Thoughts on the World Series

2 games finished and its 1-1 in the series. Here are my thoughts on what has transpired so far:

Cliff Lee's Domination in Game 1

What an amazing mid-season pickup by the Phillies as Cliff Lee has quickly become the ace of the staff. So far in these playoffs he has been absolutely unreal going 3-0 with a 0.54 ERA. Lee has given up only 2 runs in 33.1 innings and had struck out 30 while walking only 3. To say he has been the MVP for the Phillies would be an understatement.

Game 1 was in New York and the Phillies were underdogs despite being the defending champions. It was the first World Series game in "new" Yankee Stadium and Lee made it a memorable one. He pitched a complete game 6 hitter and struck out 10. The Yankees could do nothing against him and didn't get more than 2 runners on base in the same inning until the 9th.

Lee will pitch game 4 and game 7 if necessary and could be the reason the Phillies repeat as champions.

Arod

Going into the World Series Arod was hitting a beastly .438 and was starting to lose the reputation for vanishing in the playoffs. But it appears the old Arod is back as he has been shut down by the Phillies pitchers so far this series going 0-8 with 6 strikeouts. If the Yankees want to win the World Series they will need more out of their cleanup hitter.

By the way best joke I have heard in awhile: When news broke that Kate Hudson was pregnant it was shocking, not because she was pregnant but because it was the first time Arod had ever produced in October.

The Return of Pedro

There was lots of hype about game 2 as Pedro Martinez was making his return to Yankee stadium having not pitched there, in the playoffs, since his days with the Red Sox. New Yorkers greeted Pedro with chants of 'who's your daddy' attempting to get under his skin. It didn't really work though.

Pedro went 6 innings giving up 3 earned runs (2 of them coming off solo homeruns) and struck out 8. Besides the two mistakes to Hideki Matsui and Mark Teixiera he pitched really well and looked good for a 38 year old.

He will likely return to New York to pitch in game 5 so Yankees fans will have another shot to try and bring down Pedro. Maybe this time they send someone tougher than Don Zimmer.

Rivera Adds to the Legend

He claims to be 40 but looks more like 55. He has 1 pitch and yet is unhittable. He is Mariano Rivera. Tonight he recorded his record 38th postseason save (10th in the World Series) and did so in style. He was brought in during the 8th inning and got 6 outs including a strikeout of Matt Stairs to end the game.

The fact that he is so dominant with only one pitch is mind boggling. He has only ever given up 1 home run in the World Series back in 2000 to Jay Payton. If the Phillies want to win this series they need to get to the 9th inning with the lead or else they are boned.

Quick Thoughts

- Ryan Howard struck out 4 times in Game 2 which was the first time he had done that since July 21st.

- Utley's walk in the 2nd inning of Game 2 extended his record to 27 consecutive playoff games reaching base safely

- What was Charlie Maneul doing in the 8th inning? Men on 1st and 2nd, 1 out, and a 3-2 count he opts not to send the runners and Utley grounds into an inning ending double play. Could have changed the whole game

- I get it! It's "new" Yankee Stadium. Stop telling me!

- Loved the Jay Z and Alicia Keyes performance before the game. 2 things: she has a MASSIVE ass and Joba Chamberlain is the last person I thought would be bobbing his head during the performance.

- Besides shutting down the Yankees in Game 1 Cliff Lee embarrassed them. His behind the back catch, the condescending slap on the ass to Posada and the lackadaisical catch of the fly ball were all real F yous to the Yankees.

- I use to like Mark Teixiera a lot until my roommate went on and on about how he looks like a moron. Now every time I see him I laugh and can't take him seriously.

- Not nearly enough Kate Hudson close ups for my liking.

- Don't like the Phillies chances going home and starting Cole Hamels. His 6.75 ERA this postseason is BRUTAL.

- Why on earth did the Blue Jays let Matt Stairs go? He is a Canadian hero and one hell of a baseball player. Plus he crushes Busch's during the game like no ones business. Seriously just look at this man:

Random YouTube Video (God Bless America)

Raptors are Toronto's Only Hope

If you live in Toronto, or anywhere near it for that matter, you are probably well aware of the current crisis facing Toronto sports teams. No team has won a major championship since the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993 and frankly no team has come close. Things have gotten bad in T.O. and before the NBA season started it didn't look like it was going to get better but the Raptors won tonight and hope was renewed.

Fans of Toronto teams are used to losing by now. The Leafs have been a joke since the NHL lockout in 2004-2005. The Blue Jays are in the toughest division in baseball and haven't made the playoffs since their World Series victory in 2003, and Toronto FC is an embarrassment that has yet to make the playoffs as a franchise (granted they were only established in 2007). Basically Toronto teams are useless and so is cheering for them, except the Raptors.

The Raptors have made the playoffs 2 out of the last 3 years and look poised to do so again. They haven't made it out of the 1st round in either of those years but things are looking up for the franchise. Since they are desperate to keep franchise player Chris Bosh around management has gone out of its way to spend money and bring in quality players. This had led to an unprecedented amount of depth.

The Raptors bench boasts the likes of Marcus Banks, Marco Belinelli, Reggie Evans, Jarrett Jack, Amir Johnson, Antoine Wright and Rasho Nesterovic. All of these guys should see some solid minutes and give head coach Jay Triano some decent options off the bench.

Speaking of coach Triano this will be his first full season as Head Coach. Triano was an assistant with the Raptors last year and replaced Sam Mitchell 17 games into the season. Triano is unproven but seems to have really clicked with his team and gets the most out of his players night in and night out.

Triano will have a lot of talent to work with this year as the Raptors starting 5 has some big names including Bosh, Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu.

Calderon is getting better every year and last year set career high in minutes, points, and assists while breaking the NBA record for Free Throw percentage. Bargnani has really matured since Triano took over and showed he is an offensive force tonight by scoring 28 points in somewhat limited minutes. Turkoglu was the big free agency signing as he came over from Orlando. He is a big game player and lives for the 4th quarter. He should provide the Raptors with another scoring option besides Bosh.

As for Bosh it is likely he will leave the team at the end of the season. However if he wants to get LeBron and Wade money he will need to have a monster season and show teams he is worth all the green. I personally don't feel Bosh could ever be the best player on a championship team but he will use this season to prove me wrong.

Blue Jays: 75-87 and missed the playoffs

Maple Leafs: 1-7-2 worst team in the league

Toronto FC: 10-11-9 missed the playoffs by losing to the worst team in the league 5-0

Raptors: 1-0

The Raptors play in a weak conference and will prey on teams like the Bobcats, Knicks, Nets, Bucks, and Pacers. They have a legitimate shot at finishing anywhere from 5th to 8th in the standings and doing some damage should they get in.

I know it is only one game into the season and they beat a Cleveland team that had played the Celtics the night before but I like their chances. They blew a 21 point lead at one point but responded and wound up winning the game. Had it been 2008 they would have lost. Baby steps.

They are currently Toronto's last hope at winning a championship and although it seems unlikely they will accomplish that feat they are on the right track.

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Pet Peeves in Sports

I love sports but there are a lot of things that bother me about it. Here are a list of my biggest sports related pet peeves. Feel free to add your own:

Inappropriate Jerseys

There is nothing more annoying then when someone wears a jersey to a sporting event in which the team on the jersey is not participating. For example if someone wears a Canadiens jersey to a Leafs/Senators game. Yeah I get it you are a Habs fan and you love hockey but they aren't fucking playing!

I was once chirped for wearing my David Ortiz jersey to a Jays/Red Sox game, by a guy in a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey. If you aren't going to wear a jersey of a team participating in the sporting event you are going to view then don't wear a jersey.

There are no exceptions to this rule. You cannot wear a Leaf jersey to a team Canada game. You look like an idiot.

Athletes Pointing to God

I don't understand why athletes always point to heaven every time they accomplish something in sports. Guy hits a homerun and he points to heaven, guy makes a tackle in football and he points to heaven, guy hits a big 3 pointer in the NBA where is he pointing? Heaven.

I hate to break it to these guys but God had nothing to do with what you just did. He wasn't watching your baseball game from up in heaven going "oh shit I bet on the Yankees better let Arod hit a home run here."

I am not trying to knock on religion or anything it just bothers me that EVERYONE does this all the time. Besides all these athletes doing this are dumb because God obviously cheers for the New Orleans Saints and the LA Angels so if you aren't on one of those teams you're wasting your time.

Celebrating When Losing

Is there anything worse than watching guys celebrate when they are losing? For instance Donnie Avery of the St. Louis Rams likes to dance and celebrate when he scores touchdowns. I am cool with that...except when your team is 0-7 and you are currently losing by 21 points. Don't dance idiot, play better.

Athletes these days seem more concerned about themselves and less concerned with the team so that is why this may be happening. Players just want to get their stats and don't care about winning and losing. It's sad because if they concentrated more on playing better and less on dancing they might win some games.

Tip: If you score a touchdown and are currently losing just give the ball to the ref and go to the sidelines.

Alexander Ovechkin

Could this guy be a bigger cunt? He has 228 career goals and yet every time he scores he acts like it has never happened before. Quit jumping into the boards and skating around like a moron just because you scored a goal. God forbid he show some class like Joe Sakic or Steve Yzerman.

It must also be noted that he is a dirty player. He loves to slewfoot and hit guys from behind and he gets away with it because of who he is. One day soon someone is going to take exception and just end him and I personally can't wait for that day.

Kevin Garnett

This man needs to calm down. He is always yelling and swearing and bumping his chest even if nothing is really happening. Last year in the playoffs he was on the bench and Rajon Rondo hit 2 free throws in the 1st quarter and KG ran onto the court and was going mental.

That alone might not be enough to hate on him but then you add "anything is possible!" and you just can't help but hate the guy. That clip is one of my most hated clips of all-time. I get that he was pumped but he played on the best team in the league and they won. It was expected.

Copious Ads During Football

I understand that the NFL has to make money and in order to make money they need to show commercials but it gets so annoying sometimes. Why is there a commercial before and after a kickoff that is no unnecessary.

To make matters worse when a play is being reviewed they don't go to commercials but instead show you the same play 50 times and make you watch the ref looking at the tape. During that time they should go to commercials and get a bunch out of the way so they don't need to cut to any later in the game.

The BCS debate

Get used to it. With teams like Boise State and Cincinnati threatening to go undefeated, U.S. college football could have another Utah on its hands. The Utes went 12-0 during last year's regular season and still didn't get invited to the national championship game between Florida and Oklahoma, even though both the Gators and Sooners had lost once. It's all about strength of schedule.

To illustrate, if Boise State goes a perfect 13-0, they'll have only beaten one ranked team (Oregon) along the way. Cincinnati's got a slightly tougher slate, but it's still a cupcake compared to what schools like similarly undefeated Florida and Alabama play. It's a problem with no real solution, which is what makes it so frustrating. Even President Barack Obama can't solve it. Late last year he called for an eight-team playoff to alleviate the controversy, but the Republicans blocked it or something.

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NFL Week 7 Thoughts

The Magic of Favre has Faded

It finally happened. The horeshoe stuck up Brett Favre's ass fell out. Favre who had led the Vikings to 6 straight wins finally lost a game and did so in brutal fashion. Not only did he not throw a touchdown but he also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and fumbled the ball resulting in a touchdown. Basically he was responsible for 14 of the Steelers 27 points.

Now some people will say that Chester Taylor should have caught that pass and maybe that is true but Favre rushed the throw and the pass was high and should have been better. The Vikings have been getting lucky all year and it is about time that they lost a game and it is only justice that Favre be the reason for the loss.

I must also point out that during the game Moose Johnston was giving Jeff Reed shit for not making a tackle on Percy Harvin yet didn't say a word when Brett made not 1 but 2 pathetic attempts and trying to tackle Steelers players on two separate occasions. You can't call out the kicker and then let the quarterback slide.

The NFL in England?

The game on Sunday in London was a massive success as over 80,000 tickets were sold in under an hour. The fans were really into the game and reacted appropriately to certain calls meaning they understand the game. Due to the success of the game people have been debating whether the NFL will expand to Europe. Let me tell you right now that this will NEVER happen.

To get to London it takes 12 hours by plane from New York, up to 18 to California. The travel aspect of it alone is ridiculous. No team would be willing to travel that much.

Some people that have said that the Bucs should play a couple of games there a year because the man who owns the Buccaneers also owns Manchester United. The argument is that he could have a tie in deal and try and market the teams together. Even if this made sense financially it would be stupid from a competitive sense as it would tire out the Bucs and cause some serious jet lag that would have lingering effects.

So while having a team in London is a nice thought I don't think it will ever happen.

Are the Giants Bad?

Back to back losses for the Giants have people wondering if they are pure hype. In their last two games the defense has given up 72 points and Eli Manning has looked just as bad. Maybe the injury to his foot is worse than he thought or maybe he is just struggling. All I know is that the only decent team they have beaten this year was Dallas. Here are their other wins:

Washington (2-5)

Tampa Bay (0-7)

Kansas City (1-6)

Oakland (2-5)

So while they are 5-2 the Giants don't really have a quality win under their belt and that is a problem. Many people thought they could challenge for the SuperBowl this year but unless they figure out how to stop people from scoring a beat a good team I don't see that happening.

Tough to Figure Out

It is almost the midway point of the season and the teams in the league are starting to fit into their respective places. There are the top tier teams: Colts, Saints, and Broncos and there are the basement dwellers: Rams, Bucs, Titans but there is also a 3rd group. The 3rd group is comprised of teams that no one can really figure out. Are they good or have they had a favorable schedule? Too many teams fit into this category and it makes picking games, for legal purposes of course, extremely difficult. Here are the teams that I have yet to figure out:

49ers - could be a great team but they are so inconsistent it blows my mind.

Chargers - poster team of mid-tier as you expect them to win but never feel safe picking them.

Eagles - one week they put a beat down on a team and next week they lose to the Raiders, what gives?

Jets - They start 3-0 with a win over the Patriots and then get embarrassed by the Saints and the Bills. No read on this team whatsoever and they are my team.

Dolphins - They had the Saints. They had them! Now they are 2-4 but still make you nervous if you pick against them.

Ravens - My pick to win the SuperBowl early in the season but lately they look mediocre. Hopefully the bye week will help them.

Every other team in the league either sucks or is good. These teams have yet to fit into one of those categories but they soon will. Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later.

Fantasy Goat of the Week

Michael Turner - 50 yards and 1 TD is not enough for a "premier" back in the NFL. He hasn't had a 100 yard game since week 2 when he put up 105 yards against the Panthers. He needs to step it up or he will find himself on the trading block in a hurry.

Quick Thoughts

- In his last 2 games Miles Austin has 421 yards and 4 TDs. In his last 17 games Roy Williams has 428 yards and 2 TDs. Austin gets $1.5 million a season while Williams gets $9 million. Jerry Jones you are an idiot.

- The Pats recent success would be impressive if it wasn't against 2 teams with a combined record of 0-13.

- Packers will beat the Vikings in Week 8 now that Chad Lifton is back in the lineup and Antoine Winfield is out. Revenge will be so sweet.

- Cedric Benson really hates the Chicago Bears. He was running with some serious bad intentions on Sunday and showed Chicago they made a massive mistake in getting rid of him.

- Mark Sanchez can eat all the hotdogs he wants as long as he puts up W's. For gods sake he is the 'Sanchise' let him do what he wants.

- Troy Polamalu may be the most important player on the Pittsburgh Steelers. They look like a different defense when he is in the game.

- I hate the phrase quarterback controversy. If one guy is getting results then play him, if he isn't play the other guy. Shaun Hill was awful and Alex Smith was brilliant. 49ers need to go with Smith.

- The Bucs are now the only team in the NFL who is winless on 2 continents. Ladies and Gentlemen your 2009-2010 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

- After seeing him truck William Gay I think Adrian Peterson could play linebacker.

- I've said it before and I will say it again, JaMarcus Russell has the pocket presence of Helen Keller. In 26 career games he has 21 fumbles.

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Worst World Series Ever

The World Series hasn't even begun yet and already I know it will suck. We already knew the Phillies were going to be in it and after their win tonight we know their opponent will be the New York Yankees. The Yankees beat the Angels 5-2 in Game 6 tonight and earned the right to represent the American League in the worlds most uninteresting World Series of the past decade.

Here are the matchups that I would have preferred in order of most interesting to least interesting:

1. Yankees vs Dodgers

This series would have been great for so many reasons. Joe Torre back in New York. The best stroyline for the series would have been the return of Joe Torre to New York after leaving to manage the Dodgers. How would the NY fans react? How would he react? Would his intimate knowledge of the team be the difference? Would have been amazing.

New York versus Los Angeles. These are the two biggest cities in North America and both represent two opposite cultures. It would have been the whole east coast vs west coast thing again like Biggy vs 2pac only with baseball teams. This would have had divided the country as well which would have brought excitement.

Dodgers being formerly from Brooklyn. I watched an HBO documentary once called 'The Ghosts of Flatbush' (if anyone can tell me where to buy this DVD I will be eternally grateful) and learned how much Brooklyn loved the Dodgers. There is history there and I think the old timers would have gotten really into this series for that reason.

The amount of celebrities that would have been at the games. Think of all the famous people that would go to these games. It would be like the Oscars or to a lesser extent the Emmys. Although this wouldn't make the game itself more interesting it would be hilarious to see which B and C listers went to these games to try and get caught on camera. 'Also Jenna Elfman is here in the 4th row with her Dodgers hat on.'

Manny Ramirez versus the Yankees again. Last time Manny was in New York in October he was playing for the Red Sox. It would make Red Sox fans everywhere feel like they were taking part in the World Series and it would be amazing to see him launch bombs against Rivera and Petite again.

2. Angels vs Dodgers

Battle of California. This series would have alienated every fan that didn't live in California but still would have been better than Phillies/Yankees. There would have been fights on the streets of LA and this time not between gang members but instead middle aged white guys wearing "ball caps."

Once again the celebrity factor would play heavily in this series and be entertaining.

The whole playing for Nick Adenhart thing would have been great as well. I loved the fact the Angels kept his jersey up in the dugout and wish they could have advanced just for him. They did a great job either way but would have been nice to see them go all the way.

3. Angels vs Phillies

The only reason this series would have been good would have been the Nick Adenhart tribute. Both teams have already won a World Series this decade so it wouldn't have been breaking a streak or anything.

4. Yanees vs Phillies

Am I interested in seeing the Phillies create a dynasty? Not at all. Does the possibility of watching the Yankees win a World Series excite me? Of course not. This series has two teams I could care less about. The Phillies won last year with basically the same team which I feel lacks character. I guess it would be cool to see Cliff Lee win a World Series but other than that I could care less about the Phillies.

As for the Yankees well I just plain don't like them and I am pretty sure everyone outside New York feels the same way. Having to watch Mark Teixiera win and knowing the Sox missed out on him by just $10 million would be a real kick in the nuts. I also don't want to hear anymore about Mariano Rivera being the greatest closer ever. Him and Derek Jeter are two guys I just hate so I don't want to see them win either.

The only good thing about the Yankees being in the World Series will be the Twitter updates from JackO. His updates are always laden with profanity and he is so pessimistic it is beyond hilarious. Hopefully the series goes 7 with the Yankees losing in the bottom of the 9th just so I can see the tweets.

You can call it sour grapes or whining all you want but after looking at the other potential match ups you have to admit it could have been better.

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Who Wants It More?

Tonight I was watching the Canucks game before heading out to the bar to watch UFC when I saw something I just had to write about. The broadcast showed a clip of Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo practicing in the morning and the announcer said, "you never see goalies practice like that before a 4 o'clock game."

That struck me as odd. Why wouldn't a goalie want to get as much practice in as possible? This thought led me to think about Kobe Bryant and how his work ethic is second to none. It is widely known that Kobe gets up everyday at 6am and goes and shoots baskets for 2-3 hours before his regular practice. Then something clicked.

Maybe guys like Kobe and Luongo are so great at what they do because they put in more effort than everyone else. Not exactly groundbreaking logic I know but if it is so simple ask yourself this, 'why wouldn't every other athlete try as hard to be great?'

Before I continue I don't want this to turn into a debate about whether or not Kobe is the best player in the NBA or if Luongo is the best goalie in the NHL. They are both elite levels players in their respective sports and let's leave it at that. Back to my main point.

Obviously both Kobe and Luongo are naturally talented and may have some inherent skills that make them really good at what they do but both reached that next level, the level of excellence, by working harder than everyone else. Naturally ability will only take you so far. Once you reach that plateau it becomes necessary to put in that extra work to get better.

Kobe is the best example of this. In 2008 Kobe led the Lakers to the NBA Finals where they were destroyed by the Boston Celtics. After the devastating loss Kobe hit the gym harder than ever before and practised more than he ever had in his entire career. The end result? He led the Lakers to the 2009 NBA Championship where they beat the Orlando Magic. Kobe was the best player on the team and inspired his teammates to be better with his work ethic.

Think I am making this up? Read about LeBron James' experience with the Redeem Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. LeBron is quoted as saying he saw Kobe getting up early and putting in extra work. He said that motivated him to be better and to work as rd, if not harder, than Bryant. The end result? 2009 NBA MVP LeBron James.

Luongo clearly has not had the influence that Kobe has or if he has it hasn't been as well documented but the fact remains that he works harder than most and is successful.

Who wants it more? This is a common phrase in sports that gets tossed around a lot by coaches and analysts who feel that winning and losing comes down to desire. I used to brush this off as a tired old cliche but I see now it has merit. The people who succeed in sports, and in every area of life, are usually the people who have worked harder than everyone else to get where they are.

Obviously talent plays a large factor in how good someone will be but as I said earlier talent can only take you so far. A list a mile long could be made of all the athletes who went pro and failed. Did they lose their talent overnight? No, what happened was they relied too heavily on their talent and didn't develop a work ethic.

What baffles me is how people can see the success guys like Luongo and Kobe have had and not mimic their choices. I mean if I was in the NBA I would try and be exactly like Kobe. You can rip on that all you want but the guy has 4 Championship rings and a shitload of awards.

LeBron was smart enough to follow the lead of Kobe and as a Canuck fan I can only hope that the other players on the team follow the example of Luongo.

The secret to success really isn't that big of a secret after all.

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UFC 104 Predictions

Man I am so pumped for this event. Machida is fast becoming one of my favorite fighters as his last few fights have been amazing and he prefers to end fights with knockouts rather than decisions. I am especially excited because the Ultimate Fighter has been really shitty and I haven’t seen any good fights lately so this card should make up for it.

As always I will be watching the fights at Shoeless Joe’s where they have the best lattuce fries and pulled pork sandwiches around. Here are my predications for the main card fights:

Lyoto “the Dragon” Machida (15-0) vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (18-3)

Easiest fight to call by far. Machida is an absolute beast and is quickly climbing the rankings as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. His last fight against Rashad Evans was unbelievable as he made Evans, an excellent striker, look like a complete amateur and knocked him out cold in the 2^nd round. This win over Rua should start off the ‘Era of the Dragon’ quite nicely.

I don’t know why anyone would bet on Rua in this fight. His last 2 wins were against a washed up Mark Coleman and an even more washed up Chuck Lidell who has been getting knocked out by everyone lately…even Dancing with the Stars. I give Shogun credit for actually taking this fight as it was reported other people refused to fight Machida at all. Too bad he will be the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter.

Machida should end Shogun’s night early with his devastating striking. If this thing gets to the 3^rd round I consider it a moral victory for Shogun.

Prediction: Machida by KO in the 2^nd round.

Cain Velasquez (6-0) vs. Ben Rothwell (30-6)

I can’t believe that Cain Velasquez was passed over for a Heavyweight title shot after he so thoroughly mandhandled Cheick Kongo. Instead the title shot went to Shane Carwin who is deserving as well but a little less battle tested than Velasquez is. I personally feel like Velasquez is the best fighter in the UFC who doesn’t have a belt. He is well rounded and is young enough that he is still improving. After he takes care of Rothwell he will look to Lesnar for his title shot.

Sorry Ben Rothwell but you don’t stand a chance. He looks like a fat version of Roy Nelson and is probably worse. He is billed as the IFLs top Heavyweight yet he wasn’t the Heavyweight champion in that organization. His most notable win is over Roy Nelson who is currently on the Ultimate Fighter so that is an issue. I saw the UFC Countdown show about this guy and he had his parents doing all of his talking so that’s another concern. Don’t see his hand being raised at the end of the fight.

I think Cain’s superior strength and cardio will play a key role in his victory. If he can keep the fight where he wants it then he should have no problems winning. I just worry that he might need back surgery after lifting up Rothwell’s rotund frame to slam him to the mat.

Prediction: Velasquez via TKO in the 2^nd round.

Gleison Tibau (29-6) vs. Josh “the Dentist” Neer (25-8-1)

If you see a fighter who has a BJJ background and has a loss to Melvin Guillard on their record you need to stop and ask questions. Questions such as ‘did you buy your blackbelt at a flea market? Were you drunk when you fought him or maybe concussed? Seriously Guillard is pure standup and looks lost when the fight goes to the ground so how did Tibau lose to him? Right away I can’t support this man.

Neer on the other hand beat Guillard via submission when he him in a guillotine late in the 3^rd round. Neer also did this with a gaping cut on his face that should have ended the fight early in the 1^st round. Ever since then I have been impressed by Josh Neer and that is saying something cause I am not easily impressed. WOW a blue car!

Prediction: Neer via Unanimous Decision

Joe “Daddy” Stevenson (35-10) vs. Spencer ”The King” Fisher (24-4)

This fight has massive implications in the Lightweight division as the winner will take one step closer to an eventual loss to BJ Penn. Seriously the whole lightweight division is just fighting for a chance to get tapped out.

I like Joe Daddy a lot ever since his days on the Ultimate Fighter. He is a fun guy to root for as he always tries his best and usually has entertaining fights. The problem with Joe is that he hasn’t evolved as a fighter. He relies on his boxing, which isn’t that great, and his takedowns which aren’t impressive either. If he ever wants to take that next step into the upper echelons he needs to progress in all areas.

Spencer Fisher is a well rounded fighter who also loves to put on exciting fights so either way this thing finishes it should be good. My problem with Fisher is that he gets victories over nobodies at least lately anyways. His last 3 wins were against Jeremy Stephens, Shannon Gugerty (had to double check this was a male), and Caol Uno. Not really the cream of the crop there.

Stevenson hasn’t progressed as a fighter but he is still better than Fisher and will look to build off his victory over Nate Diaz.

Prediction: Stevenson via Unanimous Decision

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (7-2) vs. Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida (11-3-0)

Oh baby the Rumble is back in action. Anthony Johnson might be the best athlete in the UFC not named Georges St. Pierre. He has great wrestling and he hits like a mother. As long as he can avoid getting poked in the eye 200 times he should be able to handle Yoshida without much effort.

I personally thought Yoshida was dead after Josh Koscheck laid him out with one of, if not, the dirtiest knockouts in UFC history. Seriously I thought the guy died in the ring. Johnson is a better striker than Koscheck so I can’t wait to see this one. Yoshida better be buying life insurance.

Prediction: Johnson via KO in the 1^st round.

Random YouTube Video (Had To)