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      Breaking down BJ Penn’s legacy

      August 31, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - AUGUST 08: (L-R) Lightweight champion BJ Penn battles Kenny Florian during their lightweight championship title bout at UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center on August 8, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

      E. Spencer Kyte of HeavyMMA.com discusses BJ Penn’s legacy following UFC 118.

      Heading into his second meeting with Frankie Edgar, fans and critics anticipated a more focused, more aggressive B.J. Penn to step into the cage. They believed their first fight was perfect storm of Edgar fighting a strategic battle on a night that Penn looked off, and that the man widely considered the greatest lightweight of all-time would show the skills that earned him that distinction in the first place.

      Nothing changed.

      Penn looked very much like the fighter who stood across from Edgar in Abu Dhabi; glossed over and searching for answers, Penn was once again beaten to the punch, taken down and dominated en route to his second consecutive lose to the new ruler of the lightweight division.

      Read the full article here.

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Is Vincent Jackson’s career with the Chargers over?

      August 30, 2010 /
      SAN DIEGO, CA - JANUARY 3: Wide Receiver Vincent Jackson of the San Diego Chargers watches from the sidelines during the Washington Redskins v San Diego Chargers NFL Game on January 3, 2010 at Quolcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The Chargers won 23-20. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

      Kevin Acce of the San Diego Union-Tribune hints that receiver Vincent Jackson may not play another down for the Chargers.

      If Jackson is not signed by 3 p.m. Saturday, his Roster Exempt status means he will be out for six games. That won’t preclude a trade, because the trading deadline is the Tuesday after the sixth game. But his limited availability for 2010 will take down the compensation both Jackson and the Chargers could expect.

      People close to Jackson have long indicated, despite rhetoric he was only interested in a multi-year deal — that he would play for a one-season contract that paid him in line with the top 10 receivers in the NFL. Maybe he’ll take that deal from another team, though that would likely bring down even further the price the Chargers could fetch in trade, because Jackson’s new team wouldn’t be assured of having him more than this season.

      And, as we all know, Smith will not be compelled to make a trade he doesn’t feel is best for the Chargers.

      Although not surprising with Smith in charge, it’s rather amazing how this situation continues to unravel. Last year, Jackson was arguably the most productive receiver in the NFL in terms of his pass catching, deep threat and run-blocking abilities. Now it appears that he may not play at all in 2010.

      There’s still time for the two sides to come together on an agreement, but Jackson’s camp and Smith both appear to have dug their heels in long ago. If Jackson is going to play for the Bolts this season, one of the two sides will have to cave.

      And that doesn’t appear to be likely.

      External Sports, NFL

      USA 70, Brazil 68

      August 30, 2010 /
      USA's Kevin Durant (R) drives past Brazil's Alex Garcia (L) in the first half of their FIBA Basketball World Championship game in Istanbul, August 30, 2010. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (TURKEY - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      In many ways, today’s USA/Brazil game was a typical Team USA game. The Americans overcame sloppy play (22 turnovers) and poor outside shooting (2-of-11) from all players not named Kevin Durant, and survived against the Brazilians, who had every chance to steal a win against the superior talent of Team USA. But Leandro Barbosa went cold in the second half, finishing 3-of-13 from 3PT after a hot start, and Brazil came up short.

      Outside of Durant (27 points, 10 rebounds) and maybe Chauncey Billups (15 points) and Derrick Rose (11 points), this team is a mess. The bench managed a paltry six points, but Coach K leaned heavily on his starters, playing each guy a minimum of 29 minutes. (Durant played 39 minutes.) There was little or no offensive movement, leaving Durant, Billups and Rose to create on their own. How a team with this much talent can turn the ball over 22 times in 40 minutes is mind-boggling.

      Moreover, there was little to no enthusiasm from the U.S. bench, while the Brazilians were standing and cheering their teammates throughout the game. At one point, I think Danny Granger (zero minutes) fell asleep. (Kidding. Not really.) They played hard enough defensively, and even though they gave up a ton of open shots, they eventually wore the Brazilians down.

      One reason I tuned in was to see the Spurs new center, Tiago Splitter, who Fran Fraschilla called the best center in Europe. He’s 25, moves well for his size, and has a pretty nice jump hook with both the right and the left hands. I suspect he’ll be in foul trouble for the entire month of November as he figures out how NBA officials are going to call the game, but he has the potential to be as good as any center Tim Duncan has played with since David Robinson. (I realize that’s not saying a whole lot.)

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News

      Why Roger Clemens would rather go to jail than admit guilt

      August 30, 2010 /
      Former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens leaves the U.S. District Court House after his arraignment hearing in Washington on August 30, 2010. Clemens is being charged with making false statements, perjury and obstructing Congress in his congressional testimony on his alleged use of performance enhancing drugs. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      I don’t know Roger Clemens and despite the advances in modern technology, I still think we’re a couple of years away from being able to walk around in someone’s head to help understand what they’re thinking.

      That means I can only speculate as to why Clemens decided to plead not guilty on Monday to charges of lying to Congress about whether he ever used steroids or human growth hormone. Or better yet, why he also decided not to accept a plea agreement in order to face a lighter sentence.

      But the reason, I speculate (along with the fact that he could lose future earnings and the chance of being elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame), is rather simple. Had he accepted the plea deal, he would have admitted guilt to everything: taking steroids, for lying about taking steroids and for calling Brian McNamee a liar. (And there’s no doubt that Clemens wants to give into McNamee – even if it meant that he would stay out of prison.)

      Even if Clemens has told a shred of truth over these past couple of years, it won’t matter. All people will care about is that he a) cheated the game and b) lied about cheating the game.

      That’s why I think he’d rather go to jail maintaining his innocence than be deemed a liar. That may sound ridiculous to most people and it should, but we’re talking about someone facing hard evidence and yet he continues to deny that he used steroids. Keep in mind that even if he does get locked up, he can still say that the judicial system screwed him or he was wrongfully accused.

      Here’s another thought: He has bought into his lie. There are some people in this world that tie a lie so many times that they start to believe it. They’ve repeated to themselves enough times that they’re 6’3” and 230 pounds of shredded muscle that when they look in the mirror, the person starring back at them is 6’3” and 220 pounds. (Now you know what I do before I got to bed each night…right before I cry myself to sleep.)

      Either way, I think “Rocket” is lying. And either way, I think he’ll go down maintaining his innocence, even if he eventually winds up behind bars.

      External Sports, MLB

      Using late season success as a predictor for RBs and WRs

      August 30, 2010 /
      KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 20: Running back Jerome Harrison #35 of the Cleveland Browns outruns DaJuan Morgan #38 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the game on December 20, 2009 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

      One of the numbers I look at when evaluating players, especially young or up-and-coming players, is their performance over the last half of the season. I’ve found that, typically, if a guy plays well late in the season, he will take that momentum/success into the next season.

      With that in mind, here are several players at each position that played a lot better in the second half of the 2009 season than they did early on.

      RUNNING BACKS

      I’ve outlined Jamaal Charles‘s resume here, and I think it’s time people get back on his bandwagon…Fred Jackson (114 total ypg, 0.5 TD over the L6 games) was probably going to start for the Bills, but an injury has opened the door for C.J. Spiller, who has been electric…Jerome Harrison (198 total ypg, 1.7 TDs over the L3 games) is holding onto RB1 duties in Cleveland at this point, but rookie Montario Hardesty is back practicing and there’s a good chance that he’ll eat into Harrison’s carries…Justin Forsett (88 total ypg, 0.6 TD over the L8 games) was great down the stretch for the Seahawks, but he’s mired in a three-way battle with Leon Washington and Julius Jones…Knowshon Moreno (84 total ypg, 0.8 TD over the L8 games) is the clear starter in Denver, when healthy, but he can’t seem to stay on the field…Chris Wells (73 total ypg, 0.6 TD over the L11 games) is clearly the superior runner in Arizona, yet he’s still relegated to backup duties behind Tim Hightower…With the season-ending injury to Ben Tate, Arian Foster (121 total ypg, 1.5 TDs over the L2 games) has gone from an RB3-type 8th or 9th round sleeper to a bona fide RB2-quality 4th round pick.

      All of these players are worth looking for on draft day, and only Forsett seems to be overvalued at this point in the preseason.

      WIDE RECEIVERS

      Anquan Boldin (6.1-78-0.5 over the L8 games) had a nice finish to the 2009 season, but he’s joining a new, run-oriented offense in Baltimore. I’d still expect top 20 numbers out of him, but a top 10 finish seems unlikely…Calvin Johnson (5.4-79-0.5) has all the talent in the world, but he has a spotty injury history and hasn’t much consistency at QB. With Matthew Stafford looking like the real deal, CJ is in line for a big year, assuming he stays healthy…Robert Meachem (4.1-58-0.8 over the L9 games) was dynamite for the Saints down the stretch and became something of a touchdown machine. He’s battling a toe injury right now, but assuming he’s good to go by Week 1, he should settle into the Saints’ WR2 role, which could mean a top 20 finish…The performance of Terrell Owens (4-69-0.5 over the L8 games) late in the season just goes to show that he still has some gas left in the tank. With a better QB throwing to him, he should have a solid WR3-type year…Chris Chambers (4-68-0.4) blew up after joining the Chiefs in the middle of last season. But he’s always been a fantasy tease, and with the re-emergence of freshly-out-of-the-doghouse Dwayne Bowe, he’s probably not going to post those kinds of numbers again. Still, he’d be a good WR4/WR5 bye week fill in…Michael Crabtree (4.4-57-0.2 over L11 games) sure didn’t show any ill effects from his early season holdout. His numbers were somewhat modest, but the fact that he was even able to produce at that level with no preseason work and no rapport with Alex Smith is a testament to his considerable talent. He should take a step forward into the top 20 this season…Jabar Gaffney (4.4-62-0.3 over the L7 games) appears to be the WR1 in Denver and seems to have a good relationship with Kyle Orton. He’s not going to catch a bunch of touchdowns, but he’s a worthwhile reserve in PPR leagues…Malcom Floyd (4.0-62-0.0 over the L8 games) will definitely benefit from the absence of Vincent Jackson and will take over WR1 duties in San Diego. If he gets Jackson’s targets (7.1 per game) and converts at the same rate and yardage as he did last season (59.2%, 17.2 ypc), he’s looking at an 1150-yard season…Brandon Gibson (4.3-44-0.1 over the L8 games) put up decent PPR numbers last season, but he’s listed behind Danny Amendola on the Rams’ depth chart, which means he has competition for that underneath stuff that he made a living with last season…Brian Hartline (2.7-45-0.3 over the L7 games) obviously didn’t set the world on fire, but he was consistently involved in his rookie season and now he’s locked into the starting job opposite Brandon Marshall. He could play Wes Welker to Marshall’s Randy Moss. At this point, Hartline is only worth a look in PPR leagues.

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

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