WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev has a record of 46-0 with 34 knockouts, yet he still can’t get any respect, especially from American fans. The overwhelming fear of many of these fans is the thought that a 7-footer from Russia could beat all-American boy Rocky Marciano’s record of 49-0 and then retire. Valuev has been called everything in the book, including “Neanderthal, freak show and circus act.”

So far the Neanderthal, freak show, and circus act has done nothing but win, and in pretty convincing fashion. On April 14, from the Porsche-Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, Valuev, 33, will look to continue his unprecedented ride to the top when he takes on WBA #1 challenger, Ruslan “White Tyson” Chagaev (22-0-1 17 KO’s).

Chagaev, 28, was born in Uzbekistan but now lives in Hamburg, Germany. Chagaev had quite an interesting start to his boxing career. In 1997 he took two fights in America against less than stellar opponents, but won them both and they were credited to his professional record. He successfully had these fights changed to “exhibition” fights so he could go back to the amateur ranks, yet these fights are still listed on his official overall record. Because of his professional fights, he was stripped of an amateur title in which he beat the legendary Cuban heavyweight Felix Savon to win the title. He was officially reinstated as an amateur in 1998, where he continued to find success, winning a slew of national and world titles before officially turning pro in 2001.

He gained the nickname “White Tyson” for the way he was knocking out all challengers much the same way a young Mike Tyson did. His only draw came on his record by way of a fight with Rob Calloway in 2002. In what should have been a TKO victory, Camp Calloway said the cut he had sustained had been from a head butt and they had the result changed to a technical draw. Chagaev would get his KO victory over Calloway in 2006, this time no questions asked in a TKO 3 victory.

Chagaev earned his title shot by beating former three time WBA champion John Ruiz in a title elimination shot. It has been said that it is impossible to look good against Ruiz in a fight, and the same thing happened to Chagaev. Much of the boxing world was thinking, and maybe some even hoping, that Chagaev would be able to knockout the fighter who is more known for clinching than his three titles. Ruiz actually came out more active than usual, but still did not stray too far away from his clutch and grab style. At the end Chagaev walked away with a hard earned split decision and a chance to meet Valuev for his title.

Valuev has come under fire of late, particularly for his outing against John Ruiz. Ruiz once again found a way to make the fight close all the way down to the wire, but this time he lost a majority decision to Valuev. In a fight that was hard to score, Valuev did the most damage, which was evident by the swelling of Ruiz’s face. Valuev was also able to hurt Ruiz late in the 12^th round with a counter right hand, something many Ruiz opponents can’t do despite their best efforts.

The Ruiz fight was at the end of 2005 and since then Valuev has looked much more effective. He has beat American fighters Owen Beck, Monte Barrett, and Jameel McCline, not exactly a” murderer’s row” of challengers, but he defeated them all in a manner he should have.

The only questionable result of these three fights came against McCline in his last fight this past January. Valuev had won the first two rounds, but McCline started coming on strong before tripping over the foot of Valuev in the closing seconds of the round. McCline had suffered a serious knee injury which could cause him to be out of action for a year. The fight was awarded a TKO victory for Valuev, but under WBA rules, and I’m paraphrasing, a fight should be ruled a no-contest if a fight is ended by a result other than a punch thrown. Either way, it is impossible to tell what would have happened if the fight would have continued, but as it stands, Valuev is still the champ, and still undefeated.

The bettors are putting their money on Valuev, and that is probably a fair choice. Despite Chagaev’s impressive ride to a title shot, he is still virtually unknown to many fans outside of Europe. Besides that though, Valuev has about a foot height advantage, and could have upwards of a 100 pound weight advantage come fight night. Chagaev may have his moments early, even testing Valuev’s chin a couple of times, but it is not hard to imagine a scenario where Valuev’s size eventually wears down the much smaller man. This is nothing against Chagaev; he clearly has the skills to still make a good run at other championship belts in his career, but he more than likely is not wrestling the strap away from Valuev.

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(UPDATE: Henry Maske shocked the boxing world by returning to the ring and beating Virgil Hill by a fairly wide unanimous decision. Scores were 116-113 and 117-110, twice. Maske said after the fight that he has no desire to set up a third match with Hill, and will now go back into retirement.)

The date was November 23, 1996 and Henry Maske had just lost to Virgil Hill. In a close battle, Hill was granted a split decision. It wasn’t so much the Hill victory that surprised the boxing world, it was the fact that Hill traveled to Germany, where Maske is adored and idolized, and some how was given a decision, a split decision no less.

It is unclear if Maske was contemplating retirement before the Hill fight, but by all accounts, it was the bitter taste left in his mouth that helped make his decision that much easier.

Hill on the other hand continued fighting, even winning the WBA cruiserweight championship in the process. Hill has only fought an average of one time per year since the Maske fight, but at least he was never too far away from the gym. Maske appeared to be in good shape during his 10 years away from the ring, but he has been mostly concentrating on his business affairs, including being the owner of four McDonald’s restaurant franchises in Germany.

When Maske announced he was interested in returning for a single fight against Hill, the boxing world rolled their eyes. Only once in history has a fighter made a successful comeback after being away from the ring for an extended period of time, and his name was George Foreman. But, when Maske announced his trainer would be Teddy Atlas, the critics reappraised their thoughts and thought Maske may be serious about making a run. Atlas has trained multiple world champions, including Michael Moorer and Shannon Briggs.

Atlas, who has been enjoying his gig as blow-by-blow announcer for ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights, had to be talked into returning, but after a little prodding from camp Maske, he announced he would be his trainer. Everything seemed to be going smooth at first, but then the rumors started to fly. Atlas was worried that Maske was progressing too slowly, and if you know anything about Atlas, he likes to work his fighters in camp. Then reports started surfacing that Maske was being shown up in camps against sparring partners that were brought in for the purpose of making Maske look good. Finally, in the middle of December, Henry Maske announced that Atlas would step down as trainer and he would be replaced by former and long time Maske trainer, Manfred Wolke.

The Maske camp will tell you that it was nothing against Atlas, it was just that Wolke has expressed interest in training his former fighter, after declining initially. If you listen to Atlas, which most people seemed to do, he said that Maske was in no way ready to fight on the level he needed to be able to match up with Hill. Atlas said there were periods in camp where he seemed lackadaisical and unfocused.

Maske’s last win came against John Scully in May of 1996. Before losing the controversial match to Hill, he had defended the IBF Light Heavyweight championship 10 times. Despite the loss, Maske still had a long profitable career ahead of him had he decided to continue on with his career.

Many fans have joked that this bill should be titled “Retirement Party,” or something of that nature. This match is not about future greatness, or future world championship bouts. Plus, not even the WBA could find a way for this to be a championship match for Hill’s cruiserweight title, a title he won 14 months ago but has yet to defend. This fight is about a chance for redemption for Maske. He gets a chance to beat the man who ended his career, in the very same arena where he lost nearly 11 years ago.

Virgil Hill is a big favorite, as well as he should be. Perhaps Hill’s work rate has declined over the last couple of years, but the long lay off and the many concerns coming out of camp seem to justify Maske as a big underdog.

Maske built a giant fan base during his career because of his dominance in the ring and his good will out of it. At the time of his retirement he was one of the most recognized German athletes. Maske will need all the help he can get from the partisan crowd, because he may just be a little too far over his head for this one.

 

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 (Update:  Ohio State defeated Georgetown 67-60 and Florida defeated UCLA 76-66, both on Saturday.  Florida looks to repeat as National Champion when they take on Georgetown in the Championship game, tonight at 9:21.  Florida is currently a 4.5 point favorite.  Both teams are seeded #1.)

The final four is set, and the NCAA Selection Committee must be proud of themselves. Of the four teams that advanced, two of them are one seeds, and two of them are two seeds. In fact, it was almost three teams advancing to the Final Four with a one seed, but Georgetown’s defense rose to the challenge and held off one seeded University of North Carolina. The Hoyas’ defense was so good that it forced UNC to miss an amazing 22 out of their 23 final shots. They also held UNC to only one field goal in overtime, while outscoring the Tar Heels 15-3 in the five minute session.

Also punching their Final Four ticket on Sunday were the defending champions, the University of Florida. They faced an Oregon Ducks team that many felt had overachieved the entire tournament, but they played hard with the Gators right up to the final buzzer. Florida only held a two point lead at halftime, but used their superior size advantage over the Ducks to wear them out over the second half before winning 85-77.

On Saturday the University of California Los Angeles made what was a close game at halftime into a 13 point victory by the end of the game. Kansas, the other one seed not to advance to the final four, fell down the stretch to the over powering offense, and the hardnosed defense of the Bruins. If it was not for UCLA’s struggles down the stretch, they would have been a number one seed. Many people in the college basketball world still felt they deserved a number one seed for the work they did during the regular season.

The first team to punch their ticket on Saturday was the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes had the easiest time of the four, defeating the Memphis Tigers by 16 points. Much like the other games, it was a close game at halftime. But, the Buckeyes, who have been near the top of the rankings the entire year, used their experience to beat the overachieving Memphis Tigers down the stretch.

In theory this seems like one of the strongest Final Fours in history. Of the four teams, UCLA was the only one not to win their conference tournament. This is the first time since 1993 that all the Final Four teams have had either a one or two seed. If you recall, the 1993 Final four, which featured UNC, Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan was one of the best ever, with UNC winning the title when Michigan’s Chris Webber called a time-out, of which the team did not have. If this year’s Final Four can match the excitement and drama of that one, then the fans are in for a real treat.

Preview of the Final Four Match-ups:

# 2 Georgetown vs. # 1 Ohio State

John Thompson III has arrived. Much like his father did in the 80’s and 90’s, he has Georgetown competing for a national championship. Unlike his father though, who had great centers like Patrick Ewing to get him there, it will be Ohio State with the NBA ready center Greg Oden. Oden started the year with a broken right hand, forcing him to shoot with his off-hand. His numbers have steadily increased and now he is sitting at 15 points per game, and nearly 10 rebounds per game. Despite the rise in production, it is his tendency to foul that may make the difference in this game. Oden has had foul trouble in the last three tournament games, and was forced to sit on the bench for long stretches at a time in all of them. The Ohio State team was able to withstand that from lesser schools, but Georgetown has enough fire power to make the Buckeyes pay if it happens again. For starters, 7’2” Roy Hibbert could have a field day for Georgetown, because other than Oden, Ohio State does not have players that match up with him well. Also, just having Oden out of the game opens up the game for Georgetown guards Jonathan Wallace and Jessie Sapp, both of whom have came up big lately.

# 2 UCLA vs. # 1 Florida

UCLA cannot wait for a chance to get back at the Florida squad that beat them in the National Title game last year. The only problem is that Florida is bringing back the exact same starting lineup. Unfortunately for UCLA, the disadvantages they had against the Gators last year remain this year, and probably even more so because of the Florida experience level. To be fair, UCLA players Arron Afflalo, Darren Collison, and Josh Shipp, do bring a little more fire power than last year. But it is hard to imagine they can make up for the size and athletic ability the front line of Corey Brewer, Joakim Noah, and Al Horford make up for the Gators. Those three players, including guards Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green make of the five returning starters.

Schedule:

Saturday, March 31

National Semifinals, Atlanta, GA

6:07 pm # 2 Georgetown vs. # 1 Ohio State

8:46 pm #1 Florida vs. # 2 UCLA

Monday, April 2

National Championship, Atlanta, GA

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The Champions League Soccer final phase is currently in full-swing. We are down to 8 teams still competing for one of the most respected, and widely known, championships in the world. The team that has won the prestigious title the most is Real Madrid, who has triumphed nine times, three more times than the next closest team (Milan has six). Read Madrid also won the first five league titles, starting in the inaugural 1955-1956 season.

However, Real Madrid did not advance to the quarterfinals, and neither will defending champion Barcelona because they lost to Liverpool in the first knockout round. Liverpool will be playing PSV Eindhoven in the next round, and interestingly enough PSV Eindhoven knocked out Arsenal in the first knockout round, which is who Barcelona beat last year to win the title. Their first game will be at Anfield on April 3rd, the home stadium of Liverpool. The return match will be April 11^th at Philips Stadium, the home of PSV Eindhoven.

The other six teams competing for the crown of champion of the Champions League are Milan, Bayern, Roma, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Valencia. Milan last won the title back in the 2002-2003 season and will be playing Bayern in the quarterfinals. Bayern’s last title came a year before Milan’s title, in the 2001-2002 season.

Manchester United, who will be playing Roma, has not won the title since the 1998-1999 season. This is hardly their longest streak since winning the championship though. Their last championship season before that was way back in 1967-1968. Those are the only two titles the team with the storied tradition has had.

If these teams are lucky enough to make it past the quarterfinals, the remaining four will then meet between April 24^th and May 2^nd to decide who will play in the finals. The final match will be played at the historic Athens Olympic Stadium in Greece. This will be the first major soccer event the venue has with its new look. Over the last couple of years the stadium has been revamped and upgraded.

The last Champions League Cup final the stadium had was the historic match between AC Milan and FC Barcelona. Milan pulled off the upset victory in what is considered to be one of the biggest upsets and the most exciting games in the events history. If this year’s championship can come anywhere close to that, fans are in for a big treat.

Below is a complete schedule of the quarterfinal matches:

Tuesday, April 3, 2007
TIME	HOME		AWAY	STAGE	VENUE
14:45 ET	AC Milan	v	Bayern Munich	Quarterfinals	Stadio Giuseppe Meazza
14:45 ET	PSV Eindhoven	v	Liverpool	Quarterfinals	Philips Stadion

Wednesday, April 4, 2007
TIME	HOME		AWAY	STAGE	VENUE
14:45 ET	Chelsea	v	Valencia	Quarterfinals	Stamford Bridge
14:45 ET	Roma	v	Man Utd	Quarterfinals	Stadio Olimpico

Tuesday, April 10, 2007
TIME	HOME		AWAY	STAGE	VENUE
14:45 ET	Man Utd	v	Roma	Quarterfinals	Old Trafford
14:45 ET	Valencia	v	Chelsea	Quarterfinals	Estadio Mestalla

Wednesday, April 11, 2007
TIME	HOME		AWAY	STAGE	VENUE
14:45 ET	Bayern Munich	v	AC Milan	Quarterfinals	Allianz-Arena
14:45 ET	Liverpool	v	PSV Eindhoven	Quarterfinals	Anfield

Semi-finals April 24 – May 02

Finals: In Greece May 23

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In two weeks the Bellagio resort and Casino will be home to over 600 poker players.  The whole lot of them, some of them pros, some semi-pros, and some complete novices, will take their crack at winning the 25,000 dollar World Poker Tour No Limit Hold’em Championship.  The buy-in of 25,000 dollars is one of the most expensive buy-in’s in the world, and in turn, produces one the biggest amounts of victory money in any tournament in the world.

 

Last year Joe Bartholdi entered the final table in second place out of six players.  The tournament had started with 605 players focused on the big money prize at the end. After withstanding charges from all-star players Men “The Master” Nguyen and Claus Nielsen, he walked away from the tournament set for life.  After a pair of nine’s held up against David Matthew’s flush draw, Bartholdi found himself over 3.5 million dollars richer.  Not bad for a week’s worth of work.

 

Last year some of those players who tried for the grand prize got their chance by winning satellite tournaments with as little as 25 dollar buy-ins.  This year the folks of the Bellagio are even one upping themselves.  On April 6, the first day of the tournament, there will be a super satellite tournament with no buy-in.  That’s right; a freeroll will give one lucky person a chance to play for prize money that is expected to be more than the 3.5 million Bartholdi won last year. 

 

Even if you are lucky to get into the tournament for free, you will still have to get through many very solid players.  The Bellagio poker room has many pros that play there regularly, in a special room in the back called “Bobby’s room.”  Players you can expect to see playing there at any given time are Jennifer Harman, Daniel Negreanu, and David Benyamine, who are all expected to play in the championship tournament.

 

The Bellagio Poker room is not only one of the best Las Vegas has to offer, but one of the best the world has to offer.  When the poker craze took off about five years ago the Bellagio was one of the first big time casinos to take notice.  They renovated what once was a fairly small poker room, to the one that has been host of many of the poker tournaments you see on the Travel Channel.  Some of the bigger tournaments that have been played here in just the last couple of years have been the Bellagio Cup I and II, the 4^th annual Five-Star World Poker Classic, and the Fiesta Al Lago V, just to name a few. 

 

During a regular poker night, the Bellagio poker room holds up to 40 tables, but has plenty of room to expand, as seen on TV, for a big tournament.  Another thing that often gets overlooked, but is very important, is how good the dealers are.  By all accounts, the dealers at the Bellagio are among the best in the business.  The dealers here are often complemented (and presumably tipped well) by both the tourists and the locals.  This is another reason that the World Poker Tour continues to host their bigger tournaments here.

 

If you are looking for your chance to win millions, now is your chance.  Below is the complete schedule of events:

Fri, Apr 6th Super Satellite – No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons freeroll   Sat, Apr 7th to

Sat, Apr 7th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500   Sun, Apr 8th to

Sun, Apr 8th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,000   Mon, Apr 9th to

Mon, Apr 9th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500   Tue, Apr 10th to

Tue, Apr 10th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $3,000   Wed, Apr 11th to

Wed, Apr 11th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $5,000   Thu, Apr 12th to

Thu, Apr 12th Super Satellite – No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500   Fri, Apr 13th to

Fri, Apr 13th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500   Sat, Apr 14th to

Sat, Apr 14th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,000   Sun, Apr 15th to

Sun, Apr 15th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500   Mon, Apr 16th to

Mon, Apr 16th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $3,000   Tue, Apr 17th to

Tue, Apr 17th No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $5,000   Wed, Apr 18th to

Wed, Apr 18th Seniors – No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500   Thu, Apr 19th to

Thu, Apr 19th Super Satellite – No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500   Fri, Apr 20th to

Fri, Apr 20th Super Satellite – No Limit Hold’em
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500   Sat, Apr 21st to
Fri, Apr 27th WPT No Limit Hold’em Championship
No Rebuy/Add-ons $25,000

 

 

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After four furious, frantic days of college basketball, 16 teams are just three games away from playing for their ultimate goal, a national championship.  Amazingly enough, every team still playing is a single digit seed.  The last time there was a double digit seed that advanced to the round of 16 was way back in 1995.  This would apparently seem that the big boy schools are doing their jobs by advancing like they should, but there is more to it than meets the eye.

 

For starters, it seems that the NCAA selection committee has started seeding mid-major conference teams more respectfully.  A prime example of that is the four seeding of this year’s Sweet 16 participant, Southern Illinois.  In years past they would have probably been a double digit seed and would have had a much harder route towards a championship.  Instead, thanks to the success of themselves, and more importantly other smaller conference teams, they have earned some much deserved respect.  The same thing can go for Butler.  Butler ended up losing their conference tournament to Wright State and still made the tournament, as an at large bid, as a number five seed.  Wright State, on the other hand, was sent packing in the first round.  Thanks to the Gonzagas and George Masons of the world, these teams are now getting a fair chance.

 

There are also some teams from the larger conferences that have made a surprising run so far.  Nobody expected Tennessee to advance this far.  More than a few people had them being upset by Long Beach University, a 12^th seed, in the first round.  When they blew by them nobody thought they would get by the University of Virginia, who just narrowly missed finishing atop the ACC.  Now they have proven themselves so much that experts are giving them a chance against the number one seeded Ohio State.  My, what a difference a few teams games can make.

 

The University of Southern California is another team people predicted to be out within the first two rounds.  After beating Arkansas by 17 in the first round they were matched against Kevin Durrant and the Texas Longhorns.  USC put up an even better performance and beat them by 19.  Texas was favored by many to be the ones meeting the University of North Carolina; instead, it is going to be USC.  Other teams that were expected to be upset early were the Runnin’ Rebels of the University of Las Vegas, and the Commodores of Vanderbilt, they too marched on to the Sweet 16.

 

There is also something else uncommon about this tournament; all of the number one seeds are still hanging on.  When the public is filling out their brackets and get down to the final four they usually have to erase it when they realize they have all four number one seeds advancing.  This year all the people who played it conservative may have the best looking brackets.

 

When the games start back up this Thursday one underdog has a home crowd advantage.  The number three seeded Texas A&M Aggies get to play the number two seeded Memphis Tigers in San Antonio Texas.  It was a surprise to some that Memphis has already advanced this far, so they will have more than a few things to overcome.  Another team that will have a home court advantage is the University of California Los Angeles Bruins.  The Bruins, seeded second take on the three seeded Pittsburg Panthers in San Jose, California.  Even though the Bruins had some trouble down the stretch, they have seemed to come into their own during the tournament.  With a victory, and a University of Florida victory, the two teams will meet in a rematch of last year’s championship game.

 

Schedule:

Thursday, March 21

West Region San Jose, CA

4. Southern Illinois (29-6) vs. 1. Kansas (32-4) at 7:10 PM ET

3. Pittsburg (29-7) vs. 2. UCLA (28-5) at 9:40 PM ET

 

South Region San Antonio, TX

3. Texas A&M (27-6) vs. 2. Memphis (32-3) at 7:27 PM ET

5. Tennessee (24-10) vs. 1. Ohio St. (32-3) 9:57 PM ET

 

Friday, March 22

Midwest Region St. Louis, MO

5. Butler (29-6) vs. 1. Florida (31-5) 7:10 PM ET

7. UNLV (30-6) vs. 3. Oregon (28-7) 9:40 PM ET

 

East Region East Rutherford, NJ

6. Vanderbilt (22-11) vs. 2. Georgetown (28-6) 7:27 PM ET

5. USC (25-11) vs. 1. North Carolina (30-6) 9:57 PM ET

 

 

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On April 5^th, the world’s best golfers and those looking to make their initial impact will embark on one of the most storied set of 18-holes in the world.  This patch of land in Augusta, Georgia has been responsible for making legends out of normal players.  Since 1934 when Horton Smith won the first Masters and donned the green jacket that the winners are awarded, it has been every golfer’s dream to win this tournament at least once.

 

Up until a few years ago, Phil Mickelson wondered if he would ever win a major tournament, let alone the Masters.  In 2004, after narrowly losing the last couple of years, Mickelson finally beat the field and took the weight off his shoulders while feeling the weight of the illusive green jacket finally press down on him.  Mickelson liked the feeling so much he decided to win the tournament again last year.

 

Since 2001, three people have won The Masters – Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Mike Weir snuck out with a victory in 2003.  Woods has actually three out of the last six Masters, and won his first one back in 1997.  In Woods’ standards, going an entire year without winning the Masters might be considered a drought.  After all, after winning back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, it was three years before he won another title, so Woods is used to winning this thing.  With one more victory he would tie Jack Nicklaus in all time Masters victories with five.  To put that in perspective, Nicklaus won his five titles over a 23 year span.  In just 10 years, Woods has nearly matched that accomplishment.

 

Vijay Singh won his only Masters tournament back in 2000.  At the time there was reason to believe he would win many more.  While Singh has not been able to win another green jacket, he has continuously been at or near the top in the world rankings.  Unlike Tiger Woods, Singh plays in a large part of the tournaments the PGA has to offer, so in turn, he is always near the top of the rankings in money earned, as well. 

 

A player that has never won the green jacket before but has also consistently been near the top of the rankings is Ernie Els.  The three time major event winner has been bothered by a lingering knee injury that has hampered his play for the last couple of years.  At one time, golfing experts were predicting Els would be Woods’ number one competitor, but those plans were derailed with the injury.  Els has shot back into title contention this year by finishing in the top ten in six of the eight events he has played in. 

 

Golf is one of the hardest sports to make an educated guess on who you think will win.  There are so many factors that come down to it at the end that it would be impossible to figure out.  Of course, a smart bet would be to put your money on either Woods or Mickelson.  They have won the most tournaments recently and they are generally regarded as the best players in the world.  But, these kinds of tournaments also can bring relative unknowns to the top.  For example, Mike Weir won the 2003 tournament, but has only won a single tournament since then.  As a golf fan, part of the fun comes from waiting for the unexpected.  As noted, the legendary course in Augusta has brought many unexpected things.

 

Tournament Schedule

All times Eastern Daylight Savings Time

 

 

Monday, April 2 – Tuesday, April 3                    

Practice Round

Wednesday, April 4

Practice Round

Par 3 Contest

Thursday, April 5

Competitive Round

Friday, April 6

Competitive Round

Saturday, April 7

Competitive Round

Sunday, April 8

Final Competitive Round

 

 

2007 MASTERS TOURNAMENT INVITEES

Current Field to Date

 

 

Tommy Aaron (1)

Stephen Ames (Canada)(5,10)

Severiano Ballesteros (Spain)(1)

Rich Beem (4)

Gay Brewer Jr. (1)

Jack Burke Jr. (1)

Angel Cabrera (Argentina)(10)

Chad Campbell (10)

Michael Campbell (New Zealand)(2)

Billy Casper (1)

Stewart Cink (10)

Tim Clark (South Africa)(10)

Charles Coody (1)

Fred Couples (1,10)

Ben Crenshaw (1)

Ben Curtis (3)

Chris DiMarco (12)

Luke Donald (England)(13)

Ernie Els (South Africa)(3,12)

Nick Faldo (England)(1)

#Kenneth Ferrie (England)(11)

Raymond Floyd (1)

Doug Ford (1)

Fred Funk (5)

Jim Furyk (2,11,12)

Sergio Garcia (Spain)(13)

Bob Goalby (1)

#*Julien Guerrier (France) (7)

Retief Goosen (South Africa)(2,10)

Todd Hamilton (3)

Padraig Harrington (Ireland)(11)

Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain)(10)

  #* John Kelly (6-B)

Bernhard Langer (Germany)(1)

Sandy Lyle (Scotland)(1)

Billy Mayfair (10)

Shaun Micheel (4,13)

Phil Mickelson (1,4,11)

Larry Mize (1)

Colin Montgomerie (Scotland)(11)

Byron Nelson (1)

Jack Nicklaus (1)

Arron Oberholser (10)

Geoff Ogilvy (Australia)(2,10)

Nick O’Hern (Australia)(11)

Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain)(1,10)

Mark O’Meara (1)

Arnold Palmer (1)

Rod Pampling (Australia)(10)

Gary Player (South Africa)(1)

#* Richie Ramsay (Scotland)(6-A)

Adam Scott (Australia)(13)

Vijay Singh (Fiji)(1,4,10,11)

Jeff Sluman (11)

Craig Stadler (1)

Steve Stricker (11)

Scott Verplank (10)

#* Casey Watabu (8)

Tom Watson (1)

Mike Weir (Canada)(1,10,11)

#* Dave Womack (9)

Tiger Woods (1,2,3,4,10)

Ian Woosnam (Wales)(1)

Fuzzy Zoeller (1)

 

 

Number after each name indicates the basis of qualification. The Masters Committee, at its discretion, also invites international players not otherwise qualified.

 

 

1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)

2. US Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)

3. British Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)

4. PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after 5 years)

5. Winners of The Players Championship (3 years)

6. Current US Amateur Champion (6-A) (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year) and the runner-up (6-B) to the current US Amateur Champion

7. Current British Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after 1 year)

8. Current US Amateur Public Links Champion

9. Current US Mid-Amateur Champion for 2006

10. The first 16 players, including ties, in the 2006 Masters Tournament

11. The first 8 players, including ties, in the 2006 US Open Championship

12. The first 4 players, including ties, in the 2006 British Open Championship

13. The first 4 players, including ties, in the 2006 PGA Championship

14. The 40 leaders on the Final Official PGA Tour Money List for 2006

15. The 10 leaders on the Official PGA Tour Money List published during the week prior to the 2007 Masters Tournament.

16. The 50 leaders on the Final Official World Golf Ranking for 2006.

17. The 50 leaders on the Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the 2007 Masters Tournament

 

 

 

 

# Denotes first Masters     * Denotes Amateur

 

 

 

 

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It would be nearly impossible to discuss every single theme heading into a brand new baseball season. Year after year, hundreds of publications make their educated guesses as to who they think will be World Series champions when it is all said and done. More times than not, these people fall well short of their predictions. In an attempt to avoid that situation myself, I will just discuss some of the big issues going into the fresh season.

Can D-Mat lead the Red Sox back to the World Series?

The Red Sox pre-season signing of legendary Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka was the biggest story coming into the year. The Red Sox felt so strong about gaining this treasured acquisition that they gave him 103 million reasons to sign with the team. Matsuzaka brings with him an ERA of just over 2.00 spread out over 8 seasons in the Japanese ranks. He has been described of having a curveball that ranks right up there with Barry Zito, the best curveball pitcher in the league. D-Mat has even caused a stir about a pitch he may have invented, the “Gyroball.” The “Gyroball” pitch was actually invented by Japanese scientists in a laboratory, but Matsuzaka is believed to be one of the first players to use the curveball/slider-like pitch in a game. Will Matsuzaka join the ranks of other Japanese stars in the MLB like Nomo and Ichiro, or will he fail like Hideki Irabu and Kaz Matsui?

Is Carlos Zambrano a prophet?

A couple of weeks ago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano boldly predicted that he will not only win the Cy Young Award, but also that the Cubs will win the World Series. In case you are a new fan to baseball and the never ending strife of the Chicago Cubs, they have not won a World Series since 1908. Zambrano probably has a better chance of winning the Cy Young Award than they do of winning the World Series, and he finished fifth last year. But, the Cubs did improve their line up by adding all-star outfielder Alfonso Soriano. They also brought in future Hall of Fame manager Lou Piniella. Who knows, maybe this can be the year. After all you know what they say, “99^th time’s a charm!”

You can’t have a season preview without talking about the Yankee’s, can you?

The answer is no. The Yankees are always in the spotlight, and that does not change this year. We can talk about the roster moves they have made, such as Gary Sheffield’s leaving for the Detroit Tigers, and Randy Johnson’s heading back to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but that’s no fun. Instead, we’ll talk about how Alex Rodriguez made it public that he and the heart and soul of the Yankees, Derek Jeter, do not get along. One can’t help but wonder what kind of effect this will have on team chemistry. Also, it is no question that if this gets blown up in the New York City media, the fans will no doubt take the side of Jeter. In addition, last week Rodriguez made the seemingly innocent comment of wanting to end his career with the Yankees. Only he then added the comment that if the fans don’t want him he has other options. It seems like this Yankees season will revolve around Rodriguez’s relationship with his teammates and the fans. He can make it a lot easier on himself though by producing the types of numbers that originally got the Yankees fans interested in him.

Will we have a rematch of the 2006 World Series?

Last year a young Detroit Tigers team surprised the baseball world by marching all the way to the World Series before losing in five games to the eventual champion St. Louis Cardinals. The Tigers seem poised to make another run at the World Series, and they have brought in some reinforcements to make sure they not only get back but win it. Those reinforcements come in the form of Gary Sheffield and his big bat. Sheffield may be getting older, but he is still good for a batting average close to .300 and 30 home runs. The Cardinals on the other hand lost two pitchers that were a huge part of their winning it all last year. Pitchers Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis left, but will try to be replaced by former Pittsburg Pirates Pitcher Kip Wells. Wells has been the best pitcher on a poor team for quite a while, so he is looking for a place to show off his skills. Will both of these teams advance to the World Series? Probably not. There are too many intangibles that go into making a successful season. But, that is the fun of a brand new season – we never know where it will take us.

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On April 7^th, live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas many of the best ultimate fighters in the world will all do battle at UFC 69: Shootout.  The card is filled with proven champions, qualified challengers, and up and coming contenders looking to make their mark in the competitive world of the UFC.

 

The main event of the evening will pit welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre (13-1-0) against top contender Matt “The Terror” Serra (15-4-0).  Serra is best known for winning “The Ultimate Fighter 4” competition.  Serra has also gained fame for his ability to make opponents submit with a variety of ground moves.  At 32 years old, the New York native is probably nearing the end of his career, so he hopes to make the best of this championship shot.

 

St-Pierre won his championship in his last match when he defeated the believed to be unbeatable Matt Hughes.  Hughes has an incredible record in the UFC and in Mixed Martial Arts, where he had won 43 of 48 documented bouts.  The victory for St-Pierre over Hughes was sweet redemption, because back in the fall of 2004 Hughes had forced him to submit before the end of round one.  Pierre obviously took that fight as a learning experience.  He was still a relatively new comer to the world of UFC when they first fought and Hughes was in his prime.  If St-Pierre is victorious against Serra, which he is a favorite to do, it is expected he will face Hughes in a rubber match.

 

In the main support bout of the evening, undefeated welterweight prospect Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez (19-0-0) will take on once beaten Josh “Kos” Koscheck (9-1-0).  Sanchez won the second season of the show “The Ultimate Fighter.”  Sanchez is considered by most UFC pundits to not only be the best welterweight prospect in the world, but the best prospect, period.  If Sanchez is able to get past the rough and tough fighting style of Koscheck, he may very well be in line to fight St-Pierre for his welterweight championship. 

 

Rounding off the card will be middleweight Houston native Mike “Quick” Swick (10-1-0) taking on one of the best fighters Japan has to offer in Yushin Okami (20-3-0).  Okami is known for his thunderous knockout power, but will have to bring his best, because Swick will have the support of the hometown crowd in his corner.

 

Also, two of the better lightweight contenders in the world will square off in a fight to possibly determine a future championship challenger.  Leonard Garcia (13-1-0), also a Houston native, looks to defeat tough Roger Huerta.  Huerta is only 23, but has already fought 20 times, losing once, and drawing once. 

 

Starting off the event will be 6’6 middleweight, Kendall Grove (9-3-0) looking to move up the rankings by beating Alan Belcher (9-2-0).  The Hawaiian native Grove has built up quite a following in the short time he has been in the sport.  It is expected he will bring a lot of friends and family to cheer him on.

 

 

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At the end of the 2005 World Series, after being swept by the team of destiny, the Boston Red Sox, many Cardinals fans wondered if they would even have another crack at a World Series Championship. Well, they didn’t have to wait long. Just one year later they defeated the Detroit Tigers in just five games to win their first title since 1982. Now the new question fans all around baseball are asking is can the St. Louis Cardinals repeat as World Series champions?

If you listen to Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano, then no the Cardinals won’t repeat. Zambrano predicted the Chicago Cubs would win the 2007 World Series, despite not winning one in over 80 years. The Chicago Cubs are in the same division as the Cardinals, the NL Central, and they are much improved. The Cubs added all-star outfielder Alfonso Soriano and future hall of fame coach Lou Piniella, but this is not expected to be enough to take over the loaded Cardinals.

A team that is expected to compete with the Cardinals is the New York Mets. The Mets surprised everyone last year by nearly advancing to the World Series, before falling to the eventual champion Cardinals. The team brings back a powerful offense that was led by Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and David Wright. The Mets also have one of the best starting pitching rotations, including Tom Glavine and Pedro Martinez. What also separates the Mets from everyone else in the NL East, including the Philadelphia Phillies, is that they have a proven closer in Billy Wagner.

But, even if these teams can compete with the Cardinals, can they beat them in November when it counts? The Cardinals also have everything that makes up a good team. They have the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols, and just having him is good enough to get your team into the playoffs. They also have a pitcher that is always in the running for a Cy Young Award, Chris Carpenter. Carpenter will have a little more on his shoulders this year though, because the team did lose two pitchers from their World Series winning staff, Jason Marquis and Jeff Suppan. Replacing these two in the starting line up will be Kip Wells, who was the best pitcher on a bad team for the Pittsburg Pirates. Also, starting for the first time this season is Adam Wainwright. More importantly for the Cardinals pitching staff is the return of their all-star caliber pitcher, Jason Isringhausen. Isringhausen dealt with a slew of injuries down the stretch, but is feeling great heading into this season.

On paper, the Cardinals look capable of making another deep run into the playoffs, and perhaps even winning that elusive back-to-back title. Some intangibles, like team chemistry, you won’t know until the season actually starts. Will losing clubhouse leaders like Marquis and Suppan hurt the team? By all accounts Pujols is a great leader himself and if he continues swinging the bat the way he has his first few years in the league, it is hard not to look up to him.

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