UFC 100 tonight!

UFC 100 goes tonight and it is going to be a huge one. Here's a peak at the three big fights on the card, headlined by Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. I like Lesnar in that one. Sure, Mir can submit him if he gets him down, but there's nothing that says Lesnar even goes to ground unless he wants to. Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves should be an incredible fight given Alves defence and GSP's relentless attack. Have to go with our Canuck GSP there. Here are five things to watch on the card...Baseball America rhymes off their Top 25 prospects in the game, and an unranked list of the next 25. Keep an eye, Toronto Blue Jays fans, some of these guys could be coming your way for Roy Halladay...as a result of some ill-advised financing - they're spreading the payments over 40 years - the Florida Marlins new playpen will end up costing a mere $2.4 billion. Good thing for the Marlins that Miami-Dade County is financing the new digs...Rickey Henderson will have his number 24 retired by the Oakland A's on August 1st. If TV execs know what is good for ratings, they'll all simulcast Rickey's speech. It'll be that good...Canada scored a pair of goals in three minutes as part of a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica, winning their group at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Seriously, for how horrible they were last year in World Cup qualifying - albeit under Dale Mitchell - did anyone figure on this with several of the top players out?...Entourage returns tomorrow, and in honour of that, how about a look at some of the sweet ass that has graced the show over the years?...through May 11th, the Toronto Blue Jays were 22-12. Since then, they're 22-32, including 5-13 against the AL East rivals above them...the New York Mets have been shut out three times in the last six games and five times since June 21st. Wonder if former manager Willie Randolph is enjoying this at all?...have a great Saturday.

We open this edition with a question: how is Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson better than Michael Jackson? Answer below...San Francisco Giant pitcher Tim Lincecum took a no hitter into the 7th but it wasn't to be. That ought to cement him as the NL starter in Tuesday's All-Star game, no?...after a relatively disappointing off-season, Manchester United may make a big move in adding Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which almost surely would put Wayne Rooney out on the wing given the log jam up front...the workers constructing stadiums in South Africa for next year's World Cup are on strike and that could threaten the completion of stadia in time for next year's event. Yeah, that's what soccer needs - incomplete stadiums for its marquee event in a country that many questioned if it was fit to host. Germany, you're on stand-by...the Toronto Sun's Frank Ziccarelli speculates whether the Toronto Raptors latest moves might be enough to convince Chris Bosh to stay. I'd wager now that he's staying, especially with the cap looking set to fall considerably, limiting other teams ability to sign him. That doesn't mean he'd see the entire contract through, of course...the Toronto Blue Jays are now sub-.500. Hard to believe after that smoking start in April/May, but it will go that way after you lose 10 of 12 and see Roy Halladay go 0-2 in his last three starts since coming off the DL...the Colorado Avs don't do everything with class - especially when it comes to the timing in which a coach is fired after another one has already been hired - but they got it right in announcing Joe Sakic's #19 will be retired. None of this "honoured" garbage the Toronto Maple Leafs try to do...a 31 point fourth quarter shot the Montreal Alouettes to a 50-16 win over the Edmonton Eskimos. What is more shocking, the 31 points in a quarter, or that the Eskies only scored 16 on the night?...Oasis general Noel Gallagher says in his drug days, he figures he spent £1 on drugs before going clean in 1998. And here I thought he was just a machine when it came to pumping out songs...Canada can clinch their group at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a win or tie as they face Costa Rica tonight in Miami. It is a pretty big deal when Canada manages any soccer success. In last night's play, Mexico and Panama got ugly, as you can see below...the answer to the question above? Ferguson can play Giggs...have a great Friday.

It is becoming an annual thing for Toronto Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi to undo a bad contract, and the latest is BJ Ryan, who in addition to, well, sucking, had the balls to say it was mostly because he wasn't getting enough work. The Jays will eat the $15 million remaining on his contract and Ryan will likely end up a lefty specialist, where he actually has great numbers. With Brian Bruney a question mark in New York, I fear, despite the numbers, he may end up a Yankee, though the Bleacher Report figures on a few other contenders. For his time in Toronto, 155 appearances, Ryan will have earned $303,225 per appearance. That's about double what A-Rod gets over the same time frame...Joel Sherman of the NY Post tweets on Roy Halladay: "Yankee officials tell me zero chance on Halladay for same reason no Santana 2 yrs back: Combo of too many prospects/dollars." In other words, if he becomes a free agent, look the hell out. Of course, the Yankees have bluffed before...Cristiano Ronaldo thanks Sir Alex Ferguson for making him a less arrogant player and more of a team player. At least he recognizes that. Now if he can stop flapping his arms when a teammate doesn't get to a pass and track back after the ball, he'll really be on his way to one of the all-time greats for Real Madrid...the huge event once known as the Molson Indy is in Toronto this weekend amid a sea of garbage, and is now known as the Honda Indy Toronto. Has it ever fallen off in terms of buzz and popularity? Toronto is a funny town, once you're no longer the cool thing to do, you never come back to your previous level of popularity...Week 2 of the CFL season starts tonight with the Edmonton Eskimos visiting the Montreal Alouettes in what is usually a good game. Have to like the home side in this one...Bartolo Colon is due to pitch for the Chicago White Sox AAA affiliate, but is nowhere to be found. I've got my money on a buffet somewhere as his hiding spot...until they hit a double last night, with three on the night, the New York Mets had gone over four games without an extra base hit...Bob Elliot at the Toronto Sun weighs in on his odds of Halladay getting moved to certain locations...have a great day, back in the morning.

RandoMango returns early afternoon.

Will Bukkake grace us with another CFL pick for his beloved Eskies?

Halladay market open?

Toronto Blue Jays GM JP Ricciardi says he'll listen to offers for ace Roy Halladay now. If a team is smart, and loaded in cash, they'll offer up some prospects and take on the albatross of a deal entitled "Vernon Wells" and mix Halladay in as the focal point. How could the Jays not consider that when Wells has $98.5 million left over the next 5 years? As great as Halladay is, you have to figure he's beyond 30 and the Jays badly need the Wells salary cleared, and he could net a pile of prospects. Buster Olney speculates as to who might be in on the bidding. Joel Sherman thinks the New York Yankees will pass, and the Jays could well be last in the AL East next year. Jon Heyman says the Jays want a top shortstop prospect in the mix. Richard Griffin figures a deal is more likely in the offseason...Lance Armstrong is currently tied for the lead (as of 9:22am) in the Tour de France in the 5th stage. Wouldn't it be awesome if he won it with all of France's finest drug testers chasing harder than the peloton? I really just wanted to use the word "peloton" there more than anything...Joe Sakic is retiring from the NHL and the Colorado Avs. Was there ever a quieter, more non-descript star? And make no mistake, he was a big star with a hell of a resume...Canada won again at the Gold Cup, with Ali Gerba again doing the damage in a 1-0 victory over El Salvador. They only need a draw with Costa Rica to ensure they advance to the knockout stage...if you're Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh or others in the vaunted 2010 NBA free agent class, moving is looking like it'll be a lot tougher with the salary cap projected to drop between $5 million and $8 million. Andrea Bargnani wasted no time in getting his, signing a five year extension that will keep him in Toronto...continuing the great baseball tradition of freak injuries, Ryan Dempster broke his big toe jumping over the rail in front of the dugout to celebrate the Chicago Cubs win on Sunday...two days in a row now I've seen giant lineups at the Canadian Tire gas bars and wondered what it was about. Today, I saw the sign that revealed the reason: you could save five cents a litre on that day at that location if you sign up for a credit card. So there are dozens of cars, idling for 15-20 minutes each I'd guess, to save $3 on a 60-liter (15 gallon) tank. People are freaking idiots...have a great Wednesday.

CR9

F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says his comments about Adolf Hitler were "misunderstood", as was Adolf, I'm sure...I felt sorry for Andy Roddick after playing such a great match Sunday in losing to Roger Federer at the Wimbledon final, until I remembered he's got Brooklyn Decker to comfort him...With Sasha Baron Cohen's new flick "Bruno" just around the corner, here's a primer for those unawares. 13 offensive Bruno moments...finally today, a public service announcement for the loyal readers of RM, particularly if your special lady friend cares about having good teeth...biggest lock of the NHL season for 2009/10 - the Toronto Maple Leafs will lead the league in program sales...a mere 80,000 people - a full stadium! - showed up in Madrid to greet Cristiano Ronaldo as he claimed - as mentioned here months and months ago - his new #9 jersey...Alexei Kovalev has jumped to the Ottawa Senators, signing a two-year, $10 million deal with the Montreal Canadiens closest rival. A bit of a head scratcher there, no? If coach Cory Clouston clashed with Dany Heatley over his lack of defensive responsibility, he's going to age quickly with the incredibly hot and cold Kovalev...good of BJ Ryan to blame his woes on a lack of work. So, Cito Gaston, nevermind logic, your job, fan base and the rest of the team, get the man some innings so he can feel good about himself. What a tool...on the plus side for the Jays, hard not to figure Ricky Romero is the lead candidate for AL Rookie of the Year at this point...maybe the most bizarre comment from an umpire I've ever heard comes from Marty Foster, who called Derek Jeter out yesterday in the first inning yesterday despite Jeter clearly having slid under the tag. Says Jeter: "He didn't tag me." Foster: "He didn't have to, the ball beat you." Huh? Even crew chief John Hirshbeck couldn't defend the comment...Canada plays El Salvador tonight in Columbus in their next Gold Cup game. Coverage at 9pm on SportsNet. Canada has won three straight. In soccer. Seriously...finally today, turns out that people are selling tickets to the Jacko memorial in L.A. this morning for as much as $9,000 and more than a few people are upset. Right, because nobody will profit from an event at the Staples Center with Pepsi signs throughout the building- give me a break...have a great Tuesday.

Slap Fights rule...especially when one ignores the first and only rule of Slap Fights

EMBED-Play Fight Goes Very Wrong - Watch more free videos

Toronto Blue Jays reliever BJ Ryan is not a major league calibre pitcher anymore, or at least not one you want in a high leverage situation. Ryan couldn't break a pane of glass with his fastball and is in the running with Vernon Wells for most overpaid Blue Jay, except Wells can at least play the field. Ryan came in to the 5th inning yesterday with the Jays up 8-7 and promptly gave up a two run homer to Derek Jeter and the Yanks went on to win 10-8, their fifth straight against the Jays, and they'll look to complete the four game sweep today at 1:05pm with Ricky Romero and Andy Pettitte your starters....six times have Roger Federer and Tiger Woods won tournaments on the same day...if you're going to break into a house, make sure it is not the home of a former boxer, even if he is 72 years young now. Check out the picture of this guys grill after Frank Corti got a hold of him...the Toronto Sun's Bob Elliot gives his take on the new Yankee Stadium...with UFC 100 just around the corner, why not a look at UFC ring girls, past and present?...the MLB All-Star game rosters are out, and as always, there are a few question marks for a game that allegedly counts when you've got to have each team represented. Nice work voting in Josh Hamilton, fans. Shame he's been out for good chunks of the first half and shouldn't be there. Fan voting blows. And how to the New York Mets merit four guys on the NL roster?...when a team pays £80 million for you, as Real Madrid did for Cristiano Ronaldo, your best course of action when asked is to be humble about it and downplay it. But Ronaldo of course says he's worth it because that's what two teams agreed upon. That may be the truth in a "you're worth what someone is willing to pay" sense, but it is also a hell of a figure to live up to so your best bet, CR9, is to be humble about it, even if you don't mean it or are incapable of such. Real is also about to drop £30million on French striker Karim Benzema. Is there anybody not a fan of Real that doesn't want to see them flame out badly in La Liga and the Champions League next season?...good of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone to go Marge Schott on us and say that Adolf Hitler "got things done"...nice of Roger Clemens people to let us know that he is not on the list of failed drug tests for 2003. As if that means much now...while crafting today's blog, Edmonton Eskimo Jessie Lumsden hurt his other shoulder. Speaking of the Esks, am a big fan of their throwback jersey. Bukkake and the boys should collect some funds and send one this way for their fav Ontarian's birthday coming soon. I kid, Bukkake...have a great Monday.

Link free for a day

A link free RM today after a small renovation forced me to pull the plug on my PC for the day. All back up and running tomorrow, but for now, it is a BlackBerry edition...my initial reaction to the death of Steve McNair was that I wasn't shocked things ended badly, but that's because I got him confused with Vince Young momentarily. When I cleared that up, total shocker. Sad news. Then I figured as it was McNair, I hoped he didn't go Chris Benoit from all the concussions he had, but it now sounds like he was the victim, and the woman involved the shooter and then suicide case...you can forget Roy Halladay starting the All-Star game if he has another underwhelming performance like his last two. The New York Yankees drilled three homers off Halladay, a rarity for him, and won 6-5 in 12 innings to move a game back of division leading Boston, who lost - again - to Seattle...love that the Toronto Star is trumpeting the "Toronto Factor" on the cover today as why Hedo Turkoglu chose to sign with the Raptors. An insecure lot, them Torontonians, despite outward appearances. Love that the article ignores that he had a verbal deal with Portland set. What, he suddenly realized Toronto has a larger Turkish community and is a shorter flight to Turkey? Let's not forget there were a few million other reason$ he went to the Big Smoke...Andy Roddick wasn't broken once until the final game, as Roger Federer won the fifth set 16-14 and set the all-time Grand Slam record with his 15th win. A class of his own for Federer, fittingly...Serena Williams won the women's title yesterday in about the time it'll take to write this sentence...back tomorrow with loads more.

Due to technical difficulties, RandoMango will return this afternoon.