Colangelo = Ricciardi?

UFC 127 emanates from one of my fav places on earth, Sydney, Australia.  BJ Penn has a pivotal fight against Jon Fitch in the main event, and I'm liking Penn to win.  Rest of the card here.

Damn you, English Premier League schedule maker, for bumping what would've been a fantastic Arsenal vs. Tottenham match off the fixture list today. Instead, we get a handful of far less interesting fare. Leaders Manchester United are at Wigan, and yours truly has a healthy sprinkle on United at Pinnacle at -1 +105.  A full preview, with picks, here.

Good of the Toronto Raptors to follow up a pleasantly surprising win over the Chicago Bulls with a 35-14 deficit in the first quarter at home to Phoenix last night, en route to a 110-92 loss.  What says "we're glad we didn't get traded" more than that?  GM Bryan Colangelo has been on the job five years now, and save for a grating personality, has he really done anything more than former Toronto Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi did?

Cathal Kelly at the Toronto Star goes yard with this assessment of UFC 129 in Toronto and what fans can expect to see, which can be summed up with "very little", big screens aside. 

Buster Olney says the Toronto Blue Jays have the toughest schedule of all American League teams to start, with 38 of their first 44 against teams that were .500 or better last year, and after opening with six at home, then facing 20 of 25 on the road.

Check out the Top 10 songs played at professional sporting events in 2009-10.  Man, are there ever some bad tracks on there and the clowns responsible for that in stadiums and arenas are so stuck in their way.  Ever listen to what gets played during a Toronto Maple Leaf game?  The same bloody songs every night, virtually at the same time.  And to save those that hate the Leafs the joke: "How did Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" not make the list?"  That song, of course, is played whenever the opposition scores.

Very professional of Detroit Pistons Tracy McGrady, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton and Chris Wilcox to skip the team's pre-game shootaround as a protest against coach John Kuester, who they'd like to see fired.  I'm sure the fans in that town will be thrilled to see somebody pushing for someone's unemployment.

ESPN's Jayson Stark looks at how Jose Bautista has become the face of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cam Newton: Dallas Cowboy?  Could be, though one wonders if he can play corner or offensive line as well.

Awesome interview with Charlie Sheen on Alex Jones Show.   No wonder he's a fan of San Francisco Giant closer Brian Wilson, they talk the same.  Well worth the time listening to this one.

And the best news of the day: baseball spring training starts today.  We're that much closer to the real thing, and springs itself.

Chris Bosh proves that hoopsters can dive without being touched too, in Miami's loss to Chicago on Thursday night.  Not sure what is more embarrassing, the dive, or Bosh's 1-for-18 from the floor shooting on the night.


Best drunken interview of all the times...1:39 on is absolutely epic.