The problem with the Heisman Trophy

First off, congratulations to Mark Ingram on his Heisman victory. The award was well earned and despite my personal feeling about who should have won, I can't bring myself to be too upset about him winning. Ingram proved to be an absolute monster for the best team in the country all season (as I said all year) and his speech showed just how important and special taking home the Heisman was to him. However, the voting for this year's award proved that there are some serious problems with both the actual voting process, and how voters fail to acknowledge the actual spirit of the award.

According to the Heisman Trust mission statement, "The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity". It's not the full quote for brevity's sake, but nowhere in the statement is there a mention of the award winning player must play for a top ranked or dominant team. When I fail to find that concept anywhere in mission statement it makes me wonder where that ridiculous concept came from and why voters have that idea in their heads. "Outstanding college football player" means exactly that, outstanding player; not the best player on the best team. A head to head comparison of the two invited running backs shows that Toby Gerhart's numbers absolutely dwarfed Ingram's. Even the inexplicably uninvited C.J. Spiller had more TD's than Ingram. Unfortunately, it's abundantly clear that voters are focused more on a combination of team wins and total stats, as opposed to only individual stats as is stated in the mission statement. What else can explain Tim Tebow being invited over a Spiller, Case Keenum, Kellen Moore, or Jimmy Clausen? Each of these players had better, more consistent seasons as individuals but were punished because of the less than stellar performance of their complimentary parts. (Clausen-porous defense, Keenum-"gimmick" offense, Spiller-everyone else around him was mediocre, Moore-...I dunno, people hate Boise State?) I know why Tebow was invited, and it's another serious problem with the Heisman voting; career achievements considered for a single season award.

Read the mission statement for yourself, here's the link. I defy you to find a line anywhere in the statement that says that a player's career accomplishments are to be factored in when voting for the present season's Heisman Trophy. Don't strain yourself looking too hard for that part, because it's not there. It's unquestionably a factor in voters' minds, but that doesn't make it right. Tim Tebow was a complete ghost in several games this season, but because of a few stat padding games early and his image as the Second Coming, he got a ticket to New York. Concussion or not, Tebow's stats took a serious nosedive from previous seasons. Add in the fact that he wasn't even the most outstanding "player" on his team (the defense was the best "player") and you've got a head-scratcher. Obviously the voters realized as much since Tebow only received 390 total votes (43 1st place votes is a complete joke though). It would also explain why Ndamukong Suh finished over 300 votes behind Colt McCoy, even after Suh made the Texas QB his personal tackling dummy in the last game of the season. I'm not hating on McCoy by any means; in fact, he was my preseason pick to win the Heisman. What I am saying is that Suh made McCoy and Texas look as bad as every other team he has faced this season, while Colt only showed up in 1 of 3 big games this season (non-existent against Oklahoma and Nebraska). But how can Ndamukong Suh ragdoll McCoy and still end up significantly behind him in the voting? Easy, it's because he plays defense.

I probably should have said just to leave the Heisman website open, because I'm going to reference it again. We've reached a point where this award is given to either the best quarterback or running back in college football without fail. That's it, no exceptions. Despite being an absolute defensive freak, capable of shutting down even one of the best offensive players and his team, (you know, that McCoy guy that finished ahead of him in the voting) Ndamukong Suh had no chance to win the Heisman. Yes, he was invited to the ceremony in New York, but we all know his presence there was simply posturing by the Heisman trust to keep the state of Nebraska from seceding from the U.S. Heaven forbid a player who can keep a Heisman favorite from doing anything by shedding double teams and tossing him around have a equal chance to win as an offensive player who is surrounded by other superstars to pad his stats. Whoever said "defense wins championships" clearly doesn't vote for the Heisman Trophy.

Huh, guess I was wrong in saying I couldn't get too upset by Ingram winning.

The resemblance is uncanny....

-Miguel Cotto post-Antonio Margarito beating



-Diego Sanchez post-B.J. Penn's first attempt at neurosurgery

Probably not a coincidence that both fights were lopsided beatings either.

TUF 10 Finale Recap: Kimbo has arrived!....sort of.....actually, not really

(Somehow, this 4 minutes makes me feel slightly better about losing 15 minutes of my life watching this fight live)

Is it the new year yet, because my prediction percentage has been in a tailspin as the end of the year gets closer and closer. Thanks to Houston "Kalib Starnes" Alexander and legitimate disqualification of Jon Jones because of a ridiculous rule, I suffered yet another losing card (4-6, 2-3 main card).

Where I was right

- Hey, I may be riding a failboat like I'm trying to qualify for the America's Cup, but when I nail a fight prediction, I absolutely nail it. Roy Nelson is quickly becoming one of my favorite fighters, not only because he has some serious game that no one seems to want to acknowledge because of his appearance, but also because I know how much it upsets Dana White that he has a UFC contract now. It wasn't exactly how I thought it would happen but "Big Country" planted Brendan Schaub with a right hand late in the 1st round. While Rogan and Goldberg were jumping out of their skin to praise "The Hybrid" (hmmm, I wonder if he got the nickname because he has a minotaur painting in his house like A-Rod) for scoring with jabs and a few sloppy hooks against the cage, Nelson was able to overcome Schaub's scramble out of his early takedown and land a perfect shot behind the ear to end the night. Sure, I called a TKO, but I'm giving myself the benefit of the doubt because I added the trademark belly rub. If only I could have been somewhere near Dana White when he saw that display on top of the cage. No doubt some obscenities were flying when that happened.

- Despite looking like they were in two different weight classes, Frankie Edgar pretty much dominated Matt Veach until he secured a rear naked choke in the second round. Veach earned a few style points with some flashy slams, but he was unable to keep Edgar down once the fight hit the floor. When the fight was on the feet it was very clear Veach wanted absolutely nothing to do with his adversary's striking. I would have been interested in seeing the judges' scorecards for round 1 because while the slams were very impressive, Edgar picked apart on the feet to a point where I think there was no way you could make a case for Veach winning the round. The second round left no doubts who the superior fighter was as Edgar worked his stand up early, scored a takedown against the cage, quickly moved to mount, and finished when Veach rolled and gave up his neck. For a man who needed an impressive victory to get his name in the conversation for a lightweight title shot, Edgar did exactly what had to make a case. 1 or 2 more wins against good opponents and "The Answer" should be given a chance at the title.

- Mark Bocek won, but that's not surprising considering he was a monster favorite to win. What was surprising (apparently, because I haven't seen the fight) though was John Howard's final seconds hail-Mary knockout of Dennis Hallman. After losing the first 2 rounds (according to most Internet play-by-play sites), "Doomsday" labeled a gassed out Hallman on the feet and followed up on the floor to earn the win.

Where I was wrong

- If I would have said before this event that Kimbo-Houston Alexander would be the worst fight on the card, I might have slapped myself for being stupid. However, that's exactly what this fight was. Houston Alexander spent the 1st round circling the cage and landing leg kicks on Kimbo, that's it. In the second he was slammed to canvas, had his back taken, and was nearly choked out. In all seriousness, if that had been anyone other than Kimbo Slice attempting that rear naked choke, the fight was over. I've literally rolled less than 10 times in my life and even I know how to properly apply that choke. However, just knowledge of how to apply the choke isn't enough; you have to be able to feel when it is available. Clearly, Kimbo is not at that point yet. The third round of the fight was just tragic as both fighters, visibly gassed, struggled to gather the energy to even attempt a meaningful strike. Funny thing is, as bad as Houston looked with his running around and leg kick heavy gameplan, I still scored the fight for him! Sorry Kimbo, the onus isn't just on the other fighter to bring the fight. Seeing as Houston was circling exclusively to his right in the 1st round, if he would have stepped to his left to cut the ring off and threw a left hook, the fight probably would have been over quickly.

Honestly, I saw no way Kimbo could have won that fight, especially not 30-27 like one judge had it. Even if you scored the second round 10-8 (which is completely ridiculous because it wasn't 5 minutes of domination) the fight should have been scored a 28-28 draw. Kimbo did literally nothing in the first round while Alexander landed meaningful strikes (yes, leg kicks are meaningful strikes Cecil Peoples). 10-9 Alexander. No need to analyze the second because it was clearly Kimbo's, just not to a 10-8 level. The third was close but Kimbo got dropped with a leg kick and got the worst of every pathetic exchange from that point forward. 10-9 Alexander. Much to my own detriment (because I look stupid when I make claims to my friends that there is no way Kimbo wins before and after the fight) I have way too much faith in judges to score fights properly. I can't get too fired up about this blown decision because both fighters looked absolutely terrible and will have no tangible effect on either the heavyweight or light-heavyweight divisions. Even though it's very clear that Kimbo will be can-fed in the immediate future, he will never come close to being a contender, or even a decent gatekeeper. Yeah he tossed Houston around, but he is also a weight class below Kimbo. He has absolutely no chance to do that to a Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, Brock Lesnar (unless he really has lost 50 pounds, and even then it doesn't happen), or pretty much any other fighter that isn't a complete jobber. What's disturbing is we're not too far away from having Kimbo on the main card of a PPV event. Think about that, paying to watch Kimbo Slice while the likes of Joe Lauzon, Martin Kampmann, Sean Sherk are placed on the undercard. *Shudders at the thought*

- Matt Hamill "earned" a "win" over Jon Jones because of a disqualification due to illegal 12 to 6 elbows thrown from the mount. The words earned and win are in quotes because Hamill won the fight despite getting completely mauled and having his face torn off the entire fight. Anyone who watched that fight knows who won, and it wasn't even close. Jon Jones lost that fight like Fedor Emelianenko lost his first fight with Tsuyoshi Kosaka, he lost by a complete fluke. Yes, the 12 to 6 elbows are an illegal blow, but the rule is beyond stupid. Not exaggerating one bit, if he would have slightly arched the strikes so that they weren't directly ceiling to floor, the elbows would have been legal. Apparently a 1 degree off vertical elbow is infinitely less devastating than a 12-6 elbow. Jones is appealing the decision with the NSAC but there is little to no chance the DQ gets overturned to a no contest. If ever there was a moral victory in the sport of MMA, Jon Jones earned one against Matt Hamill. This guy is legit and at 22, he's only going to improve.

- Matt Mitrione knocked out Marcus Jones early in the second round. The term "glass jaw" gets used far too frequently when discussing MMA, but in Jones' case, he has a glass jaw. Mitrione was clearly gassed and he was able to turn out the lights with what basically amounted to a back peddling jab. It never ceases to amaze me how fighters can completely forget what they're best at, do the exact opposite of whatever that skill might be, and lose because of that decision (Jorge Gurgel immediately springs to mind).

- I still suck at picking undercard fights. In other news, the sun will rise tomorrow morning.

TUF 10 Finale: Breakdown and Picks

Main Card Bouts

Roy Nelson (-250) vs. Brendan Schaub (+190)

Breakdown: After a long and brutal season (on the eyes of the viewers mostly), it's down to two fighters to decide who will win the Ultimate Fighter contract. The former heavyweight champion of the IFL (no, not Ben Rothwell, Rogan and Goldberg) takes on former NFL player and current member of Greg Jackson's camp, Brendan Schaub. If you go just by the performances on the show, this match up would appear to be extremely close. However, a closer inspection of both fighters widens the gap, and significantly. While Schaub had to press somewhat hard to make the finals, Nelson appeared to try and coast to finals in the most Dana White infuriating way possible. Kick and scream as much as you want about how Nelson wasn't impressive Mr. White, but there's a reason he may not have blown you away; he didn't try to. Nelson was so much better than every other member of the cast this season, that he was able to make it through his fights taking minimal damage while still flexing a serious ground game. Make no mistake, Nelson has a stand up game; just ask Brad Imes. But what provides a better opportunity to make through 3 fights in 8 weeks: standing and banging with your opponent, or use your superior ground game to make people look helpless when getting put in a crucifix and TKO'd? If Marcus Jones and his fledgling ground game was able to score a takedown and work his way to mount on Schaub, Nelson will more than likely hustle him on the ground even worse.

Pick: If the analysis was completely one sided, it's because it was, just like how I see this match playing out. Schaub has some things going for him (decent hands, good cardio)and could be dangerous in time. But pardon me for not having much faith in a guy who waxed a few scrubs in regional promotions and on TUF against a guy who has faced some of the best heavyweights on the planet. Don't let Nelson's appearance fool you, the man has some serious game, and he will prove it on Saturday. "Big Country" will win, the only debatable part is how he wins. Just out of desire to see the look on Dana White's face, I'll go the route of he locks up the crucifix and pounds Schaub out early. Roy Nelson by TKO and belly rub - Round 1

Matt Hamill (+250) vs. Jon Jones (-325)

Breakdown: Light-heavyweights take the stage when another former TUF contestant, Matt Hamill, takes on rising, 21 year old prospect training out of Cortland, New York. Hamill is coming off back-to-back stoppage victories including a vicious head kick knockout of Mark Munoz at UFC 96, while "Bones" Jones is undefeated at 9-and-0. Despite being only 21, Jon Jones brings some of the most unusual and electrifying striking to table, along with his impressive Greco-Roman wrestling background. What will likely be the deciding factor in this fight will be Hamill's ability to get inside, clinch up, and attempt to get Jones to the ground. "The Hammer" earned some stoppages with strikes, but his stand up is still very elementary. Plus, his bread and butter is working top control using his wrestling base. Not that Hamill is a complete bum in the stand up, he's just completely over matched by a bigger, longer, and more talented striker. When I say Jones is a big LHW, I mean he's a BIG LHW, standing a lanky 6'4. Against Stephan Bonnar, who is big LHW in his own right, he looked small against "Bones". Oh, and he got completely ragdolled with suplexes and spinning elbows for 15 minutes in a lopsided decision. If Jones can use his length, speed, bizarre strikes, and wrestling in reverse, he could make this one look like sparring practice.

Pick: Don't let the line on this one fool you, it's a lot closer than the 3 to 1 odds suggest. We've only seen one fighter in the UFC shoot a takedown on Jon Jones, and he dove right in to a fight ending guillotine choke. Hamill's a strong guy and I expect him to plant Jones on his back a couple times over the course of the fight. The interesting thing will be if Jones' cardio holds up and if he can do enough damage on the feet to still win rounds despite being taken down. If Hamill can get inside, this fight has a chance to be close. If not, it will be a "Bones" Jones blowout. Look for something in the middle of those two scenarios, with Jones improving to 10-and-0. Jon Jones by unanimous decision

Frankie Edgar (-650) vs. Matt Veach (+450)

Breakdown: A late replacement for the injured Kurt Pellegrino, Veach takes on the man charge with providing New Jersey with something to be proud of after MTV's "Jersey Shore" set the entire state back 5-10 years. Veach is 11-and-0, but he probably in over his head against "The Answer" in this fight. Edgar has amassed 5 wins in the UFC, including victories over top lightweights Tyson Griffin, Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, and Spencer Fisher. His only loss came at the hands of the unbeaten Gray Maynard, who is widely considered to be the next challenger for the lightweight title after Diego Sanchez. As we saw in the Sherk fight, Edgar's striking has become very polished, which compliments his wrestling ability nicely. Veach has stopped 10 of his 11 fights (4 (T)KO, 6 subs), but it's hard to imagine him being able to stop "The Answer" where Franca, Griffin, and others have failed.

Pick: Considering how close Frankie Edgar is to a title shot, or at least should be, don't expect a letdown from the Jersey native. "The Answer" will use his superior striking to keep Veach at a distance and stave off the takedown attempts. Don't look for Veach to take his first loss without putting up a fight, but when the final horn sounds, he will have a crooked number in his loss column. Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision

Houston Alexander (-340) vs. Kimbo Slice (+260)

Breakdown: You've got to give it to the UFC front office, when they know they have something that can make them money, they know how to milk it to it's fullest. Such is the case of the man who was knocked out with a backpedaling jab by Seth Petruzelli and crucified on TUF by Roy Nelson, the YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice. So, Kimbo gets schooled on the mat on TUF, how can they possibly get any use out of a guy who is a fish out of water when his opponent won't stand in front of him and brawl. I know, let's stick him against a guy with an equal non-existent ground game who will stand in front of him and brawl. What's Houston Alexander doing?

There's not many certainties in life, but one thing is for certain in this fight; it's not going to the ground unless one fighter is in a lessened state of consciousness. Kimbo sucks on the ground, and so does Houston. Kimbo has serviceable stand up (it's not good from a technical standpoint) and Houston actually has good muay thai skills, until he gasses out of course. What separates these two, besides the presence of quality MMA wins, is punching power. For some reason, because Kimbo brutalized some people in backyards and boat yards, made Bo CANtrell (see what I did there) tap to strikes, KO'd 40+ brawler Tank Abbott, and got a BS standing KO of James Thompson, he has dynamite in his gloves. Sorry folks, I'm going to play Mythbuster on this one. If it takes a godawful referee stoppage for you to "KO" James Thompson, you either A) have overrated power, B) lack the technique to throw a proper power shot, or both. The correct answer is "both". Kimbo does not use his legs or hips when he throws punches; his punches are almost exclusively arm punches. Unless you have explosive power, which Kimbo really doesn't, arm punches aren't going to cut it against strikers who have proper technique and possess real power (Alexander).

Pick: I love a good freak show, and this one will be good while it lasts. Houston's chin isn't exactly granite, so if he gets sloppy, he may get clipped and put to sleep. However, considering the leg issues that Kimbo was shown to have on TUF and Houston's affinity for throwing leg kicks (Sherman Pedergarst - TKO (leg kicks and punches)), K-Ferg might be in for a short night. A few good leg kicks cause Kimbo to drop his hands just long enough for "The Assassin" to land the kill shot very early. Hey, you can't say the UFC didn't try to find Kimbo a good match up. Houston Alexander by KO - Round 1

Marcus Jones (-340) vs. Matt Mitrione (+260)

Breakdown: Here's what I see:

Marcus Jones subbed a UFC veteran and KO'd a unbeaten prospect on TUF.
Matt Mitrione gassed in 2 minutes against a UFC vet and won the trainwreck fight before diving into a guillotine against a 3-4 fighter with no ground game.

Who do you think wins?

Pick: If Marcus keeps his chin tucked for 2-3 minutes in the first round, I'd say he's safe in this one. "Big Baby" scores a takedown then proceeds to hustle Mitrione until he snatches up whichever arm is available. Marcus Jones by submission (armbar) - Round 1


Undercard Bouts

Justin Wren vs. Jon Madsen - Justin Wren by unanimous decision
Darrill Schoonover vs. James McSweeney - Darrill Schoonover by submission (RNC) - Round 2
John Howard vs. Dennis Hallman - John Howard by TKO - Round 3
Brian Stann vs. Rodney Wallace - Rodney Wallace by superior nickname (Sho Nuff the Master) and TKO - Round 2
Mark Bocek vs. Joe Brammer - Mark Bocek by unanimous decision

Jesper Parnevik is a tool

(Ed. note: I usually try to avoid bold-face hate posts because they usually show a complete lack of knowledge, objectivity, and basic use of tact. However, when something as idiotic as Parnevik's comments presents itself, I'm willing to bend a bit.)

Define "tool".

Tool: (adjective) A person, typically male, who says or does things that cause you to give them a 'what-are-you-even-doing-here' look. The 'what-are-you-even-doing-here' look is classified by a glare in the tool's direction and is usually accompanied by muttering of how big of a tool they are. The tool is usually someone who is unwelcome but no one has the balls to tell them to get lost. The tool is always making comments that are out-of-place, out-of-line or just plain stupid. The tool is always trying too hard to fit in, and because of this, never will.

(courtesy of Urban Dictionary)

Yeah, I think that's pretty fitting for Mr. Parnevik.

B-Hop wins a decision in Philly; David Carradine's twin brother confuses everyone

Well, I guess the boxing gods figured one upset was good enough for today. After Danny Green plugged Roy Jones Jr. in the 1st round down in Australia, back stateside Bernard Hopkins took a well earned unanimous decision over Enrique Ornelas. Nothing really spectacular to speak of in this fight, probably because even at the age of 44, Hopkins was just on a different level than his much younger adversary. The opening rounds were typical Hopkins rounds as he started a bit slow, but around the 4th, he began to time Ornelas started dominating. There were flashes from Ornelas, but for every big shot he landed, Hopkins was landing 5 or 6 of his own. By the time the 12th round started, Ornelas was in desperation mode which nearly got him finished himself. Had there been another 10 to 15 seconds in fight, the ref very well may have stopped it.

GAME ON: Pacquiao-Mayweather nearly final **UPDATED**

K-Zone Sports Scoreboard: Optimism-1, Skepticism-0

Just one day after I wrote about the two best boxers in the world preparing to sign on for tune up fights and how I hold fast in my belief that Pacquiao-Mayweather won't happen now, or ever, my skepticism was deemed unfounded. Yahoo! Sports boxing/MMA writer Kevin Iole broke the news that Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is on a flight to Manila, Philippines in an effort to finalize bout agreements with Manny Pacquiao. Floyd Mayweather has already agree to terms on the bout so the only thing standing in the way of the top 2 pound-for-pound boxers meeting on March 13th is Pacquiao.

A couple things...

Wednesday Live Chat

Keith Ballard - Most Confused Man in Sports

The Florida Panthers are finally relevant in the sports world, but it's for all the wrong reasons. Dubbed by ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose as one of the dumbest things he's ever seen in the game of hockey, Keith Ballard's physical expression of frustration after allowing a goal took it's toll on his goaltender, Tomas Vokoun. After Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk potted a breakaway goal to give his team a 2-0 lead, Ballard attempted to do what we've seen countless players do in the past by smashing his stick on the crossbar. Problem is, he failed horribly and ended up injuring his goalie. The video shows Ballard giving a Prince Fielder effort with his swing which totally missed the post and drilled Vokoun in the head, sending him to the hospital.

Why do I say he's confused? Easy; he clearly forgot who he plays for and who he was for a moment and became a poor man's Marty McSorely. Ballard, who is hero to myself and numerous other hockey fans for putting a well deserved beatdown on resident NHL crybaby Sidney Crosby, will now forever live as the man who samurai chopped his own goaltender. He doesn't have a reputation as a dirty player and is one of the better two way defensemen in the NHL, so to see him do this is rather troubling. What is possibly even more troubling is how many unnecessarily dirty plays and devastating injuries have occurred this season.

While Ballard was leveling his teammate, Alex Ovechkin was adding to his ejection total by laying a knee-on-knee hit on Carolina's Tim Gleason. Those two incidents are coming on the heels of George Laraque kneeing Nikalas Kronwall to injured reserve for 8 weeks, Ovechkin earning an ejection for boarding Buffalo's Patrick Kaleta (which really wasn't in my mind, but my view doesn't hold water against the NHL's), and Kaleta getting ejected in kind for boarding Jared Ross in Philadelphia. For all the talk of eliminating fighting from the game for fear of injury, it would appear that the NHL would be better served to pay attention to the rash of easily preventable injuries by severely punishing players who are involved in incidents like the above plays. That includes Ovechkin; stars should get no preferential treatment (even though they obviously do. see - Evgeni Malkin's instigator penalty in the Stanley Cup last season)

Give Keith Ballard credit for one thing though, he doesn't leave things half done. Instead of checking on his fallen goalie, he finished what he started by eventually destroying his stick on the goal post. Priorities; some people have them, some people don't.

Pac is Back! Manny Pacquiao's next fight is against........Yuri Foreman?

(Yuri looks about as excited as the rest of the world about this potential fight)

Yes boxing fans, the fight everyone has been waiting for may be upon us! The pound-for-pound #1 fighter in the world, Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KO), will look to solidify his status as an all time great in March against Floyd Maywe.....wait, what? He's not fighting Mayweather? He's fighting Yuri Foreman?

What?

According to Pacquiao's highly vocal trainer Freddy Roach in an interview with BoxingScene.com, negotiations with Floyd Mayweather have not been going smoothly (shocking, I know) and he's tossing around the idea of his fighter moving up in weight again to challenge for the 154-pound title. Standing between the "Pacman" and his record setting 8th title in different weight classes would be newly crowned WBA junior middleweight champ, Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO). Foreman won the title on the undercard of the Pacquiao-Cotto card by defeating Daniel Santos by decision. Excited yet? No, neither are the guys at Bad Left Hook:

"Pacquiao likely beats Foreman, even giving up a lot of size. He's too fast, Foreman doesn't hit hard, and Manny's just a much, much better fighter. And Pacquiao-Foreman is really a bit of a sham. It's an admitted stab at faux "history" being made. They know Foreman is the exact right matchup.

After all, the fight would be contested for a 154-pound title. How low do you think they'll try to get a catchweight? Foreman has dipped as low as 149 pounds in his career, but by the time this fight rolled around, that will have been almost eight years in the past. In the last three years he hasn't gone below 153 1/2 pounds on the scales.

If they allow it at the full 154-pound weight, they're essentially saying clearly, "This guy can't beat us, and we know it." Cotto had to get down to 145. Manny has never weighed in over 144 for any fight, and by all accounts he walks around at about 150-155 pounds."

That pretty much sums it up. Not to say that Foreman isn't a good fighter, but this fight is basically the definition of "tune up fight". This is pretty much a ploy to get Pacquiao another title and use his new record for division titles to build even more hype for a fight against Mayweather. If what Roach says is true, which isn't a guarantee, and Floyd is stalling until September for the fight against his fighter, there are more interesting fights for Pacquiao other than gift wrapping a history making fight. The idea has been tossed out that if Pacquiao does end up fighting Foreman, barring Andre Berto pulling the upset against Shane Mosley, Mayweather would take on Mosley as his "tune up" for Pacquiao. Again, not to pile on Foreman, but Mosley is a much bigger threat to Mayweather than he is to Pacquiao. With only 8 career knockouts, it's a pretty safe bet that he will bring nothing to the table that should be able to stifle "Pacman".

Let no one say I didn't see this coming. I posted in my live chat last week that the more people talk about Pacquiao-Mayweather as an inevitability, the more I think this fight isn't going to happen this year, if ever. If the Pacquiao-Foreman fight goes forward, there is going to be a lot of talk about Pacquiao trying to pad his win-loss record, Mayweather ducking the fight, and the overall illegitimacy of titles in boxing. I can't say I would blame the pundits if they called out boxing on legitimacy of their titles, because it's clear that getting Pacquiao another belt for his trophy case is the only reason this fight is discussed. More details if they emerge......

p.s. Roy Jones Jr.-Danny Green and Bernard Hopkins-Enrique Ornelas will be broadcast on Versus this Wednesday. If both RJJ and Hopkins win, expect a rematch to be made that will involve a massive amount of hilarious trash talk, leading up to a horribly lackluster fight.

***UPDATE*** Bad Left Hook has posted a rumor that Bob Arum may attempt to get Floyd Mayweather a fight in the UK against Matthew Hatton, Ricky's brother. So much for Mayweather taking a more challenging tune up fight than Pacquiao. Matthew Hatton's a decent fighter, but not even in the same universe as Mayweather. The legality of that fight should be questioned, because it would be borderline assault.

Wednesday Live Chat

Wednesday boredom kicking in? Peep the live chat at 4 P.M. It's more fun than sucker punching a Notre Dame quarterback.

Knee-jerk Reactions: And now for something completely different...

(The infamous "Fail Whale" can't even compete with everyone's favorite ESPN figure)

One of the great joys in my life, however pathetic it may be, is reading and listening to comments from ESPN hosts and other sporting outlets simply to laugh at their ignorance, and blatant jock riding/apologizing. My favorite (least favorite?) is the fool on the right side of ESPN's "First Take" program, Mr. Skip Bayless. Obviously it's his job to make bold claims to get fans riled up, make them angry, and bring them back for more nonsense the next day. In that way, Skip succeeds with flying colors. Where he fails horribly is his lack of consistency when making his arguments, letting his imaginary vendetta's against certain players and unreasonable love of others cloud his judgment. Don't get me wrong, what he says doesn't upset me, make me want to throw a chair through the TV and make a b-line to my computer to fire off 30 e-mails to his ESPN address. Not at all; in fact, the only thing he does for me is give me some good laughs to start the day. That said, I'm breaking from the usual format of my weekend recap to some of his more humorous, and foolish, statements made on his Twitter account (@RealSkipBayless, if you want to share in my joy).


1) "Yesterday, Michigan had to be glad that Les Miles was not its coach. Are that you can pin a loss directly on head coach, but Miles lost it." - First off, what? The second sentence is barely coherent even by 140-character Twitter standards. Despite it looking like he fell asleep and bashed his head on the keyboard, I think the basic idea is pretty clear. Because Les Miles made one mistake by mismanaging the clock against Ole Miss, Michigan should be thanking it's lucky stars that a National Championship winning coach isn't wandering their sidelines.

Again, what?

The same Michigan team that might be in the market for a new head coach just two years after breaking the bank to get Rich Rodriguez should be grateful Les Miles isn't their coach? This one is pretty easy to rip on just for the shear lack of insight and thoughtfulness. LSU and Michigan are both huge programs with incredible histories of success which means they almost recruit themselves. With that said, Miles manages to recruit much better players than Rich Rod does at Michigan, and he's competing against Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Mark Richt, Houston Nutt, and now Lane Kiffin. Who has Rich Rod ever had to really recruit against? Jim Tressell, Kirk Ferentz, and Greg Schiano from his West Virginia days? The two aren't even comparable to be completely honest. I don't even really have to get in to this next part too much, but who faces tougher competition on a week to week basis, and who ends up with a better record at the end of the season?

It's a bit embarrassing that people who call themselves sports writers start declaring coaches to be completely inept after one brutal mistake. Everyone wanted Belichick's head for going for the 4th and 2 against the Colts, conveniently forgetting the 3 Super Bowls he won for the Pats. One bad mistake by Les Miles, who will have his LSU team in the top 25 with a winning record and season's end, should make Wolverines fans across America feel better about their second straight losing season in a pretty lame Big Ten? Whatever you say, Skip.

2) "If Rashean Mathis hadn't been out for Jags, no way TOld puts up any #s. Beat backup and held up index finger last 20 yds. Pathetic. Buff 3-7" - See what I mean when I say he holds grudges and can't give credit when it's due. There is absoultely no way Terrell Owens can win with this man. Skip's constant undeserved bashing of T.O. is actually pushing me to root for him, which I never thought would be possible. Because Owens put up monster numbers (9 rec., 198 yards and a TD) against a backup, he's pathetic. Anyone care to guess what would have been said about him if Rashean Mathis' replacement had shut him down yesterday? If you thought to yourself something along the lines of, He's all washed up. TOld has lost more than one step, and proved it by getting shut down by a backup corner. The Bills are 3-7 and T.O. should take all the blame, you deserve a gold star for the day.

Is T.O. completely blameless in the Bills' struggles this season? Not at all. Is he the reason they lose the majority of their games? That depends, does he play QB, any offensive line position, outside linebacker, or any secondary position not occupied by Jairus Byrd? If he doesn't, you might want to look at those areas before you even get to T.O. on the "Why the Bills are awful" list. It is fairly easy to see that Trent Edwards trying to get the ball to Owens just isn't going to work, and the fact is the problem rests with Edwards in this case. It's no coincidence that Owens' numbers have gone up since Ryan Fitzpatrick has gotten the snaps with the first team. Fitzpatrick is leaps and bounds ahead of Edwards in terms of reading defenses, maintaining pocket composure, and working through his progressions downfield. Trent Edwards' progression goes #1 receiver, then straight to his check down target who is usually his running back. When Edwards does try to throw it down the field, his decision making is lacking to the point where he tries to force a ball to Owens in triple coverage. But of course, that's on T.O. to beat that triple coverage, elevate 4 feet, and come down with the ball.

Anyone who watched the Bills game against Jacksonville yesterday knows that T.O. was out of his mind intense trying to motivate his team. Unfortunately, the defense couldn't match his intensity and stop the Jags from taking the lead late. Considering how predictable it is that T.O. is going to get smashed by Skip Bayless regardless of how well he performs in a losing effort, I'm seriously coming around on T.O. If at all possible, it appears that he has been humbled a bit by this experience in Buffalo, but that's beyond the realm of understanding for those who just refuse to put aside their old images of someone and trust what their eyes are telling them.

3) "I am sick and tired of people bashing JCutler. Yes, immature gunslinger. Yes, takes too many chances. But he's stuck in terrible offense!" - Hurry, call the whaaaambulance that Chris Crocker is driving! LEAVE JAY CUTLER ALONE! I'm declaring that I have free range to shred Jay Cutler anytime I want because it was very obvious to me the minute the Broncos traded him that the Bears' offense was terrible, and Cutler wasn't going to make it any better. Skip Bayless on the other hand is never allowed to use the "Bears have no receivers" excuse because he claimed that Cutler is an elite QB and would be a star for Chicago.

It's a fact, Jay Cutler has been an unparalleled disaster for the Bears this season. Everyone knew he would throw some interceptions simply because of the way he likes to play. But for him to lead the league in picks (18) on a team with a depleted defense is unacceptable for an "elite" QB. It's true, he doesn't have a true #1 receiver to throw to, but don't elite QB's elevate the level of play around them? Who were Tom Brady's best receivers during the Patriots' Super Bowl seasons? David Patten, Deion Branch, J.R. Redmond, and Troy Brown? Not exactly the greatest receiving core, but Brady made them better and won 3 championships with them. If Cutler is as good as Skip and every other sports writer thinks he is, he should have no problem getting good results out of Johnny Knox, Devin Hester, and Greg Olsen.

The problem with Jay Cutler isn't so much his receivers and offensive line as it is his mechanics and mentality. Cutler is one of the worst perpetrators of throwing off his back foot instead of setting his feet and then throwing the ball. He also gets antsy in the pocket when he feels the rush and tries to force passes in to coverage because of his powerful arm, the arm he uses to overthrow wide open receivers on multiple occasions every game. But maybe the biggest thing he does wrong is when he gets behind, he starts pressing too much. If the Bears are behind, which they usually are, he tries to bring them back with big plays down the field and makes bad throws in to coverage. Part of it has to do with their lack of a running game, but the biggest factor is his ego telling him he has to singlehandedly win the game with his arm. The criticism is justified Skip, and only an apologist for a fellow Vanderbilt alum wouldn't be able to see that.

3) (Half Tweet) "NE still little better than Indy and Minn. clearly better than N.O..." - I don't even know where to begin with this one. A team in New England, with losses to the Jets, Broncos, and COLTS, is better than Indianapolis? Yes, the Patriots out gained the Colts, but who ended up with the win? Belichick made a bad decision against Indy, but guess what, coaching is part of what makes a team better than another. On that night, Jim Caldwell out coached Belichick and the Colts BEAT the Patriots. 10-0>>>7-3, end of discussion.

Minnesota is CLEARLY better than the Saints? Is that why the Saints are undefeated and have only struggled in 2 or 3 games all season? The Vikings are very good and a CLEARLY one of the best teams in the NFC, but they still suffer from taking full quarters, and sometimes halves, off in every game. Minnesota has beaten equally horrific teams as New Orleans, but they also have the glarring "1" in the loss column. Until the Saints grace their loss column with a crooked number, it's just foolish to say a 1-loss team is CLEARLY better than an unbeaten one. Only college football voters are allowed to be that stupid (USC above Oregon 1 week after Oregon blew them out).

4) (Second half tweet) Right now, Favre MVP. 21 TDs, 3 INT?! Not even debatable - Hmm, not debatable? *Throws the red challenge flag*. I beg to differ on this one. Favre has been incredible, as much as it pains me to say that. He has completely changed the way he plays the game because he finally has a running back to take the pressure off him. His numbers this season have him in the conversation for MVP, that is not even debatable. Where I see a problem is that there are two other QB's out there with undefeated squads that are being neglected for some reason. Drew Brees and Peyton Manning have both led their teams to 10-and-0 starts, largely on their passing prowess. Their interception numbers may be higher, but it clearly hasn't taken their team out of a game and cause their respective team to lose. That's the deal breaker right now for Brett Favre. Cry, whine and moan all you want about what happened in Pittsburgh, but Favre lost that game for them. Two turnovers inside the Steelers 25 yard line, both returned for touchdowns. But...but, Chester Taylor should've caught it. Boo hoo; the pass was high and woobly and it got picked off for a TD, end of story. Can he still win it? Sure, why not. No one expects the Saints and Colts to go undefeated, so if he can stave off the typical Brett Favre end of the season collapse and start lobbing 2-3 picks a game, he could win it. But to say he is a slam dunk right now just isnt' right.

p.s., I've got it 1) Manning 2) Brees 3) Favre. Manning to Wayne against the Pats = Favre to Greg Lewis vs. the 49ers. Stop the worship, look at the facts

5) "From what I keep seeing of NSuh's Nebraska defense, Texas is in for a long, hard B12 title game. Suh easy No. 1 overall pick." - TRUTH. Smartest thing I've seen/heard from this man maybe ever. Every weekend I legitimately lament the fact that I don't get to see Ndamukong Suh play. Whenever I do get to watch him, I can't even pay attention to the offense because I'm just blown away by what he can do. He looks like Reggie White with his disruptive abilities, but from the defensive tackle position, which is even more impressive because it causes more havoc for the offensive line. Think Shaun Rogers, but exponentially faster. He's going to need a wheelbarrow to carry all the awards he's going to win at season's end. On the number 1 pick thing though, he's not necessarily a lock to go number 1. Right now the 3 worst teams in the NFL are the Rams, Browns, and Bucs, in that order. The Browns wouldn't take Suh unless they moved Shaun Rogers in a trade before the draft. Cleveland plays the 3-4 and as good as Suh is, he wouldn't play over Rogers. If either the Rams or Bucs get the first pick, he would almost assuredly go #1 as their defensive line situations are pretty abysmal. St. Louis starts a defensive end at left defensive tackle, and the Bucs start Chris Hovan on their line. Personally, I would love to see him end up with the Rams, especially if they considered moving to a 3-4 base defense. A defensive front of Leonard Little, Ndamukong Suh, and Chris Long would be pretty intimidating for opposing offenses.

It's a shame Suh suffers a bit from the "big fish, small pond" situation because if he played at Florida, USC, Texas, etc, he would be in serious consideration for the Heisman. If the Heisman voters actually followed what's going on and didn't just give the trophy to Colt McCoy or Tim Tebow as a legacy award, he probably would be a near landslide winner because he is best player in college football this season.

Boredom Alert: UFC 106 Live Blog/Chat

Now that I know how to use Cover It Live, might as well put it to good use (translation: I'm dying to use it again because it's easier than constantly updating posts). Starts around 10 PM; give it a look for in-fight analysis, smart-ass comments about Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg's commentary, and massive amounts of discussion about Marc Laimon's "Star Wars" inspired ECKO hoodies.

UFC 106 Picks

Another week, another MMA card that demands picks. Despite the shear number of cards and potential for disaster (aka UFC 105), the record is still slightly above .500 during a busy month with 15 W, 12 L; one big "w" coming from the phenomenal new WEC champ, Jose (pronounce the "J" please Versus announce team) Aldo. With the number of injuries and bizarre withdrawals from this card, my personal excitement for this card has reached the exact opposite of a fever pitch. Therefore, the fight breakdowns remain only in my head and the final predictions will be here...

Main Card Bouts

Tito Ortiz (-115) vs. Forrest Griffin (-115) - Forrest Griffin by unanimous decision
Josh Koscheck (+105) vs. Anthony Johnson (-135) - Josh Koscheck by TKO - Round 3
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (-140) vs. Luis Cane (+110, and it's pronounced Cah-ney, Rogan and Goldberg) - Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by split decision
Amir Sadollah (-250) vs. Phil Baroni (+190) - Amir Sadollah by submission (armbar) - Round 2
Paulo Thiago (-175) vs. Jacob Volkmann (+145) - Jacob Volkmann by unanimous decision

Undercard Bouts

Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders - Marcus Davis by TKO - Round 2
Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt - Jake Rosholt by unanimous decision
Brock Larson vs. Brian Foster - Brock Larson by TKO - Round 1
Caol Uno vs. Fabricio Camoes - Fabricio Camoes by unanimous decision
George Sotiropoulos vs. Jason Dent - George Sotiropoulos by submission (RNC) - Round 2

Official Picks: Recommended single plays on Koscheck, Rosholt, and Davis. Josh Koscheck is an absolute steal if you can get him in "+" numbers. Really no reason the #5 welterweight in the world should be the underdog to a man with 10 pro fights.

Official Parlay: Volkmann+Koscheck+Sotiropoulos+Larson

High Risk/Reward Parlay: Camoes+Saunders+Baroni+Cane - All 4 fighters are underdogs with major potential to win their fights. If all the fighters remain in "+" numbers, the 4-fight parlay payoff would be pretty substantial, even with a small wager.

Looking for an "Answer": Who could use A.I.

The New York Knicks informed their fans today to save their money on buying tickets, because Allen Iverson is not coming to town. While the Knicks compete with the Nets for the title of worst basketball franchise in the New York metropolitan area, the man formerly known as "The Answer" is now trying to latch with any team that will take him (and start him, unlike Memphis). So who's it going to be? Well, there's a few teams out there that could probably use the help...


Charlotte Bobcats: There's a little bit of reservation with this destination because of the recent acquisition of Stephen Jackson. A.I. is probably has a personality for Charlotte to handle by himself; with Jackson's ego included, it could be an absolute disaster. That said, the only person who has ever been able to get Iverson under control and really bring out the best in him was Larry Brown, the Bobcats current head coach. It's possible he could run the point and start over Raymond Felton, but it might be a challenge for him to get the number of shots he would want due to the sheer number of good scorers they already possess. An unlikely scenario, but it would be interesting to see A.I. try and use Gerald Wallace, Tyson Chandler, or Stephen Jackson to rack up assists and open up scoring opportunities for himself.

Toronto Raptors: A less than ideal destination, but a decent situation for both parties involved. The Raptors have some very talented pieces (Bosh, Turkoglu) but are a bit lacking in the SG department. Rookie DeMar DeRozan is starting at shooting guard, and is backed up by 3rd year player Marco Belinelli; not exactly world beaters. In fact, Belinelli is averaging more points (9.8) than the DeRozan (5.8) so far this season. Even if he has lost a step, Iverson can still average well over 10 points per game. With the shooting threat of Turkoglu and the monster in the paint that is Chris Bosh, A.I. would get some decent looks and persumably could use Bosh to clear the lane for him to drive. Again, this will probably never happen, but it might be the best option available.

Los Angeles Lakers: Why? The better question is "why not"? If people were actually discussing LeBron James joining the Lakers, why not a guy who would show up for about 1/15th the asking price? He would more than likely be earning less than Derek Fisher (which is where he would play because their SG is pretty much entrenched there) and could easily put up bigger numbers than the suddenly offensively challenged Fisher. This is completely unrealistic, but if Ron Artest can behave playing along side Kobe, why not throw Iverson in the mix? Plus, it would probably lead to a really good book about managing giant egos by Phil Jackson.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Michael Wilbon endorsed this move right around the time A.I. took his leave from Memphis, and I tend to agree with him that the Cavs would be a great place for him. It has already become abundantly clear that the Shaquille O'Neal move was mostly a lateral move in terms of a post presence, and if the Cavs are going anywhere it's going to be because of LeBron. Anthony Parker and his 9 ppg isn't a exactly a great complementary piece, and Delonte West is always going to be a question mark. This would a huge pick your poison situation for opposing teams. Do you put all eyes on LeBron and take your chances with A.I., or do you try to watch them both at the same time and risk getting highlight reeled by a LeBron alley-oop? Probably won't be too much driving for A.I. as Shaq's statuesque presence (not in a good way) in the lane pretty much limits that, but he's always a threat from the outside. Missing piece of the puzzle for the Cavs? Maybe, but every other time we think that, it ends with LeBron leaving the court without shaking hands with the other team.

How does this live chat thing work?

I see everyone else getting in on the live chat thing on their blogs, so I decided to give it a shot. Very low expectations for people to actually be involved with it but I'm just going to throw some comments out there. College b-ball, MLB awards, MMA judging nonsense, my Cleveland Browns obsession, whatever comes to mind...

(Rollover to read/contribute)

Weekend Recap; Where the wheels come flying off

- Thank God it was a busy weekend in sports because now I can semi-gloss over my John Blutarsky level prediction percentage from the weekend in fights. There should be a reflecting pool and eternal flame associated with my tragic 4-8 (33.3%, woot, woot!) record with picks. So, what did we learn...

1) Pacquiao is incredible, but he probably still loses to Floyd Mayweather: The beginning of my weekend lunacy came when I declared that Miguel Cotto would beat the wrecking machine that is Manny Pacquiao. My pick looked great up until the third round when Cotto got floored and the bout took a total nose dive for the former WBO champ. Cotto had his chances make this a closer fight, specifically when he had the "Pacman" backed up on the ropes and simply stood there instead of unloading to the body. It's no guarantee it would have swung the fight in his favor, but it may have slowed Pacquiao down a bit in the later rounds where his speed simply overwhelmed Cotto. Huge respect to both men; Cotto for hanging in there as long as he did and Pacquiao for being an absolute terror, and possible all time great.

But why do I think he would struggle with Mayweather? It's fairly simple (to me at least), styles make fights, and Floyd's style is a nightmare for Pacquiao. As technical as "Money" is, he is also extremely unusual in how he fights. He leans back to keep his head away from his opponent at all times, but he is somehow able to deliver quick punches despite appearing off balance. As we've seen from Pacquiao in the past, most notably against Juan Manuel Marquez, boxers with superior hand speed who understand his tendencies and can time his punches have success counter punching. As we saw in the Mayweather-Marquez fight, Floyd is a far superior counter puncher than JMM, and even with the misconception that he doesn't have power, he can plant you on the canvas if he times it right.

I love people like Skip Bayless who clearly cannot see past the persona of Floyd Mayweather, or simply know absolutely nothing about boxing, and realize that he would be a heavy favorite against Pacquiao. Well, uh, Pacquiao walked right through Cotto's big shots so Manny has an iron chin and Mayweather can't hurt him. He will duck the fight and he should be shaking in his roller skates (respect the 24/7 reference). Well Skip, seeing as you've clearly never seen a Mayweather fight other than his last one (maybe), allow me to educate you. If you'll allow a horrid Chuck Norris joke; Floyd is like Chuck Norris, he doesn't sleep, he waits. Mayweather isn't going to do what Cotto did (stand directly in front of Pacquiao, try to land hooks to the head, and get popped with no answer), he will do what he always does; hang back, make "Pacman" come to him, dodge his overly telegraphed left straight, circle away, and look to use his length to counter.

Don't get me wrong, I can't stand Mayweather and I'm actually a supporter of Pacquiao's. However, personality doesn't win fights (in most cases) and Mayweather is a superior boxer. I would love to see Manny knock Floyd off his high horse, but if I had to make a bet, my money would be behind "Money".

2) The UFC 105 Debacle: So, yeah, I kinda went 4-7 with my picks. I'm going to go sit in the corner now. But before I do, I'll address one thing; Brandon Vera got screwed bad against Randy Couture. Know why? Because he was fighting Randy Couture, that's why. Here's a note to anyone looking to become a fighter and wants to know how to sway judges in your favor. 1) Be Randy Couture, 2) Clinch your opponent against the cage for extended periods (aka, hug them until the bell sounds) and don't try to land a single strike, 3) Get outstruck horribly and almost get finished multiple times. Oh, did I forget to add that the only way to win on the judges' cards doing numbers 2 and 3 is to be Randy Couture? I didn't? Sorry, that part is super important.

I scored the fight 30-28 with the 1st round a draw. Sorry "Captain America", I'm not scoring the 1st 10-9 for you when all you did was pin Vera against the fence and hold him there without doing anything. Rounds 2 and 3 go to Vera for almost finishing Couture (2nd and 3rd) and maintaining mount to end the fight. The sad thing is, as soon as the final bell rang I knew what was going to happen. That fight was in the bag for Couture as long as he didn't get finished and no one can tell me otherwise. This is the second time in about a month that PPV headlining fights have ended with controversial decisions, and both times the more marketable fighter came out on top. Coincidence? Probably, because conspiracy theories are for forum posters and people with tin foil hats. However, this is the type of nonsense that led people away from boxing.

I'm really not sure what to make of the rash of horrid decisions in MMA lately. Part of me believes that it does have something to do with the more popular, or marketable, fighter getting favor in the judges' eyes. The more optimistic side of me believes that it is more likely a result of the sport still being somewhat young in America. Usually, MMA fights judged by men or women who are usually boxing judges. With MMA being a far more layered sport than boxing, it's possible that there just aren't that many judges who fully understand MMA. Yeah, I think that and then I see Couture get dismantled with strikes and resort to hugging Vera to make the bad man stop en route to a decision. Maybe it's just one of those things I'm not supposed to understand, like how the hell Randy Couture can still even give himself a chance to win at his age.

3) No more BCS, we need a playoff NOW: It's getting to be a tired topic, but this year more than probably any other showcases the foolishness of not having a multi-team playoff. At this point it has become abundantly clear that the National Championship will go to either Texas or the SEC champ and all those other pathetic undefeated teams that clearly aren't as good as those two teams will just watch. By pathetic I mean extremely talented teams that all have huge wins over legit teams and won't get a chance to prove that they can hang with the big boys because of a shameless money grab by the NCAA while the higher ups hide behind the facade of the "student before athletes" concept, but I'm sure you already figured that out. There is a distinct possibility there will be 5 undefeated teams (UT, Cincy, TCU, BSU, and either UF or 'Bama) and the 1-loss SEC title game loser at the end of the season. What makes Texas or Florida more deserving of a chance to be called champs, because they're Florida and Texas? Boise State and Utah have already proved that smaller programs can beat the supposed "top teams" but yet they are basically second class citizens, so to speak. Yes, while Florida goes out and battles powerhouses Florida International and Christian Ponder-less Florida State to close the season and Texas trembles before the fighting Manginos of Kansas and bottom feeding Texas A+M, Cincy has to take on top 10 Pittsburgh in their final game. And while Florida struggles with South Carolina and Mississippi State, and Alabama needs a miracle from Terrence Cody to beat Lane Kiffin's G-Unit, TCU is embarrassing pretty much the same Utah team that stomped 'Bama last season.

It's fairly simple from where I stand; NCAA football is a sport and the BCS is a business. Football is a fun, enjoyable game, the BCS is shady business that favors names over competition. It's probably never going to change, but if ever there was going to be a year where the outcry against the BCS is too loud to ignore, it's this year.

4) 2-minute Drill: A bunch of random thoughts...

- Congrats to Ole Miss for finally realizing Dexter McCluster is absolute freak and maybe, just maybe, he's more apt to win you games than Jevan Snead.

- Iowa's luck is terrible. If Ricky Stanzi gets hurt 2 weeks before Ohio State, James Vandenberg is probably better prepared to play the Buckeyes.

- Any particular reason USC is still in the top 25? And for that matter, why does Vegas still think Oklahoma is a top 5 team? College football is wacky

- Ndamukong Suh should win the Heisman. No question, he is the best player in college football. But, because he plays for Nebraska and is a d-lineman, he doesn't have a shot.

- I'm 50-50 on the Belichick decision on 4th and 2. I don't necessarily agree with the move, but I can understand why he did it. And no, it wasn't an ego thing.

- LOL at Skip Bayless for calling Peyton Manning overrated. He's willing to praise Favre all day, but because Manning has mediocre playoff numbers, OVERRATED! Guess who else doesn't have killer playoff numbers? Brett Favre (14 TD's, 15 INT's since 2000).

- I laughed at fantasy owners when Brian Westbrook took a knee at the 1 instead of scoring the TD. I don't that's funny anymore. Thank you MoJo Drew for being smarter than most running backs, I demand an extra TD this week to make up for last week.

- The Bengals are a serious threat in the AFC, but I still think the Steelers would beat them in the playoffs.

- No team in the NFC with the exception of the Saints (maybe) would stand a chance against an AFC team in the Super Bowl. What a mediocre conference.

- T.O. is not the reason the Bills are horrible. If he played QB, o-line or any position other than Jairus Byrd's, then go for it. Can you really blame him for being upset when whichever QB the Bills throw out there heaves the ball 15 feet over his head into triple coverage?

- The Browns. Wow. That's all I can say.

Weekend Fight Predictions: UFC 105 and Pacquiao-Cotto

Manny Pacquiao (-280) vs. Miguel Cotto (+220)

Prediction: At +220, I'm all over Cotto to win. He's faced guys with killer speed before and walked away with the "W" which has been the Pacman's huge advantage in his last few fights. The keys for Cotto will be working off his lead left hook and trying slow Pacquiao with a steady dose of quality body work. That said, I've got a horrible feeling there is going to be some controversy with this one. Never underestimate the possibility that the judges can be fooled by ineffective volume punching aimed at the head over precise, methodical, effective work to body. If I knew who the judges were I might have more faith in the judging being fair, but unfortunately the allure of a Mayweather-Pacquiao match may have already wrapped this one up for the Filipino. Miguel Cotto def. Manny Pacquiao, but Pacquiao wins a BS unanimous decision

UFC 105: (no breakdowns; I, much like the UFC, don't really care about this card)


Main Card Bouts

Randy Couture (-120) vs. Brandon Vera (-110) - Brandon Vera by split decision
Michael Bisping (EVEN) vs. Denis Kang (-130) - Denis Kang by unanimous decision
Mike Swick (-250) vs. Dan Hardy (+190) - Mike Swick by TKO - Round 3
Ross Pearson (+165) vs. Aaron Riley (-205) - Aaron Riley by unanimous decision
James Wilks (+125) vs. Matt Brown (-155) - Matt Brown by TKO - Round 1

Undercard Bouts

Paul Taylor vs. John Hathaway - Paul Taylor by split decision
Terry Etim vs. Shannon Gugerty - Terry Etim by TKO - Round 2
Paul Kelly vs. Denis Siver - Paul Kelly by unanimous decision
Andre Winner vs. Roli Delgado - Andre Winner by KO - Round 1
Matt Riddle vs. Nick Osipczak - Matt Riddle by unanimous decision
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jospeh Hamman - Alexander Gustafsson by TKO - Round 3

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers - Breakdown and Picks

Main Card Bouts

Fedor Emelianenko (-625) vs. Brett Rogers (+425)

The undisputed (except for nerds on forums) #1 heavyweight in the world makes his Strikeforce debut against the 10-0 former Sam's Club "tire technician", Brett Rogers. Fedor is sports a 30-1 record for a reason; he hits hard, holds a combat sambo black-belt, is extremely slick with his ground game, and very well may not be human. His record reads as a who's who of MMA history with wins over UFC champs Mark Coleman (twice), Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and two systematic beatdowns of former PRIDE champ "Minotauro" Nogueria. Rogers, while fairly green in the sport, sports an unbeaten record with 90% of his wins by way of (T)KO, including a 22 second TKO of Andrei Arlovski. While not the most technical fighter ever seen, "The Grim" possesses good knockout power and will have a distinct size and weight advantage over the Russian champion.

Breakdown: This fight just screams "squash match" to me, but that's not exactly hard hitting analysis so I'll elaborate. Rogers has 1 legit win under his belt, and it really wasn't all that impressive. Yes, he destroyed a former UFC champ in 22 seconds, but the fashion he went about it was a mess. He ate one leg kick before charging at Arlovski like a bull, flailing his arms and eventually tagging his retreating opponent. Somehow, the striking spasm he had against Arlovski is supposed to make him a huge threat to Fedor? "Fish memory" fans forget that Brett Rogers took 2 rounds to finish a member of BET's "Iron Ring" program, Abongo Humphrey. Fedor has faced far superior strikers than Rogers and managed to find openings to destroy them. The punches Fedor throws are looping, but they are that way intentionally. From his sambo background, his punches allow for multiple points of contact (whether it be the fist, forearm, or elbow) and establish range for takedowns. In the unlikely scenario he does get hit by Rogers, we've seen Fedor take Olympic judo medalists to the ground and finish so it's likely he could do the same to Rogers. We haven't seen "The Grim" on the mat yet so I'd have to assume that if it hits the ground, it's probably a wrap. Fedor's positioning, control, and quickness a serious problem for large heavyweights, especially if they are limited in their grappling ability.

Pick: It's really dorky to use the term "Fighter X by whatever he wants" when talking about a sport as erratic as MMA, but in this case, it's probably a safe bet. I see nothing Rogers brings to the table that Fedor hasn't seen done better by some opponent during his career. The home run right hand bomb is probably the only chance Rogers has, but against a fighter who has never been knocked out, it's unlikely. I expect Rogers to start out patiently and look for a chance to land a big punch, but he'll never get the chance. Fedor out-quicks Rogers and lands a flurry that stuns him before taking the fight to floor and finishing. "The Last Emperor" continues his reign with an impressive submission. Fedor Emelianenko by submission (armbar) - Round 1

Jake Shields (-340) vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller (+260)

Breakdown: MTV's favorite bully beater, Jason Miller, makes a rare appearance in a cage stateside against 2-time "Bully Beatdown" participant and Strikeforce middleweight champion, Jake Shields. Of the 4 match ups on the televised card, this bout is the most intriguing. Shields is coming off a impressive submission win over Robbie Lawler in his first foray into the middleweight division. The Cesar Gracie student holds claim to some of the best jiu-jitsu in MMA and will more than likely have an advantage if the fight hits the ground. Miller, though not at Shields' level as far as the grappling game, can more than hold his own. In a bout against jiu-jitsu world champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza under the DREAM banner, Miller was able to avoid the ground wizard's submission attempts in a losing effort. What could be the difference in the fight is Shields' relative deficiency in the striking department. Against Paul Daley it was very clear that Shields was a bit of a fish out of water in the stand up. He knows what makes his bank account swell, and he's very good at it. Miller, although the superior striker, is nothing fantastic on the feet, but he could pose some interesting problems for the champ. In order to work his stand up though, "Mayhem" will need to avoid Shields' takedowns, which is easier said than done considering Shields has good takedowns and Miller has less than stellar defense.

Pick: This is by far the toughest fight pick to make (for me at least) on the card. To win, Miller has to land some effective strikes on the feet and keep Shields from getting him down and holding him there. "Mayhem" says that he won't let Shields "dry hump" (actual quote) him for 25 minutes, and I'm going to take this bizarre, bizarre man at his word. I'd be amazed if there was a finish in this fight because I refuse to believe that Shields will succeed in submitting Miller where "Jacare" failed, and Miller isn't exactly the home run hitter to score the KO. It's going to be very close, but the "Mayhem Monkeys" will celebrate an upset win and we'll see a new middleweight champ. Jason "Mayhem" Miller by controversial split decision

Gegard Mousasi (-650) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (+450)

Breakdown: Remember when I said Fedor-Rogers screams "squash match" to me? Well, this fight has "squash match" beating me over the head with a sledgehammer, while being screamed at me until I admit that's what this fight is. Apologies to Sokoudjou, but Mousasi is just on a completely different level than he is. Soko's got judo and can Donkey Kong on the heads of Super Hulk's like Jan Nortje and Bob Sapp in Japan, but "the Dreamcatcher" (ugh, horrible nickname) is a different kind of monster. Mousasi trains at the Red Devil gym with Fedor and is similar to the Russian heavyweight in many ways. He has a very stoic demeanor in the cage and has the ability to finish fights on the feet, or on the ground, in devastating fashion. In his last fight, he won the Strikeforce light-heavyweight title by absolutely blasting Renato "Babalu" Sobral in just over a minute. I hate MMA math but...Mousasi KO'd "Babalu" who submitted Sokoudjou. Sorry, but this doesn't bode well for "the African Assassin".

Pick: I've already predicted this one before (from my DREAM.11 picks on 10/5 - "Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou by TKO - Round 1; earns a contract with Strikeforce and the right to be legally assaulted by Gegard Mousasi") and I'm not changing my mind now. This is a non-title match so it's only scheduled 3-5 minute rounds, but that's not going to be a factor. Quick for Mousasi, but in no way painless for Sokoudjou. Someone should call the cops, or the FCC, because CBS will be televising a crime against humanity in primetime. Gegard Mousasi by TKO - Round 1

Fabricio Werdum (-150) vs. Antonio Silva (+120)

Breakdown: I'm officially dubbing this fight the "Tryouts to be Fedor's next victim" as the winner is probably next in line the face Fedor (or Rogers if he scores the miracle KO). Admittedly, I don't know a ton about Antonio Silva other than he has a 13-1 record with no real impressive wins. The best win on his record is probably Ricco Rodriguez, and even that isn't all that great considering they fought during the fat suit/"Celebrity Rehab" phase of Ricco's life. Werdum on the other hand just recently won the heavyweight division of the ADCC grappling tournament and holds MMA wins over Gabriel Gonzaga (twice), Alistair Overeem, and Aleks Emelianenko (yes, Fedor's brother). Silva is pretty slow and plodding with his striking game, but Werdum's striking is almost non-existent outside of the clinch. Everyone seems to remember Werdum's last UFC fight against Junior Dos Santos when he got launched into orbit with an uppercut, and that's the signal he has a glass chin. Lest we forget he went the distance with a heavy handed Andrei Arlovski, and beat a brutal striker in Gonzaga twice. Much like Shields though, Werdum knows his bread and butter is his jiu-jistu game. If and when this fight reaches the mat, it's going to be a serious problem for Sliva.

Pick: I'm really disinterested in this fight, mostly because I would rather see the Marloes Coenen-Roxy Modaferri fight televised (with quick stoppages, there's hope). However, since I'm forcing myself to make a pick I'll try to reason it. Werdum scores a takedown at some point and it's a clinic from there until he secures whatever limb he chooses. Silva isn't anywhere close to the level of competition Werdum faced at Abu Dhabi so there is little reason for me to believe he can avoid a submission. Fabricio Werdum by submission (I dunno...let's say RNC) - Round 1


Undercard Bouts

Marloes Coenen vs. Roxanne Modaferri - Marloes Coenen by unanimous decision
Jeff Curran vs. Dustin Neace - Jeff Curran by submission (triangle choke) - Round 1

Knee-jerk Reactions: Oregon lays a smackdown on So-Cal

1) This is going to be refreshing...: ...not having to hear from Mark May/Colin Cowherd/random assortment of Trojan apologists about USC getting screwed out of the National Title game for once. A USC team that is clearly nowhere near the level they have been in recent years finally got exposed in a 47-20 beating at "the Zoo". The funniest part about this game is that you could see this loss coming a mile away. For two weeks in a row USC's defense got torched by Notre Dame and Oregon State and it was only a matter of time before it cost them. Jeremiah Masoli (who was labeled as a terrible QB by Colin Cowherd about a month ago) completely abused USC's secondary with his vertical passing game, and kept the defensive backs from cheating on the pass by running his zone-read running game to perfection. This the only instance I can recall where Pete Carroll was soundly outcoached for an entire game. Chip Kelly went Urban Meyer on the Trojans; when he got the lead he refused to let up and continued to press the boot harder and harder on USC's throat. Great win for Oregon, but I keep getting this feeling that USC will still back in to the Pac-10 title and BCS bowl despite having 2 losses. If USC gets in to the BCS as an at-large team over an undefeated Boise State or TCU, a full investigation should be launched as it would be a criminal offense against more deserving teams.

2) Obligatory Referee Bash; Week 9 Edition: With the SEC and Pac-10 having so much fun messing up games, the Big 10 was getting lonely actually doing a decent job and decided to join in.
The scene of the crime: Kinnick Stadium.
The involved parties: Indiana Hoosiers and Iowa Hawkeyes.
The evidence: Exhibit A has to do with a brutally incorrect replay that pulled a touchdown off the board for the Hoosiers. When the viewer at home can tell it's a clear cut touchdown and the announcers can also tell, you screwed up. The exact point in the game escapes me at the moment, but the blown call came at a time where Indiana was looking to completely bury the Hawkeyes and their schizo QB Ricky Stanzi. With the TD call overturned, the Hoosiers were forced into a field goal try, which of course they missed. Seven point swing for the home team.

Exhibit B involves said schizo QB and a phantom unnecessary roughness call in the 4th quarter. As Stanzi was on his way out of bounds (key words - on his way out) he was hit relatively hard by a linebacker. Up went the flag for unnecessary roughness - leading with the helmet, and on went 15 yards to the play. Surprise, surprise, replay showed the defender clearly hit him with nothing but his shoulder while he was still well in bounds.

Let's see, that makes the score Iowa - 0, Indiana - 0, incompetent referees - 2. Not a bad score considering Iowa is competing for a BCS bid. Wonder if the fact they were playing a down and out Indiana team had anything to do with the preferential calls? Bring on the tin foil hats!

3) Welcome back, Florida Gators: Brandon Spikes' eye gouging nonsense aside, Florida's performance against Georgia was exactly the performance we've been waiting to see. Finally, the Gators actually did something to stake their claim as the #1 team in the country. Tim Tebow returned from his vacation in time to toss two first quarter TD's to his roommate, Riley Cooper, and they never looked back. Georgia was completely over matched in this game, and Florida finally laid a beat down that reflected this fact. I still think Alabama has a better resume for #1 at the moment, but a razor thin win or the Vols heading in to a bye week is just cause for the swap for now. If and when the Tide takes care of LSU I'll be right back to campaigning for their spot atop the college football polls.

4) Random thoughts:
- The BCS is going to be a mess this year and I couldn't be happier
- Iowa has Minnesota Vikings syndrome (win alot but never play a full game)
- TCU would truck Boise State and the polls should reflect that
- Texas still beats OK State with Dez Bryant, but it's a lot more competitive
- Golden Tate should be considered for the Heisman ahead of Jimmy Clausen
- Case Keenum is the next Colt Brennan/Timmy Chang/Graham Harrell. Pure system QB
- Remember Jevan Snead? No, neither does anyone else. The hype>>>the skill

5) Vikings-Packers Breakdown: Seeing as no football analysts can put their love of Brett Favre aside and breakdown a game logically, I suppose I'll do it. Here's how Minnesota won this game.

- Percy Harvin returns kicks for the Vikings. The Packers have Ahman Green. This gives Minnesota a short field on every drive. Green gives the Packers nothing. Green Bay usually ends up taking a holding penalty anyway, putting them at their own 10-15 yard line to start.

- Aaron Rodgers was sacked 6 times. Brett Favre was hit less than 6 times. All day to throw vs. get rid of it immediately or get run over by Jared Allen. Guess who wins that one?

- Threat of Adrian Peterson for the Vikings. Non-threat of Ryan Grant for Green Bay. If the Packers line can't pass block, what are the odds they can get a push and open up running lanes for Grant? Answer, zero chance.

- Because the Vikings can pass rush on the Packers, they can drop more players back in to coverage. Green Bay had to bring the house to even partially collapse the pocket around Favre, leaving only 3 or 4 defensive backs in zone coverage. With a QB who likes to throw slant passes as much as Favre, you really can't play zone and not expect to get burned.

It's a sad thing to watch because Aaron Rodgers is the most efficent QB in the NFL and he's playing for a team that seems content to watch him get killed. 30+ sacks in 7 games is entering expansion year Houston Texans levels of futility. Cris Carter said it best on "Mike and Mike in the Morning" when he said that if you took both QB's and switched teams, the Vikings still win but by a much wider margin. It's tough to argue that point when even with a slapped together offensive line, Rodgers still puts Green Bay on his back and makes games close. Look what happened to the Browns when they couldn't get to him: 15-20 for 246 yards and 3 TD's. If the Packers could do this against teams other than one that would struggle in the CFL, they might actually have stood a chance in that game.

6) Even with 1 win, the Browns are worse than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Yeah, they're that bad. The Browns got smacked by the Bears, a week after Chicago was flat out embarrassed by the Bengals. Mangini finally did something right by yanking Derek Anderson from the game after he launched 2 picks (one for a TD) and fumbled the ball away once. Problem is the game was already over when Brady Quinn hit the field for his one and only series, a swift 3 and out. Nothing this team does is good, decent, or anything north of awful. Porous defense, non-existent offense, and a heavy dependance on special teams makes this team a bigger disaster than the Bucs, Raiders, Rams, etc. My favorite fact to come out this weekend is this: The New Orleans Saints have more defensive TD's (6) than the Browns have offensive TD's (5). This situation in Cleveland has "fire sale" written all over it and it's likely going to start at the bottom and continue until the entire franchise collapses.

Plus, I really wanted to work this photo in here somehow



No caption necessary.