Rotoworld: Oregon RB LaMichael James and Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon among top 10 players who are being overhyped for the 2012 draft.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
The Detroit Red Wings equaled an NHL record with their 20th straight win at home, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 Sunday night on the strength of Johan Franzen's tiebreaking goal early in the third period.
PBT: Boston's Rajon Rondo continues to be named in trade talks, which is madness. The Celtics guard creates offense and makes everyone around him better, which was evident in Sunday's win over the Bulls.
Arc: Syracuse is among a solid group of No. 1 seeds in our latest tournament projections, but the middle of the pack is much more murky.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods greeted their Sunday pairing at Pebble Beach with optimism. But the day would end happily only for one.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
Getty ImagesIn its sophomore season the International Fight League is gearing up for the semifinals after a revealing regular season that saw attendance move upward in some areas and television viewers finally get the message.
Team mixed martial arts actually can draw fans.
“Finally the marathon that was our season is over,” said Kurt Otto, the IFL president. “Our ratings show that close to 3 million people are looking at this.”
Four teams have emerged from the dog pile to battle at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N. J. on Aug. 2: the L.A. Anacondas, Quad Cities Silverbacks, New York Pitbulls, and Tokyo Sabres.
Last year’s champions the Silverbacks return to the playoffs to see if they can repeat and also enact revenge for losing 3-2 on Feb. 2 in the Reliant Arena in Houston, Texas.
“We’re not good losers,” said coach Pat Miletich in a media conference call. “Every fight is a new fight for my guys.”
The format consists of five fighters from five different weight classes on each team matched against the opposing team’s selected quintet.
Matching fighters can be a confusing and surprising event for MMA coaches because of the various fighting styles and quirkiness of each athlete. Some MMA fighters like hitting while standing up and others like submission holds.
“It always turns out to be different than you planned. Guys I think will have tough fights come out in 30 seconds,” said Miletich who trains fighters at his Fighting Systems gym. “So many weapons (in MMA). I never try to be Nostradamus in this sport. It’s just too hard to guess any more.”
Last year the Silverbacks faced the same Anacondas who were then coached by Bas Rutten and defeated them 4-1.
It’s a different year and a different coach for the Anacondas now coached by Shawn Tompkins who took the team to the regular season title.
“It’s going to be a hell of a night,” says Tomkins who coaches out of Canada during the off-season. “I truly believe he (Miletich) has one of the best teams not just in the league, but in the world.”
The Silverbacks have Bart Palaszewski (27-8) from Illinois fighting against the Anacondas Adam DiSabato (3-1) out of Columbus, Ohio in the 155-pound division.
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Silverback Gerald Harris (4-1) of Oklahoma meets Anaconda Benji Radach (15-3) of Florida in the 185-pound category.
In the 205-pound division the Anacondas toss Alex Schoenauer (12-7) of Las Vegas against Silverback Mike Ciesnolevicz (12-2) who makes Williamstown, Penn. his home.
The Anacondas match Krzystof Soszynski (12-7-1) against Ben Rothwell (22-5) in the 265-pound division fight of the gargantuans.
Otto said two preliminary bouts featuring 170 and 185-pound fighters are also planned.
As the playoffs close in Otto feels the general public and advertisers finally understand the rationale behind the team sport approach to MMA fights.
“Running a league then educating the sponsorships to the world of MMA, the education process must parallel exposing fans to the team sport,” Otto said. “The radical change we’ve made in our sport is an educational process. It’s not just building a league.”
For tickets or information call (201) 935-3900.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
NEW YORK (AP) - As the glow fades from the Giants' Super Bowl triumph, some New York sports fans are tuning in to basketball and hockey, with the Rangers in first place and the Knicks' overnight sensation, Jeremy Lin, sparking "Lin-sanity.''
Robins: This year, six new breeds will be making their debut on the green carpet for the Westminster Dog Show, which begins Monday.
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Zambia has won the African Cup of Nations, beating pre-tournament favorite Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic final at Stade de l'Amitie.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
The Red Wings have finally started to embrace a record they've been chasing.
