Posted by on July 28th, 2010 | No Comments »
In Oakland, CA on August 7, 2010, Rick Story and Dustin Hazelett will fight. This fight will be a part of the UFC 117 event. Entering this fight, both of these fighters are coming from very different angles as they have had varied levels of success recently.
As of late, UFC betting star, Rick Story has been enjoying a lot of success. He seems to be on track to find his way in the top level of his division and he has won three fights in a row. A win will could easily place him in the top 5 spots of the division. He has won 10 fights while losing three, to this point in his career.
As of late, Hazelett is on the way. In his last fight at UFC 10, he specifically ran into some problems. In his last fight, he was knocked out by Paul Daley, although he has generally seen success in his career. In doing so, Daley even earned a “knockout of the night” award. To bounce back, he will need to do something. If Hazelett hopes to find his spot to get his opponent on the ground, he will at least need to hold his own, although it is clear that his strength isn’t stand up fighting.
In this matchup, it looks as though Rick Story will be the favorite, even though these fights have different styles. To win the fight, look for him to come in with the necessary momentum.
Filed under MMA | Tags: Dustin Hazelett, Rick Story, UFC, UFC betting
Posted by on July 17th, 2010 | No Comments »
To the Arizona Cardinals, the importance of preparation has become very apparent, with the wide receiver Anquan Boldin’s departure and quarterback Kurt Warner’s retirement. The minicamp was a big part of their preparation, which was held from April 30 to May 2.
The minicamp for the Cardinals was summed up by Coach Ken Whisenhunt by saying the following: “When you get to the fifth practice and you’ve installed a lot and you see their heads are spinning, you see the challenge in front of you. You do not come out of it too high. I am excited about our young players and what they can do for us. (Minicamp) is a great evaluation tool but it’s one step in the process. You get excited for the OTAs because you can build on it.”
The first pick of Cardinals was used on nose tackle Dan Williams. He became a part the organization and he received a warm welcome. On Saturday night, a rookie dinner was hosted by President Michael Bidwill and Whisenhunt, owner Bill Bidwill. With former players, the three of them joined to explain to the rookies how to make it in the league. Among the former players was Michael Bankston, former defensive lineman, and he offered Williams advice whenever he needs it and gave Williams his phone number.
Wide receiver was the one position that received a fair amount of attention at the minicamp. In the third round, Andre Roberts was selected by Arizona. Additionally, from the practice squad, the Cardinals have two holdovers vying for the open spot: Ed Grant and Onrea Jones.
Arizona’s failure to solve their problem at quarterback was one area of concern. To identify a viable replacement for Bryant McFadden, Whisenhunt hoped to use minicamp as an opportunity. Whisenhunt made no determination and for the future, he acknowledged that the team would look at adding a veteran cornerback.
Filed under Nfl | Tags: Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals, Bryant McFadden, Dan Williams, Ken Whisenhunt
Posted by on July 8th, 2010 | No Comments »
The rumors have been flying that the Philadelphia Eagles might be on the verge of releasing backup quarterback Michael Vick. Vick’s past legal troubles have been well documented, but the latest incident where a person was shot at a birthday party in Virginia Beach hosted by Vick is being looked at closely.
Vick has claimed on more than one occasion that he had nothing to do with the shooting. Vick claims he left twenty minutes before the shooting occurred, security tapes show it may have been three minutes before the incident. Other partygoers say it was Vick’s brother Marcus who was involved.
Whatever the case, Vick has been on thin ice with the NFL and the Eagles since his return to professional football. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told Vick before he was reinstated that his margin for error was “extremely limited” when it came to off the field problems. Even lying could put Vick in trouble again.
The Eagles may be looking for a way to cut Vick since he is due to earn $5.2 million this season and Kevin Kolb is expected to be the starter in Philadelphia. Last season, Vick was a model citizen both on and off the field. He even won the Ed Block Courage Award, which is an annual award presented to players in the NFL voted on by members of their own organization who prove to be role models that inspire and show good sportsmanship.
Filed under Nfl | Tags: Ed Block Courage, Philadelphia Eagles, Roger Goodell
Posted by on July 1st, 2010 | No Comments »
The Netherlands, World Cup odds favorite have consistently produced many of the world’s top players and have enjoyed a long, decorated soccer history.
Yet, as a team, they are best known for not winning a World Cup ever. Brazil, who conversely has won more World Cups than any other team, they will be facing on Friday.
If the Dutch squad wants to get past top-ranked Brazil, then they will have to overcome internal turmoil. Dutch legend Johan Cruyff criticized the team’s lack of style and he was who led to the Netherlands to their first World Cup finals appearance in 1974. Additionally, Coach Bert Van Marwijk recently had to call a team meeting following reports from the Dutch media that quoted angry striker Robin van Persie as saying that teammate Wesley Sneijder should have been subbed out instead of him against Slovakia in their second round win. Van Marwijk insists that they are ready to move forward and all is well.
Expect the Brazilians to capitalize, if there is any disunity amongst the Dutch squad. In the Round of 16, all cylinders were firing in Brazil’s 3-0 win over Chile. They have been one of the best teams in the tournament and are validating the top ranking FIFA assigned to them prior to the tournament.
In some of two recent World Cup tournaments, Brazil has faced Netherlands. In the 1994 quarterfinals en route to their fourth World Cup, they eliminated Netherlands 3-2 and beat them on penalty kicks in the 1998 semifinals before losing to host France in the final.
On Friday, fans will likely be treated to a special match. Robinho, Brazilian star has deemed it worthy of a World Cup Final. “It’s a world football classic,” Robinho said. Netherlands just may pull off an upset, if Netherlands can keep the ball on Brazil’s side and prevent their attack, even though Robinho’s team will be the slight favorite.
Filed under Soccer | Tags: FIFA, Johan Cruyff, Robin van Persie, Soccer
Posted by on June 25th, 2010 | No Comments »
The Cincinnati Bengals Mini Camp seems to have been a success. Marvin Lewis, the head coach of the Bengals seems to have been pleased with what took place during the rookie minicamp. This is good news for the Bengals.
One of the players that has been impressive has been Jermaine Gresham. Gresham is the first round pick of the Bengals from the 2010 NFL Draft that recently took place.
Gresham, a tight end from Oklahoma, has managed to progress faster than anyone could have hoped. Certainly the Bengals hoped that he would make a good impression from the start, but he has really come around faster than the team could have hoped for.
After his impressive showing at mini camp there is a lot of talk surrounding him. Many assume that he will make his way to the starting lineup for the 2010 season. If Gresham can make an impact for the Bengals he will be a big key for the team. The Bengals do have some established receivers to throw to, but another weapon on offense really could help settle Carson Palmer, who has been up and down over the years with injuries.
The Bengals did have two draft picks that missed time during the mini camp with injuries, but the rest showed up and seemed to perform in the manner that was expected for the team. The players that were injured were linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy, who missed Sunday with a foot injury and Dezmon Briscoe, who missed the entire mini camp with a groin injury.
Filed under Nfl | Tags: Cincinnati Bengals, Jermaine Gresham, Marvin Lewis
Posted by on June 16th, 2010 | No Comments »
On Wednesday, June 16th, Renato “Babalu” Sobral will clash with “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler when Strikeforce travels to Los Angeles, CA. Sobral (35-8) is a hard hitting fighter with an excellent ground game, with 18 of his wins coming by way of submission. He also has 5 knockouts. Lawler (17-5) is a polar opposite, as he prefers to stand in front of his opponents and throw bombs. 14 of his Lawler’s victories have been by way of knockout.
In his last fight, MMA odds favorite, Renato Sobral fell victim to Gegard Mousasi. He was knocked out in the very first round. Sobral is a veteran fighter, though, and will be looking to bounce back. Before the Mousasi loss, he had not lost since March of 2007. Sobral typically uses a variety of chokes to finish his opponent.
Robbie Lawler last fought on January 30, 2010. He squared off against Dutch striker Melvin Manhoef in what was an absolute war. Manhoef was teeing off on Lawler, nailing him with vicious leg kicks until Lawler caught him with a devastating punch that sent him tumbling to the canvas. Lawler won by knockout. However, Lawler has shown weakness against fighters with a good submission game before, as he was choked out by Jake Shields in 2009.
While Lawler and Sobral both bring a different style to this fight, they both come to finish fights. Neither guy likes to grind out decisions, which always leads to exciting fights. One way or the other, both guys are always entertaining.
Filed under Martial Arts | Tags: Melvin Manhoef, MMA odds, Renato Sobral, Robbie Lawler
Posted by on June 10th, 2010 | No Comments »
On Saturday at UFC 115 in Vancouver, Mirko Filipovic will face off against Patrick Barry in a heavyweight bout. with high expectations, these two fighters will match up.
At UFC 104, at Patrick Barry’s last fight he was the most impressive fighter to be seen. In his fight he earned the “Knockout of the Night” award and also the earned the “Fight of the Night” award. He really showed up at his last fight and he will be watched closely by a lot of fans as he takes the ring again.
Up to this point, Barry is 5-1 in his career, and is not an extremely experienced fighter. For Mirko Filipovic in this fight, this will be an advantage. Mirko Filipovic has already fought thirty five fights in his career and he has been successful throughout the whole thing. While winning 26, he has only lost 7 fights to this point in his career.
It was not expected that in this fight, sports betting favorite, Mirko Filipovic would fight Barry. Most thought that, on Ben Rothwell, he would take on. They were scheduled to fight several events ago, but the fight never took place. This fight still hasn’t come, and that leaves Barry as his foe.
Mirko Filipovic will have a difficult time preparing for Barry, an up and coming fighter, and has not had a lot of fights to study up on and watch. He is a highly touted prospect and is expected to fare well in this matchup, despite his inexperience. Expect a good one.
Filed under Martial Arts | Tags: Ben Rothwell, Mirko Filipovic, UFC 115
Posted by on June 3rd, 2010 | No Comments »
To defend his title against an all-star crowd of young up-and-comers, St. Jude Classic defending champion and sportsbook betting star, Brian Gay returns to Memphis. Hoping to keep a solid year on track with a win, Gay, who finished second just two weeks ago at the Byron Nelson, comes to the St. Jude.
However, at the St. Jude, Gay will face a solid field that highlights some of golf’s brightest young stars including the white-hot Bryce Molder, recent first-time winner Rory Mcllroy, and the 16-year-old amateur Jordan Spieth who finished in the top 20 at the Byron Nelson. Spieth rounds out a group of three sponsor exemptions including three-time major runner-up Lee Westwood and fan-favorite John Daly.
Against a less experienced field in Memphis, watch out for Westwood. Younger players like Mcllroy, Spieth, and Molder will be surely tested by TPC Southwind’s signature holes. The course should provide plenty of fireworks at the 165-yard par-3 11th, an nerve-racking tee shot akin to the famous island green at Sawgrass. Likewise, for even the most experienced tour veteran, the 231-yard 14th, which consistently ranks among the tour’s most difficult par-3s, will be a test.
At TPC Southwind in Memphis for the 2010 St. Jude Classic, get set for an exciting weekend. The PGA Tour’s future stars will surely revel in their shot at the spotlight, with big names Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson taking a break after this week’s Memorial.
Filed under Golf | Tags: PGA, Phil Mickelson, Rory Mcllroy, Tiger Woods
Posted by on May 25th, 2010 | Comments Off
Jesse Forbes and Ryan Jensen will have the opportunity to face off on May 29th at UFC 114 in a middleweight fight with a lot on the line. This match looks to be a deciding factor in what will happen with their respective fighting careers in the future.
It is very likely that each of these fighters will be fighting to see if they will remain in the UFC. Basically, if they lose, their career in the UFC will be at an end. This type of weight on a fight should help to create a hard hitting fight as each fighter seeks to survive.
Each of these fighters has struggled in their respective UFC careers so far. Ryan Jensen has managed just one win since his debut at UFC Fight Night 15. Jesse Forbes likewise was beaten badly in his debut by Matt Hamill. Each will have a lot at stake as they square off on the 29th.
Though Jesse Forbes has struggled in the UFC, he has had a solid professional fighting career. In his career he has managed to put up a record of 11-4. Similarly, Ryan Jensen has shown many signs of promise in his career. He has won 14 of his 20 career matches. Though they have struggled to produce these results in the UFC, they may each have the potential to step up their game.
This fight will show what each fighter is made of. With so much at stake, there should be a lot of entertainment in this fight.
Filed under MMA | Tags: Jesse Forbes, Ryan Jensen, UFC
Posted by on May 13th, 2010 | Comments Off
This weekend, the Minnesota Twins roll into New York, looking for their first win against the Yankees since August 13, 2008. In 2009, the Yankees won the season series, going 7-0 against the Twins during the regular season and 3-0 in the memorable American League Division Series.
With the Twins sending Francisco Liriano to the hill and the Yankees countering with A.J. Burnett, Friday night’s game (7:05 PM Eastern Time) puts two 4-0 pitchers on the hill. Saturday afternoon’s game (1:05 PM Eastern Time) offers Andy Pettitte (4-0 2.08 ERA) against Scott Baker (4-2, 4.57 ERA). Finally, Sunday afternoon’s finale (1:05 PM Eastern Time) features Nick Blackburn (3-1, 4.76 ERA) against Javier Vazquez.
Vazquez, baseball lines star, has gone 1-3 with a 9.78 ERA so far in 2010, looking to end his early season struggles. With the Twins currently leading the American League Central and the Yankees battling the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the American League East, both teams have been successful early.
The M&M boys (Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau) once again lead the Twins’ offense, with Michael Cuddyer and Jim Thome supplementing the Twins star players with solid starts to the season as well. Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano’s hot start lead the Yankees look to prolong their 10-game winning streak against the Twins, with players like Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez starting to heat up. Is it another year for the Yankees to dominate? Or can the Twins turn it around?
Filed under Baseball | Tags: baseball lines, Mark Teixeira, Minnesota Twins