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      UFC 115 Preview: Chuck Liddell vs. Rich Franklin

      June 11, 2010 /

      When Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell and Rich “Ace” Franklin meet in the octagon this Saturday night, no titles will be on the line but as our MMA writer Drew Ellis writes: a career will likely end, while a legacy will be shaped.

      Ellis previewed UFC 115 for Bullz-Eye.com, which you can read here. Below is a taste of the preview and a gallery dedicated to the fight. Enjoy!

      The main event of Saturday’s card features two former UFC champions when Rich “Ace” Franklin and Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell meet. At one time, both were considered among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but now, the two are thought to be past their prime.
      Liddell (21-7) is making his return to the octagon after being away for over a year. His last fight was a first round knockout loss to current light heavyweight champion, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

      Liddell won the UFC Light Heavyweight title back at UFC 52 against Randy Couture. That win was part of a seven-fight win streak that saw Liddell defend his title four times before running into Quinton Jackson. “Rampage” knocked out Liddell in the first round of that fight, which started a string of four losses in five outings for Liddell.

      The problem that Liddell has been facing is that he was so successful for a stretch earlier in his career that he believed he didn’t have to continue to evolve. He continued to rely on his punching power, while his opponents found new ways to gain the upper hand on him. As Liddell refused to change, wins subsequently turned to losses and now, a loss to Franklin will end his career. (Or so says UFC President Dana White.)

      The road hasn’t been much different for Franklin (27-5), who won the UFC middleweight title at UFC 53 by defeating Evan Tanner. From there, Franklin put together some dominant wins over mediocre talent in Nate Quarry and David Loiseau.

      Read the full UFC 115 Preview at Bullz-Eye.com.

      [nggallery id=4 template=carousel images=8]

      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

      Roethlisberger takes responsibility for actions, is a fan of third person phrases

      June 11, 2010 /

      Ben Roethlisberger recently granted separate interviews to Pittsburgh television stations KDKA and WTAE to discuss the allegations of his sexual assault case.

      From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

      In the interviews, Roethlisberger repeatedly faults himself for mistakes, blaming it in part on his immaturity while transitioning from his small-town Findlay, Ohio, background to “big city” Pittsburgh.

      “Big Ben just kept building up, and I think it ended up coming off the field, and as the years kept going it just kept taking over Ben Roethlisberger,” he told KDKA’s Bob Pompeani.

      Roethlisberger appeared relaxed and contrite throughout the interviews, with his most emotional moment coming in description of recent talks with his father, who now has a Western Pennsylvania farm Roethlisberger has visited frequently.

      “We were talking about everything and how I got kind of lost, and he looked at me and we both kind of broke down, and he said, ‘It’s good to have my son back.’ And that just killed me,” Roethlisberger said.

      I don’t care in what context they do it in: I love when athletes break out the third person. It’s classic.

      It’s good to see that Roethlisberger is saying all the right things, but his actions will speak louder than his words in the end. He’s going to be tempted again at some point to go out, have a few adult beverages and check out the “scenery.” Will he do a better job of putting himself in a good situation or will he fall victim to his poor decision-making again?

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      High schooler gets “sniped” in the face [video]

      June 11, 2010 /

      I love YouTube. It gives self-promoting high schoolers like “burdman33” the opportunity to showcase their own athletic feats. Here’s what he wrote about the following video:

      Me sniping some newton north kid in the face.

      That’s great. Succinct, yet descriptive. Now watch burdman33 snipe some Newton North kid in the face.

      Kudos to the kid that stands up in the bottom right hand corner of the screen to get the crowd going.

      External Sports, High School Sports, Humor, Video

      The Finals, Game 4: The C’s bounce back

      June 10, 2010 /

      Celtics 96, Lakers 89

      I have to hand it to Doc Rivers. How many coaches would have had the balls to play a lineup that included Nate Robinson, Tony Allen, Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis deep into the fourth quarter of a tight, must-win game against the Lakers? Ray Allen was the fifth Celtic on the floor, and at times he looked a little like Kelly Leak playing with the Bad News Bears.

      That group started the fourth quarter, trailing 62-60, and slowly but surely built an 85-74 lead with 3:57 to play. There were points that Rivers sent Garnett/Pierce/Rondo to the scorer’s table only to pull them back to the bench after the aforementioned fivesome made a nice play to continue its run. This is not something we see often in the NBA because most coaches are afraid of their stars, but these Celtics don’t mind riding the wave with the bench when they are outplaying the other team’s starters. Ubuntu.

      When Garnett/Pierce/Rondo did re-enter the game, Mark Jackson was concerned about their readiness to shoot when open, but these guys are pros (not to mention champions), and they answered the call. Well, Paul Pierce (19-6-5) answered the call. He scored five quick points, including a very suspect three-point play where he drew a block on Kobe. It looked as if Kobe got his feet set outside of the circle before Pierce left his feet, but the call went Pierce’s way. That’s why there’s such a thing as home court advantage.

      With their backs to the wall, the C’s did what they needed to do in Game 4. Now they have to prevail in another must-win game to put the pressure back on the Lakers as the series heads back to L.A.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Finals, News

      2010 NBA Free Agency: What are they worth? (#6-#10)

      June 10, 2010 /

      In the first installment of this series, I covered the biggest names in this summer’s free agency bonanza, and it wasn’t too tough to try to peg down each player’s value. Now I’ll move onto #6 to #10 in my free agency rankings, and things get a little tougher.

      Keep in mind that the “value” below each player’s blurb represents my prediction of what they’ll eventually sign for, not what I think they’re actually worth. But there’s a saying — something’s only worth what someone will pay for it — so there’s that.

      Anyway, let’s jump right in:

      6. Joe Johnson, SG
      Age: 29
      PER: 19.33
      Comparables: Brandon Roy ($13.5 M), Andre Iguodala ($12.3 M), Kevin Martin ($10.6 M)
      Johnson didn’t help himself much with a pretty miserable series against the Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. I’m sure he’s looking for a max deal, and whatever team gives him one may regret it in a year or two. He’s already 29, and while he’d definitely be a good #2 for the next 2-3 years, he’s not a “max” player. He’s definitely going to benefit from all the cap space that’s available. Remember, my estimated value is what someone is willing to pay him, not necessarily what he’s worth.
      Value: $17.0-$17.5 M per year (over five years)

      7. Carlos Boozer, PF
      Age: 28
      PER: 21.42
      Comparables: Amare Stoudemire ($17.7 M), Zach Randolph ($17.3 M), Josh Smith ($11.6 M), David West ($9.0 M), LaMarcus Aldridge ($10.7 M)
      I have Boozer ranked ahead of Lee because he’s a slightly better player…when he’s healthy. He missed 45 games during the 2008-07 season and another 80 games from 2004-2006, so clearly he’s an injury risk. He is no doubt looking for a max or near-max deal, but with his durability issues and his reputation for being a less than stellar defender, he may find the going a bit tough in free agency. Still, there is sooooo much cap space out there that it’s hard to see him signing a deal for much less than the max.
      Value: $14.0-$15.0 M per year (over five years)

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

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