Earlier today, Bleeding Cool ran Frank Miller's take on Occupy Wall Street, and noted some of the comments on his blog (now closing in on a thousand), and how they were mixed in response.In the past two months, dozens of celebrities have voiced their support for the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement. Sin City director Frank Miller is definitely not one of them. This past Monday, Miller went to his blog to post his thoughts about OWS, and it seems a feud is about to get as ugly as Basin City itself. Addressing the protestors as “losers” and demanding they “go back to your mommas’ basements and play with your Lords of Warcraft,” Miller wrote to OWS participants:“The ‘Occupy’ movement, whether displaying itself on Wall Street or in the streets of Oakland (which has, with unspeakable cowardice, embraced it) is anything but an exercise of our blessed First Amendment. ‘Occupy’ is nothing but a pack of louts, thieves, and rapists, an unruly mob, fed by Woodstock-era nostalgia and putrid false righteousness. These clowns can do nothing but harm America.‘Occupy’ is nothing short of a clumsy, poorly-expressed attempt at anarchy, to the extent that the ‘movement’ – HAH! Some ‘movement’, except if the word ‘bowel’ is attached – is anything more than an ugly fashion statement by a bunch of iPhone, iPad wielding spoiled brats who should stop getting in the way of working people and find jobs for themselves.”Read the rest of Miller’s post on his blog here. Who’s side are you on, PopWatchers? Are we about to see a battle between Miller and OWS protestors that’s as epic as those in 300?
Saturday 12 November 2011
Whitney Duncan Secretly Married?
Whitney Duncan's Survivor bio says the country music singer is 27, lives in Nashville, and is an outgoing, happy, honest. It's the honest part being questioned.The blonde, who portrays herself as single on the show, has in fact been married since August 1, 2010, to Donny Fallgatter, 32. They wed in Gatlinburg, Tenn.She was also runner-up for Country Weekly's "Hottest Bachelorette" this year.The reason this is significant? Because Whitney Duncan has been part of a relationship with Survivor co-star Keith Tollefson (pictured) playing out on TV.Fallgatter, from Bismark, N.D., is lead singer for the band KingBilly. Their paths crossed in June 2010 and their romance heated up quickly after that.Whitney Duncan soon moved in with Fallgatter. Before she left to compete on Survivor in May, the couple announced their engagement to family and friends.
"Donny was totally faithful while she was gone," says a close friend. "He even went to help out at her parents' house in West Tennessee a couple times."As for Whitney's faithfulness ...At one point before returning home, Duncan phoned Fallgatter, and, as Fallgatter told the friend, "He said she sounded weird, like something was up."Fallgatter's suspicions were confirmed in a subsequent call, the friend says, when she confessed that she was in a relationship with Keith Tollefson."Donny sent me a text that said, 'Whitney got into a Survivor relationship.' I called him and he was upset so I went over to his place," says the friend."That's when he told me that she wasn't his fiancé, but his wife, that they had gotten married the summer before. I was totally shocked."On Aug. 20, Duncan Tweeted, "Moving furniture all day ... sweeet. I'm gonna be happy when I get a home one day and never have to move again."Since then, she and Tollefson have been spotted around Nashville, and she refers to a BF in her Twitter posts. Tollefson, 26, was voted off Survivor Nov. 2, leaving Duncan to fend for herself. A rep for Duncan had no comment.
"Donny was totally faithful while she was gone," says a close friend. "He even went to help out at her parents' house in West Tennessee a couple times."As for Whitney's faithfulness ...At one point before returning home, Duncan phoned Fallgatter, and, as Fallgatter told the friend, "He said she sounded weird, like something was up."Fallgatter's suspicions were confirmed in a subsequent call, the friend says, when she confessed that she was in a relationship with Keith Tollefson."Donny sent me a text that said, 'Whitney got into a Survivor relationship.' I called him and he was upset so I went over to his place," says the friend."That's when he told me that she wasn't his fiancé, but his wife, that they had gotten married the summer before. I was totally shocked."On Aug. 20, Duncan Tweeted, "Moving furniture all day ... sweeet. I'm gonna be happy when I get a home one day and never have to move again."Since then, she and Tollefson have been spotted around Nashville, and she refers to a BF in her Twitter posts. Tollefson, 26, was voted off Survivor Nov. 2, leaving Duncan to fend for herself. A rep for Duncan had no comment.
Boise State football's Shea McClellin a hometown hero
Redshirt freshman Dan Goodale missed a 39-yard field goal on the final play of the game as the No. 5 Broncos lost 36-35 to the TCU Horned Frogs.“Just missed opportunities,” senior quarterback Kellen Moore said of his thoughts, echoing what he said in a similar situation last year in Reno. “I don’t think it’s one play. There are a variety of plays that you look back and try to improve on those and maybe we have a little better opportunity. But they made more plays than us.”The Horned Frogs scored a touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:05 left in the game to take the 36-35 lead. That touchdown drive immediately followed a fumble by walk-on tailback Drew Wright when it looked like the Broncos were going to run out the clock and win 35-28.TCU snapped Boise State’s national-best 35-game home winning streak and is the first conference opponent to win on the blue since Idaho in 1998.“We didn’t shock the world,” TCU linebacker Tank Carder wrote on Twitter. “We just reminded them.”Boise State falls to 8-1 and most likely will play in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas like last year or the Poinsettia Bowl. They have the first two selections from Mountain West teams.
UFC on Fox: Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos live results
UFC runs its first event on Fox Saturday night, an important milestone for the young sport as it begins a lucrative, longterm television deal with Fox. The one fight television card will feature a UFC heavyweight title showdown between champion Cain Velasquez and challenger Junior Dos Santos. Velasquez and Dos Santos are the consensus number one and number two heavyweights in the world. Preliminary bouts begin around 2PM Pacific.Ricardo Lamas, DaMarques Johnson and Robert Peralta made sure the judges weren't needed for their fights on the Ultimate Fighting Championship's undercard on Saturday.UFC was scheduled to make its debut on Fox later in the evening with a heavyweight title fight, but the first several bouts on the card appeared only via Fox Deportes and an online video stream on Facebook. The first seven bouts included four affairs that ended in a knockout or submission:• Ricardo Lamas submitted Cub Swanson with a head-and-arm choke in the second round of an action-packed bout between featherweights. Both fighters attacked with abandon, throwing kicks and big punches to send each other retreating across the cage at points. Lamas had to survive multiple guillotine chokes before finally catching Lamas with the arm-triangle.
• Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier used an anaconda choke to force a tapout from featherweight Pablo "The Scarecrow" Garza.• DaMarques Johnson knocked out Clay Harvison in the first round of their battle of welterweight alumni from The Ultimate Fighter. Johnson dropped Harvison with a left hook and followed with a single right hand to the face to finish the bout.• Robert Peralta recorded a third-round technical knockout of featherweight Mackens Semerzier. Peralta ended the fight with several seconds of ground-and-pound strikes after he apparently knocked down Semerzier, who was desperately clinging to his opponent's leg in an attempt to survive. Replays suggested that Semerzier went down initially because of an accidental headbutt that was missed by referee John McCarthy.
• Darren Uyenoyama won a unanimous decision to send Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto to his third loss in four fights. The clash of bantamweight veterans from the Japanese circuit saw Uyenoyama threaten Yamamoto in the first and second rounds with rear-naked choke attempts. Yamamoto on rare occasions flashed the punching power that made him a superstar of smaller weight classes a few years ago, but other than a couple of flashy takedowns, he was outgrappled by Uyenoyama, who controlled the action from back mount for long stretches.• Aaron Rosa defeated fellow light-heavyweight Matt Lucas via majority decision. McCarthy deducted a point from Lucas for losing his mouthpiece multiple times, resulting in two 30-26 scores for the winner, as well as a 28-28 draw on one scorecard.
• Alex Caceres, an alumnus of TUF Season 12, earned a victory in his bantamweight debut with a unanimous decision against Cole Escovedo.
• Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier used an anaconda choke to force a tapout from featherweight Pablo "The Scarecrow" Garza.• DaMarques Johnson knocked out Clay Harvison in the first round of their battle of welterweight alumni from The Ultimate Fighter. Johnson dropped Harvison with a left hook and followed with a single right hand to the face to finish the bout.• Robert Peralta recorded a third-round technical knockout of featherweight Mackens Semerzier. Peralta ended the fight with several seconds of ground-and-pound strikes after he apparently knocked down Semerzier, who was desperately clinging to his opponent's leg in an attempt to survive. Replays suggested that Semerzier went down initially because of an accidental headbutt that was missed by referee John McCarthy.
• Darren Uyenoyama won a unanimous decision to send Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto to his third loss in four fights. The clash of bantamweight veterans from the Japanese circuit saw Uyenoyama threaten Yamamoto in the first and second rounds with rear-naked choke attempts. Yamamoto on rare occasions flashed the punching power that made him a superstar of smaller weight classes a few years ago, but other than a couple of flashy takedowns, he was outgrappled by Uyenoyama, who controlled the action from back mount for long stretches.• Aaron Rosa defeated fellow light-heavyweight Matt Lucas via majority decision. McCarthy deducted a point from Lucas for losing his mouthpiece multiple times, resulting in two 30-26 scores for the winner, as well as a 28-28 draw on one scorecard.
• Alex Caceres, an alumnus of TUF Season 12, earned a victory in his bantamweight debut with a unanimous decision against Cole Escovedo.
Kim Zolciak Ties The Knot!
Sounds like Kim Zolciak only wanted some of her Real Housewives of Atlanta castmates by her side when she tied the knot with Kroy Biermann yesterday. Wetpaint Entertainment can exclusively confirm that Sheree Whitfield, Kandi Burruss, and Phaedra Parks were in attendance. Noticeably absent? Kim's former BFF, NeNe Leakes, as well as fellow ATL A-lister Cynthia Bailey. "NeNe and Cynthia were not there because they were not invited," a source close to the wedding reveals to Wetpaint Entertainment. We don't know the reason Cynthia was left off the guest list, but we can hardly blame Kim for not inviting NeNe (and her fat stack of "hater checks"). Who wants to be bad-mouthed at their own wedding? Our source also reports exclusively that celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who was also invited, was allegedly kicked out of the reception — although Perez's Twitter feed reveals only cordial messages to Kim and Kandi, with no mention of an incident. "There was a strict rule that no one was to use their phones," the source tells Wetpaint Entertainment. "But Perez was caught tweeting and taking pictures, so they made him leave."It wouldn't be a Real Housewives wedding without a ton of drama — and clearly, Kim's wedding didn't disappoint!
Miami Marlins Reveal New Name, Uniform, Logo At Florida Ceremony
It's a fresh start for "The Fish." The Miami Marlins, formerly the Florida Marlins, got more than a name change Friday night. The MLB team revealed new uniforms and a new logo for the upcoming baseball season during an unveiling ceremony on Nov. 11.This newspaper’s popular annual “Herald Hunt” hosted by Dave Barry is Sunday at the new Marlins ballpark, and thousands of puzzle solvers will be scouring the stadium looking not only for clues but also hoping to find Albert Pujols or Jose Reyes.Can you believe it?Less than two years ago, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria was publicly reprimanded by Major League Baseball for egregiously under-spending on player payrolls. I don’t wanna say he was cheap, but Loria pinched so many pennies his thumbs bear an imprint of Lincoln.Now, suddenly, Loria confirmed reports that the Marlins have made substantial, competitive offers for the Hall of Fame-bound slugger Pujols and for the all-star shortstop Reyes, two of the grandest — and priciest — prizes of the free agent market. The club also is wooing pitcher Mark Buehrle. (Sorry, Mark, but if this is Miami’s new Big 3, you’re Chris Bosh.)It’s amazing, really. Marlins fans can’t believe it. Loria is like the aunt who always gives you a birthday card with a $1 bill in it suddenly handing you the keys to a Lamborghini.• The excitement was palpable Saturday as two of Florida’s great, traditional college football powers renewed their fierce rivalry in a highly anticipated battle. But enough about FIU-FAU.
• Normally at this holiday time of year, the Dolphins provide meals to thousands of local disadvantaged families. But this year, because of sad condition of the franchise, I hear the homeless are chipping in to feed the Dolphins.
• The UM men won their opener under new coach Jim Larranaga, but in the first big game of the college basketball season nationally, top-ranked North Carolina beat Michigan State aboard the aircraft carrier that dumped Osama bin Laden at sea as President Obama and the first lady watched and cheered. I meant watched the game, not the dumping.
• Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart battle Sunday in the final NASCAR race before next week’s grand finale at Homestead. It was announced first lady Michelle Obama would be here as the ceremonial starter, saying, “Gentlemen, start your economy by supporting my husband’s stimulus plan!”
• After an eternity out of the playoffs, the Panthers spent much of this week in first place in NHL Southeast Division. And all over town bloomed welts and bruises from Cats fans pinching themselves.
• The basketball-inspired play Magic/Bird is coming to Broadway in 2012. The way things are going, it might be the closest we get to an NBA game.
• Normally at this holiday time of year, the Dolphins provide meals to thousands of local disadvantaged families. But this year, because of sad condition of the franchise, I hear the homeless are chipping in to feed the Dolphins.
• The UM men won their opener under new coach Jim Larranaga, but in the first big game of the college basketball season nationally, top-ranked North Carolina beat Michigan State aboard the aircraft carrier that dumped Osama bin Laden at sea as President Obama and the first lady watched and cheered. I meant watched the game, not the dumping.
• Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart battle Sunday in the final NASCAR race before next week’s grand finale at Homestead. It was announced first lady Michelle Obama would be here as the ceremonial starter, saying, “Gentlemen, start your economy by supporting my husband’s stimulus plan!”
• After an eternity out of the playoffs, the Panthers spent much of this week in first place in NHL Southeast Division. And all over town bloomed welts and bruises from Cats fans pinching themselves.
• The basketball-inspired play Magic/Bird is coming to Broadway in 2012. The way things are going, it might be the closest we get to an NBA game.
Interested News About Sports:LSU Football Schedule
This LSU team passes the eyeball test for one that is unlikely to stumble. It feels locked in, something that goes beyond the players saying all the right things. But that last game was unlike any LSU has played in the regular season in terms of hype, intensity and emotion. It would be understandable to come out a little flat this week, but think back to Week 2. After an offseason of hype and the distraction of the bar fight, LSU came off a big victory against Oregon and waxed Northwestern State 49-0. Western Kentucky is a little saltier than the Demons and are riding a wave of confidence with a five-game win streak. They are capable of making things sticky in the early going, but LSU's talent should win out and make it a cruise in the latter three quarters. It's going to be hard to forget Alabama, but some of the players remarked they're happy to get that week over with.Start Jarrett LeeThere's no need to assume Jordan Jefferson is the starter now because he played 47 snaps against Alabama. Miles likely will stick with the formula. Starters don't matter; total snaps tell you who is the best for the job. LSU will need Lee, and there's no sense in messing with his confidence. He faced perhaps the best defense in the nation last week and will probably go back to playing well this week with a lesser challenge. He's a better passer than Jefferson, and having both is an advantage down the stretch for the Tigers. Nine games into the season with two quarterbacks, the goal is not to establish a starter. The goal is to win the BCS title, and there's no reason to tinker with what has been working all along. Outside of an injury, Lee likely will start the rest of LSU's games, no matter what happens.Rest and stay healthyEverybody is a little banged up at this time of year. No doubt there will be some players who sit out, and Les Miles isn't going to tell us who they are. Anyone with a nagging injury is likely to sit, and the substituting will be free. Zach Mettenberger likely will play, and that's good. Remember, these guys have arduous practices four days a week and the grind starts to get to them. T-Bob Hebert and P.J. Lonergan might even get some rest. Surely Miles would like to build a big lead as quickly as possible and flood the field with reserves. But Western Kentucky has some solid players on offense, including a 1,000-yard rusher in Bobby Rainey. As Miles will tell you, he won't make wholesale changes until victory is assured. Don't you all love the way he talks when he's 9-0?
NCAA Football Live Blog: Oregon vs. Stanford
For the second year in a row, the Boise State football team’s Bowl Championship Series dreams were riding on a kick Saturday afternoon at Bronco Stadium.And for the second straight time, that kick sailed wide right.Redshirt freshman Dan Goodale missed a 39-yard field goal on the final play of the game as the No. 5 Broncos lost 36-35 to the TCU Horned Frogs.“Just missed opportunities,” senior quarterback Kellen Moore said of his thoughts, echoing what he said in a similar situation last year in Reno. “I don’t think it’s one play. There are a variety of plays that you look back and try to improve on those and maybe we have a little better opportunity. But they made more plays than us.”The Horned Frogs scored a touchdown and two-point conversion with 1:05 left in the game to take the 36-35 lead. That touchdown drive immediately followed a fumble by walk-on tailback Drew Wright when it looked like the Broncos were going to run out the clock and win 35-28.TCU snapped Boise State’s national-best 35-game home winning streak and is the first conference opponent to win on the blue since Idaho in 1998.“We didn’t shock the world,” TCU linebacker Tank Carder wrote on Twitter. “We just reminded them.”Boise State falls to 8-1 and most likely will play in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas like last year or the Poinsettia Bowl. They have the first two selections from Mountain West teams.
Sports:Velasquez vs. dos Santos
At the exact same spot Cain Velasquez won the most important bout of his Ultimate Fighting Championship career, he's defending his heavyweight title in what UFC president Dana White is calling the biggest match in company history.Velasquez, back in action for the first time since beating Brock Lesnar last October at UFC 121 to become heavyweight champion, puts his belt on the line against Junior dos Santos in the main event of UFC on Fox, live from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Despite all the hype surrounding the company’s long-awaited debut on network television, however, Velasquez says he’s focused on only one thing – beating No. 1 contender dos Santos.
“From both of us, we have exciting fighting styles. We don’t go out there and put on boring fights. We’re both going to go forward,” said Velasquez this week in Anaheim, where he makes a comeback from shoulder surgery that has sidelined him since the Lesnar contest.
“That’s what fans are going to see. That’s what people who haven’t seen this before are going to see on Saturday.”
Dos Santos (13-1), who has been waiting more than a year for a shot at the title, says he isn’t putting any extra burden on himself, despite the magnitude of the evening.
“I feel really excited, but no pressure. It’s the same pressure I felt in my last fight. This is huge for me and I want to enjoy it and I will,” said dos Santos.“Cain has amazing stamina. I think in this case, Cain Velasquez is the No. 1 heavyweight now. I want to change this on Saturday. It’s going to be a great fight and a war. I think a lot of people are going to be rooting for him on Saturday night, but I know I’ll have a lot of people rooting for me around the world. I’ll use that energy on Saturday night“I will give my best to make this belt a Brazilian belt. I’m ready to go five rounds, but I think this fight finishes before.”White, who along with brother Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta purchased UFC in 2001 for a mere $2 million and has built it into a combat-sports empire worth more than $1 billion according to several estimates, makes no secret of how big the card is for the company.“This is without a doubt the biggest fight in UFC history. This thing started as a small fringe sport and has grown to what it is today. This Saturday night as we step out onto Fox, millions of people will see UFC who’ve never watched before,” said White.
“As we take this step forward into what we call ‘mainstream,’ we were much more fortunate in that we were able to hand pick a fight that we wanted to put on Fox. If I had to do it all over again, this is still the fight I’d pick to put on network television.”In other matches at UFC on Fox:* Dustin Poirier (11-1) improved to 3-0 in UFC, submitting Pablo Garza (12-2) with a D’Arce choke at 1:32 of the second round in a featherweight match.* After nearly getting submitted in the first round, Ricardo Lamas returned the favour in the second round – only he finished the job.
After barely surviving a guillotine choke in the opening round by Cub Swanson (15-5), Lamas (11-2) locked in a head-and-arm triangle that forced Swanson to tap out at 2:16 of the second round in a featherweight contest.“I wasn’t tapping, man. He was going to have to choke me out,” said Lamas, who noted afterwards that his grandmother passed away seven days ago. “I just want to dedicate this fight to her.”* Damarques Johnson (18-9) made short work of Clay Harvison (9-4) in a welterweight bout, scoring a jaw-rattling TKO at 1:34 of first round.Johnson scored with a left hook that dropped Harvison. Johnson clearly didn’t want to attack the fallen Harvison any further but when Harvison wasn’t quite finished, Johnson landed one more right hand before the bout was stopped.“It feels great to get the win because I know that’s what I’m capable of. I just wanted to go out there and show a more polished version of myself and I think I did that tonight,” said Johnson.
* After nearly a decade in the sport, Darren Uyenoyama (7-3) finally got his shot in UFC – and he took full advantage. The veteran took down Japanese superstar Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto (18-5, 1 NC) via dominant unanimous decision in a bantamweight match.
The judges scored the match 30-27, 30-26, 30-27.
“I was walking to the octagon and I still couldn’t believe I was about to compete in the UFC. I didn’t have an easy road to get here and I had the honor of fighting a legend and a personal hero of mine,” said Uyenoyama.“He hit me with some hard shots and I’m happy I was able to take them because I think that he is one of the hardest punchers in the division.”* In a hotly-contested featherweight contest, Robert Peralta (16-3) posted a TKO win over Mackens Semerzier (8-4) at 1:54 of the third round.In the final seconds, both fighters were swinging when Peralta accidentally butted heads with Semerzier and wobbled him. From there, Peralta pounced and landed fist after fist until the bout was stopped.
“When I caught him I was just trying to throw everything I had to finish him as quickly as possible,” said Peralta.
“I have a baby on the way at home so I’m excited to get back after a great performance.”
* Moving down to the bantamweight division, Alex Caceres (6-4) put on the best performance of his young career, dominating veteran Cole Escovedo (17-9) on his way to a unanimous decision.All three judges scored the bout 30-27.“I feel great and I don’t think it has all registered yet. This was my third fight under the UFC banner and considering that I lost my first two I knew that tonight it was do or die,” said Caceres.“It’s my dream to fight in the UFC and I want to make sure it lasts as long as possible.”* For the second time in their careers, Mike Pierce (13-4) earned a decision over Paul Bradley (18-4) in a middleweight bout, although this time the judges were split.Pierce was given scores of 30-27 and 29-28, while Bradley was given a 29-28 score from the third judge.
“I felt great tonight and I’m happy to get another win and continue moving up the ranks in this division,” said Pierce.
* Aaron Rosa (17-4) earned his first UFC victory, awarded a majority decision over Matt Lucas (14-3) in a light heavyweight contest. The judges scored the bout 30-26, 30-26 and 28-28. Lucas, in the second round, was docked one point for spitting out his mouthpiece, meaning two of the judges would have scored it 30-27 in favour of Rosa, while one would have awarded a 29-28 decision to Lucas.“I was very happy to go out there and get the win in such a big show. When the people started cheering, it made all the work worthwhile,” said Rosa.“My hands are feeling a little roughed up but I’m very excited to get back in the octagon as soon as possible.”* Clay Guida (29-8) takes on Ben Henderson (14-2) in a bout to determine the No. 1 contender to Frankie Edgar’s lightweight title. That championship match is expected to take place in UFC’s return to Japan at UFC 144 on Feb. 27, 2012.
“From both of us, we have exciting fighting styles. We don’t go out there and put on boring fights. We’re both going to go forward,” said Velasquez this week in Anaheim, where he makes a comeback from shoulder surgery that has sidelined him since the Lesnar contest.
“That’s what fans are going to see. That’s what people who haven’t seen this before are going to see on Saturday.”
Dos Santos (13-1), who has been waiting more than a year for a shot at the title, says he isn’t putting any extra burden on himself, despite the magnitude of the evening.
“I feel really excited, but no pressure. It’s the same pressure I felt in my last fight. This is huge for me and I want to enjoy it and I will,” said dos Santos.“Cain has amazing stamina. I think in this case, Cain Velasquez is the No. 1 heavyweight now. I want to change this on Saturday. It’s going to be a great fight and a war. I think a lot of people are going to be rooting for him on Saturday night, but I know I’ll have a lot of people rooting for me around the world. I’ll use that energy on Saturday night“I will give my best to make this belt a Brazilian belt. I’m ready to go five rounds, but I think this fight finishes before.”White, who along with brother Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta purchased UFC in 2001 for a mere $2 million and has built it into a combat-sports empire worth more than $1 billion according to several estimates, makes no secret of how big the card is for the company.“This is without a doubt the biggest fight in UFC history. This thing started as a small fringe sport and has grown to what it is today. This Saturday night as we step out onto Fox, millions of people will see UFC who’ve never watched before,” said White.
“As we take this step forward into what we call ‘mainstream,’ we were much more fortunate in that we were able to hand pick a fight that we wanted to put on Fox. If I had to do it all over again, this is still the fight I’d pick to put on network television.”In other matches at UFC on Fox:* Dustin Poirier (11-1) improved to 3-0 in UFC, submitting Pablo Garza (12-2) with a D’Arce choke at 1:32 of the second round in a featherweight match.* After nearly getting submitted in the first round, Ricardo Lamas returned the favour in the second round – only he finished the job.
After barely surviving a guillotine choke in the opening round by Cub Swanson (15-5), Lamas (11-2) locked in a head-and-arm triangle that forced Swanson to tap out at 2:16 of the second round in a featherweight contest.“I wasn’t tapping, man. He was going to have to choke me out,” said Lamas, who noted afterwards that his grandmother passed away seven days ago. “I just want to dedicate this fight to her.”* Damarques Johnson (18-9) made short work of Clay Harvison (9-4) in a welterweight bout, scoring a jaw-rattling TKO at 1:34 of first round.Johnson scored with a left hook that dropped Harvison. Johnson clearly didn’t want to attack the fallen Harvison any further but when Harvison wasn’t quite finished, Johnson landed one more right hand before the bout was stopped.“It feels great to get the win because I know that’s what I’m capable of. I just wanted to go out there and show a more polished version of myself and I think I did that tonight,” said Johnson.
* After nearly a decade in the sport, Darren Uyenoyama (7-3) finally got his shot in UFC – and he took full advantage. The veteran took down Japanese superstar Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto (18-5, 1 NC) via dominant unanimous decision in a bantamweight match.
The judges scored the match 30-27, 30-26, 30-27.
“I was walking to the octagon and I still couldn’t believe I was about to compete in the UFC. I didn’t have an easy road to get here and I had the honor of fighting a legend and a personal hero of mine,” said Uyenoyama.“He hit me with some hard shots and I’m happy I was able to take them because I think that he is one of the hardest punchers in the division.”* In a hotly-contested featherweight contest, Robert Peralta (16-3) posted a TKO win over Mackens Semerzier (8-4) at 1:54 of the third round.In the final seconds, both fighters were swinging when Peralta accidentally butted heads with Semerzier and wobbled him. From there, Peralta pounced and landed fist after fist until the bout was stopped.
“When I caught him I was just trying to throw everything I had to finish him as quickly as possible,” said Peralta.
“I have a baby on the way at home so I’m excited to get back after a great performance.”
* Moving down to the bantamweight division, Alex Caceres (6-4) put on the best performance of his young career, dominating veteran Cole Escovedo (17-9) on his way to a unanimous decision.All three judges scored the bout 30-27.“I feel great and I don’t think it has all registered yet. This was my third fight under the UFC banner and considering that I lost my first two I knew that tonight it was do or die,” said Caceres.“It’s my dream to fight in the UFC and I want to make sure it lasts as long as possible.”* For the second time in their careers, Mike Pierce (13-4) earned a decision over Paul Bradley (18-4) in a middleweight bout, although this time the judges were split.Pierce was given scores of 30-27 and 29-28, while Bradley was given a 29-28 score from the third judge.
“I felt great tonight and I’m happy to get another win and continue moving up the ranks in this division,” said Pierce.
* Aaron Rosa (17-4) earned his first UFC victory, awarded a majority decision over Matt Lucas (14-3) in a light heavyweight contest. The judges scored the bout 30-26, 30-26 and 28-28. Lucas, in the second round, was docked one point for spitting out his mouthpiece, meaning two of the judges would have scored it 30-27 in favour of Rosa, while one would have awarded a 29-28 decision to Lucas.“I was very happy to go out there and get the win in such a big show. When the people started cheering, it made all the work worthwhile,” said Rosa.“My hands are feeling a little roughed up but I’m very excited to get back in the octagon as soon as possible.”* Clay Guida (29-8) takes on Ben Henderson (14-2) in a bout to determine the No. 1 contender to Frankie Edgar’s lightweight title. That championship match is expected to take place in UFC’s return to Japan at UFC 144 on Feb. 27, 2012.
Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski
Saturday’s win over Presbyterian was No. 902 for Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, but that total includes the five seasons he spent at Army.At Duke, Krzyzewski has 829 wins, the first of which was an uneven 67-49 grinder against Stetson.That game occurred on Nov. 30, 1980, and it’s safe to assume no one in the Cameron Indoor Stadium could have imagined the incredible success that would ensue. Krzyzewski didn’t. “Those first three seasons we won only 38 games,” he said after the 96-55 rout of the Blue Hose. “We’ve had seasons when we won almost that many.”
But that first season actually went a little smoother than some Krzyzewski doubters had predicted.Thanks to Kenny Dennard, Gene Banks and Tom Emma, the original Coach K Devils won their share (17-13, 6-8 ACC), knocked off No. 13 Maryland in mid-season and then stunned No. 10 North Carolina in the last regular-season game. They lost close to Maryland in the ACC Tournament, but landed an NIT bid and won a couple of times before being stopped at Purdue.Krzyzewski recalled Saturday that he got the job after three interviews and accepted without knowing what he would get paid.“I wasn’t worried about that, I just knew I wanted the job,” he said.But after his second and third Duke teams went a combined 21-34 (7-21 ACC), the magic almost ended before it had a chance to take root.A determined posse of Duke fans did their best to force then-athletic director Tom Butters into making a change. Butters stood firm. The coach’s fourth Duke team then went 24-10 and the seemingly endless run of championships took flight.
“Thank goodness for President (Terry) Sanford and Tom Butters and those who saw fit to have faith in me. I’ll always remember that,” Krzyzewski said.
The chance to pass Bob Knight on the all-time win list will come Tuesday against Michigan State in New York.
Just as he did before the game against Belmont on Friday and then Presbyterian less than 24 hours later, Krzyzewski will be “antsy” on game day and battle butterflies as tip time nears.“I’ve had that feeling before every game I’ve ever coached,” he said. “I think when you start losing it then it’s probably a good time to say ‘See ya.’”Krzyzewski isn’t losing interest or energy.He was off the bench and yelling Saturday on the game-opening jump-ball when the official’s toss was at least three feet wide of the center circle.“That’s just coach. He’s all in for every game,” guard Andre Dawkins said. “He coached just as hard tonight as he will when we play Michigan State. That’s what makes him what he is.”
But that first season actually went a little smoother than some Krzyzewski doubters had predicted.Thanks to Kenny Dennard, Gene Banks and Tom Emma, the original Coach K Devils won their share (17-13, 6-8 ACC), knocked off No. 13 Maryland in mid-season and then stunned No. 10 North Carolina in the last regular-season game. They lost close to Maryland in the ACC Tournament, but landed an NIT bid and won a couple of times before being stopped at Purdue.Krzyzewski recalled Saturday that he got the job after three interviews and accepted without knowing what he would get paid.“I wasn’t worried about that, I just knew I wanted the job,” he said.But after his second and third Duke teams went a combined 21-34 (7-21 ACC), the magic almost ended before it had a chance to take root.A determined posse of Duke fans did their best to force then-athletic director Tom Butters into making a change. Butters stood firm. The coach’s fourth Duke team then went 24-10 and the seemingly endless run of championships took flight.
“Thank goodness for President (Terry) Sanford and Tom Butters and those who saw fit to have faith in me. I’ll always remember that,” Krzyzewski said.
The chance to pass Bob Knight on the all-time win list will come Tuesday against Michigan State in New York.
Just as he did before the game against Belmont on Friday and then Presbyterian less than 24 hours later, Krzyzewski will be “antsy” on game day and battle butterflies as tip time nears.“I’ve had that feeling before every game I’ve ever coached,” he said. “I think when you start losing it then it’s probably a good time to say ‘See ya.’”Krzyzewski isn’t losing interest or energy.He was off the bench and yelling Saturday on the game-opening jump-ball when the official’s toss was at least three feet wide of the center circle.“That’s just coach. He’s all in for every game,” guard Andre Dawkins said. “He coached just as hard tonight as he will when we play Michigan State. That’s what makes him what he is.”
Miami Marlins Debut Event Open Thread
The moment is almost upon us. At 9 pm EST, the Marlins will be reborn as the Miami Marlins, and a new era of Fish will begin. And you Fish Stripers will be here to join us in commemorating or denigrating this occasion, depending on how you feel. Tonight, we officially see the new jerseys, check out the players in said jerseys, and ring in the arrival of the Miami Marlins. And hey, we may even see the arrival of a new Miami Marlin (though the odds are very small).Mike Rodriguez stood outside the Marlins' ballpark late Friday night examining the two team caps he had just purchased, one black, the other orange.He held them side by side, taking stock of the new look with the multicolored logo the Marlins unveiled a couple of hours earlier."There was a lot of controversy regarding them, but I think ultimately they look pretty cool," said Rodriguez, a Pinecrest resident who has a 40-game ticket plan. "I'm pleasantly surprised."Meanwhile, the Marlins' new fashion statement was getting ripped online. Of more than 5,000 votes cast in a poll on SunSentinel.com, 59 percent rated the uniforms "awful." Only 14 percent gave them high marks.A more telling gauge of sentiment may be that expressed with cash or credit card. There were 200-300 fans lined up waiting for the first chance to buy merchandise at 11 p.m. Friday at the ballpark, and some waited more than an hour and a half. Most were buying multiple items, with the more colorful items drawing a lot of interest."The logo is really intense. The colors are pretty cool," said David Arteaga, of Miami. "It's South Beach colors. It does actually represent us pretty well."Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said the colors were chosen to represent the distinctive shades of Miami."We are the red-orange of the breathtaking Miami sunsets and the citrus industry; the blue of the sky and the sea; and the yellow of the beautiful Miami sunshine," he said.Saturday, at the Marlins kiosk at Sawgrass Mills mall in Sunrise, lifelong Marlins fan Michael Flusberg seemed torn between his team's past and future. He wore the teal pinstriped jersey and cap of the Florida Marlins as he prepared to purchase the orange cap of the Miami Marlins."I was very skeptical at first, but I'm actually kind of liking it now," the Plantation resident said. "I still think the color could be a little different. I still like the old teal and silver and all that. It's my favorite, it's my childhood. I grew up with the Marlins, but I guess I have to go with the Miami Marlins now."John Husocki, of Fort Lauderdale, was typical of many who said they changed their opinion of the new look once they saw it on merchandise. He was buying an orange cap that went well with the Miami Hurricanes' green-and-orange shirt he was wearing."I just like the color of the orange, really. It's different, it's more Florida now," he said.Uni-watch.com gave the new uniforms a B+. Todd Sokolowski, senior director of on-field products for New Era caps, said, "Merchandisers really like the new bold statement the club is taking with their new look."Steve Greenspan, of Miami Beach, came to the ballpark Friday with a custom T-shirt he had produced 19 years ago. It had the Florida Marlins logo, but the letters of Florida were crossed out and "MIAMI" printed above. His son Josh wore the shirt and a Miami Marlins cap when he approached Loria for an autograph."That's an old shirt," Loria said, then after signing, added, "Nice hat."
Republican Debate: GOP Presidential Candidates Face Off In South Carolina
In South Carolina on Saturday night, eight candidates running for the Republican presidential nomination are facing off in a primary debate.The event comes less than one week after the same group of contenders went head-to-head in Michigan. The list of GOP hopefuls taking part in the forum includes: U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.
penn state game
Penn State University alumna Julie Hersch, among the thousands of fans picnicking outside Beaver Stadium in the twilight, said today helped her separate scandal from sport.
The Nittany Lions lost to the University of Nebraska 17-14 in their first football game since child sex-abuse charges against a former assistant coach rocked the campus and resulted in the firing of school President Graham B. Spanier and head coach Joe Paterno. The result mattered less to Hersch than the conduct of the team, fans and students.
“It helped me realize that the football isn’t about the scandal,” said Hersch, 45, who graduated in 1988 and said her initial reaction to the indictment was disgust.
Nebraska won after Penn State came back from a 17-0 deficit in the third quarter, with senior Stephfon Green scoring both of the Nittany Lions’ touchdowns.
“I was awful proud of them,” Penn State interim head coach Tom Bradley said in a televised interview immediately after the game. “They showed a lot of character, a lot of resolve.”
Paterno, 84, was fired after a major-college-record 409 victories, amid criticism that he didn’t do enough to stop the alleged abuse. Gone, too, are Spanier, the athletic director and a vice president. A former quarterback and assistant coach who state prosecutors say told Paterno about an assault on a boy in the football locker-room shower in 2002 by Jerry Sandusky, the one-time defensive coordinator, is on administrative leave after receiving threats.
Nebraska took a 3-0 lead in the second quarter on a 41-yard field goal by Brett Maher. The Cornhuskers extended it to 10-0 when Ameer Abdullah scored on a 5-yard run in the final minute of the first half.
Green’s Touchdowns
Penn State trailed 17-0 in the third quarter after Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead scored on a 14-yard run. Green scored his first touchdown on Penn State’s next possession, completing a nine-play, 82-yard drive. He scored again on a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The Nittany Lions’ final effort failed when quarterback Matthew McGloin threw incomplete on fourth-and-one from the Penn State 46.
“We got off to a bit of a slow start,” Bradley said at a news conference after the game. “We were just a little bit out of whack.”
Penn State is 8-2 for the season, 5-1 in the Big Ten Conference and was 12th in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, which determine the national championship matchup and entry into other top-tier postseason games. The Cornhuskers (8- 2, 4-2) from Lincoln, Nebraska, were ranked 19th in the BCS in their first season in the Big Ten.
Bomb Threat
Authorities had instituted tighter security at the stadium, and the university said in a press release that it received a bomb threat for the stadium last night. Law enforcement authorities searched the building last night and again this morning with bomb-sniffing dogs and found nothing.
Before the game, Penn State players locked arms and walked onto the field together, rather than sprinting on en masse as they usually do. Students wept as the Penn State Blue Band played the Alma Mater. The last verse begins, “May no act of ours bring shame to one heart that loves thy name.” Former Penn State football players were on the sidelines.
Hersch, whose husband, Kurt, also is a Penn State graduate, said she felt bad for current football players that never played for Sandusky, who retired in 1999, and weren’t even students when the attack in the shower allegedly occurred.
“People felt for the football players because they were sadly put in the middle of this,” Julie Hersch said.
During the game, the crowd supported the team with cheers of “We are Penn State!”, booed questionable calls by officials and applauded the players at the end when their final effort to win failed.
Blue Out
Fans showed support for child-abuse victims by wearing blue, which coincides with the Blue Ribbon Campaign to Prevent Child Abuse. The “Blue Out” was announced on a Facebook page to support “victims of child abuse worldwide.” Penn State students usually wear white T-shirts in a game-day tradition known as the “White Out.”
Students, alumni and community members held a candlelight vigil for abused victims last night on the steps of Old Main, the university’s administration building.
“People who have deep connections to Penn State are grieving,” Laura Bodenschatz, a university researcher and mother of a freshman at the school, told the crowd, estimated by organizers at about 10,000 people. “We have to come to terms with the fact that even leaders that we trust the most are fallible.”
Internal Investigation
In a news conference yesterday, Rodney Erickson, appointed to replace Spanier as president, said that Kenneth Frazier, chief executive of Merck & Co. and a board of trustees member, would lead an investigation of the case. The U.S. Department of Education said this week that it would investigate whether federal laws were broken. Moody’s Investors Service put Penn State’s Aa1 rating of about $1 billion in bonds on review.
Sandusky, 67, was released on $100,000 unsecured bail on Nov. 5 after appearing on charges involving sexual abuse of children when he ran The Second Mile, a charitable organization for young people. The charges involve sexual assaults or advances on eight boys from 1994 to 2009, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly.
Athletic Director Timothy Curley, 57, and Gary Schultz, 62, a senior vice president who oversaw the university police, were arraigned on charges of perjury and failing to report the allegations. The school announced on Nov. 7 that Schultz would step down and return to retirement, while Curley would be placed on administrative leave to focus on his defense.
Alleged 2002 Attack
The grand jury report says that in 2002, Mike McQueary, then a graduate student and now an assistant coach, witnessed Sandusky in a shower at the university’s football building sexually assaulting a boy, estimated to be around 10 years old. The report says McQueary, who told Paterno about what he saw -- it doesn’t specify how much detail he provided.
After meeting with McQueary, Schultz and Curley reported to Spanier, 63, who banned Sandusky from bringing children from his charity in the university’s football building, according to the report. Spanier told the grand jury he was unaware that the incident was sexual in nature.
“It does appear that certainly some individuals were afraid to make known what they had seen,” Erickson said yesterday. “Never again should anyone at Penn State, regardless of their position, be scared to do the right thing.”
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