Looking at Brock Lesnar’s performance against Randy Couture on Saturday, it’s hard to believe many reporters called him the next Kimbo Slice.

With a record of 2-1 in professional mixed martial arts competition, some critics made the most of very little ammunition in Lesnar’s video library.

No matter how hard Dana White tried, he couldn’t shake the Slice comparisons.

“If I had hair, I’d pull it out,” the UFC president quipped.

But any parallels between the titanic champion and his backyard-bred counterpart were erased at UFC 91. Lesnar’s size and strength bridged the gap in experience between he and Couture, setting the stage for a unique changing of the guard in the UFC’s inconsistent heavyweight division. Lesnar is the greenest—and possibly the most promising—champion in its history.

In their eight minutes together, Couture felt every single pound of the forty-five between them. There was no room for him to be elusive.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7603&zoneid=13

The Philadelphia Phillies ended their long wait for a World Series title with a short burst of baseball on Wednesday as they clinched the crown by completing a rain-suspended 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Phillies captured their first Fall Classic title since 1980 in a unique, three-inning finish as they resumed Game Five that was suspended in the middle of the sixth on Monday with the score tied 2-2 when the field became unplayable after rain.

http://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSN2646794520081030

 Baseball

After Jackson was arrested Tuesday in Costa Mesa, Calif., and booked on a felony charge of evading arrest, and misdemeanor charges of hit-and-run and reckless driving following a chase with police, White said he was on a plane within “17 minutes” and actually beat Jackson to the Orange County Jail. Jackson was eventually released on $25,000 bail, and has a court date set for Aug. 15.

Then, yesterday, NBCSports.com reported that the former champ was hospitalized Wednesday for a mental health evaluation after friends were concerned by his “unusual behavior.”

Though White did not elaborate on Jackson’s condition, he did throw a load of support behind the fighter.

“When you’re in the UFC you’re part of this family and we really do care about most of the guys in this organization,” White told the Herald Wednesday night in his first public comments since Jackson’s arrest. “I’m not going to tell you I love every guy in here that fights for me, but most of these guys that fight for us, I truly do care about these guys inside and outside the Octagon. When bad (expletive) happens, you better believe I’m showing up.”

UFC’s ’Rampage’ draws serious concern - BostonHerald.com

THE UNDEFEATED HEAVYWEIGHTS

Shane Carwin 9-0-0  6′ 4″ (193 cm) 265 (120 kg)

THE UNDEFEATED LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Rashad Evans 16-0-1 5′ 11″ (180 cm) 205 (93 kg)

Thiago Silva  13-0-0  6′ 1″ (185 cm) 205 (93 kg)

Lyoto Machida 13-0-0  6′ 1″ (185 cm) 205 (93 kg)

Goran Reljic 8-0-0 6′ 3″ (191 cm) 205 (93 kg)

THE UNDEFEATED MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Johnny Rees 10-0-0 6′ 0″ (183 cm) 185 (84 kg)

Demian Maia 8-0-0 6′ 0″ (183 cm) 185 (84 kg)

Nate Loughran 8-0-0 6′ 2″ (188 cm) 185 (84 kg)

THE UNDEFEATED WELTERWEIGHTS

Dong Hyun Kim 10-0-1 6′ 3″ (191 cm) 170 (77 kg)

Paul Kelly 8-0-0 5′ 9″ (175 cm) 170 (77 kg)

Ben Saunders 5-0-2 6′ 3″ (191 cm) 170 (77 kg)

THE UNDEFEATED LIGHTWEIGHTS

Gray Maynard 5-0-1 5′ 8″ (173 cm) 155 (70 kg)

Dale Hartt 5-0-0 5′ 10″ (178 cm) 155 (70 kg)

The CFL season kicks off in Winnipeg tonight with the Blue Bombers hosting the Toronto Argonauts in a rematch of last year’s East Division final. Watch it live on Wendy’s Friday Night Football on TSN and TSN HD tonight at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt.

The Blue Bombers, who beat the Argos 19-9 en route to the Grey Cup Game last Novemeber, will have a rookie handling their punting chores in their season opener.

When the Bombers released veteran punter-kicker Troy Westwood, they brought in Duncan O’Mahony to do their punting. But O’Mahony has a broken toe after stubbing it late Sunday night while en route to the bathroom. That means rookie kicker Alexis Serna will handle the punting chores as well.

The Bombers effectively lost the Grey Cup as a result of their playoff victory over Toronto, as quarterback Kevin Glenn suffered a broken left arm, forcing Ryan Dinwiddie to make his first CFL start in the league’s championship game. Dinwiddie threw three interceptions as Saskatchewan beat the Bombers 23-19.

Argos and Joseph meet Bombers again on TSN

Koscheck has come a long way from his Edinboro University wrestling days, when it was all about ground control; this is a well-rounded mixed martial arts fighter who destroyed Dustin Hazelett at UFC 82 with strikes, and who defeated Diego Sanchez while focusing on a disciplined standup attack.

And love him or hate him, Josh Koscheck is his own man. He’s a strutter, he knows how to fish a nymph on a cold river, he takes acting classes under Alan Autry (“The Heat of the Night”) in his spare time, and he’d like to be a UFC commentator down the line. He owns his own clothing company, Mar Clothing, because “I’m the type of person that can’t have a boss, man.” So he’s got to be his own boss.

UFC® : Ultimate Fighting Championship®

The “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song, a mainstay of Canadian households for 40 years and often thought of as the unofficial second national anthem, may have launched its final hockey game, according to the company that controls use of the song.The tune, which has opened the Canadian Broadcasting Corp’s

Saturday night National Hockey League broadcasts since the late 1960s, will not be renewed as the broadcaster has chosen to move in a new direction, said John Ciccone, president of Copyright Music & Visuals.

“Effective immediately following the last playoff game of this season the CBC will cease using the Hockey Night in Canada.

Hockey Night song skating on thin ice | Oddly Enough | Reuters

Former Major League Baseball player Geremi Gonzalez was struck by lightning and killed over the weekend at a lake in his native Venezuela, authorities said on Monday.Gonzalez, 33, a pitcher who was signed to Japan’s Yomiuri Giants in 2007, had previously played for the Chicago Cubs, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox, the New York Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Lightning kills ex-Major League Baseball player | Sports | Reuters