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By Anthony De Franco  March 8, 2010, at 4:05 pm  I’ll save everyone the normal speech about how the WEC fighters are treated like second class citizens because they weigh less than 155 pounds. I’ll skip right to the interesting notes.
- Joseph Benavidez wins the night by making 29,000 in his victory. I was surprised when I saw this, but more power the Joe for getting that money. In a preview of a future article, it’s only a matter of time before Joe is the man at 135.
- Miguel Torres made 26,000 in a loss. This makes me wonder he had a symmetrical win bonus. If he made 52,000 in a victory, that is UFC money right there. This is a good sign.
- Of course, this is the last card before the first WEC PPV, and you all should be ordering it. Remember, PPV revenue means more money for the fighters. Think of them.
Here is the full list:
Televised Card:
Dominick Cruz ($9,000+$9,000=$18,000) def. Brian Bowles ($12,000)
Joseph Benavidez ($14,500+$14,500=$29,000) def. Miguel Torres ($26,000)
Javier Vazquez ($6,000+$6,000=$12,000) def. Jens Pulver ($14,000)
LC Davis ($9,000+$9,000=$18,000) def. Deividas Taurosevicius ($9,000)
Bart Palaszewski ($6,000+$6,000=$12,000) def. Karen Darabedyan ($4,000)
Preliminary Card:
Scott Jorgensen ($8,000+$8,000=$16,000) def. Chad George ($3,000)
Chad Mendes ($4,000+$4,000=$8,000) def. Erik Koch ($3,000)
Anthony Pettis ($3,000+$3,000=$6,000) def. Danny Castillo ($9,500)
Leonard Garcia ($14,000) fought George Roop ($3,000) to a split draw
Fredson Paixao ($2,000+$2,000=$4,000) def. Courtney Buck ($3,000)
Ricardo Lamas ($5,000+$5,000=$10,000) def. Bendy Casimir ($3,000)
By Anthony De Franco March 7, 2010, at 3:39 pm Stock Up
- Joseph Benavidez – I did not see that one coming whatsoever. Miguel Torres was the class of the division for so long that no one could have ever guess that he would lose to someone like Benavidez. He had the reach advantage, the experience advantage, and had been improving his striking with Mark DellaGrotte. However, Benavidez charged ahead and stifled just about any offense that the mullet could muster and dominated Torres from bell to bell. We can only assume that a rematch with Dominick Cruz is on the docket.
- Dominick Cruz – Speaking of the new banntamweight champ, Cruz impressive dispatched of Brian Bowles using a jumpy, movement based style that left me confused. You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t beleive that it will work against someone who is an equal athlete to him, but for the moment he is the champ. Expect the aforementioned rematch sooner than later.
- Scott Jorgensen – How about that guillotine? He lifted Chad George up off the ground and than let him go and left him laying on the floor. With that performace, Jorgensen enters the top five at 145 and will likely need just one more win before getting his title shot.
Stock Down
- Miguel Angel Torres – Things are looking grim for the former champ. There was a time where Miguel was at the bottom of the pound-for-pound top 10. Now, he is coming off two consecutive losses and has seemingly been passed by three separate fighters at 135. Will he ever gt back to being dominant? It’s not looking good.
- Jens Pulver – It seems like I’ve wrote this column six times now. Pulver remains a legend of the sport, but simply can’t cut it anymore. He came out with a terrible gameplan. He knew that Javier Vasquez wanted to take him down, but instead of concentrating on his sprawl, he was throwing kicks. It didn’t make much sense. Now a loser of 9-of-13, you’d have to assume that he is done as a fighter and will concentrate on coaching.
- The WEC – With the move to pay-per-view coming, the best thing that could have happened to the WEC was the fighters that already have name recognition winning. Guys like Torres and Brian Bowles winning was an important step towards creating stars that can headline money making cards that aren’t named Urijah Faber. However, they now have to start all over again with Cruz and Benavidez. Not good.
By Matt Soldano January 26, 2010, at 10:50 pm From the department of Chad Ochocinco, I present you with the Bengals wide receiver’s new song, “Dat Ain’t My Baby”. Ochocinco performed this song at a party that was hosted by Lebron James down in South Beach. If there was ever more of a reason to love this guy, here it is.
By Anthony De Franco November 3, 2009, at 9:01 pm Five Years, 85 million.
That’s likely what it would cost to make sure that what’s happening to the Yankees right now won’t happen again anytime in the near future. That’s what it would cost to have stop Tim Mccarver stop making reference to pitcher’s from his era (before the dinosaurs, by the way) pitching on two days rest. That’s what would make sure that the name Chad Gaudin is never said in the same sentenced as “starting game 5 of the World Series” ever, ever again.
That’s what it will likely cost for the Yankees to get John Lackey.
I’ve never been a real big fan of signing free agent pitchers. Generally, they cost far too much, and almost never perform up to the standard that they set before they became multi-millionaires. Just bring up the name Barry Zito in front of a San Francisco Giants fan and pass out the entire cast of Fast Forward.
As much as that thought makes me squirm in my chair, I can’t take this “three days rest” thing anymore. I don’t want to hear about C.C. Sabathia doing it, it’s clear that the dude is a freak. He’s just a huge horse of a man that can take the ball every other day and dominate one of the league’s best lineups while barely breaking a sweat.
What no one has mentioned about that this whole pitching on short rest thing is that pitchers are a grand total of 19-34 in the division playoff era on three days rest. They haven’t told you that only the Minnesota Twins of 1991 have won a World Series recently by pushing up their entire staff. They didn’t tell you that starting A.J. Burnett on short rest was a TERRIBLE idea.
The truth of the situation is that it wasn’t the fact that his stuff wasn’t crisp that screwed A.J. It was the fact that the mix in his schedule screwed with his frequently discussed head. He still threw gas, but just couldn’t locate his curveball for anything. That was mental more than physical.
Even better, let’s put his personal catcher in that sabotages the end of the team’s batting lineup?
How many different ways did the Yanks want to screw themselves in this game?
I’m not one to just complain and not offer a solution, so let’s think about how we can keep this craziness from happening in the future. The first would be to finally stretch out Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes and just leave them the hell alone. No more of this situational pitching or putting them in the bullpen because there’s a hole. They are starting pitchers. That is the most important position in the game and that’s where they belong. With a full season to gauge their progress (which will be far superior if Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi let them be) the team can just let them go in the playoffs.
But, there is another way. The team can take a grizzled, veteran pitcher who wants the ball every time the manager is willing to give it to them. A guy who has a winning pedigree and a career 3.12 ERA in the postseason. A guy who screamed at his manager for taking him out in a tight game because all he wanted was to pitch out of the jam he got into.
All it would take is a commitment of five years and about 85 million bucks.
By Anthony De Franco September 20, 2009, at 7:31 pm For those who are asking why I didn’t call him by his real name, I absolutely refuse to. He’s a man, not a number.
Anyway, I’ve been waiting all day for the Giant game to begin and I am absolutely dying. While I slowly die waiting for 8:20, Here’s the video of Chad’s Lambeau leap. It’s kinda weak.
Chad, If you are going to do it, then do it. Don’t half-ass it and wait to make sure that there isn’t a penalty or anything. Don’t be a half-revolutionary. Grow a sack. Sure, you would have looked stupid if it was called back, but it would have gotten you on Sportscenter. That’s all you want, right?
If you are the Packers fans in the crowd, who hi-fives this guy? I would spill anything I had in my hand on him. Didn’t they spill beer on him last time? Where are those guys when you need them?
By Jordan Lauterbach August 13, 2009, at 1:17 am For the next few weeks our very own Jordan Lauterbach will be previewing the upcoming 2009 College Football season. Each day, he will be posting a new preview so be sure to check in everyday.
Last Season: 8-5, Beat Georgia Tech in Chick-fill-A bowl
Coaches Poll: 9
What was most surprising about LSU’s Chick-fill-A bowl victory was that they only allowed three points. The victory signaled the beginning of what was a major change on the defensive side of the ball in Baton Rouge. The ’08 Tigers were one of the worst defensive teams in recent school history. They allowed over 325 yards per game and surrendered at least 30 points five times.
At some points, opponents blasted that number.
Florida put up a 51 spot. Georgia a 52. Even Troy got into the high scoring act, notching 31 on LSU. And Troy was 6-5!
The main goal of the offseason was getting the defense back on the right track. While it may not be a top ten defense yet, LSU has begun the long road back to defensive respectability.
The unit returns six starters, but it appears to be the correct three. All three of its leading tacklers are back for another go. Harry Coleman led the team with 71 tackles. Kelvin Sheppard had 64. Chick- fill-A bowl MVP Perry Riley had 60. Expect a bigger year from Riley this year. His 11 tackles in the bowl game may be a sign of good things to come.
The case of Coleman is an interesting one. Last season he led the team in tackles at the strong safety position. This year he moves to linebacker. The LSU coaching staff is confident that he will thrive at linebacker. The secondary has enough depth that it is not expected to miss a beat. Whether Coleman makes a smooth transition will be key to whether this defense improves.
The move could be a slam dunk. Moving your best defensive player to a position that struggled last year sounds like a genius move. But it also has two potential backfiring scenarios. One, the transition could diminish Coleman’s productivity. Two, the secondary could struggle in coverage if Coleman has another assignment. LSU is banking that neither of these possibilities will become a reality. It’s a gamble, but one that they thought they had to take.
But it wasn’t only the tacking that caused defensive problems last year. LSU’s secondary was incredibly poor, grabbing only eight interceptions. From that group, safety Chad Jones is the most notable returnee. Also keep an eye out for Craig Loston.
A new defensive line coach leads a unit that should also have a better year. Brick Haley is a former NFL coach who brings a new attitude and energy to Batton Rouge.
In fact, that’s the bottom line with the entire defense. Will a “new attitude” and “tougher approach” translate into results? Sure, it looks good on paper. But you don’t give up 52 points of Georgia on paper.
Offensively, LSU is banking on quarterback Jordan Jefferson limiting the mistakes that Jarrett Lee was famous for last season. Jefferson was a late season replacement for Lee and preformed well. He engineered an offense explosion in the bowl game and looks to continue more of the same this year.
The one question mark with Jefferson is consistency. In the limited action he saw last year, Jefferson completed under 50% percent of his passes and threw four touchdowns and one interception. He obviously has tremendous potential, but so does everyone at this level. If he can harness that potential into consistency, then he’ll be in good shape. Consistency is what the Tigers have lacked since Jamarcus Russell left.
Jefferson certainly has weapons. Brandon LaFell returns for his senior season after a year in which he caught 63 passes and 8 touchdowns. Tight end Richard Dickerson (Why isn’t this guy calling himself Dick Dickerson? That would easily be the best name in sports) caught 31 balls for 324 yards and five touchdowns last year. Receiver Rueben Randle is also immensely talented.
This, and the return of the SEC’s leading rusher Charles Scott, makes the LSU offense dangerous. Jordan Jefferson won’t be asked to do anything radical. He’ll only be asked to keep the football away from the other team. If he does that, I think you’ll see significant improvement on that 3 conference win year in 2008.
3 Games To Watch
October 3- @ Georgia- This game starts a dangerous stretch that sees the Tigers play four SEC teams that figure to contend in seven weeks. A win here to start that stretch off well would be huge.
November 7th- @ Alabama- I think Alabama will be very beatable this year, but that doesn’t mean they will be push-overs. A loss here could put a disastrous crimp in any hopes to compete in the SEC down the stretch.
November 21st- @ Ole Miss- Besides playing Florida on October 10th, this is the Tigers toughest game. Ole Miss is going to be incredibly improved and will be this year’s Alabama.
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