SB Nation recent General posts

Early Friday Morning Notes: Pavlik-Froch rumor, Dib fight sparks chaos

SC, Bad Left Hook — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:34:30 -0000

No matter how the rumors shake out, it looks like Carl Froch will have a big fight in October. He'll either face middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik or Andre Dirrell in the Showtime super middleweight tournament. (via www.telegraph.co.uk)

View full size photo uploaded July 10, 2009

Top Rank's Twitter feed came out with a pretty heavy rumor tonight: "it's just a rumor, but we'll let you know when it's confirmed... Pavlik vs Froch - Oct 3rd"

It seems like a rumor's rumor, what with the Showtime super middleweight tournament having a scheduled press conference for June 13 in New York. Froch (25-0, 20 KO) holds the WBC 168-pound title and is scheduled to face Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13 KO) in the first round of the tournament's round robin format.

But if this were to come through, it's undoubtedly a bigger money fight for Froch, and it would signal the end of Kelly Pavlik's uneventful reign as middleweight champion. Pavlik (35-1, 31 KO) is scheduled to return on October 3 no matter what, and Froch would be a big opponent. His canceled June opponent, Sergio Mora, appears totally out of consideration. Fan response to that fight was less than lukewarm, so it's understandable.

Froch-Pavlik is major. The tournament is huge, too. Were Froch to drop out, who replaces him? This is all hypothetical and I don't actually expect Froch-Pavlik to happen, but say it does. Who are the candidates at 168, or to move up from 160 and replace Froch in the tournament?

IBF titlist Lucian Bute was angry that he wasn't invited, although the network says he was. The tournament starts in October, but some slight shuffling might make it possible to get Bute in there. He wants to do a rematch with Librado Andrade, who would also seem like a candidate for the fill-in slot.
Contender season three champion Sakio Bika is out there, chomping at the bit for a big fight. In my view, he's the perfect replacement. He's a guy no one wants to fight, so forcing dudes to get in there with him would be a form of justice in a way. Bika is flat-out dangerous for anyone in the tournament. I actually would like his shot better than I do Froch's.
American contender Allan Green and his promoter love to talk about stepping up, but they've yet to do it. This would be a chance. Getting Green in there with the heavy hitters could be interesting. He's got a lot of pop.
Karoly Balzsay and the man he defeated, Denis Inkin, are both legit ideas, but they would further skew the tournament toward the "European audience," probably meaning more fights taking place in Germany or the like. Neither has any name in America.

Is it awful of me to half take a dump on Andre Dirrell and say I'd rather see Froch-Pavlik in the tournament at Dirrell's expense? I think Dirrell deserves to be there and I love the fact that both he and Andre Ward are willing to enter a tournament like this with those pretty zeroes on their records and little in the way of legitimate tests thus far, but if you put Pavlik in there it gets even more gigantic and intriguing. Pavlik has been an "HBO fighter" for a while now, but the network has shown little interest in him this year and with Abraham leaving 160 for this tournament, he's out of truly exciting potential opponents. Like it or not, and whether he's ready or not, time to move up is probably here.

In a less exciting news story, Ronnie Nathanielsz reports that Billy Dib's one-round stoppage of Kenichi Yamaguchi in Sydney turned ugly. Dib was reeling in the opening round, but came back to deck Yamaguchi with one second left in the frame. He then hit Yamaguchi with what was called "a hard shot" while he was down, and referee Les Fear (note: SERIOUSLY?! Les Fear?!) stopped the bout when Yamaguchi appeared wobbly. Yamaguchi shoved Fear and Dib got into a push-and-shove with folks who entered the ring. The whole thing could've been uglier, of course, but this is bad enough. And from the descriptions out there, it sounds like a God awful refereeing job. Punches to downed fighters do happen, and that's Dib's explanation, but it's the referee's responsibility to protect the hit man in that case, and stopping the fight doesn't sound like the right call.
Antonio Margarito sent his application to fight to the Mexican boxing commission for a fight in September or October. Zab Judah and Carlos Baldomir have been bandied about as opponents, but Judah seems highly unlikely. Baldomir could happen. It's a rotten, transparent fight. Baldomir is feather-fisted, old, even slower than Margarito (even when we all thought he was the bee's knees, he was slow, that's not a piling-on shot), and doesn't really mean much at this point. Margarito fighting in Mexico while suspended by the CSAC for the charges against him would completely discredit the commission down there. It would be a travesty.

The Slipper Still Fits Interviews High School Coach of Top Player

Blez, Blog Huddle — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:04:48 -0000

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have had Gary Bell Jr. on their radar for a while now. He's a top recruit from Kentridge High School. The Slipper Still Fits, the SB Nation Zag blog, decided to get the perspective on Bell Jr. from his high school coach. It's excellent insight on someone who appears on a path to make a huge impact at a big Div-1 school.

Report: UFC Welterweight Anthony Johnson Arrested For Domestic Violence

Kelvin Hunt, MMA For Real — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 04:16:42 -0000

UFC Welterweight Anthony "Rumble" Johnson

View full size photo uploaded July 10, 2009

Via MMAMania:

MMAmania.com has been able to confirm with the Hayward Police Department that UFC welterweight fighter Anthony Johnson was arrested on June 27 in Hayward, California on misdemeanor charges including domestic battery involving his ex-girlfriend.

"Rumble" was also charged with criminal threats and the destruction of a cell phone to prevent the reporting of a crime. He was arrested shortly after contacting police about the incident.

Johnson posted bail and was released later that day. He is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on July 17. The Johnson camp was not available for comment but is expected to issue a statement shortly.

The good part is that he basically turned himself in to authorities and no further harm was done. So we'll stay up to breast as more develops on the story.

Dana White, Cro Cop, the International MMA Business and How It Gets That Way

Kid Nate, Bloody Elbow — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:58:12 -0000

Some ugly stuff has been bubbling around the MMA blogosphere this week. First off, Cro Cop is apparently once again leaning towards a return to the UFC. Many were very critical of Cro Cop when he appeared to be leaving the UFC after only one fight. I thought Shawn from Fightlinker made the best case for Cro Cop:

Cro Cop recieved a lot of shit for jumping to Dream in the first place, but all he did was look out for himself, which is what any of us would have done in the same situation. Most fighters are restricted to doing whatever it is the UFC asks of them (see: Jon Fitch getting fired and hired in a 24 hour time span) because they have no other options. With Cro Cop’s name value overseas, he has a wealth of other options where he could make a comparable amount of money — which is what it all boils down to at the end of the day. Many called bullshit on his comments that he wanted to prove himself in the UFC after a disappointing showing the last time around, but I think it’s fair to say that he legitimately does want to prove himself inside the Octagon — just not at the cost of sacrificing certain contractual requirements.

Then today at the UFC 100 press conference Dana elaborated on his perception of Cro Cop's dealings with DREAM:

I have said this many times and I'll say it again: there's some crooked sh*t that goes on over in Japan. They're all crooked. There's some sneaky sh*t going on over there, and that's always a big problem, you know. These guys who are in the fight business over there, for my Mexican friends, 'No bueno. No bueno.'"

"They're going to kill me if I ever go to Japan. Why are you trying to get me over there? (Laughs) They hate me over there."

Reporter: "They're waiting for you."

White: "They're waiting for me. Yeah, they sure are."

This comment from a FightOpinion reader strikes a chord with many:

There is ONE objective that the UFC has here: make more money for themselves and the top 2%-3% of the talent (the guys the actually care about because they bring in PPV dollars)…

…and do it at the expense of the other 98% who rely on sponsorship dollars for, you know, fancy luxuries like food shelter.

Saying "Hey, it’s all fair! It’s their show so they can do what they want!" is a bulls#it way justifying a large corporation taking advantage of its employees. You know damn well that fighters rely on these smaller sponsorships to pay their bills, and the UFC knows it as well.

In the American business model you don’t even stab employees in the back anymore…you stab them in their face, smile while you do it, and tell them you’re within your rights because hey, "it’s just smart business."

Dana White is a very aggressive competitor in the business world but I can't help but feeling his fear and loathing of the Japanese side of the MMA business is a little bit like a bully fighter like Tito Ortiz when faced with a Chuck Liddell. Since he has tangled with the MMA yakuza in Japan and gotten whipped, he plans on ducking any future fights.

I have to wonder how his attempts to bully video industry giant Electronic Arts will go in the long run. The video game world is a very secretive and nasty place and EA is on their home turf. Dana might walk away from video games like he did from Japan, bruised and bitter.

UFC 100 coverage

Stage 7: The Fight for the Yellow Jersey.

ursula, Podium Cafe — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:47:00 -0000

Let's keep this simple. Here's a poll. How do you think the stage plays out?

UFC 100 Pre-Fight Press Conference

Nick Thomas, Bloody Elbow — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:07:02 -0000

More after the jump.

HT: UFC.com, Fox News, Cagewriter.com

U.S. Open – 1st Round

hound dog, Hound Dog LPGA — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:06:09 -0000

Not to overshadow the U.S. Open or anything but it looks like Bivens is outta here....

Na Yeon Choi posted a 68 and holds a one-shot lead after Day One at the 64^th U.S. Women's Open. Cristie Kerr, Lorena Ochoa and Futures Tour standout Jean Reynolds are tied for second place while Hee Young Park is (surprisingly alone) in fifth place after posting a 70.

Since par is 71, those five players are the only ones under it. And conditions today were great with very little wind. The greens weren't holding much but they weren't ridiculous about it either. I'm standing by my prediction of nobody under par at the end of Sunday's round. Choi started off blazing with birdies on her first three holes (10, 11 and 12) and four of her first five. Three putts led to bogey at 17 and out in 32 but birdies at 2 and 3 (a blind chip-in at 2 was the best shot I saw all day) put her at -5. Bogeys at 5 and 6 brought Na Yeon back to the field.

Kerr bogeyed once, at 7 (the last three front nine holes are a real bear) while Ochoa and Reynolds each bogeyed twice (one of Jean's came at 7 as well). Park suffered a double at 17 along with a conventional bogey at 5. The only player without a bogey all day was Candie Kung, who had no birdies either - hence the 71. Here are the notable scores:

68 Na Yeon Choi

69 Cristie Kerr, Lorena Ochoa, Jean Reynolds

70 Hee Young Park

71 Eun-Hee Ji, Anna Nordqvist, Alexis Thompson (a)

71 Kristy McPherson, Young Kim, Candie Kung

72 Paula Creamer, Jiyai Shin, In-Kyung Kim, Sun Young Yoo, Laura Davies

72 Brittany Lincicome, Jessica Korda (a), Azahara Munoz (a), Jennifer Song (a)

72 Christina Kim, Meena Lee, H.J. Choi, Yoora Kim

73 Karen Stupples, Yuri Fudoh, Stacy Prammanasudh, Candace Schepperle (a)

74 Suzann Pettersen, Song-Hee Kim, Ai Miyazato, Lindsey Wright, Morgan Pressel

75 Karrie Webb, Brittany Lang, Inbee Park, Louise Friberg, Amy Yang

76 Ji Young Oh, Se Ri Pak, Teresa Lu, Rosie Jones, Akiko Fukushima

77 Yani Tseng, Jee Young Lee, Angela Park, Jeong Jang, Lisa Ferrero

78 Angela Stanford, Katherine Hull, Hee-Won Han, Juli Inkster, Stacy Lewis

80 Seon Hwa Lee, Helen Alfredsson, Eunjung Yi

Considering the conditions, the scores were through the roof but don't blame the average of 76.30 completely on the amateurs - just look at the numbers for Alexis Thompson, Jessica Korda, Azahara Munoz and Jennifer Song and compare them to Yani Tseng, Angela Stanford, Seon Hwa Lee and Helen Alfredsson. Of the 30 players who shot 80 or worse, 12 were amateurs (including unfortunately Kimberly Kim) but 18 were not. Lee (along with Brandie Burton) withdrew after finishing her round.

Official picks thread for Agbeko-Darchinyan

SC, Bad Left Hook — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:44:46 -0000

It's been a while, but finally there's another major fight to get down some proper picks. For those of you with casually interested boxing friends like I have, or those that you've made into boxing fans like I have, or even the skeptics who went, "That's it?" when you invited them over for some big fight, this is one to recommend.

Joseph Agbeko v. Vic Darchinyan (Saturday, Showtime, 9 ET - 12 Rounds - Agbeko's IBF bantamweight title on the line)

This is one of those fights that has Fight of the Year Contender stamped all over its violent face. Vic Darchinyan (32-1-1, 26 KO) would probably leap into my pound-for-pound top five were he to dominate Joseph Agbeko in this fight. It'd be a third weight class where he's won a title belt, and he cleaned out 115 pounds to the point where there was legitimately no reason to stay any longer. He's been phenomenal in his last three fights, the best he's ever looked, dominating Dmitri Kirilov, Cristian Mijares and Jorge Arce. All three of them were completely out of their depth against the re-focused "Raging Bull."

"Bull," meet "King Kong" Agbeko. Born in Ghana and now living in the Bronx, Agbeko is a double-tough customer with good power (26-1, 22 KO), tons of guts, and an ability to win a war, which he'll probably have to do against Darchinyan. In terms of pure boxing skills, Darchinyan is his superior, an underrated technician who pulls it out to gain control of a fight. Darchinyan mixing his old amateur form with the "crab-style" power game he's known for has made him one of the best fighters in the sport today. Agbeko will need to out-bomb him to win, I believe.

And there's the rub: If this turns into a firefight, all bets are off. We have seen Vic Darchinyan knocked silly by Nonito Donaire at 112 pounds. Yes, it was one of the most perfectly timed punches you'll ever see, but he was in freaking Dreamland. Agbeko has the sort of power that can dent Vic's chin if he gets to it, and he's not going to stop trying to get to it.

We didn't do a picks thread for Ortiz-Maidana, but if we had, I would've told you that was a 50-50 fight to me on paper. Like that one, this has a favorite, but it's a toss-up bout in my view. Darchinyan deserves to be in that favorited role. But Agbeko is an excellent opponent and the type of guy it's hard to bet against. He won't have much real size advantage and he doesn't figure to be the most daunting opponent of Vic's career. That has turned out to be Donaire, obviously, and many felt that Mijares would totally dominate Vic, too. He didn't. Darchinyan is not the same fighter he was when he lost to Donaire.

I expect a war, I expect fireworks, and I expect some mean-spirited fighting. This is gonna be a good one. Darchinyan TKO-11

Non-Official Pick: Give me Antonio DeMarco in a heck of a good undercard scrap over Anges Adjaho.

Report: Bivens Is Out

hound dog, Hound Dog LPGA — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:45:26 -0000

As promised, I've waited for a few more details to come in about the "player revolt". I was also waiting to get home from vacation so I could catch up on those details properly. With the ultimate detail just released by Golfworld's Beth Ann Baldry that Bivens is already out, here's what I've been pondering.

Reports vary, but it seems that about 15 players were at the dinner where the Bivens topic was discussed. It is unknown how many players actually signed the letter but only two players - Paula Creamer and Suzann Pettersen - have stated that they themselves signed it. I don't understand the reluctance of the other players (I assume these weren't the only two) to also confirm having signed the letter. That information is going to come out eventually, and honestly - if I was going to the trouble to attach my name to a piece of paper intended to affect positive change to my organization, I would be publicly forthright about my stance on the issue rather than hiding behind a flimsy "let's respect the U.S. Open" excuse. As a group, the ladies timed it perfectly - women's golf never gets more attention in America than during U.S. Open week and making this stance just prior ensured the largest possible audience. Why dilute the effect? Confirm you signed the letter and then you can tell the media "no more questions" on that subject.

Assuming that nearly all of those in attendance did sign the letter, Bivens' status was critical from the get-go. Bivens is not a commissioner beholden to a couple dozen corporate entities (a la Bud Selig or Roger Goodell), she directly reports to a 13-member Board of Directors of which seven are players. Golfworld magazine is reporting that five of those seven players agree with the call for resignation, although apparently Christina Kim is not one of them. I'm not sure why any player wouldn't agree under these circumstances. This much is a given - you have a document in hand calling for a change signed by a dozen of the top players on Tour. If you don't make that change happen, you risk alienating (or driving away) those who supported it - and they just happen to be at the literal and figurative forefront of your organization. We don't have the exact language of the letter in front of us but I would have to assume that when you start talking about somebody resigning, you have to put some specific muscle behind it. The players at the meeting are definitely the muscle of the LPGA, and without them the Tour would fail.

Yes, I said FAIL. If Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, Natalie Gulbis, Morgan Pressel and Suzann Pettersen all stopped playing LPGA events tomorrow, you tell me how the Tour survives. If I was the Commish and these same players demanded my resignation, I would oblige even if I thought I was correct on every decision I had made. If they are right, it's best for the Tour. If they are wrong, it is they who will sink or swim with that choice. Word is that Ms. Bivens would be receptive to a buyout of the final two years on her contract. Well so would I, given the circumstances. Perhaps she is not as clueless as some would have you believe. BTW, don't argue whether she deserves the buyout or not - she's got a contract, you want her gone, you gotta buy her out unless you can prove she violated some term of that contract. I seriously doubt you're going to be able to prove that.

Some people are asking why these players waited so long to do something about the situation. I would counter that these same people would ask why the players were rushing to judge so quickly had they acted just six weeks earlier. Near the end of May we endured the Mourning at Corning and we've had a Gloom & Doom Report nearly every week since. Even throwing out the Kapalua announcement (who defaulted on their contract) and the course-less LPGA Championship, the 2010 expectations for five of the last seven events played are dismal. Every example has featured this theme - the sponsor is unwilling or unable to comply with "the vision" of Ms. Bivens. Each example has also featured THIS theme - the Tour is unwilling (or unable - I'll be fair) to be flexible with individual tournaments.

What is unfortunate about this situation is that Bivens' plan wasn't some hare-brained scheme. Her original stated goal was to bolster the Tour's financial position and build the pension plan for retired players. Picking up from where Ty Votaw left off, Bivens traveled a highly-defensible path. Sure, she pushed the boundaries too far when she insisted that media turn over rights to their LPGA photos and stories in order to receive credentials, and the policy (program?) to force all Tour members to learn English blew up in her face. But in some ways, her plan was succeeding. She did attract several high-dollar sponsors (unfortunately high-risk as well) and did finally secure a long-term TV contract with Golf Channel, an item I have long lobbied for. About 18 months into her administration though, the economic playing field changed and the Commissioner failed to modify her "vision" accordingly. She stubbornly stuck to the plan even after multiple tournaments could not keep up with the demands. History has several examples of where a leader rolls on with the status quo, ignoring the changing landscape until his constituents inform him (sometimes rather violently) that he should have adjusted. I almost titled this piece "Off With Her Head" but that is a bit too melodramatic. Bivens may be out of office but she certainly won't meet the same fate as Louis XVI or Czar Nicholas.

Le Tour Ultra-Power Poll!

Chris..., Podium Cafe — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 23:14:28 -0000

A week ago I ran down the teams and their various ambitions for the month, with no ranking. Well, we're six riveting stages into the race, and a handful of critical subjects are starting to formulate a narrative. But this is no regular teams power poll. No, in the Tour everything is bigger, and only one format fits: the Ultra Poll! Here we run down the top ten teams in stage wins, GC, secondary jerseys, TV exposure, and fashion. Points are assigned in each category on a 0-5 scale, and added together for a total score. More points > less points. W/o ado...

1. Astana

Stage Wins: One to their credit, the TTT. More are inevitable. They may finish second only to Columbia in this regard, despite only winning stages on purpose when aero bars are involved. 4

GC: Quoth Russell, from the Terminator: It's what they do. It's all they do. And they will not stop... EVER! Until they are dead! [Or the race is over and they're celebrating, which is more likely.] 5

Secondary Jerseys: From time to time Bruyneel has had someone on hand to pursue the maillot blanc, but that's mostly coincidence. Same with the team comp. 2

TV Time: I spent a portion of last weekend trying to put into perspective the collective bitterness expressed by some Cafe members about the amount of TV time Astana get. Apparently the trend is similar in Europe. 5

Fashion: I finally understand their kit: it's like a challenge on Project Runway where Tim Gunn tells the designers "your challenge this week is to design a tasteful professional cycling kit..." (audible sighs and smiles) "...using (dramatic pause) the flag of Kazakhstan!" (Groans...) 2

Totals: 20 points!

Tourbecco's Verdict: "You're going to ruin this Tour tomorrow, aren't you?"

Settle in folks! More on the flip...

2. Columbia-HTC

Stage Wins: The patrons of the controllable stage victories. I'd like to see them pull off something more difficult, however, rather than play the one-trick pony role in the bunch gallops. Honestly, shepherding Mark Cavendish to a flat sprint win has a degree of difficulty somewhere between cartwheel and belly-flop. 4

GC: Yellow is no longer realistic (was it ever?) after Rogers' crash. Good on him for simply staying in the race. Time for Kirchen and Monfort to start working the back end of the top ten. Two guys up high, and maybe Martin hanging around... at some point the secondary placings pile up enough for people to notice. 3.5

Secondary Jerseys: Two in hand at the moment, but Columbia should be grateful to take one home, as both the green and white jerseys are under serious threat. Cavendish needs to claw his way onto Hushovd's wheel over the few remaining stages that, like today, offer Hushovd a chance of stealing points while Cav gets shut out. Then Cav needs to take care of business the rest of the time. If Kirchen & co. crap out in the Pyrenees, I think you'll see them shift into break-crushing mode for a week, since the stage win nets the greatest differential in points over the guy behind you. As for white, I don't think they can protect Martin from Kreuziger or Andy Schleck, so he should enjoy it while it lasts. 4

TV Time: Cav is the second-most telegenic figure in the race so far, behind Lance, and that's one competition where he's not at risk of being displaced by Hushovd. 4

Fashion: Damage control time? Still in white shorts, and the fake abs seem to be morphing into the outline of a motocross helmet, which isn't exactly an improvement. But the green is nice and the new font is a step up. 1.5

Totals: 17 points

Tourbecco's Verdict: "Stage 3 was pretty cool, but 18 stages is a long, long runout."

3. Saxo Bank

Stage Wins: Seem to be a point of pride for Cancellara, and not merely the prologues or short TTs. Actually, I think he is planning a sneak attack on the road race rainbow jersey in Mendrisio. He seems to like wearing that special kit on more than just his skinsuit. Once he's out of yellow he can go stage-hunting again. 2.5

GC: Somebody has to put up a fight against Astana. Andy Schleck has kept his powder dry in a hairy first week, so while nobody is betting the farm, he's certainly where he needs to be for a podium finish. More than you can say for a LOT of guys already. 4

Secondary Jerseys: Schlecklet is a natural for the maillot blanc, barring bad luck or an inhuman effort from Kreuziger. 4

TV Time: Who doesn't love interviewing the Swiss Bear? He makes eye contact, looks good, speaks your language (in the case of English, with just enough trouble to sound cute). Being in yellow for a week doesn't hurt. 4.5

Fashion: Meh meh meh! It's fitting they're now named after a bank, since their kit is about as exciting as an annual report. 1.5

Totals: 16.5 points

Tourbecco's Verdict: "How much would you pay for Jens!-cam, 24-hour access? Riis could fund a whole second team on the proceeds from this."

4. Cervelo Test Team

Stage Wins: When they're on, they don't mess around. Thor is clearly riding the chicken now. Question is whether Sastre or Haussler (to the extent he has any skin left) can join him. 3

GC: What must a defending champ do to get some respect? He could start by not losing the better part of three minutes in six days. 3.5

Secondary Jerseys: One way to discount Hushovd's insurgent campaign for Green is that after five stages he was nowhere, and it only became a competition when he won and Cav couldn't bag secondary points. What's more likely, another day like this or another Cavendish winning streak next week? Still, you have to admire what Thor's doing. 3

TV Time: It's early, but they don't seem to be drawing much attention, save for the finale today. Maybe the network is worried that people will see their colorless kit and start adjusting their TV set. 2

Fashion: You could say this is exhibit A in why you don't mess with success, but I think they set themselves up for trouble with the all-blacks. Yes, they were very cool, and no, they weren't going to feel good in the hot French sun. Something had to give, and it did. 3

Totals: 14.5 points

Tourbecco's Verdict: "Can I continue my year-long streak of massively underestimating this team? Yes, yes I can."

5t. Garmin-Slipstream

Stage Wins: In baseball, a hitter in a slump will often start hammering the ball right at people, which is usually a sign that the slump is just about over. That's Garmin right now: after non-stop misery this year, they have missed out on four stage wins this week by irritatingly narrow margins: Millar by about 1.5km today; the TTT squad by 16", and Wiggins third in the opening ITT by a mere 19". Oh, and Farrar was second to Cav in Stage 2. It will come... 3

GC: Not unlike their stage chances, their overall hopes are too easily overlooked. In a Tour where maillot jaune contenders keep falling by the wayside, Garmin have Wiggins sitting in sixth and their main guy Christian VandeVelde in eighth, a mere 1.16 back. Yellow? Not likely, but a podium is close enough to touch. 4

Secondary Jerseys: Unless they have a secret plan to launch a KOM campaign, I'd say no way. They sit fourth in the team comp, but Farrar's hopes of green have been put on hold for a year or so. 1

TV Time: Thoroughly exposed, for good or ill. 3.5

Fashion: I still don't get it. The gold sleeves on the skinsuits are bad goombah "Real Housewives of New Jersey" nonsense. But otherwise it's OK. 2

Totals: 13.5 points

Tourbecco's Verdict: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!!"

5t. Liquigas

Stage Wins: Ah... no. And thank goodness; we had enough server troubles today without Daniele Bennati bagging a stage and melting down our entire network. 1

GC: In the thick of things for secondary positions. The guy I want to see more of later is Vincenzo Nibali. He's 24, has had a couple seasons for the shock to wear off, and although he isn't considered a contender it would be cool to see him make some strides in the massive final week. Kreuziger will continue serving notice that he's a serious threat for the 2012 Tour. 4

Secondary Jerseys: The better of Kreuziger or Nibali stands to inherit the maillot blanc if anything happens to Schlecklet, but I wouldn't count on it. 2

TV Time: For a team not launching insane breakaway efforts, they've been spotted up front pretty often. That, plus their model looks, should help continue the trend of positive coverage. 4

Fashion: Do people love the lime and blue? No, but it's in kind of a classic phase now. 2.5

Totals: 13 points

Tourbecco's Verdict: "Has anyone actually tried attaching a speedplay cleat to a pair of Ferragamo loafers? This must happen."

Other Notables (by category)

Stage Wins: Bbox Bweeg were not to be denied, and at least one more French win has to happen. I'll go with AG2R. And Oscar Freire will eventually help Rabobank stop clinging to their bitterness and Giro trophy.

GC: Regardless of what has gone down, you haven't heard the last of Silence (Evans), Milram (Gerdemann) or Katusha (Karpets).

Secondary Jerseys: Covered everything above except polka dots. Jussi Veikkanen, Stephane Auge and Sylvain Chavanel seem interested. I'm still waiting on Fedrigo too. But really, until tomorrow there's almost nothing to say.

TV Time: Besides the above, surely Katusha have quite a few long breaks on next week's duller stages in store, no? And of course Cofidis will prove their existence beyond a certain level of doubt on Tuesday.

Fashion: AG2R, what have you done? I like the boldness of going with brown shorts -- probably even more respectable than their former sunny, pleasant, but not overly daring kit. But can you think of a worse pairing than sky blue? Is this an Earth and Sky motif? However you slice it, it's a fashion disaster. Kudos to Caisse d'Epargne, though, for sticking with black in July, and putting fashion ahead of their GC hopes.

MMA Live Previews UFC 100

Nick Thomas, Bloody Elbow — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:28:31 -0000

HT: poundnground

LPGA Response to the Bivens Chatter

Ryan Ballengee, Waggle Room — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:28:34 -0000

I contacted David Higdon at the LPGA Tour today to reach out on a few subjects pertaining to Jon Show's report that Carolyn Bivens is open to a buyout, etc. Higdon, the LPGA's Chief Communications Officer, responded in kind with their statement - that he also shared with SI's Ryan Reiterman.

As we’ve said throughout the week, we want all of those interested in women’s professional golf to focus on the play here at the U.S. Women’s Open, which has started today and will conclude this weekend when the 2009 champion is crowned. Out of respect to the USGA and the amazing work that they’ve done and continue to do in producing and hosting this great event, we will not respond to media reports on internal matters related to the LPGA business. The LPGA players, staff and Board care deeply about our Tour, and we’re all working hard to achieve the same long-term objective to grow our Tour. We look forward to a great week of golf.

No confirmation or denial of Jon's, Beth Ann Baldry's, or Ron Sirak's reporting. Rather, a respectful admission that there are things going on and they will wait to make official comment.

I will say that the LPGA Tour specifically did not ask for this to happen - much less during US Women's Open week - in a way that would detract from the USGA. I think they're doing their best to manage a quickly unraveling situation while trying to respect the USGA's Championship.

Snapshot of the Day 2: Georges St. Pierre Tells Mark Coleman "You're My Idol"

Nick Thomas, Bloody Elbow — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:24:49 -0000

Lots more at Combatlifestyle.com.

George St-Pierre's Gatorade Canada ad:

Israel Vazquez tells Victor Ortiz to get back in the saddle

SC, Bad Left Hook — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:48:33 -0000

Israel Vazquez says that Victor Ortiz can do nothing but fight on. (via www.boxnews.com.ua)

View full size photo uploaded July 9, 2009

If there's a fighter in the sport today that knows about punishment -- giving and receiving -- it's Israel Vazquez. If there's one name fighter under fire for lacking guts and drive, it's Victor Ortiz. And Vazquez, unlike many fighters, commentators, fans and others in and around boxing, is telling Ortiz that all he can do is get back in the ring and fight.

Speaking with Robert Morales, Vazquez recalled his legendary first fight with Rafael Marquez, in which Vazquez stopped the fight after six rounds because of a broken nose. Vazquez, of course, came back from that loss to beat Marquez in two even more sensational fights in 2007 and 2008, firmly establishing his legacy as one of Mexico's greatest warriors.

Says Vazquez:

"A lot of people questioned me coming back. A lot of people didn't think I should come back in five months. But I wanted to go out and prove to everybody that I had a bad night in March. I had a great night in August."

Like everyone -- including Ortiz -- he feels that "Vicious" Victor just didn't fight the correct battle against Marcos Maidana, a hard-punching, nothing-to-lose warrior that refused to bend to Ortiz's will the way so many other fighters had done already. He also calls Ortiz's chin "suspect," but it's not like we've never seen Vazquez in serious peril, and it hasn't come only against Marquez, a powerful sharpshooter.

The Ortiz situation will work itself out how it's going to work itself out. At this point, we've said it all, we've heard it all, and he's definitely heard it all. Hopefully he can find some inspiration in Vazquez's words and follow that sort of example, because as much as the fashion is to bash Ortiz (and I've done my share of it, no doubt), I like watching him fight. He's really talented, really exciting, and still very young.

In the same article, Morales says he spoke with Manny Steward, who would prefer that Wladimir Klitschko fight Chris Arreola next, and then Nikolai Valuev, which would require side-stepping two mandatories (Alexander Povetkin and Eddie Chambers). Steward feels that people simply want to see Klitschko-Arreola more than those other fights, and that Arreola would have no fear of his fighter. Kind of an admirable stance, but not surprising given Manny's occasional brow-beatings of Klitschko during fights. I think he wants to see his man tested in the most interesting and perhaps most lucrative fight out there.

UFC 100 Preview: Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping

Zak Woods, Watch Kalib Run — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:00:12 -0000

Dan Henderson (24-7, 4-2 UFC) vs. Michael Bisping (17-1, 7-1 UFC)

The rival coaches of the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter meet in the final battle of the Team U.K. vs. Team U.S.

Dan Henderson doesn't need to prove anything. He won two titles in Pride with victories over Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Gilbert Yvel, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ryo Chonan, Akihiro Gono, Kazu Misaki, Renato Sobral and Muril Rua. On top of all that he represented the United States in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.

Once Henderson returned to the UFC he immediately fought for both the light heavyweight and middleweight titles. While he lost both fights to Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva respectively, Henderson still solidified his status as an elite fighter within the promotion. Henderson rebounded with a split decision victory over Rich Franklin at UFC 93 for the "right" to be a coach on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Now Dan Henderson holds the key to a title shot for Michael Bisping.

Depending what side of the pond you come from you will have a drastically different opinions of Michael Bisping. (This fan made movie sums up the general consensus from many Midwestern MMA fans, including myself ). While Americans may think that Bisping has been feed with a silver spoon he has still achieved a level of prominence that no other British MMA fighter has yet achieved.

Still Bisping's resume is thin, especially since he dropped to middleweight where his most significant victory is over Chris Leben. Despite the perceived weakness of competition "The Count" is undoubtedly a significant commodity to the UFC and on Saturday he will get a chance to prove to his detractors wrong.

Conventional Wisdom: If you are from North America then Bisping will be unable to stop the single or double leg takedowns that Henderson will utilize to win the fight. If you are from the United Kingdom, then Bisping will stuff Henderson's takedowns and then whittle hims opponent down with a barrage of jabs and strikes.

WKR Analysis: If Dan Henderson uses his wrestling skills in the manner that Rashad Evans and Matt Hamill did against Bisping he should win this fight. However, the verbal sparring between the two may make Henderson want to stand and trade. Dan has shown a great desire to use his stand up skills in the past, the problem is that this is a skill set that Bisping excels at. While Bisping may not have a demonstrative advantage in the striking over Henderson, it would still be folly to not attack an opponent he is weak and you are much stronger.

An ignored storyline in this fight, is what it will mean for each fighter's respective camps. Henderson is a Team Quest fighter, while Team Quest is considered a top camp fewer contenders are emerging from a once dominant school.Micahel Across the Atlantic Bisping is representing the Wolfslair. While this school's credibility has increased in recent years two prominent Wolfslair fighters, Cheick Kongo and Quinton Jackson, looked particularly poor in their last fights. The winner of this bout may tell us where each camp is on the current ladder of top MMA camps.

Fun Fact: Michael Bisping was actually born in Cyprus.