I have been fairly critical of UFC president Dana White over the last year. My criticism was at an all-time high when negotiations between the UFC and Fedor Emelianenko broke down last year and the plans for Brock Lesnar’s next fight fell apart. However, seven moths later and it looks like Dana White was correct all along about Fedor, M-1, and those “crazy Russians.”

Strikeforce won the Fedor Emelianenko sweepstakes last year when Fedor Emelianenko opted to sign a three-fight deal with Strikeforce, rather than take a UFC deal reportedly valued at over $30 million. Fight fans like me openly questioned Fedor’s decision to fight lower quality opponents than fight the best in the UFC. Dana White blamed Fedor’s management team of M-1 Promotion for failing to secure deal. White found their co-promotional demands outrageous and in the end, a deal breaker. It looks like White made the right call to pass on arguably the greatest heavyweight in the world than do business with people he referred to as, “crazy Russians.”

Dave Meltzer has a fascinating report on Yahoo.com about current issues between Fedor Emelianenko and his management/promotional team M-1 and Strikeforce. MMA writers and fans became curious when Fedor wasn’t included on the next CBS Strikeforce special. Some writers reported a rift between M-1 and Strikeforce. Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker dismissed those reports at the time. Yet, Dave Meltzer’s piece confirms that there are indeed business issues at hand between Fedor’s team and Strikeforce. It seems that after one fight, M-1 are more concerned about negotiating a new deal for Fedor rather than honoring their current deal signed a few months back and agreeing to a new fight.

“First we need to make a deal,” said M-1 Global director of operations Evgeni Kogan. “We’re almost there. Once we get that part out of the way, then we’ll decide on an opponent and a date. No fight is scheduled.”

So you mean to tell me that after just one fight and seven months that Fedor Emelianenko and his M-1 team are already looking for a new deal? Could you imagine if Fedor had signed with the UFC? Taking Brock Lesnar’s illness into consideration, it is likely Fedor would have fought someone like Shane Carwin or Frank Mir for the interim title. At this point we would be talking about the biggest fight in MMA history between Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko. Imagine the power that Fedor and M-1 Global would have and what kind of crazy shenanigans they would be trying to pull? Quite frankly it looks like Dana White avoided a potential nightmare and in the end, the UFC fans wouldn’t get the dream fight they would have been promised upon Fedor’s signing.

The prevailing issue for M-1 Global continues to be this ridiculous co-promotion business. According to the quotes in the Yahoo.com, M-1 feels that their company wasn’t mentioned enough in the promotion for Fedor’s Strikeforce fight against Brett Rogers. Why would they be? It was a Strikeforce show and from everything I can gather, CBS made a deal with Strikeforce and not M-1. I mean what more do these people want or expect at this point? Any good will that Fedor Emelianenko may have left with MMA fans is about to be lost all over as Dana White would put it, those “crazy Russians.”

At this point it may be best for Strikeforce to cut their losses and call it a one-shot deal. I find it kind of ironic that Fedor Emelianenko and M-1 have filed a lawsuit against Affliction for failing to hold up the terms of their deal, when you have the Fedor and M-1 failing to hold up to the terms of their own deal with Strikeforce. A bit of hypocrisy wouldn’t you say? I wonder if Scott Coker has his lawyer ready.

The bottom line here is as a huge Fedor fan and someone who wrote a piece declaring him the “Fighter of the Decade,” I am about done rooting or even caring about what Fedor does next. I am also done blaming M-1 Global for Fedor’s faults. Fedor is a grown man and at this point, his reputation as a businessman in the MMA world is falling apart. I have no reason to think that Fedor doesn’t know what is going on, or doesn’t support this kind of extortion for a new deal that M-1 Global is trying to pull. Sadly, the more this case plays out the less likely it looks like that we will ever see Fedor Emelianenko against Brock Lesnar, or any of the great UFC heavyweights.

I think we can finally stop blaming Dana White for that one.

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NCAA basketball betting players are well aware of Oklahoma City, as their rotation is filled with players that could be still participating in the NCAA Tournament, but they’re playing their trade in the NBA, and they’re making a surprising push for homecourt in the playoffs. The Thunder will head to Charlotte on Wednesday, and the Bobcats aren’t that far behind in their own race for homecourt in the postseason, and they’re excellent on their home floor.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Charlotte Bobcats odds – Wednesday, March 17, 7:00 PM ET

The Thunder have won five in a row and eight of their last 10 overall, and they shot a blistering 60% from the field in a 119-11 win over Utah on Sunday. Kevin Durant continued his torrid season with 35 points, while Russell Westbrook had 30 points and 11 assists for the Thunder, who had all of their starters score at least 30 points. Durant (Texas), Westbrook (UCLA), Jeff Green (Georgetown) and James Harden (Arizona State) have all played in the Tournament over the last four years, and they could draw off that experience to raise their game for the stretch run.

The Bobcats were further down the online betting scale coming into the season, but after a 96-69 win at Orlando on Sunday, Charlotte was five games behind Boston in the race for homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Stephen Jackson led the way with 28 points for the Bobcats, who won their sixth game in a row, and they outrebounded the Magic 46-34. Defense is what has gotten the Bobcats this far, as they’ve held every opponent on this six-game winning streak under 100 points.

Charlotte should be favored in this contest according to sportsbook odds (bodog reviews), but they’ll have to travel from Charlotte to Indiana to face the Pacers on Tuesday night. These two have met just once this year, with the Thunder coming away with a 96-91 win at home over the Bobcats on Boxing Day. Durant dropped 30 points for the Thunder, who out-rebounded the Bobcats 48-36 and shot 47% from the floor. You’ll probably see Jackson on Durant in a matchup that will be fun to watch, but the Thunder bench has lost a little as Harden is out with a hamstring injury. But for being such a young team, the Thunder are a very good team on the road, and they’ve been off since beating the Jazz on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Bobcats could be fatigued, so look for Oklahoma City to push the pace. Bet on the Thunder away from home before making your March Madness betting picks.

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As we grow closer and closer to April 4, I ask the all important question… What on Earth is happening to the National League East Division?

It seems as if they have broken away from the pack, and are their own super league. Like how everyone watches the American League East for the on going battle against the Yanks and Bo Sox, these five teams are going to slug it out into the last week of the season (yes, even the Nationals).

There are no weak links in the division, and they all beefed up in someway or another. Let’s take a look these squads to see just who has a chance at October.

Philadelphia Phillies
The back-to-back National League Champions are only better than they were last season when they went to the World Series. Their offense focused around extreme power has seen few speed bumps in their road to the playoffs and they finally have the front line pitcher to keep them ahead in the race.

New in town: Unless you’ve been on the moon, deep in a crater, with your eyes closed and your ears plugged you’re aware that Roy Halladay is in the city of Brotherly Love. The Former Cy Young winner is entering the National League for the first time, and coming off a very successful season despite not knowing who was going to play for in 2010. Placido Polanco, is returning to Philadelphia after four outstanding seasons in Detroit including winning his second gold glove this past year. The boys in Red also picked up an extra rotation candidate in Jose Contreres.

He’s Outta Here: Bringing in Roy Halladay would have been nightmare for the rest of the division last July. That was mainly in part to their acquisition of 2008 Cy Young winner Cliff Lee around that time. However, unless your team’s city starts with “New” or “Bos-” it is tough to carry two ace pitcher’s salaries on your back, and Lee was shipped out. The Phils also lost Pedro Feliz, a solid infielder who works well as a spot starter but was used more as an everyday third baseman.

2010 Impact: Are they better than they were in 09? Yes. Much better? No. Halladay is an upgrade over Lee, but not as drastic one. He is an inning eater, and as durable as they come, but relies on a bit more on power pitching than Lee, and Citizen Bank Park is a launch pad for home runs. Expect a higher ERA from him this season. Polanco is a great player in both the field and dugout. He brings a lot of intensity and knows how to lead, but his bat is drifting as he gets older. Contreres is not a serious answer to a big question in the fifth start spot.

Look for big seasons from pitcher Cole Hamels, outfielder Jayson Werth, and a healthy Chase Utley. However, the team overall didn’t improve as much as others in the division and will not waltz back into the playoffs without a fight.

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The Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers are two teams in search of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The sports betting world remembers these two teams at the beginning of the season when both were having a difficult time winning games. With all of the March Madness odds going on, the fact that both teams are now looking towards the playoffs can sometimes be lost. The sportsbook reviews for this upcoming Canadiens at Rangers game are much different than they were at the beginning of the season.

Goaltending
When you bet March madness you look for a team that plays solid defense and can keep the other team off the scoreboard. The same is true when betting on a hockey game and in hockey the most important defenseman on the ice is the goaltender.

Ranger goalie Henrik Lundqvist has won his last two games in impressive fashion by allowing only three goals in those two games. The early struggles of the Rangers were mirrored in Lundqvist’s shaky start. But he has started to string together a good season with a respectable .919% save percentage and a 2.45 goals against average for the season.

The shaky start for the Canadiens can be directly traced back to their goaltending problems. Carey Price was supposed to be the next Patrick Roy. The Canadiens gave him the reigns this season and he has struggled terribly. As the season progressed the Canadiens had seen enough and put Jaroslav Halak in goal to save the season, and save the season he did. Halak is red-hot winning his last five games including one with as shut-out. He is one of the main reasons the Canadiens have bolted from near the basement into seventh place in the conference.

Offense
The Canadiens have always had offense. This year they have nine players with double-digits in goals and three players with 30 or more points. Tomas Plekanec is the team’s leading scorer with 68 points and he has a goal in three of the last five games.

The Rangers have eight players with double-digits in goals, but when you get past leading scorer Marian Gaborik the production really drops off. This is another reason for the Rangers’ early troubles; they cannot put the puck in the net.

Defense
Both teams have more goals against than they do goals for, and the numbers are pretty similar. The Rangers are -7 in the difference between goals for and goals against, and the Canadiens are -3. Much of what the Canadiens have done to close that gap has happened in the last 15 to 20 games with Halak in goal.

Bottom Line
The Canadiens are on fire with a goalie that is on a hot streak. By all accounts this should be a game where the Canadiens roll over the Rangers. The fact that the game is being played in Madison Square Garden may help the Rangers a little, but with the Canadiens riding a huge wave of momentum it will be very difficult for the Rangers to make any progress in their hunt for a playoff spot in this game. Right now the Rangers are in ninth place and the Canadiens are in seventh with the Rangers one point out of a playoff spot. This game does not appear to be the game that will change that for the Rangers.

Pick: Montreal Canadiens 5-2

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Ah, March! As reliable as lights and decorations at Christmas or costumes on Halloween, it is NCAA March Madness time again. Attention all bosses or managers etc., let’s not give Bill from accounting a hard time today, he has brackets to fill out, like just about every other red-blooded American does this time of year. 65 college hoops teams have come forward once again to take over our lives, for a few weeks anyway.

Okay ladies and gentleman, grab your pens, your papers, your notes and get ready. I will give you some “Yes” and some “No” ideas for your bracket and will also break down each region to share some possible upsets, big boys and some Cinderellas for you to consider on your way to a championship. We all know there is all sorts of players who step up to the plate and fill out their tourney wish list. From the die hard sports guy who watches every game, to the “eh why not” guy who just wants to join in. To the hot girl in the office who flirts with all the guys to learn the difference between a 1 seed and a 16 seed, to the guy who will crunch numbers to give everyone his law of averages as to who to pick. March makes the best of friends and the worst of enemies out of “Bracketologist” everywhere! So let’s take a look at my notes, despite the fact that I dropped out of “Bracketology” and do not have a degree on my wall.

Here are some Yes and No bracket fill out ideas:
Yes: Pick at least one number 12 seed to advance. A 12 seed has beaten a 5 seed at least once in the tournament all but twice since 1980. If you search hard enough you can find a decent match-up worth trying. The 4 to choose from this year:
Michigan State vs New Mexico State
Butler vs Texas El-Paso
Temple vs Cornell
Texas A&M vs Utah State.
The betting man would say Texas-El Paso over Butler.

No: Do not pick a team to pull off a series of big upsets just because it has in the past. Don’t get all geeked out over a team like Siena or Murray State because of things they did 4 or 5 years ago. Stay within your means and know the opponents they are about to face.

Yes: Let some history repeat itself. Do not be afraid to advance some teams further then expected with good March history. Michigan State may not be the best team on paper but they usually have a good March run in them. Also despite how bad Villanova has looked, they have been decent the last few Marchs.

No: Do not try and be the office hero by picking a bunch of upsets just to be the guy that says “Yeah I had that”. Yes it would be sweet to predict that 14 seed Ohio could upset Georgetown, but it does not mean you have to pick all 13’s and 14’s just for one “I told you so”.

Yes: Make sure you get a number 1 into your Final Four. Okay so your work colleagues or friends may call you a “Homer”, but isn’t this about winning?

No: Do not put a team ranked higher then 9th in your Final Four. It simply does not happen. In fact the highest seed to ever win an NCAA Tourney was an 8 seed.

Yes: Like some of the new big boys from the big conferences with high seeds. West Virginia as a 2 and Ohio State also as a 2 come from big time conferences and have good squads. Don’t be shy of them because they have not been highly touted by the media.

No: Do not fall in love with success stories from schools who have never been seeded so high. 3 seed Baylor is kind of a miracle to me. Also New Mexico as a 3 and Vanderbilt as a 4 worry me very much. These are some high seed teams just begging to be upset.

Some teams that may find that late season magic to not ignore:
8 seed Texas, who spent time at number 1 this season.
11 seed Washington who can very easily (in my opinion) upset 6 seed Marquette, take down a 3 seed like New Mexico and give a 2 seed like West Virginia all it can handle. This is a decent club when on, but a disaster when off.
10 seed Florida. Billy Donovans team is not like his championship teams of the past, but they are a Billy Donovan team. If they get past BYU, Donovan may be able to out-think a newer powerhouse like 2 seed Kansas State and make it interesting.

Now we break down the regions:

East region:
Top 4 seeds: Kentucky, West Virginia, New Mexico, Wisconsin

It looks as if the powers-to-be in the tournament committee want to see big things out of John Calipari and Kentucky. The other top seeds do not seem to be nearly as talented or be as storied as Kentucky. In the middle, teams like Temple, Marquette and Texas are all good names but not big time opponents. However a second round match up with Calipari’s Kentucky team vs Rick Barnes’ guys from Texas would make for an interesting match-up. The Cinderella of this bunch is Washington. Over the past few years the Huskies have had decent clubs and usually show up for a game or 2 come March. When this team gets hot it can be dangerous. The highest seed expected to exit quickly is New Mexico. Not a great track record coming in and after a 3 vs 14 showdown with Montana they would have to face 2 bigger conference opponents from the winner of the Clemson vs Missouri game, both of which can handle what New Mexico brings.

Predicted Winner: Kentucky

South region:
Top seeded teams: Duke, Villanova, Baylor, Purdue

Is Duke back to its prime time form? “Coach K” is bringing in a better, more relaxed team in this years tourney, but it won’t be total smooth sailing. 2 seed Villanova has struggled of late but still has a stellar team. Middle seeds like Texas A&M and Notre Dame have been bracket busters in the past, plus Duke could be in for a tough second round game facing the winner of Cal and Louisville. Could be interesting to see Pitino vs Coach K. As for Cinderellas, most experts will tell you that Siena is a tough team to face, but for me Lousiville as a 9 seed can wreak havoc. Yes they would have to play Duke if they win, but knocking down giants is what being a Cinderella team is all about. The highest seed expected to exit early would be Baylor. As much as I love seeing new teams go far for a change I just do not feel this is the team. The first round game does not look so tough, but possible 2 round opponent Notre Dame could be a killer. Being a Philly guy id love to pick with my heart, but feel Villanova just does not have it in them to make a big run.

Predicted Winner: Duke

Midwest Region:
Top seeds: Kansas, Ohio State, Georgetown, Maryland

Some good programs lead the way here in the Midwest. A lot of experts call Kansas the best team in college hoops, but there is a fine line between great and cocky. Kansas at times looked shaky in conference tourney play while Big 10 Champ Ohio State looked brilliant in pounding Minnesota in the title game. Plus when it’s March, you never count out the Hoyas of Georgetown. The middle seeds are a real tough bunch, with March dandy Tom Izzo’s Michigan State team, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, and the reborn UNLV Runnin Rebels. Survival will take perfect outings from any one of these top 8 seeds here. Cinderella has its work cut out for themselves here, but Georgia Tech is a team that merits paying attention too. Playing in the ACC means they know how to handle big time teams, and they can beat up a few along the way. The highest seed expected to exit early would be Maryland. The Terrapins are usually an enigma come March, and despite a good season, I think there is too many question marks to expect big things here. This region is filled with tough clubs and I feel we will lose our first 1 seed come Final Four time.

Predicted Winner: Georgetown

West Region:
Top seeds: Syracuse, Kansas State, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt

Very strange region, perhaps the most interesting region ever assembled. A lot of teams here are fan favorites and tourney reachers, with Syracuse leading the way as a tough to choose 1 seed. Kansas State has looked great at times as has Pitt and a quietly climbing Vanderbilt team. The middle seeds are tourney staples, but also-rans such as Xavier, BYU, Gonzaga and everyone’s chic’ spoiler choice Butler. Cinderella is a tough customer in the form of Florida. Billy Donovan always gets his teams ready for March and a win over 7 seed BYU can set up a tough match up for the 2 seed Kansas State. Florida is looking like the toughest double digit seed in the tournament. The highest seed expected to exit early is Vanderbilt. Many, like myself, feel that Murray State has an upset in it, and they will be the ones to end Vandy’s run early. Number 1 may have another tough road here and a possible Big East clash should spell the end of Syracuse’s run at the Final Four. The winner here could be quite a surprise to some.

Predicted Winner: Pittsburgh

Yes, so here is my very rough Final Four. We all know how quickly this can change,and most likely will between today and Thursday when this all gets rolling. As of now my Final Four of Kentucky, Duke, Georgetown and Pittsburgh is even drawing my own personal criticisms, but hey, that’s why they play the games. Good luck Bracketologist, this season you’re going to need it!

If you’d like to hear anything else from me on topics or ideas I can be reached at phillyphan1971@yahoo.com.

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On October 24, 2009 Philadelphia Flyers’ Mike Richards made a hit on David Booth of the Florida Panthers that would be deemed later as a clean hit. He caught Booth blind-sided in near center ice area heading into Philly’s defensive zone. Mike Richards received a 5 minute Interference Major for the hit, which was served by Aaron Asham along with a 10 minute Game Misconduct. Richards received no conduct from the NHL.

The argument has gone either way regarding this particular hit, being clean or dirty. On February 10, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers’ Jeff Carter made a blind side hit on New Jersey Devils’ Anssi Salmela seconds after scoring a goal, which left him lying on the ice and carried out on a stretcher. Jeff Carter received no penalty and no conduct from the NHL. On March 7, 2010 Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins made a hit to the head on Boston Bruins Marc Savard with 5:37 left in the third. This hit left Savard unconscious momentarily. Marc Savard would be taken off on a stretcher, and Matt Cooke was not penalized for the hit. Marc Savard would also be diagnosed with a possible season ending concussion.

On March 10th, 2010 after three days of meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, the National Hockey League’s general managers have put forward a recommendation for a rule change to address hits to the head in league games.The following language was agreed to unanimously by the group:”A lateral, back pressure or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and or the principal point of contact is not permitted. A violation of the above will result in a minor or major penalty and shall be reviewed for possible supplemental discipline.”The recommendation will be forwarded to the NHL and NHLPA competition committee and then to the NHL Board of Governors for final approval before it is passed. Colin Campbell, Senior Vice President of the Hockey Operations stated, “We felt there is a degree of responsibility – more so to the player receiving the hit – when a guy’s coming straight at you. But it’s that blindside hit that we find is so disturbing and it’s tough to protect yourself in our game, with the speed.”

To me this all sounds good, but it’s something will I feel is part of the game and will never end. Do I think some of these hits were dirty? Sure I do. Matt Cooke is a known agitator on the ice, and he will take a shot at someone in a heartbeat if he knows he can take their head off. I would do the same if I was in his skates. I felt the hit Jeff Carter made was dirty in a sense too. Mike Richard’s hit I felt was clean and he got penalized because of the aftermath, and nothing else. There was a time where the NHL tried to take out fighting because of all the P/C people complaining it was teaching kids wrong. I feel that is the parent’s job, not the NHL. (I.E. – Professional Wrestling, MMA/UFC, Boxing) One of the biggest attractions to the NHL is the hitting and fighting.

Trying to take hitting and fighting out of this great sport is like trying to take the “big crash“ out of Nascar. It will never happen. Can the NHL change the shoulder pads? Possibly so. There have been talks of making a soft cup shoulder pad, compared to the harder one that is used now. Could that solve the issue? I’m not too sure. Ask Rugby players if pads or no pads help when getting crushed. One thing is for sure with all these, there will be more rules added possibly with ramifications, and people will still end up on stretchers being taken off the ice. If you ask all NHL players if they know that person on the stretcher could end up being them, I’m positive the answer will be the same with all persons asked. So the question lies. Where these hits dirty? Did a suspension seem like the cure?

Mike Richards hit on Booth.

Jeff Carter hit on Anssi Salmela

Matt Cooke hit on Savard.

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