Category: External Sports (Page 169 of 821)

      Vitor Beltort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama set for UFC 133

      April 22, 2011 /

      HeavyMMA.com writes that Vitor Belfort will return to the Octagon at UFC 133 when he faces Yoshihiro Akiyama.

      Vitor Belfort will return to the Octagon for the first time since a stunning knockout loss to Anderson Silva in January when he faces Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133.

      The event is scheduled for Aug. 6 in Philadelphia.

      Silva used a front kick to the jaw to finish Belfort in their middleweight title fight in January. It was Belfort’s first fight in the UFC middleweight division after dismantling Rich Franklin in a catchweight bout in his return to the promotion.

      Akiyama will look to put an end to a two-fight losing streak. He was scheduled to face Chael Sonnen in March, but Sonnen’s suspension by the UFC put an end to the bout. Nate Marquardt replaced Sonnen, but Akiyama was forced to pull out of that fight after the tragic earthquakes in Japan left him unable to travel.

      Read more MMA headlines.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Win a trip for four to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game through Chevy’s Diamonds & Dreams program

      April 22, 2011 /

      Through its Diamonds & Dreams program, Chevy is offering Little League field makeovers for your community, a trip for four to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game and a new Chevrolet!

      Watch how Diamonds & Dreams has made a difference in communities across the country in 2010:

      This year, Chevy is doing even more and you can make it happen for your community. Chevy is offering 100 different prizes to support youth baseball: 20 field makeovers, 60 equipment packages and 20 baseball clinics. Plus, you can win one of four trips to the 2011 MLB All-Star Game and one entrant will win a new Chevrolet vehicle!

      Head to ChevyBaseball.com to enter to win!

      External Sports, MLB, Video

      Baseball to expand playoff system?

      April 21, 2011 /
      Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig speaks during a news conference in New York, April 21, 2011. Major League Baseball (MLB), in an extraordinary move, plans to take control of the day-to-day operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers because of mounting concern over the franchise’s financial plight. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Commissioner Bud Selig told the media on Thursday that Major League Baseball is moving toward expansion of its current playoff system.

      “The more we’ve talked about it, I think we’re moving inexorably to that,” Selig said. “But there’s a myriad of details to work out.”

      I think an expanded playoff pool would bring more excitement not only to the postseason, but to the regular season as well. Under the current system, all six division winners reach the playoffs, as well as one Wild Card team from each league. It sounds as if Selig wants to add one more Wild Card team to the mix in each league, meaning the clubs with the top two records from each league would each get a bye.

      Some baseball traditionalists might resist the change, but all things must change over time. The current playoff format wasn’t introduced until 1994, so there’s nothing wrong with adapting a new system nearly 20 years later – especially when the new format would keep fans interested and going to the ballpark deep into the second half.

      Think about it: how many times in the past 10 years has a divisional race been decided in early August? And then what happens to the fans of those clubs that find themselves out of contention? They stop going to the park.

      Adding another Wild Card team to the postseason mix would ensure that fan bases of contenders would keep coming to the park, which means more revenue for Major League Baseball and that team. The fans get to see a potential playoff participant, the team can keep selling beer, hot dogs and ballcaps, while the league grows its popularity. It’s a win for all parties involved.

      External Sports, MLB

      Ryan Franklin sounds off about booing Cardinal fans

      April 21, 2011 /
      St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Franklin flips the baseball to first base during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on April 20, 2011. Washington won the game 8-6. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

      After giving up yet another home run while working two innings in middle relief on Wednesday against the Nationals, Cardinals’ pitcher Ryan Franklin sounded off on the boo birds that have recently come out at Busch Stadium.

      “You should go write stories about the fans booing,” Franklin told reporters after Game 1 of a double-header on Wednesday. “They’re supposed to be the best fans in baseball. Yeah right.”

      Never, in the history of sports, has it ever been wise for an athlete to bash his own fan base. There’s just nothing good that can ever come out of it. Even if the athlete is right (and I’m not saying Franklin is), the fans will likely only respond with more booing. It’s not like 40,000 fans are going to collectively get together and go, “You know what? Ryan Franklin is right. We’re better than this, people! Let’s get behind our red birds whether they have a 1.57 ERA or a 11.57 ERA!”

      Franklin later backed off his remarks and somewhat apologized. The quote below is from a story on MLB.com.

      “Obviously these last 2 1/2 weeks have been frustrating for me, and I’m frustrated with myself,” Franklin said. “I can understand why the fans are frustrated. I’ve loved my time here in St. Louis. It’s my favorite place to play. It’s just a frustrating time for me right now, because I feel like I’m letting everyone down.”

      It’s funny, whatever athletes usually say in the follow up interview is the thing they should have said first. Had Franklin come out and said what he did above, he may still have gotten booed but at least fans would respect him for owning up to the suck. But when a player bashes a fan base and then later says that he’s just frustrated, people tend to have less empathy.

      Ah, well. Do you know how Franklin rectifies this? By pitching well. We fans will turn on a dime when a player starts producing again. Athletes can go from being a bum to a hero overnight.

      External Sports, MLB

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