Archive for June, 2009
Rich Franklin meets Wanderlei Silva
Monday, June 8th, 2009
In UFC 99, that’s the only fight you really need to know.
For the first time ever, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will host an event at the Lanxess Arena in Germany where former UFC middleweight champion Rich ‘’Ace’’ Franklin will face former Pride FC title-holder Wanderlei Silva in UFC 99: The Comeback.
Everybody from Germany are probably looking forward to this since ONE, it’s the first UFC event at Lanxess, and TWO, well, they don’t really have much of a choice.
You see, this Rich Franklin – Wanderlei Silva fight wasn’t really intended to highlight the show. UFC 99 was initially scheduled to have the B.J. Penn – Kenny Florian UFC lightweight championship match in the card’s main event but since Penn requested to have more time off from fighting, they had to reschedule the title bout, thus upgrading Franklin and Silva on top of the card.
Initially scheduled to co-main event UFC 99 with B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian, Rich ‘’Ace’’ Franklin and Wanderlei ‘’The Axe Murderer’’ Silva should have no problems putting up a show deserving of the top billing. They are after all, former MMA world champions.
Rich Franklin already lost to a Silva, Anderson Silva that is, TWICE. However, despite losing both meetings, those two fights are still considered by fight fans as two of the fights that define Franklin as a fighter. The guy just refuses to quit, it just so happened that he came face to face with a brick wall named Anderson.
Franklin’s opponent, on the other hand, is a whole different monster. Yup, Wanderlei ‘’The Axe Murderer’’ Silva is one of the tougher fighters you’ll see inside the Octagon and while he doesn’t have the technical skills an Anderson Silva possesses, he’s not called ‘’The Axe Murderer’’ for nothing.
Wanderlei Silva is probably on every fight fan’s list of the top fighters in MMA. For the last 12 years, Silva has dazzled fight fans with his relentless ground and pound and out-of-nowhere knockouts.
Don’t believe me? Just ask Keith Jardine…
Bet on the 141st Belmont Stakes now!
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
The final leg of this year’s Triple Crown race is finally here.
The final leg of the Triple Crown will be the 141st Belmont Stakes on June 6th, and sadly, there will be no rematch between Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra.
Rachel Alexandra (was 9/4 on the 2009 Belmont odds) has been withdrawn and two more horses have been added to the betting options.
There are a ton of quality horses with a chance at the title remaining in the race and this one could very well come down to the final wire with a photo finish being the only way to decide who takes home the 2009 Belmont Stakes title.
Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Mine That Bird becomes an ever bigger favorite with the withdrawal of Rachel Alexandra. The three-year-old thoroughbred currently sits at 2/3 on the 2009 Belmont Stakes odds.
His runner-up finish at Pimlico earned him a 106 Beyer, his career best, and qualifies as a sharp prep and a stakes win this year to go with his Kentucky Derby victory. Although he has rallied from off the pace in the first two legs of the Triple Crown trail, he won using a stalking trip during his championship juvenile season in Canada so we awarded him the point for running style, as stalking the pace 1-5 lengths behind is preferable in the Belmont over front-runners or closers.
His only negatives include too many starts as a juvenile, has no starts at Belmont Park and a dosage index of above 4.
Rachel Alexandra, the Preakness-winning filly, is out of the 2009 Belmont Stakes, freeing jockey Calvin Borel to ride Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in the 1 1/2-mile ‘’Test of the Champion.’’
Rachel Alexandra’s majority owner Jess Jackson…
The 2009 NBA Finals: Lakers vs. Magic
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
The NBA Finals have finally arrived and it’s Tinseltown going up against Disneyland.
You read it, the 2009 NBA Finals are finally here and facing for the first time for all the marbles will be the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. The Lakers were able to eliminate the Nuggets in six games to get here while the Magic gave everybody’s pick to win the title back to Cleveland for good, at least until late October hits again.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been here the most among any other franchise in NBA history. From the days of Magic Johnson to the incredible one-two punch of the Kobe – Shaq era, the Lakers have been playing for titles for quite some time now.
This year, Kobe Bryant will try to win a championship ring without a seven-foot, 300-pound Shaquille O’Neal by his side, and he hopes to improve where he failed last year against the Boston Celtics.
The Orlando Magic? This is only the second time in the history of their franchise that they have been this far. The last time they got here ended in a humbling sweep by the Houston Rockets. Ironically, Shaquille O’Neal was also part of it and while he gave the Lakers some memorable moments in their three-year title reign, his history with Orlando was a sour one when his inability to shoot free throws was exposed by Houston to win the title.
This year, Orlando is being led by a new Man of Steel. While Shaq already established himself as the Man of Steel back when he was playing in Orlando, Dwight Howard has done enough to merit being branded as the city’s new Superman. And now that he has led the team back to the NBA Finals, Orlando is hoping this Superman will at least have the Magic last longer than the last time they got here.
It’s Tinseltown going up against Disneyland….
Tom Brady returns to Football Field
Monday, June 1st, 2009
Yes, he’s back on the field.
And while it’s still quite early to say that Tom Brady is back to his usual form just in time for the coming 2009 NFL football season, you have to admit that seeing the guy back in uniform throwing footballs again on the field is a sign of better days ahead, especially if you’re a Pats fan.
It seems it was only yesterday when Tom Brady was nailed down to the ground by Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. That sack ended Brady’s season since they later found out that he had to undergo surgery.
Of course, the New England Patriots faltered without the quarterback. Although then Patriots backup quarterback Matt Cassel did a fine job filling in for their fallen leader, the Patriots just were not the same, missing the playoffs with Brady sidelined.
After almost nine months since Brady was last seen limping off the field, he’s back with a few more pounds, a wife and a huge knee brace. Of course, he had time to talk to some reporters. After all, this was his first news conference since torn knee ligaments finished his 2008 season.
‘’The reality is, in this sport, you really never know. Any day could be your last day in football,’’ Tom Brady told a crush of reporters after practice. ‘’I don’t think about the end too often. Hopefully this is still, relatively, in the early part of my career.’’
‘’I think when you sit on the sidelines for an entire year you realize how much you love it. You experience things in a much different way, and a way that I never experienced as an athlete.’’
‘’I love being out here. I love participating and being around these guys.’’
Brady also talked about some other stuff like admitting to reporters that he is a few pounds over his playing weight, would rather not wear the unfashionable knee brace and is relieved that they’ll play the Buccaneers in London this year and not Tampa.
‘’I’d much rather play in…”
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