The Penguins Should Stick To Their Day Jobs

The video begins eight seconds in. This is possibly the worst display of acting by any athletes, which makes it hilarious.

Another Pathetic Day in Leaf Land

The NHL trade deadline is an opportunity for teams on the cusp to add some final pieces in hopes of having a successful playoff run. It also gives dwindling franchises the opportunity to unload some big contracts, and add some inexpensive pieces for the future. While teams like the Stars, Penguins, and Capitals added some talent to ensure some success for the stretch run, it was another unsuccessful day for the NHL's most dysfunctional franchise, The Toronto Maple Leafs.

It was a little over a month ago that Toronto's brass decided to fire John Ferguson Jr. as their GM, and named Cliff Fletcher as his temporary replacement. Fletcher was brought in to clean up the mess of undeserving large contracts, and underachieving talent that Ferguson left behind. Fletcher has a decent track record as an NHL executive, and even worked for the Leafs for six years in the 90's.

Fletcher's mission was clear: Trade Mats Sundin, and improve the team for the future. Neither has happened, which leads to one important question- What the hell is going on in Toronto? The team was unsuccessful in convincing Sundin to remove his no-trade clause so that they could trade him to a contender for some building blocks for the future. Why would Sundin want to stay in a losing situation and play for a team that wants to dump him, instead of competing for a Stanley Cup? I guess winning isn't everything to some people.

The inability to trade Sundin isn't entirely the fault of the franchise, but they dropped the ball at the trade deadline by not unloading some big contracts and adding high draft picks and prospects. Instead of dumping over paid players like Bryan McCabe and Darcy Tucker who had value on the trade market, the Leafs did practically nothing, and received two 5th round picks, and one 2nd round pick. I'm sure that will make a real difference.

There's a concept that the Leafs don't understand - Rebuilding. The Leafs have been held back and have been stuck in mediocrity for years due to their refusal to rebuild. Their fans and the media demand too much from them, which pressures them into making horrible decisions that affect them for a long time. Until the Leafs learn to rebuild, they will be in the same situation year after year. Building a successful sports franchise begins in the front office, and maybe that's where the problem is. The Leafs have an attitude that they're better than everyone else due to their history and incredible fan base. Unfortunately for the Leafs, until they learn to be like everything else, and rebuild when necessary, it will be a long time before their considered a serious contender.

-Joe Osborne

UFC 82 Preview and Predictions

If there's one word to describe the card for Saturdays UFC event, it's 'loaded'. The card features a main event that has the potential to go down as one of the greatest MMA fights in the history of the sport, as well as two fights that promise to be massive slug fests. The event also features a showcase of some of the best talent in the 170 lbs. division, and what could perhaps be an audition for a new contract for one of the UFC's most popular fighters. This card is so loaded that fights on the non televised portion of the event feature bigger names and better talent than the main card of several of the UFC's last events. Let's take a look at the fights that matter, and I'll tell you who's gonna win, and how.

Andrei Arlovski (11-5) vs. Jake O'Brien (10-0): Everyone's been wondering where in the hell Arlovski has been the last few months. The pit bull has easily been one of the most popular fighters in the UFC over the past few years, but now he's on the last fight of his contract, and it's unknown whether or not the UFC will even re-sign him. It's widely believe that Arlovski has lost his edge. This is a great opportunity for him to regain the respect of fans and UFC management. His opponent is an undefeated wrestler, who holds a victory over top heavyweight Health Herring. Although O'Brien is undefeated, his chances of defeating Arlovski seem slim. Arlovski is just simply better, and should be dominate O'Brien.

PREDICTION- Arlovski by TKO in the 1st round.

Josh Koscheck (9-2) vs. Dustin Hazelett (10-3): Koscheck thought he was among the elite in the UFC's welterweight division, but Georges St. Pierre proved him wrong, and shut his mouth. Koscheck's climb to the top will begin again when he takes on Dustin Hazelett who has four fights inside the octagon, with his most recent victory coming against Canadian Jonathan Goulet. Although Koscheck is viewed as a jackass by most fans, it's hard to deny that he's well on his way to becoming one of the most well rounded fighters in the division. He entered the UFC as a wrestler and has developed into a talented mixed martial artist. Unfortunately for Dustin Hazelett, it appears he'll be a stepping stone as Koscheck will show off his ever evolving skills.

PREDICTION- Koscheck by submission in the 2nd round.

Diego Sanchez (17-2) vs. David Bielkhedan (12-5): Diego was about a win away from a title shot, but his championship dreams were derailed with two straight loses to Josh Koscheck and John Fitch. Diego needs a win more than ever, and will hope to take out his frustrations on David Bielkhedan who will be making his octagon debut. If Sanchez can get back to his old form, Bielkhedan could end up in the hospital. If Sanchez shows another lackluster performance however, he could be looking to find a new organization to fight for.

PREDICTION- Sanchez by TKO in the 1st round.

Jon Fitch (15-2) vs. Chris Wilson (13-3): It's been well documented that Fitch has won seven fights in a row. No need to waste your time with more analysis, because he's gonna make it eight in a row, and be first in line for a welterweight title shot.

PREDICTION- Fitch by submission in the 2nd round.

Evan Tanner (32-6) vs. Yushin Okami (21-4): Tanner will step into the octagon after about a year long layoff and hope to rebuild his career against the slow paced Yushin Okami. Tanner is one of the more exciting fighters in the history of the UFC, winning the majority of his fights by knockout. Okami on the other hand has gone to a decision in four of his last six fights. The winner of this bout will be close to the front of the line for a title shot, and don't be surprised to see an upset.

PREDICTION- Tanner by TKO in the 3rd round.

Chris Leben (17-4) vs. Alessio Sakara (12-6): This one could get messy. It would be surprising to see either fighter on their back at any point during the fight as both fighters love to scrap. Leben was a lot different in his last fight, both physically and mentally. Sakara is a big middleweight, who dropped down after getting his head knocked off by Houston Alexander. Leben seems too focused and motivated to lose, but anything can happen when two aggressive strikers are in the octagon.

PREDICTION- Leben by TKO in the 1st round.

Cheick Kongo (11-3-1) vs. Heath Herring (27-13): This is a match up between two of the biggest and best strikers in the heavyweight division. Kongo (who has an incredible name for a fighter by the way) impressed everyone and shot up the heavyweight ladder with a victory over Cro Cop last September, while Herring is 1-2 in the UFC with several exciting performances. Both fighting will be coming hard, as this could turn out to be a number one contender match-up, given the lack of serious competition in the heavyweight division. Kongo has gotten better in each of his previous fights, and this one should be no different.

PREDICTION- Kongo by unanimous decision.

Dan Henderson (22-6) vs. Anderson Silva (20-4): This main event is huge, and will have major implications for the middleweight division. After five straight dominating wins since entering the UFC, Silva is arguably the best fighter in the world. No one has come close to beating him, but Dan Henderson could be the man to do it. Henderson is a former Olympic wrestler who left the Pride organization as both the middleweight and welterweight champ. He holds victories over some of the worlds best, and claims to live in the clinch, which is where Silva has done alot of damage. As dominating as Silva's been, fans are yet to see how he responds to adversity, mainly because no one's been able to gain much of an advantage against him. This one is a real toss up and should go into the late rounds.

PREDICTION- Silva by unanimous decision.

The fallout of this event will help determine some championship fights for later in the year, as well as set up some possible intriguing match ups. With victories by Koscheck and Sanchez, we could see them square off in a grudge match. Also, what will become of the middleweight division with a win by Silva? Will he continue on as the dominant force atop the division, or move up a weight class and join the UFC's most competitive division? Whatever happens this Saturday it will be lots of fun to watch. Events this loaded don't happen as often as they should in the UFC, so have a blast watching it!

-Joe Osborne

Surprise, Surprise

Another Major League Baseball season is on the horizon with players reporting to spring training camps this week. All the hot talk surrounding baseball lately seems to be about who did and didn't do steroids, but I'm choosing to stay away from that and discuss the on field issues instead. No one could have foreseen the improbable run by the Colorado Rockies last season. Then again, no one would have predicted the Chicago White Sox to go all the way in 2005, and the same goes for the Marlins in 2003. The point that I'm trying to make is that there's usually at least one team throughout the MLB season that surprises everyone to have some type of success in the playoffs. I decided to pick one team from each division who has the best chance to upset some of the favorites on the way to some post season success.

AL EAST- Toronto Blue Jays: The AL East is perhaps the easiest division to predict, but this year things could be different. The Jays have underachieved the past few seasons due in part to injuries and inconsistent pitching. The core of the team has been together for a few years now, and most of their best players are in the prime of their careers. The Jays finished sixth in the A.L. last season, which some could see as a bright spot considering their top pitcher Roy Halladay was on the shelf for a good part of the season with injuries, and their highest paid player Vernon Wells had one of the worst seasons of his career. The Red Sox seem untouchable at the top of the division, but the Jays stand a realistic shot at the Wild Card if the team stays healthy. The addition of David Eckstein and Scott Rolen brings some playoff experience and perhaps a winning attitude to a team that desperately needs it. There's a lot of 'ifs' surrounding this team, but the rest of the A.L. should watch out if they can get their act together.

AL Central- Chicago White Sox: What the hell happened to this team? After winning the World Series in 2005 the team had a steady decline until they pretty much hit rock bottom last season. The team won 90 games in 2006 and with the exception of a few role players, the same same roster is pretty much in tact. This team stands a realistic chance of winning some games this season as their division won't be as tough as last season. The Twins seem to be going into rebuilding mode, while the Tigers are a big injury or two away from not living up to all their hype leading into the season. The Chi Sox will go one of two ways this season, and with a little luck they could be on the rise.

AL WEST- Oakland Athletics: Since the year 2000 the A's have made the playoffs five times, including four division championships. During all that winning Oakland's roster has been largely made up of no name players with big name skills. The only problem with the A's is that they dump those players a few years later for prospects, then do it all again. As aggravating as this may be for A's fans, it's a system that seems to work. The A's are like the little engine that could, spending next to nothing and having some success doing it. Fans shouldn't be shocked if they put it together again this year and win the division.

NL EAST- Atlanta Braves: Making the playoffs use to be automatic for the Braves, but not anymore. Their core of players from those years is gone, and they're well on their way to rebuilding a strong team. They finished six games over .500 last season when most people thought they'd be somewhere near the basement. They lost Andruw Jones, but added Tom Glavine to what should be a good rotation. They probably won't be able to win the division, but the Wild Card is a strong possibility.

NL Central- Houston Astros: The Astros had a horrendous season last year, but made some moves in the off season that could payoff. The Astros have a pretty decent roster but their problem has been staying healthy. The addition of Miguel Tejada will add some major pop to the middle of their line-up, and he should fit in great with Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman. People also forget that outfielder Hunter Pence was on his way to a rookie of the year season by hitting .322 with 147 hits in 108 games, but of course he got injured. The NL Central wasn't exactly the league's best division last year, so the Astros stand a pretty good chance of being competitive.

NL West- Colorado Rockies: So the Rockies won the N.L. last year, and it appears no one is giving them a chance to get it done again this year. Their division got tougher with the D-Backs adding Dan Haren, and some major moves by the Dodgers, but the Rockies World Series roster is still pretty much in-tact. It may be a tad ridiculous to say the Rockies will be a surprise team this year considering their 90 win season last year, but they're just a team that people don't associate with winning. They play in a tough division, but they have some unreal hitters and overall as they team they're still getting better.

Now before people jump down my throat, remember that in no way are these my division winner predictions. They are simply teams I think have a good chance of surprising some of the over-hyped favorites. My complete MLB season preview which will include team and player predictions will be available in a few weeks. Until then, enjoy spring training!

-Joe Osborne

Great Prank on Baseball Player

The Worst of NBA All-Star Weekend

The NBA All-Star Weekend had plenty of highlights. Dwight Howard bringing down the house in the dunk contest, Jason Kapono tying the record in the 3 point shooting contest, a close game, and perhapes more importantly the league and its players coming together in an effort to help rebuild the ravaged New Orleans community were just some of the highlights from an action packed weekend. There were also plenty of lowlights, so let's take a look.

The Dunk Contest Judges- Remember the year Kobe, MJ, Vince, Dominique, and DR. J were the judges? There's five guys who know what a good dunk is. I'm just wondering why in the hell Darryl Dawkins and Karl Malone were judging a slam dunk contest. The most creative thing Karl Malone did in his career was a left handed lay-up, while Darryl Dawkins is simply a guy no one remembers. Plus it doesn't help when Dawkins says in an interview following the contest that he was rooting for Dwight Howard. How does the birthday cake dunk only get a score of 46? That was the most creative gimmick dunk in the history of the contest. Sure, the superman dunk was cool, but he threw it in, so technically it wasn't even a dunk. The NBA should consider a criteria for scoring points in the dunk contest, instead of having washed up players hand out 10's to every cool dunk. And if you missed it, here's Gerald Green's birthday cake dunk.


Rudy Gay- What was the point of Rudy Gay going on youtube asking fans for suggestions on different dunks to do? If he did listen to the fans they must have suggested some pretty ordinary dunks, because I've seen Gay throw down better dunks in games.

Dwyane Wade- The laziest performance of the weekend easily goes to Wade, who really decided to take his time during the skills competition on Saturday night. Sure he screwed up, that happens, but he had people holding their breaths hoping for some kinda big throwdown at the end of his lackluster performance, and what does he do? He goes for a lay-up, and misses.

Kenny Smith- Is it just me or is Kenny Smith becoming one of the most annoying sports announcers? Everytime someone throw's down a dunk, he screams to the top of his lungs that it's the best dunk he has ever seen. Kenny has great opinions and analysis of the game, but had fans reaching for the advil all weekend long by yelling something rediculous every 10 seconds. Kenny Smith see's the best dunk he has ever seen 8 times every game.

Jason Kidd's Ugly Kid- Did anyone else find this 8 year old with a moustache extremely annoying. I did.

Pretty good weekend besides the above mentioned stuff. The NBA and MLB are probably tied for the best All-Star festivities, but there's always room for improvement.

By the way, here's an idea for a great dunk-Use a strip of duct tape to tape the ball to the backboard. Get a good running start, then rip the ball off the backboard and dunk it. It's probably harder than it sounds, but it would score a 50... Unless Darryl Dawkins was judging it.

-Joe Osborne

The Raptors have come a long way, but they're still far from the NBA's elite

It's hard to fault Bryan Colengelo for any of the work he's done to repair the one time laughing stock Toronto Raptors. When Colangelo took over, the team have had four straight losing seasons including a 27-55 record in the 2005-2006 season (Thanks to Rob Babcock and partially Vince Carter). Since that awful season things have a lot different in Raptor land. Colangelo dumped a few big contacts, did away with a few scrubs (mainly Rafael Arujo), and even managed to find a diamonds in the rough to improve to a first division championship last season, and a 28-23 record this season despite injuries to some key players.

When looking up and down the Raptors roster there's several glaring omisions. The team is comprised of a superstar in Chris Bosh, a soon to be superstar in Jose Calderon, and a bunch of above average role players. The main thing the Raptors lack is a wing player who can change the outcome of a game by spreading the floor by being able to consistently score from anywhere, thus opening up room for Chris Bosh, and being able to guard the other teams best shooting guard or small forward. Unfortunately, Anthony Parker and Jason Kopono don't fit this description. And the blame for not having such a player falls solely on the shoulders of Colangelo.

In the 2006 NBA Draft there was no consensus number one pick. It was up to Colangelo to figure out what to do with that pick, and he ended up picking a young Italian in the mold of Dirk Nowitzky named Andrea Bargnani. It was made well clear to Raptors fans and the rest of the NBA that Bargnani had the most potential of anyone in the draft. Meanwhile, arguably the two players with the rawest talent, Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay were selected sixth and eighth respectively.

A season and a half later Bargnani is amidst a huge sophomore slump averaging around 24 minutes, 3.5 rebounds, and 10 points a game. So far he's amounted to nothing better than an average 6th man, who has been largely inconsistent, and who rarely shows any passion while on the court. Brandon Roy on the other hand has enjoyed the success of leading the surprising Blazers to a 28-24 record in the tough Western Conference, while averaging close to 20 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds per game. Oh yeah, he was also selected to play in the All-Star Game. As for Rudy Gay, he's managed to become one of the league's most exciting players. Coming out of college, critics challenged his heart, but nothing could be further from the truth now, as he's getting 20 points and 6 boards a game.

Looking at the stats, and the personalities of Bargnani, Roy, and Gay, it's obvious that Colangelo dropped the ball in the 06 Draft. Sure, Bargnani still has plenty of time to live up to that potential, but Roy and Gay are already on the road to being superstars while Bargnani is miles away. Bargnani plays with no fire, while the other two have developed into young leaders that a team can build around. Had Colangelo been able to see the future, the Raptors would have a game changing player running the wing, instead of a soft European who barely opens his mouth coming off the bench.

As for the rest of the roster, the Raptors are set at the point guard position. Jose Calderon is developing into one of the leagues best floor generals. He's fearless and he never turns the ball over. TJ Ford gives them a perfect 1-2 punch, especially if he can get back to full speed. The team did over pay for the un-athletic Jason Kopono, although he is one of the best pure shooters in the league. The sky's the limit for Jamario Moon, who the Raptors can hope will turn out to be like the Hawks Josh Smith. As for the inside, the Raptors need a legit garbage man who can give them a solid 30 minutes a game (is Charles Oakley still trying to make a comeback?). Kris Humphries is good, but he's more of an energy guy to come off the bench. And oh yes, Chris Bosh is the man, and will be for years to come.

The Raptors are the 5th best team in the NBA's inferior conference. That's not great, but it's not bad considering the rash of injuries they've had this season. Colangelo has done an exceptional job with the exception of the Bagnani pick. With their young talent and some cap space, the blueprints are clearly in place for the Raptors to one day be an elite force in the NBA. Like most things in life, you have to walk before you run, and the Raptors have a pretty good stride going.

Semi-Pro Preview.... Looks Damm Funny!

In Theatres Feb. 29.