UFC Fight Night Preview and Predictions

The 13th instalment of UFC Fight Night is this Wednesday night in Colorado, and airs live and free on Spike TV at 7pm ET. The card is easily the most stacked Fight Night card to date with five star studed match ups on the main card, and several intriguing match ups on the undercard. Although none of the fights have any type of major title ramifications, this jam packed event is full of exciting matches and will definitely be fun to watch. Let's take a look at the main card, and I'll fill you in on who I think will have their hands raised.

Houston Alexander (8-2) vs. James Irvin (13-4-1): For fans who prefer fights that stay on their feet, this ones for you. Houston Alexander rose to stardom following impressive knockouts of Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara. Alexander also showed that he's vulnerable when things hit the ground, after being taken down and TKO'd by Thiago Silva at UFC 78. Ten of Ivin's thirteen wins have come via some type of knockout. He also prefers to keep things on the feet, and usually puts on an exciting performance. With these two guys in the octagon, I'll be shocked if someone doesn't get their head knocked off.

PREDICTION: Alexander by KO in round 1.

Kurt Pellegrino (11-3) vs. Nate Diaz (8-2): Diaz has been begging the UFC for better competition, and we'll have it Wednesday night. Pellegrino AKA Batman, is a wrestler with great BJJ. He's mainly known for great submissions, but had a impressive knockout win over Alberto Crane in January. Diaz's strengths are also on the ground, but the Ultimate Fighter winner isn't afraid to throw down. Both fighters are trying to reach the next level, and a victory will probably get them there. This fight could end up anywhere and should be an amazing display of MMA.

PREDICTION: Diaz by Split Decision.

Matt Hamill (5-1) vs. Tim Boetsch (7-1): Both fighters have a strong wrestling background and have the potential to compete with the best at 205 lbs. Hamill got the royal screw job at UFC 75 when the judges awarded the victory to Michael Bisping. In that fight, Hamill showed that he had become a very well rounded fighter, as opposed to the one dimensional wrestler he was on The Ultimate Fighter. Boetsch has impressed people with his versatility as a fighter. Four of his wins have been by TKO, while three have been by submission. This guy finishes fights. This fight will come down to who has the most brute strength.

PREDICTION: Hamill by TKO in round 2.

Thiago Alves (18-4) vs. Karo Parysian (25-4): For a guy who brags about how good of a fighter he is, Parysian sure puts on some pretty boring performances. He says he deserves a title shot, but he hasn't been able to finish his last three mediocre opponents. As easy as it is to not like Parysian, you can't deny his talent. In 11 UFC fights he's only lost twice and holds victories over Matt Serra and Nick Diaz. Alves has quietly gone on a four fight win streak, with the last three of those fights being won by TKO. Expect the winner of this fight to get a match against a major contender in the welterweight division.

PREDICTION: Parysian by unanimous decision.

Kenny Florian (9-3) vs. Joe Lauzon (15-3): This should be an explosive main event. Both Massachusetts fighters have the talent to finish fights standing or on the ground, so this fight could end up anywhere. Florian is 7-1 since dropping to 155 lbs, with his only loss coming against Sean Sherk. He has vicious elbow's along with fantastic submissions. Lauzon is on a six fight win streak (excluding his loss on TUF, which was an exhibition fight), and has been training is Hawaii with BJ Penn. Many see the fast and explosive Lauzon as a future champ, and it's hard to argue that. The winner of this fight could very easily find themselves in a number one contenders match.

PREDICTION: Florian by TKO in round 2.

In addition to the big fights on the main card there's also some very interesting matches on the undercard involving Frankie Edgar, Din Thomas, Manny Gamburyan, and the always exciting Clay Guida. The event will put the lightweight division on display as one of the UFC's deepest divisions. Enjoy watching the fights, and make sure to check back soon for my UFC 83 report.

-Joe Osborne

MMA Fight Weekly

Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones Jr.? Plus Rampage Jackson talks some serious smack.

Top Storylines Heading Into The 2008 MLB Season

Big arms in new places- Santana to the Mets, Bedard to the Mariners, and Haren to the Diamondbacks are just a few high caliber pitchers to change uniforms in the offseason. It will be interesting to see what type of impact these players will have for their new teams. How big of an impact can one player have on a team? Well, if that player happens to be a great pitcher, he can make a difference of about 20 wins. You can never have enough pitching, especially come playoff time.

How good will the Tigers be?- The Tigers surprised everyone this winter by trading a boat load of prospects to Florida for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. Cabrera brings a lifetime .313 batting average and four straight 100+ RBI seasons to an already potent offense. Wills had an off year last season but is still capable of winning 20 games. His addition gives the Tigers a great pitching staff. On paper, it looks like the Tigers have the best team in baseball. Only time will tell if they'll live up to the hype.

Who will be this years Cinderella?- No one in their right mind would have predicted the Colorado Rockies to go on that improbable run last season. Let's face it, there's always one or two teams a season that shocks us by achieving beyond anyone's expectations. Just look at what the Oakland A's have done the past ten years. It's pretty much guaranteed that some small market team, with players that no one knows will turn some heads. It's pretty tough to guarantee who that team will be though.

New Brass in the Bronx- Joe Torre is out, Joe Girardi is in. George Steinbrenner is out, Hank Steinbrenner is in. Girardi has already proven he has what it takes to manage in the big leagues when he won the National League Manager of the year in 2006. It will be interesting to see how he handles the ego's in the locker room, and how the players respond to a guy that some of them actually played with and against. As for Hank, he's already done a great job of making his presence felt by running his mouth for the entire winter. It should be fun hearing him blast off like a crazy jackass all season long.

Is Barry Bonds done?- The guy still wants to play, and he still can play. The past two seasons he's hit over .270 with 23 and 28 home runs respectively. Plus he can get on base as he's averaged a .434 on base percentage over the last three seasons. Don't be surprised to see Bonds pull a Roger Clemens and end up debuting somewhere in July. Bonds would make a great DH, it's just a matter if anyone wants to take the enormous baggage that comes with his services.

-Joe Osborne

The Bad Luck Bulls

When the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan in 1984 they hit the jackpot. On his way to becoming the best player in basketball history, Jordan led the Bulls to six championships as the team became one of the biggest money makers in all of sports. It wouldn't be far fetched to say that the Bulls were the best professional sports team of the 90's, however things have taken a serious nose dive since Jordan's departure from the team.

When Jordan retired for a second time in 1998, the Bulls dynasty was dismantled, and they looked to rebuild the team through youth. After five or so miserable years following the Jordan era, the 'Baby Bulls' seemed like they were on the way back to the top. They had a good nucleus of young players who led the team to three straight playoff appearances from 2005 to 2007. Going into this season, most fans considered them a major force in the East, while some 'experts' even had them making the Finals. Something happened however, and everything once again unraveled on the Chicago Bulls. This season the Bulls have been highly inconsistent. They fired their coach, traded away their most recognizable player, and will be headed to the lottery with a record that currently stands at 15 games under .500.

So what happened? Well, I think it's easy to say that the Bulls management has done a horrible job. They've drafted poorly, have been unable to attract big name free agents, and have been unwilling to pull the trigger on blockbuster trades. Let's take a look back at some of the horrendous mistakes the Bulls have made over the last ten years.

-Here's a list of players the Bulls have picked in the first round since 1999: Elton Brand, Ron Artest, Marcus Fizer, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, Jay Williams, Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Joakim Noah.

Not horrible picks, with the exception of Marcus Fizer, but can anyone else see the problem here? Only three out of those ten picks remain in a Bulls uniform. The best of the bunch is Elton Brand who was traded to the Clippers for the second overall pick in the 2001 draft. That pick turned out to be Tyson Chandler who was traded a few year later for P.J. Brown, J.R. Smith and cap space. Brand has gone on to be one of the best big men in the NBA, and Chandler has developed into a great asset for the Hornets, as a tough defender and one of the leagues best rebounders. Artest has had his issues, but the Bulls dumped him before he developed into a ferocious defender who can score from almost anywhere on the court. We can't fault the Bulls for what happened to Jay Williams when he suffered a career ending motorcycle accident, but you can fault them for trading Lamarcus Aldridge for Tyrus Thomas. Aldridge appears to be on his way to a great career. He's shown leadership for a young team and is averaging close to 18 points a game, and seven boards. Meanwhile, Thomas is averaging six points a game, and doing a great job of looking like a stereotypical spoiled athlete.

So, what do the Bulls have to show from ten years of early draft picks? Well, Kirk Hinrich who's proving he doesn't have what is takes to play the point for a good team, Ben Gordon who can't play defense, and may have already plateaued, and Joakim Noah, who's to early to judge, but so far this season he's been benched for acting like a punk.

To add insult to injury here's a list of players that the Bulls passed on in the 2001 NBA draft when they selected Eddy Curry fourth overall: Jason Richardson, Shane Battier, Joe Johnson, Richard Jefferson, Gerald Wallace, and Tony Parker. Ouch!

-So, if you can't get it done in the draft, then there's always free agency, right? Wrong! The summer of 2000 was one of the richest free agent pools ever with the likes of Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill, and Eddie Jones up for grabs. The Bulls had targeted each of these players, but were unsuccessful, either because their purse strings were too tight, or because the players just didn't want to play there. So instead of nailing down a franchise player they ended up signing Brad Miller and Ron Mercer. The Bulls decided to stay away from any major free agents the next few years while their young talent developed. It took a few more years for the Bulls to make any type of 'splash' in the free agent market, until they signed four time defensive player of the year Ben Wallace to a four year, $60 million dollar contract. The Bulls were criticized for paying this much money to a guy who is offensively challenged. The critics were right. Wallace was a flop, as his skills disappeared, he quarrelled with the coach over a headband, and was traded in February.

-With all their young talent, and early draft picks the Bulls have constantly come up in trade rumours. For years, they were the likely destination for the likes of Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, and Jermaine O'Neil. The teams went back and fourth with trade packages, but the Bulls were unwilling to deal. This summer, it was all but assured Kobe Bryant was on his way to the windy city, but once again, the Bulls couldn't get it done. Blockbuster trades became a trend in the NBA this season, and the Bulls were no where close to obtaining a game changing player. It appears that the Bulls won't have a chance to deal for a franchise player anytime soon, as their young talent hasn't turned out to be as talented as they'd hope.

What else is there left for these Bulls to do? The draft hasn't worked, they couldn't nail down any stud free agents, and they've been too scared to pull the trigger on a major deal. Sure, they've been dealt their fair share of bad luck, but management has done a pathetic job building this once great team. They should start by firing their GM John Paxson. Sitting back and waiting for young talent to develop has grown old in Chicago. It's not working, and it's time to try something new. And if all else fails, I hear Scottie Pippen is looking for work.

-Joe Osborne

UFC 84 Promo

Eugene Levy To Play In Preseason Game For The Houston Texans

Last week actor Billy Crystal had the honor of suiting up for The New York Yankees in a Spring Training baseball game. Crystal's appearance in pin stripes seems to be setting a trend in Hollywood, as it was announced this morning that actor Eugene Levy will see some on-field action in a preseason game for the NFL's Houston Texans.

Levy, who is best known for his roles in the 'American Pie' films and Canada's 'SCTV', claims to be the world's biggest Houston Texans fan. "I've been a huge Texans fan since they entered the league in 2002. I never miss a game, and even had a chance to see them play live in Kansas City two years ago. I'm their biggest supporter," said an excited Levy, who was wearing an autographed David Carr Texans Jersey.

It's still unclear what role Levy will play in the Texans first preseason game. "Ya know, I haven't really seen Eugene in action yet, but from early discussions with him we might decide to use him in a blocking role, such as a full back or tight end," said Texans Coach Gary Kubiak. Kubiak also went on to say that this isn't just a publicity stunt to raise the teams profile. "Eugene will see some serious playing time. We plan on using his at key times early in the game, and he won't be taken out until he gets injured, or if he decides to quit."

"This is like a dream come true," said Levy, who grew up being a fan of the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos. "I've already begun training. I'm doing twenty minutes a day on my elliptical trainer, plus I picked up some 'Hip-Hop Abs' DVD's. Levy is also changing his diet as he hopes to be in the best shape of his life come game time. "I switched from whole milk to soy milk," said Levy, who had a visible milk mustache.

Levy playing in an NFL game is a huge risk, not just for Levy, but also for the NFL. Due to the risk involved, Levy needed to sign a waiver stating that if he suffers a major injury, becomes paralyzed, or if he somehow dies, his family will not be able to sue the Texans, or the NFL.

Levy will attend some of the Texans off-season workouts, as he eagerly anticipates the release of the NFL's preseason schedule. He also announced he will be hosting a screening of his 2004 film 'New York Minute' for his new teammates. The film stars himself and the Olsen Twins, who play twins with opposing personalities who have a series of misadventures around the city of New York.

-Joe Osborne

Chris Bosh on CBC's 'The Hour'

Great interview with the NBA's most under-exposed player.

Winning Fantasy Baseball Advice

The baseball season is a few short weeks away, and fantasy baseball drafts are in full swing. Baseball fans everywhere are hooking up on the web, and in living rooms trying to put together the best possible fantasy roster. Is there a specific formula for winning in fantasy baseball? Not necessarily, but if you follow these tips, you'll be sure to be at the top of your league.

1. Do your homework- This may sound obvious, but there's more to do than seeing who had the most fantasy points last year. Check out reports on each team to see who's hitting where in the lineup. See who's pitching where in the rotation. A player who hits third in a lineup will be able to take advantage of much more opportunities, while someone hitting fifth will have less. Little things like this can make a huge difference in the fantasy world. If you're doing your draft online it's smart to do some research into specific leagues before you actually join one. See how the playoff format works, as well as what stats count towards fantasy points. Believe it or not, some leagues don't count stolen bases while some don't count walks. I'm not saying to study the draft like it's a medical exam, but a little planning will go a long way.

2. Target contract year players- A contract year player is a player who is in the last year of his contact. In other words, he'll be trying to have the best season of his career so he can make a ridiculous amount of money. If you have to choose between a few players, and one happens to be in his contract year, pick him. It's a no brainer. Last season Alex Rodriguez, Torri Hunter, Aaron Rowand, and Mike Lowell all had career years, and yes, they were in their contract years. Here a list of players who are worth mentioning that will be playing for a new contract: Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn, Joe Nathan, Manny Ramirez, Francisco Rodriguez, C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Mark Teixeira, Milton Bradley, Pat Burrell, A.J. Burnett, Rafael Furcal, Jon Garland, Kenji Johjima, Derek Lowe, and Oliver Perez. These guys will all be playing for a big payday, and nothing can motivate a pro athlete like the almighty dollar.

3. Don't play favorites- The downfall of so many fantasy teams is that the owner is too biased towards their favorite team and players. This can especially hurt your team in the early rounds. Don't make risky picks in the early rounds just to get players you like. If one of your favorites is available and it doesn't seem like such a reach, then go for it, but if you know there's better players still around then steer clear. Also remember to not neglect players that you don't like. Just because you're a Red Sox fan doesn't mean you shouldn't pick Yankees players. In the late rounds it's a little safer to pick favorites, but avoid playing favorites in the first ten rounds.

4. Watch out for fallen stars- Make sure to keep an eye out for elite players who had sub par or injury plagued seasons last year. The majority of these players will drop to the mid to late rounds, and could turn out to be major producers for your team. Here's a list of players who had off seasons last year, who could bounce back to All-Star status: Vernon Wells, Barry Zito, Jermaine Dye, Julio Lugo, Dontrelle Willis, Andrew Jones, J.D. Drew, Roy Halladay, Pedro Matinez, and Jason Bay. There's no guarantee that these guys will get back to the top of their games, or in some of their cases stay off the DL, but they're easily worth the risk.

5. Try to get your catcher and second baseman early- Positions like first base and outfield are absolutely stacked with lots of solid options that will be available to you throughout the draft. Shortstop and third base don't have quite as much options, but there's still plenty of talent to go around. The same can't be said of the catcher and second base positions. Both C and 2B only have a few good players who will be solid producers for your team. Try to get a top four or five player at both of these positions, or you will be screwed. Not securing a top player at these positions means they will be your weakest link throughout the season. Obtaining a top catcher or second baseman will also give you a big edge on half of the teams in your league.

As a final note, I think it's obvious that Alex Rodriguez should be the top pick in any draft. He was the top player last year, he's in the prime of his career, and he hits in the middle of a very dangerous line up. After A-Rod, things get very debatable, but I'd go with Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers. Cabrera has been a top fantasy producer since he's been in the league, and now he's surrounded by some great hitters in Detroit.

Most importantly, don't forget that fantasy baseball is all about having fun. Try to find a league with players who are at the same competition level that you are and have a blast. I hope the above advice will help you get the edge in your league. Good luck in your drafts, and have a great fantasy baseball season!
-Joe Osborne