I always dreamed that Brock would turn things around, realize his mistakes and come back to the wrestling world in some fashion. That will happy no longer as he has now transformed himself into a legit UFC fighter with an apparent bright future. Couture is 45 years old, but he has had several big wins when being counted out before.
This is a big win for Lesnar and sets him up for many big fights in the future, just wish he wasn't so damn good and that he might reconsider joining a wrestling promotion in the future... highly unlikely, but I can dream, right? Here's the AP story...
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Brock Lesnar stopped heavyweight champion Randy Couture in the second round of their fight at UFC 91 on Saturday night, earning a technical knockout when the referee stepped in as he kept punching after Couture went to the ground.
Lesnar, a former NCAA wrestling champion and WWE star, overwhelmed the 45-year-old Couture in just his fourth pro fight. Lesnar sent him to the canvas in the second round with a glancing blow that landed behind the ear and wasted no time in landing numerous hammer fists. Couture was never able to recover and the fight was stopped at 3:07.
"It sounds really good," Lesnar said after being introduced as the new heavyweight champion. "I can't believe it.
"I just believe in hard work and it pays off."
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Couture was at a decided physical disadvantage against the 6-3, 275-pound Lesnar (3-1), who is 31 and at the start of his pro career. Couture (16-9) also had hadn't fought for 15 months, stepping away when he became fed up with contract squabbles and his inability to land the big fights he really craved.
Couture wasn't sure about his future after the bout.
"I still feel like I'm getting better as a fighter so we'll see," said Couture, who has two fights remaining on his contract.
In the co-main event, Kenny Florian moved one step closer to a title shot when he forced Joe Stevenson to submit in the first round.
"This is exactly what I wanted," Florian said. "I wanted to come out and make a statement."
Florian almost immediately shifted his focus to lightweight champion B.J Penn.
"I want B.J.'s belt," he said. "I consider you a master and now it's time to kill the master."
Also on the card, Dustin Hazelett defeated Tamdan McCrory via arm-bar at 3:59 of the first round. Gabriel Gonzaga, the last man to face Couture, earned a TKO over Josh Hendricks, dropping him with a hard right before the referee stopped the fight at 1:01 of the first round. Demian Maia made short work of Nate Quarry to remain undefeated, getting him to submit at 2:13 of the first round.
In the preliminary bouts, Aaron Riley beat Jorge Gurgel in an unanimous decision. Jeremy Stephens knocked out UFC newcomer Rafael dos Anjos 39 seconds into the third round. Mark Bocek got Alvin Robinson to submit in the third and Matt Brown forced Ryan Thomas to tap with an arm-bar 57 seconds into the second round.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Podcast: Scot and Emily McKay give out daing advice
14 November, 2008, 07:37 pm in "Life"
The No Payne No Glory podcast is expanding a little bit... We have decided to do something different, and try our hand at doing a dating podcast. Scot and Emily McKay stop by to talk about several different dating topics. Online dating, rare moments, communication, and even Tom Leykis are subjects that are discussed in this episode.
Click on the links below to find out more information on Scot and Emily, dating, and much more! This is a really interesting and fun podcast so enjoy!
I am only posting this because I am a huge Cubs' fan. This trade spells the end of the line for Kerry Wood in Chicago. He arrived with so much flare and optimism and excited the hell out of me, so it will be hard to see him go. He did a decent job in the closer role for us and I am sure he will get a great long-term deal from some team.
The Cubs are making a lot of noise so far this off-season, and it looks like they are going to fix their problems and give it another go in 2009 which is damn good news! I also hope this trade makes Carlos Marmol the closer and Gregg the set-up man. Here is the AP story...
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Cubs acquired reliever Kevin Gregg in a trade with the Florida Marlins on Thursday, a move that appears to end Kerry Wood's career with the team.
Wood, the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year who saved 34 games this year, had been the longest-tenured player on the Cubs. General manager Jim Hendry said Wood was deserving of a three- or four-year deal and the Cubs are not prepared to offer him one.
Click here to find out more! In addition to the right-handed Gregg, who was the Marlins' closer until the final month last season, Chicago also has a talented setup man in Carlos Marmol, who could close.
"We're just in a situation -- and Kerry fully understands -- that length of deal for the kind of salary that he could command right now is not our first priority," Hendry said during a conference call.
He said the Cubs need to finish their rotation -- they hope to bring back free agent starter Ryan Dempster -- and add offense.
"We felt it was time Kerry goes out and does what is best for him and his family and get a huge multiyear deal, if possible," Hendry said. "This is really the right thing to do. We've had some really honest conversations in the last week. We don't have to get into how much I think of him, but at the same time I don't think we could do for him right now what he deserves and what I think he'll get going elsewhere."
Wood made an immediate impact as a rookie when he struck out 20 Houston Astros in his fifth major league start. He had four double-digit win seasons for the Cubs, but his career has been sidetracked by elbow and shoulder injuries.
When it appeared his career might near an end because of shoulder problems, Wood returned to the bullpen in August 2007 and pitched well. He then won the closer's job last spring and finished 2008 with the 34 saves in 40 chances, a 3.26 ERA and a 5-4 record.
Advertisement
In 10 seasons with the Cubs -- he missed 1999 after elbow ligament replacement surgery -- Wood compiled a 77-61 record with a 3.65 ERA and 1,407 strikeouts in 276 games. He also made 12 trips to the disabled list during the decade.
Gregg was acquired for minor league pitcher Jose Ceda.
Bothered by a sore left knee, Gregg finished 7-8 with a 3.41 ERA and 29 save. His nine blown saves tied for most in the majors.
Hendry said Gregg had knee surgery, will begin throwing in January and will be ready for spring training.
"My surgery I had was kind of a maintenance issue," Gregg said in a conference call.
"It definitely hindered my performance in August and limited amount of pitching I did in September. ... I'm 100 percent confident I'll be 100 percent going into next year."
Gregg had a 10.13 ERA for August, but it was under 2.00 for every other month, including seven scoreless innings in September after he lost the closer job. He had 72 appearances and held batters to a .203 average.
The trade was not a surprise because Gregg is eligible for arbitration. He was the Marlins' highest-paid player in 2008 at $2.5 million.
Going to the Cubs was a plus, Gregg said.
"It's one of those teams I've always said I'd love to play there and go to Chicago and play for the Cubs. I can't say enough about the atmosphere in Chicago and being there."
Gregg joined the Marlins before the 2007 season in a trade from the Angels and had 32 saves in 74 relief appearances that year. He has an 18-21 career major league record with 62 saves with a 4.00 ERA in 271 games -- all but eight relief.
The right-handed Ceda, who is only 21, was 4-3 with nine saves and a 3.83 ERA last season in minor league stints at Class A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee.
"Jose is a big, strong kid with a real live arm," Marlins GM Larry Beinfest said. "We think he can help us in the back end of our bullpen in the very near future, if not right away."
------
AP Sports Writers Steven Wine in Miami and Andrew Seligman in Lake Forest, Ill., contributed to this report.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Review: Cover is all about covering up - BIG SUPRISE?
13 November, 2008, 06:24 pm in "Movies"
Again, Netflix works! Watched this movie probably 3 weeks ago, and I am just getting around to actually writing about it. Here are the particulars...
Cover
Director: Bill Duke
Genre: Drama | Thriller more
Starring: Aunjanue Ellis, Paula Jai Parker, Vivica A. Fox
"When someone is murdered on New Year's Eve, the prime suspect is VALERIE MAAS, a church-going home-maker whose life unravels when she discovers that her husband of many years has been leading a double life. Her strength of character and faith keep her going as the revelation of her husband's betrayal threatens to destroy all that they have known" Written by Anonymous - IMDB
The Pimp
I only watched this movie because a friend of mine wanted to play a little trick on me. He told me the lead woman in this movie was like my ex-wife and her husband was me. He told me to pay close attention to the guy because he was just like me. What an ass! If you (yes you who's reading this review right now) actually takes the time to watch this movie, you'd see what the joke is and why my friend wanted to play the joke on me. Turns out the movie was decent enough even for a black independent flick.
The Players
With a movie like this, the acting really doesn't matter. There aren't any real heavy roles needing deep acting talents, but I'll go through the motions anyway. Aunjanue Ellis (Valerie Maas) is a talented actress who was very convincing as a housewife who's in the dark about her husband, her marriage, and her life. Razaaq Adoti (Dutch Maas) leads this parade of decent but ordinary acting by playing a husband who has a horrible secret. The best job was no doubt turned in by veteran Lou Gossett, Jr. (Detective Hicks) who plays a detective who's trying to get to the bottom of a murder mystery.
This movie features some decently known and talented actresses/personalities such as Vivica A. Fox (Zahara Milton), Patti LaBelle (character unlisted), and a personal favorite of mine Paula Jai Parker (Monica Wilson). They all did the job that they set out to do, but nothing was spectacular. Black movie vet Leon (Ryan Chambers) was one of the few bright spots; he played a big-time R&B star who also had his share of secrets. The very underrated Roger Guenveur Smith (Kevin Wilson) gave Gossett a run for his money for the best performance in the movie.
The Hustle
This is a decent low-rent movie. Bill Duke obviously has some talent, but probably didn't have the budget to really make this movie work. The plot centers around a secret that many black women have faced in the last 15 years: Men who are on the DL (down low). This was a good study in human behavior, and if you aren't a savvy movie buff the swerve could probably fool you. There are some funny spots, especially at the group therapy meetings, but other than that the swerve and murder intrigue are all that this movie can offer. Good for a 3rd movie, Friday night, stay-at-home pick.
This clip is funny for one reason and one reason only: The Cousin Sal and Jeff Ross BEEF. For those that don't know, Cousin Sal sent Jeff Ross a text before an episode of Dancing With The Stars and told him he was "safe" (meaning he wouldn't get cut from the show. Ross believed him and told his dancing partner that they were safe, then they were promptly voted off of the show. Ross took real exception and is really upset with Sal about this.
I listen to the Adam Carrolla show podcast every day and they have talked endlessly about this and had both guys on several times and each time it has been hilarious! At the end of this clip Sal comes out and they talk a little about the beef, it is very funny stuff...
Podcast: Sean Cassidy and Wayne L Henderson talk Bears and Packers!
12 November, 2008, 11:11 pm in "Chicago Bears"
Truly fun and special edition of this podcast! Sean Cassidy and Wayne L. Henderson stop by to talk about the Bears and Packers! The Chicago Bears play the Green Bay Packers this Sunday and Payne, Cassidy and Henderson get together to sort things out before the big game! Enjoy the madness!!!!
I am glad that we have the news. I am even happier that it will be back on Wednesdays in its old time slot! Nothing more to add than that. Here is the story I got...
Source: Variety
ABC will premiere the fifth season of "Lost" on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
"Lost" will air Wednesdays at 9 p.m., after airing on Thursdays last season. The current occupant of the Wednesday 9 p.m. berth, ABC's sophomore season drama "Private Practice," will be relocated when "Lost" returns.
ABC is expected to make more Wednesday schedule changes in the near future given the weak performances of 8 p.m.'s "Pushing Daisies" and 10 p.m.'s "Dirty Sexy Money" this fall.
"lost" will bow Jan. 21 with two back-to-back episodes from 9-11 p.m., preceded at 8 p.m. by a clip recap show.
Of course all LOST fans are just excited to hear this news. This allows me to plan for the LOST season 5 preview show and start lining up my guests for that podcast! I CAN'T WAIT!!
| 
