UFC 99 is finally here (well, it will be tomorrow) and the main event of Rich Franklin taking on Wanderlei Silva is a very interesting one. Is it worthy of the headline status? For a show overseas, probably. For a fan to shell out the same cash they will for UFC 100? Probably not.
Whether you watch it at 3 p.m. live or at 10 p.m. on tape delay, it should be an entertaining card. Silva and Franklin both like to stand and bang, and both guys need a win. Silva is trying to make a case for a title shot against Anderson Silva for his middleweight tile. Franklin is trying to gain legitimacy in the scene at 205 pounds. Both guys have gone too long without a defining win. Franklin is the Vegas favorite (-160) and Silva is the pros favorite and it’s a tough one to call. I think Franklin will get the win with a third-round TKO, but very little (other than a submission or a boring fight, maybe) in this one will surprise me.
The fight between Cain Velasquez and Cheick Kongo should be intriguing as well. Velasquez is an impressive heavyweight prospect, but Kongo seems in line for a title shot after Brock Lesnar faces Frank Mir. While the heavyweight scene in the UFC doesn’t look as bland as it used to, there still isn’t a ton there and Velasquez moves much closer to a title shot with a win. One would have to think Kongo is officially next in line with one. I know Kongo was a late addition to this fight but I’m not ready to jump on the Velasquez bandwagon just yet.
And, for those of you interested in the past, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic is on the card. His bout with Mustapha Al-Turk will be interesting because Filipovic will kick Al-Turk in the head and Al-Turk will lose consciousness. This will cause everyone to rave about how the old Cro Cop is back and is going to set the UFC heavyweight division on fire. Then he’ll go on to lose to Gabriel Gonzaga again or to the loser of the Randy Couture vs. Minotauro Nogueira matchup. It will be cool to see the highlight knockout, but I’m not holding out hope for the old "Cro Cop" to return to the MMA scene.
The 2009 NBA Finals continue here at JustBet Sportsbook when the Orlando Magic face off with the Los Angeles Lakers in another NBA Betting contest at Staples Center. The Lakers were able to systematically dominate the Magic in Game 1 with a 100-75 victory on their home floor. LA was so impressive they have once again been tabbed 6.5-point favorites in front of Hollywood’s finest with the ‘total’ set at 202.5 after a low scoring game on Thursday.
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| Dwight Howard 20.6 PPG, 13.8 RPG | Kobe Bryant 26.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG |
For the first quarter and a half the Magic looked to be un-phased by the bright lights of the Finals, but in the end their inexperience bit them on the backside. After being such a great second half team in the postseason Orlando flopped in the second half putting up just 32 points. Magic C Dwight Howard had a disappointing night scoring just 12 points with 10 of those coming from the foul-line. Howard managed just one-of-six from the field, but posted his usual double-double adding 15 rebounds to his effort. Orlando has never won an NBA Finals game SU going 0-5 in its history. Tonight the Magic will look to build on a 5-6 ATS mark on the road in the postseason.
The Lakers sent a bold statement to the Magic and all the critics that have them as heavy ‘favorites’ in this series scoring over 100-points for a seventh straight game. LA has been up and down the entire playoffs, but seems to have finally found its grove at the right time. Lakers G Kobe Bryant put up 40 points for the third time in his L/7 contests in Game 1 schooling the young Magic with his sweet jump-shot. Kobe had a near triple-double on Thursday adding eight rebounds and eight assists while blocking two shots defensively. The Lakers are 5-5 ATS on their home floor in the 2009 NBA playoffs and they hope to build on that to take a 2-0 series lead tonight.
Just when folks begin to doubt the Magic they seem to respond with a loud vengeance and have lost consecutive contests just once in these playoffs against the Boston Celtics. The Magic are 6-1 SU after a loss this postseason which is a stat that leads me to believe they will have a great bounce-back performance in Game 2. Look for the Magic to find new ways to defend Bryant while Howard has another 20/20 performance to tie the series heading to Orlando.
Stephen Cardullo set a tournament record with seven hits, including three of Florida State's NCAA-record 15 doubles, as the Seminoles routed Ohio State 37-6 on Sunday and advanced to the super regionals.
Florida State (45-16) set NCAA postseason records with 37 runs, 38 hits and 66 total bases. Cardullo tied the school mark for hits in an offensive performance the football team would have been proud of. The Seminoles set or tied 18 NCAA, school or postseason records.
Hours after losing the longest game in NCAA history, Boston College ended its season by losing 4-3 to Army in the Austin regional. On Saturday night, Boston College lost 3-2 in a 25-inning marathon against regional host Texas.
Later Sunday, Preston Clark hit a winning grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning as Texas rallied from a four-run deficit to stun Army 14-10 and advance to the super regionals.
"There's something spiritual about baseball; you don't mess with it,'' Texas Coach Augie Garrido said.
NCAA softball
Ali Gardiner hit the first game-ending grand slam in Women's College World Series history, lifting top-seeded Florida into the championship round with a 6-5 victory against Alabama.
The Gators (63-3) will face Washington (49-12), which defeated Georgia 6-3, in the
Miscellany
Retired football players angry with the NFL Players Association over disability and pension benefits said that the executive director of the union, DeMaurice Smith, may be ahead of himself in seeking their support during upcoming contract talks with the league.
n Lance Armstrong concluded a relatively quiet Giro d'Italia in 12th place overall, then jetted home to await the birth of his fourth child.
