121^st Wimbledon returns June 25^th-July 8^th

Hundreds of lesser known players are already in England attempting to qualify for what is regarded as the most historic of tennis’ Grand Slam Events, Wimbledon.  With some of the better players retiring or not showing up in best form lately it could be one of those late qualifiers who ends up shocking the tennis world by hoisting up the trophy at the end of the day.

A pair of examples of players that have been out of form lately actually come from the same bloodline, the Williams Sisters.  Venus and Serena have been mainstays at the top of the women tennis rankings, but have slipped off considerably due to injuries, for both of them, over the last year or so.  Venus last won Wimbledon in 2005, and has won three Wimbledon championships altogether.  For Serena it’s been a while since she’s been in the winners circle at Wimbledon.  After winning back to back championships in 2002 and 2003 she has been unable to return to form.  But, not only will the Williams’ sisters get a chance to redeem themselves in singles’ play, they will also join forces as a doubles team, something they haven’t done since Wimbledon in 2003.  Together they have won 6 major tournaments including Wimbledon in 2000 and 2002.  The sisters earned their doubles spot on a wildcard when another team went down with an injury earlier in the month.  It will be interesting to see if they can return to their old selves in both singles and doubles competition. 

Last year’s woman’s champion Amelie Mauresmo has also battled injuries since her victory.  Mauresmo is just now returning to from and hopes she can defend her championship.  Right after her departure from the Australian Open she spent nearly two months recovering from appendicitis surgery.  

The men’s side of the bracket has been dominated by only one player in the last four year, Roger Federer.  Federer first won the title as a 4 seed in 2003, and has won the last three Wimbledon’s as a number 1 seed in dominating fashion.  Not only has he won Wimbledon in dominating fashion the last few years, but he has also taken down any major competition that means anything with relatively little trouble at all.  In 2004 and 2005 Andy Roddick was Federer’s Wimbledon finals victim, and would love to get a third chance this year to finally knock him off.  Last year it was Raphael Nadal who was runner up.  Nadal has climbed up the rankings as well as one of the best players in the world, and is the most dominate player on clay, perhaps on history.  Unfortunately for him this tournament is played on grass.  But, many people are still picking a Federer vs. Nadal rematch of last years finals.

What’s important on the world stage is that for the first time ever the Men and Women’s prize pools will be exactly the same.  The debate has gone on for ages trying to determine since women play fewer sets then men should there purse be the same.  However, it really wasn’t about that because it was more a matter of equal rights, and tennis has became the first major sport to offer the same prizes for both women and men.  I imagine it will still be a while before you see the top players in the NBA and the top players in the WNBA sharing the same salary. 

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NFL World Bowl XV June 23^rd

The 15^th NFL World Bowl is set to kick-off on June 23^rd. This year’s final will pit The Frankfort Galaxy against the Hamburg Sea Devils.  The Sea Devils have won their last 4 games of the regular season and finished the season 7-3.  The Frankfurt Galaxy also finished the season 7-3 but will hold a decisive advantage because the championship will be held on their home field. 

The two teams met twice during the regular season and each took one game in very exciting contests.  In week 3 of the season the Frankfurt Galaxy won 20-17 behind the arm of J.T. O’Sullivan on their home field.  .  Sullivan finished the game with 136 yards passing and 1 touchdown.  The two teams met again in week nine of the season and this time the Hamburg Sea Devils prevailed in a high scoring affair.  Despite four touchdown passes by O’Sullivan, the Sea Devils used a level offensive attach to walk away with the victory on their home field 36-31.  The winning play came on a spectacular 50-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Casey Bramlet to wide receiver Marcus Maxwell with just 48 seconds remaining in the game.  If the championship has a much drama as these games then the fans are in for a real treat.

Hamburg Sea Devil Key Players

Hamburg wide receiver Maxwell is a key player and finished the season tied for second in the league in touchdowns with 7, all on passes.  Quarterback Bramlett completed 133 of 220 passes for a 60.5 passing percentage, among the best in the league.  He has thrown for 1,810 yards and 15 touchdowns, with just five interceptions.  The five interceptions is the best among quarterbacks who played the majority of their teams games.  Running back Quinton Griffin has combined for 712 yards this season, the top on his team.  Also, it isn’t often that you consider a kicker to play a huge part in a game, but because these teams have played so close this season that it seems likely to comedown to a winning field goal attempt.  Sea Devils kicker Shane Andrus was second among kickers in the league with 60 points, five points behind Frankfort Galaxy kicker Rhys Lloyd.  Andrus only missed one extra point attempt this year, and only 3 of his 16 field goal attempts. 

Frankfurt Galaxy Key Players

Quarterback Sullivan is easily among the tops in the league in statistics.  His 1,997 yards this season puts him over 400 yards away from his closest competition.  His 68.1 completion percentage is also tops in the league.  Also, his 15 touchdowns ties him with Bramlet for the best in the league.  Who’s catching all those passes you ask?  Wide Receiver Brandon Middleton is first in the league with 44 catches and second in yards with 532, just three yards behind the top spot.  Running back Sha-ron Edwards led the Galaxy with 237 yards rushing and 1 touchdown.  It is clear that this is a past first offense.  Kicker Lloyd, as mentioned, is top in the league in points, but also missed six of his 19 field goal attempts this year.  He would still be your choice though at the end of the game, because he already made a 56-yard field goal this year, which is nearly 10 yards farther than anyone else made this year in the league. 

The Frankfurt Galaxy finished their regular season 5-0 at home and will obviously hold a distinct advantage in this game because of it.  Hamburg had a decent record on the road, at 3-2, and already showed that they can play Frankfurt tough anywhere.  The championships bring a different atmosphere to the fans and to the players and the Hamburg players will be so focused and excited to go when they take the field they will probably hardly notice that they are the unwanted guests.

It is no secret that the NFL Europe is a training ground for the NFL in America.  Each year a handful of players from Europe get their chance to compete with the best American Football players in American because of their success in Europe.  There is no better chance for a player to make an impact on a world level then in the biggest football game Europe has to offer.  Currently Frankfort is the favorite, for obvious reasons, but that doesn’t mean a player won’t come out of nowhere for the Sea Devils, and ruin the Galaxy’s championship party. 

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In the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s recent attempts to make their product worldly renown they have decided to take their popular product to the tough city of Belfast, in Northern Ireland.  After a successful show in England earlier this year, the UFC is more than happy to head to Ireland, and via PPV for the rest of the world, On June 16^th.  The main event of the historic event will feature one fighter on a quest to regain his old championship and another fighter who is a feared fighter in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, but still a relative new comer to the world of the UFC.

Rich “Ace” Franklin (21-2-1 1 No Contest) is the former 185 pound UFC champion.  In November of 06’ lost hit championship after being TKO’ed by Anderson Silva.  This is Franklin’s only loss in nine UFC fights.   Prior to that loss Franklin had not lost a MMA match since December of 03’.  Franklin got back on the winning track this past March when he defeated Jason MacDonald at UFC 68-Uprising.  It had been MacDonald’s first loss in eight outings.  The fight ended when MacDonald’s corner had seen enough of their man getting pounded by the relentless strikes from Franklin.  In his illustrious career the 32 year old has beaten top fighters like Ken Shamrock and Evan Tanner.  But, his next opponent might be his toughest challenge yet.

The 26 year old Yushin Okami has been a force to be reckoned with since he first came on the MMA scene a little over four years ago.  Early in his career he suffered two out of his 3 losses, but it is clear that the experience he acquired in those early fights allowed him to be the top fighter he is today.  The only other loss of his career came last April in a questionable decision against Jake Shields at “Rumble at the Rock 9,” which is a different fighting organization then the UFC.  Okami made his UFC debut in August of 2006 and has amassed a record of 4 and 0 with two knockout victories.  In his last outing he defeated Mike “Quick” Swick by unanimous decision in relatively easy fashion.  Okami entered the fight with Swick as an underdog, but emerged as one of the top 185-pounders in the world. 

What many opponents of Okami have commented on is his almost inhumane like strength.  On top of his above average speed and striking abilities, it’s his ground strength that has left many opponents feeling weak and helpless. In fact, minutes after losing to Okami, Swick contemplated heading to a lower division because of how powerful Okami was and he didn’t know if he could handle that at the 185 pound division.  When you add up all these things, and the fact that he is only 26 years old it’s easy to see why Okami is one of the rising stars in the sport.  In fact, he still may not have reached his prime.

In the main support bout of the evening Forrest Griffin makes his first appearance since his defeat at UFC 66 to Keith Jardine.  Before the loss Griffin was climbing up the ranks in the 205 pound division.  He will take on tough guy Hector Ramirez. 

In another interesting undercard bout, Rory Singer will take on the previously mentioned Jason MacDonald.  The winner of this bout will once again be a step closer to perhaps another elusive title shot.

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For the 29^th year in a row the winner of the Belmont Stakes won’t be fighting for the Triple Crown, but that doesn’t mean the excitement level won’t be high. The first two races of the Triple Crown season have been fantastic, and the Belmont will most likely not disappoint.

The first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby was won by Street Sense. In one of the most exciting finishes ever in the Kentucky Derby, Street Sense battled back from second to last place to win. Sure, horses have made up ground like this before, but 99 percent of the time they come from the outside to do it. What made that even more spectacular is he did it in the most watched horse race in the world. Street Sense hugged the rail, and if just one other rider would have noticed they would have been able to cut him off, instead he rode right into victory lane.

Curlin snuck away with a victory in the Preakness by defeating Street Sense by half of a head. In the Preakness, Street Sense had once again came from the back of the pack, and seemed to have a lock on trying for the Triple Crown. Curlin, who was making only his fourth start, finished third in the Kentucky Derby. The inexperienced Curlin has shot his way up to the top of the odds maker’s boards as a clear contender to take home the Belmont Stakes. But, even thought Street Sense can probably make the Belmont a two horse race, there are others who will contend for sure.

One major thing that will be different between this race and the others is the number of competitors. The Kentucky Derby had 20 entries, making it crowded for everyone. The Belmont Stakes, at a mile and a half, is the longest track of the Triple Crown Tracks and will only have 11 starters. This means the field is wide open, and every horse will be running in full stride.

One of those horses that will look to take the thunder away from Street Sense and Curlin is Nobiz Like Shobiz. Nobiz Like Shobiz came into the Kentucky Derby winning four races in six starts. Unfortunately he got caught up in the traffic in the Kentucky Derby and, without being able to make a move, finished a disappointing tenth.

Tiago is another horse who has been disappointing in the Triple Crown season, but came in as a dark horse to begin with. The half-brother to 2005 Kentucky Derby Giacomo, finished seventh in this year’s Derby and did not run in the Preakness. Much like Curlin, he was a novice to big time racing, with only 5 career starts. But one of his wins came at the Santa Anita Derby at 50-1 odds. He will most likely still be a long shot at the Belmont, but he is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Belmont Park is located in Elmont, New York, and because of it being the longest distance of all the Triple Crown horses is also known as the “Test of Champions.” The most famous moment to ever come out of Belmont Park is when in 1973 Secretariat won the race by 31-lengths and set a world record time of 2:24.

It’s unsure that a horse will ever win by that margin again, but what is sure is that Curlin and Street Sense have started a nice rivalry that could come to a fantastic conclusion this Saturday at the Belmont Stakes!

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The city of Cleveland hasn’t experienced a championship in any sport since their Browns were winning NFL championships way back in the 1940’s and 50’s. This time the city is relying on a King to take them to the promise land. His name is “King” LeBron James. James, who is just 22, would normally be just getting ready to get out of College. Instead, he just led his team past the favorite Detroit Pistons in six action packed games.

Much like Michael Jordan though, LeBron James wasn’t able to reach this point on his own. Down 2-1 in the series, the Cavaliers were hoping for some extra help. A banged up Larry Hughes was unable to perform at his normally high level, so he was out of the question. Out steps Daniel Gibson. Before the start of the playoffs the only way you would have heard of Gibson is if you were a diehard fan of the team. He put up 21 points in route to helping his team tie the series at 2-2. From that point on, with the help of Gibson, King James and his crew swept the rest of the series and advanced to play the Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs have won three championships since 1999, with their last one coming in the 2002-2003 season. The reason for this success isn’t a coincidence. Since the arrival of Tim Duncan, arguably the most well-balanced player in the league, they have constantly been near the top of the standings in the NBA.

Just like James though, Duncan has a supporting cast. His teammates are so good that any number of them would be the go to guy on any other team. Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli play both sides of the floor well, and are both viable options when the game is on the line. They also have Michael Finley, who has been one of the better guards in the league for nearly the last decade. He has gotten a little older, but he is still good for 15 points a night and if you need him to step up, he can double that.

The role players for the Spurs also give them an advantage over most teams in the league. Robert Horry A.K.A. “Big Shot Bob” has won championships with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs. He can go games at a time without being heard of, but if you need a 3-pointer with time running down, he is the man you go to, as he has proved time and time again. They also have Brent Barry, who is also good for a timely 3-pointer in a bind.

If favorites on paper are clearly the San Antonio Spurs. While Drew Gooden, Hughes, and Gibson are nice components to a team, the Spurs look like an all-star team. But, the Cavaliers have already proven than being an underdog doesn’t mean much to them though. LeBron James is starting to put on Jordanesque performances, a few of which have already gone down in history, including scoring 28 of his teams final 30 points in game five versus the Detroit Pistons.

The Spurs will start the series on Thursday on their home court because they earned home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Even if the Spurs get off to a 2-0 lead with their first two games at home it doesn’t mean the Cavaliers are out of it, because the same thing happened to them in their last series.

The NBA championships finally have some star power in a Tim Duncan vs. LeBron James match up that be one for the ages.

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