Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Viking trash talk: Wren says Lesnar is a poser

Who knew there was such angst and jealousy in the world of Vikings? Brock Lesnar tabbed himself a nordic warrior, grew a gnarly beard and bagged a deer during a hunting trip to Canada. Justin Wren, a fellow American MMA fighter of Scandanavian descent, took Lesnar to task. Apparently, Lesnar isnt Viking enough. Wren posted on the Underground Forum that Lesnar's beard was weak and phony:

One had a beard for a month... The other was the only student with his own razor at middle school.

One was clean shaven for over 30 years... The other hasn't shaved once since high school (5 1/2 years)

Wren says deer, schmeer.

One shoots a deer from HUNDREDS of yards away ... and carries it out.

The other's FIRST hunt, he used only a 3 inch knife, chased down hog, flipped it to it's back, ripped out it's heart, and carried out the "Brock" sized hog over a 1,000 yards out through heavy brush, creek beds, cactus, 2 & 1/2 weeks after back surgery.

Wren finished by mocking on Lesnar for eating deer sausage while he was feasting hog hearts, one evidently exhibiting the stab wounds. 

This is clearly some good-natured ballbusting. If not, Wren, a former contestant on Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter," better get his career into gear so we can see the "Yuppie Viking' against the "real Viking' at UFC 154. Check out Wren's website.

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Herschel's involvement in MMA prompts one columnist to call the sport a circus

Herschel Walker's MMA career continues to confuse those outside the sport. The former NFL and college star is attracting the eyes of many media members who haven't bought into MMA as a legitimate sport, but at what cost? John Canzano can't be the only newspaper columnist thinking the sport is a joke because it's promoting a 48-year-old football star in the cage.

I want to like this sport. I want to understand it. I want to cover it, and write about it, and take it seriously. But how can I while the sport itself aims to be a circus?

Canzano wrote that in the Oregonian on Saturday in advance of Walker's fight this coming weekend against someone named Scott Carson.

[...] This matchup is a joke. It feels like Tonya Harding boxing. And dwarf Eddie Gaedel having an at-bat for the St. Louis Browns in 1951. And it's Chad Ocho Cinco racing against a horse.

Canzano then made sure to point out that Walker is fighting for Strikeforce not the UFC.

It's worth noting that Strikeforce is promoting this bout. That operation is a more sensationalized, more desperate younger cousin of the UFC. Hard-core mixed martial arts fans are quick to point this out and dismiss this as no big deal. Trouble is, the peripheral sports fan who is just getting to know the sport can't, and won't, make this distinction. I can't, either.

He's right, but frankly, in spite of James Toney's lengthy boxing resume, Walker may have stood a better shot in the cage at UFC 118 against Randy Couture. The UFC played the circus game a bit last year too.

Is Canzano, who's also a talk show host on Portland's biggest sports talk station, overreacting or does he speak for many casual and non-MMA fans?

Feel free to reach out to Canzano to debate the topic on Twitter @johncanzanobft, but remember to be civil. There's no reason to represent the MMA fanbase poorly

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Apple Makes Changes To Repair Policy Involving Liquid Sensors

Apple has quietly made a change to its repair policy regarding the liquid contact indicators, or LCI. You may remember last years lawsuit surrounding the issue. Perhaps that had something to do with it.

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Monday, January 31, 2011

Apple Reportedly Blocks Sony Reader App, May Foreshadow War With Amazon Kindle

This evening the New York Times published an article titled Apple Moves to Tighten Control of App Store. An alternative title, should the report prove accurate, could be, Apple Underscores The Downsides Of Its Closed Platform. Really, things look like they are going to get nasty. According to the report, Apple blocked Sony's e-reader application from the iPhone and mandated that it would need to sell content via In-App purchases:
The company has told some applications developers, including Sony, that they can no longer sell content, like e-books, within their apps, or let customers have access to purchases they have made outside the App Store. Apple rejected Sony?s iPhone application, which would have let people buy and read e-books bought from the Sony Reader Store. Apple told Sony that from now on, all in-app purchases would have to go through Apple, said Steve Haber, president of Sony?s digital reading division.

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Once a 'Joe' facing Justin Gatlin and Kevin Greene, Charlie Brenneman now a 'pro'

Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman hasn't broken into the mainstream just yet when it comes to his mixed martial arts career. The lightweight will try to improve on that image tomorrow night on the Fight for the Troops 2 card on Spike.

In an odd twist, he's actually had more success on Spike television than anyone else on this deep Ultimate Fight Night 23 card.

Brenneman was once a competitor on Spike's "Pros vs. Joes" back in 2006.

The former college wrestler competed against the likes of Darren Daulton, Herschel Walker, Kevin Greene, Dominique Wilkens and Olympic sprinter Justin Gatlin. Episode 9 of Season 1 was titled, "Could you outrun the fastest man alive?"

"He probably beat me by 100 meters in the 200-meter dash," Brenneman told the Canadian Press.

Brenneman bounced back in the football competition against Greene. That was good enough to help him win the episode. He went onto the finale with his brother Ben and won the Season 1 title. He won $20,000 and a Dodge Caliber. It turns out the car was more valuable than the cash.

With Brenneman relocating two years ago from his Pennsylvania home in Hollidaysburg to a spot in East Hanover, N.J., the car came in handy for driving all over northern New Jersey. He trains in Whippany with fellow UFC fighters, Jim and Dan Miller. He also works with Ricardo Almeida to south in Hamilton and occasionally trains at Renzo Gracie's gym in New York City. Throw in the commute back to East Stroudsburg, Pa. where he helps coach the East Stroudsburg University wrestling team and that's a lot of driving.

Brenneman is 1-1 in the UFC. He debuted with a win over Jason High and lost via second round TKO against Johny Hendricks at UFC 117. Tomorrow at UFN 23, he gets to show his progress against a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt in Amilcar Alves, who fightsout of Jose Aldo's camp.

If you're wondering about the nickname. Brenneman did his undergrad work at Lock Haven and got his masters from East Stroudsburg. He went on to teach high school Spanish from 2004-2007.

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Out & About

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? Penn Badgley was ready to ride at the Burton Super Demo Tour tent at Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah.

? James Franco greeted the 17-year old LuckyChic.com auction winner, Anthony, at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

? Lil Jon and Susan Sarandon played ping-pong at Bing Bar during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

? Matt Dillon bowled with friends at Williamsburg hotspot Brooklyn Bowl.

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One-Armed Kevin Laue an NCAA Basketball Inspiration to All

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Kevin Laue

RIVERDALE, N.Y. -- Kevin Laue was 10 years old the day his father died, ending the gut-wrenching torment the two endured -- a cancerous brain tumor that painfully sucked the life from a big, vibrant man and traumatized the son, robbing him of his innocence and a bond he desperately needed.
If only dad could see him now.

A decade later, Laue has grown into one of America's most inspirational stories, overcoming a serious birth defect to become the first and the only NCAA Division I basketball player with one hand.

He's become something the father never thought possible.

"It's a difficult subject now, but I would have loved to have my father here to see me play -- just one game, any game -- so he could see what I've done,'' Laue told FanHouse recently. "All I can do now is hope that he would be proud of me, and what I've become."

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UFC Fight for the Troops 2: Matt Mitrione KOs Tim Hague

by Michael David SmithMatt Mitrione needed only a couple minutes to whoop Tim Hague at the UFC Fight for the Troops 2, keeping the fight standing and using powerful punches to beat on Hague, then pounding him some more on the floor before the referee stepped in at the 2:59 mark to stop the fight, handing Mitrione a first-round technical knockout.

"I'm here to fight," Mitrione said afterward. "I'm here to get a piece of gold."

 

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Barry emotionally wins unanimous decision at Fight for the Troops 2

Pat Barry leg kicked his way to a unanimous decision, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 over Joey Beltran at Fight for the Troops 2 in Texas on Saturday night.

Beltran controlled Barry throughout the round using the clinch, and even landed a few shots to the groin before the two were separated and Barry was given time to recover. Beltran stayed close enough to keep Barry from throwing many damaging kicks, which clearly frustrated Barry.

In the second round, Beltran started with a series of punches and completed a takedown, but also absorbed several punishing leg kicks from Barry. By the end of the round, Beltran was limping, but still ended the round with a flurry of strikes and knees. 

Beltran continued to use the clinch in the third round, battering Barry's face for the beginning of the round, but Barry didn't let Beltran stick around too long. He continued to use leg kicks, and at one point, pushed off Beltran's face to throw a kick. He inadvertently poked Beltran in the eye, stopping the fight for the doctor to come in.

When the bout was re-started, Barry found a second wind, landing kick after kick on Beltran's already wary leg. Beltran tried for a takedown to avoid the kicks, but Barry used his position on the ground to hammerfist Beltran's tenderized leg. Barry returned to his feet and landed several more kicks as the final horn sounded. Beltran collapsed to the ground, his leg clearly in pain. 

Barry was emotional after the fight, speaking of his father, a solider who died 25 years ago. Several of Barry's family members served in the military, giving his bout at Ft. Hood extra meaning. He said that he was surprised that Beltran contnued to come forward.

"That dude is a zombie. I hit him in the face 300 times, and he kept coming forward," Barry said of Beltran.

This win was Barry's first time back in the Octagon since breaking his hand and foot in a loss to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Beltran has now suffered his second loss in a row, after dropping a unanimous decision to Matt Mitrione at UFC 119.

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Fedor Emelianenko training on a horse for Feb. 12 bout

Oh, why hello, there. I am Fedor Emelianenko, the greatest fighter in the world. It's so nice to meet you. Wait, what did you just say? Fabricio Wer-who?

That's funny. You ... you, my friend, are funny. I did lose to Werdum. It is true. But did you hear about the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix?

I was stopped dead in my tracks when I heard about. The chance to fight Fabricio again? Or Alistair Overeem? Yes, that made me think.

I have to win that grand prix.

I'm going to show who the best heavyweight in the world is, even if it means I have to spar in a Stalin-era pool hall. (No, wait. Why am I here? I'm the greatest fighter in the world, and I'm training at a place where any Sergei Schmo can come in off the street to play nine-ball?)

I'll do it for you, my friend. I'll do it for you, and of course, to impress the ladies.

You'll see on Feb. 12, my friend.

All pictures courtesy of Fedor's website. Thanks to Fightlinker for the heads up.

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Plentyoffish CEO: We Were Hacked, Almost Extorted ? So I Emailed The Hacker?s Mom

The title of strangest WTF story of my morning is Plentyoffish CEO Markus Frind recounting how his online dating site got hacked, he and his wife were harassed and someone clumsily attempted to extort his company in the aftermath of the events. If that is in fact what happened ... First up, Frind points out that the site has indeed been hacked last week in a "well planned and sophisticated attack". Apparently, email addresses, usernames and passwords were downloaded, although Frind does not say how many. Plentyoffish has already reset the passwords for all users and claims to have plugged the security hole that allowed the hackers to enter.

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Celebs love Kirill Bichutsky

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In a city full of nightlife photographers, Kirill Bichutsky has made a name for himself as one of the most respected in New York. Celebrities like Drake and Kanye West love him, and he is responsible for capturing some of the best moments in the Big Apple nightlife. "I love that they know I'm not paparazzi. I won't profit from these photos, so they are comfortable with me. They feel free to have fun around me and be themselves," Kirill tells In Touch of his superstar fans. Check out his photos at www.KirillWasHere.com, and watch Kirill's video of the best moments of 2010 at www.kirillwashere.com/2010/.

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Watch Jens Pulver win his first fight since 2007

Jens Pulver once was the UFC lightweight champion, but his last win was in 2007 against Cub Swanson in the WEC. Since then, he has lost six times, including two losses to Urijah Faber. He righted the ship on Saturday night at XFO 38 outside Chicago, winning by rear naked choke over Mike Lindquist. The fight starts at about two minutes in.

Lindquist was on a losing streak of his own, with the Pulver fight his fifth loss in a row.

Thanks to Chicago's MMA for the video.

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The Triple Crown

Netflix is interesting because it is the first service to follow the disruptive arc of the iPad. Every time the iPad is analyzed, the projections are anywhere from just plain wrong to what amounts to a niche. Doesn?t run applications? now there?s an AppStore. Doesn?t run Flash? now there?s a Flash converter app. Apps don?t support a magazine subscription model? Tuesday they will. Won?t be accepted by IT? 80% penetration. Will be overwhelmed by Android tablets? Apple will Verizon them with iPad 2. What is reminiscent of iPadnomics is the speed with which the disruption is underestimated, the naivet� with which the backlash is orchestrated, and the resultant vaulting of the service into a near-incumbent position before the deposed incumbents can retrench from the initial mistaken counterattack. Netflix is already at the stage where iTunes was when the music cartel tried to cap it. While Amazon may be a cheaper service without so-called DRM, there's no device comparable to Apple TV at the end of the value chain.

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Fight for the Troops 2 picks, Vegas-style

For a card with plenty of toss-up fights, Ultimate Fight Night 23 has some pretty big numbers on the betting board. Remember the odds are set to balance the public's opinion on the fights. The public is a little shaky on its perception of some these battles. Let's see if we can find some underdog value.

Melvin Guillard (26-8, 9-4 UFC) looks like a new fighter since his move to Albuquerque to work with fight guru Greg Jackson. Jackson has moved Guillard away from his reckless ways of the past. He's a more composed fighter now. Is that enough to steal plus-200? Dunham is aggressive, well-rounded and dangerous from his back. That could be the issue for Guillard, who has fallen victim to submission in all four of his UFC losses. 

Matt Mitrione (3-0, 3-0 UFC) enters his fight against big Tim Hague at a UFC career-high 260 pounds. He did look bigger across the shoulders, but does the extra weight mean he's less conditioned? Should Mitrione, with just three pro fights under his belt, be a minus-260 favorite against any experienced MMA heavyweight? This looks shaky. We're not laying that kind of number on a guy who's career wins have come against Kimbo Slice, Marcus Jones and Joey Beltran. There's solid value with Hague.

The same goes for Beltran against Pat Barry. Barry says he more focused for this one, but does he have the intensity and gas tank to finish the fight? Barry is still carrying a little extra weight at 240 up from 233. It makes Beltran worth a play at plus-190. 

Yves Edwards is an intriguing favorite. The price is big at minus-270, but Cody McKenzie (12-0, 1-0 UFC) only has one path to victory, the guillotine choke. His wrestling and striking is below par. Edwards (39-16, 7-4 UFC) has suffered some losses over the last 10 years, but only one via submission. 

Fight for the Troops 2 betting odds (Courtesy Lagasse Stadium):
Official plays in bold 

Melvin Guillard (+200) vs. Evan Dunham (-250) - Lightweight
Tim Hague (+200) vs. Matt Mitrione (-250)- Heavyweight
George Roop (+210) vs. Mark Hominick (-270) - Featherweight
Joey Beltran (+190) vs. Pat Barry (-240) - Heavyweight
Matt Wiman (+130) vs. Cole Miller (-160) - Lightweight
Mike Guymon (+130) vs. DaMarques Johnson (-160) - Welterweight
Cody McKenzie (+210) vs. Yves Edwards (-270) - Lightweight
Willamy Freire (-120) vs. Waylon Lowe (-110) - Lightweight
Amilcar Alves (+170) vs. Charlie Brenneman (-200) - Welterweight
Rani Yahya (+280) vs. Mike Brown (-360) - Featherweight
Chris Cariaso (-115) vs. Wil Campuzano (-115) - Bantamweight

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

iPad Mags Need A New Blueprint

Ever since the iPad came out, print media companies have been feeling their way in this new medium, but so far they've just been stumbling over themselves. They are latching onto the iPad as a new walled garden where people will somehow magically pay for articles they can get for free in their browsers. But if they want people to pay, the experience has to be better than on the Web, and usually it's not. This sorry state of affairs is true for both magazines and newspapers. The New York Times iPad app, for instance, is gorgeous but crippled. All the links are stripped out of the articles, even from the blogs. Meanwhile, most iPad magazines are little more than PDFs of the print issues with some photo slideshows and videos thrown in. They end up being huge files?I recently downloaded a single issue that was 350 MB, some issues of Wired are 500 MB?with the same stale articles as in the print version. Replicating a dead-tree publishing model on a touchscreen is a recipe for obsolescence.

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Meetup Feels The Wrath Of The Crowd After Radical Changes

Meetup, a long time go-to place to create local online groups, has undergone a major re-launch in the past day. However, it may have missed a trick: not consulting the meetup organizers who pay through the nose for the service. There now appears to be something of a revolt going on amongst some organisers, who are vociferously protesting about the changes. The reaction of annoyed organisers and members has turned into two, count-em, Twitter hashtags: #newmeetup and #meetuporganizersunite. Alternatives to Meetup like BigTent are being touted, as is GroupSpaces ? a startup which last year raised $1.3 million from the likes of Index Ventures and Angels like Dave McClure and Chris Sacca. It is is already gunning for ?FormerMeetupOrganizers? with its own group and a blog post on the subject.

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Oprah?s shocking family secret revealed!

O.jpg It turns out Oprah has a half-sista from another mista! Oprah revealed on her show Monday morning that she has a half sister, named Patricia, whom she did not even know existed until last October. "I thought I'd seen it all," Oprah told her audience. "But this, my friends, is the miracle of all miracles." Patricia, who resides in Milwaukee, Wisc., had been searching for the identity of her mother who gave her up for adoption. She discovered the talk show queen was her half sister in 2007. Upon Oprah's discovery that "literally shook" her to her core, she immediately made plans to meet with Patricia. Oprah, who finally met Patricia last Thanksgiving, said she was living with her father, Vernon, when her mother gave birth to Patricia.

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Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke Aboard, 49ers Unlikely to Make Sweeping Changes

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The San Francisco 49ers are unlikely to undergo wholesale changes now that Trent Baalke has taken over as general manager and Jim Harbaugh has left Stanford to join the organization as coach.

There are no plans to change overall defensive schemes, and the offense that Stanford ran under Harbaugh would seem to fit most of the offensive players on the San Francisco roster.

"There's a lot of similarities to what we've done in the past,'' Baalke told The Sacramento Bee Thursday. "We're still working through with the coaches exactly what they're looking for at each position.

"But the systems on both sides of the ball should marry up very well with the personnel that we have now and the personnel that we've been looking for.''

Harbaugh brought Vic Fangio along from Stanford as the defensive coordinator, and Fangio's defense with the Cardinal stressed quickness more than massive bulk along the defensive line.

 

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Joe Morgan Looking Forward to Life After 'Sunday Night Baseball'

by John Hickey

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For the better part of his life, Joe Morgan has spent his summer Sundays at the ballpark.

For two decades, starting when he was out of high school, it was as a player. Since 1990, it's been as a broadcaster.

Now that's over. With ESPN declining to offer Morgan and his longtime compatriot in the "Sunday Night Baseball" broadcast booth, Jon Miller, contracts for 2011, Morgan is entering a new phase of his life.

He's accepted the offer of Walt Jocketty to join the Cincinnati Reds as a front office adviser. Morgan, whose Hall of Fame career was launched when he helped form Cincinnati's Big Red Machine in the 1970s, has long had a locker in Cincinnati even after his retirement.

 

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