Category: External Sports (Page 158 of 821)

Ten Things Learned from UFC 129 in Toronto

May 2, 2011 / Staff

Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com outlines ten stories that emerged from UFC 129 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre on Saturday night.

LAST NAME EVER. FIRST NAME GREATEST.
Quoting Toronto’s Drake seems fitting in the wake of the UFC’s debut in his backyard, but also because the lyrics ring true for UFC 129; this was the greatest event in UFC history.
Plus, Drake was in the building.
The magnitude of this event will remain the benchmark for the organization for some time. It was the UFC’s first stadium show, and it was a resounding success both inside and outside of the cage.
Each of the first four fights ended with a finish, with Pablo Garza’s opening bout flying triangle choke earning Submission of the Night honors, and John Makdessi replacing Shonie Carter as the man attached to a spectacular spinning back fist knockout inside the Octagon.
When you add the 55,000 exhilarated fans who packed the Rogers Centre with the tremendous layout and outstanding production of the event, it will be hard to top this event. Of course, you can be sure that Dana White and the UFC will try, and after being blown away in Toronto, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them pull it off down the line.

Read the full article.

External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

Georges St. Pierre Jake Shields Jose Aldo Lyoto Machida Mark Hominick MMA MMA Commentary Randy Couture UFC

Pierce tossed as Heat win Game 1

May 1, 2011 / John Paulsen

The Heat beat the Celtics, 99-90, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Dwyane Wade dropped 38 points (on stellar 14-of-21 shooting), while James Jones hit five threes en route to 25 points off the bench. The difference in the game was Miami’s ability to get to the line. They made 12 more free throws than the Celtics because they did a better job of attacking the rim.

With the Celtics trailing by 13 with 7:00 to play, Paul Pierce was ejected in the fourth quarter after receiving his second technical for jawing with Dwyane Wade. The two collided on a Pierce screen and they both had something to say about it. We don’t know what Pierce said to get tossed by referee Ed Malloy, but it sure seems like Malloy jumped the gun. He knew it meant an ejection because he signaled for that instead of indicating that Pierce got another technical. The Celtics were likely to lose the game anyway, but the ejection pretty much killed any hope of a Boston comeback.

Pierce got his first technical for getting in the face of James Jones, who fouled him hard after Pierce got him in the air with a pump fake. Pierce stuck his head into Jones’ face and while some might call it a headbutt, there was no real velocity or force in the act. He just basically stuck his forehead into Jones’ face. Let’s hope that the league doesn’t overreact and suspend Pierce for Game 2, because it could significantly alter the series.

Game 2 is on Tuesday night on TNT.

External Sports, NBA

2011 Playoffs

Grizzlies upend Thunder, take Game 1

May 1, 2011 / John Paulsen

This Memphis team deserves a lot of credit. The Grizzlies are playing some very good basketball right now on both ends of the court. In Sunday’s Game 1, they allowed Kevin Durant (33 points) and Russell Westbrook (29 points) to get theirs, but they turned the Thunder over 18 times, which led to a +11 margin in shot attempts, and that turned out to be the difference in the game.

I’ve been harping on Russell Westbrook for a while, but the more I see him play, the more I realize that he’s simply not a point guard. He should play off guard a la Dwyane Wade. That way, he’d still be able to be a big part of the offense, but he wouldn’t be responsible for handling the ball all the time and setting his teammates up, two things that he struggles with. He had seven turnovers and 14 missed shots, so there’s 21 possessions where the Thunder didn’t score. He also gets stuck defensively on ball screens, and if he was playing more off guard, he’d be chasing screens off the ball, an area at which he excels. That said, the Thunder passed on Ricky Rubio and Stephen Curry in the ’09 draft and they don’t seem poised to move Westbrook off the ball anytime soon.

But back to the Grizzlies. Zach Randolph may be playing the best basketball in the playoffs right now. He scored 34 points and snagged 10 rebounds, while Marc Gasol went for 20-13 on 9-of-11 shooting. What’s interesting about this pair is that they wouldn’t be in Memphis if not for owner Michael Heisley’s decision to trade Pau Gasol to the Lakers a few years ago. Marc Gasol came over in the trade, but no one thought he would develop into the all-around big man that he has become. The Grizzlies were able to afford the trade for Randolph since they had the cap space left by the Pau Gasol trade.

At the time, the acquisition of Randolph didn’t look very promising considering he was overpaid and underachieving. But he has settled in nicely in Memphis and the duo have formed one of the best one-two frontcourt punches in the league. The Pau Gasol trade was still terrible on paper, but it has since worked out for both teams (albeit more so for the Lakers).

Game 2 of the series is on Tuesday night on TNT.

External Sports, NBA

2011 NBA Playoffs Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies Oklahoma City Thunder Russell Westbrook Zach Randolph

Will Reggie Bush be back in New Orleans next year?

May 1, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Shortly after the Saints traded back into the first round to select Alabama running back Mark Ingram, Reggie Bush tweeted: “It’s been fun New Orleans.”

But does that mean that Bush is done in Nawlans? According to head coach Sean Payton, the answer is no.

After selecting Ingram, Payton told the media that the pick has “no bearing” on Bush’s future. He even went as far as to say that he would be “surprised, really” if Bush isn’t back in New Orleans in 2011.

But the fact that the Saints just traded up to take a feature back in the first round and Bush is owed $11.8 million next year says otherwise. If Bush were making significantly less, then I could see the Saints making room for the former Heisman winner. But at $11.8 million, I highly doubt that the Saints will keep him at the salary he‘s owed. Maybe he’ll be willing to take a paycut but if not, Bush could be in a different uniform come September.

The end could be near for the former No. 2 overall pick in New Orleans.

External Sports, NFL

Mark Ingram New Orleans Saints Reggie Bush

Pablo Sandoval to miss 4-6 weeks due to wrist injury

April 30, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The baseball gods are making up for last year as it pertains to injuries and the San Francisco Giants.

After not suffering one major injury on their way to winning the World Series last season, the Giants will be without their best hitter (at least currently) for the next 4-6 weeks this year as Pablo Sandoval fractured his hamate bone in his right wrist. It’s a major blow for a lineup that has been filthy bad for the past week or so.

Ryan Rohlinger has been called up from Triple-A, although manager Bruce Bochy has already stated that Miguel Tejada and Mike Fontenot will see plenty of time at third base and shortstop, respectively. In other words, Bochy has managed to make an already struggling lineup, much, much worse.

Some people will point out that the Giants won the World Series last year with Sandoval on the bench. But they also had a versatile Juan Uribe (now with the Dodgers) and Sandoval is the only hitter who is doing anything for the Giants currently. Make no mistake: This is a massive blow to the defending champs.

Maybe the Giants will get lucky and either Manny Burriss or Rohlinger will start hitting. If not, it’s going to be a long 4-6 weeks watching Miguel Tejada and Mike Fontenot play every day.