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      UFC 112 Preview & Predictions

      April 10, 2010 /

      The UFC hosts UFC 112: Invincible this Saturday at 1PM ET from Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. as the promotion makes a trip to the Middle East for an outdoor event. Here is a look at the card, which features two title fights, and my picks for the main card bouts.

      UFC Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (25-4) vs. Demian Maia (12-1)
      Silva is arguably the best fighter in the world in any weight class and Maia might be the best submission fighter in the UFC today. This style matchup has led to some boring fights for Silva in the past as the grapplers have avoided striking with him at all costs, but something tells me Maia knows he will have to mix it up. Should Maia get the fight to the ground, he can win, but likely Silva is going to knock him out first. Look for the champ to retain with a either a first round TKO or a boring five round decision.

      UFC Lightweight Championship: B.J. Penn (15-5-1) vs. Frankie Edgar (11-1)
      I truly feel that Edgar has the right fighting style to beat Penn, he simply lack the physical size needed to execute his plan. Edgar has the quickness to hang with Penn and the wrestling ability needed to win, but his size is not big enough to get Penn to the ground. Edgar will have to push a tremendous pace in order to really get Penn to slow down enough to be effective with his wrestling, and even if he can, we don’t know what kind of conditioning he has or what kind of damage he will have to take. Edgar is a tough guy that will give Penn some problems, but ultimately Penn will get the win by choke in round three.

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      Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      MLB Roundup: Red-hot Renteria, Lee’s bad news & the BoSox’s early woes

      April 10, 2010 /

      Giants 5, Braves 4
      Quick, name the team with the best record in baseball. The Yankees? Sorry – they’re currently only .500. The answer would be the Giants, who have begun the year 4-0 after coming from behind to the beat the Braves 5-4 in 13 innings on Friday. Quick, name the hottest hitter in the league right now. If you said Albert Pujols, then punch yourself in the ear because you’re wrong. If you said Edgar Renteria, you’re right, but you probably only said that to be a wiseass – so the jokes on you. Renteria is batting an astonishing .688 to start the year after going 3-for-5 with a game-tying two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth, which helped San Fran erase a 4-2 deficit. I don’t know how Pablo Sandoval slimmed down and stole Renteria’s jersey without anyone seeing, but there’s no way that’s the real Edgar Renteria.

      Rangers 6, Mariners 2
      Nelson Cruz abused the Mariners on Friday, going 3-for-4 with a solo homer, two RBI and two runs scored in the Rangers’ 6-2 victory. Seattle is hitting .199 as a team and was 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. It was the club’s fourth straight loss and making matters worse, it was revealed that Cliff Lee might not come off the disabled list until May now.

      Royals 4, Red Sox 3
      It’s early, but you know things are bad in Boston when they’re losing to Kansas City. Rick Ankiel (yes, that Rick Ankiel) hit a go-ahead two-run single off Daniel Bard in the eighth inning of the Royals’ 4-3 win over the BoSox on Friday night. It was the fourth hit of the night for Ankiel, who also hit a solo home run and drove in three runs. Not a bad night for the newcomer, who helped sent Boston spiraling to a 1-3 start.

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      MLB

      What’s the worst-case scenario for the Knicks?

      April 9, 2010 /

      New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey isn’t optimistic about the Knicks’ chances in free agency, and he’s not afraid to say so.

      Shows what kind of jagged competition the Knicks are in for this summer when the free-agent grab bag unties. If LeBron James isn’t game to accept almost half of their $33 million surplus, you can kiss off Dwyane Wade, too.

      Where will that leave the Knicks? Chris Bosh is next in line. As good as he is, he has not been good enough to take the Raptors anywhere worthwhile (two first rounds) in this, his seventh season. He is better defensively than David Lee, but across the stats sheet, there’s not a discernable difference, and Toronto might get best of that deal. Bosh is a perfect Poncho to Cisco in Miami.

      Vescey goes on to predict that Joe Johnson will re-up in Atlanta, that Amare Stoudemire and Mike D’Antoni wouldn’t click, that the Grizzlies will match any offer for Rudy Gay, and that the Knicks would be “lucky” to get Carlos Boozer.

      In the final analysis, the Knicks may have to “settle for” re-signing Lee. Something they had better do as soon after July 1 as possible . . . before the Nets lock him up and he becomes a perennial All-Star alongside Brook Lopez . . . and they are stuck adopting unadoptable free agents.

      I’m not as down on the Knicks’ chances of striking gold as Vescey seems to be. Let’s not forget that they play at Madison Square Garden in the media capital of the world and that they’re coached by Mike D’Antoni who plays an up-tempo system that players seem to love.

      I could see the Knicks being in a situation where they’re hoping Memphis doesn’t match their offer for Rudy Gay and praying that David Lee is willing to come back after all the Knicks have put him through. I can also see a scenario where LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all take a bit less money to play for a title year in and year out in NYC. There’s no team that has a greater upside/downside as the Knicks this summer.

      Let’s assume LeBron sticks in Cleveland and Wade stays in Miami. The next best duo would be Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh. Not bad. Let’s say Bosh goes to the Heat, then the Knicks could get Johnson and Stoudemire (or Boozer). Again, not bad. What if Johnson sticks in Atlanta or bolts to the Bulls, Clippers or Nets? Then, the Knicks are looking at Gay and Stoudemire/Boozer. Could be worse.

      The funny thing is that while the Knicks are waiting on Bosh/Stoudemire/Boozer, someone (like the Nets, as Vescey said) could swoop in and snatch up Lee.

      Is it a bad thing that I’m more excited about free agency than I am the postseason?


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      3,497 words about Rasheed Wallace

      April 9, 2010 /

      Hate Rasheed Wallace or find him interesting? Check out Bill Simmons’ latest column, “Smoke and Mirrors,” which is dedicated entirely to the man he calls “Sheed.” I think it’s one of his best pieces ever, but the funniest line came from one of his buddies.

      Sheed caused me to e-mail my buddy Hench in December just to ask whether he remembered seeing Sheed run harder than half-speed even once. Hench’s response: “I’ve yet to see Sheed make a fast-twitch move that would have spilled a beverage if he was carrying one on the court.”

      Nice one, Hench.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Shanahan shoots down Haynesworth trade rumors

      April 9, 2010 /

      Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan dismissed the notion that the team will trade Albert Haynesworth in the offseason.

      From AOL NFL Fanhouse.com:

      On trading Albert Haynesworth: “There is nothing to clarify. It is just speculation. He’s part of the organization. I am just looking for him to come in and work and be like everyone else. No, we’re not going to trade him at all, unless someone gives us something we would have to consider — that’s pretty standard with any player on your roster. He’s a pretty smart guy. He’s really talented. I think I can get that out of him.”

      Andy Reid also came out and said that the Eagles weren’t going to trade Donovan McNabb and now he’s a Redskin. Shanahan has been in the league a long time – he knows how the game is played. If he comes out and says that Haynesworth is on the trade block, then he knows that he diminishes the defensive tackle’s value. If he denies that the Skins want to trade Haynesworth, then he makes other teams come to him and doesn’t risk upsetting the player.

      A lot goes on leading up to, and during the NFL draft. Teams talk all the time about trading players and picks, so we’ll see what happens. Even though Shanahan sounds convincing, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of the Haynesworth trade talks.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

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