These are my awards for the low lights in combat sports, whether it be MMA or pro wrestling, these moments stand out as the low points of the year that was.
The awards are selected by me and only me, sure there could be some others that I didn't go for but this is just what I see.
The Mike Adamle Award: (Worst Television Announcer)
Now if Mike Adamle had commentated this year he would be the hands down winner, however, since he was not on the air my job is a little more difficult.
Nominees:
Frank Shamrock (Strikeforce) : Shamrock's commentary at the November Strikeforce event made me cringe, he seemed uninterested and was absolutely horrible at fiving the gameplans for the fighters. Not only were they horrible, they were inaccurate.
Don West (TNA Wrestling): Don did improve on years past, but still seemed like he was reading off a script.
Winner: Frank Shamrock
The Steve Mazzagatti Award (Worst MMA Official or Judge)
Nominees:
Steve Mazzagatti: This guy has blown more calls than I can count, even Dana White says "Great human being, horrible referee.".
Cecil Peoples: This guys score cards make you wonder what this guy sees, can we please get judges drug tested as well.
Winner: Steve Mazzagatti (Hey it's named after him so it's kind of hard to go with anybody else)
Most Overrated
Vladamir Kozlov (WWE ECW Brand): Even with limited airtime for the second half of the year didn't dissuade fans from how much this guy sucks in a wrestling ring.
Triple H (WWE Raw Brand): His matches are good, usually 3 stars or better but the only reason he is where he is, is because he's banging the boss' daughter.
Winner: Vladamir Kozlov
Worst PPV
Breaking Point (WWE): A PPV which is based around submissions and they also get the crowd going about how much the fans in Montreal can't get over the Montreal screwjob and they do it again at the end of the night with CM Punk and Taker.
Any TNA PPV: These shows are so ass backwards that you have a real hard time figuring out why TNA even has fans in the audience.
Winner: Breaking Point
Worse Promotion
TNA Wrestling: They have some good plots but Russo is head writer and doesn't have an editor like he did in WWE with Vince. Because of this, all the stuff is really screwed up and can't get passed the late '90's.
M-1 Global: These guys are considered a black plague, DAna White didn't want to co-promote with them and there previous companies they have been aligned with have all gone under.
Winner: M-1 Global
Worst Promotional Tactic
DX (WWE): Once again we are stuck watching Triple H trying to stay on top by using something that had it's run, DX use to be funny, now they are just doing it to keep other wrestlers from reaching the next stage.
Dixie Carter's worked shoot (TNA): This was one of the stupidest things I have ever watched, it had all the mid card and including some of the bigger stars but not the MEM. What the hell was the point of it then.
Winner: DX
Worst Television Show
TNA Impact!: This show got more and mor econfusing the longer you watched it.
WWE Raw: All you saw for the most part was the same rivalries we've seen for the last three years.
Winner: TNA Impact!
Worst Feud of the Year
Triple H vs Legacy: Once again, a rivalry we have seen for the last 4 years, nothing new and was complete b.s.
Front Line vs Main Event Mafia: I pretty much this story line happen in the lat '90's with the WCW/nWo angle, boring.
Winner: The Front Line vs Main Event Mafia
Worst Gimmick
John Cena (WWE): The gimmick of being like Hulkamania works only with the Hulkster, go back to being a rapper John.
ODB (TNA): Can someone tell me what the hell she is doing in a wrestling ring.
Winner: John Cena
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Who can knock off the Fab 4?
I was contemplating doing the judging in MMA as my blog today but decided to go in another route. Which one of the Big 4 in MMA (Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Fedor Emelianenko, BJ Penn) is most likely to get knocked off there perch at the top of there weight class.
For Anderson "The Spider" Silva, he has already dismantled the entire UFC middleweight division and has crushed both James Irvin and Forrest Griffin at LHW. The next guy he faces is Vitor Belfort, who looks like he has gone back to the Vitor of old. But I still think Silva will get through "The Phenom" and look for other people to destroy, his biggest challenge actually may come from Welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre.
The next I choose to examine on this list of four is Georges "Rush" St. Pierre. GSP has not lost a round since he lost to Matt Serra at UFC 69. If he doesn't finish you he will wail on you for five rounds and dominate you where you are strong. GSP's next match up is against Brit Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy (Good luck Dan, your going to need a couple truck fulls of it f you want to hang with GSP). GSP has pretty much done what Silva has done in clearing out his division and is now against fighters that are not up there with guys like Fitch and Alves. The only challenging fight I see that would get a big crowd is Anderson Silva vs GSP because that will be close to a push on the betting lines.
Next is "The Prodigy" BJ Penn. As long as Penn is at 155 he is unstoppable, however this is one of the divisions that many people feel that the UFC does not own the majority of the Top 10 fighters, but anyone in that weight class knows that they are probably going to fall to Baby Jay.
BJ's next fight is against Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, this will probably be a bit faster than his last fight vs. Kenny Florian, he won't mess around and will stop Sanchez quick.
The last guy on this list is "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko. This may be the person most likely to fall, but not soon. Fedor ducked the tougher competition of the UFC and went to Strikeforce to take on what little resistance the guys there can mount. Also, in Fedor's last two matches, he has looked less then stellar until he landed a huge bomb to both Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers. The match everyone wants to see at Heavyweight is Fedor vs Brock Lesnar, however, this will have to wait until Strikeforce destroys itself due to the black plague of MMA M-1 Global. M-1 Global insists on co-promotion and it has been a downfall of where ever they have been.
That's the way I see it and have fun watching these guys fight
For Anderson "The Spider" Silva, he has already dismantled the entire UFC middleweight division and has crushed both James Irvin and Forrest Griffin at LHW. The next guy he faces is Vitor Belfort, who looks like he has gone back to the Vitor of old. But I still think Silva will get through "The Phenom" and look for other people to destroy, his biggest challenge actually may come from Welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre.
The next I choose to examine on this list of four is Georges "Rush" St. Pierre. GSP has not lost a round since he lost to Matt Serra at UFC 69. If he doesn't finish you he will wail on you for five rounds and dominate you where you are strong. GSP's next match up is against Brit Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy (Good luck Dan, your going to need a couple truck fulls of it f you want to hang with GSP). GSP has pretty much done what Silva has done in clearing out his division and is now against fighters that are not up there with guys like Fitch and Alves. The only challenging fight I see that would get a big crowd is Anderson Silva vs GSP because that will be close to a push on the betting lines.
Next is "The Prodigy" BJ Penn. As long as Penn is at 155 he is unstoppable, however this is one of the divisions that many people feel that the UFC does not own the majority of the Top 10 fighters, but anyone in that weight class knows that they are probably going to fall to Baby Jay.
BJ's next fight is against Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, this will probably be a bit faster than his last fight vs. Kenny Florian, he won't mess around and will stop Sanchez quick.
The last guy on this list is "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko. This may be the person most likely to fall, but not soon. Fedor ducked the tougher competition of the UFC and went to Strikeforce to take on what little resistance the guys there can mount. Also, in Fedor's last two matches, he has looked less then stellar until he landed a huge bomb to both Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers. The match everyone wants to see at Heavyweight is Fedor vs Brock Lesnar, however, this will have to wait until Strikeforce destroys itself due to the black plague of MMA M-1 Global. M-1 Global insists on co-promotion and it has been a downfall of where ever they have been.
That's the way I see it and have fun watching these guys fight
Friday, October 9, 2009
I find this hard (That's what she said) to believe.
Well, no this blog is not about the TV show, The Office, it is about the NHL and how the Phoenix Coyotes, who have been in court to see if they were to be bought by Jim Balsillie and subsequently moved to Hamilton have apparently sold out there home opener. Balsillie's bid to buy the Phoenix Coyotes failed and the NHL has the operation controls until they can find a suitable owner that they are happy with that will keep the team in Phoenix.
Now he are my problems with what is going on:
(1)Balsillie has the money to own the team and is wanting to bring it to Canada, with this current economy and the way people are losing money in the US, having a seventh team in Canada to increase amount of income coming into the league would make complete financial sense.
(2) The NHL has control of one of it's team, how much influence does it have there, I'm not sure, but if you see guys like Shane Doan, Ed Jovanovski, and other high payed guys moved, the NHL will make it look like the team is not losing as much money as it is.
(3)This sell out for the home opener in Phoenix, I highly doubt that even 40% of these tickets were even paid for, this just looks suspicious to me. In a city like Phoenix where they have the Arizona Cardinals, the Phoenix Suns, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, hockey does not rank high on sports team in Phoenix, even if they are apparently selling them at a discount.
(4) Why is the NHL so against having a seventh team in Canada that doesn't come through expansion, the fact is that when companies fall on hard economic times, you either fold your worse markets or move franchises to areas where the company is successful. Here is how this would play out, The top 10 markets include all six Canadian franchises as far as profits are concerned. The Phoenix Coyotes lost a reported 70 million dollars last year and was probably the worst franchise as far as finances go (Giving Tampa Bay a close second). So using my theory above about where companies succeed you should have more, it would make logical sense to move a team to Canada, whether it is Hamilton, Winnipeg, or elsewhere and have the team make a profit and allow more teams to make money.
So, Gary Bettman, wake up and use some common sense, if I was losing $70 million I would really contemplate moving the Coyotes to a more viable market because you have tried the sunbelt, it didn't work, so either swallow your pride and allow the team to move, or continue to let a team lose a lot of money for the next few years until the governors finally come to their senses and throw you out of office.
Now he are my problems with what is going on:
(1)Balsillie has the money to own the team and is wanting to bring it to Canada, with this current economy and the way people are losing money in the US, having a seventh team in Canada to increase amount of income coming into the league would make complete financial sense.
(2) The NHL has control of one of it's team, how much influence does it have there, I'm not sure, but if you see guys like Shane Doan, Ed Jovanovski, and other high payed guys moved, the NHL will make it look like the team is not losing as much money as it is.
(3)This sell out for the home opener in Phoenix, I highly doubt that even 40% of these tickets were even paid for, this just looks suspicious to me. In a city like Phoenix where they have the Arizona Cardinals, the Phoenix Suns, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, hockey does not rank high on sports team in Phoenix, even if they are apparently selling them at a discount.
(4) Why is the NHL so against having a seventh team in Canada that doesn't come through expansion, the fact is that when companies fall on hard economic times, you either fold your worse markets or move franchises to areas where the company is successful. Here is how this would play out, The top 10 markets include all six Canadian franchises as far as profits are concerned. The Phoenix Coyotes lost a reported 70 million dollars last year and was probably the worst franchise as far as finances go (Giving Tampa Bay a close second). So using my theory above about where companies succeed you should have more, it would make logical sense to move a team to Canada, whether it is Hamilton, Winnipeg, or elsewhere and have the team make a profit and allow more teams to make money.
So, Gary Bettman, wake up and use some common sense, if I was losing $70 million I would really contemplate moving the Coyotes to a more viable market because you have tried the sunbelt, it didn't work, so either swallow your pride and allow the team to move, or continue to let a team lose a lot of money for the next few years until the governors finally come to their senses and throw you out of office.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Bob Arum, Idiot
I was looking through an MMA forum earlier today that had a link to an interview of boxing promoter Bob Arum. An interview that was being conducted by a sports broadcaster that was a fan of boxing and MMA. In the interview Arum rips MMA saying that MMA fighters have no jaw, can't throw a punch to save their life, and roll around on the ground like a bunch of homosexuals. He then goes on to claim that the UFC is not a public company and are fudging the numbers on the pay-per-view buys of their events claiming UFC 100 did not do 1.7 million buys and further goes onto say that he believes didn't even do 1 million buys.
Bob Arum has completely lost my respect, by making up stuff and making uneducated statements on MMA and saying that the Fertitta's and Dana White are lying on the PPV buys and making the comments about the MMA fighters that are typical of someone who has not watched a MMA fight since UFC 6.
I also have to give props for the guy conducting interview with Bob Arum for just deciding to avoid any questions with MMA because Bob Arum was making uneducated statements about MMA and decided to just strictly talk about boxing with the guy.
So, in conclusion, Bob Arum, go to a MMA bout and see what actually happens you moron, you'll understand why MMA is cutting into your profits, it exciting and has promoters who aren't corrupt like you and Don King.
Note: There is racial and more homosexual statements made in the interview but will not get into them. Here is the link to the interview http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/09/11/bob-arum-blasts-floyd-mayweather-mma/
Bob Arum has completely lost my respect, by making up stuff and making uneducated statements on MMA and saying that the Fertitta's and Dana White are lying on the PPV buys and making the comments about the MMA fighters that are typical of someone who has not watched a MMA fight since UFC 6.
I also have to give props for the guy conducting interview with Bob Arum for just deciding to avoid any questions with MMA because Bob Arum was making uneducated statements about MMA and decided to just strictly talk about boxing with the guy.
So, in conclusion, Bob Arum, go to a MMA bout and see what actually happens you moron, you'll understand why MMA is cutting into your profits, it exciting and has promoters who aren't corrupt like you and Don King.
Note: There is racial and more homosexual statements made in the interview but will not get into them. Here is the link to the interview http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/09/11/bob-arum-blasts-floyd-mayweather-mma/
Monday, August 17, 2009
My P4P Top 10
Since lots of the high end fighters have fought recently and have decided to show my Top 10 in the P4P in MMA.
1. Anderson "The Spider" Silva (25-4)
Silva who had been criticized for his last two middleweight title fights silenced a lot of the critics by KO'ing Forrest Griffin with a right hand in the first round at UFC 101. It shows why he is at the top of the heap in MMA.
Future Bouts: vs Dan Henderson,
Future on P4P: He will stay at the top unless Hendo does something nobody in the UFC has been able to do yet and defeat Silva.
2. Georges "Rush" St. Pierre (19-2)
GSP has been destroying all welterweight competition that he has been placed against, and making it look easy. His last fight at UFC 100 vs Thiago Alves he fought the 5th round with a torn groin and controlled the round. The only reason he isn't at the top is of his loss at UFC 69 to Matt Serra.
Future Bouts: vs the winner of Mike Swick vs Martin Kampmann
Future on P4P: This may look like one of his dominations like against Trigg or Sherk, he staying in second spot unless Anderson Silva loses.
3. Fedor Emelianenko (30-1, 1 NC)
Fedor has long been on this list and has ruled with an iron fist. However due to the lack of fighting top end heavyweights, Fedor finds himself on a slippery slope of falling down the P4P rankings and will probably continue to fall as he has signed with Strikeforce who only have one guy that may even pose a slight problem in Alistair Overeem. Other than Overeem, there is nobody even close to be considered a Top 10, maybe even top 20 heavyweight to challenge Fedor with.
Future Bouts: TBD, Strikeforce has said he will fight sometime this fall.
Future on P4P: It looks like The Last Emperor will be heading down this list due to failure to take on high end competition. He may have made a grave mistake in not signing with the UFC.
4. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (15-0)
Machida has made a slow and steady rise up the ranks of the light heavyweight division and is still impossible to damage (Can you even recall the last time took a half decent punch?). Machida is methodical in his approach and is always figuring out ways to destroy people while he escapes without a scratch on him. I don't see him being dethroned for a while unless someone catches him with a lucky shot.
Future Bouts: It is rumored that he will be facing Mauricio "Shogun" Rua this fall for the title.
Future on P4P: He will likely take over the #3 spot if he gets through Rua and Fedor gets the soup can he seems so desperate to fight.
5. "The Prodigy" BJ Penn (14-5, 1 draw)
After Penn was pretty much humiliated by GSP at UFC 94, Penn rebounded with a RNC submission victory over Top 10 lightweight Kenny Florian. Penn once again showed why he is one of the best by returning to the division he was meant to conquer.
Future Bouts: Possible Diego Sanchez fight at unknown time right now.
Future on P4P: Probably staying still in this spot unless someone above him gets blown out in a bout.
6. Mike Thomas Brown (22-4)
Brown was pretty much an unknown commodity in the MMA world until he shocked the world by destroying Urijah Faber to claim the WEC Featherweight Title. Since then, Brown has looked even better in his fights and is willing to play the heel because they place him in fights where he either walks into the opponents backyard or is against a much more popular fighter.
Future Bouts: No advertised bouts at this time but it sure to be explosive.
Future on P4P: He is most likely going to stay in the same spot as long as he keeps on winning, the Top 5 is hard to crack.
7. Brian Bowles (8-0)
This guy performed a near miracle by defeating Miguel Torres in the first round by KO. However how do you argue with not having the guy on the list, he beat a guy who was on every prominent P4P Top 10 list. He has to be seen has a major player as much as some people don't like it.
Future Bouts: None known at this time but Torres should be on a short list to fight him again.
Future on P4P:One month ago he wouldn't have been on here, however his victory over Torres makes him much more legitimate for this list. He will probably stay in this spot unless he wows in another couple fights.
8. Miguel Torres (37-2)
Torres was on an incredible winning streak until Bowles stopped him, however his overall body of work keeps him on this list.
Future Bouts: None known right now but would like to see rematch with Bowles
Future on P4P: He may go down but if he gets right back on the horse and gets his title back he will be staying on the list.
9. Jon Fitch (19-3, 1NC)
Fitch has only had one loss since 2002 and that was to GSP. He isn't flashy, but he always gets the job done in the ring. He may approaching a rematch for the WW title but one would have to wonder what he could employ against GSP since he was so badly dominated last time.
Future Bouts: Speculated match at UFC 106 with Ricardo Almeida
Future on P4P: One of the steadiest fighters, he will be hard pressed to move up the rankings unless someone dethrones GSP.
10. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-7)
Since Rampage has come to the UFC, Rampage has only faced high end competition (with the acception of Marvin Eastman). Rampage has defeated Liddell, Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Jardine with only losing to Forrest Griffin. He is the TUF 10 coach and is facing Rashad Evans at the end of the year.
Future Bouts: Rashad Evans at a December PPV.
Future on P4P: Will have to win to stay in Top 10, a loss and there are many possible replacements for the spot.
1. Anderson "The Spider" Silva (25-4)
Silva who had been criticized for his last two middleweight title fights silenced a lot of the critics by KO'ing Forrest Griffin with a right hand in the first round at UFC 101. It shows why he is at the top of the heap in MMA.
Future Bouts: vs Dan Henderson,
Future on P4P: He will stay at the top unless Hendo does something nobody in the UFC has been able to do yet and defeat Silva.
2. Georges "Rush" St. Pierre (19-2)
GSP has been destroying all welterweight competition that he has been placed against, and making it look easy. His last fight at UFC 100 vs Thiago Alves he fought the 5th round with a torn groin and controlled the round. The only reason he isn't at the top is of his loss at UFC 69 to Matt Serra.
Future Bouts: vs the winner of Mike Swick vs Martin Kampmann
Future on P4P: This may look like one of his dominations like against Trigg or Sherk, he staying in second spot unless Anderson Silva loses.
3. Fedor Emelianenko (30-1, 1 NC)
Fedor has long been on this list and has ruled with an iron fist. However due to the lack of fighting top end heavyweights, Fedor finds himself on a slippery slope of falling down the P4P rankings and will probably continue to fall as he has signed with Strikeforce who only have one guy that may even pose a slight problem in Alistair Overeem. Other than Overeem, there is nobody even close to be considered a Top 10, maybe even top 20 heavyweight to challenge Fedor with.
Future Bouts: TBD, Strikeforce has said he will fight sometime this fall.
Future on P4P: It looks like The Last Emperor will be heading down this list due to failure to take on high end competition. He may have made a grave mistake in not signing with the UFC.
4. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida (15-0)
Machida has made a slow and steady rise up the ranks of the light heavyweight division and is still impossible to damage (Can you even recall the last time took a half decent punch?). Machida is methodical in his approach and is always figuring out ways to destroy people while he escapes without a scratch on him. I don't see him being dethroned for a while unless someone catches him with a lucky shot.
Future Bouts: It is rumored that he will be facing Mauricio "Shogun" Rua this fall for the title.
Future on P4P: He will likely take over the #3 spot if he gets through Rua and Fedor gets the soup can he seems so desperate to fight.
5. "The Prodigy" BJ Penn (14-5, 1 draw)
After Penn was pretty much humiliated by GSP at UFC 94, Penn rebounded with a RNC submission victory over Top 10 lightweight Kenny Florian. Penn once again showed why he is one of the best by returning to the division he was meant to conquer.
Future Bouts: Possible Diego Sanchez fight at unknown time right now.
Future on P4P: Probably staying still in this spot unless someone above him gets blown out in a bout.
6. Mike Thomas Brown (22-4)
Brown was pretty much an unknown commodity in the MMA world until he shocked the world by destroying Urijah Faber to claim the WEC Featherweight Title. Since then, Brown has looked even better in his fights and is willing to play the heel because they place him in fights where he either walks into the opponents backyard or is against a much more popular fighter.
Future Bouts: No advertised bouts at this time but it sure to be explosive.
Future on P4P: He is most likely going to stay in the same spot as long as he keeps on winning, the Top 5 is hard to crack.
7. Brian Bowles (8-0)
This guy performed a near miracle by defeating Miguel Torres in the first round by KO. However how do you argue with not having the guy on the list, he beat a guy who was on every prominent P4P Top 10 list. He has to be seen has a major player as much as some people don't like it.
Future Bouts: None known at this time but Torres should be on a short list to fight him again.
Future on P4P:One month ago he wouldn't have been on here, however his victory over Torres makes him much more legitimate for this list. He will probably stay in this spot unless he wows in another couple fights.
8. Miguel Torres (37-2)
Torres was on an incredible winning streak until Bowles stopped him, however his overall body of work keeps him on this list.
Future Bouts: None known right now but would like to see rematch with Bowles
Future on P4P: He may go down but if he gets right back on the horse and gets his title back he will be staying on the list.
9. Jon Fitch (19-3, 1NC)
Fitch has only had one loss since 2002 and that was to GSP. He isn't flashy, but he always gets the job done in the ring. He may approaching a rematch for the WW title but one would have to wonder what he could employ against GSP since he was so badly dominated last time.
Future Bouts: Speculated match at UFC 106 with Ricardo Almeida
Future on P4P: One of the steadiest fighters, he will be hard pressed to move up the rankings unless someone dethrones GSP.
10. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (30-7)
Since Rampage has come to the UFC, Rampage has only faced high end competition (with the acception of Marvin Eastman). Rampage has defeated Liddell, Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Jardine with only losing to Forrest Griffin. He is the TUF 10 coach and is facing Rashad Evans at the end of the year.
Future Bouts: Rashad Evans at a December PPV.
Future on P4P: Will have to win to stay in Top 10, a loss and there are many possible replacements for the spot.
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Next Death of Another MMA Promotion
Earlier today Fedor Emelianenko signed with California based MMA promotion Strikeforce. For the most part Strikeforce has been a good promotion putting on good fights and able to get bigger names at decent prices for one fight deals. This signifies a deal saying we want to go head to head with the big name of MMA, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Strikeforce has always been seen as a thrifty company saving money everywhere they can without hurting the product that takes place in their ring. Signing Fedor takes a huge step in the other direction as it is probably a six figure deal and he is once again not fighting the best fighters in the world with the exception of Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
If your asking, "Why didn't Fedor sign with the UFC?" it is actually quite simple. Fedor's management company, M-1 Global wanted a co-promote the show and take home a good deal of the profit for them selves. The UFC was unwilling to co-promote an event but were willing to give Fedor everything else he wanted, and if the money numbers are accurate Emelianenko would have earned five million dollars per fight which would be absolutely insane considering the fact that Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre both earned only $400,000 at UFC 100 from the UFC (These were the top disclosed payouts excluding bonuses payed out for UFC 100) not including money from their respective sponsors. UFC right now is the top MMA organization in the world and is one of few MMA organization that is making profits and is able to pay fighters in the six figure range to the best fighters of their organization even though the low end guys are known for only getting paid $6,000 and that is if they win ($3,000 if they just fight and lose).
So why do I say that Strikeforce will be going into the grave. The companies that Fedor has worked for have all gone under, RINGS, Pride FC, and Affliction have all gone belly up due to various reasons. This is not to say Fedor is at fault for these companies going under. Where the fault lies for these promotions going under actually has various reasons. RINGS was in a tough Japanese market having to compete with big organizations such as Pride and kickboxing promotion K-1. Pride FC was owned by Yakuza and when information of this went public it literally was taken off all channels in Japan and the UFC bought them out with the intention of having Pride continue to run in Japan and UFC running in North America bringing them together once or twice a year for super fights however ZUFFA (UFC's parent company) could not get a foothold in Japan due to the business tactics the Japanese took against ZUFFA. Affliction was doomed almost before it began, the clothing company decided it was going to start running MMA shows and go head to head with the UFC. Affliction mostly known for their T-shirts that support MMA fighters such as Georges St. Pierre, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and various other top end fighters decided to pay amounts for fighters that made some people shake their heads in disbelief. Andrei Arlovski who fought Fedor in January of 2009 was given a base salary of 1.5 million dollars was KO'ed in the first round with a devastating right hand. Affliction's final straw came when Fedor's next scheduled opponent tested positive for steroids, combined with a slow gate for the show the card was eventually cancelled and Affliction went back to it's role of the shirt promoter of UFC. However these are not the problems facing Strikeforce. There problem is that they have already given up some ownership to CBS who owns the channel Showtime which shows the Strikeforce events live, but also that Fedor's management group, M-1 Global is wanting to co-promote which means they will be taking home some of the profits. The exact percentage number is unknown to me at this time but if it is in the area of 25% then Strikeforce could be in major trouble. In order for any company to stay in the MMA game they want to be making profits after a while and Strikeforce has been doing that. However they are now not getting approximately 45% of the profits if the number that I have for M-1 Global is accurate (CBS has a 20% ownership of Strikeforce). Strikeforce will be put into a corner into which they might not be able to escape from since the UFC has pretty much every other marketable name and familiar name to the casual MMA viewer who will only tune in when Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture for example is on the fight card (They even have popular street thug Kimbo Slice on the upcoming of The Ultimate Fighter).
With all this having been said I hope Strikeforce survives but I don't see how they can since they have pretty much said were going head to head with the UFC, everybody else who has didn't come off so well.
If your asking, "Why didn't Fedor sign with the UFC?" it is actually quite simple. Fedor's management company, M-1 Global wanted a co-promote the show and take home a good deal of the profit for them selves. The UFC was unwilling to co-promote an event but were willing to give Fedor everything else he wanted, and if the money numbers are accurate Emelianenko would have earned five million dollars per fight which would be absolutely insane considering the fact that Brock Lesnar and Georges St. Pierre both earned only $400,000 at UFC 100 from the UFC (These were the top disclosed payouts excluding bonuses payed out for UFC 100) not including money from their respective sponsors. UFC right now is the top MMA organization in the world and is one of few MMA organization that is making profits and is able to pay fighters in the six figure range to the best fighters of their organization even though the low end guys are known for only getting paid $6,000 and that is if they win ($3,000 if they just fight and lose).
So why do I say that Strikeforce will be going into the grave. The companies that Fedor has worked for have all gone under, RINGS, Pride FC, and Affliction have all gone belly up due to various reasons. This is not to say Fedor is at fault for these companies going under. Where the fault lies for these promotions going under actually has various reasons. RINGS was in a tough Japanese market having to compete with big organizations such as Pride and kickboxing promotion K-1. Pride FC was owned by Yakuza and when information of this went public it literally was taken off all channels in Japan and the UFC bought them out with the intention of having Pride continue to run in Japan and UFC running in North America bringing them together once or twice a year for super fights however ZUFFA (UFC's parent company) could not get a foothold in Japan due to the business tactics the Japanese took against ZUFFA. Affliction was doomed almost before it began, the clothing company decided it was going to start running MMA shows and go head to head with the UFC. Affliction mostly known for their T-shirts that support MMA fighters such as Georges St. Pierre, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell and various other top end fighters decided to pay amounts for fighters that made some people shake their heads in disbelief. Andrei Arlovski who fought Fedor in January of 2009 was given a base salary of 1.5 million dollars was KO'ed in the first round with a devastating right hand. Affliction's final straw came when Fedor's next scheduled opponent tested positive for steroids, combined with a slow gate for the show the card was eventually cancelled and Affliction went back to it's role of the shirt promoter of UFC. However these are not the problems facing Strikeforce. There problem is that they have already given up some ownership to CBS who owns the channel Showtime which shows the Strikeforce events live, but also that Fedor's management group, M-1 Global is wanting to co-promote which means they will be taking home some of the profits. The exact percentage number is unknown to me at this time but if it is in the area of 25% then Strikeforce could be in major trouble. In order for any company to stay in the MMA game they want to be making profits after a while and Strikeforce has been doing that. However they are now not getting approximately 45% of the profits if the number that I have for M-1 Global is accurate (CBS has a 20% ownership of Strikeforce). Strikeforce will be put into a corner into which they might not be able to escape from since the UFC has pretty much every other marketable name and familiar name to the casual MMA viewer who will only tune in when Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture for example is on the fight card (They even have popular street thug Kimbo Slice on the upcoming of The Ultimate Fighter).
With all this having been said I hope Strikeforce survives but I don't see how they can since they have pretty much said were going head to head with the UFC, everybody else who has didn't come off so well.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Stanley Cup Playoffs, Eastern Confrence Quarter Finals (Post Mortem) and predictions for the Confrence Semi-Finals
Disclaimer:
These are not the views of anybody but my own, I am reporting on what I saw of the playoffs and did not see every tiny iota of what happened, also try listening to a game that Pierre Maguire is doing commentary on, it is impossible not to be annoyed by the guy.
Eastern Conference Quarter Finals
(1)Boston Bruins vs (8)Montreal Canadiens
My Prediction: Bruins in 5
Result: Bruins in 4
This series was completely owned by the Bruins over the Habs. Boston was too big, too tough, and too talented.
MVP of Series: Michael Ryder (RW) BOS
Had seven points in four games
Play of the Series: It's not so much a play as it was a gesture by Carey Price after making the same position like Patrick Roy did in his last game for the Canadiens.
Officiating: 4 out of 5
Only a couple of missed calls, other than that it was well officiated.
(2)Washington Capitals vs (7)New York Rangers
My Prediction: Capitals in 7
Result: Capitals in 7
I had figured this would be more of a homer series, boy was I wrong. The Rangers took the first two games in Washington and had a 3-1 series lead after playing four games in the series. However after that, the wheels came of the bus, Avery almost cost the Rangers Game 4 and was scratched for Game 5. Tortarella than got into it with some Capitals fans and was suspended by the NHL for Game 6. Game 7 was close but a late goal by Sergei Federov put the Caps up for good. The other note of intrest in this series is that after allowing 4 goals on 20 shots in Game 1, Jose Theodore, goaltender for the Capitals was benched and the Caps went to rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov. Varlamov was spectacular in this series and gave the Caps the ability to come back in this series.
MVP of Series: Simeon Varlamov (G) WAS
See above for reason.
Play of Series: Ovechkin's goal in game 5, like you even had to wonder.
Officiating: 3 out of 5
There were a few too many missed calls for this to be rated higher.
(3)New Jersey Devils vs (6)Carolina Hurricanes
My Prediction: Devils in 7
Result: Hurricanes in 7
I was right on my prediction for this series with only 100 seconds to go in the third period of Game 7, then Jussi Jokinen and Eric Staal scored to give the Hurricanes the lead and the series. This series had some great goaltending and some great goals, probably the best match-up of the first round.
MVP of Series: Cam Ward (G) CAR
Was great in goal and had a highlight reel full of saves
Play of Series: Staal series winner looked like vintage Mark Messier on the off wing.
Officiating: 4 out of 5
Pretty good but not worthy of 5 out of 5. One or two questionable calls.
(4)Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5)Philadelphia Flyers
My Prediction: Penguins in 6
Result: Penguins in 6
The Pittsburgh Penguins came into this series having clinched home ice on the last day of the season and took advantage of it right away. The Pens were better everywhere and beat the Flyers and not allowing the Flyers to play their game.
MVP of Series: Evgeny Malkin (C) PIT
Had nine points in the series and looked to dominate at times
Play of Series: Pick one of Fluery's many leg stretch saves.
Officiating: 2 out of 5
The officiating seemed a little bias at times but mostly for the home teams.
Conference Semi Finals
Western Conference
(2) Detroit Red Wings vs (8)Anaheim Ducks
My Prediction: Wings in 6
The Wings are coming off a sweep of the Colombus Blue Jackets and the Ducks just finished off the President's Trophy winner's, San Jose Sharks in 6 games. The Sharks are nothing like the Blue Jackets as most of the Ducks have been to the promise land. However the Ducks lack of depth will cost them in this series although they will give a better fight than the Blue Jackets.
(3)Vancouver Canucks vs (4)Chicago Blackhawks
My Prediction: Canucks in 6
The Canucks are coming off what could be considered a hard fought sweep (If there is such a thing) of the St. Louis Blues and are going against a team that had bias officiating going for them in the first round. The Hawks were helped by severely poor officiating and capitalized on it. The difference is this round is that they are facing a goalie that has only giving up goals that seem impossible to stop. If the Canucks show no rust this series could be quicker than that.
Note: I am NOT a Calgary Flames fan, I dislike everything about Calgary from my visits to the city. For further inquiries, leave a message.
Eastern Conference
(1)Boston Bruins vs (6)Carolina Hurricanes
My Prediction: Bruins in 5
This is a series I expect that Zdeno Chara will dominate as he will lead his team to the Eastern Conference Finals.
(2)Washington Capitals vs (4)Pittsburgh Penguins
My Prediction: Penguins in 7
Get your recorders ready for this series as this will have the three biggest young players in the NHL as it has Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeny Malkin. This will be a highly offensive series and don't expect any shutouts in this series.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Stanley Cup Playoffs, Western Confrence Quarter Finals (Post Mortem)
Disclaimer:
These are my views of what happened, the views are my own and don not reflect anybody else. I watched what I could of the series. I couldn't watch much of the Hawks vs Flames because I can't stand that &*T!@#^&*^*!@#^$&*^&*!@#$ douche bag Pierre Maguire.
The NHL Western Conference Quarter Finals are over and I am here to give my view of the series.
(1)San Jose Sharks vs (8)Anaheim Ducks
My Prediction: Sharks in 6
Result: Ducks in 6
This was the classic choke job and my pick for the Stanley Cup champions at the beginning of the playoffs are now eliminated. The Ducks who are no spring chicken when it comes to the playoffs came out playing playoff hockey where the Sharks continued their downturn they had over the last 30 games of the regular season. Major questions will be raised in San Jose and expect a couple changes as the Sharks have choked in the last few years.
MVP of Series: Jonas Hiller (G) ANA
The guy had two shutouts that's hard to vote against.
My Play of the Series: Marleau's OT goal in Game 5
Officiating: 3 out of 5
The officiating wasn't the best I felt but was consistent to a respectable degree.
(2)Detroit Red Wings vs (7)Columbus Blue Jackets
My Prediction: Wings in 6
Result:Wings in 4
I went into this series determining the length of the series on Osgood's goaltending, against the Blue Jackets he gets an A. Osgood was spectacular in this series and was able to keep his team in it when he was needed. Detroit had a little bit of a scare in Game 4 giving up five goals but were able to pull it out with a last minute PP goal from Johan Franzen. These guys are now looking like the favorite to repeat since Osgood looks to be on his game.
MVP of Series: Chris Osgood (G) DET
The guy made saves that allowed his team to get a lead in all the games.
My Play of the Series: Osgood's dive across the crease early in Game 1 to keep Columbus off the board.
Officiating: 3 out of 5
The officiating was usually fair but there was a couple of plays the made me go hm.
(3)Vancouver Canucks vs (6) St. Louis Blues
My Prediction: Canucks in 5
Result: Canucks in 4
This was a series where I expected goaltending to take center stage, when it comes to that, I was dead on. Roberto Luongo destroyed the confidence of the Blues and literally won the series on his own. The Canucks PK was spectacular and were able to kill of all but one penalty in the series, and that goal was almost stopped as well. Blues goalie Chris Mason who is my choice for Calder and second in Vezina behind Tim Thomas was just not able to give the save the Blues needed even though most of the goals were very difficult to stop.
MVP of Series: Roberto Luongo
This guy is the sole reason why the Canucks swept the series. Andy McDonald will be having nightmares of the saves and posts hit in this series.
Play of the Series: Luongo's save in Game 1 on the 5 on 3 PP for the Blues where he slid across and stopped Andy McDonald.
Officiating: 4 out of 5
This series officiating was pretty good after Game 1. They called penalties that were penalties and allowed them to play after the tirade from the coaches after Game 1.
(4)Chicago Blackhawks vs (5)Calgary Flames
My Prediction: Flames in 7
Result: Blackhawks in 6
This series started off as a home series as both teams took advantage of home ice. This series however was marred with some controversial plays as many felt the Game 1 OT winner was interference with the goalie. The Flames were also hit with a nasty injury bug that had already sidelined Robyn Regehr before the playoffs had even started and got center's Craig Conroy and Daymond Langkow as well as defenceman Dion Phaneuf. Calgary also seemed uninspired in Game 5 and 6 but I think that had something to do with the officiating which even got criticized by Ron MacLean on CBC. The Hawks are in tough though in the next round as they face the Canucks and won't have home ice and will have to face a goalie who is looking to get his name on some hardware this season.
MVP of Series: Jonathan Toews
He led his team over a weakened Flames team
Play of the Series: Nothing spectacular in this series from what I saw except for the 2-0 goal for Chicago in game 6
Officiating: 0 out of 5
This series was horribly officiated from the hop. The Game 1 OT goal should have been disallowed (The same type of goal was allowed in the German League and the officials lost there jobs.) which was a poor call in my estimation and the officiating was extremely biased for what I've watched outdoing the Rangers vs Canucks back in '94.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs, 1st Rd.
I'm giving a preview of the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Western Confrence
(1)San Jose Sharks vs (8)Anaheim Ducks
My Prediction: San Jose in 6
I take a look at these two teams and I see two teams heading in different directions. San Jose is looking to win their first Stanley Cup and are trying to exorcise demons of Stanley Cup Playoffs past. The major question that the San Jose Sharks will have to answer in order to win the cup is 'Is Joe Thorton going to produce in the playoffs or is he going to continue to underachieve?'. If Thorton performs in the playoffs, the only thing that can stop them is themselves.
Anaheim has had what seems to be tradition for all recent Stanley Cup winners (Detroit being the acception.) in what could simply be described as a Stanley Cup hangover. However, don't count out the Anaheim Ducks because they have a great defensive team in Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer and have a goalie who if he gets hot in J.S. Giguere. However they are in trouble because I feel that they have only one offensive line and San Jose will just crush the forwards.
(2)Detroit Red Wings vs (7)Columbus Blue Jackets
My Prediction: Detroit in 6
This is a simple series to call and doesn't need much more said than this series depends on the goaltending of Chris Osgood. If he isn't playing well, they still have enough octane to blast through Columbus. Expect lots of offence from the big names on Detroit to help win this series. The only way Columbus win this series is that Steve Mason goes on a huge hot streak and Osgood is shaky.
(3)Vancouver Canucks vs (6)St. Louis Blues
My Prediction: Vancouver in 5
This is a match up of the two hottest teams of the second half. I have already taken some heat for calling a quick series here but I see this season Blues as the '02 Canucks. The Canucks were on fire the second half and fell apart after the Lidstrom's center ice goal. The Canucks also have alot of free agents coming up who are also trying to overcome the playoff underachiever and that sets up a short series in my eyes as Roberto Luongo is also pretty much the hottest player in the last week of the season and has not given up a goal since the 2nd Period against the Calgary Flames.
(4)Chicago Blackhawks vs (5)Calgary Flames
My Prediction: Calgary in 7
This is going to be the nastiest series of the playoffs and is going to most likely look like a war more than a hockey game as I see two hungry teams go at it, the difference in this series will be the expierence of the Flames and the revenge they will want to take on Nikolai Khabibulin from when Khabibulin was on the Lightning in '04. I'm calling this to be the best series of the first round.
Eastern Confrence
(1)Boston Bruins vs (8)Montreal Canadiens
My Prediction: Boston in 5
This is going to be brutal to watch for Habs fans. The Bruins are better everywhere on the ice and are going to destroy Montreal and try to get a rest going into the second round. The only way Montreal wins this series is the plane carrying the Boston Bruins crashes and kills them.
(2)Washington Capitals vs (7)New York Rangers
My Prediction: Washington in 7
This is going to be the Alexander Ovechkin show and he is going to thrill all the fans who watch the series. The only reason I see this going seven is because of the Washington Capitals goalie Jose Theodore. The Rangers need to rattle Theodore early to be able to win this series or they could get washed away in a see of Capital red.
(3)New Jersey Devils vs (6)Carolina Hurricanes
My Prediction: New Jersey in 7
Carolina is coming in red hot and is looking to pull off an upset which I see is very likely. However, I can not bet against Martin Brodeur and I expect him to be the difference.
(4)Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5)Philadelphia Flyers
My Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6
This series is going to be either the Malkin or Crosby show. Mike Richards will most likely line up against Crosby but there is only one Mike Richards and that will leave Malkin very much unchallenged and he will end up being a headache for Philadelphia. Expect lots of goals in this series.
I will be back for my 2nd round preview and I will have other sporting events that I will be previewing and reviewing.
Western Confrence
(1)San Jose Sharks vs (8)Anaheim Ducks
My Prediction: San Jose in 6
I take a look at these two teams and I see two teams heading in different directions. San Jose is looking to win their first Stanley Cup and are trying to exorcise demons of Stanley Cup Playoffs past. The major question that the San Jose Sharks will have to answer in order to win the cup is 'Is Joe Thorton going to produce in the playoffs or is he going to continue to underachieve?'. If Thorton performs in the playoffs, the only thing that can stop them is themselves.
Anaheim has had what seems to be tradition for all recent Stanley Cup winners (Detroit being the acception.) in what could simply be described as a Stanley Cup hangover. However, don't count out the Anaheim Ducks because they have a great defensive team in Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer and have a goalie who if he gets hot in J.S. Giguere. However they are in trouble because I feel that they have only one offensive line and San Jose will just crush the forwards.
(2)Detroit Red Wings vs (7)Columbus Blue Jackets
My Prediction: Detroit in 6
This is a simple series to call and doesn't need much more said than this series depends on the goaltending of Chris Osgood. If he isn't playing well, they still have enough octane to blast through Columbus. Expect lots of offence from the big names on Detroit to help win this series. The only way Columbus win this series is that Steve Mason goes on a huge hot streak and Osgood is shaky.
(3)Vancouver Canucks vs (6)St. Louis Blues
My Prediction: Vancouver in 5
This is a match up of the two hottest teams of the second half. I have already taken some heat for calling a quick series here but I see this season Blues as the '02 Canucks. The Canucks were on fire the second half and fell apart after the Lidstrom's center ice goal. The Canucks also have alot of free agents coming up who are also trying to overcome the playoff underachiever and that sets up a short series in my eyes as Roberto Luongo is also pretty much the hottest player in the last week of the season and has not given up a goal since the 2nd Period against the Calgary Flames.
(4)Chicago Blackhawks vs (5)Calgary Flames
My Prediction: Calgary in 7
This is going to be the nastiest series of the playoffs and is going to most likely look like a war more than a hockey game as I see two hungry teams go at it, the difference in this series will be the expierence of the Flames and the revenge they will want to take on Nikolai Khabibulin from when Khabibulin was on the Lightning in '04. I'm calling this to be the best series of the first round.
Eastern Confrence
(1)Boston Bruins vs (8)Montreal Canadiens
My Prediction: Boston in 5
This is going to be brutal to watch for Habs fans. The Bruins are better everywhere on the ice and are going to destroy Montreal and try to get a rest going into the second round. The only way Montreal wins this series is the plane carrying the Boston Bruins crashes and kills them.
(2)Washington Capitals vs (7)New York Rangers
My Prediction: Washington in 7
This is going to be the Alexander Ovechkin show and he is going to thrill all the fans who watch the series. The only reason I see this going seven is because of the Washington Capitals goalie Jose Theodore. The Rangers need to rattle Theodore early to be able to win this series or they could get washed away in a see of Capital red.
(3)New Jersey Devils vs (6)Carolina Hurricanes
My Prediction: New Jersey in 7
Carolina is coming in red hot and is looking to pull off an upset which I see is very likely. However, I can not bet against Martin Brodeur and I expect him to be the difference.
(4)Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5)Philadelphia Flyers
My Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6
This series is going to be either the Malkin or Crosby show. Mike Richards will most likely line up against Crosby but there is only one Mike Richards and that will leave Malkin very much unchallenged and he will end up being a headache for Philadelphia. Expect lots of goals in this series.
I will be back for my 2nd round preview and I will have other sporting events that I will be previewing and reviewing.
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