In a few short hours UFC 129, the largest mixed martial arts event in North American history will take place at the Rogers Center in Toronto Canada. Make Sympatico.ca your home for all UFC coverage as we will be there LIVE cageside to bring you all of the action, blow-by-blow. The prelims will begin at 6PM ET and Pay-per-view bouts will start at 9PM ET so be sure to stay glued here for all of the up to the minute results in and out of the octagon.
Ex-WEC lightweight champ Ben Henderson battles Canadian grappling sensation Mark Bocek in a battle of 155'ers that is sure to get the main card kicked off with a bang. Next two light heavyweights, Vladimir 'The Janitor' Matyushenko and Jason Brilz fight to solidify their place in their stacked division. Randy Couture finally gets his chance to try to solve the Lyoto Machida puzzle as both men meet in what might be 'The Natural's' final fight inside the octagon. Brazilian assassin Jose Aldo accepts the challenge of the hometown hero Mark Hominick for the UFC featherweight championship. And finally, Georges 'Rush' St-Pierre looks to defend his UFC welterweight title against 5-time champion and Jiu-Jitsu master, Jake Shields. St-Pierre claims Sheilds is his toughest test yet, and based on his track record the champ couldn't be more right. Does Jake Shields have the tools to defeat the seemingly perfect Canadian welterweight champion?
That means, unlike the Australian Open or the events in Dubai, an organization can’t come up with a few million dollars to entice Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson to come and play its event.
But this week in New Orleans, a handful of players will be in the field, basically paid to show up. That includes Graeme McDowell, the reigning U.S. Open winner, young gun Rickie Fowler, Englishman Justin Rose and Camilo Villegas. They are all under sponsorship deals with Zurich Insurance, the sponsor of the New Orleans tournament. Previously the Zurich Classic was one of those have-not tournaments that struggled to attract top talent in the weeks following the Masters. But thanks to clever sponsorship arrangements that work around the PGA Tour’s rules, Zurich has bolstered its field.
The New Orleans tournament is neither the first nor the best on the PGA Tour at using its corporate muscle to attract players its event. For years, Woods would show up to play tournaments presented by Buick, one of his corporate sponsors. For many years Woods would often play the Buick Open in Michigan, a tournament that seemed to have little attraction for the golfer beyond his connection with the automaker. When Buick ended its sponsorship of the tournament, and the event was moved to Virginia, suddenly Woods wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
The RBC Canadian Open isn’t any less culpable than other events when it comes to paying tour stars to show up at its event. Faced first with a difficult date during the Labour Day weekend in September, and later in the week following the British Open, the Canadian Open struggled to attract the best players. Woods hasn’t come since 2001, and Phil Mickelson has played once in the past decade.
If you're old enough to remember tennis great John McEnroe, you might remember his famous outbursts at officials and opponents more than his incredible athleticism. Here, in a celebrity soccer match held by the New York Cosmos, Umbro and the Tribeca Film Festival for charity, McEnroe shows off his four years of soccer at an Ivy League preperatory school with a legit header off the cross. And, yes, that's team-mate Steve Nash hugging Johnny Mac after the goal, which opened scoring in the game.
Y'know, I don't have a lot of patience for those who ramble on about how Gary Bettman and the NHL have orchestrated a conspiracy against Canada. It's easy to dismiss these arguments simply by rolling out the numbers that show how this country is and has been the league's biggest cash cow. But at least now it's great to see that American hockey fans have their own batsh!t insane contingent.
Last night, after the Boston Bruins eliminated Montreal in a 4-3 Game 7 OT, New England Sports Network (NESN) commentator Jack Edwards took a little stroll to crazytown. Now, you don't necessarily need a tinfoil hat and some horse tranquillizers to figure out what he's trying to say -- that the hockey elite in uppity Canada shouldn't tell these American upstarts how to play hockey -- but the fact he's saying this on TV and not a barstool is pretty amazing. You can see the crazy coming a mile away once Edwards starts using the "air quotes," which we all "know" is just plain "idiotic." Edwards somehow forgot that Boston's an Original Six team founded in 1924, just 15 years after the Canadiens, and is about as traditional a hockey town as they come.
Oh, and aside from the Boston Tea Party and British Monarchy having nothing to do with slapping at a rubber disc on ice, Edwards might want to check out his own team's passports before making such a rant. Americans? The Bruins have three. And all the team's forwards, save for Czech David Krejci, are from... wait for it... Canada.
Lost in the midst of headshots, comebacks, frantic overtimes and incredible goaltending is the fact that the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs had numerous fully-realized sleepers.
Sure, there isn’t a John Druce, Chris Kontos or Lonny Bonohos this year, but it’s amazing how many players have stepped up their production from the regular season. Here are some of the players who fall into the sleeper category. A number of them are still alive and could add to their story in subsequent rounds.
Chris Kelly, Boston – He may look like a collegiate player with the full cage, but Kelly played like a star against the Canadiens with six points in seven games.
Marc-Andre Gragnani, Buffalo – Sabres were sent packing by Flyers, but not before young blueliner posted six points in seven contests.
Ben Smith, Chicago – Three goals in seven games and the kid showed a flair for the dramatic. Admit it, you couldn’t have picked him out of a police line-up before playoffs.
Valtteri Filppula, Detroit – He was one of my sleeper recommendations and he obliged with five points in four games against Coyotes.
Kyle Clifford, Los Angeles – In a year, he went from the OHL to scoring three goals and five points in an NHL playoff series. Impressive.
Brad Richardson, Los Angeles – Kings get offensive contribution from Clifford and Richardson (6GP, 2G, 3A) and still lose to Sharks. Ouch!
Joel Ward, Nashville – Former Canadian university player had five points in six games and played a minute more per game than Mike Fisher.
Jordin Tootoo, Nashville – One of the feel-good stories of the playoffs. Tootoo had the courage to deal with personal issues then has five points in six games against Ducks. As always, he was a physical force.
Nick Spaling, Nashville – Energy guy had two goals and four points against Anaheim despite registering only seven shots on goal.
Andrei Meszaros, Philadelphia – Stepped up in the absence of Chris Pronger with five points in seven games.
Kyle Wellwood, San Jose – Discarded like yesterday’s newspaper in Toronto and Vancouver, Wellwood had four points in six games against Kings.
Steve Downie, Tampa Bay – Another one of my sleeper picks, Downie had seven points in six games against the Penguins.
Eric Brewer, Tampa Bay – Veteran defenceman had five points in seven games vs. the Penguins.
Marcus Johansson, Washington – Caps love this kid, and with good reason. He came up big against the Rangers with four points in five games.
Just 14 months ago, Canada’s Olympic team entered the final minutes of the gold medal game with a narrow one-goal lead over the never-say-die Americans. There was a palpable tension in the building, a nervous energy. Fear the worst and hope for the best is the mantra of Vancouver hockey fans.
The dream nearly slipped away on that Sunday afternoon in February. A late goal by Zach Parise sent the game to OT, setting the stage for Sidney Crosby’s goal for the ages. A celebration of epic magnitude was unleashed. It was part relief; part jubilation.
The Canucks’ Game 7 triumph against Chicago bore great resemblance to Canada’s Olympic victory. Both games featured great goaltending at both ends, a breakneck pace throughout the game - and a sense of doom that was punctuated by late goals by the enemy. It was magnificent hockey, both games. If only every playoff encounter could be so special.
Unlike the Olympic victory, there is precious little time for Vancouverites to savour the moment. The Canucks open up the second round at home against the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
On paper, the series is a mismatch. The Canucks are President-Trophy winners. Their top-six forwards are as impressive as any in the league. The bottom six, even without Manny Malhotra, provides plenty of grit and a decent amount of offence. The blueline is solid and the goaltending, well, let’s just say that Roberto Luongo is fine against every team save for the Blackhawks – and fortunately for the Canucks that bridge has already been crossed.
The Predators, meanwhile, are the type of team you want to hug. Yes, they have one of the league’s best defencemen in Shea Weber, and a Vezina-nominated goalie, but it’s a scoring-by-committee arrangement. In fact, everything is done via committee in Nashville.
The Canucks missed a great opportunity to sail past the Blackhawks. They took their foot of their throats in Game 4 and Chicago, displaying the heart of a champion, was able to get back up and pin the Canucks. Don’t expect the Canucks to mess around against Nashville, however. You get the sense the players were embarrassed to be extended to seven games, and there has to be a feeling of relief, coupled with a determination not to screw things up again.
I say this only half-kidding, but if that’s not a recipe for success, I don’t know what is.
Prediction: Vancouver in five.
San Jose vs. Detroit
Both teams looked impressive in the first round. The Sharks displayed a strong killer instinct against Los Angeles, winning three games in LA and three contests in OT. They displayed courage, something that is always being questioned with his group. The Red Wings swept the Phoenix Coyotes and received some much-needed downtime.
The Sharks picked up some momentum and confidence in their win over the Kings. They are playing with a bit of swagger, which is not a bad thing this time of year. They’re receiving contributions from a variety of different sources and that will help them overcome a deep and talented Wings’ outfit.
UFC 129 week was kicked off with the pre-fight press conference at Toronto’s Direct Energy Center. Tom Wright, Director of Canadian UFC operations got things rolling by introducing his boss, the always larger than life Dana White. White was flanked on either side by six of the men slated to step inside the octagon on Saturday night. From left to right, Randy Couture, Jose Aldo, Georges St-Pierre, Jake Shields, Mark Hominick and Lyoto Machida. St-Pierre and Aldo’s belts glistened in the television lights in front of all the fighters who did their best to keep their game faces on. Some notable attendees were Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and the first ever UFC champion, the legend, Royce Gracie.
The first few questions all centered on the UFC’s opinion of the city and how happy they are to finally be putting on a show in Toronto. “I was pretty damn excited”, White remarked about the company’s first steps into the province. He added, “I’m pumped, we did it! Not only did we do it, but we made it even better. The UFC is the most exciting live sporting event you will ever see, and this show (UFC129) is going to be a completely different experience.”
On Tuesday, Tom Wright and UFC lightweight Sam Stout visited a Cabbagetown Youth Center to introduce UFC Community Works. The initiative came with a $129,000 cheque from the UFC and will aim to help at-risk youth stay out of trouble through martial arts, community gyms and training centers. When asked what other financial benefits the UFC will bring the city of Toronto, Wright stated that while the UFC hasn’t received final data, based on their estimates, UFC 129 will inject in a roughly $30-40 million into the local economy.
It was obvious all men on the dais were mid-way through their weight cuts so answers were kept short and to the point as the conference rolled on.
The questioning turned quickly toward the man Dana White once again referred to as, “the most famous athlete to ever come out of Canada”, Georges St-Pierre. GSP was asked to elaborate on his head trainer Firas Zahabi’s statement that Georges’ training camp was perfect, “It is like a golf swing”, began the champ, “training for a fight is the back-swing, and the ball is now in the air, I could not be any more prepared than I am now”. When asked about what it felt like headlining the biggest UFC event ever held in his own back yard, Georges replied, “It’s going to be a souvenir that I keep with me forever”. St-Pierre has trained with a myriad of specialists in preparation for this title defense. With coaches including Roger and Renzo Gracie, Greg Jackson and the world famous Freddie Roach, Georges is sharpening all of his tools individually with the hopes of making short work of his opponent on April 30th.
Jose Canseco has been known for at least a dozen things over the past thirty years or so*, but if you ask fans to identify one moment** from his life with absolute clarity it will usually come back to a fly ball bouncing off his skull over the wall for a homerun.
If a character as large as Canseco can’t escape the shadow of a blooper, what does that mean for Ryan Raburn? Raburn's resume now includes: Major League Ballplayer, and spastic guy who screwed up in the YouTube era. Ouch.
*Hitting a bunch of homeruns, winning Rookie of the Year, marrying a Playboy model, perennial All-Star, 2x World Series Champion, Simpsons character, guy who blew out his arm trying to pitch (ironically during a blowout), best-selling author, documentary subject, McGwire’s injection buddy (alleged), MMA fighter, Cuban refugee, twin brother of Ozzie, Nash Bridges guest star, black belt holder in karate and taekwondo, Celebrity Apprentice contestant, cast member on The Surreal Life 5, and a whole bunch of legal issues. ** Unless they like talking about steroids.
When I think about parkour, I can't help but think of the hilarious sketch on The Office where Michael, Dwight and Andy gingerly tumble over the furniture in the Dunder Mifflin office, generating a wake of destruction as they hop about, all the while filming their uncoordinated leaps and bounds as they go. They clearly don't know what they're doing, and you can't help but giggle at their weak attempts.
What this guy attempts, however, is anything but giggle-worthy. It is cringe-worthy.
Mr. Parkour, as I will call him, must have been feeling extra brave - or possibly just high on life - when he made the decision to climb a two-story clubhouse with the hopes of successfully jumping off of the roof and on to the dugout fence of the baseball field directly beside it.
Mr. Parkour clearly didn't gauge his distance - or his abilities for that matter - very well. Although he did catapult himself to the top of the clubhouse fairly quickly, his descent back down takes a much more dangerous and painful turn.
My apologies to the staff at Dundler Mifflin. Clearly, it's a lot more difficult, and dangerous, than it appears to be.
March 2011
