Forza Juve!!!!

Hey guys, I've been really busy and haven't had a lot of time to update this lately, but here's an extra-large edition for you to chew on.

Juventus

Juventus won the Serie A Championship, the Scudetto, after defeating Cagliari 2-0 a couple of weeks ago, and secured there undefeated season by beating Atalanta 3-1 the following week. Il Bianconeri got help from rivals Inter Milan, who beat AC Milan, and officially crowned Juve champions. Juve finally completed a long road back to recovery from the match fixing scandal of 2005-2006 season, which took away two of their scudetttos, and relegated them to Serie B for a season.  Even though they lost to Napoli in the Coppa Italia Final, Juve has their eyes set on the EUFA Cup starting next season.

This season welcomed new star midfielder Andrea Pirlo, and new head coach, and former player, Antonio Conte. However, it was also a sad goodbye for the legendary Alessandro Del Piero.  After 19 seasons, 514 appearances, and 209 goals, a World Cup Championship, and 8 Scudetti Il Capitano has been told by the team that they will let his contract expire, thus ending his Italian club career. There are rumors that he may join the MLS next season. The legendary number 10 won't be retired, but hopefully Juve will wait for the right player to come along before giving it out again. Del Piero was always known for his class both on the pitch and off it, and I hope he is happy in the next stop in his great career.  Grazie Per Tutti Alex.

Bamboozle Fest

I'm going to switch gears here to talk briefly about the 2012 Bamboozle Music Fest in Asbury Park this weekend. This was my first time going to Bamboozle, and had a great time. On the beach and boardwalk of Asbury Park, the music festival had a nice backdrop. In total there were 6 stages, with a variety of music genres represented. I wasn't able to make the first night when Skrillex and Incubus headlined, but went on Saturday and Sunday. 

On Saturday, The All-American Rejects were the first band I saw. While not being a big fan of their music, I thought that they had a good 30 minute set, playing all their hits. Next on the main stage was Jimmy Eat World, who had a decent set, including their most popular hit "The Middle". The next act up was the day's co-headliner My Chemical Romance. Nothing against them, but it was a huge disappointment thinking that they were playing in place of Blink 182, who canceled two weeks ago due to a medical issue with drummer Travis Barker. The night finished out with the Foo Fighters, who had an amazing 2-hour set. The Foo's are a great live band led by frontman Dave Grohl. They were scheduled to play at Saturday Night Live later in the evening, so Grohl had the crowd yell "Live from New Jersey it's Saturday Night!"The set that included "My Hero", "All My Life", "Rope" and finished with "Everlong". The people running the festival made a mistake by having Jersey Shore star DJ Pauly D playing in a small enclosed stage. I was going to check him out after the Foo was done playing, but there was a crowd of a couple hundred people waiting outside while security shouted that no one else is going to be allowed in. This was a curious decision considering that there weren't going to be any other bands playing on the main stage after 9:30, and on the other two nights the main act was on until 11.

On Sunday the first band' I saw was Buckcherry. They had a good energetic 45-minute set that included "Sorry" "Lit Up" and finished with "Crazy Bitch". Lead singer Josh Todd added some funny comments between songs. I would have rather seen them co-headline the day then Brand New or The Gaslight Anthem,  but it gave me and my buddies some time to walk around the festival grounds a little, and also catch some of Andrew Dice Clay's hilarious comedy set. Sunday's (and arguably the festival's) biggest act was saved for last as Jersey's own Bon Jovi took the stage. 

                       

Bon Jovi added a strange dynamic to the festival, because a lot of the teenagers that were there earlier left in a mob (probably because it was past their bedtime on a school night), and in came a crowd of people in there 40's to see their heroes growing up. Jon Bon Jovi and the rest of the band, however proved that you can't put an age on good musiThc (even teasing at one point that they're not in a competition with these younger bands before Jon jokingly said "turn this baby up to 10 and let's show them") .  The band played for over two hours and included all their hits "Bad Medicine" "It's My Life" "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Runaway". Bon Jovi got sentimental at one point saying when they first started playing 30 years ago they only ever hoped to sell out Asbury Park's famous Convention Center, and wanted to give back to the town that helped give them a start to their careers as opposed to the massive Metlife Stadium. The festival closed with an encore of perhaps their biggest hit "Livin' on a Prayer", which was followed by a fireworks display, and everyone went home happy. I'd recommend for everyone to go to Bamboozle Fest next year, especially if it's held in Asbury Park again.

UFC 146

UFC is set for one of their biggest shows of the year, literally, as they are holding an all-heavyweight show for the first time in the company's history. UFC fights are now an annual tradition of Memorial Day weekend along with beer, the Jersey Shore, and hamburgers. The card was dampened a little bit because of the positive drug test by Alistair Overeem, that effected both the main and co-main event. The show's prelims are stacked with mid-level talent, that includes Jamie Varner, Mayhem Miller and Dan  Hardy. 

Dan Hardy is probably fighting for his UFC career, losing his last four fights, including a title match against GSP. The Brit was saved by Dana White because of his exciting fighting style, but he needs to win here against Duane Ludwig. Former WEC champion Jamie Varner is getting his second chance with the Zuffa-owned company, after being released in Decemer 2010. He will be facing undefeated Edison Barboza, who made national headlines by knocking out Terry Etim with a spinnig heel kick in January. Finally, Jason "Mayhem" Miller is going to need an impressive outing, after gassing out and looking out of his league against Michael Bisping in December. Ultimate Fighter 7 winner CB Dollaway also needs a win to break his two fight losing streak.

Now onto the big guys, 6'11" Stefan Struve kicks off the PPV portion of the show against LaVar Johnson, who is coming off a short layoff following his first round knockout of Pat Barry on Cinco de Mayo. Struve's height proves to be a matchup problem for nearly everyone he fights, and will have a 7 inch height advantage on Saturday. The 24 year old Swede has had a good career, but he still hasn't proven that he could be mid-level guys consistently yet. LaVar Johnson is heavy handed, but his conditioning has yet to be tested inside the Octagon.

The undefeated 28-year old Shane Del Rosario makes his UFC debut against another young undefeated fighter, Stipe Miocic. I haven't seen a lot of either of these guys, but a big win on this card could put one of them in a good position in the heavyweight division. To be honest, I'd rather see any of the three prelim matches I listed above over this, but a whole heavyweight show is pretty cool.

The always entertaining Roy Neslon takes on Dave Herman. Only one of Herman's 24 career fights has gone to a decision, but for all the smack people say about Big Country, they can't deny his heart, only being knocked out once in his career. This has potential to be one of the best fights on the show.

In the co-main event former Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasqez goes into battle against Antonio "Big Foot" Silva. Velasquez looked unbeatable until his first title defense against Junior Dos Santos, when he was knocked out in the first minute of the UFC's first fight on national TV. Cain draws an easier fight (he was scheduled to fight Frank Mir until Overeem's suspension moved Mir up to the main event), but he can't take Big Foot for granted. Silva stopped the legendary Fedor Emelianenko last February in Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. A win by Cain should make him the number one contender for either a rematch with JDS or a fight with Mir.

The main event is an interesting matchup with Junior Dos Santos putting his heavyweight crown on the line against Frank Mir. The champ is coming off a 6-month layoff due to knee surgery. JDS has won his last nine fights, and hasn't lost since 2007! Frank Mir poses an interesting challenge to Dos Santos, following perhaps the most impressive win of his career, getting Big Nog to tapout to a sickening kimura. If Mir can take Dos Santos down and use his superior submission game he has a really good chance to win the fight. Even though his striking has improved, Mir can't beat Dos Santos in a striking match. Mir has also proven in the past he can go into the championship rounds, while Dos Santos looked like he was getting winded in his 3-round decision against Shane Carwin.

Predictions

Struve submission over Johnson

Miocic decision over Del Rosario

Herman KO over Nelson

Velasquez KO over Silva

Mir submission over Dos Santos

Yankees

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just don't think this Yankee team is very good. The season-ending injury to Mariano Rivera seemed to expose this team as a $200 million dollar fraud. The team has gone 8-10 since the legendary closer was laying in pain on the warning track in Kansas City. 

It seems like they never have a lead because you can only trust 1-2 of our starting pitchers, and the offense looks putrid with guys on base. When I see a team with Chris Stewart, Dwayne Wise, and Jayson Nix as a 7-9 hitters I think of the team in Queens, not the big brother Yankees.

The team looks like it might waste it's opportunity with Andy Pettitte finding the Fountain of Youth. 

If the team has the bases loaded an no one out, and FAIL TO SCORE A RUN, I may throw a remote through my 46-inch flat screen. 

Can we trade Mark Teixeira and A-Rod for a bag of balls? No takers?

I'm so mad I can't even put together full sentences.... maybe I'll try this again next week

Amare Attacks the Glass and other thoughts

A lot of things have happened in the New York sports world in the past week. From the NHL and NBA Playoffs, the NFL Draft, and UFC on Fox 3 live from the Izod Center this weekend. On top of all that there was the Jon Jones-Rashad Evans fight and Brock Lesnar's return to WWE at Extreme Rules.

NBA 

Amare Stoudemire joined the long list of New York athletes, most notably Kevin Brown, to injure himself by punching something out of frustration. Knicks fans have asked for Stoudemire to attack the glass, but we didn't mean to punch a glass door of a fire extinguisher. I can't wait for Mike Francesa to interview the fire extinguisher on his show today at 1. "The fiah extunguishah is a stahting pitchah!!!"

This has been one of a series of setbacks to Amare's Knicks career in the past 12 months. He injured his back doing circus dunks in warmups during last year's playoffs, looked lifeless during most of the 2011-12 regular season, re-injured his back in March, and lost his former Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni. During all of this, Carmelo Anthony took over the team and looked like the superstars the Knickerbockers were hoping they would get when they traded half the team to the Denver Nuggets for him last season.  

The Knicks currently are behind two games to none against the reigning Eastern Conference Champs, the Miami Heat, and really haven't shown that they can sustain a run against them. LeBron has been on another planet this season in hopes for his first ring, and the Knicks are just pawns on his way to the Finals. 

The question now is where do the Knicks go from here, to improve for next season. With Amare's contract it's going to be tough to get rid of him, but it's also difficult to pay a 6th man that much money. Also, the point guard position is a question mark. Was Linsanity a month-long Cinderella story that won't be repeated or could he maintain success throughout a whole 82-game season? If the answer is no, is Iman Shumpert going to start at the point, or do the Knicks have to look for a free agent. Finally, is Mike Woodson going to have the interim title taken from his job, or do the Dolans try to get Phil Jackson back for one last run to a ring?

NFL

The Jets had a really good draft, getting two pass rushers and a legit threat at Wide Receiver. The first round selection of Quinton Coples, a defensive end from UNC, is a risk-reward type of player. He has the physical tools to be a great DE, but there have been questions about his lack of commitment. If any coach can get a player like that to perform well it is Rex Ryan. 

After trading up, Gang Green took Stephen Hill, wide receiver out of Georgia Tech. Hill was the quickest receiver in the combine, and at 6' 4" has good height. Hill is credited with being a good run blocking WR, and now it looks unlikely that the Jets will bring back Braylon Edwards. Another positive about Hill is that he has experience with the option offense, and with Tim Tebow on the roster that's a huge plus.

Finally, in the third round they drafted Demario Davis inside linebacker out of Arkansas State. Davis looks like a big hitter with a fast motor and should be a fun player to watch. He'll split time with Bart Scott at ILB this season.

While getting some raw athletic talent, I don't think any of these guys are can't miss prospects, but learning under some of our veteran leader, these rookies will have a good chance to be successful. The one major complaint I have is that we didn't draft an offensive tackle to replace Wayne Hunter, and waited until the 6th round to draft a linemen.
Grade: B-

UFC

Jon Jones picked apart Rashad Evans to earn a unanimous decision victory at UFC 145. The list for potential opponents for Jones at 205 is dwindling, after defeating Rua, Rampage, Machida and now Evans. Dana White announced that Dan Henderson is most likely going get the next chance at Bones. The rest of pay-per view wasn't very newsworthy, with Rory MacDonald picking apart Che Mills in the co-main. 

On Saturday, UFC on Fox is live from Izod Center. It will be my second live UFC experience, and can agree with Dana White that the live event experience of the UFC is one of the best in sports. I would urge anyone who reads this and enjoys the sport to go to at least one live event. You can still buy tickets for Saturday's show on stubhub for under $30. 

The main card features four fights, that despite not being packed with stars, should all be really entertaining fights. The main event is Nate Diaz against Jersey's own Jim Miller, with the winner becoming a favorite to fight the winner of Edgar-Henderson II. Miller is 8-1 in his past nine fights, with the loss coming to current champ Ben Henderson. Meanwhile, Nate Diaz has been hot and cold in his last ten fights, going 5-5. Like his brother Nick, Nate has great conditioning and loves to turn the fight into a brawl. Meanwhile, Jim would rather fight a more technical style. 

Josh Koscheck battles Johny Hendricks in the co-main event. The 34-year old Koscheck is looking to get retribution for his teammate and friend Jon Fitch, who was knocked out by Hendricks at UFC 141 in December. Kos is hoping that a win puts his name back into title contention at the 170 lb division. Hendricks is very good up and coming fighter, going 9-1 in his ten fights in the WEC/UFC, who has knockout power.

The always entertaining Rousimar Palhares takes on Alan Belcher in the third fight. Palhares has a dangerous heel hook, that he won seven fights with. The 28-year old Belcher has been in the UFC for 6 years, and has compiled an 8-4 record. He is a well-rounded fighter. 

In the opener, Pat Barry takes on Lavar Johnson. In there last 14 fights combined, only one of them ended in a decision, so it's almost a guarantee that someone is going to be looking up at the lights at the end of the fight. Barry had his best performance in January against Christian Morecraft. Meanwhile, Johnson knocked out Joey Beltran in his UFC debut in January.

Predictions:

Miller by Submission over Diaz

Koscheck Decision over Hendricks

Palhares Submission over Belcher

Barry Knockout over Johson

WWE

The main event of Extreme Rules was everything I expected to see and then some. Brock Lesnar picked apart John Cena in his return to the WWE squared circle, including opening up Cena with a UFC-style elbow to the top of his head. For 17 minutes plus, the former UFC Champion looked like he never missed a beat, and put on of the most intense matches in the PG-era of WWE. It felt like I was watching a scripted MMA fight, which included Brock putting Cena in a kimura.

That was until the finish, when Super Cena came back to win again, and left me scratching my head. Brock took a tumble to the outside of the ring everyone held there breath that he didn't tear his ACL. After that, Cena punched Brock with a chain, and hit the FU on steel steps, and that put Brock down in his return to the WWE. Ironically, it was very similar to Lesnar's UFC debut when he dominated Frank Mir until getting caught in a heel hook. Unfortunately, UFC can't control the outcome of the fights, and WWE can.

It looks like Vince brought Brock back to teach everyone a lesson, that you don't leave WWE on bad terms and come crawling back when your other career is over (especially now that UFC is more popular). Vince McMahon's huge ego may have gotten in the way of making him a ton of money, just like when he screwed up the WCW Invasion angle. I could be completely wrong, and WWE could have a great long-term plan, but after the PPV and Raw last night I'm very skeptical.