Jason Robinson: July 2011

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Are Durant?s Dari-O?s the new Fantuz Flakes?

There's a new entry in the world of CFL breakfast cereals, but it's from the same team. Following their 2010 smash hit with the "Fantuz Flakes" cereal (pictured at right) featuring Saskatchewan Roughriders' receiver Andy Fantuz, which sold out in hours and even spawned parody commercials, Federated Co-op stores in Saskatchewan are going to be selling "Dari-O's" starting July 5. The Dari-O's will feature Roughriders' quarterback Darian Durant (pictured above in 2010 trying to evade Winnipeg's Doug Brown), the CFL's 2010 passing yardage leader and a logical replacement for Fantuz, who left for the NFL's Chicago Bears in February. The Regina Leader-Post's Rob Vanstone commented last year that Durant really should have been the first Roughrider to have his face on a box.

Durant had to wait a year, but if the success Fantuz had is any indication, it may yet work out well for him. The 24,000 boxes of Fantuz Flakes produced sold out in just seven hours last year, and there's sure to be lots of demand for Dari-O's. Saskatchewan remains the merchandising capital of the CFL, and plenty of Rider fans will be eager to pick up this kind of memorabilia. Moreover, Fantuz went on to lead the CFL in receiving with 1,380 yards last season, becoming the first Canadian to do so since fellow University of Western Ontario alumnus Dave Sapunjis pulled off the feat in 1995 with Calgary. The Roughriders have suffered some tough losses heading into this season, including Fantuz and fellow receiver Rob Bagg, but if Durant can improve his performance even further via a cereal bump, things might just work out well for them.

Of course, Durant isn't the first CFL quarterback to have his face on a cereal box, but the most famous one did it after his time in the CFL was over. That would be legendary quarterback Doug Flutie, who starred with the B.C. Lions, Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts before heading south of the border to join the NFL's Buffalo Bills. While there in 1998, he came out with Flutie Flakes (pictured at right), which became hugely popular and appeared everywhere from the NFL's sidelines (where Miami Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson stomped on them after beating Flutie's Bills) to The Jay Leno Show (where they were dumped on Leno's head) to Friends (where they appeared at the start of "The One With The Blind Dates). We'll see if Dari-O's can gain that kind of popular culture traction north of the border; perhaps they can be dumped on George Stroumboulopoulos, Peter Mansbridge or Michael Landsberg, or make an appearance on Republic of Doyle?

Seriously, though, this is a neat merchandising idea, and it's no wonder these were so popular the first time around. Perhaps other CFL teams should take inspiration and come out with their own competing brands of quarterback-based cereals? We could have Lulay Loops in B.C., Burris Bran in Calgary, Ray's Krispies in Edmonton, Pierce's Puffs in Winnipeg, Glenn's Grahams in Hamilton, Lemon's Life in Toronto, and Captain Calvillo in Montreal. Until the rest of the CFL jumps on this merchandising train, though, it looks like green will be the colour, and Dari-O's the food.

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Canada knocks off Japan, will face U.S. in IFAF World Cup final

Team Canada's run at the International Federation of American Football World Cup in Austria continued Wednesday, but it wasn't easy. The Canadians fell behind 27-24 with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter against two-time tournament winner Japan, but rallied with a great four-play 73-yard drive capped off by a rushing touchdown from Calgary Stampeders' draft pick Matt Walter (pictured above after the Austria game). That touchdown gave the Canadians, a squad comprised of current CIS players, former CIS types and former CFL players like Adriano Belli and Sherko Haji-Rasouli, a 31-27 lead with 3:31 left. Their defence would hang on to make that the final score, with Montreal Carabins' defensive back Julien Hamel recording an interception after Japan's fourth-down pass bounced off the hands of Michihiro Ogawa. The win meant Canada improved to 3-0 in pool play and won the pool, setting up a gold-medal clash Saturday with the heavily-favoured U.S. squad. That's a pretty impressive showing for a country competing by unfamiliar American rules in its first IFAF World Cup ever.

It was a notable win for Canada against a very good Japanese team, which had also gone 2-0 to this point. Japan claimed the first IFAF World Cup titles in 1999 and 2003, and only fell to the U.S. in double overtime in 2007. Their dominant rushing attack led them to victories over Austria and France, and it caused problems for Canada; Japan picked up 125 rushing yards on 23 attempts, an average of 5.4 yards per carry (much better in the four-down football played at this tournament than it would be in the three-down systems in the CFL and CIS).

However, the Canadian ground game was great as well, collecting 131 yards (or 141 yards if you subtract sacks) and three touchdowns on 34 attempts. That's a less-stellar, but still impressive, average of 4.1 yards per running play. Walter (a CIS star with the Calgary Dinos, pictured at right doing the highly-recommended air guitar celebration with current Edmonton Eskimos' receiver Nathan Coehoorn after a 2009 Uteck Bowl touchdown)�picked up 62 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, while Canadian game MVP and former Saskatchewan Huskies' running back David Stevens collected 63 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries.

The Canadian aerial assault wasn't as strong as it had been in previous clashes, but it still got the job done. Former Western star and current York offensive coordinator Michael Faulds completed 14 of his 21 passes (66.7 per cent) for 204 yards and a touchdown with an interception, including a 72-yard catch and run play to Stevens. Laurier receiver Shawmad Chambers, former Queen's receiver Scott Valberg and former Laval fullback Michel-Pierre Pontbriand also contributed in the receiving game, with Pontbriand making a stunning diving end-zone touchdown catch. Meanwhile, the Canadian passing defence held Japanese quarterback Tetsuo Takata to 16 completions on 29 attempts (55.2 per cent) for 196 yards and a touchdown with an interception.

The U.S. isn't going to be an easy opponent for Canada. Granted, their roster doesn't have a ton of huge names from the top tiers of the NCAA (former Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins may be the most recognizable, even if he doesn't have his own dance), but as the CFL continually proves, there's plenty of talent at smaller Division I schools and at the Division II and Division III levels. Funnily enough, one of the Americans' key players thus far has been running back Da'shawn Thomas, who plays his college football north of the border in CIS with Western. It's going to be interesting to see how he and his American comrades stack up against Canada Sunday. The gold-medal game will be Sunday at 7 p.m. local (1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific). Check out the tournament website and Twitter feed for more information.

Teri Hatcher Lauren Bush Natalie Zea Brody Dalle Taryn Manning

Monday, July 18, 2011

He?s a Prince! Milwaukee?s Fielder wins MVP at All-Star Game

Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder failed to catch this pop-up in the fourth inning at the 82nd All-Star game, but the photo was so cool, The Stew could not resist using it.

The drop didn't hurt ? it was ruled a single for Jose Bautista ? but Fielder was sent to Chase Field for his bat, which he used to hit a three-run home run in a 5-1 victory for the National League. It was the NL's second straight Midsummer Classic win. The Senior Circuit had not won two straight All-Star games since 1995 and 1996.

The NL also procured home-field advantage, probably for the Pittsburgh Pirates, in the upcoming World Series.

Fielder's blast came in the bottom of the fourth, against Texas left-hander C.J. Wilson, and was in response to likely AL MVP Adrian Gonzalez (according to FOX's announcing team) hitting a solo homer in the top of the inning.

Watch Fielder flex his princely muscle

Fielder was awarded the game's MVP ? a crystal bat that looks like the key to Superman's Fortress of Solitude lair ? plus Chevy announced a donation, in Fielder's name, to go toward an inner-city youth baseball field in Milwaukee. Nicely done, Prince. Check out this bat:

So I guess this means the fans at Chase Field can stop booing Fielder, as they had been doing for most of the All-Star festivities, because he left hometown guy Justin Upton off the Home Run Derby squad.

All ancient history now.

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A lot of favorites won?t be around for the Open weekend

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While we all knew Tiger Woods wasn't going to be at the British Open this week, we sure didn't expect to see so many big names miss out on making the cut and slamming their trunks this early. Both world number one and world number two missed the cut for the first time in a major this decade, but they weren't the only ones.

Sure, some familiar names were safe just behind leaders Darren Clarke and 2009 U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover at -4, and reigning PGA and Masters champions Martin Kaymer and Charl Schwartzel are -3 and -2, respectively. Everybody's newfound golf love, Rory McIlroy, sits at even par, while Phil Mickelson is at -1. But as for some other well-known folk? It hasn't gone quite so well.

Check out some of the other top-ranked players in the world that weren't able to get in the money this week.

Luke Donald -- World Ranking: 1 -- The man a lot of people had on their very short list to win this week (me included) was 1-under after nine holes on Thursday, but played his final 27 holes 7-over, including four bogeys over his last four holes on Friday to miss the cut by three.

Lee Westwood -- 2 -- If it wasn't the man above that a lot of people liked, it was Westwood, who was coming into the Open Championship on form and ready to take home the Claret Jug (finally). But he couldn't do it, missing his first cut in this event since '05.

Matt Kuchar -- 7 -- The Kuch had a top-10 at the Scottish Open the week before Royal St. George's, and looked like he'd be a great pick for anyone who likes�consistency, but the American missed his first cut since May 2010, finishing 11-over after two days.

Graeme McDowell -- 9 -- The 2010 U.S. Open champion made a double-bogey on his first hole on Thursday, bounced back to post a great 2-under 68, and looked like one of the few big guns on a peculiar leaderboard. But McDowell shot 77 during some good conditions on Friday to miss the cut.

Nick Watney -- 10 -- At one point during the first round, Watney was 6-over, but closing birdies on 16 and 17 on Thursday, followed by a front nine 32 on Friday had him back to 1-over and well within the weekend cut. But Watney couldn't hold it together, making three bogeys and a double on the way in to catch an early flight back to the States.

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Siver edges Wiman in a tight decision, loser storms out of the building

LAS VEGAS - Matt Wiman was convinced he'd won the fight and so was much of the crowd in attendance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, but that's not the way the judges saw it. Denis Siver did enough in the first and third rounds to take a unanimous decision, 29-28 on all three cards, in bout No. 3�on the UFC 132 pay-per-view.

When the decision was announced Wiman ripped his hand away from the referee, stormed out of the cage and actually left the building. Wiman (13-6, 7-4 UFC) eventually came back after walking around the parking lot.

"I did a lot of damage. Maybe he got the decision because he threw more punches, but they weren't effective. Effective striking and grappling is what they say and he didn't have that at all," said Wiman.

The numbers backed up the judges. FightMetric said Siver outlanded Wiman 128-34. In the third round, while Wiman was 2-of-5 on takedowns, Siver had a strike advantage of 47-6. Over the 15 minutes, Wiman was good 5-of-16 takedown attempts.

It had to be the second round that convinced Wiman he'd rolled to the victory. Wiman dominated Siver on the ground. He got him down with 3:50 left in the round and blasted away. A nasty left elbow busted open Siver's forehead and he bled like a stuck pig for the next few minutes.�Siver never got back to his feet.

The first round was one the more tightly contested stanzas of the night. It went back and forth�as Siver threw with vicious intent. He landed the better shots on the feet showed�off some�good takedown defense.�Apparently, Wiman didn't press on the gas�pedal enough in the final round. He scored a couple of takedowns, but didn't inflict the same damage he did in the second.

For Siver (19-7, 8-4 UFC) to escape with a win�was huge.�Because of a his slugging style, the Russian fighting out Germany, is a� promotion and fan favorite.

"I'm glad to win this fight. It was a very hard fight. My striking was a little bit better. My takedown defense was a little bit better. Altogether, I was just a little bit better tonight. Again, it was a very tough fight," said Siver.

After starting off his career in the UFC at 1-3, Siver has ripped off wins in eight-of-nine. He's also won four straight.

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With Edgar-Maynard III, UFC 136 shaping up as best card of the year

The UFC isn't messing around with it's big card in Houston. The news has come fast and furious about a slew of fights booked for the October card.

Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard will finally meet for the third time to settle their battle for the lightweight title. The winner may face Melvin Guillard, who is also on the card against Joe Lauzon. Earlier today, a middleweight showdown was also announced with Demian Maia facing Jorge Santiago.

Will there be any trouble selling those fights? Don't worry. Chael Sonnen is on the card against Brian Stann. Two more intriguing fights include Dave Herman against Mike Russow and Josh Grispi, in what could be a must-win situation against Matt Grice.

Update: Add another title fight to UFC 136 with Jose Aldo Jr. defending his 145-pound title against Kenny Florian. It looks like UFC 137 will also have a matchup between B.J. Penn and Carlos Condit.

The upcoming UFC cards are totally stacked. UFC on Versus 5 features a guarantee KO or Fight of the Night with Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle. Jim Miller also faces Ben Henderson. At UFC 134, it's Anderson Silva against Yushin Okami. Mauricio Rua-Griffin and Brendan Schaub-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fight as well. Jon Jones and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson headline UFC 135 in front of Matt Hughes and Diego Sanchez. The return to Las Vegas in late October is topped by Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz with Matt Mitrione-Cheick Kongo on the undercard.

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Mosley says he?s ready for big fight, Camp Pacquiao believes it

Shane Mosley gassed and got picked apart by Floyd Mayweather. Even more damning was his lackluster fight against Sergio Mora. So how is he going to compete with the best fighter in the business? It sure looks like age has caught up with "Sugar" Shane and he's in real trouble against Manny Pacquiao.

Mosley, 39, says ignore the last two fights.

"I don't think those fights have anything to do with what I do against Pacquiao, because styles make fights," said Mosley during a prefight teleconference. "But if it wasn't for those two fights, I probably wouldn't be here today. So those fights were needed."

Needed for what? Was he lacking experience or rounds? Or did he need to look lackluster to get this fight with Pacquiao? That's up for interpretation.

If you listen to Bob Arum, Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao, they chose Mosley based on his history as an action fighter who could help sell pay-per-views, not because he's an easy mark.

"Mosley brings speed, power and he has a good team behind him. I think we have a big challenge ahead of us. Manny is motivated and he's motivated for a reason because of Shane Mosley.� That means he respects him also. That's what excites us about this fight," said Roach.

Camp Pacquiao is also motivated to stop a guy in Mosley, who's never been taken out short of the distance.

"If the knockouts come, they come.� What matters is the fight that we can give to the people and the fans. I want them to be happy and excited about our performance," said Pacquiao.

Roach was more definitive about the fighter's goal.

"Shane's a tough guy, a very durable guy.� It would be incredible for Manny to be the first one to stop him and just prove to the world how much better he is than that guy that couldn't stop him (Floyd Mayweather, Jr.).� I think Manny will fight at a fast pace.� I don't know if he'll (Mosley) be prepared to fight at that pace but we're going to force the action and we're going to go for it this time. If it comes, it comes.� I think Manny is definitely the guy to do it."

You can watch the Pacquiao-Mosley pay-per-view right here on Yahoo! Sports.

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Edmonton Eskimos? empire strikes back

This entire offseason was full of confident talk from the Edmonton Eskimos' organization about restoring the glory years. Given their remarkably high off-season turnover and significant questions, that wasn't something a lot of pundits (including myself) bought into, and the general consensus was that the Eskimos were likely in for a rebuilding year and a basement finish. Yet, after Sunday's unbelievable 42-28 win over the defending West champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, the one team everyone figured was safe to count out of the predicted three-way dogfight for first place in the West Division is alone at the top of the divisional standings and bringing back memories of better days.

How'd they do it? Well, the Eskimos' offence started clicking. Despite being awful at the start of the 2010 season, they showed some potential down the stretch last year, so this isn't entirely surprising. The offence they displayed Sunday night was far better than anything they showcased even in their best games last season, though, piling up points against a Saskatchewan defence that was supposed to be in good shape under new defensive-minded head coach Greg Marshall and new defensive coordinator Richie Hall (who was fired as the Eskimos' head coach after the season last year).

One crucial change was that veteran quarterback Ricky Ray was not only healthy going into the game, but he was kept upright and given time to throw by his offensive line. Guard Patrick Kabongo, who shed an incredible 76 pounds in the offseason (to get down to 315), displayed his usual force in the interior blocking game, but with much more athleticism. The rest of the line followed suit, dominating the line of scrimmage throughout Sunday's action. The unconventional move to use left tackle (and second-overall 2011 Canadian draft pick Scott Mitchell) as a tight end on several plays, something rarely seen in the CFL, also paid massive dividends. The Riders' defensive front couldn't get to Ray for most of the game, giving him plenty of time to pick apart their secondary. He finished with 21 completions on 27 attempts for 294 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Ray's receivers deserve tons of credit themselves, though. Jason Barnes (pictured at top celebrating a touchdown catch with Ray), who was cut and then brought back during the offseason, had an incredible game, hauling in five passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Adarius Bowman, an off-season acquisition after Winnipeg cut him late last year for dropping too many balls, proved to be in great form in green and gold, making seven catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Star receiver Fred Stamps was largely focused on by the Saskatchewan defence, but that sprung openings for others, and Stamps still recorded three catches for 34 yards. Andrew Nowacki also got in on the action with two catches for 29 yards, including a spectacular one for a first down near the sideline. The Eskimos' passing game looked to be a strength this year, but I wasn't expecting it to be this good.

Don't start planning parades just yet, though. This is just one game, after all, and individual games are not transitive. Just because Edmonton > Saskatchewan Sunday night and the Eskimos > the rest of the West Division on opening weekend, it doesn't mean those relations will hold through out the year and Edmonton will wind up heading to this year's Grey Cup. There are 17 games still to play, and it's worth noting that Edmonton's questions weren't entirely answered; their defence looked very vulnerable at times, and conceded 28 points overall to the Roughriders. Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant still completed 27 of 36 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns, even if he was picked off three times, and Wes Cates picked up 56 yards on the ground on just 10 carries.

If they want long-term success this year, Edmonton's going to have to address their defensive issues. They're also going to have to try and make this kind of offensive explosiveness sustainable. Still, it's tough to imagine Opening Weekend going much better for them, even if almost no one outside the Green and Gold offices saw it coming.

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Tito Ortiz shocks with UFC 132 submission of Ryan Bader

Tito Ortiz came back from the brink of extinction at UFC 132 on Saturday night, winning with a guillotine in the first round over Ryan Bader.

Bader was landing intermittent strikes until Ortiz moved inside and landed a right hand directly on Bader's jaw. Bader's knees buckled, and Ortiz jumped on top of him and sunk in an arm-in guillotine. Ortiz squeezed until Bader tapped at 1:56.

He was jubilant after the fight, resurrecting his gravedigger celebration, then jumping onto the side of the cage. He thanked UFC brass Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta for pushing him to win this fight.

Ortiz knew going into this fight that it was win or lose his job. He has been a legend in the UFC, but his last win was in 2006 over Ken Shamrock. He hasn't been a champion since 2003. Battling back and neck injuries, he had never been able to return to that form until Saturday.

For Bader, it was a chance to get back on track after losing for the first time in February to eventual UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, but it didn't happen. Since being on the brink of the a title shot, Bader has gone 0-2, losing both fights by guillotine.

This win may not mean that Ortiz is ready for another title run, especially in the UFC's stacked light-heavyweight division. Nonetheless, Ortiz was on the brink of losing his job and possibly retiring, and he won in convincing fashion. That feat reminds MMA fans of why he is a legend in the sport.

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UAE?s Awana Diab attempts insane penalty (and it works)

The United Arab Emirates crushed Lebanon 6-2 in a friendly on Sunday. So perhaps in an effort to make things interesting and perhaps because he simply does not conform to acceptable standards of penalty kicks, the U.A.E.'s Awana Diab decided to attempt an absolutely ridiculous penalty kick. And it worked.

Diab's setup seemed like any other for a penalty, but as he ran up to the ball, he stopped, turned around and backheeled the ball toward the goal. Stunned by the audacity, madness and nerve it takes to try and score a penalty with your back to the goal, the keeper just stood and watched as the ball trickled into the net.

Acrobatics aside, the back-flip penalty kick has nothing on this.

UAE manager Srecko Katanec did not appreciate Diab's creativity, though. He immediately substituted the player out of the match and after the game said that he would be disciplined for the "disrespectful act."

Video via 101gg

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Argonauts pull ad campaign?was it the right move?

The Toronto Argonauts have found themselves at the centre of some controversy thanks to an ad campaign running in Toronto subway cars. The posters, seen at right, feature defensive end Ricky Foley looking tough and the message "Home Is Where The Heart Is. It's Also Where We Hurt People," as well as ticket information for the team's July 23 home opener and other games.

That message spawned some negative reactions; the Toronto Transit Commission received at least five complaints about it, it's drawn criticism on Facebook, Toronto city councillor Mike Layton (son of federal NDP and Official Opposition leader Jack Layton) wrote a letter to Argonauts' president Bob Nicholson blasting the campaign, and the team eventually decided to pull their ads. Here's what Mike Layton had to say about why he was concerned:

"While I understand the intended meaning, my concern is the unintended consequences," Layton wrote. "In the context of domestic violence, the ad insinuates that domestic violence in the home is acceptable or normal. The ad may also trigger traumatic responses in the many survivors of domestic violence who are courageously moving forward with their lives."

Argonauts' vice-president of marketing and communications David Bedford told The National Post's Mark Masters the team didn't consider the posters in that context, but perhaps they should have.

"I think it's pretty common knowledge that football is a contact sport and a physical game," Bedford said. "We didn't look at it in the context of domestic violence and we probably should have, given that we've had a handful of complaints."

However, even pulling the posters has caused controversy. The National Post's Joe O'Connor blasted Layton's criticisms as an example of overly-enthusiastic political correctness:

How that particular football ? hurt ? could possibly "insinuate", as Toronto city councilor Mike (son of Jack) Layton wrote in a letter of complaint to Argos president, Bob Nicholson, "that domestic violence in the home is acceptable or normal" and "the ad may also trigger traumatic responses in many survivors of domestic violence who are courageously moving forward with their lives," is, well, let me see here: crazy talk.

Politically correct crazy talk uttered by a politician who has received a handful of complaints from a handful of concerned citizen-busybodies who clearly missed the intended message. Or else, they did not miss it, and simply chose to ignore it and label the poster as some unholy, domestic-violence-promoting demon instead.

You know, because that is what our modern day puritans do: they go looking for the beast with the horns, the pitchfork and the tail. And they invariably find that he is everywhere.

O'Connor's got a bit of a point; the Argonauts certainly weren't trying to promote domestic violence, and the ad doesn't necessarily suggest it to many people. I doubt most people are going to come away from that ad with the message that "domestic violence in the home is acceptable or normal". However, that doesn't make it a good ad campaign, and Layton's second criticism, "the ad may also trigger traumatic responses in many survivors of domestic violence who are courageously moving forward with their lives," seems to carry more weight.

Display advertising in particular is often about quick impressions rather than gaining the whole context of an advertisement, and displaying "Home Is Where The Hurt Is" in big letters certainly would appear to have the potential to bring back awful memories for some domestic violence survivors. It's not like the Argonauts needed to use that specific marketing line; there are plenty of other taglines they could have gone with that wouldn't have hurt or offended anyone, so blaming "political correctness" seems a bit over the top.

It's worth noting that even the straight football interpretation of the ad campaign isn't all that great. It's implying that the Argonauts play specifically to hurt their opponents, and while some fans might like the idea of that, it's worth noting that leagues have cracked down on that kind of language in the past. In particular, NFL linebacker James Harrison got in trouble last year over comments that he's out to hurt opponents, and deservedly so. Playing to hurt people has drawn criticism from outspoken Argonauts like Adriano Belli in the past, so it's curious that the team's aligning themselves with that mentality.

Sure, football is a physical game, and violence is often used to sell it; big hits (like Jamall Johnson's on Buck Pierce) get attention, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that. There's a difference between hitting somebody and hurting somebody, though, and the latter is troubling in the context of all the frightening information out there on concussions and leagues' attempts to reduce and deal with them. There are plenty of ways the Argonauts can sell their product without promoting hurting people, on or off the field. In fact, some of the best efforts they've done in the past have come through community engagement, whether that's through revitalizing high school football or running anti-bullying campaigns through Stop The Violence; that presents a much more positive message than ads testifying their willingness to hurt people.�From this corner, it's a good thing they pulled this campaign; let's hope they can come out with a better one next time around.

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Keep up with the British Open and more at our Facebook page

We get it. You're a busy person, lots going on in your world. But hey, we want to bring you the best in golf coverage where you want it, and since something like 800 trillion of you are on Facebook, we're there too.

Come join us at the Devil Ball Facebook page for all the best posts from Devil Ball, along with FB-only photos, questions, games, polls and perhaps even prizes. (Sponsors, that would be your cue.) It'll be fun, and we won't bug you for more Farmville pigs or whatever.

And if Twitter is more your speed, we're at @jaybusbee, @shanebacon and @jonathanrwall. Basically, friends, we're here to serve. Won't you let us? Enjoy the rest of the Open Championship, everybody!

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UFC 132 postfight: Tito was in dream state when he took out Bader

Tito Ortiz is still in the UFC. The way he kept job made for one of the best MMA moments of 2011.

Ortiz pointed to finally getting healthy and new found confidence as the reasons he was able to pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent MMA history, at least according to the oddsmakers and bettors. By the time the fight started last night in Las Vegas, players had bet Ryan Bader all the way up to a minus-600 favorite.

A euphoric Ortiz said the fight was in slow motion.

"I had an out of body experience...Everything was in slo-mo. I was kind of watching myself do it. It was really weird," Ortiz said during the UFC 132 postfight press conference (3:35 mark). "For the first time everything was super, super slow. He was punching ... block, block. I was like 'that was it?'"

Ortiz gave credit to his trainer Jason Parillo.

Parillo's speed in training camp made Bader look slow to Ortiz. When he clinched the victory with a guillotine choke, Ortiz was still on cloud nine.

"He tapped and I didn't want to let go because I wasn't sure what was going on, because like I said, I had an out of body experience. I didn't know how to react," Ortiz said. "I wasn't letting go until the referee rips me off. I didn't mean to hold on longer than I was supposed to but I wasn't letting go."

Ortiz hadn't won a fight since 2006. He was 0-4-1 in his last five fights. The 36-year-old underwent two serious neck and back surgeries along the way.

"Physically I'm able to do it now. The surgeries I've gone through athletes don't come back. You're done," Ortiz said. "Not me. I have too much drive. Tonight it starts."

Ortiz really appeared sort of mentally beaten during prefight press conference. The losing and the questions about retirement were tough.

"It does eat at you [but] you have to have something to motivate you," Ortiz said. "When you have confidence behind you, you're unstoppable. You know, you look at Jonny 'Bones' Jones, he's unstoppable because his confidence is through the roof."

Ortiz said he'd like to face the winner of the Forrest Griffin-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua fight at UFC 134. It was good to see the old champion back to his form in the Octagon and outside following the fight. The crowd rallied behind Ortiz, who told the media that he had to beg UFC management for one more chance. He made the most of it.

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Boss! Pitcher identified from Bruce Springsteen?s ?Glory Days?

Trying to choose a favorite Bruce Springsteen song might be like trying to pick a favorite child. The internal dialogue could go on for decades.

Picking the best Springsteen video, however, takes no time at all. For me, it's "Glory Days" and it's not even close. The video not only includes footage of the Boss acting as a laboring, pile-driving husband, but it also shows BOTH lead guitarists from the E-Street Band (Nils Lofgren and Little Steven Van Zandt).

And it has REAL baseball footage from the 1984 or 1985 major league seasons. Dwight Gooden, back when the New York Mets were cool, striking out two Cincinnati Reds!

The tune obviously is catchy ? practically instantly memorizable. It begins:

I had a friend was a big baseball player back in high school
He could throw that speedball by you
Make you look like a fool boy
Saw him the other night at this roadside bar
I was walking in, he was walking out
We went back inside sat down had a few drinks
but all he kept talking about was ...

One prominent question about "Glory Days" has remained, even 26 years after its release: Was the "speedball pitcher" the Boss sang about a real person?

Thanks to a story in the New York Times written by Kevin Coyne ?� who, like the Boss, grew up in Freehold, N.J. ? we know the pitcher was a real fellow indeed.

I finally found out at a reunion we held recently for our Little League's 60th anniversary ? not from Springsteen, who did not come, but from Dick Enderly, once a fine schoolboy pitcher, who had put the question to Springsteen at their 30th high school reunion in 1997, and received the answer.

"Joe DePugh," Enderly told me. "I got it straight from the horse's mouth."

DePugh, the oldest of six brothers, was a star Little League pitcher and a teammate of Springsteen's in the Babe Ruth League. A joint assessment of their comparative baseball skills led to DePugh's affectionate nickname for Springsteen, a right fielder: Saddie.

Coyne's neat tale opens with Springsteen and DePugh bumping into each other outside of a bar in New Jersey years after they had lost touch as childhood friends ? just like in "Glory Days." The chance meeting came more than a decade before the song hit the airwaves and MTV.

So, how did DePugh react to becoming immortal on vinyl once the song came out?

He and Springsteen had lost touch again after their brief reunion in '73. At first, DePugh didn't believe it when a friend named Scott Wright told him about a song he heard on the radio.

"He told me, 'Springsteen has a new album out, and there's a song on there about you,' " DePugh said. " 'It's exactly the story you told me.' "

DePugh was skeptical, so Wright called a radio station in Montpelier, Vt., and requested the song.

"My wife starts bawling," DePugh said. "That's how I knew exactly that it was me."

The story spread slowly among his friends in Vermont and, when DePugh was 50, he was recruited to join a baseball league for older men.

"When I showed up for the first practice that summer," he said, "these guys would come up to me and feel the sleeve of my shirt, and say: 'Oh, you're real. We thought you were a legend.' I pitched the whole season that year and ended up with a 0.00 earned run average."

Ah, it all comes back to baseball.

The song and video aren't about baseball per s�, but "Glory Days" does use the sport as a metaphor and a vehicle for the wistful regret of days gone by, innocence lost, wonder about paths taken and not taken, etc. It can be an exhilarating listen, but also kind of depressing if you let it be.

Gooden's appearance ? awesome for a baseball fan in 1985 ? is a little arresting, so to speak, years later. (Now, if only Wezen-Ball would identify which specific game the Mets-Reds footage is from. Oh, well.)

Springsteen's video didn't limit the MLB references to his hometown-ish team. At the end, he and a kid wearing a Detroit Tigers cap talk about Graig Nettles (then of the Padres) taking Springsteen deep. In Bruce's dreams.

Ah, the glory days. It's good to know that DePugh didn't wind up some washed-up lush, hoping to catch a glimpse of rock stars on their way out of local bars. His life has had its ups and downs, though.

?�He got a tryout with the Dodgers, but didn't make the cut.

?�He earned an English degree from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., but his parents had died by the time he graduated so he needed to become legal guardian for his two youngest brothers.

?�He couldn't find permanent work as a teacher, so he became a self-employed contractor and moved to Vermont.

?�He and Springsteen have seen each other twice in the past few years, at emotional restaurant gatherings in New Jersey.

As for Springsteen ... Hey, whatever happened to that guy?

Follow Dave on Twitter ?�@AnswerDave ? and engage�the Stew on Facebook

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Evening Shade: Cardinals and Reds meet in key NL Central tilt

Some weekday evenings,�the�Stew�looks at a few approaching games that will be worth monitoring. Feel free to discuss the night's happenings in the comments below.

Cardinals at Reds, 7:10 ET The Reds blew a chance to make the NL Central race even closer when they lost two of three to the Cards last week in St. Louis. But Cincinnati is still just four games behind the first-place Cardinals as this series begins.

Johnny Cueto allowed only one run over eight innings last time he faced St. Louis, but took a tough loss as the Reds' lineup couldn't score a run. The Cardinals counter with Jake Westbrook, who allowed seven runs (and three homers) in 4 2/3 innings in his last start versus Cincinnati.

Red Sox at Rays, 7:10 ET Is Andrew Miller for real? He sports a shiny 3-0 record and 3.57 ERA, but compiled those numbers against the Padres, Pirates, Astros and Orioles. How will he fare against a Rays team looking to cut into the Red Sox's six-game lead in the AL East?

White Sox at Tigers, 7:05 ET The White Sox and Tigers play each other in six of their next 12 games, beginning with a three-game series at Comerica Park. The White Sox could either get knocked out of the AL Central race or make it tighter, but the Tigers have dominated them so far this season. And Justin Verlander pitches Friday's opener.

Nationals at Braves, 7:35 ET The Braves have won seven of their last 10, and gone 24-12 since June 1. Getting Martin Prado back should help them stay on that roll. Tim Hudson is 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his past four starts. But Livan Hernandez has been very good against the Braves (1-1, 1.98 ERA in last four meetings).

Pirates at Astros, 8:05 ET The Pirates' revival has been fueled by beating up on inferior competition. For instance, they're 7-2 this season against the Astros. Jeff Karstens was one of the first half's biggest surprises, with a 7-4 record and 2.55 ERA that's fifth-best in the NL.

Follow Ian on Twitter ?�@iancass ? and engage�The Stew on Facebook

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iRacing 2.0 is coming to devour every last bit of your time

So if you're one of those types that thinks real NASCAR is too boring and stuffed with commercials, iRacing is the place for you. And this summer, the online racing series rolls out its version 2.0, stuffed with cool features like heat racing and improved graphics. As always, you'll be racing against the entire planet, or at least those who run iRacing, which has in the past included everyone from AJ Allmendinger to Dale Earnhardt Jr. his own bad self.

Confession time: I've never played iRacing. So help me out, gamer fans: worth the investment? Is it a World of Warcraft-style time suck? Will I need to bid farewell to my loved ones the moment I start my engines? Let us know your iRacing experiences in the comments.

And if you're ready to take the plunge, head over to iRacing.com and start wheeling.

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The 10 greatest athlete cameos in movie history

-For more, follow Yahoo! Sports on Facebook and on Twitter at @jaybusbee.-

Over the weekend, Jeff Gordon�made a big-screen appearance as the voice of "Jeff Gorvette" in "Cars 2." He joins the ranks of athletes who've tried ? tried really, really hard, in some cases ? to jump from the stadium to the cineplex. In honor of Gordon's cinematic debut, we present the 10 greatest athlete cameos of all time. Sometimes they appear as themselves, and sometimes they try to be someone else, which is so much more fun to watch. Check out these actors in their roles (the ones we can show you, of course) and have your say below on the best of the best:

10. Wilt Chamberlain, "Conan The Destroyer": Wilt the Stilt knew his way around a basketball court, but in front of the camera, he showed all the acting range of a hardwood floor. Still, when you're in a sword-and-sorcery fantasy, your character's name is "Bombaata," and your one big line is "Thieves should be hanged," we're not expecting Oscar-worthy material out of you. Here's hoping they lined up Dwight Howard for this summer's remake.

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9. Derek Jeter, "The Other Guys": An unwitting victim of the itchy trigger finger of Mark Wahlberg's character, Jeter can always blame this shooting for this year's hitting woes. Best line: "You shoulda shot A-Rod!" (Sadly, no video, as Jeter does not respond in a family friendly way to being shot.)

8. Lawrence Taylor, "The Waterboy": The unintentional comedy is off the charts with this cameo, as a lively Lawrence Taylor speaks to kids (bad idea) and gives them some good, if ironic, advice: "Don't smoke crack!"

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7. Lee Trevino, "Happy Gilmore": Trevino, a notorious prankster -- he once threw a rubber snake at Jack Nicklaus before a critical U.S. Open playoff -- was one of the grounding forces in the otherwise off-the-rails golf scenes in "Happy Gilmore." He dispensed wisdom like this:

6. Lance Armstrong, "Dodgeball": Armstrong's speech on quitting somehow manages to both make light of cancer and motivate you to get up off your couch, all at once. Nice work.

5. Brett Favre, "There's Something About Mary": Expertly foreshadowed throughout, this was an example of a perfect reveal at the end of the movie -- and it marked the last time anybody was genuinely excited to see Favre's face again.

4. Mike Tyson, "The Hangover": A killer cameo for three reasons: It totally reclaims "In the Air Tonight" from "Miami Vice," it turns Tyson into a lovable menace, and it answers once and for all the question of whether you'd be willing to take one punch, just one, from Tyson for a million bucks.

3. Reggie Jackson, "The Naked Gun": Reggie Jackson played a mind-controlled ballplayer sent to assassinate the queen. If George Steinbrenner had known Jackson could do that, he'd have put him to better use.

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, "Airplane": Sure, he says he's Roger Murdock, but why would he be wearing Laker shorts to fly a plane?

1. Cam Neely, "Dumb and Dumber": Simply the greatest athlete cameo ever. No more needs to be said except for Sea Bass' catchphrase.

Honorable mentions: Dale Earnhardt, "BASEketball"; Roger Clemens, "Kingpin"; Dan Marino, "Ace Ventura"; Jamie McMurray, "Talladega Nights"; Mike Ditka, "Kicking and Screaming"; Andre the Giant, "The Princess Bride"; Pele, "Victory"; Alex Karras, "Blazing Saddles"; Bob Uecker, "Major League"; John McEnroe, "Mr. Deeds"; Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr., "Cars."

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Saturday, July 16, 2011

Giants? Showtime series gets off to a start that?s almost too quick

Slow it down, Showtime.

That was my initial thought after watching a preview of the first episode of the pay-cable channel's "The Franchise" on the plane back from Arizona.

Maybe it was yours, too, as you watched the official premiere of the San Francisco Giants' new reality series on Wednesday night. While the production values were gorgeous and the players were charismatic, it was hard to shake the feeling that we were moving faster than a 1-0 game pitched by one of the team's aces.

That's a great thing for a baseball game, but not for a television show that has aspirations of delving deep into a franchise. Put it this way: When the half-hour preview show makes this hour seem as shallow as the team's offense, you know there's a problem. This first episode begins with the World Series ring ceremony in San Francisco and ends around the time that manager Bruce Bochy is making his selections for the All-Star game in Detroit. That's almost 100 games of baseball squeezed into a quick 60 minutes.

Give the producers credit, though, because they didn't miss many first-half storylines. From the Buster Posey collision to Brandon Belt's demotion (and subsequent recall) to Ryan Vogelsong's unlikely emergence to the injury rehabs of Cody Ross, Barry Zito and Pablo Sandoval, nearly every significant event gets screen time.

But unlike the preview episode, when the intertwining stories of uber-prospect Belt and career minor leaguer Marc Kroon made for must-see TV, no topic was given enough time to serve as an intriguing anchor for the show. Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle reviewed the show and deemed it for Giants fans only. But I'm not even sure that was the case as fans of the team would have undoubtedly liked to see more details from scenes like front office meetings or player evaluations. (Also, where was Tim Lincecum? For being the face of the franchise, he was conspicuously absent for most of the show.)

Luckily, there is hope. I'm told that the next five episodes, which will air over the next five weeks and clock in at 30 minutes apiece, focus on individual players and use flashbacks to events from earlier in the season. So the type of developed stories we want to see ? heck, maybe even some controversy ? should be on the way.

And it's clear that they should have plenty of good scenes to choose from because the bright spots of this first episode were a product of the great access the camera crews have been granted. In one scene, Belt arrives in the bowels of AT&T Park just as a heavily bandaged Posey ? whose season-ending injury opened Belt's roster spot ? heads the other way on the back of a golf cart. In another scene that provides a lot more levity, most of the team groans and laughs as it watches Aubrey Huff do his club dance on a MLB Network television show.

Scenes like the ones mentioned above make "The Franchise" a watch that's worth your time. But because the beauty of baseball is contained within its details, the depth of the next five episodes will determine if the show is a contender for greater accolades.

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Rich Rod leaves another school holding the NCAA sanction bag

Rich Rodriguez has left another school paying for his mistakes after the NCAA found him guilty of failing to monitor compliance with NCAA legislation while at West Virginia.

Rodriguez, who coached WVU from 2001-07, was not penalized, but West Virginia self imposed a two-year probation and took away two scholarships for 2010-11 and one scholarship for 2011-12. West Virginia's sanctions also stemmed from mistakes former coach Bill Stewart made during his tenure.

Overall, both Rodriguez and Stewart exceeded the permissible limit of coaches and staff members engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities. The findings were discussed at a summary disposition and both Rodriguez and Stewart signed off on the facts of the case.

While the coach of Michigan in 2009, Rodriguez was initially charged with failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance in the program, but the NCAA ultimately reduced the charge to a failure to monitor the details. Rodriguez was not penalized, but the school self imposed a loss of 130 hours of practice time during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Rodriguez recently signed on to be an analyst for CBS Sports Network after his firing from Michigan in January. While he's not under official NCAA punishment, big brother is still watching him closely and will monitor him if he coaches another team.

"Although the committee did not impose sanctions upon you," the NCAA stated in its letter to Rodriguez, "your involvement in these violations will be available for review by any member institution ..."

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San Jose keeper scores on West Brom from his own box

Kicking off the preseason as it prepares for a second straight year in the Premier League, West Brom traveled thousands of miles to California to have its goalkeeper shown up by his 21-year-old counterpart with a fluky 90-yard goal.

San Jose Earthquakes rookie goalkeeper David Bingham booted the ball from the edge of his own box in the third minute of play during a friendly against West Brom and the result was something even he didn't expect. West Brom keeper Boaz Myhill, who was facing the setting sun, clearly didn't expect it either as he was left flat-footed while the ball took a big bounce in front of him, went right over his head and into the back of the net.

San Jose eventually won 2-1 and after the match, Bingham admitted that he wasn't trying to score at all (via the AP):

"I didn't even see it go in," Bingham said. "I hit it and I knew I overhit it, so I just turned around and walked back. And then everyone started yelling? . Sometimes it's good to be lucky."

And sometimes it's even better to not know your own leg strength.

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Joey Elliott injury means more QB questions in Winnipeg

Things have gone from bad to worse on the quarterback injuries front for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The news after Thursday's loss to Calgary that starter Buck Pierce was day-to-day with a quad injury certainly wasn't positive, but it could have been much more disastrous. Saturday's news that backup and former Purdue star Joey Elliott is done for the year with a torn ACL may be even worse for the Bombers, though.

Pierce is still optimistic of playing next week against Toronto, so this may not change Winnipeg's starter. However, given Pierce's previous fragility (he's suffered plenty of injuries to his legs, elbows and head over the years), having a reliable backup is crucial for Winnipeg. With the Steven Jyles trade this offseason, the Bombers bet that Elliott (seen above being helped off the field Thursday) could handle that role despite his limited CFL experience. He certainly looked promising in relief of the injured Pierce and gutted the game out to the end (incredibly, despite playing on a torn ACL, he gave them a chance to win on the final drive, but kicker Justin Palardy couldn't convert a 44-yarder into a tough wind). It doesn't look like we'll see any more of him this season, though.

With Elliott and potentially Pierce gone, the next man up would be former Washington State quarterback Alex Brink. Brink does have a little CFL experience, as the Bombers curiously elected to throw him into the fire last year in place of the more-proven Jyles, but that experiment didn't work terribly well. Brink was ineffective in his starts and got hurt later that year. On the whole last year, he completed just 15 of 40 passes (37.5 per cent) with one interception and no touchdowns. Those numbers aren't exactly the most promising.

Winnipeg does have former Youngstown State quarterback Brandon Summers on the practice roster, and they do have other options, including training-camp cut Justin Goltz. Goltz played Division III football at California's Occidental College and had a brief stint in the UFL before signing a practice-roster deal with the Bombers late last year, so he knows the system a bit at least. Still, the Bombers' quarterback situation is anything but inspiring at the moment, especially considering that Pierce hasn't been terribly effective even when healthy. This is still a passing league, so despite Winnipeg's defensive excellence and solid running game, they're going to have to find a way to move the ball through the air. With Pierce limited thanks to injury concerns and Elliott gone for the year, there are questions about how they'll be able to do that.

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Whoa, Nellie: Keith Jackson mystified by longevity of trademark call

Jim Weber runs LostLettermen.com, a site devoted to keeping tabs on former college athletes and other nostalgia. Recently, he tracked down legendary college football play-by-play man Keith Jackson.

Certain phrases uttered by certain broadcasters become so iconic they're bound together for eternity. People will always remember that Walter Cronkite finished his nightly newscast with, "And that's the way it is," and that Edward R. Murrow always closed with, "Good night, and good luck."

When people hear the words "Whoa, Nellie!", they think of one man: Keith Jackson.

But if the retired broadcasting legend had his way, that wouldn't be the case. In fact, he's still trying to figure out how the two got so intertwined.

Pics: Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge visit Wimbledon

Newlyweds Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge sat in the royal box Monday at Wimbledon to watch Andy Murray, Venus Williams and Rafael Nadal play on Centre Court. They were joined in the box by six-time tournament champion Billie Jean King.

William's mother, Princess Diana, was a fixture in the box during the 1980s and 1990s and sometimes presented the winner's trophies at the All England Club. There's been speculation in England that Kate could take over those duties this year.

Possible captions for British tabloids: Commoner Kate doesn't do the wave at Wimbledon, is not of the people.

Possible captions for British tabloids: "Prince William doesn't do the wave, is not in touch with the masses." (Not a possible caption: "Billie Jean King spurns plebeian fan celebration." She's all about it!)

Prince William: "Looks like Venus is *puts on sunglasses* out of orbit."

Billie Jean King is eagerly watching the wave circulate around the stadium, biding her time for its return.

Kate asks William to do his patented Rodney Dangerfield impression, Williams obliges.

This picture is notable for two things, the second of which is that somebody is still buying American vehicles.

Kate's attempt at making her own Farah Fawcett poster.

Williams is no stranger to the royal box. He visited a number of times with his mother. The picture above is from 1991.

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