All Sport Report

There will be one less very important hand to shake around the Phillies dugout and clubhouse in the upcoming season. A staple with the Philadelphia Phillies is gone, John Vukovich passed away Thursday after battling with an inoperable brain tumor. It seemed like Vuk was around forever, having been involved in professional baseball for four decades, but he was only 59 years old.

The entire world of baseball will mourn the loss of one of the most knowledgable baseball men in the game. Vuk may not have been the best baseball player to have taken the field, but there is no doubt that he was truly one of the best baseball people. He knew how the game was supposed to be played, he respected baseball and all those involved.

John spent two stints with the Phils as a player (’70-’71 and ‘76 through ‘81), he was a member of the Reds World Series team in 1975 and the Phillies only World Series team in 1980. John won the inaugural Dallas Green Special Achievement Award in ‘04 for having coached 17 years with the team, making him the longest tenure coach in Phillies history, and he was also the Phils spring training coordinator through 2004.

What Vuk did for the Phillies organization could fill volumes, despite having spent time in the Cubs and Reds organizations during his career, he was a Phillie through and through. Vukovich was integral in the development of the current version of the Phillies, which should be a very serious contender in the National League and has it’s best chance in many years of sticking around through a good portion of the playoffs.

Phillies players will wear a black “Vuk” patch this season in honor of John. Thoughts and prayers from all over the world of baseball, from the players, the coaches, the scouts and the fans go out the Vukovich family during this very difficult time.

Phillies, Vuk, Vukovich, Phillies coach

I’ve grown accustomed to it, every time there’s a story in any way relating to cycling I just automatically assume it has to do with doping in some way or another. Every race, every rider is under suspicion, it’s almost become more of a guilty until proven inoocent, so I naturally assumed, when I heard Lance Armstrong’s name come up - I was going to be bombarded with the latest info that proved he had used illegal enhancement substances in order to achieve his multiple Tour victories.

I stand corrected, and for the first time in recent memory I’m pleased to have been incorrect in my preconcieved notion.

It’s been announced that in late April, Lance will be honored by the V foundation. The seven time Tour de France victor will now take his place alongside of former basketball legends and cancer survivors Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun and former New York City Mayor Rudy Guliani as the “Spirit of Jimmy V” recipient for 2007.

The V foundation, named for legendary basketball coach and analyst Jim Valvano who lost his battle with cancer in 1994, funds a grant annually in the name of the “Spirit of Jimmy V” honoree.

Armstrong went from being the most dominant athlete to ever get on a bike to being one of the most recognizable faces associated with cancer research and support. The Lance Armstrong Foundation has contributed upwards of ten million dollars toward cancer survivorship and testicular cancer research. The Yellow bracelet has become synonomous with cancer survivor support with an estimation of over fifty million people worldwide sporting the fashion accesory.

The V foundation donates one hundred percent of new cash donation directly to cancer research in one way or another. A partnership between the V foundation and the Lance Armstrong foundation, even a temporary collaboration could lead to tremendous strides being made in the areas of cancer research and support.

Armstrong was not just strong and dedicated enough to power his way to an unprecedented seven victories in one of the world’s most grueling physical events, he also won a personal battle with one of the world’s most deadly diseases. With all his determination now set on the target of cancer, I don’t see how potential advancements won’t be made. Congratulations Lance, and keep up the good fight.

There weren’t a whole lot of blockbuster trades pulled of in the closing minutes leading up to the NBA trade deadline, in fact there weren’t any. I’ll bet right at this moment, the Sacramento Kings are wishing that they could have put some kind of deal together to move forward Ron Artest.

It was a big risk for Sacramento, taking on the likes of the baggage laden Artest, but it almost looked like it was working in their favor…almost.

Artest, who’s been a member of the Kings since January of ‘07, is more famous for antics unbecoming a role-model than for his play on the court - namely the “brawl” in 2004 when he was a member of the Indiana Pacers. For those of you unfamiliar with this event, a fight began on court between the Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, then escalated into the crowd, where Artest and fellow Pacer Steve Jackson engaged in some fisticuffs with the fans. The end result of this ill advised route of action for Artest - one year probation and 60 hours of community service from the courts and a suspension from the league that would last the remainder of the 2004 season - 73 games, costing Ron nearly 5 million dollars.

I would think that an event of this magnitude, that brought on so much public attention would get a man to right his ways, and it did with Ron for a little while.

In February of this year the legal troubles began again with Artest having to shell out close to two thousand dollars in impound fees for his dogs which had spent two and a half months at the Placer County Pound after animal control officers took the dogs following multiple visits, in which it was determined that the animals weren’t being taken care of or controlled properly.

As if that weren’t enough, Artest was arrested again this week following a domestic disturbance at his home in Placer county. Exact details of the event are sketchy at best but neighbors say Artest was involved in an altercation with his wife that ultimately lead to his Hummer’s windshield being smashed. Artest was charged with the suspicion of domestic violence and released on $50,000 bail.

This isn’t the first time police have been called to Artest’s five acre estate and though he was cooperative with police when they arrived on the scene, the Sacramento Kings have decided it best for the team if Ron be “excused from any further participation with the team indefinitely, pending a full investigation of the events.”

I’m wondering if this is a case where the league should intervene and make an example of Ron Artest. There has been a lot of “bad boy” image bull floating around the NBA over the last few years and in my opinion it’s beginning to take away from the sport. It’s great to have a heroes and villains scenario like in professional wrestling, but this isn’t something the league wants to get out of control.

Revenue depends on the fans and a lot of fans can be turned off by this type of behavior. If criminal activity becomes a habit among the players, some fans will eventually stop going to games and buying merchandise, which will lead to a drop off in sponsers, which means less money. If the league isn’t overly concerned with producing positive role models, you can bet they’ll start to open their eyes when their income begins to be effected. I hope appropriate measures are taken before it comes to that.

Think about it, if Steven Jackson happens upon Placer County and finds his old fighting buddy behind the counter of Mickey-D’s after having lost his sweet job as forward for the Kings, maybe he’ll think twice next time before sucker punching a fan.

Ron Artest, Basketball fight, basketball arrest, Artest domestic violence

13,367 competitors lined up at the start of this year’s Vasalappet, but for the third time in the last five years, Oskar Svard was the man that mattered at the finish line.

The 90 plus kilometer race is the biggest, and probably most prestigious cross country ski race in the world. The Vasaloppet’s popularity has led the race to be duplicated the world over, actually lending the name to similar races in the US, China and Japan.

The ‘07 version had a large group of about one hundred competitors travelling in the lead as a group through the first eighty kilometers before anyone broke loose in an attempt to separate themselves from the crowd.

Within the pack Oskar Svard asked last years second place finisher Jerry Ahrlin if he’d like to share the victory, Ahrlin denied and broke away on his own. Svard was able to capture victory in the sprint making him the master of the odd years, finishing first in ‘03, ‘05, and now ‘07. For Ahrlin it was the second consecutive year that he lost the Vasaloppet in the final sprint for the finish.

Norwegian skier Jorgen Aukland surpassed the bulk of the huge crowd on his way into third place and was happy with his performance, he commented that he felt confident he would be back among the top finishers in the race again next year. This was Aukland’s fifth consecutive race in which he ended up on the winner’s podium.

skiing, Vasaloppet, cross country race

I know some of you were probably expecting to see the sixth installment of Ironman Monday today, but due to some scheduling conflicts we’re going to have to put the ironmen on hold for a minute. To try and keep up a certain level of intensity I’m going to make this weekend the meat in a Mixed Martial Arts sandwich.

As I talked about Friday UFC 68 was going down Saturday night, I thought I had made a convincing enough arguement for you to go ahead and check it out, maybe some of you did, but for those of you who didn’t or couldn’t here comes what you missed:

In what was the biggest surprise of the night for me Jason Lambert pretty much dominated Renato Sobral, who in my opinion is one of the most dangerous light heavyweights in the business. Sobral looked himself for the better part of the first round, but was rocked by some heavy handed strikes at the close of the first. The second round belonged to Lambert, he punished Sobral with elbows and strikes ultimately knocking him out with about a minute and a half left in the second round.

Matt Hughes and Chris Lytle played out like a chess match on the mat with Hughes being the more experienced wrestler having the upper hand. Hughes showed some solid takedowns along with the old “ground and pound” dropping elbows on Lytle ultimately cutting him open, though not enough to cause a stoppage. Lytle holds on longer than I would have guessed but Matt Hughes wins the fight by decision.

Rich Franklin looked like his old self in the Octogon punishing Jason MacDonald. MacDonlad spent too much time trying to take Franklin down and ended up on the receiving end of too many heavy punches. Franklin landed some very powerful shots in the closing of the second round, causing what I thought was going to be a referee stopage, but MacDonald was momentarily saved by the bell. Between the second and third rounds Jason MacDonald’s corner thought better of sending him out for more punishment in the third - Franklin wins by TKO, and sets himself up for a shot at getting his title back from Anderson Silva.

In the main event of the evening, in what was probably the biggest surprise to most who tuned in, but not a surprise at all to me, Randy “the Natural” Couture took his title back from Tim “Maine-iac” Sylvia. Despite being 12 years his senior, and weighing in at nearly fifty pounds less than his giant of an opponent, Couture came out strong, showing no sign of cobwebs from his nearly year long retirement.

Couture fed off the energy of the crowd and absolutely owned his bigger, stronger, younger opponent for the duration of the fight - five full rounds, twenty five minutes belonged to the Natural, landing bigger, harder punches, controlling in the clinch, looking like the fresher of the two from the opening bell until he raised his arms triumphantly at the close of the fifth stanza.

All in all it was an excellent show put on by almost all fighters involved, especially the new heavy-weight champ. If you still don’t want to lay down the loot to go watch it on PPV, the UFC is pretty good about showing the fights on Spike not too long after they’ve taken place, after all they’ve gotta get you pumped up for UFC 69. Check out the guide on your digital cable - UFC, Pride, K-1, and Bodog are all getting a lot of airtime these days, keep your eyes peeled and you can get a decent amount of MMA action and still keep your green in your pocket.

And I’m not bashful, I’ll give you another MMA freebie right here, keep in mind this video is graphic and may not be for the squeemish - enjoy!

UFC, MMA, Pride, Knockouts

Many of you are probably already aware of the phenomenon of mixed martial arts, and the fact is, that it’s posing strong competition to professional boxing as the most popular form of pugilistic entertainment. With different factions all over the world - Pride, K-1, King of the Cage, the UFC; and new ones popping up every day like BoDog Fight and the World Combat League, MMA as it’s known, is making a lot of fight fans forget about the sport of boxing and laugh at the “sport” of professional wrestling.

In it’s humble beginnings the sport was regarded by many to be barbaric and over-the-top in terms of violence but the additions and modifications of rules and the separation of weight classes have arguably made it safer than boxing.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not turning my back on the “sweet science”, I’m still wide eyed with excitement for the upcoming duel between Oscar De LaHoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr, I’m just saying that there is room for both MMA and boxing in a fight fan’s world.

If you haven’t already been exposed to MMA, and you have any interest in boxing or wrestling, allow me to make a suggestion - tune into Spike tonight at eleven (or Tivo it if you can’t manage to stay up that late) and check out Countdown to UFC 68. You’ll be able to check out highlights of fights and see some fighter interviews in preparation for the upcoming pay-per-view scheduled for Saturday.

UFC 68 is a perfect introduction to MMA, showcasing four incredible fighters in for different weight classes.

World Class grappler Matt Hughes (pictured below) will fight at 170 lbs, Hughes, is coming back from a tough loss at the hands of George St Pierre and will look to put a hurting on poor Chris Lytle.

Excellent striker Rich “Ace” Franklin is also back after losing his title to Anderson Silva after having logged seven straight convincing victories prior to that. Franklin will battle Jason MacDonald at 185 lbs.

Brazillian Renato Sobral will take on Jason Lambert at 205 lbs, Sobral is one of the most impressive light-heavyweights in the world, he has incredible takedowns and submissions.

Last but certainly not least is the return of Randy “the Natural” Couture in the main event, that’s right Bernard Hopkins isn’t the only fighter out there who doesn’t know how to retire. Couture will move back up to heavyweight to challenge the current champion Tim Sylvia for the belt. Couture was recently inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and has previously held both the light-heavyweight and the heavyweight championships, he not only has tremendous wrestling skills, but he can stand toe to toe with anyone. The only possible problem for the Natural is size, big Tim Sylvia stands six inches taller than Randy and outweighs him by almost forty pounds.

In addition to these four big fights, there will also be five other fights on the card as well and more often than not these “undercard” fights are just as impressive and entertaining as the ones you would shell out money to see.

Oh hell, who am I kidding, don’t wait until tonight, check out right here why MMA is becoming so popular - the knockouts:

UFC, MMA, Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin, Randy Couture

Unlike Bernard Hopkins, it seems like Johnny Tapia is actually going to follow through on his promise of retirement. After an impressive career lasting nearly twenty years in which he amassed 56 wins with only five defeats.

Tapia’s “final fury” came friday night, when he scored a victory by majority decision over 29 year old Evaristo Primero. After decades of involvement in the sport of boxing which started with 150 wins on an amatuer level, Johnny Tapia may not have been as fast or hit quite as hard as he had in his prime, but he gave the sellout crowd of three thousand fans at a New Mexico casino what they came to see - An entertaining fight that ended in a victory for the states most popular fighter.

Coming up in a difficult environment that saw his mother kidnapped and murdered when he was eight years old, through trouble with drugs, trouble with the law and rumored affiliation with gangs Johnny Tapia was able to straighten himself out and become one hell of a professional fighter, holding five different championships in three different weight classes.

Tapia amazingly held an undefeated record for the first decade of his professional career, his first loss coming in 1999 to Paul Ayala, in what many called the best fight of that year.

Crazy life or not Johnny Tapia will be missed by the world of professional boxing, but I get the feeling we’ll by seeing Johnny right outside the ring in the very near future. His son Johnny Tapia II is slated to make his amatuer boxing debut sometime in March.

Johnny Tapia, boxing, Mi Vida Loca