The first round of the NHL playoffs are in the books and, for certain teams, the risks taken in goal were rewarded with series wins.

We experienced the roller coaster ride of perennial playoff chokers Vancouver, who managed to squeak past the Hawks, after coming within an eyelash of becoming the 2nd team in as many years to blow a 3-0 series lead. What looked like a cakewalk early, turned into every Canucks fans’ worst nightmare, as Head Coach Alain Vigneault struggled to motivate his troops to finish off the defending Stanley Cup Champions. His biggest gamble was taken in Game 6 in Chicago, where the desperate bench boss elected to start rookie netminder Cory Schneider in goal ahead of his struggling superstar, Roberto Luongo. That decision could have bottomed out like a US Poker site, but instead, it paid off – albeit one game later.

Tampa Bay advanced over the Penguins to win their first playoff series since raising the Stanley Cup in 2004. Much of their recent success needs to be attributed to their fearless GM Steve Yzerman, who took a huge gamble when he put his faith in the 41-year old Dwayne Roloson to lead the Lightning into the playoffs. Heck, you would’ve thought that Stevie Y was in a poker room when he placed that bet on Rollie. But the veteran netminder – who improved to 6-0 in his playoff career in elimination games – backstopped Tampa to an impressive Game 7 victory in Pittsburgh by pitching a 36-save shutout in his team’s 1-0 win.

And hats off to the NHL’s version of Mr. Houdini himself, Peter Laviolette, who somehow managed to escape the first round without having a true number 1 keeper to rely on. After it became clear early on that rookie G Sergei Bobrovsky was not ready for the playoff spotlight, Laviolette juggled Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton well enough to allow the Flyers to come back and defeat the Sabres in seven games.

We’ll see if lady luck remains on their side in Round 2.

It’s been three years in the making. Featuring two championship fights. In one of the most highly anticipated events in UFC history.

It’ll be no-holds-barred when UFC 129 goes down this Saturday night at Rogers Centre, marking the UFC’s long awaited debut in Ontario. UFC President Dana White, who has always referred to Canada as the “Mecca of Mixed Martial Arts”, will finally realize his dream of Toronto serving as its epicenter following years of fighting to get the sport legalized in the Province. And with Canadian superstar and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre headlining the main event, a partisan crowd of well over 55,000 fans (a number which more than doubles the UFC’s previous attendance record of 21,451 set in Montreal at UFC 97) will undoubtedly make this spectacle a night to remember.

While GSP steals Saturday’s spotlight, fellow Canadians Mark Hominick (who faces Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship) and Mark Bocek (who takes on Ben Henderson) will also attempt to make themselves household names north of the border when they enter the Octagon at UFC 129.

But they’re not the only ones.

Gegard Mousasi and Revgear Founder/CEO Paul Reavlin

This week’s event marks the UFC debut in Canada for Revgear, an elite name and pioneer in the MMA Fight Gear Industry. The California-based company, founded in 1996, recently struck a deal back in February with the UFC, giving Revgear the rights to sponsor their fighters.

Revgear will be well represented inside the Octagon come Saturday night, their logo prominently emblazoned on the shorts of Bocek, Vladimir Matyushenko, Nate Diaz and Pablo Garza. For Revgear Founder and CEO Paul Reavlin, it was a deal 15 years in the making. A deal he hopes can elevate his brand into the mainstream.

“All the people who already knew us, it’s reinforced their opinion of us.” says Reavlin, who recalls his days of driving heavy bags door-to-door, hanging out of the back of his Ford Mustang convertible, while trying to make a name for himself back in the mid-90’s. “But if you ask a general UFC fan who Revgear is, they probably won’t know. So, we’re hoping to gain exposure to the newer generation of fight fans so that by the time their older, they can be buying our products and supporting our brand. The question is, how long does it take for the people who don’t know who you are to understand who you are and what you do and become a customer? I believe it’s not a year, I believe it’s a number of years. That’s why we want to be a partner with the UFC for a long time.”

A former accountant, who also holds a first degree black belt in Krav Maga, Reavlin began manufacturing Fight Gear almost two decades ago out of frustration with pre-existing equipment that just didn’t work for the type of training he was involved in. That passion spawned one of the first finger-free gloves ever created, in effect becoming some of the first MMA gloves ever to be marketed.

Fast forward to today, where thanks to the UFC, the MMA landscape has grown considerably since those early days. Competition is fierce, both inside and outside of the cage. For Revgear to ultimately separate itself from the competition, Reavlin knows that he must strike while the iron is hot, while not compromising the integrity of his brand by continuing to stay true to his roots. “The UFC has raised awareness to a lot of people who didn’t even know what MMA was. As a result, it’s brought a lot of competition into the industry from a lot of people who think, “Hey, that’s gonna be cool and fun and I want to be an MMA Brand.”

“Revgear has laser focus,” continues Reavlin. “We know that we are a Gear brand, we’re not going to try to be an Apparel brand, or be seen as an Apparel brand. I think that’s what helps to make us unique. You will definitely see us capitalize on us being a gear brand. It’s in our name. That’s who we are. We’ve been professional gear for professional fighters for over 15 years, and we plan on being that for the next 30 (years).”

Bocek Will Wear Revgear's Logo at UFC 129

Reavlin will be making the pilgrimage up to Toronto this weekend, where he’ll personally be on hand at the UFC Fan Expo Friday and Saturday at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place to help promote his brand. Fresh off their new deal with the UFC, he’s brought in fighters’ Sean Sherk, Brendan Schaub, Ben Rothwell and Jim Miller to sign autographs at their booth to help lure Canadian fight fans in to see first hand what Revgear is all about.

And while these particular fighters won’t be confused with some of the bigger names in the UFC today, for Reavlin, it’s all about being realistic and staying within budget.

“I’ve seen a lot of companies come and go because their sponsorship strategy can easily put someone out of business,” explains Reavlin. “It’s an important part of our marketing budget, but it can’t be everything we do. Apparel brands may sell 10 or even 30 T-Shirts for every pair of boxing gloves we sell, so there’s always more revenue there for them then there is for us. They’re probably willing to spend more on sponsorship then we will. We have to go out and look for fighters that could represent our brand professionally, that will want to work with a brand like us, and who will want to work with us at a price we can afford.”

While much of Revgear’s business to this point has been concentrated within the U.S., Reavlin also realizes his new partnership with the UFC opens the door for newfound growth and exposure internationally for his company, starting with UFC 129 in Toronto. “When you see the way Canadians respond to UFC events, vs. how the Americans do, it’s borderline fanatical. They have so much passion for it. It just seems that anytime there’s anything going on in Canada, it sells out instantly. We’ve had a lot of interest in our product from people in Canada. We’re always surprised to see how much enthusiasm there is for the UFC in Canada. We know that there’s a good market there.”

There’s never been a more exciting time for Revgear, who are living proof that perseverance and an unwillingness to quit really do pay off in the business world – much like they would for a fighter inside the cage. So, no matter whether it’s a pair of their shin guards or MMA gloves, Reavlin wants his brand to be recognized worldwide for the commitment to quality that’s been built into every piece of Revgear equipment since Day 1.

“Revgear is going to start showing up for a lot of people who’s never seen us before and it’s going to look like an overnight success to them. I want people to know that, just like any other business, there’s no such thing as an overnight success. In our case, it’s a 15-year overnight success. I want people to know that we had a hardworking heritage. And that our legacy going forward should be that we will be a professional brand of gear until the end.”

With an attitude like that, don’t expect Revgear to tapout of the MMA industry anytime soon.

Campbell Is A Favourite Heading Into Aggression MMA's Lightweight Title Tourney

For Canadian fighter Shane “Shaolin” Campbell, it’ll be a night of firsts when Aggression MMA presents “Punishment”, Friday March 11th at the Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton.

In addition to a highly anticipated Welterweight Bout between Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford (13-3-0) and Johnny “JJ” Davis (13-4-0) in the Main Event, Campbell (2-0-0 in MMA) will be featured in the promotion’s first-ever Lightweight Title Tournament, when he takes on Dave Mazany (5-3-0) in the tourney’s opening round. Fresh off signing a 4-fight deal with Aggression MMA back in February, the event also marks the first time in his professional MMA career that he will get the opportunity to fight on his home soil.

This marks only the 3rd professional MMA bout for Campbell in his illustrious career. Following a successful stint in Thailand – where he became a two-time Muay Thai World Champion in 2007 & 2009 – the 24-year old Campbell, a native of St. Catharines, Ontario, moved back to Canada a year ago to live in Edmonton and take up the sport of MMA full-time.

There’s no questioning Campbell’s main strengths are his standup and clinch work, a carryover from his days competing in Muay Thai. As for his ground game, that’s still a work in progress. With plenty for him to learn, Shane is fully embracing the shift to Mixed Martial Arts, admitting that he’s ready for a new challenge after becoming such a dominant fighter overseas.

Shaolin Plans To Put On A Show Friday Night For Canadian MMA Fans

“(Muay Thai) almost started to get boring… there’s so many more aspects off MMA than Muay Thai. In MMA, it’s so much more like Rock, Paper, Scissors. One person has scissors, you come with a rock. Whereas Muay Thai, it’s pretty much everyone’s good at doing the one thing and you’re just banging back and forth constantly.”

Despite being relatively new to the sport, Campbell is confident in his abilities. Still, he’s not one to engage in the kind of smack talk against his opponent that has become so commonplace in MMA today.

He is, however, a true showman with a desire to entertain fans every time he steps into the cage. According to Campbell, March 11th will be no different, as he promises an electrifying performance vs. Mazany in front of the hometown crowd.

“My whole career, I’ve always wanted to be THAT exciting fighter. I try to do things that people come up to me at the end and say “Man, I’ve never seen that before… ever! Every fight I’m going in trying to – not prove a point – but put on a show, that’s for sure.”

Much of Campbell’s attitude toward fighting can be attributed to his longtime coach and trainer, Kru Alin Halmagean (of Iron Tiger Muay Thai). The Romanian-born Coach, who has successfully built and trained hundreds of champions during his career, was instrumental in making Campbell fall in love with Muay Thai when they met in Edmonton 7 years ago.

Kru Alin showed a keen eye for talent when it came to Campbell, giving him his nickname “Shaolin” – named after the Shaolin Monk Warriors of China – early on in their relationship.

The Decorated Muay Thai Champion Eventually Wants His Shot on UFC's 'The Ultimate Fighter' Reality Series

“Shaolin Monks are the type of people that are able to do pretty insane things. Within the first few months of training with Kru Alin, I picked up nunchucks and was just jumping around spinning them, when he called me the Shaolin guy,” said Campbell. “I had a fight coming up and got it tattooed and it just really stuck. He definitely has the eye. He calls me that a few months in and look what I’ve done with it. He’s quite the genius in my eyes.”

Still under his guidance, Kru Alin’s influence on Campbell has even extended beyond the ring. Though Shane has chosen to currently focus his energies on fighting, the longstanding respect and admiration he’s felt toward his mentor, and the sport of Muay Thai, has led him to recently open up a gym of his own in the Edmonton area, Shaolin Muay Thai.

“In me building my gym, I wanted to give back as well. I love the sport so much,” said Campbell. “I want to teach it. There isn’t anything else in the world I want to do. If I’m not fighting, I definitely want to be teaching.”

In the meantime, you can bet that “Shaolin” will be looking to teach Dave Mazany a lesson or two when both fighters meet Friday night in the first round of Aggression MMA’s inaugural Lightweight Title Tourney.

It’s just the latest opportunity for this upstart Canadian MMA fighter to give back a little “Punishment” of his own.

Click here to join Shaolin Muay Thai’s Facebook Page.

Burke would surely send his Bobblehead down to the Minors

In their on-going efforts to draw more than mere flies to their hockey games, The Toronto Marlies – the AHL-affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs – are attempting to lure fans to Ricoh Coliseum on Sunday March 6th with “Brian Burke Bobblehead Day“, an extension of their 2010-2011 marketing campaign featuring the hard-nosed GM exulting the team’s slogan that “Every Game Is a Tryout” for the big club.

Well, to steal a line from Burkie himself, I think it’s fair to say that the makers of his new bobblehead did not exhibit “proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence” when designing the doll.

The '06 Wells Bobblehead lacked any resemblance

Who knows, maybe the Marlies got a great deal on 3,000 Stephen Harper dolls leftover from the last national election.  Or perhaps they went in halfsies on the purchase with the Buffalo Sabres, who smartly decided to cut their losses by nixing “Harry Neale Night” at HSBC Arena.  I don’t know for sure.  But one thing I can tell you is this thing looks nothing like Burke.  Despite the loosened tie, It’s really not even close.

So here’s the pitch. Hockey fans, if you’re interested in catching a decent product at a decent price, with the added value of receiving a bobblehead of a strange, non-descript, looking man in business attire to add to your mantle, then Sunday’s Marlies game might be just what your looking for.  Or not.

(You might be asking yourself, why does this guy care so much about Bobbleheads?  It’s mainly because I’m a collector.)

TSJ wants to know – in your opinion, which bobblehead is worse?

(polls)

Talk about the shoe, presumably a Nike, on the other foot.

Thursday night marked one of the most highly-anticipated NBA regular season matchups in recent, or distant, memory.  LeBron James, once the darling of the Cleveland faithful, playing in his old stomping grounds at the Q, only this time reincarnated as the devil wearing a Miami uniform. That same Cleveland faithful turned out on this night in droves to jeer on LeBron, a man justly perceived to have quit and betrayed his team and the city he called home for seven seasons before taking his talents to South Beach.

Only last night, in their 118-90 blowout loss to King James and the Heat, it was the Cavaliers – not LeBron – who quit on Cleveland, in one of the most embarrassing and disappointing performances ever witnessed.

Angry Fans Voiced Their Displeasure

Cleveland Still Can’t Catch A Break

Watching ESPN’s Around the Horn in the late afternoon leading up to the contest, I was baffled that 3 of the 4 sports writers actually predicted Cleveland to win the game.  They all claimed that the hometown energy, combined with the incessant booing and name-calling, would be too much for even LeBron to take.

Seriously, fellas? You couldn’t see this one coming? I mean, this is CLEVELAND we’re talkin’ about here, the city that can’t seem to ever catch a break.

Heading into Thursday night’s contest, most of the conversation revolved around two potential outcomes in James’ return, namely, would LeBron choke in the face of all of the adversity or would he be able to rise above it?

As it turned out, nobody could have predicted what ultimately transpired. It was the Cavaliers themselves who betrayed their hometown fans, by rolling over and playing dead in the blowout loss.

When The Dust Settled, James Had The Last Laugh

The Cavaliers Made LeBron Feel ‘Right At Home’

Rather than stand up and defend the honour of their angry, heartbroken fans, the Cavs players did the exact opposite. They were frequently caught on-camera hugging, fraternizing and laughing along with LeBron on the sideline after timeouts, while basically never laying a finger on him as he jawed with and punked his ex-mates to the tune of a season-high 38 points (in only 3 quarters!). This is the same group who were basically told by LeBron, “You guys stink, I’m leaving”, just before he signed his mega-deal to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

What the hell did Head Coach Byron Scott say to his players pregame anyway?  One would have thought they’d treat LeBron like the enemy on this night, taking at least some pride in an attempt to deliver revenge against James.  But rather than stand up and fight for what’s right, these cowards ultimately abetted LeBron by helping make him feel ‘right at home’ – a great disservice to themselves and their loyal fans.

Former Teammate Gibson Upset By LeBron’s Actions

In an interview Friday with the Associated Press, One Cavalier player, Daniel Gibson, took exception with the actions of his ex-teammate. ”Some things went on last night,” Gibson said, “that I didn’t like.”

Gibson also didn’t agree with the perception out there that the Cavs were too friendly towards LeBron. “I’ve heard that, and that kind of rubs me the wrong way,” Gibson said. “We all know LeBron and we all know that he enjoys being in front of the camera. To say we were fraternizing and being friendly … nobody knows what was said and the things that were said probably could not be repeated right now. We wanted to win the game and those guys brought it to us.” Did they ever.

To a city still reeling from the knockout punch delivered by last summer’s departure by LeBron, the Cavs’ pitiful performance in his return only added insult to injury to the city of Cleveland, while rubbing even more salt in the wound.

If I were a Cavaliers fan, I’d consider quitting too.

There’s always a first time.

You gotta hand it to this year’s Texas Rangers. Not only did they dispose of the Yankees in the ALCS in a relatively tidy 6 games, but they’ve also made the entire city of Dallas forget – at least for the next two weeks – just how lousy their Cowboys are this season. Hats off to Nolan Ryan and the rest of the Rangers organization for restoring some much-needed respectability to a franchise that has waited 50-plus years to finally get a sniff of the World Series. That Cliff Lee guy ain’t too shabby either.

As for the Yanks, there will be no repeat this year. And based on the 2nd half of the regular season and the playoffs, you might even contend that the Bronx Bombers will in fact be out of contention for another ring for years to come.

Throwing Good Money After Bad

I know what you’re saying right now. The Yankees can just spend, spend, spend their way to another World Series berth. For heaven’s sake, they have bench players who make more than practically the entire Pittsburgh Pirates roster. My friend and I were laughing while watching Lance Berkman play first in Mark Teixeira’s absence in Game 6 – I mean, what other team in baseball has a guy making over $10 million coming off the bench? The latest talk now has the big, bad Yankees making a run for the aforementioned Lee and Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford over the winter to help them shore up some holes. Sure is nice to have deep pockets.

Even with their inevitable big offseason signings, the major difference with the Yankees now vs. even two years ago is their core group of players are aging, some more gracefully than others. How many more times is it feasible to think that New York can send out Derek Jeter (age 36), Mariano Rivera (40), or Andy Pettitte (38) and get championship-caliber production out of them? In some cases, the Yanks didn’t even get a return on their investment this year.

Jeter Becomes A Free Agent For The First Time

Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera Are Now Free Agents

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is faced with some big decisions moving forward to next season. While he’s already declared following the LCS that he “absolutely” wants Joe Girardi to return as Manager next season, what about Jeter, Rivera and Pettitte? All three players are now heading into free agency. Does Cashman actually have the balls to let any or all of them walk, or does he re-sign all three due to popular demand, along with diminishing returns? These are some of the tough questions facing the Yankees in their quest to stay atop the American League.

Rest assured, Jeter will return in Yankee pinstripes next season. While he just wrapped up the final year of a 10-year, $189 million deal, it will be interesting to see what Cashman offers him to re-sign and under what conditions. While some critics believe that Jeter – coming off a subpar season at the plate where he batted only .270 – is only worth a new contract for 2-years and $12 million on the market, don’t expect the face of the franchise to be low-balled by Yankees brass. The consensus is that he’ll get somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3-years, $60 million to stay in New York. And why not? Let’s face it, this is Derek Jeter, the future Hall-of-Famer, we’re talkin’ about here.

While overpaying for Jeter’s services as he enters the twilight of his career certainly won’t sink the Yankees financially, his play is beginning to show signs of decline that could affect that team’s ability to win now and in the future. As the team’s leadoff hitter in the postseason, Jeter managed a very ordinary .250 batting average (.231 in the LCS), with a mere 2 runs scored. That’s it. Certainly not good enough if the Yanks were to have any hope of making it back to the World Series.

OK, maybe I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself. Maybe it was just an off year for the guy. Heck, in 2009, he hit .334 during the regular season and another 10 points higher in the postseason while leading the Yankees to their 27th World Series title.

Time will tell. Just remember, Jeter isn’t getting any younger.

Rivera Will Be 41 Next Season

Rivera’s Last Stand in NY?

Did anyone else find it strange watching Mariano Rivera mop up in the 8th inning of Game 6? Besides the fact that Girardi should have considered using Rivera in the 5th inning to save the game in relief of Phil Hughes (why the Yanks’ Skip decided to go with David Robertson there, I’ll never know), I had this weird feeling come over me while seeing him out there that it would be the last time I’d see the legendary reliever in pinstripes.

Then again, why in god’s name would New York ever let him go?

Rivera’s numbers were once again solid in 2010, racking up 33 saves to go along with an ERA well under 2.00. Still, there’s no denying that Rivera has lost a couple of MPH on his fastball and cutter, evidenced by him only managing 45 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched this season – his lowest totals in both categories in nine seasons, since an injury-marred 2002 campaign. And while Rivera isn’t exactly what I would call “hittable” at this stage of his career, he certainly appears to be closer now to that moniker than he is to his former “untouchable” self.

You have to wonder if Cashman is prepared to take serious heat by allowing the club’s all-time saves leader to just walk away after such a storied career in NY. It’s doubtful, although I wouldn’t necessarily blame the organization for choosing to walk away from an aging Rivera now before it’s too late.

One thing’s for sure – don’t expect a youth movement in New York any time soon.  Just don’t expect another World Series Title in the Bronx any time soon either.

This column might seem a tad hypocritical, considering that I’m a diehard Bengals fan and I’m choosing to focus my musings today on the 1-4 Dallas Cowboys. Maybe it’s because this sporting peasant just can’t resist taking a chance to jump in and kick a member of NFL royalty when they’re down and out after merely five games into the regular season.

So why the sudden collapse by the Cowboys? I mean, this is a team that was picked in the preseason to repeat as NFC East Champions and compete for a spot in the Super Bowl held in, of all places, Dallas.

The Finger-Pointing in Dallas Has Already Begun

Tony Romo is not the Cowboys problem

The worst part for Cowboys fans is how this season is truly a waste, both of time and talent. Jerry Jones assembled a talented bunch with aspirations of becoming the first home team to host a Super Bowl. Through the first third of he NFL season, the team actually ranks 3rd in total offense and 4th in total defense. They’ve got weapons on both sides of the ball with the likes of Tony Romo, Roy Williams, Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Dez Bryant, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten and Miles Austin. On any given year, you’ve got 5 Pro Bowlers out of that group.

Penalties, Poor Discipline Plaguing Dallas

But lack of discipline have been killing the Cowboys. Dallas has committed 11 or more penalties in 3 of their 5 games, ranking 30th in the league overall in that category. Two of the team’s losses can be directly attributed to penalties to Offensive Lineman – Alex Barron’s holding call on the last play of the game in Week 1 vs. Washington that negated a Game-Winning Touchdown and Marc Columbo’s endzone celebration in a tie game vs. Tennessee that led to a huge kickoff return – and winning TD – by the Titans in the closing minutes of that contest. Not to mention, their turnover ratio – a lowly minus-5 – trails only the 49ers (1-5) for worst in the NFL.

Phillips' Days in Dallas Are Numbered

Wade Phillips is living on borrowed time in Dallas

So who’s to blame? Well, for starters, look no further than the guy standing on the sidelines, Wade Phillips. This season, about all Wade has done is lived up to his father’s first name, Bum. The responsibility for the team’s sloppy play – and an unthinkable 1-4 start to the year – has to fall directly on Phillips’ shoulders, now in his 4th year as Dallas’ Head Coach. Under his guidance, the team is clearly heading in the wrong direction.

Following Sunday’s 24-21 loss to the Vikings, Jones publicly stated that he will not replace Phillips mid-season and that his job is safe until the end of the year. Hardly a vote of confidence. Time will tell if Jones lives up to that promise, or whether a few more losses will finally bring him and the franchise to their knees in the short term. Either way, Jones may only have himself to blame for this year’s catastrophe. While fans and media alike have long criticized Phillips for his many shortcomings on the sidelines, Jones stuck with his ‘yes man’ long after his best-before date expired. Now Jones’ and Dallas’ showcase season is ultimately lost.

Well don’t give up quite yet, Cowboys faithful. Since 1990, when the NFL expanded to a 12-team playoff format, a team has qualified for the postseason on 11 separate occasions when they were 3 games below .500 through a minimum of the first 5 games of the regular season. That’s a nice way of saying there’s a 4.6% chance – or 1-in-20 shot – of making it to the postseason this year.

I ain’t likin’ those odds with a Bum like Wade at the helm.

With MMA’s global popularity expanding by the minute, so to is the insatiable appetite by fans for MMA news and information. The result? An explosion of Mixed Martial Arts websites seemingly overnight to feed the growing demand.

That’s where TSJ comes in – here to help you simplify the process of finding the very best of Mixed Martial Arts on the web.

TSJ’S TOP 10 MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEBSITES

MMA Junkie
Winner of the 2009 World MMA Awards for Best Journalist (John Morgan) and Best MMA Source, MMA Junkie’s staff consistently beats their competition to the punch, making them the leader in MMA breaking news on the web. Always a fan of fellow Junkies like myself.

Sherdog
Don’t let the fact Sherdog can’t secure credentials to UFC events fool you. While the site’s layout isn’t very clean, these guys are at the top of their weight-class in providing the most comprehensive and extensive coverage from around the world of MMA.

ESPN
The Worldwide Leader – who partners with Sherdog – features the finely produced ‘MMA Live’ – with Analyst Kenny Florian and Insider Franklin McNeil – a slick, can’t-miss weekly news and analysis show with a focus on UFC and other big stories from around the sport.

The Underground
Powered by MMA apparel giant Tapout, UG compiles and posts the best and most important news and video from around the web, all in a great layout.

UFC.com & UltimateFighter.com
UFC President Dana White came out last month stating he expects the Web to serve in the future as the global UFC television channel. That mission statement translates into a cutting-edge MMA website. The organization also recently launched The Ultimate Fighter website, complete with a video archive of every fight to ever take place on the successful reality series.

MMA Fighting
A division of AOL Fanhouse, MMA Fighting covers the UFC as well as any website, featuring fearless reporter Ariel Helwani, who’s never afraid to ask the tough questions.

MMA:30
Their byline says it all. The #1 MMA Lifestyle Show on TV (& The Web) Today. Host Dave Farra is amongst the very best in the business. And these guys are funny. Really funny.

Bloody Elbow
The call themselves “Pound-for-Pound the Best in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Commentary, News and Community”. It’s the truth.

Yahoo!
Kevin Iole is undeniably the #1 UFC newsbreaker in the business. Combine his exploits with top-ranked columnist Dave Meltzer and you have one helluva one-two punch.

MMA Weekly
While their news & features rival those of the heavyweights in the division, do-it-all Managing Editor Ken Pishna truly captures some of the best photographs at live events taken in the fight game today.

How do you miss scoring a goal with the ball sitting on the line and no defenders around you? Kansas City Wizards’ Kei Kamara shows you the way.

Volcanic Ash Wreaking Havoc On Faroe Islands

Need further proof that diving in soccer has gone too far? Check out this video from the Faroe Islands (an island group located between Iceland and Scotland), as Kaj Ennigarð shows why he won’t be considered for Best Actor in next year’s Oscars.

TSJ wants to know – In your opinion, which play is worse?

Click here to become a Fan of The Sports Junkie on Facebook

“Hey Sports Junkie… If you were to compile the cities that have a Major League Baseball, NHL and NBA franchise and you were to compile their Win-Loss Records and Championships/Division Titles won in the past twenty years, where would my beloved Toronto community stand? We have to be near the bottom – but would love to see the numbers!” – TSJ Fan

Sounds like it’s time for TSJ to get to work and dig up some stats.

As it turns out, including Toronto, there are 14 cities in total who possess MLB, NHL and NBA franchises – but the number actually rises to 16 when you consider that both New York and Los Angeles house multiple teams from each league.

Below are the combined totals for each City since 1990 (not including this year’s NBA or NHL seasons) – based on Wins, Losses, Playoff Appearances, Division Titles & Championships:

(Click the arrows atop each column to sort the different categories by ascending/descending order)

TSJ's Sports City Comparison (1990-2009)

______________________________________________________________________

The proof is in the pudding. As predicted by ‘TSJ Fan’, Toronto’s overall rankings don’t quite cut it amongst the 16 cities examined.

TORONTO – FINAL RANKINGS (Out of 16):
Wins – 12th
Losses – 10th
Playoff Appearances – T-12th
Division Titles – T-14th
Championships – T-6th

Analyzing the statistics further, It’s no big surprise that New York and Los Angeles are 1-2 respectively in total wins. That remains consistent with what’s going in today’s day and age – money wins games. The more you spend, the more you win (although it doesn’t necessarily translate into championships).

Taking a closer look at Toronto’s ranking in ‘Wins’, if not for the Rockies/Marlins (1993) and Diamondbacks (1998) losing out on a large number of potential wins for their respective cities due to entering MLB well after 1990, you could make the argument that the lone Canadian entry in this survey would actually be closer to the basement in this category.

Carter's '93 Heroics Represented Toronto's Last Great Sports Moment

The only salvation for Toronto are its two World Series Titles in 1992 & 1993. While they undoubtedly provided some of the greatest memories ever for Toronto sports fans, they are quickly becoming a distant memory. Since winning it all back-to-back almost two decades ago, Toronto franchises have struggled to consistently stay at or near the top of their divisions since the glory days of the early 90’s. The Detroit Red Wings alone have as many playoff appearances (18) in the last 20 years as Toronto’s ‘Big Three’.

Still, two championships puts Toronto ahead of cities like Washington DC, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas and Minnesota for overall titles won and overall respectability since 1990 in these particular sports. I mean, it’s no wonder they’re going nuts in the US capital over the Caps this year. With zero titles in their last 20+ years of baseball, hockey and basketball combined, DC fans are a starved bunch. How about the City of Atlanta? They actually sit 3rd best overall with 16 division titles (including the Braves winning 14 straight beginning in ‘91), but only have one measly championship to show for it (thanks in no small part to the ‘92 Jays!).

Thanks to MJ and Phil, Chicago Tops The List

In the end, wins and losses don’t matter. It’s all about the ring. Or should I say rings. Thanks to Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson, it’s the City of Chicago (not New York and those Damn Yankees) – who boast the most championships – with 7 – over the past 20 years (Bulls 6, White Sox 1). Not even the cursed Cubs – who haven’t won a World Series title since 1908 – can put a damper on that.

Do you have any questions for TSJ? Just go ahead and ask and I’ll do my best to get you the answer!!!