Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Tim Sylvia via submission - Round 3, 1:28, for Heavyweight Interim Championship Bout
Frank Mir def. Brock Lesnar via submission - Round 1, 1:30
Nate Marquardt def. Jeremy Horn via submission - Round 2, 1:37
Ricardo Almeida def. Rob Yundt via submission - Round 1, 1:08
Tyson Griffin def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision
Chris Lytle def. Kyle Bradley via TKO - Round 1, 0:33
Tim Boetsch def. David Heath via TKO - Round 1, 4:52
Marvin Eastman def. Terry Martin via unanimous decision
Rob Emerson def. Keita Nakamura via split decision
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
UFC 81 Fight Predictions
Frank Mir v. Brock Lesnar
TB: I’m trying not to let my loyalty to Mir as a fan cloud my judgement here, but it’s hard based on the sheer strength and size of Lesnar. There’s no question that Lesnar will look for the takedown immediately and instill some serious ground and pound. This is where Frank Mir needs to be the old champ Frank Mir. And we saw flashes of that brilliancy against Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74. Mir looked to be in good shape, and he actually initiated the takedown and immediately worked for a submission before locking in a kimura.
Can he do this against Lesnar? His brutal TKO to Marcio Cruz would imply no. However, that was his first fight back from the serious motorcycle accident and Lesnar is too inexperienced not to leave a limb hanging out there for Mir to grab at and lock in on. My prediction? Mir survives an early storm and uses his jiu-jitsu prowess to keep Lesnar in full guard before locking in an arm-bar and nearly breaking it until the fight is stopped.
TB: Mir by submission late in Round 1.
RK: I got to agree Bess. Lesnar’s MMA debut didn’t last long, and I believe the guy he beat takes the trash out in my building. Mir is one of the best BJJ fighters in the world, and almost in a league of his own as a heavyweight. Will Mir be able to take down Lesnar? Probably not, but Mir works miracles on his back. If this was Lesnar’s 4th or 5th fight I’d give him a better chance, but he’s never been in the cage with a guy the caliber of Frank Mir.
Take a look back at the 1999 NCAA wrestling heavyweight final between one Brock Lesnar vs. Stephen Neal. How about the paths those guys took? It’s going to be a great weekend for one of them, but not Lesnar as he loses his first fight in the UFC as Neal captures another Super Bowl ring.
RK: Mir by submission in Round 1.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (#2 in Keefe UFC rankings) vs. Tim Sylvia (#3 in Keefe UFC rankings)
RK: This is obviously for the interim heavyweight championship, which will likely never be unified as Randy Couture is showing no signs of fighting again in the UFC. Big Nog is one of the all time great Pride champions, and is one of the most well known fighters in Japan. He has had only 1 fight in the UFC which was a decision victory over Heath Herring, where he was almost knocked out with a high kick. He has fought some of the best heavyweights in the world including Fedor, Cro Cop, Werdum, and celebrity rehab’s own Ricco Rodriguez, but all of them in a ring. We have seen many Pride fighters struggle in the octagon, a place where Tim Sylvia is very comfortable.
Sylvia is trying to become just the first 3-time Champ in the UFC. After losing the belt to the Natural he bounced back with a decision victory over Brandon Vera. Sylvia beat Arlovski two in a row after losing to him 3 years ago, which rank as two of his signature wins. In his last 4 fights Tim is 3-1 all of which have gone to decision. I think this one will be no different, but in a boring main event with two big name fighters, he loses to the Pride vet.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira wins by decision.
TB: Sorry, Rich, but I have to disagree. Big Nog hasn’t submitted a high profile fighter since Heath Herring in their second fight back in PRIDE. And while he has fought the best in the world, Sylvia has continuously fought the best the UFC has to offer…and for the most part, whether you like or not, he’s won. And this is his home court in the Octagon.
As far as the style matchups, the only real advantage in this fight for Nogueira is the submission game. But Sylvia is 5 inches taller and has a significant reach advantage over Nog and will look to use that in the standup game. We saw against Jeff Monson that he has good submission defense, and I look at Couture’s five round dominance as Sylvia being defeated by the guy who is arguable the best heavyweight in the world. That, Big Nog is not.
Sylvia will be taken down once or twice, but will neutralize the ground attack with his long frame. Eventually, Nogueira will run into too many punches trying to come in and hit the mat. From there, Sylvia will rain down blows until the fight comes to a halt.
TB: Sylvia by a shocking (T)KO in the 3rd round.
Nathan Marquardt (#4 in Keefe UFC Rankings) vs. Jeremy Horn
RK: Jeremy Horn has 79 wins in mma, but has not fought in the UFC since May of 2006. Horn was a replacement for Thales Leites. Horn certainly won’t be intimidated in this once as he has been in cage or ring with the likes of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Ricardo Arona, Babalu Sobral, Forrest Griffin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, Anderson Silva, and Matt Lindland. Check out that list again.
Marquardt had been undefeated in the UFC until he was rewarded a middleweight title shot against Anderson Silva. He lost at the end of the 1st round via TKO. Everyone has looked bad against Silva, so I throw that fight out. Marquart will get back on the winning side of things with a victory over Horn.
RK: Nathan Marquardt wins via submission 2nd round.
TB: I agree here, Rich. While Horn has an impressive resume of opponents and over 100 fights in MMA, 79 of which he has won, he’s only 3-3 in his last six fights over the past two years and has been nowhere near as active as he once was; try six fights in ’05, seven in ’04 and a whopping 10 in ’03!
Marquardt, meanwhile, was just another victim in an endless line of futile attempts at Anderson Silva. He had been a force up until that point and still is, in my view. He will be the stronger fighter and hasn’t been submitted since ’03. Marquardt will control the fight on the feet and work some ground and pound while being cautious and respectful of Horn’s ground acumen. In the end, he does enough.
TB: Marquardt wins by Decision.
Rob Yundt v. Ricardo Almeida
TB: Don’t know who Ricardo Almeida is? Not surprised if you didn’t follow MMA until the big boom a couple years ago. This guy walked away from the sport at 27 to focus on other interests after scoring a six-fight win streak. The last three wins were over Ryo Chonan, Nathan Marquadt and Kazuo Masaki. Pretty good.
Don’t know who Rob Yundt is? Neither do I, and neither does anyone outside of Alaska. This was a pretty good fight when Alan Belcher was involved, but Yundt steps in on short notice and will be overmatched. I think he goes for broke early but Almeida scores a takedown and works for his opponents back. Ultimately, Yundt succumbs.
Almeida by Submission (Rear Naked Choke).
RK: Almeida does have a nice win streak going Bess, but it was back in 2003-2004, and he hasn’t fought in the UFC since January of ’02. I think he’s going to have to shake off a lot of rust. Rob Yundt? Almeida could fight Brian Sharkey and I think in his first fight in over 3 years it would still go to decision. I’m sure the UFC is hoping for an early stoppage so Almeida can get in the mix in their soft middleweight division. He wins, but not impressively.
RK: Almeida by decision.
Tyson Griffin vs. Gleison Tibau
RK: Battle at 155 here. Griffin is trying to cement himself as one of the best lightweights in the UFC. After losing to Frankie Edgar (his only MMA loss) he has rattled off two impressive wins over Clay Guida and Thiago Tavares both by decision. Tibau has won 4 straight fights, 3 of which in the UFC and is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter. Tibau has more experience than Griffin, but I like Tyson to win a hard fought out decision.
RK: Tyson Griffin by decision.
TB: I can’t help but remember Thiago Tavares lackluster decision win at UFN 12. Reason being, I think this will mirror that, but only for the 1st round. Neither of these fighters has shown the ability to finish opponents regularly and for the first five minutes it will be a battle of attrition. But Griffin has fought some aggressive opponents and uses that experience to maintain control until he lands a big shot and goes in for the kill out of nowhere in the 2nd round.
TB: Griffin by (T)KO in the 2nd round.
Terry Martin vs. Marvin Eastman
RK: Marvin Eastman via KO 2nd round.
TB: Marvin Eastman via KO 1st round.
Tim Boetsch vs. David Heath
RK: Tim Boetsch via submission 2nd round (but will let go unlike Babalu)
TB: David Heath by Decision.
Keita Nakamura vs. Rob Emerson
RK: Rob Emerson via decision.
TB: Keita Nakamura by submission in 1st round.
Chris Lytle vs. Kyle Bradley
RK: Chris Lytle via submission via 1st round.
TB: Chris Lytle by Decision.
TB: I’m trying not to let my loyalty to Mir as a fan cloud my judgement here, but it’s hard based on the sheer strength and size of Lesnar. There’s no question that Lesnar will look for the takedown immediately and instill some serious ground and pound. This is where Frank Mir needs to be the old champ Frank Mir. And we saw flashes of that brilliancy against Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74. Mir looked to be in good shape, and he actually initiated the takedown and immediately worked for a submission before locking in a kimura.
Can he do this against Lesnar? His brutal TKO to Marcio Cruz would imply no. However, that was his first fight back from the serious motorcycle accident and Lesnar is too inexperienced not to leave a limb hanging out there for Mir to grab at and lock in on. My prediction? Mir survives an early storm and uses his jiu-jitsu prowess to keep Lesnar in full guard before locking in an arm-bar and nearly breaking it until the fight is stopped.
TB: Mir by submission late in Round 1.
RK: I got to agree Bess. Lesnar’s MMA debut didn’t last long, and I believe the guy he beat takes the trash out in my building. Mir is one of the best BJJ fighters in the world, and almost in a league of his own as a heavyweight. Will Mir be able to take down Lesnar? Probably not, but Mir works miracles on his back. If this was Lesnar’s 4th or 5th fight I’d give him a better chance, but he’s never been in the cage with a guy the caliber of Frank Mir.
Take a look back at the 1999 NCAA wrestling heavyweight final between one Brock Lesnar vs. Stephen Neal. How about the paths those guys took? It’s going to be a great weekend for one of them, but not Lesnar as he loses his first fight in the UFC as Neal captures another Super Bowl ring.
RK: Mir by submission in Round 1.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (#2 in Keefe UFC rankings) vs. Tim Sylvia (#3 in Keefe UFC rankings)
RK: This is obviously for the interim heavyweight championship, which will likely never be unified as Randy Couture is showing no signs of fighting again in the UFC. Big Nog is one of the all time great Pride champions, and is one of the most well known fighters in Japan. He has had only 1 fight in the UFC which was a decision victory over Heath Herring, where he was almost knocked out with a high kick. He has fought some of the best heavyweights in the world including Fedor, Cro Cop, Werdum, and celebrity rehab’s own Ricco Rodriguez, but all of them in a ring. We have seen many Pride fighters struggle in the octagon, a place where Tim Sylvia is very comfortable.
Sylvia is trying to become just the first 3-time Champ in the UFC. After losing the belt to the Natural he bounced back with a decision victory over Brandon Vera. Sylvia beat Arlovski two in a row after losing to him 3 years ago, which rank as two of his signature wins. In his last 4 fights Tim is 3-1 all of which have gone to decision. I think this one will be no different, but in a boring main event with two big name fighters, he loses to the Pride vet.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira wins by decision.
TB: Sorry, Rich, but I have to disagree. Big Nog hasn’t submitted a high profile fighter since Heath Herring in their second fight back in PRIDE. And while he has fought the best in the world, Sylvia has continuously fought the best the UFC has to offer…and for the most part, whether you like or not, he’s won. And this is his home court in the Octagon.
As far as the style matchups, the only real advantage in this fight for Nogueira is the submission game. But Sylvia is 5 inches taller and has a significant reach advantage over Nog and will look to use that in the standup game. We saw against Jeff Monson that he has good submission defense, and I look at Couture’s five round dominance as Sylvia being defeated by the guy who is arguable the best heavyweight in the world. That, Big Nog is not.
Sylvia will be taken down once or twice, but will neutralize the ground attack with his long frame. Eventually, Nogueira will run into too many punches trying to come in and hit the mat. From there, Sylvia will rain down blows until the fight comes to a halt.
TB: Sylvia by a shocking (T)KO in the 3rd round.
Nathan Marquardt (#4 in Keefe UFC Rankings) vs. Jeremy Horn
RK: Jeremy Horn has 79 wins in mma, but has not fought in the UFC since May of 2006. Horn was a replacement for Thales Leites. Horn certainly won’t be intimidated in this once as he has been in cage or ring with the likes of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Ricardo Arona, Babalu Sobral, Forrest Griffin, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, Anderson Silva, and Matt Lindland. Check out that list again.
Marquardt had been undefeated in the UFC until he was rewarded a middleweight title shot against Anderson Silva. He lost at the end of the 1st round via TKO. Everyone has looked bad against Silva, so I throw that fight out. Marquart will get back on the winning side of things with a victory over Horn.
RK: Nathan Marquardt wins via submission 2nd round.
TB: I agree here, Rich. While Horn has an impressive resume of opponents and over 100 fights in MMA, 79 of which he has won, he’s only 3-3 in his last six fights over the past two years and has been nowhere near as active as he once was; try six fights in ’05, seven in ’04 and a whopping 10 in ’03!
Marquardt, meanwhile, was just another victim in an endless line of futile attempts at Anderson Silva. He had been a force up until that point and still is, in my view. He will be the stronger fighter and hasn’t been submitted since ’03. Marquardt will control the fight on the feet and work some ground and pound while being cautious and respectful of Horn’s ground acumen. In the end, he does enough.
TB: Marquardt wins by Decision.
Rob Yundt v. Ricardo Almeida
TB: Don’t know who Ricardo Almeida is? Not surprised if you didn’t follow MMA until the big boom a couple years ago. This guy walked away from the sport at 27 to focus on other interests after scoring a six-fight win streak. The last three wins were over Ryo Chonan, Nathan Marquadt and Kazuo Masaki. Pretty good.
Don’t know who Rob Yundt is? Neither do I, and neither does anyone outside of Alaska. This was a pretty good fight when Alan Belcher was involved, but Yundt steps in on short notice and will be overmatched. I think he goes for broke early but Almeida scores a takedown and works for his opponents back. Ultimately, Yundt succumbs.
Almeida by Submission (Rear Naked Choke).
RK: Almeida does have a nice win streak going Bess, but it was back in 2003-2004, and he hasn’t fought in the UFC since January of ’02. I think he’s going to have to shake off a lot of rust. Rob Yundt? Almeida could fight Brian Sharkey and I think in his first fight in over 3 years it would still go to decision. I’m sure the UFC is hoping for an early stoppage so Almeida can get in the mix in their soft middleweight division. He wins, but not impressively.
RK: Almeida by decision.
Tyson Griffin vs. Gleison Tibau
RK: Battle at 155 here. Griffin is trying to cement himself as one of the best lightweights in the UFC. After losing to Frankie Edgar (his only MMA loss) he has rattled off two impressive wins over Clay Guida and Thiago Tavares both by decision. Tibau has won 4 straight fights, 3 of which in the UFC and is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter. Tibau has more experience than Griffin, but I like Tyson to win a hard fought out decision.
RK: Tyson Griffin by decision.
TB: I can’t help but remember Thiago Tavares lackluster decision win at UFN 12. Reason being, I think this will mirror that, but only for the 1st round. Neither of these fighters has shown the ability to finish opponents regularly and for the first five minutes it will be a battle of attrition. But Griffin has fought some aggressive opponents and uses that experience to maintain control until he lands a big shot and goes in for the kill out of nowhere in the 2nd round.
TB: Griffin by (T)KO in the 2nd round.
Terry Martin vs. Marvin Eastman
RK: Marvin Eastman via KO 2nd round.
TB: Marvin Eastman via KO 1st round.
Tim Boetsch vs. David Heath
RK: Tim Boetsch via submission 2nd round (but will let go unlike Babalu)
TB: David Heath by Decision.
Keita Nakamura vs. Rob Emerson
RK: Rob Emerson via decision.
TB: Keita Nakamura by submission in 1st round.
Chris Lytle vs. Kyle Bradley
RK: Chris Lytle via submission via 1st round.
TB: Chris Lytle by Decision.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
NBA All-Star Reserves
I don’t mean to just pile on an entry on top of Besse’s, but with the All-Star reserves in the NBA being announced tonight I thought I would name the players I felt were deserving. Each conference must have on their bench 2 guard, 2 forwards, 1 center, and then 2 whatever you’re feelin’.
First in the Eastern Conference:
Starters: G Jason Kidd, G Dwayne Wade, F Kevin Garnett, F LeBron James, C Dwight Howard.
Don’t really have any problems here. Take a look at the backcourt though with their combined 28 wins.
G Chauncey Billups (17.9 pts., 7.1 assists)
G Joe Johnson (21.2 pts., 4.4 rebs., 5.3 assists)
F Paul Pierce (20.1 pts., 5.7 rebs., 5 assists)
F Caron Butler (21.9 pts., 7 rebs., 4.3 assists)
C Chris Bosh (22.7 pts., 9.1 rebs.)*
F Antawn Jamison (21.4 pts., 10.6 rebs.)
F Josh Smith (18 pts., 8.1 rebs., 3.2 blocks)
*I know Chris Bosh is a forward, I’m putting him in as a center. Other very deserving players include Richard Hamilton, Ray Allen, Jose Calderon, Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, and Hedo Turkoglu.
Western Conference:
Starters: G Kobe Bryant, G Allen Iverson, F Carmelo Anthony, F Tim Duncan, C Yao Ming.
How Chris Paul is not starting is beyond me. Fan voting is for the birds. My subs are…
G Chris Paul (20.8 pts., 3.9 rebs., 10.7 assists)
G Steve Nash (17.4 pts., 11.9 asts., 48% 3FG)
F Carlos Boozer (22.4 pts., 10.6 rebs., 55% FG)
F Dirk Nowitzki (22.3 pts., 8.6 rebs.)
C Marcus Camby (9.3 pts., 14.3 rebs., 3.9 blocks)
F/C Amare Stoudemire (22.7 pts., 9 rebs., 59.5% FG)
G Baron Davis (22.3 pts., 4.8 rebs., 8.1 assists)
Just missing the cut: Brandon Roy (he needs to be there somehow), Deron Williams, Josh Howard, Stephen Jackson, Shawn Marion, Chris Kamen, and Tyson Chandler.
We’ll have to wait and see until tonight who the coaches pick.
Rich Keefe
First in the Eastern Conference:
Starters: G Jason Kidd, G Dwayne Wade, F Kevin Garnett, F LeBron James, C Dwight Howard.
Don’t really have any problems here. Take a look at the backcourt though with their combined 28 wins.
G Chauncey Billups (17.9 pts., 7.1 assists)
G Joe Johnson (21.2 pts., 4.4 rebs., 5.3 assists)
F Paul Pierce (20.1 pts., 5.7 rebs., 5 assists)
F Caron Butler (21.9 pts., 7 rebs., 4.3 assists)
C Chris Bosh (22.7 pts., 9.1 rebs.)*
F Antawn Jamison (21.4 pts., 10.6 rebs.)
F Josh Smith (18 pts., 8.1 rebs., 3.2 blocks)
*I know Chris Bosh is a forward, I’m putting him in as a center. Other very deserving players include Richard Hamilton, Ray Allen, Jose Calderon, Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, and Hedo Turkoglu.
Western Conference:
Starters: G Kobe Bryant, G Allen Iverson, F Carmelo Anthony, F Tim Duncan, C Yao Ming.
How Chris Paul is not starting is beyond me. Fan voting is for the birds. My subs are…
G Chris Paul (20.8 pts., 3.9 rebs., 10.7 assists)
G Steve Nash (17.4 pts., 11.9 asts., 48% 3FG)
F Carlos Boozer (22.4 pts., 10.6 rebs., 55% FG)
F Dirk Nowitzki (22.3 pts., 8.6 rebs.)
C Marcus Camby (9.3 pts., 14.3 rebs., 3.9 blocks)
F/C Amare Stoudemire (22.7 pts., 9 rebs., 59.5% FG)
G Baron Davis (22.3 pts., 4.8 rebs., 8.1 assists)
Just missing the cut: Brandon Roy (he needs to be there somehow), Deron Williams, Josh Howard, Stephen Jackson, Shawn Marion, Chris Kamen, and Tyson Chandler.
We’ll have to wait and see until tonight who the coaches pick.
Rich Keefe
Random Thoughts Heading into February
Sox missed out; Mets re-claim top status in NL East
Let's face it: The Red Sox blew a golden opportunity to re-position themselves as the front-runner heading into the 2008 season. The Tigers made a big splash acquiring Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins, and with a pitching staff of Verlander, Willis, Bonderman, Rogers and Robertson they seem real tough. Having a bona-fide ace, three solid lefties and a another righty with top of the rotation potential is a good thing to have. And that lineup is reminiscent of the Yankees during their late 90's reign. No holes and no let-up for any team's pitching staff.
If Boston had committed to the Santana deal, imagine Johan, Beckett, and Matsusaka at the top of the rotation. With Schilling and Wakefield still around to hold down the back-end for a year, the Sox could have afforded to make a package from a crop of Bucholz, Lester, Ellsbury and Bowden. They certainly could have kept one of the pitchers while giving up some of the young talent that has either arrived or is on its way up through the system.
I know Theo is big on developing in-house, but I've said this before and I'll say it again: the minor league system is like a $1/$2 table at the Mirage - build up your $1 and $5 chips and once the stack starts falling over, color out and head to the $2/$4 table. You keep doing that until you find yourself seated at the Big Game w/ Doyle, the Phils and Negraneau. Pull the trigger, Theo! You have to wonder if he questions his own baseball acumen these days with the list of busts that he has compiled as of late(Drew, Lugo, Gagne and Crisp off the top of my head). Props on his drafting ability, but unless you're the A's or any other small market team, most GMs use prospects to line up big time trades. Not Theo.
The one plus is that it's the Mets who ended up winning the sweepstakes, and not the Yankees or any other AL team for that matter. While they may come out of the National League in '08, I still don't think their pitching staff wins a WS title. They added one of the best in the game, but with the loss of Glavine, they didn't address depth in the rotation (or lack thereof). After Santana and Maine, who faded bigtime down the stretch last year, there's Pedro's and his noodle arm, Perez and his diaper, and El Suckque. Wagner and 'pen give em a chance, but in a 7-game series, Santana will HAVE to pitch 3 games.
Leyritz finally coming down to Earth
It's amazing what one clutch moment can do to someone's head. Jim Leyritz was no better than a serviceable big league back-up during his 11 year stint in the majors. But who would have known that one big WS homerun would cloud this man's judgement for the balance of his life. Looks like his head swelled so big he thought he could pour more booze into it, too. Turns out, a big ego doesn't turn into a big tolerance.
It's unfortunate someone's life was taken, and my sympathies go out to the family of the victim, but it's about time Leyritz got pulled off his high horse. I got to see him interact with media, players and big wigs alike at the ALCS and WS this past season. To say he was his biggest fan would be an understatement. This guy thought he was Mr. Baseball. Here's to serving four more years in jail than you did in the Bigs, pal.
Rondo making strides
The NBA should create an award just to give Rajon Rondo something for what he's done this year. I don't care if it's a certificate of achievement like something out of a Little League Baseball tournament. Give this kid his dues. Watching him run the Celtics' offense has been surprisingly enjoyable thus far, and he continues to get better night in and night out. His defense hasn't lapsed one bit, and he's slashing to the hole and creating shots around big men like a 12-year veteran. His ability to do this is opening up opportunities around him, and I think we're seeing a pass-first attitude become contagious up-and-down the C's roster. I mean, any other year would Paul Pierce pass up a layup to kick it out to Scalabrine in the corner for 3? Absolutely not, but he did against the Magic last Sunday (Scal rimmed out, by the way).
But it's a good thing, because it's giving guys like Perkins, Powe and Big Baby opportunities to score double digits and make meaningful contributions in meaningful minutes. And for the Magic to need a last second 3 to win it against a KG-less C's squad says a lot about the maturation process the rest of the team has gone through this season. Veterans like Eddie House and James Posey, Tony Allen and the like are expected to provide solid time. But this team is now potentially 10-men deep. That's scary in the East.
And with Rondo stepping up game after game, I think he'll be just fine come playoff time matching up against Chauncey Billups.
Let's face it: The Red Sox blew a golden opportunity to re-position themselves as the front-runner heading into the 2008 season. The Tigers made a big splash acquiring Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins, and with a pitching staff of Verlander, Willis, Bonderman, Rogers and Robertson they seem real tough. Having a bona-fide ace, three solid lefties and a another righty with top of the rotation potential is a good thing to have. And that lineup is reminiscent of the Yankees during their late 90's reign. No holes and no let-up for any team's pitching staff.
If Boston had committed to the Santana deal, imagine Johan, Beckett, and Matsusaka at the top of the rotation. With Schilling and Wakefield still around to hold down the back-end for a year, the Sox could have afforded to make a package from a crop of Bucholz, Lester, Ellsbury and Bowden. They certainly could have kept one of the pitchers while giving up some of the young talent that has either arrived or is on its way up through the system.
I know Theo is big on developing in-house, but I've said this before and I'll say it again: the minor league system is like a $1/$2 table at the Mirage - build up your $1 and $5 chips and once the stack starts falling over, color out and head to the $2/$4 table. You keep doing that until you find yourself seated at the Big Game w/ Doyle, the Phils and Negraneau. Pull the trigger, Theo! You have to wonder if he questions his own baseball acumen these days with the list of busts that he has compiled as of late(Drew, Lugo, Gagne and Crisp off the top of my head). Props on his drafting ability, but unless you're the A's or any other small market team, most GMs use prospects to line up big time trades. Not Theo.
The one plus is that it's the Mets who ended up winning the sweepstakes, and not the Yankees or any other AL team for that matter. While they may come out of the National League in '08, I still don't think their pitching staff wins a WS title. They added one of the best in the game, but with the loss of Glavine, they didn't address depth in the rotation (or lack thereof). After Santana and Maine, who faded bigtime down the stretch last year, there's Pedro's and his noodle arm, Perez and his diaper, and El Suckque. Wagner and 'pen give em a chance, but in a 7-game series, Santana will HAVE to pitch 3 games.
Leyritz finally coming down to Earth
It's amazing what one clutch moment can do to someone's head. Jim Leyritz was no better than a serviceable big league back-up during his 11 year stint in the majors. But who would have known that one big WS homerun would cloud this man's judgement for the balance of his life. Looks like his head swelled so big he thought he could pour more booze into it, too. Turns out, a big ego doesn't turn into a big tolerance.
It's unfortunate someone's life was taken, and my sympathies go out to the family of the victim, but it's about time Leyritz got pulled off his high horse. I got to see him interact with media, players and big wigs alike at the ALCS and WS this past season. To say he was his biggest fan would be an understatement. This guy thought he was Mr. Baseball. Here's to serving four more years in jail than you did in the Bigs, pal.
Rondo making strides
The NBA should create an award just to give Rajon Rondo something for what he's done this year. I don't care if it's a certificate of achievement like something out of a Little League Baseball tournament. Give this kid his dues. Watching him run the Celtics' offense has been surprisingly enjoyable thus far, and he continues to get better night in and night out. His defense hasn't lapsed one bit, and he's slashing to the hole and creating shots around big men like a 12-year veteran. His ability to do this is opening up opportunities around him, and I think we're seeing a pass-first attitude become contagious up-and-down the C's roster. I mean, any other year would Paul Pierce pass up a layup to kick it out to Scalabrine in the corner for 3? Absolutely not, but he did against the Magic last Sunday (Scal rimmed out, by the way).
But it's a good thing, because it's giving guys like Perkins, Powe and Big Baby opportunities to score double digits and make meaningful contributions in meaningful minutes. And for the Magic to need a last second 3 to win it against a KG-less C's squad says a lot about the maturation process the rest of the team has gone through this season. Veterans like Eddie House and James Posey, Tony Allen and the like are expected to provide solid time. But this team is now potentially 10-men deep. That's scary in the East.
And with Rondo stepping up game after game, I think he'll be just fine come playoff time matching up against Chauncey Billups.
UFC Divisional Rankings as of 1/31/08
-Besse
Here are my rankings of the UFC’s five divisions as of today. Please note that Henderson appears in two divisions. Simply put, the poor guy is the 2nd best fighter right now in both weight classes. That may change soon (read below). Other than that, they are slightly different than Keefe’s, but that’s to be expected as we are only dealing with one stable of fighters, so there are some issues with depth in certain divisions. I also included some notes to shed light on why some guys appear where they do. Hope you enjoy.
Heavyweight
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Tim Sylvia
4. Brandon Vera
5. Cheick Kongo
6. Fabricio Verdum
7. Andrei Arlovski
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Mirko Cro Cop
10. Frank Mir
Notes: This division sucks, and it’s not getting any better with “The Natural” letting his contract run out. The winner of the Big Nog/Sylvia fight is a default champion and based on past performances, neither is scary and showing signs of dominance. Arlovski takes a hit due to inactivity, which is why Verdum – whom Arlovski beat in a lackluster decision in his last Octagon appearance – is ranked ahead of him. Mir shows up because he looked like the old champ against Hardonk at UFC 74.
Light Heavyweight
1. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Keith Jardine
5. Chuck Liddell
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
8. Thiago Silva
9. Rashad Evans
10. Tito Ortiz
Notes: Rampage is by far supreme after 2007, and I look for him to dominate Forrest in their matchup later this year by 3rd Round TKO. Griffin shocked everyone with that win over Rua – who may have been hurt – but still doesn’t warrant a title shot with the loss to Jardine. Speaking of, where is the “Dean of Mean”, who owns consecutive wins over Griffin and Liddell? Wanderlei looked old and tired in his last fight, so I left him off, and I still think Tito is a force. Silva and Evans will be an interesting top-10 match between a well-rounded striker and an excellent wrestler with improving stand-up; I still think Evans is slightly overrated.
Middleweight
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Nate Marquadt
7. Travis Lutter
8. Dean Lister
9. Thales Leites
10. Michael Bisping
Notes: Much like the Heavyweight division, there isn’t a lot of depth here. Silva is the clear cut leader of the pack and if Hendo hadn’t been persuaded to drop down, I’d say the Reign of Terror would continue for a long, long time. But I think “Dangerous” pulls the upset on March 1st and here’s why: In Silva’s five UFC fights, he’s spending an average of 4:15 demolishing his opponents. Henderson, meanwhile, has gone the distance in five of his last six fights, including that five-round war of attrition against Rampage. Hendo will drag this fight into the later rounds and win by late stoppage or decision. Meanwhile, I slot Bisping in at number ten b/c this division is weak and he has some decent skills.
Welterweight
1. Georges “Rush” St. Pierre
2. Matt Serra
3. Jon Fitch
4. Karo Parysian
5. Matt Hughes
6. Josh Koscheck
7 Marcus Davis
8. Diego Sanchez
9. Josh Burkman
10. Mike Swick
Notes: Now GSP is the “interim” champ, I can finally put him at the top where he belongs. Unless he gets caught again, he’ll dominate Serra in their rematch. Hughes takes a hit after doing absolutely nothing in that fight against GSP. Meanwhile, I thought Burkman should have won that fight. Although his takedowns continually got stuffed, Swick did nothing offensively aside from the one glancing kick he landed. Burkman was aggressive, took chances and tried to fight; Swick didn’t look right at that weight. And by the way Joe Silva, how are you not having Fitch and Parysian fight a #1 contender match on the same card as GSP v. Serra? Both are deserving, and they need to fight each other to get this mess figured out.
Lightweight
1. B.J. Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Roger Huerta
5. Kenny Florian
6. Clay Guida
7. Frankie Edgar
8. Tyson Griffin
9. Hermes Franca
10. Joe Lauzon
Notes: Penn is the best P4P fighter in the world, and he beat a great opponent in Stevenson at UFC 80. I think Sherk is seriously underestimating the overall game of Penn, but look for a terrific grudge match when they fight. Huerta takes a break and deserves it after a busy ’07. Florian is ever-improving, and it’s too bad he got thrown in against Sherk so early; he wasn’t ready and still isn’t, but continues to improve. Guida was winning against Huerta until he got blitzed early in the 3rd round, and I like his aggressive style. And let’s not forget Franca. He owned up to his mistake, and w/ or w/o the juice, he’s a top 10 fighter in this organization.
-Besse
Here are my rankings of the UFC’s five divisions as of today. Please note that Henderson appears in two divisions. Simply put, the poor guy is the 2nd best fighter right now in both weight classes. That may change soon (read below). Other than that, they are slightly different than Keefe’s, but that’s to be expected as we are only dealing with one stable of fighters, so there are some issues with depth in certain divisions. I also included some notes to shed light on why some guys appear where they do. Hope you enjoy.
Heavyweight
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Tim Sylvia
4. Brandon Vera
5. Cheick Kongo
6. Fabricio Verdum
7. Andrei Arlovski
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Mirko Cro Cop
10. Frank Mir
Notes: This division sucks, and it’s not getting any better with “The Natural” letting his contract run out. The winner of the Big Nog/Sylvia fight is a default champion and based on past performances, neither is scary and showing signs of dominance. Arlovski takes a hit due to inactivity, which is why Verdum – whom Arlovski beat in a lackluster decision in his last Octagon appearance – is ranked ahead of him. Mir shows up because he looked like the old champ against Hardonk at UFC 74.
Light Heavyweight
1. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Lyoto Machida
4. Keith Jardine
5. Chuck Liddell
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
8. Thiago Silva
9. Rashad Evans
10. Tito Ortiz
Notes: Rampage is by far supreme after 2007, and I look for him to dominate Forrest in their matchup later this year by 3rd Round TKO. Griffin shocked everyone with that win over Rua – who may have been hurt – but still doesn’t warrant a title shot with the loss to Jardine. Speaking of, where is the “Dean of Mean”, who owns consecutive wins over Griffin and Liddell? Wanderlei looked old and tired in his last fight, so I left him off, and I still think Tito is a force. Silva and Evans will be an interesting top-10 match between a well-rounded striker and an excellent wrestler with improving stand-up; I still think Evans is slightly overrated.
Middleweight
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Yushin Okami
5. Patrick Cote
6. Nate Marquadt
7. Travis Lutter
8. Dean Lister
9. Thales Leites
10. Michael Bisping
Notes: Much like the Heavyweight division, there isn’t a lot of depth here. Silva is the clear cut leader of the pack and if Hendo hadn’t been persuaded to drop down, I’d say the Reign of Terror would continue for a long, long time. But I think “Dangerous” pulls the upset on March 1st and here’s why: In Silva’s five UFC fights, he’s spending an average of 4:15 demolishing his opponents. Henderson, meanwhile, has gone the distance in five of his last six fights, including that five-round war of attrition against Rampage. Hendo will drag this fight into the later rounds and win by late stoppage or decision. Meanwhile, I slot Bisping in at number ten b/c this division is weak and he has some decent skills.
Welterweight
1. Georges “Rush” St. Pierre
2. Matt Serra
3. Jon Fitch
4. Karo Parysian
5. Matt Hughes
6. Josh Koscheck
7 Marcus Davis
8. Diego Sanchez
9. Josh Burkman
10. Mike Swick
Notes: Now GSP is the “interim” champ, I can finally put him at the top where he belongs. Unless he gets caught again, he’ll dominate Serra in their rematch. Hughes takes a hit after doing absolutely nothing in that fight against GSP. Meanwhile, I thought Burkman should have won that fight. Although his takedowns continually got stuffed, Swick did nothing offensively aside from the one glancing kick he landed. Burkman was aggressive, took chances and tried to fight; Swick didn’t look right at that weight. And by the way Joe Silva, how are you not having Fitch and Parysian fight a #1 contender match on the same card as GSP v. Serra? Both are deserving, and they need to fight each other to get this mess figured out.
Lightweight
1. B.J. Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Roger Huerta
5. Kenny Florian
6. Clay Guida
7. Frankie Edgar
8. Tyson Griffin
9. Hermes Franca
10. Joe Lauzon
Notes: Penn is the best P4P fighter in the world, and he beat a great opponent in Stevenson at UFC 80. I think Sherk is seriously underestimating the overall game of Penn, but look for a terrific grudge match when they fight. Huerta takes a break and deserves it after a busy ’07. Florian is ever-improving, and it’s too bad he got thrown in against Sherk so early; he wasn’t ready and still isn’t, but continues to improve. Guida was winning against Huerta until he got blitzed early in the 3rd round, and I like his aggressive style. And let’s not forget Franca. He owned up to his mistake, and w/ or w/o the juice, he’s a top 10 fighter in this organization.
-Besse
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
UFC Rankings (1-30-08; Keefe)
Here is the first monthly UFC rankings. Tristan and I will both rank fighters 1-10 for the 5 divisions in the UFC. Perhaps we will combine the rankings one day and just have a "Sports Brief Rankings," but for now there will be two separate ones. Again these are only fighters in the UFC/ under contract. No Fedor, Paulo Filho, Matt Lindland, Gomi, Arona, etc. Also I have Dan Henderson in both LHW and MW as his last fight in the UFC was for the LHW belt and his next fight is for the MW belt.
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Tim Sylvia
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Fabricio Werdum
6. Cheick Kongo
7. Brandon Vera
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Mirko Cro Cop
10. Frank Mir
Light Heavyweight:
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
4. Chuck Liddell
5. Keith Jardine
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Lyoto Machida
8. Wanderlei Silva
9. Tito Ortiz
10. Thiago Silva
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Nathan Marquardt
5. Yushin Okami
6. Travis Lutter
7. Patrick Cote
8. Jason MacDonald
9. Chris Leben
10. Nathan Quarry
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Matt Serra
3. Jon Fitch
4. Matt Hughes
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Karo Parisyan
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Marcus Davis
9. Mike Swick
10. Josh Burkman
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Frankie Edgar
7. Tyson Griffin
8. Din Thomas
9. Spencer Fisher
10. Clay Guida
Heavyweight:
1. Randy Couture
2. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
3. Tim Sylvia
4. Andrei Arlovski
5. Fabricio Werdum
6. Cheick Kongo
7. Brandon Vera
8. Gabriel Gonzaga
9. Mirko Cro Cop
10. Frank Mir
Light Heavyweight:
1. Quinton Jackson
2. Dan Henderson
3. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua
4. Chuck Liddell
5. Keith Jardine
6. Forrest Griffin
7. Lyoto Machida
8. Wanderlei Silva
9. Tito Ortiz
10. Thiago Silva
Middleweight:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Dan Henderson
3. Rich Franklin
4. Nathan Marquardt
5. Yushin Okami
6. Travis Lutter
7. Patrick Cote
8. Jason MacDonald
9. Chris Leben
10. Nathan Quarry
Welterweight:
1. Georges St. Pierre
2. Matt Serra
3. Jon Fitch
4. Matt Hughes
5. Josh Koscheck
6. Karo Parisyan
7. Diego Sanchez
8. Marcus Davis
9. Mike Swick
10. Josh Burkman
Lightweight:
1. BJ Penn
2. Sean Sherk
3. Joe Stevenson
4. Kenny Florian
5. Roger Huerta
6. Frankie Edgar
7. Tyson Griffin
8. Din Thomas
9. Spencer Fisher
10. Clay Guida
We're Back!
That's right. After nearly a 7 month hiatus The Sports Brief is back. Tristan Besse, myself (Rich Keefe), and possibly Brian Sharkey (still haven't heard from him) are going to pick up this blog thing where we left off. Even without the Shark 2 out of 3 ain't bad. I mean look at the Celtics last night without KG and Ray Ray. One of the new features to The Sports Brief will be UFC Rankings for each weight class by Tristan and me.
We will still discuss the world of sports specifically college and pro football, college and pro hoops, baseball, Olympics (I mean why not), and mixed martial arts (mma). So enjoy the resurgence and be sure to tell your friends.
Thanks for giving The Sports Brief another chance.
We will still discuss the world of sports specifically college and pro football, college and pro hoops, baseball, Olympics (I mean why not), and mixed martial arts (mma). So enjoy the resurgence and be sure to tell your friends.
Thanks for giving The Sports Brief another chance.
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