London Showdown

UFC 97 goes tonight from Montreal, and no doubt, the town will be rocking. Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva takes on Thales Leites in the main event with something to prove after being less than his usual overwhelming self in his last fight against Patrick Cote. Chuck Lidell faces Mauricio Rua in a crossroads fight for those two - the loser goes way down the pecking order. The rest of the card can be seen here. Of course, if you're not at a bar, ordering at home or don't have the highly recommended Free To Air setup, you can watch here...the English Premier League is back in business today, but the FA Cup semi-finals is going to get all the attention over the next few days. Today, Arsenal face Chelsea in one semi-final loaded with intrigue. Coverage is on Setanta Sports, or if you don't have that, you can watch online here. RM is bringing you more piracy today than a trip through Somali waters...the Miami Dolphins are this year's Pittsburgh Steelers. No, not the team that will win the Super Bowl - they won't - but with respect to having the toughest schedule, they are. The entire breakdown can be seen here...San Diego Padres pitcher Heath Bell believes that ESPN only cares about the New York Yankees and Mets and Boston Red Sox. This is what happens when you pitch for the San Diego Padres. They're high profile, Heath, with huge followings and all happen to be contenders, of course they're going to get run...distant cousin Tony Mandarich says in four years as a Green Bay Packer, he never had a sober day. Hey, it was the 80's...if anyone has seen the offense in the NHL, it'd be great to have it returned. It is funny that some of the same people that deride soccer for being low scoring can praise the playoffs as exciting and credit good defense and goaltending in the very next breath. 11 goals total in three games last night, two of them in OT and one an empty netter. Vancouver and Pittsburgh are both up a pair of games after last night, while Carolina evened their set with New Jersey...have a great Saturday, back with your PTP later.

What'cha gonna do?!?!?!

In one of the most amazing stories you'll ever read, Hulk Hogan sounds ready to channel O.J. Simpson in spirit and in fact over his ex-wife Linda shacking up in his 20,000 square foot house with one of their daughter's 19-year old friends. Don't take my word for it, check out this quote: "I could have turned everything into a crime scene like O.J., cutting everybody's throat. You live half a mile from the 20,000-square-foot home you can't go to anymore, you're driving through downtown Clearwater [Florida] and see a 19-year-old boy driving your Escalade, and you know that a 19-year-old boy is sleeping in your bed, with your wife...I totally understand O.J. I get it." Amazing...Less than half of NFL teams are starting quarterbacks they themselves drafted so if your team is drafting a QB later this month, don't get too excited...what a week for New York Yankee Nick Swisher who started the season 10 days ago as a bench player. Since, he's hammered a bunch of home runs, hit north of .400, pitched a shut out inning, and the guy he was behind on the depth chart - Xavier Nady - is now out for the year. As statistically the fourth unluckiest hitter in 2008, he's got the mojo working in 2009...speaking of the Yankees, they finally open their $1.3 billion stadium today. USA Today has a tidy graphic that details nine things you didn't know. Worth a look here. Coverage is on SportsNet at 1:05...Cristiano Ronaldo scored an absolute screamer in the 6th minute to dagger his compatriots FC Porto and send Manchester United into a Champions League semi-final date with Arsenal, who rolled Villareal. It is also the second straight year where three English Premier League teams made the semis at the most prestigious club competition. Does anyone think it'll be something other than Man U vs. Barcelona in the finals?...if Marc-Andre Fleury is shutting you down, don't make long term plans for the playoffs, Philadelphia Flyers...is it just me, or do none of the NBA Eastern conference playoff matchups look at all attractive? The West, however, is loaded with intrigue. Check them out here. That said, if Kevin Garnett is out for the playoffs, you have to think the defending champion Boston Celtics aren't going deep...nice to see Isaiah Thomas introduced as the new coach at his Florida International University presser as Isaiah "Thompson". If that don't tell you what kind of job that is, nothing will...St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter is the latest arm to go down after getting hurt batting. I know purists love NL style ball, but doesn't protecting guys who are already more injury prone outweigh that?...finally, testing out something at RM today - how much these ads are counted. Be sure to click here. If I see a spike, I'll know they do actually work...have a great day, back with your PTP later.

A 4,800 calorie burger?

Check out this 4,800 calorie beast a minor league baseball team in Michigan is conjuring up: 1 pound of bread, five patties totally nearly two pounds, five slices of cheese, and a dollop of salsa, nacho cheese and Fritos. God bless America. Please, watch this video to see how it is made...either the entirety of the United States is terrified of the power of Barack Obama, or he's playing people to see if they take a joke seriously. After all, he couldn't have been serious about Congress looking at the Bowl Championship Series. What's next, have them tackle the NFL's overtime rules? The NHL shootout? I'm continually amazed at what is seen as a valuable use of time in an environment where the economy is crumbling globally...not only could the NFL move to 17 or 18 games, they might do it as soon as the 2011 season with the season starting in August. Now if only the NHL and NBA could trim their pre-season's to get things under way sooner and ending sooner. The world doesn't need NHL playoff hockey in June...it only took about a decade, and enough votes that it could've funded at least the lower bowl, but the Florida Marlins are finally getting their stadium, and it'll sit at the site of the now-imploded Orange Bowl...now that he's been accused of being a deadbeat dad, wonder if Toronto Raptor Chris Bosh is thinking of skipping town? Or maybe he's just looking for a disguise. I suggest he go under cover as RuPaul...so Cleveland Brown Donte Stallworth had enough time to flash his headlights at the man he ran down and killed last week, but not hit the brakes. Talk about a guy committed to running his routes...Stephen Brunt of the Globe & Mail told Prime Time Sports that Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett was in Waterloo recently, the same place a certain Jim Balsillie resides. Very interesting...further proof that fools never learn and that Isaiah Thomas can always fool somebody, he's being looked at for a front office job in the NBA. With the LA Clippers. Right, because that'll change things...next up in the "People I Hate" series: People Who Say "I could care less." Listen closely: if you're saying that without obvious sarcasm, that means YOU DO IN FACT CARE because it is possible for you to care less than you do. I'm continually amazed how often perfectly intelligent people get that one wrong in everyday life, on TV, in movies - wherever. Write that down, clown, does it look like that means you don't care?...March Madness resumes tonight and you can look forward to Duke going out to Villanova...have a great Thursday, back with your PTP later.

Follow the Leader

Tiger Woods didn't advance in his first tourney in nearly a year. The world will move on...NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell clearly understands the public relations game better than most. With the economic struggles, and a potential labour battle in the offing, he's taken a 20% pay cut. Tough for a union to declare all is well when the man at the top is taking a voluntary chop...hard as it may be to believe, but three CFL teams - Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and Hamilton - are looking to build new stadia along with a potential fourth in Ottawa...Baseball Prospectus has A-Rod playing through the 2019 season and falling short of Barry Bonds home run record of 763 with 730. That said, he's currently on pace to break the record some time in 2013, fitting given his jersey number. ESPN's Peter Keating says he's going to make it...the internet never ceases to amaze me. Take this, for example: a fine place to go when you need another word for "vagina"...AskMen is back with the Top 10 MMA submission moves...former NBA super agent David Falk - Michael Jordan's agent for a time - told Drive This, and was quoted in the New York Times, saying that unless the NBA players union is prepared to give up some serious concessions when the new labour deal goes into place when the current deal expires in 2011, the NBA could be looking at a two or three year period of no games. He says NBA Commissioner David Stern will push for a hard salary cap, shorter contracts, a higher age limit on incoming players, elimination of the mid-level cap exception and an overall reduction in the players' percentage of revenue. Not only that, Falk predicts he'll achieve it. And, Falk said, Stern will probably get what he wants. Of course, if the economy turns around by then - which it should and then some - that could have a way of calming the hardline that Stern will be pushing. Or, this period could just serve to remind them how many holes there are in their current deal...the internet never ceases to amaze me. Somebody took the time to put every swear word in the history of The Sopranos in chronological order in one video. This is mesmerizing...malapropism's are awesome. After A-Rod dropped the "I made my bed, I'm going to have to sit in it," here's a list of others that have come from the sports world...and after getting into a vehicle with the very same cousin he used performance enhancing drugs with, A-Rod has been told by the New York Yankees that said cousin is not welcome around the team. Look, he can hang around anyone he wants, but when he brings a guy whose association with him has brought a cloud over the player and therefore team, that's just not smart...It is amazing he needed to be told that...the Georges St. Pierre/BJ Penn spat over the vaseline allegedly on GSP's back at their fight last month has yet to subside. GSP's camp finally responded publicly and it is a gem, as they said the complaints are "nothing more than Mr. Penn's desperate attempt to protect his reputation and commercial value after being totally dominated by a superior athlete"...12:01am today was the start of NFL free agency. Sounds like run stuff Albert Haynesworth may be going to the place where talent goes to die. Namely, the Washington Redskins. After dumping Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn - no country music jokes, please - the Tampa Bay Bucs are over $50 million under the cap...as for the PTP, bet the New York Knicks tonight -2.5 -110 as they host the Philadelphia 76ers...have a great day, back later with your PTP.

Craptors at it again

I've heard some suggestions for improving the NFL's overtime format but here is a new one that is said to be gaining steam: first team to score six points wins. That's fantastic and eliminates a lot of the current method of winning the toss, picking up a couple first down and kicking a winning field goal, while not getting to the lame college method of starting at the opposing team's 35 with both getting equal chances to win. This idea is most like the actual game. Make it happen, Roger Goodell...the Dallas Stars are 15-6-3 since ditching Sean Avery. GM Brett Hull may have screwed up signing him, but he deserves credit for changing course when most GM's would stubbornly stick to their initial instinct...Stephen A. Smith has not backed off one bit from his statement that Chris Bosh will leave the Toronto Raptors when his contract expires after next season. And the more Bosh tries to play it as made up while not saying he wants to stay, you have to give it some credence...Bosh and the Raptors were killed in Cleveland last night, and tonight get Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers at home. Fortunately, this one is on TSN2 so most won't see the senseless slaughter of the Raps. I'd contemplate betting the Lakers even at -100...new poll question at the right. Get your vote in...not sure which Jim Rome take on Michael Phelps is funnier. That his bong rips explain the 10,000 calories he packs in a day, or that with his lung capacity, he must have crushed all the weed in that house in one shot...202 WWE Diva pics. Why? Because 201 would not be enough...if you're ever contemplating plastic surgery, here are 30 reasons why it is a bad idea...when you think your job sucks, consider that there is someone that was getting paid to rub hot liniment oil all over Roger Clemens for a time, including on his beanbag. Seriously. That comes from the new Joe Torre/Tom Verducci book "The Yankee Years". Added bonus from the book, according to Sports Illustrated's Alex Belth? It reminds us how great Alex Rodriguez really is...if you heard about the PETA ad that was banned as being "too hot" for Super Bowl Sunday but haven't seen it, here's your chance. Whatever your opinion, it probably wasn't as steamy as the porn that was shown for a time on an Arizona station. Here are the rest of the ads, if you care...back later with the PTP. Still sour over last night's fourth quarter deluge to push the game over...hope NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman doesn't read the Toronto Sun, because this piece on the state of the NHL from Bill Lankhof would likely ruin his day. Illuminating stuff for those with their heads in the sand about the health of the NHL...have a great Wednesday.

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 - Beantown Bandwagon Empties

Teams from Florida - the Marlins and Rays - have never lost a playoff series to date...for the seventh time in eight years, baseball will have a different World Series winner...when Gary Bettman talks of how NHL season tickets are up 4%, he might want to mention that the Chicago Black Hawks are carrying most of that. Their figure went up from 3,500 to 14,000...Sargeant Kellen Winslow says that his latest illness is another bout of staph infection, the sixth time a Cleveland Browns player has had to deal with that. Does wonders for the image of Cleveland, I'm sure...good of the Green Bay Packers to hammer that fake named Brett Favre for allegedly calling the Detroit Lions to tip them off on some of what the Packers would run when they played a couple weeks back. It didn't work for the Lions, and only serves to show what a prick Favre really is. Losing to Oakland looked good on him. It won't be the last this year in a season going nowhere for 'ol Brett...hard to believe, but Ben Wallace is actually making more - about $100k more - than some teammate named Lebron James this year...so who thought New England had that kind of performance in them? And what happened to the smoking hot Denver Broncos of September?...as far as Champions League matchups go, hard to get too many that are more appealing than Real Madrid travelling to Turin to face Juventus. That, and seven other Champions League games go off today at 2:45 Eastern...good to see Kansas City Chief Larry Johnson has that anger under wraps. I mean, why else would a guy spit in a woman's face?...have a great Tuesday.

This might be the best thing I've seen in some time...

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Monday, October 20th, 2008 - Cowbell up!

Cowbell up! The Tampa Bay Rays won a 3-1 nail biter over the Boston Red Sox last night to advance to the World Series and continue their cinderella run. They'll tangle with the Philadelphia Phillies starting Wednesday night. Hard not to like the Rays in this one, they've just got it all right now. And how good was David Price in relief? Wow...and why are players - in the singular - not referred to as being "a Red Sock" and instead are said to be a "a Red Sox"?...the New York Giants remaining schedule has them facing one team currently under .500...no lame jokes here on how there was a power failure in Buffalo while the "Chargers" were in town, but have to laugh that the outage came after three small helium balloons got caught up in power lines. The Bills are a playoff lock and a real threat to do damage...NFL linemen today weigh an average of 50 pounds more than they did 10 years ago. That is a lot of meat colliding out there each week...good of the NFL schedule makers to send San Diego across the country to Buffalo before they hit the road again for a game in London, England next week against New Orleans. Let's hope this time no NFLers are asking if they speak English in England like Miami Dolphin Channing Crowder did last year, a comment that is only rivalled by a major league baseball player saying he didn't want to go for a tour of Japan because he "didn't like Chinese food"...wonder if Jerry Jones likes 4-3 as much as he professed to like 4-2 after the Dallas Cowboys were hammered by the St. Louis Rams? If they don't get that defense ironed out, it could well be 4-5. Wade Phillips is a defensive guy, non? He's gonzo when the season ends, if not sooner, and with good reason...the 6-0 Tennessee Titans haven't given up more than 17 points in a game this year...anybody else waiting for Scott Boras to issue a Manny Ramirez free agency update in the middle of a World Series game?...not sure about you, but I can't take any guy seriously who is rocking a sun visor. Just wear a hat, it looks way better...make the world a better place, punch Johnathan Papelbon in the face...the Toronto Maple Leafs are struggling to score goals. Didn't everybody see that coming?...have a great Monday.