The Sports Brief with Besse and Keefe

5 Questions With Anthony Parker

2012-01-29T17:34:00.005-05:00

I talked with Cleveland starting swingman Anthony Parker prior to the Celtics-Cavs game tonight. Here is what the Bradley alum, who is averaging 6.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and a team best 2.4 assists per turnover, had to say.

1. From an outside perspective, what is your view of the Celtics, they are 9-9, but are they still an elite team?

Parker: You know, I think a lot of people had questions coming into this season with the condensed schedule and not a lot of time to prepare and everything, so does it favor them, does it hurt them? I think they are a veteran team that knows how to win, and regardless of injuries, you see now that they have the capabilities that come playoff team they are probably going to be a team that no one wants to see in the First Round.

2. How has the short preseason and limited practice time effected you guys? I think you've surprised some with your record to this point.

Parker: I think that it is something that everyone has had to deal with, everybody is on a level playing field. Coaches have done a good job of mixin in, getting in shape, and getting everyone after it, and putting in sets, but also knowing when we need a break. You know it's definitely something you have to teach on the fly, and there is a gradual chemistry and feel between the players that kind of evolves as the season goes on, but you know, everybody is dealing with it.

3. What kind of challenge is it for a player like you who has to guard both Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the same night?

Parker: They are both great at what they do, and its completely different. And I think that is why they complement each other so well. Paul Pierce is really good on the ball, creating his own shot, and creating for other players, isos, and stuff like that. Ray Allen is just constant motion, players really look to screen for him, and he's one of the best are learning how to use the screens and getting his shots off. It's a different challenge, but equally tough.

4. How have the Cleveland fans been, now a full year removed from LeBron James?

Parker: Well I think last year the Cleveland fans have been great, this year they have been great. There is a new energy, a new hope, especially with the young guys we have in the organization now. I think this year we have kind of turned the corner, we haven't gotten as many questions about the last couple years. I know that is a sign of turning the corner and talking about the roster we have now.

5. I know he was the #1 pick in the draft, but are you surprised by just how quickly Kyrie has been able to come in and have success?

Parker: I mean the kid can play. And considering he missed most of his one year of college, he's only logged, I don't know how many hundreds of minutes since high school. So just his pace that he plays with, his ability, his natural talent and his feel for the game is far ahead of what I expected from him, his future is bright.

BONUS QUESTION

Who do you got, Pats or Giants in the Super Bowl?

Parker: (laughs) You know what, I'm a Bears fan. So one of the corny answers, I just want a good game. But either way, I think if Eli wins it, you know I'm happy for him in that market and kind of taking the beaten he's done. But then for Tom Brady to come back and win, what would it be, his 4th? (Keefe: Yeah, it would be his 4th win.) I think that would be awesome, and it would certainly cement him as being one of the elite quarterbacks of all time.

-Keefe

5 Questions with David West

2012-01-27T20:52:00.002-05:00

I had a chance to talk with Indiana forward David West prior to tonight’s Celtics-Pacers game. Here is what the Xavier product, who is averaging 11.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season had to say.

1. Keefe: What has been the key to your team’s success against the Celtics this season?

West: I don’t know. We just try to have the same approach, regardless of who we playing. Try to be aggressive and set the tone defensively.

2. Keefe: How have you been able to fit in with the Pacers in your first year, just 15-17 games in?

West: Well you know, not trying to do too much. Took me my time in terms of learning these guys. Didn’t come in and try to impose who I am on this team. You know, this is a good core, good group. I still am trying to find the best way for me to fit.

3. Keefe: What is Coach Vogel like?

West: I mean he’s good. He’s young and energetic. He keeps things positive even when we don’t play well. He’s able to get us goin, get our mind away from the game we just had and go out and get another one.

4. Keefe: Do you consider you guys a top contender in the Eastern Conference?

West: No I don’t. Nah, it’s too early, and we haven’t done anything except win a couple games.

5. Keefe: What did you make of Tu Holloway and all that went on back at Xavier?

West: I mean the game was over. But you know. Sometimes it becomes more than basketball, and that was the effect of that.

BONUS QUESTION!

Patriots or Giants in the Super Bowl?

West: Giants.

You a Giants fan?

West: Little bit.

2012 Academy Awards Nominees

2012-01-24T14:21:00.003-05:00

The nominees for the Oscars have been announced. Who will win? Or, perhaps a better question, have you heard of or seen any of these movies?

Best Picture:

The Artist

The Descendants

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

War Horse

(Wow. I must have slept through the last year. I saw.... 0 of those. Not even Moneyball. Least Eddie Murphy is hosting, wait what?)

Best Director:

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

(Couple big names, still don't care.)

Best Actor:

Demian Bichir, A Better Life

George Clooney, The Descendants

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Boy

Brad Pitt, Moneyball

(Love Gary Oldman, the guys might be the best actor out there aside from Daniel Day-Lewis. Check out some of the roles Oldman has played sometime when you're bored. I also find it very hard to believe that Pitt could win Best Actor for portraying Billy Beane. I mean come on.)

Best Actress:

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis, The Help

Rooney Mara, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

(Powerhouse crew right here, still haven't seen a damn thing nominated.)

There are a lot of other awards including Nick Nolte getting a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Warrior, which I heard was good, but still did not see it.

The 84th Annual Academy Awards will air live on February 26th. I will be in at least one Oscar Pool, so I got one month to do some homework. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised with some of these, we shall see.

Movie side note: The Dark Knight Rises comes out in July! Pumped.

-Keefe

Keefe on J.T. The Brick 1/19/12

2012-01-19T12:47:00.004-05:00

Rich Keefe was once again a guest on Fox Sports Radio's J.T. The Brick Show last night to help breakdown the Patriots, as they are only one win away from a trip to the Super Bowl. Check out the interview HERE. (Skip ahead to 19:00).

Team USA 2012 Finalists

2012-01-16T17:32:00.006-05:00

The 20 finalists for the USA Men's Basketball Team for the 2012 London Olympics were announced today. Check out this ridiculous list. (The 12 man roster and alternates will be picked in June.)

Kobe Bryant, Lakers
LeBron James, Heat
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Chris Bosh, Heat
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks
Dwight Howard, Magic
Chris Paul, Clippers
Deron Williams, Nets
Kevin Durant, Thunder
Derrick Rose, Bulls
Tyson Chandler, Knicks
Eric Gordon, Hornets
Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
Kevin Love, Timberwolves
Lamar Odom, Mavericks
Chauncey Billups, Clippers
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Andre Iguodala, 76ers
Blake Griffin, Clippers
LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers

Not sure how Odom snuck past security there but whatever. Billups is probably an easy cut too. I like their chances this summer.

-Keefe

UFC 142 Predictions

2012-01-14T19:22:00.003-05:00

I'm back baby!

After a long hiatus, I've decided to try and commit myself to posting blogs more consistently moving forward. Work has taken a toll on me, but after starting a new job, moving apartments and getting settled after the holidays, the hope is I'll have some time to make occasional posts during the week and some on the weekends.

For the first blog back, here are predictions on the main card for the UFC 142 fight tonight:

Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes

Interesting take here. I actually work with a guy who is friends with a lot of members in and associated with Team Alpha Male: Urijah Faber, Mark Munoz, and none other than Chad Mendes. We've talked a lot about this card over the last couple weeks, and he firmly believes, bias or not, that Mendes' wrestling can be the difference in this fight.

I don't.

While I think he can find success in moments throughout the fight, I don't think he'll have the ability to wear down Aldo enough in this pockets to finish him. And when the fight is on the feet, Aldo has the significant advantage. Mendes packs power, but Aldo's striking is so versatile, fluid and devastating, Mendes could be worn down by the 4th and 5th rounds. In fact, my co-worker told me he was cageside for the Aldo vs. Faber fight, and the leg kicks were devastating from Aldo. They could see the impact on his legs from the 1st row, and after the fight Faber told him they hurt like hell. Expect Mendes to face the same difficulty.

Aldo will wear him down on the feet, and while Mendes will score in short spurts, Aldo will carry a lead in the championship rounds, where Mendes will be tired, sore, and not have the spring in his legs to score any takedowns. As a result, Aldo hurts Mendes with a flurry late in the 4th before finishing him on the ground.

Result: Aldo defeats Mendes via 4th round (T)KO stoppage.

Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson

"Rumble" came rumbling onto the scale at 197lbs, 11lbs over the contracted weight. Dana White just released his Day 2 Vlog and it's interesting to watch his conversation with Belfort, informing him of the predicament and his options to either stop cutting and rehydrate now or make weight and accept 20% of Johnson's purse. Vitor, ever the professional, accepted the latter.

One thing I caught in the video, which you can view below, is that the fight will take place around 3am in Brazil. Vitor is from Brazil, so he's used to the time zone and has a sense of what needs to be done to be ready by fight time. I can't assume Johnson, far from the professional Belfort is, has the same awareness. So while Johnson may have the advantage from weighing much heavier than Belfort, he also went through some serious medical issues that caused him to miss weight, and I think Belfort will actually be fresher when they enter the cage.

In terms of tangibles, it's an interesting matchup of styles. Both are prolific strikers. Belfort has the faster, crisper strikes, while Johnson brings power that may not be matched at 170, 185, or possibly even 205. This guy throws bombs, plain and simple. But the quickness of Belfort on the feet could force Johnson to consider packing up his ego and relying on his wrestling. The "Phenom" will have to watch out for that.

Picking this fight is tough. The weight thing really throws a wrinkle into the mix, but ultimately I think Belfort prevails. He's fighting in his home country, has quick, fast hands with power, and has fought guys just as big if not bigger than Johnson. It's not something new to a guy with a wealthy of experience. Johnson will be a legitimate threat while the fight lasts, but I think Belfort wobbles "Rumble" and closes fast with a shocking flurry of strikes that puts Johnson down and out in the 2nd round.

Result: Belfort defeats Johnson via 2nd round KO

Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Massenzio

This won't take long. I'm not sure how Massenzio wins this fight. And he won't. Palhares will bully him to the mat within the first couple minutes of the fight, land some strikes from the top, then latch onto a leg as Massenzio tries to scramble. He'll tap, Palhares will hold the submission a few seconds after the ref steps in, Massenzio will get hurt, and there will be a massive scrum in the cage as UFC brass try to restore order.

In other words, just another day in the life of Palhares.

By the way, does Palhares have the biggest arms in MMA? Holy christ.

Result: Palhares defeats Massenzio via 1st round submission (kneebar)

Erick Silva vs. Carlo Prater

Prater looks like a badass, but he's actually just a veteran fighter with a ton of experience. Silva, meanwhile, is an up-and-coming prospect who is looking to pass yet another test as he tries to climb the ladder.

My knowledge of Prater goes back to his days in the WEC. A failed title attempt against then 170lb. champ Carlos Condit, and another loss to former WEC welterweight contender Brock Larson. He was wiped out in both fights, and while he's fought a lot of tough, top guys in the sport, he's never really found success at the highest of levels.

Silva, meanwhile, is a guy who has finished 10 of his 13 professional victories, 7 by submission. He's also trained with fellow Brazilians Anderson Silva and the Nogueria brothers. The guy can attack, and against Prater I think he continues his climb to contendership with relative ease. He'll soften Prater up with strikes, then after being wobbled, Prater will try and scramble for a takedown. On his knees while reaching for a leg, Prater's neck will be exposed and Silva will pounce on it, locking up the guillotine and finishing the longtime MMA vet with the tapout.

Result: Erick Silva defeats Carlo Prater via 1st round submission (guillotine choke)

Terry Etim vs. Edson Barboza

This should be a barn burner. I love to watch Etim. Long, lean and athletic, and he has a fantastic submission game. Great threat on the ground. Barboza, meanwhile, is an undefeated prospect with some serious striking on the feet. He's coming off a split decision win against Ross Pearson, a guy who's pretty talented on his feet, as well.

Both guys should bring it, and this is my early pick for Fight of the Night honors. As far as the result, Etim is going to need to get this fight to the ground and be on the attack, not fighting in a scramble. If it stays on the feet, he's tough and will be game, but it'll be the best way for him to lose a decision.

Ultimately, I think that's how it goes down. Etim won't be able to sustain any success on the mat against Barboza, and the majority of it will showcase the superior striking of the undefeated talent.

Result: Barboza defeats Etim via unanimous decision

That's all I'll weigh in on, as the undercard fights have kicked off. Just wanted to get this up as I want the end of the 49ers-Saints game and get ready for the Pats. A great weekend of sports, and more exciting UFC action coming this month, a lot of which has been featured on FOX during this game which has been pretty cool to see.

Enjoy the games and the fights!

-Bess

Saturday Parlay

2012-01-14T14:39:00.004-05:00

Been gone for a couple of weeks, figured I would bounce back with a Saturday parlay for all you gambling fans.

Winners: Patriots, Saints, Jose Aldo, Vitor Belfort, Bruins, Pacers (over Celtics).

You're looking at a lot of favorites there, but put them all together and see what happens.

Goodluck!

In fact, I can get you: Broncos (+14), Saints outright, Aldo, Belfort, Pacers (-3.5), Bruins outright.... $100 bet wins you $1,796.20. Niiiice.

-Keefe

Keefe Hosting Tonight & Tomorrow Night

2011-12-26T16:28:00.002-05:00

Rich Keefe continues to fill in on The DA Show from 6-11pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. You can listen at CBSBostonSports.com or download the Radio.com app on iTunes. Reach the show by phone: 617-779-0985, text: 69985, or twitter: @Keefe21.

The next two nights will focus on the Celtics and their start to the 66-game NBA season. The Patriots push for the #1 seed in the AFC, and the NFL playoff picture. Plus Red Sox offseason, Bruins domination of late, and UFC 141 on Friday. Tune in and be part of the show.

Merry Christmas from The Sports Brief & The Muppets

2011-12-23T18:07:00.007-05:00

This is just part of the greatest Christmas movie ever made. A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) was a made for TV special and I have watched it every year since. It doesn't get better, you can probably find the rest of it online, or do what I do and pop in the VHS.

Merry Christmas!

-Keefe

2011-12 NBA Preview

2011-12-21T13:00:00.004-05:00

The 2011-12 season tips off on Sunday, so now is the time to go on record with all my picks for the upcoming year. I'll take a shot at everything from MVP to All-Rookie 2nd Team to of course what team will be hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy this summer. Feel free to leave some of your winners in the comments section below. We'll start with team accomplishments followed by individuals awards.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Memphis Grizzlies
3. Los Angeles Clippers
4. Los Angeles Lakers
5. Dallas Mavericks
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. San Antonio Spurs
8. Denver Nuggets

Western Finals: Thunder over Clippers

EASTERN CONFERECE:

1. Miami Heat
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Boston Celtics
4. New York Knicks
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Orlando Magic/ New Jersey Nets (whoever Howard plays more for)
8. Milwaukee Bucks

Eastern Finals: Heat over Celtics

NBA Finals: Heat over Thunder

Eastern Conference All-Stars

F - LeBron James, Heat

F - Carmelo Anthony, Knicks

C - Dwight Howard, Magic/Nets?

G - Dwyane Wade, Heat

G - Derrick Rose, Bulls

Reserves:

Deron Williams, Nets
Amare Stoudemire, Knicks
Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Chris Bosh, Heat
Danny Granger, Pacers
Al Horford, Hawks

Western Conference All-Stars:

F - Kevin Durant, Thunder

F - Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

C - Marc Gasol, Grizzlies

G - Kobe Bryant, Lakers

G - Chris Paul, Clippers

Reserves:

Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
Blake Griffin, Clippers
Pau Gasol, Lakers
Steve Nash, Suns
Kevin Love, Timberwolves
Eric Gordon, Hornets

Rookie of the Year: Kemba Walker, Bobcats

All-Rookie 1st Team:

Kemba Walker, Bobcats
Ricky Rubio, Timberwolves
Jimmer Fredette, Kings
Enes Kanter, Jazz
Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers

All-Rookie 2nd Team:

Derrick Williams, Timberwolves
Brandon Knight, Pistons
Iman Shumpert, Knicks
Kawhi Leonard, Spurs
JaJuan Johnson, Celtics

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard, Magic/ Lakers?

All-Defensive 1st Team:

Dwight Howard, Magic
LeBron James, Heat
Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Serge Ibaka, Thunder
Dwyane Wade, Heat

All-Defensive 2nd Team:

Chris Paul, Clippers
Shawn Marion, Mavericks
Tyson Chandler, Knicks
Andre Iguodala, 76ers
Darren Collison, Pacers

6th Man of the Year: James Harden, Thunder

Most Improved Player: DeMarcus Cousins, Kings

Coach of the Year: Lionel Hollins, Grizzlies

MVP: Kevin Durant, Thunder

All-NBA 1st Team:

Kevin Durant, Thunder
LeBron James, Heat
Dwight Howard, Magic/ Mavs?
Chris Paul, Clippers
Dwyane Wade, Heat

All-NBA 2nd Team:

Blake Griffin, Clippers
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks
Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
Derrick Rose, Bulls
Russell Westbrook, Thunder

All-NBA 3rd Team:

Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
Amare Stoudemire, Knicks
Al Horford, Hawks
Deron Williams, Nets
Kobe Bryant, Lakers

-Keefe

Rich Keefe Hosting The DA Show

2011-12-19T13:21:00.002-05:00

The Rich Keefe Project will be sitting in for The DA Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub for the next week+. The show airs from 6-11pm Monday-Friday. 98.5 can be found on iTunes as well as at CBSBostonSports.com. You can contact the show by phone: 617-779-0985 and text: 69985.

Showtimes:

Monday - 12/19 - 6-6:30pm BRUINS vs. CANADIENS; 9:30-11pm.
Tuesday - 12/20 - 6-11pm
Wednesday - 12/21 - 6-11pm
Thursday -12/22 - 6-11pm
Friday - 12/23 - Following BRUINS vs. PANTHERS; 9:30-11pm

Sunday - 12/25 - Special Christmas post Celtics show with former Patriots TE Jermaine Wiggins from 2-6pm

Monday - 12/26 - 6-11pm
Tuesday - 12/27 - 6-11pm

Podcast: Jeff Green Out For Season

2011-12-19T13:15:00.003-05:00

Rich Keefe joined Brian Robb from CelticsHub.com to discuss the upcoming Celtics season and the news that Jeff Green would miss the entire year and undergo heart surgery.

CelticsHub.com Podcast: Discussing the Jeff Green Situation by BRobb7

2011-12 Clippers: Point Guards Galore

2011-12-16T13:11:00.005-05:00

The LA Clippers finally got the untradeable Chris Paul from the league owned New Orleans Hornets. All it took was Eric Gordon, Chris Kamen, Al-Farouq Aminu, and the T-Wolves 1st round (unprotected) pick in the 2012 draft. CP3 is now in Los Angeles, although he is not the only All-Star point guard who will be suiting up for the Clip.

Clearly Paul is one of, if not the best point guard in the NBA. But the Clippers must not have been sure he was going to land there (why would they be) as they also claimed Chauncey Billups after he was amnestied by the Knicks. The team also has Mo Williams (who they got in the Baron Davis deal with the Cavs) as well as 2nd year man Eric Bledsoe, and combo guard Randy Foye. That's 4-5 point guards out of your best 8 players. What to do?

Lucky for them, many of these guys are scoring point guards, therefore they do not need to immediately search out trades and sell low. CP3 is obviously the main man, but how will the rest of these guys fit in. I see the rotation looking something like this.

STARTERS:
PG - Chris Paul
SG - Chauncey Billips
SF - Caron Butler
PF - Blake Griffin
C - DeAndre Jordan

BENCH (from most mins to least):
Mo Williams
Ryan Gomes
Eric Bledsoe
Randy Foye
Free Agent Big Man X
Free Agent Big Man Y
Willie Warren

Trey Thompkins
Renaldo Major
Travis Leslie

Dealing Kamen, they got pretty small, but not something they can't overcome. They obviously need to add another big body to go along with Griffin and Jordan. The Clippers are going to be fast, quick, and exciting to watch. As long as Paul and Griffin stay healthy, there will be two playoff teams playing in the Staples Center this year.

-Keefe

All Eyes on Brandon Lloyd

2011-12-12T15:15:00.004-05:00

It all comes down to Rams WR Brandon Lloyd.

In a match up of 2 former Gentlemen's Club Fantasy Football League Champions, Rich Keefe and Tristan Besse turn their attention to the one and only Brandon Lloyd.

Keefe and Besse are locked up in a nail biter of a Quarterfinal. Smell the Glove (Keefe) has a 6 point lead over Team Besse (Besse) going into the Monday Night game, where only Besse's Lloyd remains.

Both teams experienced setbacks this weekend. Injuries devastated Besse (Greg Jennings and DeMarco Murray) while Keefe simply out-coached himself, benching regulars Cedric Benson, DeSean Jackson, and painfully Lions D. (For Jonathan Stewart, Malcolm Floyd, Broncos D; the difference 27 points.)

Besse was hurt by the injuries, as well as Nate Washington going for 19 on the bench, while Michael Crabtree (sub par) and Jennings (injury) did little.

With all that said, it now comes down to WR Brandon Lloyd. It is not a point per catch league, 1 point for every 10 yards and 6 for a TD.

The winner will face the Regular Season Points Leader, but neither are concerned with that right now.

If the game ends in a tie, Besse will be awarded the victory based on being the higher seed. However, I think he should be penalized for never changing his team name. Maybe that's just me.

Mir Snaps Nog's Arm; UFC 140 Results

2011-12-11T17:27:00.003-05:00

MAIN CARD:
Jon Jones def. Lyoto Machida via technical submission (standing guillotine choke) - Round 2, 4:26 (to retain light-heavyweight title)
Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira* via submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:38
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Tito Ortiz via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:15
Brian Ebersole def. Claude Patrick via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Chan Sung Jung def. Mark Hominick via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 0:07

UNDER CARD:
Igor Pokrajac def. Krzysztof Soszynski via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:35
Constantinos Philippou def. Jared Hamman via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 3:11
Dennis Hallman def. John Makdessi via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:58
Yves Jabouin def. Walel Watson via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Mark Bocek def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jake Hecht def. Rich Attonito via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:10
John Cholish def. Mitch Clarke via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 4:36

^Tito Ortiz and Big Nog went to the hospital following their losses. Each fighter could very well be done.

*Big Nog refused to tap to a kimura. The results (below) aren't pretty.

-Keefe

Hornets Didn't Get Enough?

2011-12-09T17:12:00.005-05:00

David Stern voided the big 3-team deal in the NBA last night involving the Lakers-Hornets-Rockets. Apparently the deal (negotiated by New Orleans GM Dell Demps) was not in the best interest of the Hornets... who agreed to the deal. The out cry was delivered to Stern by several pissed-off, sour-grape owners, led by Cavs cry-baby Dan Gilbert.

Forget the nonsense about Stern stepping in and calling off the trade. As ridiculous as this is, and how truly insane it is, let's focus on the players and teams involved in the "trade."

LAKERS - Chris Paul (from Hornets)

ROCKETS - Pau Gasol (from Lakers)

HORNETS - Lamar Odom (from Lakers); Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, and a draft pick (from Rockets)

First off, the Lakers get their man in CP3. A top tier point guard to team with Kobe, and potentially Dwight Howard. They also shed cap space and avoid the luxury tax (for now). But the fact that people are saying the Lakers gave up nothing to get him is ludicrous. In my opinion the Lakers gave up their 2nd and 3rd best players (Odom is better than Bynum. Fact.) They gave up their height advantage and rolled with a new concept, a quality point guard for Kobe.

So the Lakers gave up an All-Star (Gasol), almost All-Star (Odom) to get back All-Star (Paul)... who did miss half the 2009-2010 season with a knee injury...

The Rockets traded away a lot, but their master plan was to acquire Pau Gasol and then throw their newly available money at former Nuggets center Nene. Ok, they want Gasol and Nene (I'm not a big Nene fan, especially for the money he is going to get), but if that's who Daryl Morey and the Rockets want, why can't they do it? Exactly.

Lastly, the Hornets. People are saying they gave away the best player in the deal and didn't even get the 2nd best player. On the surface, that is probably right. But to call what they got back "trash," "garbage," "Odom and crap," etc. is simply wrong. You are not going to get equal value in a trade for a megastar. Hasn't happened. (Examples below). The Hornets need to get something for a guy who is definitely going to bounce in 7 months.

They got (last year's numbers in parenthesis).

Lamar Odom (14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3 assists)
Luis Scola (18.3 points, 8.2 rebounds)
Kevin Martin (23.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists)
Goran Dragic (7.5 points and shot 52% from 3 after trade from PHX)

Again, the Hornets trade their All-Star point guard for 3 bonafide NBA starters, a back-up point guard with some upside, and a pick. What else were they going to do? That's a solid trade. They aren't winning the title, but they're gonna be competitive. Let's see how that trade stacks up to some of the other Superstar deals of NBA past.

1992: 76ers trade Charles Barkley to the Suns for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, & Tim Perry

(I don't need to tell you that Barkley then won the MVP with Phoenix and led them to the Finals)

2004: Lakers trade Shaquille O'Neal to the Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, a 1st & 2nd round pick

2007: T-Wolves trade Kevin Garnett to the Celtics for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, and two 1st round picks

2008: Grizzlies trade Pau Gasol (and 2nd round pick) to Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, ammo, Marc Gasol (who no one knew would be this good), and two 1st round picks.

There are more. Those are just the ones that come to mind. You aren't going to trade CP3 for Deron Williams or Derrick Rose. You also aren't going to re-sign him after this season. The league just hurt the Hornets going forward. Maybe the team should not exist. If no one buys the team in the next few months, I say contract them. One less team would help the NBA.

There is still a chance this deal gets done (or one similar), let's hope it does. The league looked bad during the lockout, but this is worse.

-Keefe

Bowl Games Worth Watching

2011-12-07T15:05:00.004-05:00

The Bowl Schedule has been out for a few days, but it takes at least that long to truly digest the fact that there are 35 different bowl games. 70 of the 120 Division 1-A teams will play in a bowl. Let that sink in. Quick math says that over 58% of the teams in the country make it to a friggin bowl game. I know that's not new this season, but it doesn't make it any less ridiculous. So with a plethora of 6-6 teams (even a 6-7 UCLA team which got in cause it lost in the Conference Championship game) which games are worth watching this year? Here is the list.

New Mexico Bowl- Wyoming (8-4) vs. Temple (8-4)
December 17, Saturday, 2:00pm ESPN

What the hell? Yes I start with Wyo vs. Temple. The reasons are simple. 1. My Dad went to Wyoming and we don't get to see them on TV very often. 2. It's the first Bowl game of the year. 3. Well, that's it.

Las Vegas Bowl- Boise State (11-1) vs. Arizona State (6-6)
December 22, Thursday, 8:00pm ESPN

Boise State had a real shot at the BCS Title Game this season. The loss to TCU bumped them for that, and little did we know at the time, also knocked from any BCS Bowl, or even one after Christmas! Coach Peterson was outspoken about the BCS, does this mean they beat the balls off the coach-less Sun Devils? I say yes. Also the final college game of one of the great QB's of all time Kellen Moore.

Alamo Bowl- Baylor (9-3) vs. Washington (7-5)
December 29, Thursday, 9:00pm ESPN

My Heisman winner Robert Griffin III leads his Bears against Sophomore QB Keith Price and the Huskies. I say Griffin wins the trophy, plays one last college game, and heads into the 1st round. This is the game for you if you've missed Baylor this year.

Rose Bowl- Oregon (11-2) vs. Wisconsin (11-2)
January 2, Monday, 5:00pm ESPN

It's the Pac-12 Champ vs. the Big 10 Champ. Oregon's high flying offense led by head coach (and New Hampshire native) Chip Kelly square off against Heisman finalist RB Montee Ball and Heisman candidate QB Russell Wilson. Ball will be going for the TD record in this one (although he will have played 3 MORE games than Barry Sanders). Teams like this also make you long for a playoff.

Fiesta Bowl- Oklahoma State (11-1) vs. Stanford (11-1)
January 2, Monday, 8:30pm ESPN

Andrew Luck vs. Brandon Weeden. Toss in the best WR in the nation, OK State's Justin Blackmon and I am in. I also believe the Cowboys should be in the title game vs. LSU. If OSU can blow out Stanford they will definitely garner some 1st place votes (if LSU loses).

Cotton Bowl- Arkansas (10-2) vs. Kansas State (10-2)
January 6, Friday, 8:00pm FOX

It may not be the SEC vs. Big 12 match up that I wanted to see, but it's still pretty intriguing. Conference bragging rights will be on the line.

BCS Championship Game- LSU (13-0) vs. Alabama (11-1)
January 9, Monday, 8:30pm ESPN

I was going to boycott the game, but the fact is, at worst its a match up of 2 of the top 3 teams in the country. I don't like it, but I'll watch. My biggest problems.
-We already saw this game.
-It was 9-6.
-Alabama had their chance.
-There are other deserving teams. (See: Oklahoma State)
-If Bama wins a close game (say by 3) then what?
-You can win a National Championship without winning a Conference Championship?

In summary, I am interested in 7/35 of the Bowls. (20%). And that might be high compared to you.

What about something different, like, oh, I don't know, a PLAYOFF!

8- Team Tournament: (Higher seeds host games until Title Game)

1. LSU
8. Kansas State

4. Stanford
5. Oregon

3. Oklahoma State
6. Arkansas

2. Alabama
7. Boise State

Good Lord! I am in on that! (How bad is KSU, ARK, Boise missing out on this and a Top 5 Bowl Game, brutal.)

WE WANT A PLAYOFF!

-Keefe

Keefe's Heisman Ballot

2011-12-05T11:19:00.004-05:00

Believe it or not, I actually DON'T have a Heisman vote. I'm just as surprised as you are. Apparently the Heisman people(?) take The Sports Brief as some kind of "amateur blog." Whatever. If I had a vote this is how my Top 10 would look.

10. Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
113 receptions (2nd in NCAA), 1,336 yards (7th), 15 TDs (t-3rd)

9. Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin
2,879 yards passing, 31 TD - 3 INT, 191.6 QB Rating (2nd)

8. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
3,507 yards passing, 41 TD (2nd) - 7 INT, 176.8 QB Rating (4th)

7. Tyrann Mathieu, CB/PR, LSU
71 tackles, 2 INT, 1.5 sacks, 2 punt return TDs

6. Montee Ball, RB, Wisconsin
1,759 yards rushing (1st), 32 rush TD (1st), 38 total TD (1st)

5. Case Keenum, QB, Houston
5,099 yards passing (1st), 45 TD (1st) - 5 INT, 177.9 QB Rating (3rd)

4. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
3,528 yards passing, 39 TD (3rd) - 7 INT, 161.8 QB Rating (8th)

3. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
3,170 yards passing, 35 TD (5th) - 9 INT, 167.5 QB Rating (5th)

2. Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
1,583 rushing yards (6th), 20 TD (5th) 23 total TD

1. Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
3,998 yards (6th), 36 TD (4th) - 6 INT, 192.3 QB Rating (1st), 644 rushing yards, 9 TD rush

There you have it. The finalists in New York should be Griffin, Richardson, Luck, Barkley. If Houston could have capped off a perfect season I would have invited Keenum, but after losing to Southern Miss, sorry you got to sit home.

Also while we are on the subject of college football, what a joke the bowls are. I mean Virgina Tech is in the Sugar Bowl?? They suck. They lost twice to Clemson and didn't beat a good team ALL season. Meanwhile Boise State, Arkansas, Kansas State, and Baylor are all in weaker (less profitable) bowls. And how about Michigan getting in over Michigan State to a BCS Bowl. Awful. Not to mention I am not looking forward to a rematch of a game that was 9-6 for our National Championship. Sucks.

-Keefe

UK + UNC = Ridiculous

2011-12-03T13:50:00.003-05:00

#1 Kentucky and #5 North Carolina squared off on Saturday afternoon at Rupp Arena. UK won the game 73-72. It was a great college basketball game, but the NBA fanatic in me could not get over the number of legit 1st round talent participating in the game. We know both these schools have storied histories and both coaches (John Calipari - UK and Roy Williams - UNC) can recruit as well as anyone in the country.

(The last few years Calipari has coached: Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, John Wall, Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, and more.)

Check out the NBA prospects (with ESPN's Chad Ford's rankings) that played in this game.

1. Anthony Davis, Kentucky, Freshman
2. Harrison Barnes, North Carolina, Sophomore
9. John Henson, North Carolina, Junior
11. James McAdoo, North Carolina. Freshman
12. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky, Freshman
13. Terrence Jones, Kentucky, Sophomore
17. Tyler Zeller, North Carolina, Senior
18. Marques Teague, Kentucky, Freshman
29. Doron Lamb, Kentucky, Sophomore
40. Kendall Marshall, North Carolina, Sophomore
45. P.J. Hairston, North Carolina, Freshman
96. Reggie Bullock, North Carolina, Sophomore

That's insane. As you can see, 12 of the Top 100; 11 of the Top 50; and 8 of the Top 20 players in the country play for either Kentucky or North Carolina. What a game. Won't be surprised if we see this one again in late March/ early April.

-Keefe

Rajon Rondo vs. Chris Paul

2011-11-30T12:01:00.003-05:00

The NBA is back. What better way to spark the conversation and get attention than a trade rumor involving two of the league's Top 5 point guards? It appears as though Danny Ainge and the Celtics are extremely interested in Hornets All-Star Chris Paul and are willing to trade away their All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo to make the deal happen. Will it happen? Should it happen? Let's check the tale of the tape first. Rondo vs. CP3.

Rajon Rondo
Age: 25
Current Contract: 4 years remaining at a total of $46 million
NBA Seasons: 5
Games: 384
Career Averages: 10.7 points, 7.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 48.6% FG

2010-11: 10.6 points, 11.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 47.5% FG

Playoffs: (78 games) 13.8 points, 8.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 43.7 % FG

Achievements: 2-time All-Star, NBA Champion, 1st Team All-Defense (2), 2nd Team All-Defense, All-Rookie 2nd Team

Chris Paul
Age: 26
Current Contract: 1 year left for $16.36 million (player option for '12-'13 for $17.78 million)
NBA Seasons: 6
Games: 425
Career Averages: 18.7 points, 9.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 47.1% FG

2010-11: 15.9 points, 9.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 46.3% FG

Playoffs: (23 games) 21.9 points, 11.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2 steals, 49.3% FG

Achievements: 4-time All-Star, All-NBA 1st Team (1), All-NBA 2nd Team (1), All-NBA 3rd Team (1), All-Defense 1st Team (1), All-Defense 2nd Team (2), Rookie of the Year

CP3 also gets a huge nod in free throw shooting and 3-point shooting. He is 85% at the line, and 36% from deep for his career while Rondo is a sad 62% and 24%.

Both the statistics and the eye test prove that Chris Paul is a better player overall than Rajon Rondo. That is not breaking news. However a trade for the two All-Star point guards is not nearly that simple. Would Paul sign an extension to stay in Boston? Does he think that an aging Paul Pierce and what Avery Bradley, JaJuan Johnson, maybe Jeff Green look like a solid foundation? Is that better than any of his Hornets teams?

The Paul extension really is the beginning and end of the conversation. If the answer is "No." or even "We'll see." I'll have to pass on the deal. And why would he want to sign with the Celtics again? Exactly.

If, for some magical reason, he would rather play in Boston than in New York with his buddies Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, or even stay in New Orleans where he has played his entire career and is the face of the franchise, it's still not a slam dunk. As it stands now, Rondo, Pierce, and Bradley are the only players under contract for next season. So obviously there will be a dozen more guys signing. If Chris Paul opts out of his player option to become a free agent, he is walking away from close to $18 million in guaranteed money for next season. Therefore he is going to cost a pretty penny.

Paul could make more money over a longer period of time staying with the Hornets (this is also where sign and trades come in to play as well.) But let's just say he makes between $18-20 million dollars a year for the next 4 years in this "dream" scenario where he comes to Boston. You still need to surround him with talent, and clearly more than just a David West, Tyson Chandler, or Emeka Okafor. We've already seen how far that can go.

Regardless of what happens, the Celtics are going to go through a major makeover for the 2012-13 season and beyond. I don't know all the players who will be available and (almost as important) interested in coming to Boston, but I do know that Rondo will be anywhere from $5-10 million cheaper than CP3. You can get a pretty good player for that price.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plays out. And the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Ainge and the Celtics are leaking this story just to get some talk going concerning the Celtics. I mean you got the defending Stanley Cup Bruins, who are 11-0-1 this month, the Patriots looking to be the #1 seed in the AFC and the Red Sox just hired Bobby Valentine. How else can you still some headlines than with a "trade your only good young player" rumor.

Either way, I'm just glad we're talking about the NBA again.

-Keefe

Keefe's College Football Top 10

2011-11-27T08:41:00.003-05:00

The BCS will be released later today, but do you trust it? I don't. Virginia Tech is in the Top 5? Who have they beaten? Seriously. Before next week's Conference Title games and regular season finales, this is how the Top 10 in College Football should look like.

1. LSU (12-0)
2. Alabama (11-1)
3. Oklahoma State (10-1)
4. Oregon (10-2)
5. Stanford (11-1)
6. Boise State (10-1)
7. USC (10-2)
8. Arkansas (10-2)
9. Oklahoma (9-2)
10. Wisconsin (10-2)

It won't look like that, but it should. Also, count me as someone who does NOT want to see an LSU-Bama rematch in the title game, however right now they are the two best teams in the country. I'll be rooting for a Georgia win in the SEC title game over LSU and then absolute chaos.

-Keefe

AND HOW ABOUT THE NBA? More on that to come.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:52:00.003-05:00

Come on inside for Football & Turkey!

Quick Picks:

Lions (+7) over Packers
Cowboys (-7.5) over Dolphins
Ravens (-3) over 49ers

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Keefe

Rich Keefe on JT The Brick 11/21/11

2011-11-22T13:05:00.002-05:00

Rich Keefe once again joined the JT The Brick Show on Fox Sports Radio to break down the Patriots 34-3 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Listen below. (Skip ahead to 17:55).

Erin Andrews Gatorade Shower

2011-11-21T16:48:00.002-05:00

Baylor knocked off #5 Oklahoma on Saturday night. Robert Griffin III was good, but Erin Andrews getting a Gatorade shower was better.

-Keefe

Hendo, Wanderlei Win; UFC 139 Results

2011-11-20T07:31:00.003-05:00

MAIN CARD:
Dan Henderson* def. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
Wanderlei Silva def. Cung Le via knockout (strikes) - Round 2, 4:49
Urijah Faber** def. Brian Bowles via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 1:27
Martin Kampmann def. Rick Story via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Stephan Bonnar def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-27)

UNDER CARD:
Ryan Bader def. Jason Brilz via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 1:17
Michael McDonald def. Alex Soto via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:56
Chris Weidman def. Tom Lawlor via technical submission (D'arce choke) - Round 1, 2:07
Gleison Tibau def. Rafael dos Anjos via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Miguel Torres def. Nick Pace via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 0:42
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 4:52

*Hendo will likely face Jon Jones-Lyoto Machida winner for a shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight Title

**Faber will face Dominick Cruz (for the third time) for the UFC Bantamweight Title.

Be sure to check out The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings.

-Keefe

Night of Legends: UFC 139 Preview

2011-11-18T14:27:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow night the UFC continues their ridiculous streak of events with UFC 139 out in San Jose. This card is stacked with former champions. The great champs from PRIDE will be well represented as Shogun Rua faces Dan Henderson, and Wanderlei Silva takes on former Strikeforce champ and action movie star Cung Le in his UFC debut. Also two of the best from the WEC square off with Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles.

Here is a closer look at the 6 MMA legends who will enter the cage on Saturday night.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
MMA Record: 20-5
UFC Record: 4-3
Last Five: 3-2

Key Wins: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem (2), Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Forrest Griffin
Key Losses: Babalu Sobral, Coleman, Griffin, Jon Jones

Achievements: PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion (2005), UFC Light Heavyweight Champion

Dan Henderson
MMA Record: 28-8
UFC Record: 5-2
Last Five: 4-1

Key Wins: Carlos Newton, Gilbert Yvel, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Babalu Sobral (2), Renzo Gracie, Murilo Rua, Murilo Bustamante (2), Akihiro Gono, Kazuo Misaki, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Rafael Cavalcante, Fedor Emelianenko
Key Losses: Wanderlei Silva, Big Nog, Lil Nog, Ricardo Arona, Misaki, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Anderson Silva, Jake Shields

Achievements: UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament Winner, PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix Champion (2005), PRIDE Welterweight Champion, PRIDE Middleweight Champion, Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion

Wanderlei Silva
MMA Record: 34-11-1
UFC Record: 3-6
Last Five: 2-3

Key Wins: Guy Mezger, Dan Henderson, Sakuraba (3), Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (2), Ricardo Arona, Keith Jardine, Michael Bisping
Key Losses: Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz, Mark Hunt, Arona, Cro Cop, Henderson, Chuck Liddell, Rampage, Rich Franklin, Chris Leben

Achievements: PRIDE Middleweight Champion (2001-2007), PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion (2003). Most wins (22) and KOs (15) in PRIDE FC history

Cung Le
MMA Record: 7-1
UFC Record: ---
Last Five: 4-1

Key Wins: Frank Shamrock, Scott Smith
Key Loss: Smith

Achievements: Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, all 7 wins by KO

Urijah Faber
MMA Record: 25-5
UFC Record: 1-1
Last Five: 3-2

Key Wins: Cole Escovedo, Charlie Valencia, Dominick Cruz, Jeff Curran, Jens Pulver (2)
Key Losses: Tyson Griffin, Mike Brown (2), Jose Aldo, Cruz

Achievements: WEC Featherweight Champion

Brian Bowles
MMA Record: 10-1
UFC Record: 2-0
Last Five: 4-1

Key Wins: Charlie Valencia, Damacio Page (2), Will Ribeiro, Miguel Torres, Takeya Mizugaki
Key Loss: Dominick Cruz

Achievements: WEC Bantamweight Champion

With these 6 guys on the card, it should be great. Wanderlei is past his prime, but is still a must-see guy. I'm torn on my picks. I'll go Shogun, Le, Bowles.

Enjoy the fights.

-Keefe

Thanks For Playing Herman Cain

2011-11-16T16:24:00.003-05:00

We don't usually get involved with politics here on The Sports Brief, in fact this might be the first post ever to mention a Presidential candidate. But this is certainly a unique case. You've probably seen it by now, or at least heard it, here is Herman Cain's interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Wow. Instant classic. Your move Rick Perry.

The bigger question is, does SNL just replay this or actually act it out?

-Keefe

UFC Title Picture By Division

2011-11-15T14:51:00.004-05:00

There are 7 divisions in the UFC. The biggest of them all took center stage last Saturday night for the promotions network television debut. Junior Dos Santos defeated Cain Velasquez to become the newest champ in the UFC. What is next for JDS and the rest of the champs? Here is a divisional breakdown of the best-of-the-best.

HEAVYWEIGHT:
Champion: Junior Dos Santos

How: Defeated Cain Velasquez, November 12, 2011 at UFC on Fox

What's Next? Faces the winner of Brock Lesnar - Alistair Overeem, which is set for December 30, 2011 at UFC 141. It will be Dos Santos' first title defense.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT:
Champion: Jon Jones

How: Defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, March 19, 2011 at UFC 128. Defended title against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, September 24, 2011 at UFC 135.

What's Next? Was set to face Rashad Evans but injuries to Evans have postponed the match up twice, he will now square off against former champ Lyoto Machida, December 10, 2011 at UFC 140.

MIDDLEWEIGHT:
Champion: Anderson Silva

How: Defeated Rich Franklin, October 14, 2006 at UFC 64. Defended title a record 9 times with wins over:
Nate Marquart (UFC 73)
Rich Franklin (UFC 77)
Dan Henderson (UFC 82)
Patrick Cote (UFC 90)
Thales Leites (UFC 97)
Demian Maia (UFC 112)
Chael Sonnen (UFC 117)
Vitor Belfort (UFC 126)
Yushin Okami (UFC 134)

What's Next? Rematch with Chael Sonnen, date TBA.

WELTERWEIGHT:
Champion: Georges St. Pierre

How: (On current run) Defeated Matt Hughes, December 29, 2007 at UFC 79 for Interim Title, defeated Matt Serra, April 19, 2008, to become undisputed champ. Defended title 6 times with wins over:
Jon Fitch (UFC 87)
B.J. Penn (UFC 94)
Thiago Alves (UFC 100)
Dan Hardy (UFC 111)
Josh Koscheck (UFC 124)
Jake Shields (UFC 129)

What's Next: Nick Diaz, February 4, 2012 at UFC 143. (GSP was set to face Diaz at UFC 137, before Diaz was replaced by Carlos Condit because of failure to meet pre-fight responsibilities. GSP was then off the card due to injury.)

LIGHTWEIGHT:
Champion: Frankie Edgar

How: Defeated B.J. Penn, April 10, 2010 at UFC 112. Defended title against B.J. Penn, August 28, 2010 at UFC 118, kept title after a draw with Gray Maynard at UFC 125, and then defeated Maynard at UFC 136.

What's Next: Ben Henderson, February 26, 2012 at UFC 144.

FEATHERWEIGHT:
Champion: Jose Aldo

How: (WEC Title became UFC Title) Defeated Mike Brown, November 18, 2009 at WEC 44. Defended belt 4 times:
Urjiah Faber (WEC 48)
Manny Gamburyan (WEC 51)
Mark Hominick (UFC 129)
Kenny Florian (UFC 136)

What's Next: Chad Mendes, January 14, 2012 at UFC 142.

BANTAMWEIGHT:
Champion: Dominick Cruz

How: (WEC Title became UFC Title) Defeated Brian Bowles, March 6, 2010 at WEC 47. Defended belt 4 times:
Joseph Benavidez (WEC 50)
Scott Jorgensen (WEC 53)
Urijah Faber (UFC 132)
Demetrious Johnson (UFC on Versus 6)

What's Next: TBA likely winner of Faber vs. Bowles which is set for this Saturday at UFC 139.

-Keefe

Dos Santos Wins Title: Full UFC on Fox Results

2011-11-13T15:06:00.003-05:00

The UFC made its debut on national television last night with a one-bout Heavyweight Championship showcase. The telecast began at 9:00pm EST and after 30+ minutes of build up with stories about the two (challenger Junior Dos Santos and champion Cain Velasquez) as well as commentary from UFC president Dana White and former UFC champ Brock Lesnar, the fight finally got underway. And it didn't last long.

Perhaps a bittersweet moment for the UFC, its first fight on Fox, which had been built up for months on their network, particularly during NFL games on Sunday. The fight lasted just over 1 minute, with Dos Santos becoming the newest Heavyweight Champ.

For those that criticized the fact that only one fight was shown on Fox (the rest of the card was seen on facebook and or FUEL TV), Dana White has two words for you, "Shut up." The fact is the contract between the UFC and Fox does not kick off until 2012, so this was really just a taste. But will it leave casual fans wanting more?

Full results below.

MAIN CARD
Junior Dos Santos def. Cain Velasquez via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 1:04 - Heavyweight Championship Bout

UNDER CARD
Ben Henderson def. Clay Guida via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Dustin Poirier def. Pablo Garza via submission (D'arce choke) - Round 2, 1:32
Ricardo Lamas def. Cub Swanson via submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 2, 2:16
DaMarques Johnson def. Clay Harvison via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:34
Darren Uyenoyama def. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
Robert Peralta def. Mackens Semerzier via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 1:54
Alex Caceres def. Cole Escovedo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Mike Pierce def. Paul Bradley via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Aaron Rosa def. Matt Lucas via majority decision (28-28, 30-26, 30-26)

The Rich Keefe Project on 98.5 this Weekend

2011-11-11T12:20:00.003-05:00

Check out The Rich Keefe Project this weekend on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Who: Rich Keefe
What: Two radio shows
When: Saturday night following Bruins-Sabres & Sunday afternoon post Cowboys-Bills & before Patriots pre-game. (Sat. 9:40pm-ish & Sun. 4pm-ish start times)
Where: 98.5 The Sports Hub / CBS Boston
Why: Why not?

Call in at (617) 779-0985 and text the show at 69985.

Penn State Saga

2011-11-09T13:28:00.004-05:00

The Penn State situation has gotten completely out of hand. One day after the school cancels Joe Paterno's weekly press conference, he comes out with a statement saying how he is going to retire at the end of the year and that the school should not worry about his status. What? Why does he get to say that? Yeah, you coached for 46 years at the same place, but sorry pal this one is out of your control now, after you let it go without doing anything.

Paterno needs to go, the President of Penn State needs to go, the WR's coach (then an intern or whatever) needs to go, and can the NCAA get involved in this one? If Ohio State and USC can get in all kinds of trouble for tattoos and some money, I think Penn State deserves something, right?

Fire all those who knew about it and did nothing. No bowl games for awhile, (sorry Outback Bowl, which seems to get the Nittany Lions every year). Something tells me that even if the NCAA doesn't do a damn thing, smart and talented high school football players who are getting recruited my multiple schools will see what's going on at Penn State and say, I might go somewhere else. Good.

Former Penn State DT and horrible Lions GM Matt Millen was on SportsCenter yesterday talking about the news coming out about his alma mater. I thought it was pretty good...

-Keefe

Joe Frazier: 1944-2011

2011-11-08T13:06:00.005-05:00

Former Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier was one of the greatest boxers of all-time. Everyone knows his name, but do we all really know how good he was?

Smokin' Joe won the 1964 Olympic Gold Medal over in Japan, competing in the heavyweight division. In 3 years as an amateur (1962-64) he lost 1 bout.

He went on to amass a ridiculous 32-4-1 record as a professional. In fact he began his pro career 29-0 with wins over Buster Mathis, Oscar Bonavena (twice), and in "The Fight of the Century" in 1971 he defeated Muhammad Ali to cap off his 29-0 start. The fight was the first ever to feature two undefeated champions. Ali was 31-0 and coming off a 3 year suspension while Frazier was 28-0.

You wonder how many times these guys could have squared off if Ali was around in the late 1960s, although I'm not sure we really needed to see too many more rounds between these two all-time greats.

Frazier would finish his career 4-4-1 with two losses each to Ali and George Foreman. In all he went 41 rounds with Ali and another 7 with Foreman. The fact is he didn't match up well at all with Foreman (who did?) being 4 inches shorter.

Smokin Joe Frazier was born in South Carolina but became the pride of Philadelphia. He was one of the toughest athletes ever and will be remembered as one of the greatest boxing champions of all-time. If anyone was ever a badass it was him.

R.I.P. Joe Frazier.

-Keefe

UFC 138 Results

2011-11-05T19:53:00.004-04:00

IF YOU PLAN ON WATCHING THE FIGHTS ON SPIKE'S TAPE DELAY TONIGHT, DO NOT SCROLL DOWN. IF YOU DON'T CARE, CHECK OUT THE UFC 138 RESULTS BELOW....

MAIN CARD:
•Mark Munoz def. Chris Leben via TKO (corner's stoppage) - Round 2, 5:00
•Renan Barao def. Brad Pickett via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:09
•Thiago Alves def. Papy Abedi via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:32
•Anthony Perosh def. Cyrille Diabate via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 3:09
•Terry Etim def. Edward Faaloloto via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 0:17

UNDER CARD:
•John Maguire def. Justin Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Philip De Fries def. Rob Broughton via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
•Michihiro Omigawa def. Jason Young via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
•Che Mills def. Chris Cope via TKO (knee) - Round 1, 0:40
•Chris Cariaso def. Vaughan Lee via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Reminder: The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings can be found on the right side of the site by simply clicking "MMA Rankings." The Top 10 lists have been updated to include the UFC 138 results.

Grand Theft Auto V Trailer!

2011-11-02T15:38:00.001-04:00

Release Date: TBA
Battle Meter: 100

Assassins Creed Revelations Trailer

2011-11-02T15:33:00.002-04:00

Here come a couple video games that have not been released yet, but look pretty sick. First up the latest installment in the Assassins Creed franchise.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T15:18:00.004-04:00

UFC 137 Results

2011-10-30T07:32:00.002-04:00

MAIN CARD:
Nick Diaz def. B.J. Penn via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
Cheick Kongo def. Matt Mitrione via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-28, 29-28)
Roy Nelson def. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 1:30
Scott Jorgensen def. Jeff Curran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Hatsu Hioki def. George Roop via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

UNDER CARD:
Donald Cerrone def. Dennis Siver via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:22
Bart Palaszewski def. Tyson Griffin via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 2:45
Brandon Vera def. Eliot Marshall via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ramsey Nijem def. Danny Downes via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)
Francis Carmont def. Chris Camozzi via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Clifford Starks def. Dustin Jacoby via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Perhaps the biggest news of the night (besides B.J. Penn saying he is done) is that Dana White announced that Nick Diaz will face Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre on Super Bowl Weekend as Carlos Condit has agreed to step aside, allowing the angry GSP to fight Diaz.

After his fight Diaz said that he doesn't believe St. Pierre is hurt and that he is afraid to fight anyone right now... apparently this upset GSP and he will now take on Diaz for the belt a few months from now...

Ridiculous List of Horror Movie Remakes

2011-10-28T12:22:00.003-04:00

It really is comical how many horror movies have been remade in the last 10-15 years. There are so few original ideas out there. Movies that came out 20 somethin years ago are still being remade or "re-imagined" as those involved like to say. I'm not dumping on all of these movies, cause I have enjoyed some, but still this is a bit much. ALL of these movies listed below have been re-done. (Not a complete list)

Halloween

Halloween II

Friday the 13th

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Black Christmas

When a Stranger Calls

The Hills Have Eyes

The Hills Have Eyes II

Psycho

The Thing (twice)

The Fly

House on Haunted Hill

Dawn of the Dead

Cape Fear

House of Wax

The Hitcher

Dracula

Frankenstein

The Wolfman

Prom Night

The Omen

I Spit on Your Grave

The Wicker Man

It's Alive

The Last House on the Left

Red Dragon (was Manhunter)

My Bloody Valentine

Night of the Living Dead

Piranha

One Missed Call

Quarantine (was REC)

The Ring (was Ringu)

The Ring 2 (was Ringu 2)

Sorority Row (was The House on Sorority Row)

The Amityville Horror

The Crazies

The Eye

The Fog

The Grudge

The Haunting

The Stepfather

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The Uninvited (was The Tale of Two Sisters)

13 Ghosts

There are many more, but these are the most popular. So remember young fans of Horror, when you're watching a movie, ask yourself, "Is this the original?" Chances are, the answer is no.

-Keefe

Top 5 Horror Movies By Decade

2011-10-26T13:52:00.004-04:00

Less than a week away from Halloween, let's talk Horror Movies. The Sports Brief covers the Horror genre like no other Sports Blog out there. (That's gotta be true.) You can search "horror" in the upper left hand corner of this site to see all of the past entries related to Horror, including past lists and reviews of such classics as Scream 4, Trick r' Treat, and The Strangers.

This list gives you the best five films of each decade going back to the 1950s. You'll want to keep the light on. Buahahahaha. (You know what I'm sayin.)

1950s
5. The Bat (1959)
4. The Fly (1958)
3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
2. House of Wax (1953)
1. House on Haunted Hill (1959)

1960s
5. Peeping Tom (1960)
4. Cape Fear (1962)
3. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
2. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
1. Psycho (1960)

1970s
5. Alice Sweet Alice (1976)
4. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
3. Black Christmas (1974)
2. The Exorcist (1973)
1. Halloween (1978)

1980s
5. Evil Dead II (1987)
4. The Thing (1982)
3. Friday the 13th (1980)
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
1. The Shining (1980)

1990s
5. Candyman (1992)
4. Basic Instinct (1992)
3. Seven (1995)
2. Silence of the Lambs (1991)
1. Scream (1996)

2000s
5. Feast (2005)
4. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
3. The Ring (2002)
2. Saw (2004)
1. The Devil's Rejects (2005)

2010s
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
4. Saw 3D (2010)
3. Shutter Island (2010)
2. The Crazies (2010)
1. Scream 4 (2011)

There you have it. Clearly I have not seen enough horror movies that were released in the past two years, because the 2010s list is pretty weak, but I'm not going to put something on there that I haven't seen. Feel free to let me know what ones I missed.

-Keefe

Battle Meter vs. Compete Level

2011-10-19T20:26:00.005-04:00

The Rich Keefe Project's "Battle Meter" takes on The DA Show's "Compete Level." Who will win?

These BM100 shirts are going like hot cakes. They only come in "sleeveless" and "XL". And currently there is a shortage. (read: 1).

Submit Battle Meter shirts request to sportsbrief@gmail.com

#TheRichKeefeProject
@Keefe21

Your 2011 Halloween Costume

2011-10-18T19:32:00.004-04:00

Every year you end up going to a costume party on Halloween. Even if you think you won't, you do. The keys to a great costume are simple.

1. Funny
2. Topical or Ironic or Whatever (Recognizable, you don't want to have to explain to everyone what the hell you are.)
3. Cheap (How much you need to spend on something you wear once?)
4. Ability to be Comfortable (Not Hot, Cold, etc.)
5. Ability to Drink/ Eat (Masks are an obstacle)

With all that being said, I think this year it's obvious. Go as Jon Lester or Josh Beckett or, if you are a mouth breather John Lackey.

What you need...

Sox Hat.

Sox Jersey of Shirt (player name optional).

Bud Lights. "Rally Beers."

Good Ole Fried Chicken. Popeye's if you can.

It's that easy. If you want to really play it up you can get some of those ridiculous necklaces that they all wear, and depending on which pitcher you choose, you can add details accordingly.

Happy Halloween

-Keefe

Podcast: Week 6 Fantasy Football

2011-10-16T11:33:00.004-04:00

Rich Keefe joined Mike Lockhart on the 98.5 The Sports Hub Fantasy Football show to help break down Week 6. Due to technical difficulties we could not post this in time to help you with your lineup adjustments. But it's fun to look back and see what the guys said going into Sunday's action.

Goodluck.

98.5 Fantasy Football Show

2011-10-15T12:44:00.003-04:00

Rich Keefe will fill in for Nick Cattles on Saturday, October 16th (tomorrow!)from 9:00-10:00am along side Mike Lockhart on the 98.5 The Sports Hub Fantasy Football Show. They will bring you 60 minutes of Fantasy Football action. Call in at: (617)779-0985 or text your lineup questions to 69985.

Listen live at CBS Boston Sports

FU NBA

2011-10-11T14:59:00.005-04:00

Well my favorite professional sports league has just canceled the first two weeks of the regular season, and both sides seem to be very far apart. Awful. There are really no words to describe how stupid this is for both sides. Changes NEED to be made but neither the players or the owners want to give in. Goodluck with all that.

What else can we do? We got the MLB playoffs, NFL regular season, College Football, NHL, and great UFC cards booked throughout the rest of 2011. I guess we are going to have to take the good with the very, very bad, that is the NBA.

-Keefe

You Like Brandon Inge?

2011-10-03T22:29:00.005-04:00

The Tigers and Yankees are squaring off in the ALDS, playing 3B for Detroit is the one and only Brandon Inge. Great stuff. Enjoy.

-Keefe

Why The Sox Missed The Playoffs

2011-09-29T14:19:00.007-04:00

We all saw the Red Sox pull off the greatest regular season collapse in Major League Baseball history. The Rays, Orioles, and Yankees all played a very small part in history but it truly was the Sox who let it all get away. A miserable start to the season and miserable end erased what was a very successful middle. For the second straight year the Red Sox will not be in the postseason. Their last playoff win was back in the 2008 ALCS.

I won't bore you with a play-by-play account of last night's action, which all of you were watching or following anyway. Instead here are the main reasons that the Red Sox will be watching when the Yankees face the Tigers and the Rays meet the Rangers in the ALDS.

Start the year 0-6; 2-10

End the year 7-20

Go 2-5 vs. the Orioles in the final week + of the season

Allow Robert Andino to be the hero... again. (Andino hit .273-3-10 vs. BOS

In year 1 of Carl Crawford's $136 million deal he finishes the season: .255-11 HR-55 RBI & 18 SB... that's 18 steals! He is on pace to make a little over $1 million for every bag he steals. Wow. Also as we found out, he sucks in the outfield.

Right Field... enough said

Jonathan Papelbon (who was great all season) still blows a save in the biggest spot. Anyone else remember the 2009 playoffs?

Beckett & Lester crapping in their pants in September

(I won't blame injuries, but might as well mention Buchholz and Youkilis missing a lot of time, hello training staff.)

John Lackey: 12-12, 6.41 ERA. Also apparently is getting divorced from his cancer stricken wife. Yikes. Least he will have the opportunity to make up for it next year, or 2013, or 2014, or 2015...

Bobby Jenks.

Terry Francona allowing his players to think its ok to have an excuse for every single loss.

Going 10-8 in Interleague, when they normally clean-up, and bitching the entire time they played in an NL park.

And perhaps most important in this 2011 vacuum...

Losing 12 of 18 to the Rays... you know, the team that overcame you on the final night of the season.

Maybe it shouldn't be as much of a surprise that the Sox failed to make the postseason once again. You look at all of that and it really was an up hill fight. I'm sure I'm missing plenty of other great reasons, but this is all I got right now. Another season in the books. Now on to Patriots, Bruins, Celtics (hopefully), and the UFC.

Side bar: I do still believe that Jacoby Ellsbury (.321-32-105, 119R, 39SB, .928OPS) is the American League MVP. We shall see.

-Keefe

Podcast: Red Sox Problems

2011-09-28T14:03:00.003-04:00

Rich Keefe talks about the awful month of September for the Red Sox, the possible play-in game, and the A.L. MVP race.

Red Sox by Keefe21

Excited For Hockey? Not This Much.

2011-09-27T14:43:00.001-04:00

-Keefe

First Pitch, Dark Side Style

2011-09-23T15:08:00.003-04:00

Looks like Ani-can't throw. Boom.

Where is Admiral Ackbar when you need him?

-Keefe

Keefe Talks Sox With J.T. The Brick

2011-09-22T17:16:00.005-04:00

Rich Keefe was back on the nationally syndicated Fox Sports Radio show J.T. The Brick to talk about the struggling Red Sox. (Skip ahead to the 15:00 minute mark)

Opey - My Sunshine

2011-09-20T11:31:00.003-04:00

Congrats to our buddy Opey who just got married this past weekend. This is the song he wrote about his beautiful bride. For those of us in attendance we were fortunate enough to hear this one live.

-Keefe

Jaworski Swears on MNF

2011-09-13T14:50:00.003-04:00

Ron Jaworski lets a cuss word go during last night's Patriots-Dolphins game. Come on, we're not at a bar Jaws, clean it up.

He later apologized for the profanity, but if you missed it you were probably just wondering what the hell he said.

On another note, Tom Brady threw for 517 fuckin' yards.

Keefe's 2011 Fantasy Football Teams

2011-09-09T11:02:00.003-04:00

I am in 3 fantasy football leagues this year. The long standing Gentlemen's Club which features Besse, my father, and friends from both high school and college, a part timer 98.5 The Sports Hub league, and the third is a group of guys that did/do work at WGAM in New Hampshire. The WGAM league is a 3-player keeper, you'll see an * next to who I kept.

Looking at the rosters, you can probably see the draft strategy. Hey if I like a guy on Tuesday nights draft, I'm going to like him on Wednesday as well. Bottom line is I really should only do 1 league... None of the leagues are point per catch, WGAM/98.5 is 2RB, 2WR, and a flex, while Gentlemen's Club is 2RB, 3WR... also passing TD in 98.5 are only worth 4 points.

One Man Wolfpack (WGAM)

QB: Matthew Stafford, Kerry Collins

RB: Ray Rice*, Jamaal Charles*, Ahmad Bradshaw, Cedric Benson, James Starks, Ronnie Brown

WR: Brandon Marshall*, Santonio Holmes, Michael Crabtree, Mike Sims-Walker

TE: Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez

K: John Kasey

D/ST: Titans (vs. Jags week 1)

The Rich Keefe Project (98.5)

QB: Sam Bradford, Kerry Collins

RB: Ahmad Bradshaw, Beanie Wells, James Starks, Pierre Thomas

WR: Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Santonio Holmes, Chad Ochocinco, Donald Driver, Danny Amendola

TE: Jimmy Graham, Dustin Keller

K: Mason Crosby

D/ST: Titans

Smell the Glove (Gentlemen's Club)

QB: Matt Schaub, Matthew Stafford

RB: Ray Rice, Cedric Benson, James Starks, Jonathan Stewart, Ben Tate, Delone Carter

WR: Calvin Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Brandon Marshall, Danny Amendola, Donald Driver

TE: Zach Miller

K: John Kasey

D/ST: Lions

Notice some similarities? I'm either going to have 3 great teams, 3 average teams, or 3 crap teams...

-Keefe

Gentlemen's Club Draft Results

2011-09-08T18:54:00.002-04:00

I believe it is Year 7 of the Gentlemen's Club, maybe longer. Besse and I have been competing against each other in fantasy football for well over a decade, but this same group has been together for awhile now. It was a late draft, but here is how it went down.

Rich Keefe = Smell the Glove
Tristan Besse = Team Besse (for now)

Round: 1
(1) LandSharks Champ - Adrian Peterson RB
(2) Straight Cash Homey - Chris Johnson RB
(3) Team Bailey - Jamaal Charles RB
(4) Team Hennekey - Aaron Rodgers QB
** (5) Smell the Glove - Ray Rice RB
(6) Team Besse - LeSean McCoy RB
(7) Tusken Raiders - Arian Foster RB
(8) The Odd Couple - Andre Johnson WR
(9) Canton Slampigs - Michael Vick QB
(10) Domination Station - Maurice Jones-Drew RB
(11) Laces Out - Roddy White WR
(12) NY SackExchange - Rashard Mendenhall RB

Round: 2
(13) NY SackExchange - Drew Brees QB
(14) Laces Out - Greg Jennings WR
(15) Domination Station - Steven Jackson RB
(16) Canton Slampigs - Frank Gore RB
(17) The Odd Couple - Tom Brady QB
(18) Tusken Raiders - Philip Rivers QB
(19) Team Besse - Michael Turner RB
** (20) Smell the Glove - Calvin Johnson WR
(21) Team Hennekey - Vincent Jackson WR
(22) Team Bailey - Mike Wallace WR
(23) Straight Cash Homey - Larry Fitzgerald WR
(24) LandSharks Champ - Peyton Hillis RB

Round: 3
(25) LandSharks Champ - Hakeem Nicks WR
(26) Straight Cash Homey - Matt Forte RB
(27) Team Bailey - Ahmad Bradshaw RB
(28) Team Hennekey - Miles Austin WR
** (29) Smell the Glove - DeSean Jackson WR
(30) Team Besse - Mike Williams WR
(31) Tusken Raiders - DeAngelo Williams RB
(32) The Odd Couple - Darren McFadden RB
(33) Canton Slampigs - Knowshon Moreno RB
(34) Domination Station - Dwayne Bowe WR
(35) Laces Out - LeGarrette Blount RB
(36) NY SackExchange - Marques Colston WR

Round: 4
(37) NY SackExchange - Ryan Mathews RB
(38) Laces Out - BenJarvus Green-Ellis RB
(39) Domination Station - Dez Bryant WR
(40) Canton Slampigs - Reggie Wayne WR
(41) The Odd Couple - Santonio Holmes WR
(42) Tusken Raiders - Jeremy Maclin WR
(43) Team Besse - Tony Romo QB
** (44) Smell the Glove - Matt Schaub QB
(45) Team Hennekey - Felix Jones RB
(46) Team Bailey - Peyton Manning QB
(47) Straight Cash Homey - Antonio Gates TE
(48) LandSharks Champ - Steve Johnson WR

Round: 5
(49) LandSharks Champ - Joe Flacco QB
(50) Straight Cash Homey - Ben Roethlisberger QB
(51) Team Bailey - Wes Welker WR
(52) Team Hennekey - Jermichael Finley TE
** (53) Smell the Glove - Brandon Marshall WR
(54) Team Besse - Brandon Lloyd WR
(55) Tusken Raiders - Percy Harvin WR
(56) The Odd Couple - Mario Manningham WR
(57) Canton Slampigs - Kenny Britt WR
(58) Domination Station - A.J. Green WR
(59) Laces Out - Anquan Boldin WR
(60) NY SackExchange - Johnny Knox WR

Round: 6
(61) NY SackExchange - Jason Witten TE
(62) Laces Out - Matt Ryan QB
(63) Domination Station - Dallas Clark TE
(64) Canton Slampigs - Marcedes Lewis TE
(65) The Odd Couple - Shonn Greene RB
(66) Tusken Raiders - Eli Manning QB
(67) Team Besse - Jahvid Best RB
** (68) Smell the Glove - Cedric Benson RB
(69) Team Hennekey - Fred Jackson RB
(70) Team Bailey - Vernon Davis TE
(71) Straight Cash Homey - Austin Collie WR
(72) LandSharks Champ - Chad Ochocinco WR

Round: 7
(73) LandSharks Champ - Stephen Gostkowski K
(74) Straight Cash Homey - Santana Moss WR
(75) Team Bailey - Pierre Garcon WR
(76) Team Hennekey - Ryan Grant RB
** (77) Smell the Glove - James Starks RB
(78) Team Besse - Jimmy Graham TE
(79) Tusken Raiders - Rob Gronkowski TE
(80) The Odd Couple - Malcom Floyd WR
(81) Canton Slampigs - Lee Evans WR
(82) Domination Station - Josh Freeman QB
(83) Laces Out - Mark Ingram RB
(84) NY SackExchange - Plaxico Burress WR

Round: 8
(85) NY SackExchange - Mike Sims-Walker WR
(86) Laces Out - Tim Hightower RB
(87) Domination Station - Sidney Rice WR
(88) Canton Slampigs - Mike Tolbert RB
(89) The Odd Couple - Beanie Wells RB
(90) Tusken Raiders - Roy Williams WR
(91) Team Besse - Daniel Thomas RB
** (92) Smell the Glove - Jonathan Stewart RB
(93) Team Hennekey - Reggie Bush RB
(94) Team Bailey - Julio Jones WR
(95) Straight Cash Homey - Brandon Jacobs RB
(96) LandSharks Champ - Ravens D/ST D/ST

Round: 9
(97) LandSharks Champ - Marshawn Lynch RB
(98) Straight Cash Homey - Steelers D/ST D/ST
(99) Team Bailey - LaDainian Tomlinson RB
(100) Team Hennekey - Packers D/ST D/ST
** (101) Smell the Glove - Zach Miller TE
(102) Team Besse - Eagles D/ST D/ST
(103) Tusken Raiders - Lance Moore WR
(104) The Odd Couple - Owen Daniels TE
(105) Canton Slampigs - Braylon Edwards WR
(106) Domination Station - Joseph Addai RB
(107) Laces Out - Aaron Hernandez TE
(108) NY SackExchange - Jets D/ST D/ST

Round: 10
(109) NY SackExchange - Jay Cutler QB
(110) Laces Out - Hines Ward WR
(111) Domination Station - Steve Smith WR
(112) Canton Slampigs - Sam Bradford QB
(113) The Odd Couple - Pierre Thomas RB
(114) Tusken Raiders - Bears D/ST D/ST
(115) Team Besse - Davone Bess WR
** (116) Smell the Glove - Danny Amendola WR
(117) Team Hennekey - James Jones WR
(118) Team Bailey - Kevin Kolb QB
(119) Straight Cash Homey - Jacoby Ford WR
(120) LandSharks Champ - Greg Olsen TE

Round: 11
(121) LandSharks Champ - Robert Meachem WR
(122) Straight Cash Homey - Jordy Nelson WR
(123) Team Bailey - Patriots D/ST D/ST
(124) Team Hennekey - Mason Crosby K
** (125) Smell the Glove - Matthew Stafford QB
(126) Team Besse - Mark Sanchez QB
(127) Tusken Raiders - C.J. Spiller RB
(128) The Odd Couple - Mike Thomas WR
(129) Canton Slampigs - Neil Rackers K
(130) Domination Station - Ryan Torain RB
(131) Laces Out - Danny Woodhead RB
(132) NY SackExchange - Kellen Winslow TE

Round: 12
(133) NY SackExchange - Michael Bush RB
(134) Laces Out - Matt Cassel QB
(135) Domination Station - Donovan McNabb QB
(136) Canton Slampigs - Willis McGahee RB
(137) The Odd Couple - Saints D/ST D/ST
(138) Tusken Raiders - Nate Kaeding K
(139) Team Besse - Michael Crabtree WR
** (140) Smell the Glove - Donald Driver WR
(141) Team Hennekey - Kevin Walter WR
(142) Team Bailey - Ronnie Brown RB
(143) Straight Cash Homey - Kyle Orton QB
(144) LandSharks Champ - Jason Campbell QB

Round: 13
(145) LandSharks Champ - Deion Branch WR
(146) Straight Cash Homey - Thomas Jones RB
(147) Team Bailey - Bernard Berrian WR
(148) Team Hennekey - Ryan Fitzpatrick QB
** (149) Smell the Glove - Ben Tate RB
(150) Team Besse - Brandon Pettigrew TE
(151) Tusken Raiders - Mike Williams WR
(152) The Odd Couple - Giants D/ST D/ST
(153) Canton Slampigs - Ricky Williams RB
(154) Domination Station - Tony Gonzalez TE
(155) Laces Out - Steve Smith WR
(156) NY SackExchange - Alex Henery K

Round: 14
(157) NY SackExchange - Chargers D/ST D/ST
(158) Laces Out - Dustin Keller TE
(159) Domination Station - Jacoby Jones WR
(160) Canton Slampigs - Jerome Simpson WR
(161) The Odd Couple - Chris Cooley TE
(162) Tusken Raiders - Randy Moss WR
(163) Team Besse - Emmanuel Sanders WR
** (164) Smell the Glove - Delone Carter RB
(165) Team Hennekey - Jerome Harrison RB
(166) Team Bailey - Steve Breaston WR
(167) Straight Cash Homey - Nate Burleson WR
(168) LandSharks Champ - Todd Heap TE

Round: 15
(169) LandSharks Champ - Jonathan Baldwin WR
(170) Straight Cash Homey - Josh Brown K
(171) Team Bailey - Brent Celek TE
(172) Team Hennekey - Donald Jones WR
** (173) Smell the Glove - Lions D/ST D/ST
(174) Team Besse - Sebastian Janikowski K
(175) Tusken Raiders - David Garrard QB
(176) The Odd Couple - Roy Helu RB
(177) Canton Slampigs - Falcons D/ST D/ST
(178) Domination Station - Rob Bironas K
(179) Laces Out - Titans D/ST D/ST
(180) NY SackExchange - Mohamed Massaquoi WR

Round: 16
(181) NY SackExchange - Toby Gerhart RB
(182) Laces Out - Adam Vinatieri K
(183) Domination Station - Chiefs D/ST D/ST
(184) Canton Slampigs - Montario Hardesty RB
(185) The Odd Couple - Billy Cundiff K
(186) Tusken Raiders - Darren Sproles RB
(187) Team Besse - Earl Bennett WR
** (188) Smell the Glove - John Kasay K
(189) Team Hennekey - Nick Folk K
(190) Team Bailey - Matt Bryant K
(191) Straight Cash Homey - Anthony Armstrong WR
(192) LandSharks Champ - Roscoe Parrish WR

Keefe Interviews Tito Ortiz

2011-08-31T17:37:00.003-04:00

Rich Keefe had the chance to sit down with the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz, to discuss where he ranks in the division, UFC 134, and his long time rivalry with Chuck Liddell.

Tito Ortiz by Keefe21

98-Mile Finals

2011-08-26T13:28:00.003-04:00

The 1st ever 98-mile rap battle (amongst 98.5 The Sports Hub personalities) came to an end this week with a match up of Tony Massarotti (Felger & Massarotti afternoons 2-6pm, The Baseball Reporters weeknights 6-7pm) vs. Damon Amendolara (The D.A. Show weeknights 7pm-12am).

Rather than have the two talented M.C.'s battle each other (Mazz bested Adolfo & Felger, D.A. beat Jimmy Stewart & Fred Toucher), they turned their attention to the station's competition, WEEI. They also got a little help from some of those who didn't reach the finals.

2011 QB Rankings

2011-08-17T15:34:00.003-04:00

With Eli Manning recently saying he is in the same class as the reigning MVP and 3-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, I thought it would be appropriate to rank all of the quarterbacks who figure to see some snaps this year.

“They Only Play Because Every Team Needs One”
• Jimmy Clausen
• Bruce Gradkowski
• Tavaris Jackson
• Matt Moore
• Jason Campbell
• John Beck
• Derek Anderson
• Alex Smith
• Rex Grossman

“Rookies We Should At Least Give A Chance”
• Cam Newton
• Jake Locker
• Andy Dalton
• Blaine Gabbert
• Christian Ponder
• Colin Kaepernick
• Tim Tebow (2nd year)

“Best Days Are Behind Them”
• Donovan McNabb
• Matt Hasselbeck

“Is Crap The Right Word?...”
• Chad Henne
• Vince Young
• Ryan Fitzpatrick
• David Garrard
• Mark Sanchez

“They’ll Give You A Chance”
• Matt Cassel
• Kevin Kolb
• Kyle Orton
• Jay Cutler

“Promising Stars Of The Future”
• Sam Bradford
• Matthew Stafford

“Not As Good As You Might Think/ Flirting With Top 10”
• Eli Manning
• Tony Romo
• Matt Schaub
• Joe Flacco

“Can He Do It Again?
• Josh Freeman

“Knocking On The Penthouse”
• Michael Vick
• Ben Roethlisberger
• Matt Ryan

“The Penthouse, Fab 5”
• Tom Brady
• Peyton Manning
• Aaron Rodgers
• Drew Brees
• Philip Rivers

Summer Slam Spoiler?

2011-08-11T17:12:00.004-04:00

WWE's Summer Slam is this Sunday night. If you have been paying attention at all to wrestling recently (and I think you should, it's getting good again) you know that the New Hampshire native Triple H has become the new on screen COO. He is very much involved in the main storyline between John Cena and CM Punk.

One member of the twitter universe created an image of what the end of the night could look like if HHH (a big time spotlight hog) gets to really call the shots back stage. I enjoyed it.

-Keefe

Ochocinco Lands In Heaven (Foxboro)

2011-07-30T12:33:00.005-04:00

Chad Ochocinco (formerally the pro bowler known as Chad Johnson) is now a member of the New England Patriots. He referred to the move as "landing in Heavan," and he has been making constant references to his "angel wings." That's fine. I'm just happy to have a great receiver joining the Pats. Is this guy the same player that he was from 2002-07 when he was one of the most productive in football? No, he's not. He's 33, but still damn good, and now he will catch passes from the best QB in the game. I'm pumped. Do I draft #85 way to early in fantasy this year? Yes I do, but how is that different than any other year?

He practiced with the team today and spoke to the media afterwards. Any thought that he may not buy in to the Pats blandness was quickly thrown out the window. He is going to be quiet this year, saying he probably won't speak to the media much, and he's all about the Patriot Way.

-Keefe

Fantasy Football Is Back!

2011-07-28T14:49:00.003-04:00

This is what it is all about. Besse and I have been playing fantasy football together for over a decade, but the last 6 years we've competed with the same group of guys in the Gentlemen's Club. Bess was the 2005 champ, while I took home the plaque (above) in 2008. My father has been the only 2-time champ to this point and he enters 2011 as the proud defending champion.

It's time to start monitoring all of the free agent signings, trades, and everything else. Get out your depth charts and player rankings. Because now is the time.

-Keefe

Proof That Anything Is Possible

2011-07-23T13:53:00.002-04:00

I have a lot of original Nintendo accomplishments, but sadly defeating Mike Tyson was not one of them. I saw it done once before, and thankfully someone put it on youtube. If you're ever feeling bad about yourself just watch this video. Dreams do come true.

-Keefe

Strikeforce Heavyweight Grandprix 2011

2011-07-15T09:54:00.003-04:00

It's down to four. Who do you got? If all goes to plan the semifinals could be held on September 10.

The Final Word with Rich Keefe

2011-07-14T14:13:00.003-04:00

Rich Keefe filled in for Marc Bertrand who was in turn filling in for Mike Felger on the highly rated "Felger & Mazz" afternoon drive sports radio program on 98.5 The Sports Hub. The end of each show is wrapped up with "The Final Word." Here were those segments from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

This Is The All-Star Game?

2011-07-12T14:17:00.005-04:00

The 82nd MLB All-Star game is tonight from Chase Field in Arizona. Don't let the players on the field fool you, it is the All-Star game.

A ridiculous 84 players were named All-Stars this year because of injury replacements, starters pitching on Sunday, and of course Derek Jeter's "emotional and physical exhaustion" from his pursuit of 3,000 hits.

These guys were named All-Stars but won't play for one of the above reasons:

Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees

Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees

Jose Reyes, SS, Mets

Placido Polanco, 3B, Phillies

Ryan Braun, OF, Brewers

Felix Hernandez, P, Mariners

Jon Lester, P, Red Sox

David Price, P, Rays

Mariano Rivera, P, Yankees

CC Sabathia, P, Yankees

James Shields, P, Rays

Justin Verlander, P, Tigers

Matt Cain, P, Giants

Cole Hamels, P, Phillies

Shane Victorino, OF, Phillies

Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves

Holy hell. That's 16 guys right there that were picked and won't play. You could make 3 teams with all the players they selected this year.

The following players are guys who will be active in tonight's "All-Star" game:

Miguel Montero, C, D-Backs

Andre Ethier, OF, Dodgers

David Robertson, RP, Yankees

Alexi Ogando, RP, Rangers

Rickey Romero, P, Blue Jays

Jordan Walden, RP, Angels

Scott Rolen, 3B, Red (starting)

Kevin Correia, P, Pirates

Gross. Enjoy the game!

-Keefe

Cruz Defends Title, UFC 132 Results

2011-07-03T11:56:00.004-04:00

UFC 132 went down last night in Las Vegas. Two of the sports legends were in action (Tito Ortiz & Wanderlei Silva) and they each had completely opposite outcomes. Great card, great action. Here is how it all broke down...

MAIN CARD RESULTS:

•Dominick Cruz def. Urijah Faber via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47) to retain UFC bantamweight title
•Chris Leben def. Wanderlei Silva via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:27
•Dennis Siver def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
•Tito Ortiz def. Ryan Bader via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 1:56
•Carlos Condit def. Dong Hyun Kim via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:58

UNDER CARD RESULTS:

•Melvin Guillard def. Shane Roller via knockout (strikes) - Round 1, 2:12
•Rafael Dos Anjos def. George Sotiropolous via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 0:59
•Brian Bowles def. Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
•Aaron Simpson def. Brad Tavares via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
•Anthony Njokuani def. Andre Winner via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
•Jeff Hougland def. Donny Walker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27

-Keefe

Podcast: Mike Cameron & Theo

2011-07-01T18:59:00.002-04:00

Filling in again for Gresh & Zo on The Sports Hub, Nick Cattles and I opened the Friday show by talking about how craptastic Mike Cameron was before he was canned by the Sox and we looked at some of the other free agent signings by Sox GM Theo Epstein.

-Keefe

Podcast: Jon Heyman on the Red Sox

2011-06-30T12:04:00.002-04:00

I had a chance to talk to Sports Illustrated's baseball insider Jon Heyman on Tuesday when I was filling in for Gresh & Zolak (middays 10am-2pm on 98.5 The Sports Hub) along with Nick Cattles. We discussed the Sox problem in RF, interleague play, and if Jonathan Papelbon could return to Boston after this season.

-Keefe

Podcast: NBA Draft Recap

2011-06-29T12:24:00.003-04:00

Rich Keefe joined Brian Robb from the CelticsHub to break down last week's NBA Draft. The two discuss how the selections shook out for the C's with JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, and look at winners and losers.

CelticsHub.com NBA Draft Review Podcast by BRobb8

Worse Than 2000?

2011-06-21T15:31:00.004-04:00

Weak. Thin. Young. Some what top heavy. Disappointing. Risky. Full of potential. Dangerous. These are words that describe Lindsay Lohan. They also could illustrate the 2011 NBA Draft Class. There is no slam dunk franchise changing player at the top of the draft (see. David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, etc.) And by all accounts it’s not even a deep draft with a number of play-right-away solid players.

Anytime there is a potential poor draft it has to be compared to the disaster that was the 2000 NBA Draft. 58 players were drafted on that June night, resulting in little to no impact on the league. With all the negative press surrounding this year’s draft, the question must be asked, could it be worse than 2000?

Nearly 11 years ago to the day Kenyon Martin was selected 1st overall by the New Jersey Nets. Not a bad player by any means, but 13.5 points, 7 rebounds is not ideal for the top pick in the draft. (After Martin, the next four #1 picks in the draft came either out of high school or international and five of six.)

Martin is one of only three players from the 2000 class to make an All-Star team. He, Jamaal Magloire (19th), and Michael Redd (43rd) have all been All-Stars just once in their careers, giving this class a grand total of 3 All-Star appearances. As for awards and honors, Redd (All-NBA 3rd Team) is the only player to receive an All-NBA honor, Jamal Crawford and Mike Miller both earned 6th Man Awards (Miller also won the less than impressive Rookie of the Year Award, and Hedo Turkoglu won Most Improved back in 2008.

In summation the 2000 Draft Class, with 11 seasons (for the lucky ones) of NBA action has landed them a TOTAL of 3 All-Star games, 2 6th Man Awards, a Most Improved, and one 3rd Team All-NBA. That’s craptastic. In fact that sounds like a solid career for one player.

The All-2000 Draft Team? I would start- Jamal Crawford, Mike Miller, Hedo Turkoglu, Kenyon Martin, and Jamaal Magloire. My bench: DeShawn Stevenson, Quentin Richardson, Desmond Mason, Joel Pryzbilla, Speedy Claxton, Morris Peterson, and Brian Cardinal. Those are the 12 BEST players.

How many Top 15 busts can you have? Stromile Swift (2nd), Darius Miles (3rd), Marcus Fizer (4th), DerMarr Johnson (6th), Chris Mihm (7th), Keyon Dooling (10th), Jerome Moiso (11th, what a pick Pitino!), Courtney Alexander (13th), Mateen Cleaves (14th), and Jason Collier (15th). Gross. But with the exception of each team passing up Michael Redd, can you really get that mad at any team for taking one bad player over another? Wow can’t believe the C’s took Moiso over Donnell Harvey!

Will Thursday produce the same lack of talent? Are we going to look back in 2022 (weird, right?) and say, was it worse than 2011? Will all 60 players combine for just 3 All-Star selections in over a decade of games?

Even though this year’s group doesn’t jump out at you, I think the odds have to be in their favor to surpass the miserably low bar set by the crew of 2000. Will Kyrie Irving be a legitimate #1 pick? If it is Irving he would be just the 4th guard taken first overall in the last 30 years, but 3rd in the last four (Derrick Rose, John Wall). Could Irving, or Brandon Knight, or Kemba Walker emerge as an All-Star?

There are a number of talented international players in this year’s draft, Could there be another Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Manu Ginobili in the group of Enes Kanter, Jan Vesely, Jonas Valanciunas, or Bismack Biyombo?

Could a shooting guard like Alec Burks, Klay Thompson, or Marshon Brooks turn into a legit scorer? And don’t forget ultra talented Derrick Williams, Kwai Leonard, and Jimmer Fredete.

It’s difficult to say with confidence that this class will ultimately be better than the one 11 years ago, but I believe it will happen. After all, it won’t take much.

Bruins vs. Canucks Game 7 (NHL '95 Rosters)

2011-06-15T16:10:00.003-04:00

The Bruins are playing their biggest game in nearly 4 decades tonight as its Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. They are facing a team that has become as hated as the Canadiens, Heat, and Yankees, the spineless Vancouver Canucks.

An important question has yet to be answered until now... what would the starting lineups look like if it were played on the greatest video game of all-time, NHL '95 for SEGA? Here it is: position - player - game rating.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS:

LW - Geoff Courtnall - 71
C - Cliff Ronning - 77
RW - Pavel Bure - 94

D - Jeff Brown - 74
D- Jykri Lumme - 64

G - Kirk McLean - 70

BOSTON BRUINS:

LW - Bryan Smolinski - 69
C - Adam Oates - 84
RW - Cam Neely - 76

D - Ray Bourque - 96
D - Al Iafrate - 77

G - Jon Casey - 63

Clearly the Bruins upgraded with Tim Thomas over the ever-popular Jon Casey, however Oates, Neely, and Bourque would be the 3 best players on today's Bruins.

Enjoy Game 7!

-Keefe

New #1 Contender; UFC 131 Results

2011-06-12T11:16:00.005-04:00

Rogers Arena in Vancouver has been a busy place, hosting Games 1, 2, 5, (and hopefully 7 on Wednesday) of the Stanley Cup Finals, and last night it was the site of UFC 131. I was not blown away by the card, but heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez certainly had his eyes on the main event as he now knows he will next square off with Junior Dos Santos. Here are the results:

MAIN CARD:

•Junior Dos Santos def. Shane Carwin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
•Kenny Florian def. Diego Nunes via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
•Mark Munoz def. Demian Maia via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
•Dave Herman def. Jon Olav Einemo via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 3:19
•Donald Cerrone def. Vagner Rocha via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)

UNDER CARD:

•Sam Stout via Yves Edwards via KO (punch) - Round 1, 3:52
•Chris Weidman via Jesse Bongfeldt submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 4:54
•Krzysztof Soszynski def. Mike Massenzio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
•Nick Ring def. James Head via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 3:33
•Dustin Poirier def. Jason Young via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
•Joey Beltran def. Aaron Rosa via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 1:26
•Darren Elkins def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

-Keefe

You Ready for Game 5?

2011-06-10T14:24:00.003-04:00

Bruins and Canucks Game 5 is tonight. Need some help killing time from now until then...

Ultimate Warrior Slams (Verbally) Hulk Hogan

2011-06-08T15:29:00.002-04:00

Check out this recent gem by the Ultimate Warrior as he teases a 55 minute video which will be released later this month where he blasts Hulk Hogan for being a "dope head," and says that the Hulkster would pimp out his wife. Great stuff. Glad the Warrior is back.

-Keefe

Best of Toucher & Rich

2011-06-03T12:46:00.002-04:00

Toucher and Rich (Fred Toucher & Rich Shertenlieb), the morning show on 98.5 The Sports Hub, celebrated 5 years on Boston radio today. Throughout the show they played some of their best-of clips. This one is an absolute gem from a few years back. Enjoy.

Digital Short: Jack Sparrow

2011-05-24T23:03:00.001-04:00

-Keefe

Our Man Opey Thanks His Facebook Fans

2011-05-20T15:09:00.003-04:00

Become a fan and or "like" Opey at facebook.com/opeythepoet

Taj Gibson!

2011-05-16T12:24:00.004-04:00

Bulls F Taj Gibson put Dwyane Wade in the 2011 NBA Playoffs Poster last night in Game 1 of the East Finals... and that may not have been his best dunk. Check out the two super highlights below.

-Keefe

Celtics Future

2011-05-15T15:24:00.005-04:00

The Celtics have announced that Doc Rivers will be back as head coach, signing a 5 year $35 million deal to stay. But who will he have on the roster?

Players Under Contract for 2011-2012:
Kevin Garnett, $21.2 million
Paul Pierce, $15.3 million
Ray Allen, $10 million
Rajon Rondo, $10 million
Jermaine O'Neal, $6.2 million
Avery Bradley, $1.5 million
Shaquille O'Neal, $1.4 million (should retire)

Restricted Free Agents:
Jeff Green

Unrestricted Free Agents:
Nenad Krstic
Glen Davis
Delonte West
Von Wafer
Troy Murphy
Carlos Arroyo
Sasha Pavlovic

We don't know what the new CBA will look like, but either way, Danny Ainge will have to get creative to improve this team. There starters return (for big money) and that is just about it. They have a decision to make concerning Jeff Green, I say let him walk, but they may be stubborn and not want to make the Perkins deal look as much of a failure as it truly was.

We here at the Sports Brief will follow the Celtics off season closely. Who could emerge as potential targets for the Green? I've already heard Jamal Crawford could be a possibility. Great fit there, they need a scorer off the bench, and he is a free agent. Stay tuned...

-Keefe

Your 2010-11 Miami Heat!

2011-05-05T00:37:00.004-04:00

The Celtics face an 0-2 hole going into Game 3 on Saturday night to the hated Miami Heat. Some of the following clips have been posted on here before, but it really is a much needed reminder of what clowns, talented clowns, they are.

If 2 of the best 5 players in basketball are on the same team, can they win it all? We are going to find out. And another side note... this is no where near a "Big 3." Chris Bosh looks like he wants to poop himself. Start thinking of other nicknames like "LeWade" or "D-Bron," cause Bosh is clearly just another guy.

-Keefe

Why The Grizzlies Could Win It All

2011-05-02T17:23:00.004-04:00

The Memphis Grizzlies are only the fourth 8 seed to win a playoff series, and only the second team to win a 1st round best-of-7 match up. They defeated the Spurs in 6 games and have gotten out to a 1-0 lead over the Thunder. (Keep in mind the title of this post is Why The Grizzlies Could Win It All and not Why The Grizzlies Will Win It All, if I wanted more shock value I would have said that, but I don’t believe it.) Regardless, the Grizzlies, even without Rudy Gay, are a team that is feared by their opponents.

Coming into this post season the Grizzlies had a 0-12 franchise record in the playoffs. They never sniffed the second season while in Vancouver, but got there three straight years in Memphis (2003-2006) only to be swept each time. After four years of no playoffs, the Grizz went 46-36 this year (same record as the 7 seed Hornets) and were awarded with the last seed in the West.

Their young star Rudy Gay (20 pts, 6 rebs, 3 asts this season) only played in 54 games as a shoulder injury cost him the rest of the year. The idea that Memphis could be a pesky 1st round opponent seemingly went out the window with Gay’s injury. However, when the regular season came to an end and the match up of #1 Spurs vs. #8 Grizzlies was official, some, like TNT’s Charles Barkley, thought that Memphis would beat the aging and banged up Spurs. But can they keep going?

Memphis is 5-2 in the playoffs. They proved they can win on the road (victories in both San Antonio and Oklahoma City) and they are a perfect 3-0 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis. They have a combination of young guys and veterans. It’s clear that they feel like they belong. Obviously the notion that they would be satisfied with one upset is false thanks to their Game 1 performance in OKC.

How do they do it? It starts with Zach Randolph. A guy who put up 20-10s throughout his career on bad teams. He was labeled a clubhouse cancer, waste of money, etc. Whether it was Portland, New York, or his brief stay with the Clippers, it seemed like no buddy wanted his production because of his attitude. Well it’s working in Memphis; after they won their 1st playoff game (Game 1 vs. San Antonio) the team announced they had inked Z-Bo to a multi-year extension. And how about this for a complement, All-Star and 2-time NBA scoring champ Kevin Durant said that Randolph is the best power forward in the league today.

Whether that is true or not (Dirk & Pau are pretty good) it is incredibly high praise and it’s not an outlandish statement anymore. The combo of Randolph and Marc Gasol has been absolutely devastating. Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins will have to slow those guys down if the Thunder are going to win this series. If not, Randolph-Gasol vs. Gasol-Bynum-Odom in the next round would be worth the price of admission.

So the 8 seed Grizzlies, have an advantage in most series at the 4-5 spot, they get great rebounding and scoring from those positions. Point guard Mike Conley has gotten better in each of his 4 years in the NBA. He’s no Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, or Russell Westbrook, but he knows his game, plays smart and doesn’t turn it over. He’s more of a pure point guard compared to the guy he is matched up with in this series, Westbrook. Conley is also not a liability like a Mike Bibby or Derek Fisher.

Over half of the Grizzlies points in the playoffs come from the trio of Randolph-Gasol-Conley. The lack of Rudy Gay has actually made the roles on the team more defined. Those three are relied on for the majority of the shots (50.2% of the shots). Fellow starters Tony Allen and Sam Young, score only when they are open (Young can hit the outside shot, I don’t need to tell you about TA). Off the bench, the Grizz bring in O.J. Mayo (who they tried to trade on deadline day), Shane Battier, Darrell Arthur, and a little bit of Greivis Vasquez to spell Conley.

With Rudy Gay out, they are not going to score a lot from the wing spots, however Tony Allen and Shane Battier force the opponent to work their ass of to get theirs. We know the Thunder are Durant & Westbrook. They hope they get a great night from James Harden or Serge Ibaka. Memphis comes at you with more of a team. Game 1 their bench outscored Oklahoma City’s 27-16, and one would think that advantage might be even greater at home.

Despite being an 8 seed, and despite not having Gay, look at how they match up against every team left in the playoffs (not counting the Hawks)…

Vs. Lakers:
Derek Fisher vs. Mike Conley
Kobe Bryant vs. Tony Allen/ O.J. Mayo/ Shane Battier
Ron Artest vs. Sam Young/ Shane Battier
Pau Gasol vs. Zach Randolph
Andrew Bynum vs. Marc Gasol

Lamar Odom vs. Darrell Arthur/ Z-Bo

Vs. Mavericks:
Jason Kidd vs. Mike Conley
DeShawn Stevenson vs. Tony Allen
Shawn Marion vs. Sam Young
Dirk Nowitzki vs. Zach Randolph/ Darrell Arthur
Tyson Chandler vs. Marc Gasol

Jason Terry vs. O.J. Mayo/ TA/ Shane Battier

Vs. Bulls:
Derrick Rose vs. Mike Conley/ TA
Keith Bogans vs. Tony Allen/ O.J. Mayo
Luol Deng vs. Sam Young/ Shane Battier
Carlos Boozer vs. Zach Randolph
Joakim Noah vs. Marc Gasol

Vs. Heat:
Mike Bibby vs. Mike Conley
Dwyane Wade vs. Tony Allen
LeBron James vs. Sam Young/ Shane Battier
Chris Bosh (assuming he doesn’t take himself out because of the pressure that would be associated with the NBA Finals) vs. Zach Randolph
Big Z vs. Marc Gasol

James Jones vs. O.J. Mayo

Vs. Celtics:
Rajon Rondo vs. Mike Conley
Ray Allen vs. Tony Allen
Paul Pierce vs. Sam Young/ Shane Battier
Kevin Garnett vs. Zach Randolph
Jermaine O’Neal vs. Marc Gasol

Delonte West vs. O.J. Mayo
Glen Davis vs. Darrell Arthur
Jeff Green vs. Shane Battier

Is it just me or do they match up extremely well with everybody? I’m not saying they are going to win the title, but the Grizzlies are going to be a very tough out. Between their down low scoring, great rebounding, elite perimeter defenders, and x-factors (Mayo or Young could go for a random 30 one night), toss in a home court advantage, they may not have the best looking dance team, but watch out. Good luck to the Thunder, because they need it.

-Keefe

GSP Wins, Couture KO'd at UFC 129

2011-05-01T16:32:00.005-04:00

Georges St. Pierre defended his Welterweight title with a 5-round unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields. The fight stayed on the feet for almost the entire 25 minutes. Shields hit GSP with what looked like a knuckle to his open left eye, St. Pierre said he could not see out of it. Not completely dominate, but there was no doubt when the horn sounded that GSP was the winner. After the fight he was noncommittal about moving up to middleweight and fighting Anderson Silva.

Couture done like that? Randy "The Natural" Couture said prior to the fight with Lyoto Machida, that he would retire. The 47 year old former champion was knocked out in the 1st round by something out of The Karate Kid. Machida landed a devastating kick to the face that sent Captain America to the ground. That was it... or will he be back?

Jose Aldo (boring) Vladimir Matyushenko (20 seconds TKO punches), and Ben Henderson (decision) were all winners on the night's main card.

-Keefe

NFL Draft Radio Show Special

2011-04-29T01:00:00.002-04:00

Tune into a special NFL Draft show on 98.5 The Sports Hub tonight from 7pm-midnight. Rich Keefe is joined by NFL veterans Mike Flynn (Center on the Ravens Super Bowl winning team), and Jermaine Wiggins (Tight End on 1st Patriots Super Bowl winning team). The three will be live from the CBS Scene in Foxboro, with Scott Zolak checking in during the coverage that takes place between the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

The Patriots currently own 3 picks in the 2nd round and 2 more in the 3rd.

You can call the show: (617) 779-0985
Text: 69985
Listen online: CBSBostonSports.com

Brian Wilson Does It Again

2011-04-25T11:49:00.004-04:00

Youtube celebrity Keenan Cahill has collaborated with a number of famous musicians, but this may be his very best, teaming up with World Series champions Brian Wilson and Cody Ross. No sign of The Machine, but I guess a kid is involved.

Below is the story of the kid, Keenan Cahill, courtesy of his website keenansroom.com

Keenan Cahill
was born in 1995 in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. He was born to two parents who would later separate. Keenan was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease at the age of one called MPS Type 6 (see full description below). Keenan underwent a bone marrow transplant in 1997 to slow down the progression of the disease, which required Keenan to live in a isolation for almost one year to prevent infection. Keenan has since had multiple surgeries including a surgery to relieve pressure on his brain. Keenan has overcome all of these obstacles to finally achieve two successes. Keenan has entered High School and is currently a freshman, second Keenan has achieved International fame with his YouTube Channel. Keenan initially started his channel as a hobby, but once he performed and recorded “Teenage Dream” and it found its way to Katy Perry, this would no longer be a hobby. Keenan has garnered international recognition for his videos and with his recent appearance on Chelsea Lately it has become a game changer for Keenan. Keenan is living each and every day hoping to show the world that talent no matter how much adversity its presented with will always overcome all obstacles.

-Keefe

Rich Reviews: Scream 4

2011-04-21T15:01:00.008-04:00

"What's your favorite scary movie?"

Well mine is probably Scream. (The original Halloween and Devil's Rejects are up there.) There is a lot I liked about the first installment, particularly the way it revitalized the horror genre. The characters in Scream were self aware, they watched movies and openly discussed them. The "what if you were in a horror movie" angle. As a bit of a film dork myself, I enjoyed all the tip-of-the-caps to previous movies, specifically legendary horror classics.

Say what you want about the original, but it was very smart. It is easy to make fun of it now, and trust me all of my friends do for liking it so much, however I think it still holds up today, 15 years after it came out. The story is solid, the characters are well developed, and most importantly for a horror movie, it's both scary and entertaining.

What about the sequels? Well at least all of the references to movies were still there. They even made a point to say in Scream 2 that sequels suck, and "by definition alone they are inferior films." I thought 2 had it's moments, some good ideas, I enjoyed it.

Scream 3 did not have the same writer (Kevin Williamson) as the first two, but it acted as the finale of a trilogy. Again, like the second film referencing other sequels, they devoted some time in 3 to describe trilogies, different rules, rare in the horror field, etc. Again, it had it's moments, but clearly the films go, A, B, C (if you're grading at home).

Alright enough about the first 3 films of the franchise, I just wanted to point out that I am a huge fan, it's my favorite franchise of horror films (beating out Halloween and Saw). So needless to say I was pumped when I heard they were making a 4th (with director Wes Craven, writer Kevin Williamson, and stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette).

I was busy opening weekend, if not I would have gone, seriously. Anyway, the girlfriend and I were 2 of I'd say 10-12 people in the audience for a Wednesday night showing at 7:30pm. That's not surprising as it made only 18.7 million in its opening weekend. Not what they were looking for. (Scream 2 made 33 million opening weekend, while Scream 3 drew 33.4.)

Scream 4 takes place 10 years after the end of Scream 3. Gail Weathers (Cox) is now Gail Riley and is married to Sheriff Dewey Riley (Arquette) in Woodsboro (the original town). Sidney Prescott (Campbell) comes back to town to promote a book she wrote, and next thing you know people start getting stabbed. They introduce a bunch of new characters, lots of high school kids, some new cops, and you got yourself a cast, where not only can anyone die, but anyone can be the killer.

It's a classic "who done it/ who is doing it." I tried figuring out who did it for probably a full hour, I won't spoil anything here.

But was it good? In a word, eh. I didn't hate it, that might be the big Scream fan in me talking. For a movie that was 10 years in the making, it was a let down. You got to think, if Kevin Williamson spent 10 years on this it was going to be really good. I wonder if he spent 10 hours on it.

The first movie was so different and so smart, this movie tries to hard and comes up short. There was to much of the, "well that was how it worked then, so now it is like this, so we need to expect that, and everything is different while being the same." What? And they should have spent more time developing a true story instead of just upping the kill count and trying to fool you on who the killer(s) is/are.

In the end, it's no where near the as good as the first one, and doesn't even rival the second. I'd have to watch it again before I say for sure it's worse than 3, but I feel like I could do a solid debate on either side of 3 & 4 for which is better. If you happen to be a big fan of the series, it's worth a watch, but go in with low expectations. If you don't like these movie, you didn't read this far anyway.

When To Watch It Scale

The WTWIS is broken down to the following 4 categories...

-Theater
-Netflix
-TV
-Don't Bother

Although I was a bit disappointed, I will go with "Netflix" for Scream 4. (The TV version, unless on HBO will be edited pretty bad I imagine.)

Alright, there you have it. Hope this helps. If you saw it feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you thought or e-mail me at sportsbrief@gmail.com

-Keefe

Thoughts from the Game 1's

2011-04-18T16:25:00.004-04:00

I watched as much as I could over the weekend, and this is what I came up with.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

#1 Bulls vs. #8 Pacers (104-99 Chicago, 1-0)

Shocking. Well as shocking as it can be without the #1 overall seed actually losing. Indiana was leading from start to almost the very end. Tyler Hansborough? Where did that come from? Looked like he was playing a Tuesday night game against Clemson for a few minutes.

I thought Danny Granger summed it up best by comparing Derrick Rose to a stalker ex-girlfriend, every time you turn around she’s there, at your door wherever. I think this game will wake up the Bulls and they will win in 4 or 5.

#2 Heat vs. #7 76ers (97-89, Miami 1-0)

Give credit to Chris Bosh, ok you don’t have too, but he played well and helped the Heat avoid a loss. For the Celtics sake let’s hope Philly can win a game, or two at home, so LeBron and company have to work rather than coast into the 2nd round. I have faith the 6ers can make them fight after watching on Saturday. Game 2 is tonight.

#3 Celtics vs. #6 Knicks (87-85, Boston 1-0)

Jermaine O'Neal! Watching that game was the first time all season when I actually had a JO in Indiana flashback. The way he narrows his body and gets all skinny when he shoots and it a pretty good shot blocker. Now I don't expect that to keep up the rest of the playoffs, but it was fun nonetheless.

The Celtics were lucky in the fact that Carmelo Anthony played well for 1 quarter, and they still nearly lost the game. Melo is going to be better, however if Billups misses a game or two or just isn't effective, it may not matter.

#4 Magic vs. #5 Hawks (103-93, Atlanta 1-0)

The Hawks don’t seem to like playing with each other and they certainly don’t enjoy coaching in general, but they stole home court from Orlando. Dwight Howard 46 points 19 rebounds… in a loss. Let the big man get his and take everyone else out. It worked once, will it work again? I’m going to stick with my pick of the Magic winning this series, the Hawks self hate will overcome.

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

#1 Spurs vs. #8 Grizzlies (101-98, Memphis 1-0)

How about this one? Tony Allen starting for a contender? Ok contender is a bit aggressive, but they do present some tough match ups even without Rudy Gay. Memphis get its first playoff win in franchise history (0-12 coming in), and they follow that up by giving Zach Randolph a 4-year contract extension. And you know what? I like it. Sure he seems like the obvious, pay for play guy, 1-year, incentive deals, but go for it Memphis!

It’s the same team Chris Wallace led front office that dealt Pau Gasol for nothing (although Marc Gasol has turned out pretty nice) and drafted Hasheem Thabeet #2 overall, only to pair him with another 1st rounder to get Shane Battier… back.

Manu’s elbow could be the key to this series, however I still think San Antonio advances, but they sure seem ripe for the picking.

#2 Lakers vs. #7 Hornets (109-100, New Orleans 1-0)

I thought New Orleans was the worst Western Conference Playoff team, and the only one not capable of winning a series. Winning a game I figured would be a stretch, let alone at the Staples Center. Hats off to Chris Paul. Maybe he hasn’t been as explosive as we’ve seen earlier in his career, but can we ease up on Derrick Rose is waaaaaay better than CP3, and so is Deron Williams, maybe even Russell Westbrook. Chris Paul is still here folks.

#3 Mavericks vs. #6 Trail Blazers (89-81, Dallas 1-0)

This could be a classic case of everyone picks the “underdog,” making them not the underdog any longer, and they end up losing to the original favorite. Teams 5-8 in the West were hoping to get Dallas. Well Portland did, what can they do with them? As Bill Simmons pointed out in his recent podcast, the Mavs have the best player in this series (Dirk) but Portland might have the next 4 (Aldridge, Wallace, Miller, Camby?) It’s debatable.

Wes Mathews is a good player who had a poor Game 1. Brandon Roy is a total wild card. His injuries knocked him down from a potential Top 10 player, to the team’s 7th man.

As poor as Dirk’s supporting cast is, I believe in this series, he can win 3 games while his supporting cast can take 1. Hey J. Kidd had 24 points in Game 1. Jason Terry is capable of 30 one night, and I’m probably the only person in the country that thinks Shawn Marion could slap up a 20-12 in one of these games.

#4 Thunder vs. #5 Nuggets (107-103, OKC 1-0)

This is the series (outside of Boston-New York obviously) that I am the most interested in watching, and will find ways to be in front of the TV for every minute.

Funny how the 4 playoff teams that really changed at the deadline are involved in 2 series. The Nuggets made a franchise altering deal with the Knicks, and the Celtics shocked their own fans… and players, by trading with the Thunder. A couple months later and you get Celtics-Knicks and Thunder-Nuggets.

I like watching Perkins play. I never, ever, thought I would say that. I yelled at every moving offensive screen, every time he put it on the floor near the basket and did his infuriating “gather move.” But now that he’s gone, I’m like, “Wow look at that screen! Did you see that board? There’s the scowl!” The question remains with OKC, how far can Durant-Westbrook carry them as their only offensive options?

As for Denver, it’s amazing how they don’t have a single star player but can still go a legit 11 deep with each guy bringing their own flavor. George Karl has them meshing well, but you got to wonder if it’s just a fun regular season team that surprised, only to bow out in the playoffs.

If the first weekend is any indication of how the rest of the 2011 post season is going to be, we are in store for one of the all time greatest. I’ll be back throughout the playoffs with scattered thoughts.

NBA Awards

2011-04-11T15:56:00.003-04:00

It’s time to hand out the regular season awards here on The Sports Brief. Everything from All-Rookie 2nd Team to the MVP is listed below. If you agree, disagree, or just want to interact, hit up the comments section below.

2nd Team All-Rookie:

Greg Monroe, Pistons
Wesley Johnson, Timberwolves
Eric Bledsoe, Clippers
Evan Turner, 76ers
Paul George, Pacers

1st Team All-Rookie:

Blake Griffin, Clippers
John Wall, Wizards
DeMarcus Cousins, Kings
Landry Fields, Knicks
Gary Neal, Spurs

Rookie of the Year:

Blake Griffin, Clippers (22.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 62 double-doubles with 1 game left to play)
Among rookies, Griffin ranks 1st in points, 1st in rebounds, 2nd in assists, and 9th in steals.

Most Improved Player:

Kevin Love, Timberwolves
14 points/ 11 rebounds in ’09-10 – 20.2/ 15.2 in ’10-11

Coach of the Year:

Tom Thibodeau, Bulls (#1 in Eastern Conference)

6th Man of the Year:

Lamar Odom, Lakers (14.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3 assists)
Yes Odom did start 34 games because of Bynum’s injury, but he is truly a 6th man this season.

2nd Team All-Defense:

Andre Iguodala, 76ers
Serge Ibaka, Thunder
Tyson Chandler, Mavericks
Chris Paul, Hornets
Rajon Rondo, Celtics

1st Team All-Defense:

Kevin Garnett, Celtics
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Dwight Howard, Magic
Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Josh Smith, Hawks

Defensive Player of the Year:

Dwight Howard, Magic (14.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.3 steals)

3rd Team All-NBA:

Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Pau Gasol, Lakers
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Blake Griffin, Clippers

2nd Team All-NBA:

Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Chris Paul, Hornets
Amare Stoudemire, Knicks
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks

1st Team All-NBA:

Derrick Rose, Bulls
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Dwight Howard, Magic
LeBron James, Heat
Kevin Durant, Thunder

MVP:

Derrick Rose, Bulls (24.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists)

Can't wait for the playoffs!

-Keefe

Podcast: Keefe & Robb on Celtics

2011-04-10T11:16:00.004-04:00

Rich Keefe joined the head writer for CelticsHub.com and contributor to the Daily Dime on ESPN.com, Brian Robb to discuss the Celtics. They talk the state of the C's, rehash the Perk deal, and look ahead to the playoffs.

CelticsHub.com Playoff Preview Podcast by BRobb7

Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Results

2011-04-10T09:21:00.004-04:00

Strikeforce put together one of their best cards in organization history last night. The event featured a pair of title fights and numerous Top 10 fighters. Here is a quick look at how the action went down.

MAIN CARD:

Champ Nick Diaz def. Paul Daley via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:57 - to retain Strikeforce welterweight title

Champ Gilbert Melendez def. Tatsuya Kawajiri via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:14 - to retain Strikeforce lightweight title

Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine fight to a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)

Shinya Aoki def. Lyle Beerbohm via submission (neck crank) - Round 1, 1:32

UNDER CARD:

Robert Peralta def. Hiroyuki Takaya via split decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)

Virgil Swicker def. Brett Albee via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:46

Joe Duarte def. Saad Awad via submission (armbar) - Round 2, 2:45

Herman Terrado de. A.J. Matthews via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 4:16

Rolando Perez def. Edgar Cardenas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Casey Ryan def. Paul Song via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 1:39

-Keefe

The (Green) Jacket

2011-04-07T13:33:00.003-04:00

Many of you are probably in Masters pools and goodluck to you. The greatest golf tournament is well underway on Day 1 (it's 1:30 EST as I write this) yet the TV coverage does not begin for another 90 minutes. Weak.

Keep up with the guys from The Sports Brief's picks listed below...

BESSE:

Dustin Johnson

Martin Kaymer

Martin Laird

Hunter Mahan

Phil Mickelson

Nick Watney

Bubba Watson

Lee Westwood

Mark Wilson*

Tiger Woods

*May have let his boss pick a random 10th.

KEEFE:

Phil Mickelson

Tiger Woods

Lee Westwood

Martin Kaymer

Dustin Johnson

Rory McIlroy

Graeme McDowell

Bubba Watson

Ian Poulter

Matt Kuchar

NBA Awards Finalists

2011-04-05T14:06:00.004-04:00

Before I unveil my NBA Awards for the 2010-11 season here are the finalists.

Coach of the Year:

-Doug Collins, 76ers

Did you think Philly would be the 6 seed in the East, let alone above .500? Of course you did.

-George Karl, Nuggets

Think about what George Karl has had to go through this season. Putting up with the whole will he, won’t he with his best player, only to get 80 cents on the dollar (at best), and turn it into an intriguing playoff team.

-Tom Thibodeau, Bulls

The defense-first former C’s assistant has his Bulls a top the East and fighting for the #1 overall seed heading into the playoffs. Any other year he would be a slam dunk, but Collins and Karl are stiff competition.

Defensive Player of the Year:

-Tyson Chandler, Mavericks

Much like Kevin Garnett did for the Celtics back in ’07-’08, Chandler has completely changed the defensive attitude for the Mavs this season. There’s a “D” in Dallas joke in there somewhere.

-Dwight Howard, Magic

If he wins it, he would become the 1^st player ever to be named D-Player of the Year in 3 consecutive seasons. His chances are strong, to very strong.

-Dwyane Wade, Heat

Miami was playing near .500 basketball for a good part of the beginning of the year. Their triumvirate started to get it together, having nights where they would score 90+ combined points, but perhaps the biggest change was D-Wade turning into the Glove on defense.

6^th Man of the Year:

-Jamal Crawford, Hawks

Crawford won this award last season and if he were to win it again, he would join Detlef Schrempf and Kevin McHale as the only back-to-back winners, and toss in Rickey Pierce as the only other 2-time recipient of the award.

-Lamar Odom, Lakers

Odom has basically split his time between coming off the bench and starting this season for LA. (34 starts, 42 games off the bench and counting). He probably has the biggest impact of any sub in the league.

-Jason Terry, Mavericks

JET won this award to years ago; so much the same historical significance applies from Crawford here. Terry has carved out a nice niche for himself in the NBA, great scorer off the bench. In fact he’s 2^nd on the team in scoring behind Dirk, and has allowed them to still be successful minus Caron Butler.

Rookie of the Year:

-DeMarcus Cousins, Kings

He has literally been everything the scouts thought he would be, for better or worse. 3^rd in points, 2^nd in rebounding, and 4^th in blocks among rookies, and got thrown off the team plane for fighting Donta Green and tossed out of practices for arguing with coaches. But did I mention the talent?

-Blake Griffin, Clippers

You can argue that he was technically in the league last year, but I still believe he should be eligible. He had a medical red shirt, get over it if you don’t think he’s a rookie.

-John Wall, Wizards

Terrible team, but Wall definitely showed flashes this year of why he was the #1 pick in the draft. 16.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists is nothing to sneeze at. I understand he does it in meaningless games, but those are solid numbers for anyone.

Most Improved Player Award:

-LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers

He is averaging 4 points and .6 rebounds more a game this year than last, but it’s more than just the numbers. If you watch Aldridge this year, he’s just better, no way around it. Of course I’ve always hated “Most Improved,” sounds like the guy sucked the year before. We would always make fun of the “Most Improved,” “winner” in high school and college.

-Kevin Love, Timberwolves

We all know about K-Love this year with his double-doubles and selection to the All-Star team despite being on one of the league’s worst clubs. In his 3^rd year (which would have been his senior season at UCLA), Love improved his ppg from 14 to 20.2 and his rpg from 11 to a league best 15.2. His shooting %’s are up across the board as well, making him pretty tough to beat for this “award.”

-DeMar DeRozan, Raptors

He’s also on a bad team, but DeMar improved his scoring from 8.6 points per game as a rookie to 16.8 this season. Let’s not forget he got jobbed at the dunk contest too, so maybe he deserves this as an I-O-U.

MVP:

-Kevin Durant, Thunder

The league’s leading scorer is not going to average 30 points per game like he did last season, but he deserves to be in this conversation. The Thunder are primed to host a 1^st round playoff series for the first time in franchise history.

-Dwight Howard, Magic

If there was any year for Howard to win the MVP, it’s this year. He will finish with a career high in points per game, he’s currently matching his best rebounding effort, career high in steals, all while shooting 60% from the field. Throw in adjusting to two separate supporting casts and likely another D-Player of the Year Award, and he could just do it.

-Derrick Rose, Bulls

He is about to set career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3pt %, FT%, and minutes while doing it on the best team in the Eastern Conference. With all the talk about the Heat and Celtics, Derrick Rose has led his team (through injuries, see Noah, Joakim and Boozer, Carlos) to the best record, potentially in all of basketball.

Check back next week when I unveil all of the winners for these awards and many others.

-Keefe

Mullin Joins Dream Team(mates) in Hall

2011-04-04T15:25:00.003-04:00

Former Golden State Warrior and St. John's star Chris Mullin has been named to the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2011 (along with Dennis Rodman and others.) The lefty joins 10 of his teammates from the 1992 Olympic Team.

The Dream Team or "The Greatest Team Ever Assembled For Any Sport Of All-Time," is further proving it's greatness with a ridiculous 11 out of 12 players being honored with a spot in the Hall of Fame. Just think if Shaquille O'Neal was the college kid taken instead of Christian Laettner... or if Isiah Thomas didn't get shutout by Jordan and they went with him instead of Laettner, bringing three point guards, or if they said let's get another rebounder in bring in Dennis Rodman... they could have, and really should have had 12 Hall of Famers on one team. It's the only thing the '92 Dream Team won't be able to accomplish.

Mullin may have been the last of the 11 to get in the Hall, but he was no slouch or token white guy on the team, he was 4th on the team in Barcelona scoring 12.9 points per game, behind Barkley, Jordan, and just .1 off of Malones 13 a game. Mullin led the team in 3-point shooting going 14-26 for 53.8%.

Mullin was always one of my favorite players growing up. He had a 5-year stretch with Golden State where he put up 25+ points per season. He was All-NBA 1st team in 91-92, when there was a ton of talent in the league.

He has been retired now for 10 years and I was starting to think he might not get in. But when you look back at his entire career, with Olympics (Gold in '84 & '92), and college ('85 Player of the Year) he is definitely deserving.

Congratulations Chris Mullin.

-Keefe

Keefe21 on Twitter During Wrestlemania XXVII

2011-04-02T14:07:00.003-04:00

Follow @Keefe21 for live updates of Wrestlemania XXVII on Sunday starting at 7:00pm.

After attending the Royal Rumble a couple months back, I am on board for my first Wrestlemania in over a decade. Old faces, new faces, Snooki, whatever. I'm in.

The Rock, HHH, The Undertaker, Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels will all be involved in one way or another, so why not me? Let's do this. Follow along and interact throughout the Super Bowl of Sports Entertainment.

-Keefe

Keefe on 98.5 The Sports Hub Tonight

2011-04-01T17:23:00.003-04:00

Rich Keefe will be hosting the DA Show tonight from 7pm-12am on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston. You can listen online at www.cbsbostonsports.com. Call in at 617-779-0985 or text the show at 69985.

Topics will include: Red Sox opening day vs. Texas. Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford's Boston debuts. Jon Lester's 1st opening day start of his career. Celtics and Bruins getting closer to the playoffs and maybe even some Wrestlemania chatter.

2011 MLB Predictions

2011-03-31T13:35:00.009-04:00

It's Opening Day for Major League Baseball with 6 games on the schedule. Now is the time to get on the record with my team and awards picks for the season. Side note, did you notice that ESPN had their "experts" make predictions this year for playoff teams, World Series winner, MVPs, CY Youngs, and ROY... they had 45 people make picks. They have 45 baseball experts? I thought they had Tim Kurkjian. Well 33 out of 45 said the Sox would win the World Series, so you got to figure they have no chance. Here are our official picks for 2011...

AMERICAN LEAGUE:
KEEFE:
MVP: Adrian Gonzalez, Red Sox
Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, Mariners
Rookie of the Year: Jake McGee, Rays
Manager: John Farrell, Blue Jays

BESSE:
MVP: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Tigers
Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson, Rays

NATIONAL LEAGUE:
KEEFE:
MVP: Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Phillies
Rookie of the Year: Craig Kimbrel, Braves
Manager: Fredi Gonzalez, Braves

BESSE:
MVP: Jason Heyward, Braves
Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers
Rookie of the Year: Brandon Belt, Giants

POST SEASON:
KEEFE:
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: Athletics
AL Wild Card: Yankees

BESSE:
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Athletics
AL Wild Card: Yankees

KEEFE:
NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Brewers
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Braves

BESSE:
NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Giants
Wild Card: Braves

KEEFE:
ALCS: White Sox over Red Sox
NLCS: Phillies over Braves

World Series: Phillies over White Sox

BESSE:
ALCS: Athletics over Red Sox
NLCS: Giants over Phillies

World Series: Giants over A's in 7

It's always fun to check back on these in September to see just how off we were. Enjoy the picks and feel free to let us know who you got. By the way, you think Bess developed a West Coast basis? San Fran and Oakland WS? Gotta love it.

-Keefe & Besse

Fantasy Baseball Draft Results

2011-03-27T22:00:00.002-04:00

Our fantasy baseball keeper league just completed our 2011 draft. Here are the results below. (Keep in mind that the first 8 rounds are keepers, so when it says that Desmond Jennings was the 1st pick, he was actually just a bad choice of 8 keepers for that GM).

Holy Shirts & Pants = Rich Keefe
Kenny Fuckin Powers = Tristan Besse

North End All Blacks = 3-time defending champ, Woody

Round: 1
(1) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Desmond Jennings RF
(2) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Justin Verlander SP
(3) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - B.J. Upton CF
(4) No No Nannettes - Ian Kinsler 2B
(5) The Van Buren Boys - CC Sabathia SP
(6) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Dustin Pedroia 2B
(7) North End Half Blacks - Kendry Morales 1B
(8) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Ichiro Suzuki RF
** (9) Holy Shirts and Pants - Carl Crawford LF
(10) Beantown Bashers - Jayson Werth RF
(11) Scotch N' Sirloin - Roy Halladay SP
(12) North End All-Blacks - Ryan Braun LF

Round: 2
(13) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Trevor Cahill SP
(14) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Justin Morneau 1B
(15) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Joey Votto 1B
(16) No No Nannettes - Jacoby Ellsbury CF
(17) The Van Buren Boys - Andrew McCutchen CF
(18) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Andre Ethier RF
(19) North End Half Blacks - Clayton Kershaw SP
(20) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Joe Mauer C
** (21) Holy Shirts and Pants - Ryan Howard 1B
(22) Beantown Bashers - Nelson Cruz RF
(23) Scotch N' Sirloin - Jon Lester SP
(24) North End All-Blacks - Tim Lincecum SP

Round: 3
(25) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Starlin Castro SS
(26) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Kelly Johnson 2B
(27) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Justin Upton RF
(28) No No Nannettes - Matt Holliday LF
(29) The Van Buren Boys - Wandy Rodriguez SP
(30) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Tommy Hanson SP
(31) North End Half Blacks - Shin-Soo Choo RF
(32) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Cliff Lee SP
** (33) Holy Shirts and Pants - Dan Haren SP
(34) Beantown Bashers - Adrian Beltre 3B
(35) Scotch N' Sirloin - David Price SP
(36) North End All-Blacks - Hanley Ramirez SS

Round: 4
(37) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Domonic Brown RF
(38) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Carlos Santana C
(39) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Kevin Youkilis 1B
(40) No No Nannettes - Elvis Andrus SS
(41) The Van Buren Boys - Hunter Pence RF
(42) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Evan Longoria 3B
(43) North End Half Blacks - Matt Cain SP
(44) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Josh Johnson SP
** (45) Holy Shirts and Pants - Adam Dunn 1B
(46) Beantown Bashers - Vladimir Guerrero DH
(47) Scotch N' Sirloin - Brandon Phillips 2B
(48) North End All-Blacks - Albert Pujols 1B

Round: 5
(49) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Brett Gardner CF
(50) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Brandon Morrow SP
(51) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Cole Hamels SP
(52) No No Nannettes - Francisco Liriano SP
(53) The Van Buren Boys - Dan Uggla 2B
(54) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Jose Reyes SS
(55) North End Half Blacks - Curtis Granderson CF
(56) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Billy Butler 1B
** (57) Holy Shirts and Pants - David Wright 3B
(58) Beantown Bashers - Josh Hamilton CF
(59) Scotch N' Sirloin - Jason Heyward RF
(60) North End All-Blacks - Carlos Gonzalez LF

Round: 6
(61) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Colby Rasmus CF
(62) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Pedro Alvarez 3B
(63) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Chris Carpenter SP
(64) No No Nannettes - Phil Hughes SP
(65) The Van Buren Boys - Alex Rios CF
(66) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Stephen Strasburg SP
(67) North End Half Blacks - Jay Bruce RF
(68) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Troy Tulowitzki SS
** (69) Holy Shirts and Pants - Joakim Soria RP
(70) Beantown Bashers - Matt Kemp CF
(71) Scotch N' Sirloin - Miguel Cabrera 1B
(72) North End All-Blacks - Robinson Cano 2B

Round: 7
(73) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Alex Rodriguez 3B
(74) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Drew Stubbs CF
(75) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Chris Young CF
(76) No No Nannettes - Buster Posey C
(77) The Van Buren Boys - Ryan Dempster SP
(78) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Prince Fielder 1B
(79) North End Half Blacks - Victor Martinez C
(80) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Shane Victorino CF
** (81) Holy Shirts and Pants - Carlos Marmol RP
(82) Beantown Bashers - Zack Greinke SP
(83) Scotch N' Sirloin - Martin Prado 2B
(84) North End All-Blacks - Ryan Zimmerman 3B

Round: 8
(85) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Chase Utley 2B
(86) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Delmon Young LF
(87) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Brian McCann C
(88) No No Nannettes - Mike Stanton RF
(89) The Van Buren Boys - Mark Teixeira 1B
(90) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Adrian Gonzalez 1B
(91) North End Half Blacks - Yovani Gallardo SP
(92) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Jose Bautista 3B
** (93) Holy Shirts and Pants - Jered Weaver SP
(94) Beantown Bashers - Ubaldo Jimenez SP
(95) Scotch N' Sirloin - Mat Latos SP
(96) North End All-Blacks - Felix Hernandez SP

Round: 9
(97) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Freddie Freeman 1B
(98) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Max Scherzer SP
(99) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Roy Oswalt SP
(100) No No Nannettes - Michael Young 3B
(101) The Van Buren Boys - Chad Billingsley SP
(102) The Van Buren Boys - Heath Bell RP
(103) North End Half Blacks - Derek Jeter SS
(104) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Rickie Weeks 2B
** (105) Holy Shirts and Pants - Corey Hart RF
(106) Beantown Bashers - Brian Wilson RP
(107) Scotch N' Sirloin - Casey McGehee 3B
(108) North End All-Blacks - Neftali Feliz RP

Round: 10
(109) North End All-Blacks - Ben Zobrist 2B
(110) Scotch N' Sirloin - Paul Konerko 1B
(111) Beantown Bashers - Aubrey Huff 1B
** (112) Holy Shirts and Pants - Nick Markakis RF
(113) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Mariano Rivera RP
(114) North End Half Blacks - Aramis Ramirez 3B
(115) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Clay Buchholz SP
(116) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Jhoulys Chacin SP
(117) No No Nannettes - Jimmy Rollins SS
(118) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Aaron Hill 2B
(119) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Jonathan Broxton RP
(120) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Carlos Quentin RF

Round: 11
(121) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Torii Hunter CF
(122) Scotch N' Sirloin - Alexei Ramirez SS
(123) North End All-Blacks - Geovany Soto C
(124) No No Nannettes - Michael Bourn CF
(125) The Van Buren Boys - Pablo Sandoval 3B
(126) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Craig Kimbrel RP
(127) North End Half Blacks - Shaun Marcum SP
(128) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Adam Jones CF
** (129) Holy Shirts and Pants - Matt Garza SP
(130) Beantown Bashers - Gordon Beckham 2B
(131) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Jonathan Sanchez SP
(132) North End All-Blacks - Ted Lilly SP

Round: 12
(133) North End All-Blacks - Brett Anderson SP
(134) Scotch N' Sirloin - Rajai Davis CF
(135) Beantown Bashers - Jonathan Papelbon RP
** (136) Holy Shirts and Pants - Joe Nathan RP
(137) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - David Ortiz DH
(138) North End Half Blacks - Jeremy Hellickson SP
(139) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Gio Gonzalez SP
(140) The Van Buren Boys - Tim Hudson SP
(141) No No Nannettes - Francisco Rodriguez RP
(142) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Daniel Hudson SP
(143) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Jose Valverde RP
(144) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Ricky Nolasco SP

Round: 13
(145) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Miguel Montero C
(146) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Ian Desmond SS
(147) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Mark Reynolds 3B
(148) No No Nannettes - Stephen Drew SS
(149) The Van Buren Boys - Matt Wieters C
(150) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Adam Lind DH
(151) North End Half Blacks - Bobby Abreu RF
(152) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - John Danks SP
** (153) Holy Shirts and Pants - Brian Roberts 2B
(154) Beantown Bashers - Mike Napoli C
(155) Scotch N' Sirloin - Francisco Cordero RP
(156) North End All-Blacks - Chris Perez RP

Round: 14
(157) North End All-Blacks - Huston Street RP
(158) Scotch N' Sirloin - Brian Matusz SP
(159) Beantown Bashers - Darwin Barney SS
** (160) Holy Shirts and Pants - Grady Sizemore CF
(161) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - J.J. Putz RP
(162) North End Half Blacks - Colby Lewis SP
(163) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Matt Thornton RP
(164) The Van Buren Boys - Rafael Furcal SS
(165) No No Nannettes - Hiroki Kuroda SP
(166) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - John Axford RP
(167) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Juan Pierre LF
(168) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Andrew Bailey RP

Round: 15
(169) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Ike Davis 1B
(170) Scotch N' Sirloin - Ryan Franklin RP
(171) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Drew Storen RP
(172) No No Nannettes - Adam LaRoche 1B
(173) The Van Buren Boys - Frank Francisco RP
(174) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Jose Tabata LF
(175) North End Half Blacks - Brandon Lyon RP
(176) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Nick Swisher RF
** (177) Holy Shirts and Pants - Gaby Sanchez 1B
(178) Beantown Bashers - Daniel Bard RP
(179) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Leo Nunez RP
(180) North End All-Blacks - Manny Ramirez LF

Round: 16
(181) North End All-Blacks - Madison Bumgarner SP
(182) Scotch N' Sirloin - Carlos Pena 1B
(183) Beantown Bashers - Ricky Romero SP
** (184) Holy Shirts and Pants - Jake McGee RP
(185) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Josh Beckett SP
(186) North End Half Blacks - Vernon Wells CF
(187) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Joel Hanrahan RP
(188) The Van Buren Boys - Ian Stewart 3B
(189) No No Nannettes - Chone Figgins 2B
(190) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Jason Bay LF
(191) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Angel Pagan CF
(192) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Brad Lidge RP

Round: 17
(193) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Justin Smoak 1B
(194) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Omar Infante 2B
(195) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Jordan Zimmermann SP
(196) No No Nannettes - Brett Myers SP
(197) The Van Buren Boys - Carlos Lee LF
(198) The Van Buren Boys - Jonny Venters RP
(199) North End Half Blacks - Kevin Gregg RP
(200) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Derrek Lee 1B
** (201) Holy Shirts and Pants - Jair Jurrjens SP
(202) Beantown Bashers - Yunel Escobar SS
(203) Scotch N' Sirloin - Andres Torres CF
(204) North End All-Blacks - Jim Thome DH

Round: 18
(205) North End All-Blacks - C.J. Wilson SP
(206) Scotch N' Sirloin - Travis Snider LF
(207) Beantown Bashers - Evan Meek RP
** (208) Holy Shirts and Pants - Alcides Escobar SS
(209) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Edinson Volquez SP
(210) North End Half Blacks - Howard Kendrick 2B
(211) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Derek Holland SP
(212) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Sean Rodriguez 2B
(213) No No Nannettes - Neil Walker 2B
(214) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - J.J. Hardy SS
(215) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Ian Kennedy SP
(216) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Johnny Cueto SP

Round: 19
(217) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Dallas Braden SP
(218) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Michael Morse RF
(219) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Michael Pineda SP
(220) No No Nannettes - Jaime Garcia SP
(221) The Van Buren Boys - Joaquin Benoit RP
(222) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Aroldis Chapman RP
(223) North End Half Blacks - Michael Cuddyer RF
(224) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - John Lackey SP
** (225) Holy Shirts and Pants - Austin Jackson CF
(226) Beantown Bashers - Ty Wigginton 3B
(227) Scotch N' Sirloin - Anibal Sanchez SP
(228) North End All-Blacks - Mitch Moreland 1B

Round: 20
(229) North End All-Blacks - Brandon League RP
(230) Scotch N' Sirloin - Asdrubal Cabrera SS
(231) Beantown Bashers - J.D. Drew RF
** (232) Holy Shirts and Pants - Denard Span CF
(233) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Luke Scott DH
(234) North End Half Blacks - Fernando Rodney RP
(235) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Bryce Harper RF
(236) The Van Buren Boys - Scott Rolen 3B
(237) No No Nannettes - Erick Aybar SS
(238) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - David Aardsma RP
(239) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Jorge De La Rosa SP
(240) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Alexi Ogando RP

Round: 21
(241) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Tsuyoshi Nishioka 2B
(242) Scotch N' Sirloin - James Shields SP
(243) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Mike Moustakas 3B
(244) No No Nannettes - Lance Berkman 1B
(245) The Van Buren Boys - Carlos Ruiz C
(246) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Kurt Suzuki C
(247) North End Half Blacks - James McDonald SP
(248) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Bronson Arroyo SP
** (249) Holy Shirts and Pants - Dexter Fowler CF
(250) Beantown Bashers - Chris Iannetta C
(251) Kenny Fuckin Powers - J.P. Arencibia C
(252) North End All-Blacks - Chris Coghlan LF

Round: 22
(253) North End All-Blacks - Jake Peavy SP
(254) Scotch N' Sirloin - Nyjer Morgan CF
(255) Beantown Bashers - Octavio Dotel RP
** (256) Holy Shirts and Pants - Chris Sale RP
(257) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Chase Headley 3B
(258) North End Half Blacks - Edwin Encarnacion 3B
(259) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Marlon Byrd CF
(260) The Van Buren Boys - Hong-Chih Kuo RP
(261) No No Nannettes - Placido Polanco 3B
(262) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Ryan Madson RP
(263) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Ervin Santana SP
(264) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Danny Espinosa 2B

Round: 23
(265) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Brandon Webb SP
(266) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Johan Santana SP
(267) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Wade Davis SP
(268) No No Nannettes - Jose Lopez 3B
(269) The Van Buren Boys - David Freese 3B
(270) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Sergio Romo RP
(271) North End Half Blacks - Brian Fuentes RP
(272) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Jason Kubel RF
** (273) Holy Shirts and Pants - Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
(274) Beantown Bashers - Reid Brignac SS
(275) Scotch N' Sirloin - Yadier Molina C
(276) North End All-Blacks - Erik Bedard SP

Round: 24
(277) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Edwin Jackson SP
(278) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Carl Pavano SP
(279) Beantown Bashers - Carlos Beltran CF
** (280) Holy Shirts and Pants - Logan Morrison LF
(281) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Rafael Soriano RP
(282) North End Half Blacks - Juan Uribe 2B
(283) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Randy Wells SP
(284) The Van Buren Boys - R.A. Dickey SP
(285) No No Nannettes - James Loney 1B
(286) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Ryan Raburn LF
(287) Scotch N' Sirloin - Tyler Colvin RF
(288) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Alfonso Soriano LF

Round: 25
(289) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Jesus Montero C
(290) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Ryan Theriot SS
(291) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Mike Minor SP
(292) No No Nannettes - Hideki Matsui DH
(293) The Van Buren Boys - Magglio Ordonez RF
(294) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Mike Trout CF
(295) North End Half Blacks - Kyle Drabek SP
(296) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Jon Rauch RP
** (297) Holy Shirts and Pants - Miguel Tejada SS
(298) Beantown Bashers - Tyler Clippard RP
(299) Scotch N' Sirloin - Jordan Walden RP
(300) North End All-Blacks - Chipper Jones 3B

Round: 26
(301) North End All-Blacks - Coco Crisp CF
(302) Scotch N' Sirloin - Matt Capps RP
(303) Beantown Bashers - Mark Trumbo 1B
** (304) Holy Shirts and Pants - Mark Buehrle SP
(305) Ladies Want To Touch My Tulo - Franklin Gutierrez CF
(306) North End Half Blacks - Travis Wood SP
(307) Awesome Team, Great Job! - Brandon Belt 1B
(308) The Van Buren Boys - Luke Gregerson RP
(309) No No Nannettes - Rafael Betancourt RP
(310) An Entire Army of Jew Robots - Clay Hensley RP
(311) Kenny Fuckin Powers - Brett Wallace 1B
(312) Don Juan Orsilloâ„¢ - Jed Lowrie SS

Opey - Drinking From The Well

2011-03-25T11:02:00.001-04:00

Our buddy Opey has a new song, and it's about something we can all relate to... drinking cheap! Enjoy.

GMGNxOpey - Well Drinks by gmgndjs

-Keefe

Podcast: Keefe on Jon Jones

2011-03-22T12:06:00.002-04:00

Rich Keefe talks about the 23 year old UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Jon "Bones" Jones in this mini podcast.

JonJones by Keefe21

ONIONS!

2011-03-20T17:10:00.002-04:00

I know this shot happened back on Thursday, but I'm posting it for a few reasons.

1. It was the biggest shot of the tournament to date.
2. It was the lowest seed to win a game. (Morehead State 13)
3. I picked Louisville to win the whole thing
4. And most importantly, listen for the classic Bill Raftery "ONIONS!" after the make.

-Keefe

UFC 128 predictions

2011-03-19T13:19:00.004-04:00

UFC 128 takes place tonight, and we are facing the possibility of two entirely different outcomes and landscapes in the Light Heavyweight division. Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, a guy I've deemed the ultimate badass, returns to defend his title against rising superstar Jon "Bones" Jones, who is filling in for the injured Rashad Evans.

Rua is coming off an incredible KO victory of former champion Lyoto Machida, returning from injury and dealing with an extended layoff. Jones, the up-and-coming challenger, is fresh off his impressive submission victory over Ryan Bader, and actually stands as a -230 favorite in Vegas; Rua is laying +180.

I understand why people are favoring Jones to win. They're jumping on the hype train and the kid appears to have all the tools. He's long, rangy, quick, agile, strong, has great, creative strikes and is extremely intelligent on the ground. His ground and pound is as impressive as you'll see in the sport. But in one of Dana White's video blogs from this week, Welterweight Champ Georges St. Pierre said the most important aspect of the fight would be the mental area. GSP has admitted he choked in his first title fight with Matt Hughes, a fight he lost, tapping out as time expired in the 1st round to an armbar.

The reason I found the comment so interesting is because I think this is where Rua holds a distinct advantage. He has significantly more experience and has been through the trenches. While this has not served some well, such as Big Nog, Cro Cop and Wanderlei Silva, Rua actually appears to be a fresher, stronger fighter. He's a hunter, and he'll stalk his pray and attack with a slew of power leg kicks and punches. He actually registered the most powerful strike in the Sports Science Lab. He's a scary dude, and I think he'll hold the wild card in tonight's fight. Jones is the future of the division and the sport, but this is still Rua's time. I'm going with the champion. I think Jones will come out hot, trying to put his arsenal of strikes on display. But Rua will stop him in his tracks with those remarkable leg kicks, slowing down the challenger and beginning the process. An overhand right will stun Jones and Rua will close in, overwhelming Jones as he plummets to the floor before the referee steps in to save the young fighter from further beating.

The UFC's Light Heavyweight division has gone through continuous transition over the last several years, with champions unable to defend their belt more than once. Rua will not fall into the same trap. I expect he'll defend his belt several times beyond this fight, and further, I think Jones will actually be the guy to end Shogun's reign. It just won't be tonight.

Shogun defeats Jones via (T)KO in 1st round

And here are the rest of the main card picks:

Urijah Faber defeats Eddie Wineland via decision
Jim Miller defeats Kamal Shalorus via decision
Nate Marquadt defeats Dan Miller via T(KO) in the 2nd round
Cro Cop defeats Brendan Schaub via KO in the 1st round

Enjoy the fights!

-Bess