. Word is he's a good grappler.

What Black brings to the table.

Sports a 20-1-1 career record and fights out of Miletich Camp, one of the best in the business. In his only appearance in Pride, Black (T)KO'd Ioh Won Jin in the 1^st round. Black has won 10 of his fights by submission and 4 by (T)KO. Further, he's beaten some good, though not great, fighters. Black is known for some excellent ground and pound.

In the ring.

Hard to say because so little is known about Aoki. Still, figure Black to get him to the ground and control the fight. Though Aoki went the distance with Sakurai, this will be a different kind of fight than that one. Eventually, Aoki is likely to feel the brunt of hosts of punches raining down on him in ground and pound fashion.

Black wins via (T)KO in round 2 (though this prediction is being made admittedly without much knowledge of Aoki).

Gilbert Melendez vs. Nobuhiro Obiya

What Melendez brings to the table.

Sports an undefeated 10-0 MMA record with 8 of those victories coming by way of (T)KO or submission due to strikes (he's the Strikeforce Lightweight Champion). In other words, he hits real hard and is very strong. Melendez has not fought in any big market fights yet. Oftentimes a fighter's first foray into Pride or the UFC is difficult. Still, he's strong, has heavy fists, and is good on the ground (he trains with the Cesar Gracie Camp).

What Obiya brings to the table.

Obiya is DEEP's undefeated (6-0-1) lightweight champion (a small market like Strikeforce). Most of his fights go to decision (4 of his wins have come that route), but he does have 2 (T)KO's to his name. However, he is rather inexperienced, even in comparison to his opponent in this match. An interesting fact is that Obiya is one of Pride Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi's training partners.

In the ring.

Neither of these fighters have ever fought in a big market fight, so it's truly hard to pick a winner. However, Melendez looks to be the more physically gifted athlete. Hence, an educated guess might say. . .

Melendez wins via 2^nd round (T)KO.

Jeff Curran vs. Hatsu Hioki

What Curran brings to the table.

Brings a 23-7-1 record to the match with 16 submissions. Therefore, he's a jiu- jitsu/ submission wizard. Only has 1 (T)KO win, so not a lot of power. In his most recent fight, Curran submitted Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett in the 1^st round. Back in 2004 he lost his only big market fight to Matt Serra via a unanimous decision (UFC).

What Hioki brings to the table.

Sports a 9-1-1 career MMA record. Hioki has never competed in a big market show. Still, in his last fight he defeated a very good fighter in Mark Hominick via triangle choke, and he has 6 submission victories to his name. Obviously his jiu- jitsu/ submissions are strong. He only has one (T)KO, so striking power is not his forte, but he was good enough defensively to survive Hominick's stand up for the better part of 2 rounds.

In the ring.

Figure on this one going to the ground at some point; both fighters will be somewhat cautious, knowing that one mistake could end things. But Hioki will come closer with his submission attempts than Curran.

Hioki wins a unanimous decision in a close fight.

Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Eric "Butterbean" Esch

What Minowa brings to the table.

Minowa sports a 33-24-8 career MMA record and is a Japanese crowd favorite. He's a strong fighter with good wrestling and submission skills (especially leg locks), as evidenced by his 21 submission wins. Minowa is an average striker that doesn't have a ton of punching power. However, he's fiery, comes to fight in good shape, and is tough.

What "Butterbean" brings to the table.

A lot more size than Minowa, that's for sure. Whereas Minowa is only about 180 lbs., "Butterbean", first made famous in the Toughman Contest, tips the scales at about 350 lbs. Esch sports a 6-1-1 MMA record but his wins have come against many with no record to their names (or in matches with special rules such as when he (T)KO'd Wesley "Cabbage" Correira). Butterbean did lose his first match to a much smaller man- Genki Sudo- way back in 2003. However, he's got great punching power, even if he's only (T)KO'd one opponent (he's got 5 submission victories, but again, these have come against fighters with little to no experience so it's hard to judge what he can really do on the ground).

In the ring.

Minowa is a far better ground fighter than Butterbean even with the size disadvantage. Along with this, he's much more adept at submissions. Figure that Minowa will be able to avoid Butterbean's powerful punches for long enough to tie him up and take him down. Then it's just a matter of time.

Minowa wins via 1^st round submission.

Also slated for this Pride contest are Mitsuhiro Ishida, Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, and Takanori Gomi (the Pride Lightweight Champion). Can't say that Pride holds out on its customers, can you? Anyway, their opponents have not been announced yet, so a breakdown of their fights is impossible at this time. If I hear about the match ups early enough, perhaps I'll break them down in a different article.

Growing up as a baseball fan in Chicago, I obviously heard many references over the years to the "Black Sox Scandal."  That wasn't very surprising, since it involved one of the city's revered sports team. What is surprising is the fact that I never heard the story in its entirety. I mean, of course I knew that it involved the White Sox, the World Series, and Shoeless Joe Jackson. But I didn't know any other details, even the basic ones such as who Chicago's opponent was in the series. In order to put an end to my ignorance, I decided to do a bit of research about the incident. Here's what I discovered.

The World Series scandal of 1919 is regarded by many to be professional baseball's darkest moment. That was the year in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with big-name gamblers to throw games in order to ensure a championship for the Cincinnati Reds.

Even though the Reds' regular-season record of 96-44 was better than Chicago's mark of 88-52, the White Sox were widely considered to be the most talented team in all of baseball that year. As a result, they were heavy favorites to win the 1919 World Series. Prior to the Game One on October 1, word on the street was that several White Sox players had agreed to a deal with professional gamblers Joseph Sullivan and Arnold Rothstein, and were going to lose on purpose as part of the deal. On the strength of thse rumors, people started betting heavily on the Reds, causing the odds to fluctuate and swing to Cincinnati's favor, which many people took as an indication that something indeed was amiss. Nevertheless, baseball officials did nothing at the time, and the games went on.

Because this was the first World Series since the end of World War II, officials decided that the teams would play a best-of-nine series instead of the usual best-of-seven format. The White Sox lost Game One by a score of 9-1, further convincing gamblers that the fix was on. Game Two also went down in favor of the Reds, 4-2. By this time, it was becoming more and more evident that the White Sox players weren't trying their hardest. Even so, baseball officials continued to look the other way. Or, perhaps they naively believed in the integrity of the players and of the game itself.

The White Sox, presumably in an effort to make it less obvious that they weren't planning on winning the series, came on strong and won three of the next five games. But they were still trailing four games to three with just two left to play, so those who believed the Sox intended to throw the Series weren't convinced that anything had really changed. And sure enough, the Reds clinched the championship with a 10-5 victory in Game Eight. It was the first title for the franchise.

No investigations into the alleged gambling conspiracy were carried out in 1919, but the rumors regarding the scandal were so persistent that the league finally took action the next year. White Sox players Joe Jackson and Eddie Cicotte confessed in front of a grand jury in 1920, prompting team owner Charles Comiskey to suspend all the players that Jackson and Cicotte named in their confessions. This list included: Oscar Felsch, George Weaver, Charles Risberg, Claude Williams, Fred McMullin, and Arnold Gandil.

Jackson and Cicotte later withdrew their confessions, which presumably weakened the prosecution's case. The men were acquitted of all charges and did not face any jail time. However, baseball owners were concerned about the questions regarding the integrity of the league, so they appointed a Commissioner to oversee baseball from that point forward. The Commissioner's very first act in office was to issue a statement saying that baseball would not tolerate corrupt players. In consequence, the eight White Sox players named in the World Series scandal of 1919 were banned from baseball for life.

Usually when I read about events that were deemed "scandalous" nearly a century ago, the events sound pretty harmless by today's standards. But that certainly wasn't the case with this Black Sox Scandal. This still sounds like a big deal, and I'm surprised that baseball was able to bounce back from it!