Category: External Sports (Page 308 of 821)

      Ten Things Learned from UFC Fight for the Troops 2

      January 25, 2011 /

      E. Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com shares 10 things he learned from UFC Fight for the Troops 2.

      UFC Deserving of Praise for Fundraising Efforts
      For all the crap the UFC (and mixed martial arts in general) takes from opponents, name me another major sports organization that has brought their product directly to the men and women who protect us?

      Fight for the Troops 2 gave more than 3,200 soldiers the chance to watch the sport first-hand, and the fundraising efforts attached to the event generated more than $650,000 in donations during the broadcast alone. The initial Fight for the Troops event held two years ago raised over $4 million for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, and Saturday’s event should eclipse that number when all the dollars are counted.

      While other major professional sports leagues honor soldiers during regularly scheduled games and show their support for the troops in various ways, the UFC is the only organization to bring their product onto an Army base and give those soldiers a night away from their everyday stresses.

      Read the full article.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      FSTA Fantasy Baseball Experts Draft

      January 25, 2011 /

      I don’t follow baseball, but I snapped this photo of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association fantasy baseball experts draft and thought a few readers might get some use out of it.

      Click on the picture for a bigger version.

      Anthony, maybe you can comment about this?

      Anthony’s Take: I sure as heck can, John. Nice work on the photo.

      The first thing that jumps out to me is Braun being selected with the second overall pick. With guys like Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez and Carl Crawford on the board, I’m a little surprised to see Braun taken that early, although he certainly contributes across the board (he hit .304 last year with 25 HR, 103 RBI, 101 R and 14 SB). It’ll be interesting to see what Car-Go does for an encore after hitting .336 with 24 home runs, 117 RBI, 111 runs and 26 SB in a breakout 2010. He plays at a shallow position so I can see why he went early, although taking him ahead of Longoria and Crawford may have been a stretch. The team I really like is “Team 3,” which scooped Hanley Ramirez in Round 1, Matt Holliday in Round 2 and then went back-to-back young pitchers in Lincecum and Kershaw in Rounds 3 and 4. He also added some solid contributors in Ichiro and Swisher, and if Morales can bounce back from the injury he suffered last year, then he might be a steal in Round 5. In a 13-team draft, the talent gets watered down quickly, but he did well with his first five picks. “Team 8” looks strong too, with Tulo, Josh Hamilton, King Felix, Morneau (if he can stay healthy) and Hamels. He did very well to nab Matt Cain in the 8th round, although he needs good seasons out of Hudson and Jurrjens if he’s going to finish in the money this year.

      This is a great peak at an insider’s board. It’s interesting to see who the so-called experts picked in the first couple of rounds.

      External Sports, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Cromartie rips NFL, players union over stalled CBA talks

      January 24, 2011 /

      Now that the season is over and the Jets have run out of opponents to play, Antonio Cromartie has decided to aim his trash talking at the NFL and players union for their failed CBA talks.

      From ESPN.com:

      “To me, you need to stop bitching about it,” the New York Jets cornerback said. “And if you wanna say you’re gonna get into a room and meet and greet, and say you’re gonna do what you need to do, then do it. Don’t just talk about it.”

      There was little optimism in the Jets’ locker room that the union and the NFL would avert a course that seems to be headed for disaster. The CBA will officially expire on March 4 when the owners can opt to lock out the players.

      “Especially when you don’t get no information about nothing from the union or the owners,” Cromartie said. “So to tell you the truth they need to get their damn minds together and get this [expletive] done. Stop bitching about money. Money ain’t nothing. Money can be here and gone. Us players, we want to go out and play football. It’s something we’ve been doing and we love it and enjoy it. It’s our livelihood.”

      I second Cromartie’s take on this issue. All we’ve heard so far from people like Roger Goodell is that a new deal will be in place by next season. Yet here we are, just two weeks away from the Super Bowl and a deal remains unsigned. It also appears that the two sides are no closer to agreeing to terms than they were at the start of the year.

      How about making some progress before saying that a new deal will definitely be in place before next season?

      External Sports, NFL

      Ward, Rivers’ injuries add intrigue to “Cutlergate” in Chicago

      January 24, 2011 /
      Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) fumbles the ball as Green Bay Packers Sam Shields (37) and Desmond Bishop (55) sack him for a 10-yard loss during the second quarter of their NFC Championship playoff game at Soldier Field in Chicago on January 23, 2011. UPI /Mark Cowan

      In the AFC Championship Game two years ago, Steelers’ receiver Hines Ward suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee against the Ravens and while he briefly returned to the game, he was taken out again and didn’t return.

      Sound familiar?

      On Monday, the Chicago Sun Times reported that the knee injury Jay Cutler suffered in the NFC title game on Sunday is a Grade II MCL tear. The team announced that the injury was a “sprain,” but there’s still a tear that occurs in the knee. According to Sun Times’ writer Sean Jensen, the injury would usually sideline a player for 3-4 weeks.

      Following the injury, Ward was able to play in the Super Bowl two weeks later and is often regarded as one of the most durable players in the NFL. Yet Cutler is a “sissy” for not returning to his game. If the injury was serious enough for Ward not to return, shouldn’t Cutler be given the benefit of the doubt?

      As I wrote earlier today, it seems as though the people doing the criticizing flat out don’t like Cutler as a person. That’s not hard to understand seeing as how he has often rubbed teammates, opponents and members of the media the wrong way in the past. People aren’t willing to look at your side of things when you constantly exude a my-sh*t-don’t-stink attitude.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Is Andy Dalton a sleeper or just another spread QB to be avoided on draft day?

      January 24, 2011 /
      Texas Christian University quarterback Andy Dalton celebrates after his 23 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bart Johnson during first quarter of the 2011 Rose Bowl game in Pasadena on January 1, 2011. UPI/Jon SooHoo

      Andy Dalton might be the most interesting case study among this year’s NFL draft quarterback class. That’s because while Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker, Cam Newton and Ryan Mallet will receive more attention over the next couple of months, Dalton could be that second day sleeper that turns out to be more successful than all of them.

      Not all starting quarterbacks are former first round picks. Tom Brady was a sixth round pick. Drew Brees was a second. Matt Schaub was a third and Matt Cassel was a seventh. Granted, most successful quarterbacks (i.e. Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, etc.) were chosen in the first round, but that doesn’t mean that teams can’t find a gem later in the draft.

      That’s where Dalton comes in. Quarterbacks are supposed to be leaders and that may be the former Horned Frog’s biggest attribute. He’s a tireless worker and he was a winner in college (he won 44 career games and went 25-1 over his last two seasons at TCU). Despite being unable to showcase his arm in TCU’s dink-and-dunk offense, he can make all the throws, too. He doesn’t lack the physical ability to succeed at the next level and hopefully at this weekend’s Senior Bowl, he’ll prove to pro scouts that he has a quick release and is highly accurate.

      Of course, the knock on Dalton is that he ran a spread offense in college, just like Tim Tebow and countless other quarterbacks who disappeared after putting up great numbers in the NCAA. While TCU did use a variety of formations from five wide receiver sets to two tight ends and two backs, Dalton usually took snaps out of the shotgun. Pro scouts want to be assured that prospects know how to take a snap from under center and get into his three or five-step drop. They want to know that the signal caller has the ability to run a pro-style offense before they invest a draft pick in him (even if it’s a late round pick).

      Over these next couple of months, Dalton needs to shine. He certainly has what it takes to make the transition from college to pro, but unlike Gabbert, Locker, Newton and Mallet, he has more to prove because of the program and system he ran in college. Will he be a diamond in the rough or just another highly successful college quarterback who fades into obscurity once his eligibility ran out?

      College Football, External Sports, NFL

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