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MMA is big now, but it continues to grow

October 15, 2010 / Staff

Dana White during the press conference for the Ultimate Fighting Championship 109 event at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on February 4, 2010.

The UFC continues to grow in popularity on a global level and as far as Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com is concerned, we haven’t seen anything yet.

Dana White has famously called mixed martial arts the “fastest growing sport in the world” on numerous occasions.
With the ever-increasing popularity of the UFC and the countless promotions cropping up across the globe hoping to emulate the biggest brand in the business, the boisterous UFC President could certainly be right.
What makes the assertion even more impressive is that in all reality, the sport is still in the infancy stage, and as it continues to grow outside of North America, mixed martial arts has the potential to become a truly global phenomenon that rivals soccer.
If you think I’m exaggerating, take a look at the number of British fighters competing this weekend at UFC 120.
Four of the five main card bouts feature a Brit, and the lone bout which doesn’t contain a British national involves Cheick Kongo, a French heavyweight who trains with one of England’s premier teams at Wolfslair Academy. On the preliminary portion of the event, four more Britons are competing, bringing the event total to eight.

Read the full article.

External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

Cheick Kongo Dan Hardy John Hathaway Michael Bisping MMA MMA Commentary UFC

Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 6

October 14, 2010 / John Paulsen

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws for a short gain during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High on August 29, 2010 in Denver. UPI/Gary C. Caskey Photo via Newscom

Last week, I changed the format of Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em to stay within the context of my weekly positional rankings. I’ll typically discuss fringe starters that should only be in lineups under certain conditions as well as players that I have ranked higher (or lower) than the rest of the fantasy community.

My rankings often change throughout the week, so when in doubt, go with the rankings.

Joe Flacco (#8) has had his ups and downs this season, but he’s coming off three pretty solid performances and has the Pats’ 28th-ranked pass defense this week. I’m a little worried about Beligenius having a bye week to prepare, but the Pats have struggled in the secondary all season and Flacco should be able to hook up with Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and Todd Heap with regularity…Sure, he’s coming off of suspension, but Ben Roethlisberger (#9) is definitely starter quality this week against a Browns pass defense that has yielded an average of 214 yards and 1.6 pass TDs on the season…Kyle Orton (#6) seemingly has a bad matchup with the Jets, but they’ve actually been pretty bad against the pass (235 yards, 1.8 pass TDs) this season and Darrelle Revis may miss the game with hamstring injury. Besides, good defense or bad defense, it doesn’t matter to Orton, who has thrown for at least 295 yards and one TD in every game this season…Vince Young (#12) has a date with the Jags’ 28th-ranked pass defense that gives up 2.4 pass TDs per game. Young is a good bet to throw for at least 200 yards and two scores…Desperate? Everything is lined up for likely-on-your-waiver-wire Matt Cassel (#22) this week. The Texans are last in the league against the pass and while Cassel wasn’t great against the Colts, his numbers would have looked a lot better had Dwayne Bowe held onto that long TD pass.

External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

Fantasy Football fantasy football strategy Love 'Em & Leave 'Em

Ole Miss Rebel Black Bears are coming to a stadium near you

October 14, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

January 2, 2009: The Mississippi flag is run across the field before the team enters the stadium during the 73rd AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic NCAA Football game between the University of Mississippi Rebels and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX Mississippi defeated Texas Tech 47-34 Photo via Newscom

Ole Miss’ search for a new mascot to replace “Colonel Reb” is one of the dumber stories I’ve chosen not to follow over the last couple of years. But if the story was big enough to make it into ESPN’s “Headlines” section then damn it, it’s big enough for TSR.

The student body has spoken and they say: “Rebel Black Bear” is our new mascot. No joke. They’re still the Ole Miss Rebels, but their mascot is now a big black bear.

At Ole Miss games from here on out, a “Rebel Black Bear” will now be running onto the field, pumping up the crowd the only way a black bear who is also a rebel knows how. (Yeah, I’m not sure how a rebel black bear pumps up a crowd. Use your imagination.)

The school wanted to replace Colonel Reb, so it opened up voting for a new mascot back in March. The three choices were narrowed down to “Rebel Land Shark,” “Rebel Black Bear” and “Hotty Totty,” which was a goofy, muscular, human-like gray guy.

“Rebel Black Bear” won by 62%, although it got strong push from Star Wars character Admiral Ackbar because a bunch of students started an internet campaign for it. In the end, Lucasfilms, which owns the Admiral Ackbar character, declined to give Ole Miss the rights to use the image for their mascot, proving how stupid all of this really was.

Personally, I would have gone with the Rebel Land Shark. Why? I don’t f*cking know. Because sharks are cooler than bears.

College Football, External Sports

Colonel Reb Ole Miss Rebels Rebel Black Bear

Can A.J. Burnett be trusted to start in the ALCS?

October 14, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

New York Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett pitches against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of game two of their MLB American League baseball doubleheader at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts October 2, 2010. REUTERS/Adam Hunger (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

If A.J. Burnett’s simulated game on Wednesday is any indication of how he’ll pitch in the ALCS against the Rangers, then Texas is about to be spotted one game in the best-of-seven series.

In his simulation start yesterday, Burnett threw 80 pitches in four-plus innings and apparently threw the first pitch over Francisco Cervelli’s head. Later on, he hit Greg Golson and Austin Kearns.

This, of course, is coming from a guy that is tentatively scheduled to pitch Game 4 against the Rangers.

The Bombers signed Burnett to a five-year, $82.5 million contract last year and he repaid them by going 13-9 with a 4.04 ERA. But things haven’t been the same for him since he lasted just two innings against the Phillies in Game 5 of the World Series last year. In that outing, he allowed six runs on four hits and walked four batters in an 8-6 loss.

The defeat must have stuck with Burnett this year, because he posted a 10-15 record with a 5.26 ERA and is now the black sheep of the starting rotation. He was left off the ALDS roster, but Girardi wants to pitch him in Game 4 of the ALCS if Burnett can show he has the mental fortitude to handle such a big situation.

Right now, it doesn’t look like he can, which is a problem considering the ALCS kicks off in two days.

External Sports, MLB

A.J. Burnett A.J. Burnett simulated game New York Yankees