It doesn't look like Lance Berkman is going to slow down anytime soon but how amazing is it to see two second basemen, Dan Uggla and Chase Utley battling for the first and second place in the National League home run standings.
Anyone who participates in fantasy baseball can attest to this; second base is the weakest position offensively in recent years.
In my league I drafted Uggla in round 16 out of 21 to backup Chone Figgins.
Besides Utley in round 1 there was only a handful of 2nd basemen taken in the next 10+ rounds, showing the uncertainly at the position.
Tomorrow marks the national broadcast television debut of the sport of mixed martial arts. There is a ton riding on this and a ton of things that people should know before watching (if you aren't a big fan).
First, what is mixed martial arts? It is not "ultimate fighting". UFC has done an incredible job making the terms "ultimate fighting" and "mixed martial arts" or "mma" the same. Not only are they the same but the term "ultimate fighting" is likely more often used in the mainstream media.
Now, who or what is EliteXC? EliteXC is a MMA promotion that is a partnership between Proelite.com, and the Showtime Network. Th company is well under two years old but has clearly made massive stride in the right direction.
People need to know that this sport is beginning to be backed by some major, important people. I will start with one member of the announce team this Saturday; Gus Johnson. Gus is an accomplished announcer, most notibly from his work with the NFL and the NCAA Tourney. What many people do not know is that he has trained for years in the discipline of boxing and has recently taken up ju-jujitsu. Also on the announce team is famed MMA combatant Frank Shamrock. Having these two names in the booth is important for a show on CBS.
Everyone should also know that this card is not even that great. This is especially true from the "storyline", "mainstream" side of things. This makes me nervous as someone who wants to see EliteXC succeed.
EliteXC and CBS do have Kimbo Slice and they have been marketing him and him only.
I don't watch CBS, almost never do I really, so I don't know how often or when they are playing these things but it is a great attempt to gain some viewers based on curiosity.
That is the whole reason that CBS is taking this risk. They need to gain the coveted male 18-34 demographic. The are, I believe, the oldest of the four major networks as far as viewership.
The most important thing for the success of EiteXC and thus the growth of MMA in general is simple. Kimbo Slice must win. To take it one step further he must knock James Thompson out in a thrilling fashion.
Kimbo is a clear favorite at -600 on Bodog. Thompson is not exactly a tier 1 mma heavyweight. He has lost 6 of his last 8 fights. One of those two wins was against a very old, out of his prime Don Frye. However James Thompson is a solid 6'5 and will give way to a great match-up appearance wise, especially for those who do not know much about Thompson.
BJ Penn got $250,000 in his victory over Sean Sherk, Tito Ortiz made $210,000 in his loss to Lyotpo Machida and Wanderlei Silva made a base of $150,000.
None of these numbers are a surprise.
The cool things that UFC has been re-instituting as of late is bonus pay. There are bonuses for fight of the night, submission of the night and knockout of the night. Each carries a worth of an additional $75,000 to the fighters purse.
Goran Reljic defeated Wilson Gouveia in what was deemed the fight of the night. Goran Reljic took home $81,000 and Wilson Gouveia took home $93,000.
Not a bad payday for fighters who would have received $6,000 and $18,000 respectively.
I have only played Rock Band a couple times and it's fun. This, on the other hand, is absurd. I've heard that kids are renting out halls to have "rock band concerts". That is also very dumb but I guess that is the audience that EA is looking to target with this joke of a product.
I just drove home from UMass this evening and as I was watching the Celtics/Pistons game I flipped the channel during a commercial and stumbled upon RAW. I heard Ted DiBiase's trademark laugh and had to see more.
Turns out his son was making his WWE TV debut.
The good is that anything that related to DiBiase is awesome but the bad is that his son didnot do the DiBiase laugh. This leads me to believe that he cannot do the DiBiase laugh.
I guess we should have seen this one coming, Hamilton had a solid half season last year in Cincy. He hit .292 in 90 games with 18 HR's and 17 doubles.
Not that no one is following this but what a story...
A drug addicted athlete with potential superstar talent who was selected #1 overall by the Devil Rays (back when they were the Devil Rays) has a breakout season.
The only thing that could make this more interesting (besides a tripe crown run) would be if he falls off the wagon.
"In honor of the Flyers officially going Golfing you can get a free sleeve of Golf Balls with the purchase of a hat! I'm sure Philly fans are saying thanks a**holes right about now."
"THE GUY knows how to entertain, no argument there. Early on in his career, he whooped someone, and made like he was pulling the guy into a grave and burying him. As Soliz says, "Love him, hate him, you have to watch him."
Ortiz, 33, puts on a T-shirt after every win, in the beginning adding to his opponent's misery with a crude remark, but in recent years he's toned it down, paying tribute to the military. He's already made two trips to Iraq to visit soldiers."
The Sonics have 2 first round picks and 4 second round picks; of course their first pick has the second best chance of getting that #1 spot. Only Miami has a better shot.
The Knicks to get the 1st or 2nd pick. If Stern has his way (and why wouldn't he want it) the Knicks will have Beasley/Rose and LeBron in 2010.
Jay-Z representing the Nets.
This years 2006 Portland Trailblazers; just down the road in Seattle (for now):
Hopefully no Stephan A. Smith.
Hope. Even if the Heat or Sonics fall from 1 or 2 there is still hope. (see 2007 Boston Celtics draft)
More Seattle shenanigans: Here is a clip of David Stern at the Key Arena in Seattle, this is irony, irony that is only 15 years old nonetheless.
Gus Johnson will be the lead play-by-play man for the national broadcast television debut of EliteXC. The only thing I like more than Gus Johnson is Mixed Martial Arts... seems like a match made in heaven.
Jon Lester throws a no-no. So he has officially done more in his 24 years on this planet than any other human alive. This has to put a smile on your face, I don't care who you are.
ESPN's main mixed martial arts page (here) screwed up a headline today. The headline had Tito fighting at UFC 85 as opposed to at UFC 84 this coming weekend.
With a new trailer rumored to debut at UFC 84, I figure it's about the time where this game should blow up and people will really start talking about it.
It is the driving factor that has convinced me to purchase a PS3 in the near future.
"Sega is in trouble. According to its latest filing in Japan, the company incurred a loss $501 million during its 2008 fiscal year and its video games division lost about $56.3 million. And as the company was quick to point out, something needs to be done on the video game front."
Dana White Calls Tito Ortiz 'A F---ing Idiot. One of the Dumbest Human Beings I've Ever Met'
“Tito is a f—ing idiot. He’s one of the dumbest human beings I’ve ever met. Everything that comes out of his mouth makes no sense…. I put up with his s— when he was a good fighter. He’s not anymore…. He’s not in anybody’s Top 10. I have no interest whatsoever in being in the Tito Ortiz business…. I’ve never wanted to see anyone get their ass kicked worse than I want to see Tito get his kicked next Saturday night.”
The Bold's most striking features are the screen and the keyboard. The screen displays 480 by 320 pixels, the same resolution as the iPhone, though it is significantly smaller and can be used only in a horizontal orientation. The image is sharp and bright with attractive white icons that jump out of a black background. The Bold falls between the Curve and the 8800 series in size, and its keyboard, featuring sculpted and well-separated keys, is as good as those on any handheld.
