The NFL’s back in business!

Finally, a deal and football soon to follow. The NFL Players Association executive board and 32 team reps unanimously approve a 10-year agreement that ends the 4 1/2 -month lockout. Owners overwhelmingly approved a proposal last week, but some unresolved issues needed to be reviewed’

Good Morning #Team17 were back in business#LockoutIsOver now let's find out where we're playing! What team do u wanna see me with? – Tweeted Braylon Edwards, Wide Receiver for the New York Jets

On July 25, 2011, the fans of American Football have taken the streets, social media, bars, stadiums or wherever rejoicing that the 2011 NFL Lockout has been lifted. No more, waking up on Sunday or getting off work on Monday or Thursday Night, thinking “what am I going to do? Well, since there’s no football, I guess I’ll clean up the house and…hmmm don’t know what else to do!! Football, please come back to me!” Today, every American Football fan will revert back to their fanatic ways and cheer on their respective team, even though there is still a month or so, till Opening Kick-Off. Knowing that the players and owners have agreed to terms, signifies that the fans will get to see the sport they passionately and attentively watch on Sundays, Monday Nights and half-way through the season on Thursday Night’s. Since there will be no Lockout; training camp will ensue, as well as trades, free-agency pick-ups and other news that get fans excited to see who goes where and if they get a marquee player that their team needs. Asking any American Football Fan, if they are exciting that the lockout is over is similar to asking them- what are they going to be watching every Sunday for the months to come? The NFL Lockout being lifted has many fans excited for many reasons, the obvious being - American Football will be played, Fantasy (American) Football will also 

be played and the most important Sunday’s are back!!

LET'S GO BABY!!!!! WE'RE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!! #LockoutOver – Tweeted Wide Receiver Donte Stallworth

There will be no more trying to figure out what can be done on Sundays and Monday Night. No more pleading the American Football gods to let the lockout be lifted. No more complaining to friends on social media or in person about the NFL. No more questions being asked such as; Do you agree with the owners or players? No more hearing Demaurice Smith, or the owners with the exception of the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones (since he’s always on the sidelines similar to Mark Cuban, the owner Dallas Mavericks) or Roger Goodell tell the fans a whole lot of malarkey on when the NFL will be back. No more watching programs, participating in events, reading books, going to places that one would not go to, if American Football is on. But most importantly, No more getting tortured for almost half a year because the National Football League is back….and the Brett Favre talks are back too!! Like the saying goes “One can’t have ones cake and it eat too!”

Copa América 2011

2011 Copa America

If one is not familiar with this tournament, then that person is not a true football (In the U.S. & Canada – Soccer) fan. This tournament was founded in 1916 under the name of South American Championship but in 1975 it was changed to Copa America; the Copa America occurs every 3 years in alternating South American countries. The two most successful nations with the most titles are Uruguay and Argentina, with 14 each. Although the tournament is for South American countries, other countries outside the region have participated such as Mexico, United States and Costa Rica have been participants to fill out the current 12 team format.  The last 5 Copa America’s (past 15 years), Brazil has won 4 and Colombia has won (they won the 2001 Copa America which split Brazil’s 4 into 2 consecutive victories). However, the last two have been played by nation’s that have such a rich football history with 7 FIFA World Cup victories combined; for those who are avid football fans and even those who only watch to partake in the festivities know the 2 teams are Brazil and Argentina. For a tournament to be running for almost a century speaks volumes on the severity of the tournament for the players and the nations involved, especially that of the host nation. Many analysts, pundits and fans alike always have this notion, because of their exceptional and world-class Footballers, that either Brazil or Argentina will win “La Copa.” Where they right in giving either team the Cup?

Argentina had Uruguay in the quarter-finals of the Copa America. Many people seem to not give Uruguay the respect they deserve for reasons that are unknown to many avid football fans. Uruguay has won the World Cup twice (1930 and 1950) and as aforementioned earlier, have won the Copa America 14 times including the very first one. In addition, they reached the semi-finals of the 2010 FIFA Men’s World Cup in South Africa. The feats accomplished are equal to the feats accomplished in the history of the Argentinean National Team; the only difference being that Uruguay does not have the super-stars that those people are accustomed to hearing. If one were to ask an average fan or a fickle football fan, who would win between Argentina and Uruguay? Chances are that person would, without hesitation and with a look on their face vehemently saying – are you serious; would say Argentina. If Mike Tyson taught the sports world anything, it is that anyone no matter how great one is can be defeated; which is exactly what happened to Argentina against Uruguay. The game went into penalty kicks level 1 to 1 (gols coming from Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain and Uruguay’s Diego Perez), with Uruguay prevailing – 5 x 4. The Argentinean who missed the penalty was no other than “El Apache” Carlos Tevez.  That being said, the host nation who anticipated bringing home the Cup is no longer bringing home the Cup but rather their gym bags full of disappointment.

Since the projected winner of the Cup got eliminated a day prior to the other projected Cup winning team, how did Brazil do? For starters, A Seleção or the Samba Boys played a game in which they showed their superiority for the whole entire game including overtime but had nothing to show for it. “Brazil should have won in 90 minutes,” [Gerardo] Martino [Paraguayan Coach] said. “We were lucky.” Brazil was playing a Paraguayan side that was playing good defense and the counter-attack, which made it difficult for the Brazilians to enter the goal area; but for a team with such talent and history that shouldn’t have been a problem but it was. The style that Mano Menezes instill is what the term “Joga Bonito” (Brazilian Portuguese for Beautiful Game) arose from which is their attack first philosophy, in which the Brazilians would create magic even when there is nothing that they can create it from but would find a way to score. The only beautiful game that happened during this game was not found on the pitch but probably found in the Brazilian section of the stands. Just like their rival - Argentina - Brazil was ousted in penalty’s in a manner that can only be mimicked by a video-gamer playing the FIFA game with their eyes closed.

Brazil lost the shootout 0 x 2, with the Brazilians missing 4 of them in humiliating fashion. "Of course if we keep raking over the four missed penalties that saw us go out then we will not talk about the game we played, which marked an evolution in the team and the squad," Menezes told a news conference. Brazil can be paralleled to the baseball team, New York Yankees, in a sense that if they do not win it all, the season/tournament is seen as a failure; that’s how high the bar is set for the 5x World Cup Champions.  "I know you live and die by results," said Menezes. "But these will come if we continue on the path we are on."

The 2011 Copa America Finals will mark 10 years since Brazil or Argentina have been in the finals. In 2001, it was Mexico vs. Colombia; with Colombia coming out victorious over “El Tri.” But before the finals can happen, the semi-finals have to be played. On one side of the bracket, Uruguay plays Peru on July 19, 2011 and on the other side its – Venezuela vs. Paraguay on July 20, 2011. One would think that Uruguay will defeat Peru and Paraguay would defeat Venezuela since both teams eliminated the 2 teams that were projected to win it all. As seen many times in sports, projections are merely words that can be said by anyone, no matter what title is bestowed upon because a game still has to be played to decide the outcome of an event. So will Peru play the role of Netherlands to Uruguay’s hopes in making it to the finals of a major tournament? Will Venezuela show the world that they also are a nation with a great Football National Team and not just baseball? The 2011 Copa America Finals will be held on Sunday July 24^th, 2011. Which teams do you project to make it to the finals?

 

The National League All-Stars Vs. The American League All-Stars

2011 All-Star Game

Depending on what league one’s favorite team plays in, is the league one would probably be rooting for to win the 2011 All-Star Game. But for those who follow Major League Baseball’s Annual All-Star game might have the mentality of why am I going to watch the game, when the American League will win it. These “skeptics,” if one can call them that have a legitimate reason to think that way. In the last 15 years, the American League has won 12 times while the National League only won twice and the other ending in a tie in 2002.  To break it down further, the wins of the National League came in July 9, 1996 and in July 13, 2010. During the National League’s hibernation, the American League amassed 5 straight victories (1997-2001). In 2002, Bud Selig called the game a tie because both leagues had used up all their substitute players, leaving no one available to come in to pitch in relief. Consequently, the game was called a tie by the Commissioner. Then the next 7 years, the American League continued their dominance over the National League until 2010 when the National League finally defeated a foe that has been an annual headache for them. However, for the more polished fan that has a historical knowledge of the All-Star Game knows that the National League still dominates the American League (41-38). For example, from 1960 till 1982, the National League won an astonishing 23 times whereas the American League won only twice in 1971 (from 1960 to 1962, there were two All-Star games played each year). Throughout this span, there was also a tie in 1961 due to rain. So, how will the 2011 All-Star Game pan out?

National League

The National League (NL) is coached by the Manager of the World Series Champion - San Francisco Giants - Bruce Bochy. The players selected from the World Series Champions are Tim “The Freak” Lincecum, Matt Cain, Brian “Fear The Beard” Wilson, Pablo “Panda” Sandoval, and Ryan Vogelsong. “The Giants will have five All-Stars for the first time since 1966, when they sent six in an era of 10-team leagues. They were Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Jim Ray Hart, Tom Haller, Gaylord Perry and Juan Marichal” (Henry Schulman of SF Gate, Pablo Sandoval Named by Bochy to All-Star Team). However, none of them are starting the All-Star game.

As for the NL starters of the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, they are as follow: The starting pitcher is no other but “Doc” Halladay aka Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies. "When you talk about the best, this guy is at the top," Bochy said of Halladay. His infielders are – Prince Fielder at 1^st base, Rickie Weeks at 2^nd base, Troy Tulowitzki at short-stop (SS) and Scott Rolen at 3^rd base. As for Halladay’s outfielders, they are – Matt Holiday at Left Field, Matt Kemp at Center Field and Lance Berkman at Right Field and the Designator Hitter (DH) is Carlos Beltran. The man behind the plate catching for the “Doc” is Brian McCann. Will this 1^st team be good enough to make it 2 consecutive victories over the American League?

American League

The American League (AL) is coached by the manager of the World Series Runner-Ups - Texas Rangers - Ron Washington. The players selected from the World Series Runner-Ups are C.J Wilson, Adrian Beltre, Michael Young, Alexi Ogando, and Josh Hamilton. The difference between the Texas Ranger’s player selection and that of the World Series Champions player selection is that the Rangers have two starters – Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre, whereas the San Francisco Giants have none.

As for the AL starters of the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, they are as follow: The starting pitcher is Jared Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Jared Weaver got the nod to start because Justin Verlander and James Shields are ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game on July 12, 2011. The defense that will be supporting Jared will be nothing but stellar. At 1^st base it will be Adrian Gonzalez; at 2^nd base it will be Robinson Cano; at short-stop (SS) it will be Asdrubal Cabrera and at 3^rd base it will be Arian Beltre. The AL outfielders are the most reliable with their glove and are power hitters. At Right Field will be Jose Bautista; at Center Field is Curtis Granderson and Left Field is Josh Hamilton. The Designator Hitter (DH) is no other but “Big Papi” David Ortiz. The man behind the plate is Alex Avila. Will this be the year that the American League regains their present day reign over the NL?

This All-Star Game between the NL and AL has been played since 1933. This game also signals the half-way point of the long and grueling MLB season. MLB dedicates a whole weekend preceding the All-Star Game with festivities such as Celebrity Softball and the ever-so popular Home Run Derby.  This is not just a game for the fans but is a game that has significant value to each league. The winner of the All-Star Game will have Home Field Advantage in the World Series, which gives each league incentive to take it serious and to give 100% effort in coming out victorious. Since this incentive became permanent in 2006, 4 out of the 6 teams that won the World Series had their league come out victorious in the All-Star Game. Who will it be this year – the American League or National League? The answer lies within the team that one roots for?

Takeru Kobayashi and Fedor Emelianenko

Legends In Their Respective Sport

(Wiping the eyes as if you have just woken up from a deep slumber and seeing this blog title but can’t seem to put two and two together!)

Takeru Kobayashi and Fedor Emelianenko, although complete polar opposite like oil and water, have many common threads between them. For starters, they compete in sports that are relatively young and controversial to the masses. Kobayashi’s sport is called Competitive Eating while Fedor’s sport is called Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Both are from countries that are neighbors – Japan to the South of Russia and Russia to the north of Japan, something like the United States of America and Canada to a certain extent. Both became household names in their respective sports through the countless victories among their fellow competitors. Consequently, they garnered such a fan base for their abilities to utterly dominate in their sport.  Both athletes became such a force in their sport that they created a cloak of invincibility that people thought would never be unveiled.

Fedor started his legendary rise up the MMA ranks in the land of Kobayashi’s birth, Japan, with the Pride Organization. The manner that Fedor would defeat his opponents was something that wasn’t seen during that era of the sport - something similar to a Rottweiler involved in an altercation with a Chihuahua. Same can be said about Kobayashi and the manner he decimated his competition. Kobayashi’s rise to stardom happened in the United States of America when he was Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest Champion from 2001 till 2006. During this time, he even developed his own eating technique called the “Kobayashi Shake” so he can make room from more food. As a result, he would annihilate the competition by 10 hot dogs/hamburgers or more.  Through their achievements and success, both Fedor and Kobayashi became legends in their young sports. One can say they became a product of their success or not but one thing is for sure, they soon were shown that they are merely mortals.

In 2007, the whole competitive eating world was stunned by an up and coming competitor named Joey Chestnut. He defeated Kobayashi in a contest that Kobayashi had ruled for 5 straight years at the Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest. The major upset had many experts and fans alike dumbfounded by the fact that the legend had fallen by another human, something that was unfathomable. Fast forward 3 years later to another legend in his sport and the same result occurred that happened to Kobayashi. Fedor Emelianenko was fighting Fabricio Werdum, a fight many experts and fans alike thought would be “an easy fight” for Fedor but on the contrary; the fight ended in no more than 2 minutes by a triangle choke…by Fabricio! Just like in 2007 with the defeat of Kobayashi, this was a huge upset that baffled the masses. The loses dealt to both legends can be said was a byproduct of the young sport evolving and becoming more competitive or can it be simply that both legends had lost a step?

What Fabricio Werdum and Joey Chestnut accomplished was a feat that many people thought was impossible. They showed the world that their cloak of invincibility was merely a façade and they too are cut from the same cloth as every human being. Fedor Emelianenko and Takeru Kobayashi are bona fide legends in their sports. They have done so much to develop and promote their sports that they should always be held in high regard. If it weren’t for both athletes, their sport would not probably be so popular among enthusiasts and the masses. One can say that Takeru Kobayashi is the Fedor Emelianenko and vice versa in their respective sport. What lies ahead for both legends only time will tell but if July 4^th, 2011 (the day Kobayashi ingested 69 hot dogs on top of a near by Manhattan rooftop near the Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest, which broke the world record unofficially) is an indicator for things to come for Fedor; well, come fight time against Dan Henderson on July 30^th, 2011, the fans will see the rise of the Last Emperor. 

(Idea credited to a fellow peer of mine and sports enthusiast Paul Michael; Thank You)

A UFC Event That Size Didn’t Matter

UFC 132: Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber

What would a fight fan say to a main event that weighed-in 5lbs (2.2kgs) more than the heavyweight weight-265lbs (120kgs)- limit? Chances are that that fight fan would sneer at such a main event, especially if it was a UFC main event. UFC has thrived on putting on shows of fighters weighing in more than 200lbs (91kgs) with the likes of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Quinton Jackson, and with their cash-cow known as Brock Lesnar.  This being said, the average fight fan that sneered at the fact a UFC main event would be two fighters that weighed in at 135lbs (61kgs) was somewhat validated, since this was the first Bantamweight main event in UFC’s young 18 year history. However, the two fighters, Urijah Faber and Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz, are not to be missed because they bring elements to the UFC that are difficult to emulate by any other weight classes; they bring lightning-quick speed, a never ending gas tank (tremendous endurance), and most important, they bring the fight to their opponents. Many people seem to forget that the sole purpose of the UFC is to bring entertaining fights, no matter how much a fighter weighs. That is the reason why the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz are still given opportunities because they bring entertainment value. So did the lightest UFC 132 main event hold true to its spot in the card?

The fight was by far the best main event that the UFC has had all year. The only main event in 2011 that can possibly come close to UFC 132s main event would be the Frankie Edgar vs. Grey Maynard, in terms of exciting the fans and giving them that entertainment value that the UFC adores. Describing the fight from round 1 to round 5 would not do it justice, but saying that if it was missed and if there is another one then it shouldn’t be missed. Compared to heavier main events, this main event can be described as total nonstop action. What added to the fans excitement is it was for the Bantamweight Championship Belt and the fact that both fighters did not like each other on a personal level, which made for even a more highly-contested war. In addition, both fighters had different fighting styles which made the fight that much more exciting as well. Dominick Cruz brought a fighting style that can be said is loosely based on Capoeira with his footwork and the constant swaying of the shoulders going up, down, left, right and then attacking. Urijah Faber’s fighting style is one that can simply be said as constantly moving forward at an extremely high level pace that most fighters cannot keep up with. Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz displayed a speed, tenacity and endurance that are only seen in the lower weight classes, which is why they earned the main event slot at UFC 132 and did not disappoint. Cruz retained the Bantamweight Championship Belt via unanimous decision, which for many was not the right decision; in any event, fight was good enough to earn Fight of the Night!

The UFC 132 card was the best one of the year. Out of the seven televised fights, four of them ended with knockouts, one ended with a submission and the other two by unanimous decision. To paint an even better picture; the four knockouts occurred in the first round – the fastest KO in 27 seconds and the longest in 2:58, and the other two in between; the submission occurred in the first round in 1:56. What was surprising was the fact that the fastest KO was dealt to Wanderlei Silva by Chris Leben and the submission was dealt to Ryan Bader by Tito Ortiz. Wanderlei Silva was the favorite to win and Tito Ortiz was a 1 to 5 favorite, and none of the betting options held true. Also, Tito Ortiz acquired his first win in 5 years but what made it even more surprising was the fact that the master of the ‘ground-in-pound’ won via submission. UFC 132 showed the whole world that the lower weight classes can carry a pay-per-view main event and that size doesn’t matter. Now with the addition of the 125lbs (57kgs) division to the UFC, sky’s the limit.