A lot of people like to complain that baseball is boring, slow and not much fun to watch. Others would say that they love the drama, intense rivalries and calculated strategies. No matter what your opinion on the game is, there’s nothing that will get you more invested in the game than playing in a  fantasy baseball league. So, with Spring Training now underway, and the season only a few short weeks away, I thought it would be a great time to give my predictions and insight for the upcoming fantasy season.

Safest Bets – These are the most reliable picks you can make

No need to over think it. Pick Albert Pujols.

Albert Pujols: There’s absolutely no debate here. Ten straight seasons with over 30 home runs and 100 RBI’s make Pujols one of the top hitters in the history of the sport. He’s also scored 100 or more runs each season except for once when he scored 99. At 31 years-old, he’s still in his prime. It’s no secret that he’s in the last year of his contract and if he maintains his consistency this season, he could earn the highest paying contract ever. Pujols has also been extremely durable throughout his 10 year career, only missing more than ten games twice, while the least amount of at-bats he’s had in a season was 524. The numbers don’t lie, which is why Pujols will be the top pick in most drafts this season.

Roy Halladay: Since making the switch from the American League to the National League, Halladay has been the top pitcher in the game. Over the past five seasons, Halladay has averaged 18 wins, a mind blowing 7.6 complete games (which scores huge points in fantasy leagues), 180 K’s and a very reliable 32.2 starts. Even if Halladay doesn’t deliver a dominating performance each time he pitches, the Phillies should be able to give him enough run support to add a few extra wins to his total.

Not worth the price of admission – The following players won’t be worthy of their high draft position

Ryan Howard: The Phillies first basemen will still put up decent numbers, but wont’t offer much value based on where he’ll get picked. Since becoming an everyday player in 2006, Howard’s lowest totals in hits, home runs, rbi’s and walks came last season. With Jason Werth’s big bat no longer in the line-up, Howard will miss out on more opportunities to put up fantasy numbers. You’re better off waiting to the later rounds to grab your first basemen.

Adrian Beltre: Two times in his career, he has hit for a .300 avg and over 100 RBI’s in the same season. Both times were in contract years and he’s entering the first year of a six year deal. Beltre has been inconsistent throughout his career, especially when he’s not playing for a new contract. If you’re looking for your third basemen to put up big numbers, you should look somewhere else.

Back from the dead - Here’s a few guys who should be able to regain the form that made them fantasy stars in the past

Carlos Beltran: With two injury riddled seasons behind him, and in the last year of his contract with the Mets, Beltran should be able to regain the form that made him one of fantasy’s top outfielders over the last decade. When healthy, Beltran is an absolute game changer. From 2001 to 2008 Beltran averaged almost 30 home runs, 103.5 RBI’s and 108 runs. Beltran’s still only 32 years old and should have plenty of pop left in his bat. He’s not worthy and to risky to be your first outfielder selected, but will be worth the risk later in the draft when you’re filling your other outfield slots.

Aaron Hill: Did any player fall off more than Hill did in 2010? After a breakout 2009 season, Hill battled a brutal hamstring injury throughout the season which resulted in a horrible .205 batting average. Having an average that low means everything suffers, but Hill still managed to ht 26 home runs. With his hamstring injury being a thing of the past, Hill can be expected to raise his batting average closer to his career average of .270, which should have a dramatic impact on his runs, RBI’s and obviously hits.

Breakout stars – I think the title of this section is pretty self-explanatory

Dallas Braden: With two full seasons under his belt, the Oakland pitcher is ready burst. Braden’s 11-14 record from last season is anything but impressive, but his five complete games and 192.2 innings pitched prove that he has the tools to be a star. With a little bit of run support and some help from the bullpen, Braden could turn into one of fantasy’s top pitchers in 2011. If you need a pitcher towards the end of your draft, pick Braden because he should be available late.

Billy Butler: In a league that’s dominated by first basemen, the name Billy Butler isn’t one that usually pops up, mainly because he plays on the Royals and because he’s not even 25 years old yet. Butler did see a dip in his home run and RBI numbers last season, but did see an increase in hits, walks, average, on-base percentage and struck out 25 less times. We keep hearing about all the young talent in Kansas City, and Butler is about as bright as the young stars get.

In conclusion, you can take my advice or leave it, but don’t go into your draft blind. Have a strategy of players you want to target and decide what positions are most important to draft early. Positions such as shortstop and catcher are very shallow, with a huge drop off after the first few players, so it might be smart to snag up one of these positions early. Don’t be afraid to take risks on unknown players in the late rounds. Winning a league often comes down to getting big points from unlikely players, so do your homework on new players in starting roles. That’s it for now, but I’ll be back throughout the season with more fantasy baseball content. Have fun and good luck drafting!

Joe Osborne is a sports and entertainment enthusiast who resides in Halifax, NS. To read more articles like this, visit WhatUpSports.com, or you can follow Joe on Twitter @TheJoeOsborne.

By Joe Osborne

The All-Star Game combines the most talented and popular players in the league which ironically results in a sloppy game with very little defense and lots of two on none fast breaks. It’s no secret that the game lacks any type of competitiveness and involves very little teamwork as most players are there to put on a show and display their individual talents. So, out of the 25 all-stars selected to play in this years game, who would form the best five man lineup? When building the best possible team, I aimed to have players who can fill specific roles, not necessarily the best player at the position. Here’s what I think.

CP3's passing and three point touch make him the choice for Point Guard.

Point Guard (Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook) – Of all the positions, this is probably the toughest call. When building a team like this, the primary goal for the point guard position would be to have the best play maker, aka a pass first player. That pretty much eliminates Derek Rose and Russell Westbrook from the conversation, who rank last and second last respectively among the all-star PG’s in assists per game. Of the three remaining PG’s, Rajon Rondo averages the most assist, but he’s ranks extremely low in the three point category, only making a surprising nine three point shots so far this season. Rondo also leads the PG’s in turnover’s per game, so he’s out. Paul and Williams are neck and neck in terms of assists, both averaging 9.7 per game. Paul, however, is averaging a steal more per game, one less turnover and has a much better three point shooting percentage (.439 to Williams’ .348). The stats don’t lie, that’s why Chris Paul makes the cut.

Shooting Guard (Dwayne Wade, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, Manu Ginobili, Kobe Bryant) – The ideal shooting guard for this team should be a able to score from anywhere on the court and in a lot of cases should be able to defend the other teams best player. Given the fact that Kobe Bryant is the best finisher in the league and has made five straight NBA all-defense first teams and seven overall, he gets the nod, with Dwayne Wade coming in as runner up.

Small Forward (Lebron James, Paul Pierce, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony) – This position demands another all around talent, and there’s a few great candidates here. All four SF’s can score with ease, but Lebron’s 7.3 assist per game make him stand out from the rest. Lebron has proved that he can share the ball and play many different roles. That combined with two consecutive NBA all-defense first team selections makes Lebron James the choice. Being the best player in the league doesn’t hurt either.

Power Forward and Center *since the majority of these guys are listed as PF/C, I though it would be best to group them together and pick the top two. (Amar’e Stoudemire, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett, Al Horford, Yao Ming, Tim Duncan, Pau Gassol, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Dirk Nowitzki) - Having Kobe and Lebron to take care of most of the scoring means that you’ll need your big men to do lots of the dirty work and they won’t be counted on as one of the teams top offensive threats. Amar’e Stoudemire and Disco Dirk get checked off due to their need to have the ball in their hands. The choice for power forward might come to as a surprise to some some, but I think it’s a no-brainer to plug Kevin Love into this slot. Love leads the league in rebounds and when needed can also score, as is evidence of his 21.1 points per game. Love can hang out under the net and clean up the boards and put the ball in the net when the opportunity presents itself. Choosing a center for the team is probably the easiest position to choose. The most athletic center in the league is Dwight Howard, and he gets the center spot due ridiculous rebounding and blocking capabilities as well as his ability to finish around net, plus he could be counted on to shut down the other team’s best big man.

To recap:

PG – Chris Paul

SG – Kobe Bryant

SF – Lebron James

PF – Kevin Love

C – Dwight Howard

Arguments could be made for most of this years selections to make my all-star team within the all-star teams, but I think the lineup I put together is the best possible team. You could easily make a great second team, third team and forth team. Wouldn’t it be fun if some type of event existed where you could could watch all of these superstars face off against each other? Maybe someday. Enjoy All-Star weekend!

- Follow Joe on Twitter @TheJoeOsborne or visit his blog - What Up Sports

The All-Star Game combines the most talented and popular players in the league which ironically results in a sloppy game with very little defense and lots of two on none fast breaks. It’s no secret that the game lacks any type of competitiveness and involves very little teamwork as most players are there to put on a show and display their individual talents. So, out of the 25 all-stars selected to play in this years game, who would form the best five man lineup? When building the best possible team, I aimed to have players who can fill specific roles, not necessarily the best player at the position. Here’s what I think.

CP3's passing and three point touch make him the choice for Point Guard.

Point Guard (Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook) – Of all the positions, this is probably the toughest call. When building a team like this, the primary goal for the point guard position would be to have the best play maker, aka a pass first player. That pretty much eliminates Derek Rose and Russell Westbrook from the conversation, who rank last and second last respectively among the all-star PG’s in assists per game. Of the three remaining PG’s, Rajon Rondo averages the most assist, but he’s ranks extremely low in the three point category, only making a surprising nine three point shots so far this season. Rondo also leads the PG’s in turnover’s per game, so he’s out. Paul and Williams are neck and neck in terms of assists, both averaging 9.7 per game. Paul, however, is averaging a steal more per game, one less turnover and has a much better three point shooting percentage (.439 to Williams’ .348). The stats don’t lie, that’s why Chris Paul makes the cut.

Shooting Guard (Dwayne Wade, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, Manu Ginobili, Kobe Bryant) – The ideal shooting guard for this team should be a able to score from anywhere on the court and in a lot of cases should be able to defend the other teams best player. Given the fact that Kobe Bryant is the best finisher in the league and has made five straight NBA all-defense first teams and seven overall, he gets the nod, with Dwayne Wade coming in as runner up.

Small Forward (Lebron James, Paul Pierce, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony) – This position demands another all around talent, and there’s a few great candidates here. All four SF’s can score with ease, but Lebron’s 7.3 assist per game make him stand out from the rest. Lebron has proved that he can share the ball and play many different roles. That combined with two consecutive NBA all-defense first team selections makes Lebron James the choice. Being the best player in the league doesn’t hurt either.

Power Forward and Center *since the majority of these guys are listed as PF/C, I though it would be best to group them together and pick the top two. (Amar’e Stoudemire, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett, Al Horford, Yao Ming, Tim Duncan, Pau Gassol, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Dirk Nowitzki) - Having Kobe and Lebron to take care of most of the scoring means that you’ll need your big men to do lots of the dirty work and they won’t be counted on as one of the teams top offensive threats. Amar’e Stoudemire and Disco Dirk get checked off due to their need to have the ball in their hands. The choice for power forward might come to as a surprise to some some, but I think it’s a no-brainer to plug Kevin Love into this slot. Love leads the league in rebounds and when needed can also score, as is evidence of his 21.1 points per game. Love can hang out under the net and clean up the boards and put the ball in the net when the opportunity presents itself. Choosing a center for the team is probably the easiest position to choose. The most athletic center in the league is Dwight Howard, and he gets the center spot due ridiculous rebounding and blocking capabilities as well as his ability to finish around net, plus he could be counted on to shut down the other team’s best big man.

To recap:

PG – Chris Paul

SG – Kobe Bryant

SF – Lebron James

PF – Kevin Love

C – Dwight Howard

Arguments could be made for most of this years selections to make my all-star team within the all-star teams, but I think the lineup I put together is the best possible team. You could easily make a great second team, third team and forth team. Wouldn’t it be fun if some type of event existed where you could could watch all of these superstars face off against each other? Maybe someday. Enjoy All-Star weekend!

- Follow Joe on Twitter @TheJoeOsborne or visit his blog - What Up Sports

By Joe Osborne

UFC 125 has come and gone, and any MMA fan would agree that it was by far the best UFC event of 2011 (wink!). There were some stand-out performances that will elevate some fighters to the upper echelon of their respective divisions, while some fighters were less than impressive and will have to go back to the drawing board. Here’s what could be next for UFC 125’s standout performers.

Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard

If there was ever an MMA fight that deserved a draw as a final result, this was it. For all the slack that judges take from fans and media, it’s fair to say that they did a good job scoring this fight. The winner of the match was scheduled to take on Anthony Pettis, but given the draw, it’s only fair that these two will get to face off again, which is exactly what Dana White confirmed following the event. Although this is a fight that fans will want to see, it creates a bit of a log jam in the division as far as future title fights are concerned, as the likes of Pettis, Jim Miller and George Sotiropoulos are all in the mix for a shot at the title. Expect to see Edgar – Maynard 3 sooner than later, possibly even at UFC 129 in Toronto.

Expect to see the Frankie Edgar/Gray Maynard trilogy sometime in the first half of 2011

As for the fight itself, a lot of credit should be given to both fighters for very strong performances. In an attempt to shed his ‘boring’ label, Maynard put on a great boxing display, while it was business as usual for Frankie Edgar who utilized great foot work and strong wrestling offense and defense to keep the fight close. Props also have to go to referee Yves Lavigne, who gave Edgar a chance to rebound after getting knocked around really good early in the fight.

Brian Stann

Stann utilized a great mix of crisp punching and raw aggression to lay a serious beat down on an equally aggressive Chris Leben. Winning in such impressive fashion in the co-main event of a UFC pay-per-view warrants a big fight for any fighter, and things will be no different for Stann. Like a handful of other fighters in the division, Stann called for a fight with Wanderlei Silva, but a fight with Nate Marquardt could be just as, if not more entertaining, and probably makes more sense.

Chris Leben

There’s no other way about it, Leben had his ass handed to him on Saturday night. With a victory, he most likely would have entered into the top five in the division, but after the convincing loss, he’ll be forced to start from scratch and try to make his way back up that ladder. The UFC should give the fans what they want to see and pair him up with Wanderlei Silva. It’s a fight that would combine two of the most ferocious strikers in the division, and possibly a fight that would pave the way for Silva to be worthy of a number one contender fight.

Thiago Silva

After a year layoff, Silva looked great in all aspects of the fight, and is once again right in the mix with the other top contenders in the light heavyweight division. There’s a lot of questions in the division as to who will be the next in line for a title shot after Rashad Evans, but those questions will probably be answered after UFC 125 with two big fights between Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader and also Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin. Silva will probably face off next against the winner of either fight, with a fight against the winner of Franklin/Griffin making the most sense.

Brandon Vera

Vera has now lost three fights in row, and looked seriously out of his league against Silva. Three loses in a row in the UFC usually equals a pink slip, but they might cut him some slack given the level of competition that he lost to. If Vera isn’t given his walking papers, the UFC might throw him a bone and pair him up with a newcomer to see if he can regain the form that at one time made him one of MMA’s top prospects.

Clay Guida

Guida took a page out of Frankie Edgar’s book by using constant movements and great footwork which frustrated Gomi, making him miss on his heavy punch attempts which opened Gomi up for the takedown, which ultimately led to Guida’s impressive submission victory. A fight that would great sense for Guida would be a fight against Jim Miller, however Miller is scheduled to fight Kamal Shalorus at UFC 128. It wouldn’t be the first time the UFC switch opponents, as this would be an opportunity to eliminate a title contender. If the UFC can’t make it happen, Guida would be the perfect opponent to welcome former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson to the octagon.

Other Fights That Should Happen

Dong Hyun Kim vs. the winner of Carlos Condit and Chris Lytle

Nate Diaz vs. Johnny Hendricks

Takanori Gomi vs. Jeremy Stephens

Marcus Davis (if he doesn’t get cut) vs. Joe Stevenson in a loser leaves town match

That’s it for UFC 125. If other events in 2011 can be as good, then we’re in for a great year of fights in the UFC. Don’t agree with my predictions for future fights? Let me know what fights  make sense to you and why. Have fun and we’ll do it again after UFC 126 on Super Bowl weekend.

Joe Osborne is a sports and entertainment enthusiast who resides in Halifax, NS. To read more articles like this, visit WhatUpSports.com, or you can contact Joe at osbornejt@hotmail.com.

Any knowledgeable MMA fan could tell you that UFC 124 wasn’t the best card on paper. It was an event being carried by its main event with the other fights lacking any type of title implications, but it didn’t matter. The event was full of exciting finishes and dominant performances. Here’s what could be next for UFC 124’s stand-out participants.

Georges St. Pierre put on a boxing clinic against an over matched Josh Koscheck.

Georges St. Pierre: GSP was able to get some critics off his back last night, by putting on a dominant striking performance against a well rounded opponent in Josh Koscheck. It’s all but written in stone that GSP will take on Jake Shields at UFC 131 in April in Toronto, where he should be able to further display his new look boxing skills against a fighter who isn’t exactly known for his stand up ability. Dana White wouldn’t commit to the date follow last night’s event, but it wouldn’t really make sense to not have GSP in the main event of what will be the biggest UFC event ever that just happens to be taking place in Canada. Baring any type of injury, expect this fight to be announced early next year.

Josh Koscheck: While St.Pierre’s next opponent might be obvious, the same can’t be said for Koscheck who was completely dominated by the welterweight champion. Most of the big names in the welterweight division already have fights lined-up, and with a rumored bout between Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann, there’s not too many options left. Fans would love to see a fight between Koscheck and Dan Hardy, as the war of words leading up to the fight would be just as entertaining as the fight itself, but Hardy has lost two fights in a row and the UFC probably doesn’t want risk having one of its top draws from the UK lose three fights in a row. Save that fight for when Hardy gets back on track. Koscheck is a guy who likes to fight a lot and stay active, but he might consider taking some time off to heal both mentally and physically after the Ultimate Fighter and the biggest loss of his career. If he does chose to jump right back into the octagon, a rebound fight against Ricardo Almeida probably makes sense as Koscheck will once again have to start over in his quest for a title.

Stefan Struve: Struve made easy work of Sean McCorkle and cemented himself as one of the more well- rounded fighters in the division by showing some great ground skills and submission defense. Following the fight, Dana White said that Struve is in the mix, but the UFC would be wise not to rush him into anything. In previous bouts with proven UFC heavyweights Roy Nelson and Junior Dos Santos, Struve was simply out-classed and was flat out beaten up both times. Struve isn’t exactly green, but he’s still only 22 and his best days are clearly ahead of him. Before throwing him to a top five contender, he should face off against a fighter who’s in a similar situation to him. Enter Brenden Schaub. Much like Struve, Schaub’s destined for a fight against a big named opponent, but he’s not quite there yet. Let these two face off and the winner will move up to the next level.

Thiago Alves: The pitbull reminded everybody that he’s not just one of the best strikers in his division, but in all of MMA with an elite level performance over John Howard who will have a tough time walking over the next few days. In post fight interviews, Alves was quick to call for a fight with Jake Shields, but that’s not realistic right now, due to Shields’ number one contender status. In a division where most of the top fighters already have something lined-up, Alves might be forced to wait for the winner of an upcoming bout. The UFC could go a few different directions with him. Alves vs. the winner of Nate Diaz and Dong Hyum Kim on January 1st would make sense as would a fight with Amir Sodollah , in what would be a fan friendly stand up war.

Jim Miller: Not many fighters in the UFC have a hot streak as good as Jim Miller’s right now. Six victories in a row, including four in 2010, but still, where’s the love? It’s obvious that Miller has to be paired with a top contender, but similar to the welterweight division, most of the top names are spoken for. A fight with Kenny Florian would make lots of sense, depending on the severity of Florian’s injury which forced him to pull out of a fight with Evan Dunham. Other than that, he’ll probably have to wait for another contender to emerge in one of the early bouts of 2011, or maybe even fight the loser of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard.

Sean Pierson: The most impressive Canadian on the card not named Georges St. Pierre was definitely Sean Pierson. Pierson emerged victorious in what was the most exciting fight of the night. Although his pace slowed down considerably in rounds two and three he still fought smart and used some great technical boxing skills to keep the aggressive Matt Riddle from inflicting too much damage. Pierson’s exciting, balls out style is built for a TV audience, not an under card and he should be paired up with Ultimate Fighter season 11 winner Court McGee in what would be a great co-main event for a card on Spike TV.

So that’s it for UFC 124, the last UFC event for 2010. Although none of the results from the event will cause any type of shake up as far as a title fights are concerned, the victorious fighters will be an important part of their division’s blueprint for 2011. Now it’s your turn to play match maker and voice your thoughts on who you think the above fighters should square off with next. Have fun, and get ready to do it again soon as UFC 125 is only a few short weeks away.

Joe Osborne is a sports and entertainment enthusiast who resides in Halifax, NS. To read more articles like this, visit WhatUpSports.com, or you can contact Joe at osbornejt@hotmail.com.

A little over a week away from what he calls the biggest fight of his career, Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native and rising UFC welterweight fighter, TJ Grant took time to talk to  Joe Osborne about the fight, life in the UFC and a variety of other MMA related topics. Below is a transcript from the interview.

Q – How’s your preparation for the fight coming?

A – It’s coming along great. I’m feeling awesome. It’s what I would call my best training camp yet. I feel that my conditioning is at an all-time high. We traveled down to Brazil for two weeks to train and everything’s coming together great.

Grant will be looking to improve his record inside the octagon to 4-2.

Q– Was that your first trip to Brazil?

A – It was my first time. I’ve made trips to Thailand before and really wanted to get down to Brazil. I was gonna do it whether I had to fight or not, so  it worked out great. It was great to get down there and get some high level training done.

Q – What’s your training schedule like leading up to the fight?

A – It’s been pretty intense. We’re gonna keep it up, until we head up to Montreal on Tuesday. The last week isn’t as tough, but I’ve been getting a great sweat going everyday and going over some game plan stuff.

Q – What’s different about your diet going into a fight?

A – You still gotta eat. You can’t really cut out everything,  but you do have to cut out some of the junk to make weight, but you feel better when you eat clean. You gotta keep the protein high, and get some quality carbs and cut out a few things that I normally like to eat.

Q – What’s your walking around weight?

A – Probably mid to high 180’s. Close to the fight it gets down towards the low 180’s.

Q – Do you do any weight training at all?

A – Oh yeah, that’s part of the game. I lift weights usually three times a week and do a lot of strength and conditioning stuff like sprints.

Q – Do you think there’s any area’s of Almeida’s game that you’ll be able to exploit?

A – There’s certain things that I hope to be able to exploit in the fight, but things don’t always work out the way you plan, but I’ve done everything to prepare for the fight and the best TJ will show up.

Q – What would you say the best part of your game is?

A – I think the best part of my game is that I’m well-rounded. I feel that I have good skills in all departments. I always want to develop in all those departments, because in MMA you really have to stay up to date with everything and continuously get better.

Q – Is it fair to say that this is the biggest fight of your career?

A – It has to be. He’s a well known fighter. I call every fight in the UFC my biggest fight, because you can’t lose in the UFC consistently or you’ll get your walking papers. Every time you go out there you are fighting for your job. I gotta go out there and prove that I belong.

Q – What did you think of Almeida’s fight with Hughes.

A – Well, he got caught. A bit of a rough way for a jiu-jitsu guy getting submitted by pretty much a headlock, but that’s what Hughes brings, he’s super strong. I’m sure he’s gonna come out hungry after that loss, because you don’t want to lose two in a row in the UFC, but I’m hungry too.

Q – Do you think you have a home field advantage because the fights in Canada?

A – Yes. He’s probably more well known than I am, but they’re gonna cheer for the Canadian boy. That’s what I expect. I always try to put on a great show when I fight in Montreal and I love to fight there. I feel so comfortable and at home there. Fight week is the best part of training camp, getting to walk around the city and enjoy yourself a bit.

Q – How would you compare fighting in Montreal to fighting in Vegas?

A – If I had the choice I’d definitely choose Montreal. I’ve only been to Vegas once, but it was the hottest week I ever endured in my life. I’d rather fight in Montreal any day of the week.

Q – You’ve been fighting in the UFC since April, 2009. How have you evolved as a fighter since then?

A – I feel that I’ve gotten better in all aspects of the fight game. Mentally, I’ve learned how to better compete inside the Octagon. I always bring the approach to try to finish the fight, but you do have to keep it in mind that you are trying to win rounds and that is very important because you never want to give up a round in a fight. I feel that I’m now prepared to fight anyone in the world.

Q – Where do you see yourself in the Welterweight division?

A – I haven’t got on the TV yet and to me, that’s the goal right now. I want to put on a show and have all the fans recognize me. I want to move up, and I want to be televised, because that’s where the big fight are.

Q – How has your life changed since being with the UFC?

A – It’s totally changed. In the last year I was able to buy a house and a buy a car, stuff that’s tough to do when you’re first coming up in the sport. I’m able to make a better living and I’m fortunate to be here.

Q – What’s the worst part of fighting for a living?

A – Losing. If you lose and get cut from the UFC, then you gotta go fight somewhere for less money. That’s the way a lot of fighters see it. You’re really only as good as your last fight, but I get to do what I love every day, and there’s really not too many bad things about it.

Q – What are your thoughts on the fight between GSP and Koscheck?

A – It’s hard to go out there and make a prediction, especially for Koscheck, because he did lose the first fight, but I do think it’ll be a different fight from the first time. I think Koscheck might be a little more prepared this time; not saying that he wasn’t prepared the first time, but he may have been a little surprised by Georges’ wrestling and approach. It might be one of those fights where neither guy can take the other down, and could take place in a lot of different places. It’s really a tough fight for me to call, but if you gotta choose someone, I guess it’s gotta be Georges.

Q – Koscheck has been talking a lot of trash leading up to the fight. What role do you think trash talk plays in the sport?

A – The thing is, a guy like Josh can talk all the trash he wants, because he goes out there and backs it up. A guy like that, you gotta respect him. But, there’s other guys who talk themselves into positions where maybe they wouldn’t have gotten to had it just been their fighting ability alone. I take a more quiet approach. The goal is to just go out there and fight, and I want people to know my name because I put on exciting fights, not because I talk trash. I guess that’s a Canadian approach.

Q – There’s been a lot of controversies and complaints with judging in the sport. Do you think that there’s anything that can be done about it, or do we just have to deal with it?

A – I think there’s things that can be done. A lot of the judges in place right now come from boxing backgrounds, and even some referee’s don’t know enough about the sport and judge it on certain criteria that maybe you’d judge a boxing fight. I’ve seen some bad judging, especially the Machida-Shogun fight which was definitely the worst fight that I’ve ever seen judged in my life. It’s one thing if it’s a three round fight, but I thought Shogun won five rounds to none, or at minimum four rounds to one, so I don’t know where they got three to two for Machida. I think eventually it will change though, because the sport is growing.

Q – I know this doesn’t necessarily affect you, but what do you think of the merger with the WEC?

A – It’s awesome. I’ve been thinking they should do it for awhile. They’re amazing fighters. A lot of people might not know who they are because they’re in the WEC, but since it’s owned by the same company as the UFC, why not make it the same name? There’s no point in having two different brands. I think it just gives a lot more opportunities to the lighter weight classes; they’ll win a lot of fight of the night bonuses and make more money. It’s good for the sport and it’s exciting.

Q – How do you feel about the state of MMA in the Maritimes?

A – It’s definitely growing with quality gym’s training MMA fighters. I would like to see a few more cards, nothing too big, just somewhere for the promoters to make a buck and for the fighters to get experience. You gotta get these local guys more experience, and the fans out here want to see the local guys fight. When people do come to the Maritimes, they put on too big of a show and they don’t come back or they can’t put on any more shows because they’ve spent too much money. Hopefully someone can come along and put on the right type of shows because all these new fighters need a place to fight. All over the Martimes really needs to step up.

Q – Where do you see yourself a year from now?

A – I see myself knocking on the door, I want to be in the top ten. I want to get a few more fights in, and I want my name to be known.

Q – Do you have a prediction for your fight?

A – No predictions, except for it’s going to be a good fight. That’s all I can say. I’m gonna do my best and put him in a fight as soon as the bell goes.

Q –I know a lot of guys in the sport don’t like to look too far into the future, especially with a fight on the horizon, but what would you say is your dream fight?

A – My dream fight… (laughs) I’ll give you the answer I give everybody, Ricardo Almeida. That’s it, I gotta win before I call anyone out. I’ve got a job to do.

Joe Osborne is a sports and entertainment enthusiast who resides in Halifax, NS. To read more articles like this, visit WhatUpSports.com, or you can contact Joe at osbornejt@hotmail.com.

By Joe Osborne

While UFC 123 won’t go down as one of the best cards of 2010, it certainly wasn’t its worse thanks to some exciting finishes and close fights. Here’s a look at what could be next for UFC 123’s main participants.

Rampage Jackson – Jackson was lucky to pull off the split decision victory over Machida in a fight that could have gone either way. After the fight, there was lots of talk about a rematch, which Dana White immediatelyshot down. The UFC can go one of two ways with Rampage. They can give him the title shot against the winner of Shogun and Rashad Evans in a fight that would do big pay-per view numbers, or set up a #1 contender fight against the winner of Jon Jones and Ryan Bader. A one fight winning streak doesn’t exactly warrant a shot at the title, but Rampage is one of the UFC’s top draws, and money talks.

Lyoto Machida – The hype train surrounding Machida’s fighting style has come to a screeching halt. While he remains one of the top light heavyweights in the world, it appears as if people have his fighting style figured out. The once invincible Machida is now on a two fight losing streak and he still has a lot of tough fights in front of him. A fight versus the winner of Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin makes lots of sense and will make for a solid co-main event sometime next year.

BJ Penn – There’s no other way about it, Penn looked amazing against Hughes and displayed the skill that made him worthy in the discussion for the best pound for pound fighter in the world. Immediately after the fight, it was announced that Penn would headline UFC 127 in Australia against Jon Fitch. This is a great fight for both Penn and Fitch, as it will either show that Fitch is the clear cut #1 contender or that Penn has the ability to make a serious run at 170 pounds. Penn breaths new life into the UFC’s welterweight division, and a potential full-time switch to the division symbolizes a changing of the guard for the lightweight division who has recently seen an infusion of new talent thanks to the WEC merger.

Matt Hughes – Hughes probably won’t be in a huge rush to get back into the octagon, and it will be interesting to see where the 37 year-olds career goes from here. Chances of Hughes making any sort of run in the division are slim, but if he still craves the competition he deserves a fight against a top 10 talent. A fight versus Martin Kampmann might be interesting, or the UFC could go a different route and put together a rematch against Matt Serra who Hughes beat by decision at UFC 98.

George Sotiropoulos – This guy is on a serious roll, and deserves serious consideration for a title shot, but due to timing, he won’t get one anytime soon. With good reason, the UFC wants to put Sotiropoulos on the late February card in Australia, because of course, he’s Australian. Since many of the top contenders in the lightweight division already have fights lined-up, Sotiropoulos will take on Dennis Siver who has won six of his last seven fights. While Siver is certainly talented, he’s not on the same level as Sotiropoulos. With a victory over Siver, Sotiropoulos will become the clear cut #1 contender, but will probably have to wait a while to get his shot as the winner of Ben Henderson and Anthony Pettis will be next in line for a crack at the title.

Phil Davis – Alright, somebody get this guy a fight. Mr. Wonderful is now 4-0 in the UFC, and although he might not be the most well rounded fighter in the division, he’s certainly displayed some serious skills and should be given a fight against some tougher competition. The UFC likes to take it’s time with its young talent, and while he may not be ready for a title shot anytime soon, a fight versus Matt Hamill makes a lot of sense for both fighters as they try to climb the ladder in the stacked light heavyweight division.

There you have it. UFC 123 is now in the books and its results will definitely set up some intriguing fights in 2011. The light heavyweight division is pretty much a mess right now with no clear cut #1 contender along with the long-delayed title fight between Rashad Evans and Shogun. The results of fights over the next few months will shed some light on the future of that division and will separate the contenders from the pretenders in the sports most talented division.

Now it’s your turn. What do you think is next for the above fighters and how do you think things will play out in the light heavyweight division? Have fun playing match maker, and we’ll do it all again in a few short week after UFC 124.

Joe Osborne is a sports and entertainment enthusiast who resides in Halifax, NS. To read more articles like this, visit WhatUpSports.com, or you can contact Joe at osbornejt@hotmail.com.

By Joe Osborne

That was quick. With the NFL season at its halfway point, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the best and worst of fantasy football so far. Below I have compiled three teams – All-Stars, All-Bust and All-Surprise. Keep in mind that selections are based on standard fantasy scoring rules, not point per catch leagues, and I chose not to include kickers and defense/special teams as those positions are pretty much a crap shoot from week to week and are based on lots of luck.

All-Star Team

QB: Philip Rivers – The San Diego QB has been fantasy’s top player so far, leading the NFL in both passing yards (2,944) and touchdowns (19). What’s really impressive about Rivers’ production is that he’s racked up the high numbers by throwing to generally unknowns while top receivers Malcolm Floyd and Vincent Jackson have missed time.

Runner-up – Aaron Rodgers isn’t too far behind.

The endzone has become a very familiar place for Arian Foster through the season's first half.

RB: Arian Foster – Most casual fans probably didn’t even know who this guy was before the season started, but now he leads the league in rushing yards (864) and touchdowns (9). Foster has fared well in the passing game as well, racking up 315 yards and one score.

Runner-up – Adrian Peterson is the clear cut second best fantasy back, thanks to scoring one or more times in all but two games.

WR: Hakeem Nicks – This could have gone too a handful of receivers, but Nicks is truly the best of the best after posting 653 yards and a league lead tying nine touchdowns. Nicks might not have as many yards as some of the other top receivers, but he’s become the definition of a big game receiver, scoring two or more touchdowns in three games this season.

Runner-up – Terrell Owens (see below)

TE: Antonio Gates - No other tight-end is even close to Gates so far this season. Gates is fifth in the league in receiving yards (663) and is tied for the league lead with nine TD’s. Assuming he returns the the Chargers line-up after the bye week, being fully healed from several foot injuries, he should break his own record for touchdowns in a season by a tight end (13).

Runner-up – There’s no one else even close, so why bother.

All-Bust Team

QB: Matt Schaub – Last season, Schaub established himself as an elite level QB by putting up huge numbers. His success was expected to carry over to this season, but that hasn’t been the case. So far this fantasy season, Schaub is ESPN’s 15th ranked QB. In his eight games played, he’s only thrown for 10 touchdowns, including two games with zero touchdown passes, and has also posted three games with under 200 passing yards. This doesn’t get it done for a guy who was picked as high as he was.

Runner-up – Tom Brady has hardly been a top ten QB this season, with players like Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning and Kyle Orton putting up better numbers. He’s not exactly a bust, but he’s not rewarding owners who drafted him high.

RB: Deangelo Williams – He was a top 25 pick in most drafts this year and has been a huge disappointment. In the six games he’s played this season, he’s only scored once and doesn’t have one 100 yard game. Williams has only put up double digit fantasy points in one game this season. That’s horrible for a guy who started the season as the top running back on a lot of fantasy teams this year.

Runner-up – Shonn Greene was supposed to be the man in New York this year, but LT has taken over as the Jets top back. Greene has only managed one touchdown and one 100 yard rushing game this season.

WR: Larry Fitzgerald – One year removed from being one of fantasy’s best receivers, Fitzgerald’s stock has dipped big-time. What the hell happened? Kurt Warner’s retirement doesn’t help, but in fantasy, unless you’re injured, no excuse is a good excuse. His four touchdowns isn’t horrible, but the fact that he’s currently 22nd overall in receiving yards and only has one 100 yard receiving game has made him a huge dissapointment.

Runner-up – Marques Colston only has two touchdowns and has recorded 70 or less receiving yards six times in the nine games he’s played this season.

TE: Brent Celek – Celek was supposed to be a key part of the Eagles new look offense after breaking out last season, but has taken a major step back this year. He’s ranked well outside the top 10 tight ends this season, hasn’t gone for over 50 yards in a game and the most receptions he’s had in a game has been four. That’s pretty bad.

Runner-up – Not too many candidates here, but it looks like this is the year that Tony Gonzales starts to fall off.

All-Suprise Team

QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick – Fitzpatrick took over as the Bills starting QB in week three and has become one of fantasy’s top QB’s in that span. In only six games, he’s thrown for 13 touchdowns including putting up four on the Ravens. You might not know who this guy is, but he’s out-playing some of the best QB’s in the league. If he’s somehow available in your league, pick him up immediately.

Runner-up – Josh Freeman has become a borderline top 10 QB and is ranked only slightly behind Tom Brady in QB rankings.

RB: Peyton Hillis – This guy has more fantasy points than Chris Johnson, Ray Rice, MJD, Frank Gore… The list goes on. Hillis wasn’t even drafted in a lot of leagues! With seven TD’s and three 100-plus yard rushing games, he’s easily the breakout player of the first half.

Runner-up – LaDainian Tomlinson is relevant again! He’s actually the 10th best fantasy running back this season and has out played many of the backs that were drafted before him.

Owens is reminding everyone why he's one of the best receivers in NFL history.

WR: Terrell Owens – T.O. was pretty much written off going into the season, mainly due to the fact that his production has dipped over the past few seasons and because he’s an asshole. Either way, he’s fantasy’s second best receiver this season. After a slow start, he’s gone on to score six touchdowns in five games, including three 100-plus yard receiving games in that span.

Runner-up – Brandon Lloyd of the Broncos is a very close second. In eight games played he has five 100-plus yard receiving games.

TE: Jacob Tamme – Not really too many surprise or break-out players at the tight end position this year. Tamme has only started two games this season, but he scored in both games and had double digit fantasy point in each. With Dallas Clark out for the season, Tamme should be one of the second half’s best tight ends. If he’s available in your league, pick him up right away.

Runner-up – In a year that hasn’t been strong for tight ends, no one else really stands out.

That’s it. At this point of the season, we have to remember not to judge players on reputation alone, but on what they have done lately. It’ll be interesting to watch the second half unfold and see what players emerge as stars and busts, and if the above mentioned players will play good enough, or bad enough to earn the label of star, bust or surprise by seasons end.

Joe Osborne is a sports and entertainment enthusiast who resides in Halifax, NS. To read more articles like this, visit WhatUpSports.com, or you can contact Joe at osbornejt@hotmail.com.

By Joe Osborne

Well, here we are again Raptors fans. A not so uncommon place. As the Toronto Raptors prepare for the 2010-11 season expectations are anything but high. This off-season, they said goodbye to Chris Bosh, the teams best player and easily their only superstar. In return, the team brought in not one impact or high profile player. So, I guess they’re rebuilding. Again. How does a team get to a place where it has a roster of players that combine for zero all-star game appearances and hardly any significant playoff game experience? The answer starts and ends with one man – Bryan Colangelo.

Colangelo was brought in to bring the franchise to the next level, but he’s done the exact opposite by directing the Raps to the NBA’s basement. Prior to taking over the team as GM and President, Colangelo was viewed as one of the league’s sharpest minds due to a few good drafts and his willingness to pull the trigger on high profile trades in Phoenix. Colangelo got off to a great start with the Raptors. He made an early splash by trading Charlie Villeneuva for speedy point guard TJ Ford, and also brought in European league players Anthony Parker and Jorge Garbajosa. The roster over-haul that included nine new players paid major dividends for the team and Colangelo, as the Raptors won the Atlantic Division and Colangelo was awarded the NBA executive of the year for the 2006-07 season. Unfortunately for the team and its fans, this was as good as things would get.

Colangelo has failed at building the Raptors into an NBA contender thanks to many questionable decisions.

Since the best season in team history, things would go downhill thanks to a series of bad signings and over aggressive trades. The last three seasons have seen the team combine for a very mediocre .465 winning percentage, while playing in the NBA’s inferior conference. The first bad contract that Colangelo gave out was to Jason Kapono; a four-year, $24 million dollar contract, signed prior to the 2007-08 season. In his two years with the team, Kapono averaged just 7.7 points per game. The three point specialist was supposed to be an important part of the Raptors up-tempo offense but failed to have the impact that the GM hoped he would.

Colangelo’s next lapse in judgment came before the 2008-09 season when he traded for the washed up, and injury prone Jermaine O’Neal. O’Neal was expected to team with Chris Bosh to form one of the NBA’s best sets of big men, but the trade turned out to be a major flop. By the midway point of the season, O’Neal had missed a significant amount of time and even when he was playing seemed to be bothered by one injury or another. With the team ranked 14th in the conference, Colangelo decided to end the O’Neal experiment by trading him to Miami as a way to free up salary space.

Another poor decision from that off-season was the contract given to Jose Calderon. The Raptors rewarded Calderon for a breakout season with a five year deal worth over $35 million. At the time, the deal didn’t look too bad, but since then Calderon has seen lots of time off due to injuries and was even the subject of trade talks this off-season.

The 2008-09 season also seen the firing of Sam Mitchell, the 06-07 NBA coach of the year. The firing came after only 17 games and an average 8-9 start. Mitchell was replaced by Raptors assistant Jay Triano who had zero NBA head coaching experience. Triano has been criticized for being too soft and has led the Raptors to a 65-82 record.

The big money contract given to Hedo Turkolu was an absolute disaster.

After a disappointing season that seen the team miss the playoffs, it was obvious that their current roster wasn’t strong enough and the team needed to add some more talent. The need for more talent resulted in possibly the worst contract in team history when the Raptors acquired Hedo Turkoglu for a five year, $53 million dollar deal. Turkoglu was coming off a strong season in Orlando which resulted in a trip to the NBA Finals, but it was unclear of how his point-forward style of play would fit with the team as Jose Calderon was already the teams primary ball-handler and set-up man. Things got off to a shaky start when Turk missed time during the pre-season, and things only got worse from there. He seen significant decreases in most major point categories and his minutes per game was his lowest in five seasons. The season ended ugly for Turk as he was benched when he pretty much called in sick and missed a game, but was later seen out at a Toronto night club. From there, he trashed the team in the media, asked for a trade and is now a member of the Phoenix Suns.

Things Colangelo can’t exactly be faulted for, but can certainly be second guessed for were the first overall pick of Andrea Bargnani in the 2006 draft, and the handling of Chris Bosh’s final season in Toronto. If there was ever a year not to want the first pick in the NBA draft, 2006 was it, and luck would have it that the Raptors were ‘lucky’ enough to land the top spot in a draft which didn’t have a clear stand out player. The pick of Bargnani wasn’t a horrible pick, but other top prospects from that draft have gone on to be better players. The Raptors would have been smart to trade down a few spots and pick a proven college player like Brandon Roy or Rudy Gay. In his four seasons in the league, Bargnani has gone on to be a good, but not great player. He shows glimpses of excellence but shows almost zero emotion on the court and doesn’t have the leadership skills that you’d hope a first overall pick would develop. As for the Bosh situation, Colangelo should have traded him for some assets when he had the chance, rather than wait to see what happens and get nothing. Given Bosh’s desire to be in the spotlight, it was pretty obvious that he wanted to play on a larger stage than what Toronto provides. As a GM who has a reputation for not being afraid to pull the trigger on blockbuster trades, its surprising that Colangelo didn’t roll the dice and make a deal that would have brought some assets to the team, rather than hanging on to a player who showed no signs that he was committed to the team. For a guy who makes a lot of roster moves, this is the one move that he didn’t make that has clearly already hurt the team based on its weak roster.

Rebuilding is a term that’s overused in sports, and the Raptors always seem to be rebuilding. Instead of saying that they’re rebuilding, maybe they’re simply not a good franchise. Should the Raptors be lumped into the likes of franchises like the Clippers and Grizzlies, or have they just run into some bad luck with poor roster moves? Like Rob Babcock before him, Bryan Colangelo simply hasn’t been able to come up with the winning formula in Toronto. By trying to mimic the exciting seven seconds or less Phoenix Suns style of play with a heavy mix of International talent, Colangelo has managed to put together one of the worst teams in the league and one of the league’s least desirable playing destinations. Of all his seasons with the team, this is obviously the worst roster he’s put together to start a season. Sometimes starting over is the only option and you have to hit rock bottom before you reach the top. It’s just unfortunate for the franchise and their fans that the team is constantly starting over and never comes close to reaching the top.

Joe Osborne is a sports and entertainment enthusiast who resides in Halifax, NS. You can contact Joe at osbornejt@hotmail.com or you can visit his blog - What Up Sports.

By Joe Osborne

Usually a UFC event goes one of two ways: We’re left wanting more and are more pumped up after the fights than we were before they began, or you pretty much can’t wait for it to be over so you can call it a night. While the two previous UFC events were among the best I’ve ever seen, 118 didn’t exactly deliver, but you can’t expect fireworks with every event. Either way, the event’s results provided us with a little bit of a blueprint for the future of the UFC’s lightweight division. Let’s take a look at what’s next for UFC 118′s main fighters.

Frankie Edgar made beating BJ Penn look easy at UFC 118

Frankie Edgar: Make no mistake about it – Edgar is the top lightweight fighter in the world. He took the game plan that he used in his first victory over Penn, and actually improved on it. His boxing was crisp, his movement was excellent and he did a great job of dumping BJ on his ass on several occasions. In this scenario with Edgar having two wins over Penn, people will be quicker to criticize Penn than they will to give Edgar credit. Not only is Frankie one of the world’s top fighters, but he’s also one of the smartest and hard working. Now, the biggest challenge of his career awaits as Edgar will attempt to avenge a one-sided loss to #1 contender Gray Maynard.

BJ Penn: Half way through the fight, Penn appeared to lose his mental edge. I don’t think he gave up, but it was almost like he knew he was beaten. The effort that we’ve seen in the past just wasn’t there. So what’s next for Penn? I think Penn should consider surrounding himself with a new training staff. Top level fighters like GSP and Rampage made the switch to different training camps when they realized that what they were doing to prepare just wasn’t good enough. Penn could greatly benefit from some new coaching. He didn’t appear to have much of a game plan, and his corner failed to provide him with actual coaching in-between rounds. I think the UFC should set up a fight with Takanori Gomi. Not too long ago, the two were considered the top two lightweights in the world, and it’s a fight the UFC can sell.

Randy Couture: Randy schooled James Toney in the art of the ground game. Not a big shock. I’m happy this is over with, and now we can see Randy get back to some actual competition. Randy has said that he will return to the light heavyweight division, where a number of top contenders are looking to be paired up with someone. The fight that probably makes the most sense is Randy vs. Rich Franklin. Both are fan favorites and are probably pretty closely ranked within the light heavyweight division.

James Toney: Does anyone really care where this guy ends up next? I hope no one wasted their money solely to watch this fight. Toney’s next fight, and any other fight he has will be in a boxing ring. It was pathetic that he was even allowed to compete in the UFC. When Michael Jordan decided he wanted to switch sports to play baseball, he played in the minor leagues, not the Bigs. Even Brock Lesnar had a fight in a smaller promotion before joining the UFC. This fight was a joke, and I’m happy it’s over.

Gray Maynard: Maynard kept his record perfect in another underwhelming victory. Let’s face it, some fighters just aren’t exciting. Even though he’s not the most entertaining fighter, he got the job done and flat out beat up Kenny Florian. He’s great at what he does, it’s as simple as that. The UFC will have a hard time selling Maynard vs. Edgar as the main event of a pay-per view. My suggestion would be to add another title fight to the card, and make Maynard/Edgar the co-main event.

Kenny Florian: Kenny just didn’t bring his A-game, and as a result he’s back down at the bottom of the lightweight ladder. Of the top talent in the division, who wasn’t he fought yet? I say pair him up with George Sotiropoulos

Nate Diaz: Diaz did an excellent job picking apart Marcus Davis, and so far has looked great fighting at 170 lbs. Diaz still hasn’t proven that he has what it takes to compete with top level wrestlers in the UFC. Why not throw him in there with one of the best wrestlers in the sports history – Matt Hughes. Both fighters need a step up in competition, plus the UFC can play the  youth vs. experience card. Also, the trash talk leading up to the fight would be fun.

And that’s it for UFC 118. The next few UFC cards aren’t quite as stacked as the events we’ve seen all summer, and we won’t see another title fight until late October when Brock Lesnar takes on Cain Velasquez. UFC 119 features a main event between Frank Mir and Mirko Cro Cop. My advice would be to save your money. A fight of that caliber should be the second or third best fight on a card, not a main event. Until next time, let me know who you’d like to see face off in the octagon and enjoy the fights!

By Joe Osborne

With fantasy football drafts right around the corner, I’ve got a list of interesting facts that might help you when choosing who to pick and where to pick them. Let me first say, if you’ve already had your draft, your league is drafting too early. There’s still two pre-season games to be played, meaning some starters are yet to be determined, and injuries can happen. With that said, here’s some stuff that should help you with your draft.

• Both history and common sense would tell us that more carries for a running back would equal more production. This isn’t the case for Marion Barber. In 2006, Barber only averaged 8.43 carries per game. As a result, he averaged 4.8 yards per rush and scored 14 touchdowns. That’s pretty good. Over the past two season, Barber has averaged 15 carries per game. As a result, his average yards per game dipped to 4.05 and he rushed for seven touchdowns each season. We often hear the expression ‘less is more’, and this certainly seems to be the case with Barber. His work load should decrease this season with the emergence of Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, which could mean less time being sore and injured and more time in the endzone. Barber should by no means be your top running back, but he will make an excellent addition to any team.
• In the second half of last season, guess who the second best fantasy running back was. Adrian Peterson? Nope. Ray Rice? Think again. It’s gotta be MJD? Wrong again. The second best running back in the second half was Jamaal Charles, who finished the season with four straight 100 + yard games, including a 259 yard, two touchdown performance. With that said, the Chiefs signed Thomas Jones who is coming off of a 1402 yard, 14 touchdown season with the Jets. So what does all this mean? I think Charles is still the man. Thomas Jones is 32 years old, and we all know what happens to running backs after they hit 30; they start to break down. So what should you do? If Charles is available to you in the middle of the second round grab him. His second half last season shows what he’s capable of, and offensive minded Chiefs head coach Todd Hailey will let him run wild.
• Don’t reach when choosing an defense. Often during a fantasy draft, someone will pick the top rated defense way too early. Don’t do this. Over the last five seasons, the #1 projected defense failed to finish in the top 12.
• There seems to be a lot of hype around Jay Cutler this season based on the fact that pass happy offensive guru Mike Martz is the new Offensive Coordinator in Chicago. Don’t buy into the hype. Last season, Culter finished fourth among QB’s in pass attempts. You’d think throwing so many passes would result in some pretty good production, but this wasn’t the case. Culter finished 13th in passing yards and finished the season as the league’s 21st rated passer. Last years stats, tied in with the fact that his best receivers are Johnny Knox and Devin Hester means that Cutler is nothing more than a high level back-up in fantasy football. If Cutler’s your starter, you might be in trouble.
• Vernon Davis busted out big time last year to finish the season as fantasy’s top tight end. Davis finished the year with 13 touchdowns, but don’t expect a repeat this season. In the history of the NFL, no tight end has ever had back to back double digit touchdown seasons. Not to say that he won’t have a good season, just don’t expect a record breaking season.
• With Sidney Rice expected to miss half the season, and Percy Harvin’s unclear status due to severe migraine head aches, Bernard Berrian should move way up your wide receiver rankings. In both 2007 and 2008, Berrian was a few yards short of 1000. Expect him to surpass that this season as he steps into the #1 receiver role for the Vikings.

• One thing that’s consistent in all big money sports is that players tend to play better in the last season of a contract. They’re basically playing for a new contract, so they’ll be extra motivated to play their absolute best. I’m not saying that these players will have career years, but they’ll certainly be trying to. Here’s the list of top players who will be looking to parlay a big season into a big time contract: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Cedric Benson, Ricky Williams, Josepth Addai, DeAngelo Williams, Ahmad Bradshaw, Randy Moss, Braylon Edwards, Miles Austin, Antonio Gates and Vernon Davis. Those are some pretty big names. Keep in mind that a new collective bargaining agreement is expected to be signed after the season, but either way, these guy will be looking to get paid.

If you keep these facts in mind when you’re drafting, you’re guaranteed to win your league. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you’ll be guaranteed to draft smarter. People can make predictions all they want, but at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the facts.

Joe Osborne is a sports and entertainment enthusiast who resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. To read more stories like this, visit WhatUpSports.wordpress.com, or you can follow Joe on Twitter @TheJoeOsborne.

Usually when the UFC has a card as heavily stacked as UFC 117 it doesn’t live up to its heavy expectations. UFC 117 looked as good or better on paper as any card you’ll see this year, and will be hard to top after some seriously exciting matches. A win or loss can send a fighter’s career in a different direction. Let’s take a look at what I think is next for UFC 117′s main players.

Anderson Silva – For the majority of the Spider’s 23 minute war with Chael Sonnen, he didn’t exactly look like MMA’s top pound for pound fighter. The only thing that matters is that he’s still the middleweight champ, and the suddenly very competitive division has lots of potential challengers. However, it doesn’t look like we’ll see a middleweight title fight until next year, as Silva will be sidelined with a rib injury. It looks like the UFC will set up a number one contenders fight while they wait for Silva to heal, which brings us to…

Chael Sonnen – Usually a fighter won’t get two title shots in a row, and this won’t be the case for Sonnen, mostly because of Silva’s injury. The other middleweight contender at the top of the heap is Vitor Belfort, who was scheduled to fight Silva for the title at UFC 112, but was injured and couldn’t compete.  I think it’s fairly obvious that the UFC should set-up number one contender match between Sonnen and Belfort. Expect to see it later this year.

Jon Fitch – It might not be pretty, but Fitch got it done again against Thiago Alves. He grinded out another victory, and there’s no where to go but up. Since his loss to GSP, he’s rattled off five wins in a row. I think Fitchd eserves another shot at the title, and we’ll see him take on the winner of GSP and Josh Koscheck sometime in 2011.

Thiago Alves – After a 13 month layoff due to various injuries, Alves showed some major ring rust against Fitch. The fact that he couldn’t make weight probably didn’t help either. He lacked explosiveness and couldn’t defend the takedown. Alves would have been better off taking a warm-up fight as he looked nothing like top five welterweight contender. I think the UFC should throw him in there with another elite striker, Dan Hardy. Hardy has a fight in October against Carlos Condit, so we’ll have to wait to see what happens there, but you’d have to be out of your mind to not want to see Alves vs. Hardy. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Junior Dos Santos – No need to make any type of prediction here. JDS will take on the winner of Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez probably in the spring. In the meantime, JDS will probably be training big time on his takedown defense.

Roy Nelson – Nelason took a serious beating the hands of Dos Santos, but earned a lot of respect. The loss knocks him down a notch in the heavyweight rankings, but he still makes an interesting and tough fight for anyone in the division. The perfect dance partner – Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop’s not done yet, but he doesn’t belong in there with the divisions elite. I think this would be a fun fight for fans. *With Cro Cop now scheduled to take on Frank Mir, the UFC will probably feed Big Country to Shane Carwin.

Matt Hughes – The old man’s not done yet. The soon to be 37 year-old made quick work of Ricardo Almeida, and should probably see a step up in competition after three straight wins. Hughes has gone on record to say that he’ll be taking some time off, so who do you throw him in there with? His next opponent will be based on the outcome of some of the bigger welterweight fights remaining this year. If Koscheck loses, pair him up with Hughes, otherwise, a fight against Martin Kampmann would be good too.

Clay Guida – Is there another fighter in the UFC who’s more balls-out than Guida? I don’t think so. Any fight he’s in is exciting. If he wants to continue to make his way of the ladder, he’s due for some stiffer competition. A fight with Takanori Gomi has fireworks written all over it. Let’s hope it happens.

Now we play the waiting game and let the UFC get down to business and give the fans the fights they want to see. The outcomes of Martin Kampmann vs. Jake Shields, and of course GSP vs. Koscheck will shed some major light on the future of that division. As fans, it’s fun to play fantasy match maker and watch the fights unfold, so let me know your predictions for who the above fighters should take on next. We might not be right, but the one thing that’s for certain is the quality of competition in the UFC is increasing with every event.

So, the smoke has settled on the biggest free agent decision in the history of the NBA. Love it or hate it, Lebron James is now a member of the Miami Heat, and most people, especially those in the media, seem to hate it. There were so many elements to his decision and the way he decided to announce it.  How will it affect the landscape of the NBA? Was the one hour TV special the right way to break the news? Should loyalty exist in sports? Let’s take a look at these questions and try to provide a little bit of clarity.

Loyalty in sports

Before I get into my thoughts on the TV special and the decision’s impact on the NBA, let’s take a look at loyalty, or Lebron’s lack thereof according to some. Loyalty in sports is over rated. Why should an athlete have to be loyal to a city and team? Because he was drafted by them and the fans show up and cheer? Does that mean he should be stuck there for his entire career? I don’t think so. Calling Lebron disloyal is unfair. It’s not Lebron’s fault that he was drafted by the Cavs, but it is the Cavs fault for not building a good enough team around him. The fans should blame the Cavs organization, not Lebron. Lebron did more for the Cavs than the Cavs did for Lebron, plain and simple.

When an ordinary person leaves their job for a much better opportunity, they’re called anything but disloyal. I realize that Lebron leaving the Cavs for the Heat is much more different than an ordinary person leaving Burger King for a gig at Applebee’s, but what about other people who make a living in the entertainment industry? Steve Carrell for example, recently announced that he’ll be leaving the hit TV show ‘The Office’ to spend more time with his family and to concentrate on making movies. If you think about it, this isn’t much different from Lebron’s situation. Carrell is leaving for a better opportunity, but as a result The Office will suffer tremendously without him and sooner than later the series will come end because it’s most popular character is no longer there. As a result, the millions of the fans that the show has will be disappointed that one of their favorite shows is off the air. Why aren’t people accusing Carrell of being disloyal? You could strongly argue that The Office made his career, therefore he should stick it out and be loyal to the show’s creators and to NBC. In no way did the Cavs make Lebron. It’s not like he got his big break with them, like Carrell did on The Office, so why is one strongly accused of being a disloyal backstabber while the other is wished good luck and given a pat on the back?

The bottom line is that professional athlete’s owe nothing to no one except themselves, their families and the people who helped get them where they are. There’s of course cases like a Gilbert Arenas or Michael Vick, who’s teams are taking a risk and giving them a chance, but this isn’t the case for Lebron. He simply wants to be better, and that wasn’t going to happen with the Cavs.

To read the more of my thoughts on Lebron's decision, please visit - http://whatupsports.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/defending-lebron/

So, the smoke has settled on the biggest free agent decision in the history of the NBA. Love it or hate it, Lebron James is now a member of the Miami Heat, and most people, especially those in the media, seem to hate it. There were so many elements to his decision and the way he decided to announce it.  How will it affect the landscape of the NBA? Was the one hour TV special the right way to break the news? Should loyalty exist in sports? Let’s take a look at these questions and try to provide a little bit of clarity.

Loyalty in sports

Before I get into my thoughts on the TV special and the decision’s impact on the NBA, let’s take a look at loyalty, or Lebron’s lack thereof according to some. Loyalty in sports is over rated. Why should an athlete have to be loyal to a city and team? Because he was drafted by them and the fans show up and cheer? Does that mean he should be stuck there for his entire career? I don’t think so. Calling Lebron disloyal is unfair. It’s not Lebron’s fault that he was drafted by the Cavs, but it is the Cavs fault for not building a good enough team around him. The fans should blame the Cavs organization, not Lebron. Lebron did more for the Cavs than the Cavs did for Lebron, plain and simple.

When an ordinary person leaves their job for a much better opportunity, they’re called anything but disloyal. I realize that Lebron leaving the Cavs for the Heat is much more different than an ordinary person leaving Burger King for a gig at Applebee’s, but what about other people who make a living in the entertainment industry? Steve Carrell for example, recently announced that he’ll be leaving the hit TV show ‘The Office’ to spend more time with his family and to concentrate on making movies. If you think about it, this isn’t much different from Lebron’s situation. Carrell is leaving for a better opportunity, but as a result The Office will suffer tremendously without him and sooner than later the series will come end because it’s most popular character is no longer there. As a result, the millions of the fans that the show has will be disappointed that one of their favorite shows is off the air. Why aren’t people accusing Carrell of being disloyal? You could strongly argue that The Office made his career, therefore he should stick it out and be loyal to the show’s creators and to NBC. In no way did the Cavs make Lebron. It’s not like he got his big break with them, like Carrell did on The Office, so why is one strongly accused of being a disloyal backstabber while the other is wished good luck and given a pat on the back?

The bottom line is that professional athlete’s owe nothing to no one except themselves, their families and the people who helped get them where they are. There’s of course cases like a Gilbert Arenas or Michael Vick, who’s teams are taking a risk and giving them a chance, but this isn’t the case for Lebron. He simply wants to be better, and that wasn’t going to happen with the Cavs.

To read the more of my thoughts on Lebron's decision, please visit - http://whatupsports.wordpress.com/2010/07/14/defending-lebron/

When Fedor Emelianenko tapped-out to Fabricio Werdum it was instantly considered as one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport. When MMA fans consider the biggest upsets in the sport, GSP’ s loss at the hands of Matt Serra instantly comes to mind. Unlike recent upsets such as BJ Penn’s loss to Frankie Edgar, GSP and Fedor we’re both decisively finished. In GSP’s case, he flat out got his ass kicked, while Fedor looked out of shape and bored. Let’s compare both upsets by looking at a few key factors.

Stage of career – When GSP lost to Serra, he was 25 years-old and was in the early stages of the prime of his career. It was his first title defense, and we was coming off six straight wins. Fedor is 33 years-old, and while most will agree he’s still one of the sports top fighters, it’s fair to say that his most dominant days are probably behind him. At the time of the upsets, GSP was still climbing the pound for pound list, while Fedor was at the very minimum, a top three pound for pound fighter in the world. It’s fair to say that Fedor was at a higher stage in his career than GSP when they were defeated.

Quality of opponent – Going into the GSP fight, Serra had a record of 9-4 with victories over names no bigger than Chris Lytle and Yves Edwards. Werdum on the other hand, had a record of 13-4 with victories over respected names like Antonio Silva, Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga. A big difference here, especially for the ‘casual fan’, is that Serra had much more recognition thanks to his win on season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter. Even with that factored in, it’s fair to say that Werdum has the edge as a tougher opponent than Serra was.

Impact on the organization – The problem with Strikeforce isn’t exactly a lack of talent, it’s a lack of household names that can sell pay-per views and keep the organization relevant. Names like Gilbert Melendez, Cung Le and Brett Rogers don’t exactly jump off the page when trying to sell pay-per views.  A major upset in the UFC doesn’t affect them as much as a major upset in Strikeforce due to the big handful of headliners the UFC has on its roster. With Fedor’s loss, Strikeforce can no longer sell him as this unbeatable, mystical fighter. That, tied in with the fact that Fedor does next to nothing in terms of self promotion doesn’t bode well for him or his organization.  If one of the UFC’s top fighters falls off, they can simply plug someone else into that role. Strikeforce can’t say the same, which makes the upset as painful to them as it does to Fedor.

Time will only tell how Fedor’s loss will affect him, Strikeforce and MMA as a whole. It appears as if GSP’s loss to Matt Serra may have actually been good for him as he has since recaptured the UFC Welterweight Title, while winning  seven fights in a row, not to mention becoming the sports most dominant wrestler. Is it too late in Fedor’s career to turn back the clock and return to #1 pound for pound status? Probably not, but that’s up to Fedor. He definitely won’t get there if he continues to be a big fish in Strikeforce’s small pond. 33 is by no means old, but he shouldn’t exactly be taking his time if he wants to compete with the divisions best in the UFC. Will the loss to Werdum be the turning point in Fedor’s career? In GSP’s case, the loss to Serra was a positive turning point, but with so many factors going against him, it’s hard to see how the loss can have any positive impact on Fedor’s future and his legacy.

It seems like nine out of every ten people I talk to think baseball is boring. Actually, nine out of every ten sports fans I talk to think baseball is boring, everyone else can barely stand it. The number one complaint is that the game is too slow and too long. This is true. Most people with a life don’t have four hours to watch a game. Most people who don’t have a life don’t have the time either. The reality is, not much can be done to change the pace of the game. Even if there was, I don’t think the powers that be would care to change a thing, as change and Major League Baseball don’t exactly go hand in hand. So, if you can’t do anything about the game itself, what can be done to make the league more interesting. Here’s a few suggestions that would make the baseball season much more fun and help the league reach more fans.

1. Shorten the season: In late winter when the baseball season is about to start, my girlfriend always says the same thing to me – “I can’t believe baseball is starting already.” Even though she doesn’t know much about sports, she has a great point. Baseball is a summer game, the season starts too early and ends way to late. 162 games is way to long. Players get injured and fans lose interest, that’s why I think the season should be 120 games at the most. The season could start two weeks later than it usually does, and would end towards the end of august, a week before the start of the NFL season. With less games, division races would be tighter, which would keep teams in the playoff hunt longer, which bring me to my next point.

2. Add more teams to the playoffs: The good thing about the NBA and NHL is that about half of the teams make the playoffs every year. Why should things be any different in baseball? Imagine how pissed off you’d be after playing 162 games, and then your team missed the playoffs by a game or two. It never made sense to me why the league with the most regular season games, had the least amount of playoff teams. I suggest having a similar playoff format to the NBA and NHL – 16 total teams, but instead of eight teams from the American League and eight from the National League, the six division winners would make it in, followed by the next ten best teams regardless of whether they play in the AL or NL. The teams would be seeded 1 to 16, with the first two round being a best out of five series, and the final two going to the traditional best out of seven. Changing to this style of playoff format would increase fan interest not only during the post season, but during the regular season as well, due to more teams having the chance to make the playoffs.

3. Add the DH to the National League: It’s usually considered an automatic out when the pitcher comes to the plate. Remember how funny Randy Johnson looked trying to swing a bat? Pitching and hitting are two different jobs; pitchers should stick to the mound and stay out of the batters box. Another reason why pitchers shouldn’t hit – they suck at it. Pitchers are the most active players in the game, and they shouldn’t have to worry about hitting. The major pro of changing the DH rule in the NL would be more offense. Also, it would limit the risk of injury and create an extra roster spot for someone.

In the post steroid era there’s no better time to make changes like this to. Will any of these happen over the next few years? Maybe, but probably not. Like the game itself, Major League Baseball is very slow when it comes to change. The one major rule change that MLB has made over the past few seasons has been awarding home field advantage to the winning league in the All-Star game. Most fans will agree that this is one of the most idiotic rules in all of sports.

There would be a few major roadblocks in making these changes – Money and Baseball Purist. A shorter regular season would mean less money for owners, but some of that would be made up through an extended playoffs. Baseball purist will argue that shortening the season and extending the playoffs would have a bad affect on the record books. Aren’t the record books already destroyed thanks to the PED use of the last two decades?

The new generation of sports fan would love to see a little bit more of variety in baseball, and that’s why I think these rules would have a very positive impact on the game. For the most part, the sport in very predictable, but expanding the playoffs would give more teams a chance at winning a championship. If Major League Baseball is interested in expanding its fan base, it should consider rules like this. Let’s face it – the sport of baseball will always be slow, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring.

Joe Osborne

Over the past few months, no UFC division has changed more dramatically than the Light Heavyweight division. We have a new champ, a new number one contender, some experienced warriors are back in the mix, while a handful of young talent waits for their turn to to take on the best the division has to offer. With the championship fight between Shogun Rua and Rashad Evans all but set in stone, I thought it would be a good idea to look at some possibilities for upcoming matches within the division.

The most obvious fight to make in the division is Rampage vs. Machida. Some think it’s a foregone conclusion that they’ll meet sometime this fall, but I disagree. Rampage sells pay-per views. Just like Brock Lesnar, as long as he’s having some type of success as a fighter, people will be interested. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Rampage is the UFC’s top headliner, next to of course Lesnar. So what am I getting at? Well, why would the UFC risk putting Rampage is a very losable and possible boring match against a top contender like Machida? The UFC can’t risk having Rampage lose two fights in a row at this point in his career. So, what should they do? Set up a rematch with Forrest Griffin. The two fighters have a history, and this fight would do big pay per view numbers. A fight against Forrest is much more winnable than a fight with Machida. A win puts Rampage back in the title picture for another rematch against either Evans or Shogun.

With Rampage and Forrest now out of the picture, what will be done with Machida? Easy, have him square off against Rich Franklin. If Franklin can heal his broken hand on time, why not have these two headline UFC 120 in October which is scheduled to take place in London. Franklin’s first MMA loss actually came at the hands of Machida way back in 2003. For Franklin to truly make one last title run, he’ll have no choice but to go through high level competition like Machida. For the once unbeatable Machida, this could be an excellent opportunity to get back on the road to a trilogy match with Shogun.

Out of the top contenders, only Antonio Rogerio Nogueira is left. After a less than impressive victory over Jason Brilz at UFC  114, it’s time for Nogueira to hop back in to deep waters and take on a dangerous opponent. Enter Jon Jones. If Jones can get by Vladimir Matyusshenko on August 1st, which many expect he will, then this match should be made immediately. The UFC is taking things slowly with the 22 year-old Jones, who’s immense talent can’t be denied. Like many young phenoms before him, Jones will have to prove that he can live up to the hype and a fight against a very experienced and skilled Nogueira would be a great start.

With all these names off the list, there’s two fighters who are on the cusp of entering headline status in the division. Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader and Mr. Wonderful, Phil Davis. It’s usually pretty unconventional for the UFC to pit two rising stars against each other, unless it’s a fight that has title implications, but with a division that already has so many big names, I think this fight makes sense. It would catapult the winner into a fight with one of the above mentioned fighters and also lead the way to creating another star in the division.

That’s my opinion on how I think things should and will go down. Am I 100& right? Probably not. One thing that I can be 100% right about saying is that the next year in the UFC’s Light Heavyweight division will be very interesting and entertaining. Enjoy the ride, because we’re all about to be witness to some amazing fights and of course lots of hype like only the UFC can do.

Joe Osborne