GSP returns

UFC111 goes tonight in Newark, New Jersey and will see welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, returning from a long layoff after a groin injury, face Dan Hardy. Hardy got off a great bit of smack in mocking GSP's wearing a traditional robe to the ring, saying just because you wear pyjamas to the ring, it doesn't make you an MMAer. The co-main event sees Frank Mir face Shane Carwin for the interim heavyweight title. All of Carwin's 11 fights have ended by knockout in the first round. Just sayin'.

Toronto FC start the season off today in Columbus, as is tradition of late, and optimism is in as short supply as players are for the Reds. TFC will dress anywhere from 13-15 players barring any last minute surprises, and it is a damning statement that Mo Johnston took six months to deliver what, other than a new coach, looks to be a less talented and more shallow squad. The knife sharpening is on.

If Donovan McNabb is traded, word is he'd prefer it be to the Minnesota Vikings. Right, him and any other QB would love that receiving corps and Adrian Peterson in the backfield. Trouble is, McNabb, they've already got another QB they're waiting on.

The 32nd round of the English Premier League season starts today and there is little margin for error at the top of the table. Chelsea faces the toughest opponent of the top three in hosting Aston Villa, though Arsenal's visit to Birmingham is no easy three points. Manchester United is at Bolton, and may be minus Wayne Rooney for that one.

Adam "Pacman" Jones is set to become a Detroit Lion. Wait til he finds out how many scrip clubs there are just over the border in Windsor!

Seems Formula 1 drivers have an issue with a twilight start in Melbourne, Australia and driving the final laps with the sun directly in their eyes. As if anything could go wrong that way?

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma thinks the new NFL overtime rules are a shot at the Saints for their overtime win over Minnesota in the playoffs. Guess Vilma forgets that OHB is perfectly capable of throwing a back-breaking interception in OT as much as in regulation. Far too sensitive, JV.

For my boy, Bukakke, I present the poet, Charles Bukakke.

Since Dion Phaneuf was traded from Calgary to Toronto, the Flames are is 10-8-1 while the Leafs are 10-7-1.

A pair of beauty goals from Cristiano Ronaldo on Thursday...

More Madness, please!

Mostly fantastic games in the NCAA last night as West Virginia and Kentucky punched their tickets to the Elite 8. #1 seed in the West Region Syracuse bowed out thanks to a turnover filled effort against Butler, and in a ridiculously wild game, Kansas State beat Xavier 101-96 in double overtime. Tonight, another four games set with. Cannot wait. I'm betting Northern Iowa at +1. Get down.

The Oakland Raiders are said to be in on Donovan McNabb if the Philadelphia Eagles are selling. Guess the Raiders figure one overweight QB isn't enough.

Weirdest thing. I tuned in to Raptors TV last night and they were broadcasting a D-League game. That's not the weird part. That'd be the fact that guys making pennies to the Raptors dollars were actually making an effort and competing.

The Chicago Cubs have to be looking at another futile season, if players sitting on folding chairs only to have them collapse and leave the player - Derek Lee in this case - with a bad back. Baseball injuries are one of a kind.

Gabrielle Marcotti at ESPN SoccerNet takes a look at the English Premier League run in and concludes Chelsea has a very rocky road ahead, with a bumpy summer ahead with an aging roster. Chelsea with issues? Shame. Marcotti tabs Manchester United to win the league again.

NFLers give their fav swear words. Unofficially, I think "motherfuck" and variations thereof wins. Not surprisingly, a Manning comes up with the lamest of the lame in the bunch.

I've sat on this one a couple days now, but shocking that there has been next to no coverage of the story that a doctor may have provided three Washington Capitals players with steroids.

The grand jury investigating Roger Clemens for steroid use could get real interesting with talk that Jose Canseco may be subpoenaed. Canseco played with Clemens in Toronto and with the New York Yankees.

RM returns early afternoon. No, really.

The Madness resumes...

March Madness resumes tonight with the first four games of the Sweet 16 taking place. Liking the favs across the board tonight, and expecting Syracuse to roll big, though I have feeling Kentucky could be pressed.

The World Cup coverage schedule for this summer has been released, and all games will be broadcast in HD, with all of them live except where two games are taking place at the same time. Awesome news, CBC.

In other World Cup news, FIFA President Sepp Blatter has to be a little embarrassed that 650,000 tickets of the 2.95 million available remain unsold. Even England's federation returned 1,000 of its 29,000 tickets. Guess people don't want to fly that far for that much in a country not exactly known as being overly secure. When you're scaring the English off, that's something.

Here's why Toronto Raptors pylon Jose Calderon sucks: "it was too easy and it was kind of a straight line (to the basket) sometimes, so it was my fault. What are you going to do? It happens." Wrong, Jose, it just happens to you, over and over and over again. For those that loved him up two years ago, where are you now? His horrible defending is only exceeded by his worse contract.

BMO Field in Toronto, home of Toronto FC, will host the MLS Cup on November 21st, a good get for TFC. Wonder if they'll be the first team to host but not make the playoffs.

Word is Tim Tebow, Florida's QB that is preparing to enter the NFL draft, tried to get other prospects to join him in prayer before taking the Wonderlic test. One player responded with "shut the fuck up". I'll never understand why some people feel the need to shove their faith down other people's throats.

Donovan McNabb may end up a St. Louis Ram, if you believe the rumors coming out of St. Louis. For their part, Philadelphia coach Andy Reid isn't denying trade discussions regarding their three QB's have taken place.

Perfect in March Madness

An autistic 17-year old has picked the first two rounds of the NCAA tourney perfectly. No, really. But, as you can see at right, he's a Cubs fan, so nobody is perfect.

Four English Premier League games on the slate today, with Manchester City hosting Everton in what is the best matchup of the day. At the other end of the spectrum, plenty of pressure on Chelsea to get winning again and fast with this game in hand they're using up in what should be a gimme of a game at last-place Portsmouth, but the Blues have struggled of late. A Chelsea win puts them in second place, a point ahead of Arsenal, a point behind Manchester United. Shaping up to be a fantastic EPL finish to the season.

Looking like the opening NFL game for the 2010 season will see the Minnesota Vikings in New Orleans to face the Saints. Not bad, I'd say! Other schedule rumblings are that it will be the Washington Redskins in Dallas on Thanksgiving. The entire schedule should be out mid to late April if tradition holds.

Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyers on the Tiger Woods interview on Sunday: "Wish Tom Rinaldi had ended 5 minute Tiger interview with 'Thanks for the quickie.'" Love Seth.

I can't claim to have ever heard a Justin Bieber song, but man is that kid and talk of him annoying me.

Fark.com delivers this gem on Georgia authorities deciding they don't need Ben Roethlisberger's DNA: "Georgia authorities drop request for DNA sample from Ben Roethlisberger, presumably since it's so readily available."

The NFL has decided to change its overtime rules, but strangely, for the playoffs only at this point. Seems a touch XFLish to go that way, no? NFL coaches were surprisingly against the move, though I guess it does remove the excuse that "we lost the coin toss, that's why we lost" in OT.

Speaking of the XFL, the always funny SportsPickle details the XFL's Hall of Fame inductees for 2010. True story: yours truly has a New York Hitmen jersey.

The Tampa Bay Rays are said to be looking to cut $20 million of payroll next year. Still, they've got a lot of young talent locked into good contracts, but that has to make an impact.

Ron Cooke from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says that the Minnesota Twins contract extension for Joe Mauer is lunacy, and with eight players signed next year totally $70.5 million, they're going to see their current payroll of $97 million.

Stirring the water in the toilet bowl

If I'm New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, I'd be making sure I'm neither 5'6" or 160lbs, because the sex assault suspect at the right is looking a lot like you otherwise. Great find from SportsByBrooks.

David Letterman on the new health program brought in by Barrack Obama: "It covers the Kansas Jayhawks' choking." Can I tap it for lost pool entries?

Washington Nationals top draft pick Stephen Strasburg, called by some the best pitching prospect in baseball history, recorded 27 outs in his 3 spring starts, 12 coming by srikeouts. Of the other 15, 14 were ground balls. Not bad. He'll start the season in Double A but won't be long before he's making good on his promise it seems.

There's talk in Philadelphia that the Flyers may work a deal this summer for Carey Price, the only Montreal Canadien booed in pre-game intros - and heartily I might add - at a game recently attended by yours truly in Montreal. I don't include this for that story, but because the first comment is so hilarious. Some guy thinks the Flyers would give up Mike Richards or Jeff Carter for him at this point! The Habs would do well just to get his contract off the books right now.

Count on South Park to hit the nail on the head with this take on Tiger Woods and his Thanksgiving 2009. Thanks to Bukakke for passing this along.

Ronnie Brown of the Miami Dolphins got clipped for a DUI on the weekend leading the always clever Fark Sports to dub his squad the Miami DUIphins. Solid.

Keeping with running backs, the Toronto Argos chose not to re-sign Jamal Robertson. Guess where he landed? Yep, the other CFL team owned by David Braley, the B.C. Lions. Altogether now: "bush league!"

Abbey Clancy in body paint of the English national soccer team's jersey? Hell to the yes please.

Duante Culpepper wants to play for the Buffalo Bills, his next step in a career arc that has seen him go from the Oakland Raiders to the Detroit Lions and possibly the Bills. Make of this what you will.

RedNationOnline has a piece about Toronto FC supporters being less than thrilled with the team as it prepares to launch the 2010 season. Why? I mean, who doesn't want to get excited about a team that has seen more red cards than goals scored in the pre-season?

Have a great Tuesday, back tomorrow morning.

Mauer stays in Minny

Joe Mauer has agreed to an eight-year, $184 million extension that will keep him with the Minnesota Twins. He's a hell of a player, but that's big bucks and term for a catcher, where the health of knees and back, especially for a guy his size and who has already had some health issues and is on a team that isn't considered a big money team - though their owner is worth a load more than George Steinbrenner - could really sting them down the road if he doesn't stay healthy. Mauer will be taking up a quarter of the Twins payroll in the immediate future.

Less than two weeks until baseball season, the MLS season starts this week thanks to their 5-year labour deal Saturday, and March Madness is full on. I love this time of year.

I want to thank the Kansas Jayhawks for raining fecal matter on my pool entries. All of them.

Manchester United's 2-1 win over Liverpool wasn't a massive surprise, despite 'pool's ownership of United the previous three games, but Chelsea drawing 1-1 with Blackburn is a stunner. United now sit 2 points ahead of Arsenal with seven to play for each, and Chelsea are five back with eight to go. Didn't I mention the mentally weak Blues wouldn't get it done just a few days ago?

Who was the meathead in the Buffalo Bills marketing area that thought a season ticket renewal campaign tied to an image of punter Brian Moorman punting from his own endzone would inspire confidence? Check it out at right. Needless to say, fans aren't impressed in B-lo. Oh, the picture was taken during the Bills 6-3 loss to Cleveland this past season, something else that isn't likely to have people thinking "entertainment and value for the dollar". The only way it could've been a worse idea is if they had the picture from the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Losers of six straight, including yesterday's beatdown at the hands of the last-in-the-league Edmonton Oilers, safe to say the San Jose Sharks are feeling the after-effects of nine players getting Olympic duty. That, or they're just rounding into playoff form.

Not saying no more Sunday blog's, but thinking they won't be quite as regular.

One thing I want to see this baseball season, badly: Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington tripping on his way to the mound and landing face first on the chalk line. That'd be amazing.

Not a great UFC Fight Night Live last night when no fights broadcast - free - went the distance, but Jon "Bones" Jones was incredible in beating Brandon Vera in the main event. Jones is amazing, quite simply.

Have a great Monday!