Ultimate Finale

The Ultimate Finale goes tonight on Spike TV and Rogers SportsNet at 8pm. 3 U.K. fighters advanced to the two finals in the "U.K. vs. U.S.A. format" being conducted in Vegas. In the welterweight finals, Ross Pearson is fighting Andre Winner in a battle of Brits. I'm liking Winner in that one, though it is hard to not pull for Pearson. In the middleweight finals, DeMarques Johnson is facing James Wilks. I've got Johnson to win and easy, and can see him being a star with his loquacious ways in addition to being a talent in the octagon. In the main event, the always electrifying Clay Guida takes on one of my favs, the also electrifying Diego Sanchez, in what should be a hell of a main event...man I miss Soccer Saturday...check out the 10 funniest pictures from Lakers Championship Riots. Awesome stuff...if you haven't read about Bryce Harper, you more than likely will. The 15-year old baseball prodigy is hitting balls 570 feet and is doing what Justin Upton, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. did as high school seniors, except as a junior. One scout said if he would've been eligible in this year's MLB draft, he'd have gone top two. Well worth a read...New York Yankee gas can Chien-Ming Wang and his wife had a kid and named him Justin. Yes, "Justin Wang". I'm sure nobody will ever make light of that...here are the 8 things that casual MMA fans say that drive those in the know insane...Rafael Nadal won't be defending his Wimbledon title because of tendinitis in his knees. Yes, tendinitis. Not since Jose Calderon missed games because his legs were sore have I thought a guy was that soft. Defending champion out with tendinitis. Repeat that to yourself and ask if that makes sense...the Washington Nationals are now winners of three straight. I say this because it is likely their high water mark for the year...HBO has banned comic Artie Lange after his awesome appearance on the Joe Buck Live show. HBO, suddenly taking issue with language. This, the network that brought the world the great Sopranos series. It is funny though that Buck once famously had a huge issue with Randy Moss fake mooning the fans in Green Bay but this was acceptable to him...check out these Toronto FC fans welcoming home the Canadian Champions. Admirable and weird at the same time...have a great Saturday.

Canadian Champions Crowned

Another reason why unions rule, and when I say "rule", I mean are the biggest waste of time and resources: when Major League Baseball conducted their survey testing in 2003, the deal was there would be no further testing if under 5% of players tested positive. Now, in addition to players being morons and not getting off the gas to pass the test and leaving them free to do as they pleased for the foreseeable future, the union fought tests as false positives which lead to the names being attached and more people becoming aware of it, which is a big part of why we're seeing names trickle out today...who would have guessed that it was the Washington Nationals that would come in and take the steam out of the offensive gas can that is Yankee Stadium? The Yankees lost two of three to the "Natinals"...Toronto FC downed the Montreal Impact last night by a score of 6-1, including three from Dwayne De Rosario, which was enough to see them win the Canadian Championship, and they'll be this year's entrant into the CONCACAF Champions League where they'll host the Puerto Rico Islanders on July 28th. In other good news on the night, was we got to hear Craig Forrest on colour commentary over that tool Jason DeVos...Italy were stunned by Egypt 1-0 in the Confederations Cup yesterday. The other game saw Brazil crush the U.S. 3-0, leaving the U.S. with six goals against in two games...was there any shock that Alexander Ovechkin took home the Hart Trophy for NHL's MVP? You have to assume Evgeni Malkin was hurt by having Sidney Crosby on the team, but I'd suspect any guy would rather hoist the Stanley Cup...how quick do 50 games go by in baseball? Well, in two weeks time, Manny Ramirez will have returned from his 50 game suspension. Seems like yesterday...Memo to Alex Rodriguez: your personal spring training is over. It is go time...best email of the week to the Jim Rome Show: "it's a good thing that the guy Dante Stallworth killed with his car when he was crossing the street wasn't walking his dog." Sad, but true. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Stallworth indefinitely...Boston Red Sox closer Johnathan Papelbon is entertaining the idea of pitching for the New York Yankees, among others, if he doesn't sign long term with the BoSox. I'm sure Red Sox "Nation" is thrilled with that comment. I'm also sure the way his fastball has lost velocity and for how many guys he puts on, Sox GM Theo Epstein is starting to think that would be a good move for the Sox if he went to the Yanks...two dozen NHLers were duped out of $25 million in a bogus golf development. Among them was Bryan Berard, but at least he can say he didn't see it coming half as much as others...have a great Friday.

Four goals? Doubtful.

When your latest book never got off the ground, and when you're embarrassed in the MMA arena, and you're Jose Canseco, what do you do next to try to get some money? Why, you sue Major League Baseball and the Players Association, natch. Canseco claims he was ostracized by baseball and he's not in the Hall of Fame because he used steroids. Right. You and a growing number of others, Jose. Stick around, you might be able to make it a class action suit before long...tough day for the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday, as ace Roy Halladay and closer Scott Downs went to the disabled list. Casey Janssen decided to make it three...Toronto FC travel to face the Montreal Impact tonight at 8pm (Rogers SportsNet) needing to win by four goals or more to advance in the Canadian Championship and on to the CONCACAF Champions League. What is tougher? That, or me needing six numbers on Saturday to win the 6/49? Rohan Ricketts won't be helping TFC in this one - he's been released...good thing for the Washington Nationals - on pace for a 44-118 - that they've got the Washington Generals to keep them from being the worst team in town/sports...it was 15 year's ago last night that we watched O.J. Simpson rolling down the Los Angeles Freeway in Al Cowling's white Ford Bronco. One of those crazy life moments where you remember where you were. Me, I was getting read to go to Detroit the next morning for the second day of World Cup 1994 action at the Pontiac Silverdome...they landed in my inbox courtesy of Bukkake, and here are the pictures of Mario Lemieux's Stanley Cup party a couple days ago. Nice place, Mario. Mind if I move in, too?...the CFL exhibition season started last night. Yeah, I didn't know either...the U.S. Open golf tourney starts today in Long Island, New York. Tiger Woods is in the field, if you didn't hear in the last three minutes...one NBA scout calls the coming draft class the worst we've seen in decades...Toronto Blue Jay Alex Rios doesn't know what "one" is. Why else would you pull up at second on a fly ball and start making your way to the dugout after the ball is caught, only to be doubled off because there was really only one out? Good thing he's only signed for another five years and $59 million...have a great day.

Say it ain't Sosa

When then Sports Illustrated writer Rick Reilly asked Sammy Sosa if he had used steroids year's back, and Sosa repeatedly denied the possibility, then went ballistic when Reilly told him he had a nearby testing facility if Sosa wanted to prove it, you had to have your doubts about Sosa. When he ballooned from a skinny player to the size of a mid-90's WWE superstar, you had to have your doubts. And when he suddenly forgot how to speak English in front of U.S. congress, you had to have your doubts. But it was only a matter of time before another name off of the infamous 2003 survey testing came loose again, and Sosa's going to take his share as baseball again hasn't figured that it is best to just let the entire list out and be done with it...if you were wondering why the silence from Cristiano Ronaldo in the days after his move to Real Madrid, it might have something to do with him hanging out with Paris Hilton in L.A. Here's hoping he took his Madrid physical before hooking up with Pariskank...sounds like the Ottawa Senators are trying to accomodate Dany Heatley's trade request. Bet on a move west...the Toronto Raptors are looking at bringing back Carlos Delfino after he spent a year in Russia. No need to print playoff tickets yet...Toronto Blue Jays closer Scott Downs came to bat last night in the 10th inning for the Jays. He stands in and takes five pitches and looks more likely to hit one to the moon than swing. On the 6th pitch, he swings and hurts his foot, and it looks like he'll be out on the DL. Interleague play is a disaster for pitchers when they do something they normally don't do (see Wang, Chien-Ming). Hello, BJ Ryan, closer!. But hey, at least the Jays won for the first time in 7 Interleague games...with Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona interested in Franck Ribery, not hard to figure why Bayern Munich is suddenly contemplating selling the star midfielder...have a great Wednesday.

Pretty sad that the first day after both the NHL and NBA were done for the year, there was all of two baseball games to fill the evening...Chastity Bono is now going by "Chas" and going through the sex change process, giving he/she and mother Cher the runaway record for cosmetic surgical procedures...don't assume that Judge Redfield T. Baum's ruling is the end of the Jim Balsillie's bid to bring the NHL to Hamilton. If Gary Bettman can negotiate a large transfer fee, it won't be a shock to me if it happens. All this ruling says is that a deal won't be done before the end of June. Balsillie comments here...I was all fired up to catch the quarterly Joe Buck Live show on HBO to see how the "huge surprise guest" was and it turned out to be a certain football QB who we don't talk about in these parts anymore. "Boo". Should've known..."Helium taser"? Exactly how it sounds. God bless the internet for inspiring such stupidity...there is talk that Shaquille O'Neal may head to the Cleveland Cavs to join LeBron James in a run for the championship. How amazing would it be to see Shaq and Kobe Bryant bump heads for a fifth ring? You'd see a real freezing of this suddenly cordial relationship, you can bet on that...the Washington Nationals and their disaster of a pitching staff are in New York for the next three days at Yankee Stadium. My fantasy roster is bursting with excitment at the thought of a half dozen homers a night...because big media can always ruin a good thing, NBC bought ProFootballTalk.com...Brazil needed a last gasp goal to beat Egypt 4-3, and Italy rallied from a goal down to beat the U.S. 3-1 in yesterday's Confederations Cup play. Two games, 11 goals. The NHL can only dream...have a great Tuesday.

Check out this Romanian fan scoring a goal in the middle of a riot as the stadium is alight. Again, exactly how it sounds...

Purple reign

Another NBA season is done and the LA Lakers are the rightful champions. Kobe Bryant had himself a hell of a season: Olympic gold to start in August, and the NBA title to finish. As an added bonus, we won't have to hear anymore of the talk that the game's best can't win without Shaq. Phil Jackson got his 10th ring, the most all time, and incredibly, has coached 10 of the last 19 championship sides. Isn't it weird seeing the championship trophy passed to the owner first? I don't know why the NBA and NFL do that, almost as lame as Kobe Bryant rolling his family up onto the podium. And how great is that picture of Adam Morrison on the podium, decked out in a suit with the look of someone whose dog had just been hit by a car?...the idea that the Toronto Blue Jays - now tied with the Tampa Bay Rays - may start Roy Halladay next weekend in Washington, where he'd have to hit and run with a balky groin is moronic in the extreme. They don't need him to beat Washington, or at least one would think so. Wonder how much two complete games prior to the start Friday - one in which he tossed 133 pitches - may have had to do with the groin issue?...the Jays were swept by the Florida Marlins and are 0-6 in Interleague play, 4-16 against the Marlins all-time...Johan Santana got pounded for nine runs in three innings while AJ Burnett had arguably his best start of the year as the New York Yankees pounded the cross-town Mets 15-0...Detroit Red Wings defenceman Nicklas Lidstrom was hurting badly during the Stanley Cup finals after he suffered a "near catastrophic testicle injury" after being speared by Patrick Sharp in game 3 of the previous series against Chicago. Ouch...the way Sidney Crosby is being criticized for every false move - or even perceived false move - you'd think he was A-Rod. The guy can seemingly do no right in the eyes of some...the Confederations Cup is under way in South Africa and Spain opened it with a torrent from Torres, who scored three, in Spain's 5-0 clinic over New Zealand. Brazil takes un Egypt today, and the U.S. faces Italy...have a great Monday.

Danny Dichio gives TFC wings

Phil Jackson's teams are 43-0 after winning game 1 in their series, and his LA Lakers will try to make that 44-0 with game five of the NBA finals on the go tonight at 8pm from Orlando...only 4 teams have won the Stanley Cup after trailing 0-2, and you wouldn't have figured the Detroit Red Wings would be number four to lose given their depth of experience and talent, but the young legs of the Pittsburgh Penguins wouldn't be denied. Word is Sidney Crosby didn't shake hands with more than a few Detroit Red Wings post-game and the Wings are incensed about it. Not sure about you, but if somebody doesn't want to shake my hand, I'm more than content to not shake theirs as that says much about them, no? Not sure why the Wings would get all sour. I'd bet it wasn't intentional in any event - the guy was probably tied up with Ron McLean or something...the New York Yankees have 21 come from behind wins and 12 wins in their final at-bat this year. That kinda thing gets you far...Danny Dichio scored the winner as Toronto FC beat the New York Red Bull 2-1 on a glorious Saturday night at BMO Field...Chris Bosh may not be talking much about his future, but one of his friends is, saying he's got interest in playing for the Miami Heat...Anaheim Angel Torii Hunter hit three homers last night...Rich Franklin beat Wanderlei Silva by decision in the main event at UFC 99. Also winners were Cain Velasquez, Cro Cop, among others...at +109 today, hard not to like the New York Mets with Johan Santana on the bump. Trouble is the Mets have nobody to hit for them right now with a pile of injuries...JGam passed this site that is looking for the Mets David Wright to grow a mustache because "naked lips don't win championships"...have a great Sunday.