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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Day: April 16, 2012

UFC on Fuel TV 2: Rising Contenders

Posted on by Mark Modeski

Along with many, I have been pretty hard on the UFC brass for their decision to have such an event heavy schedule to start the year. However, after a month without any events, I found myself going through some withdrawal pains – and actually really looking forward to UFC on Fuel TV 2. While the event didn’t display anything near the likes expected from Evans v. Jones next week – it was a chance for a group of fighters to make a name for themselves and establish themselves as contenders.

Since their inception the UFC TV non-PPV events have been a breeding ground from some of the most promising fighters in the sport today: Josh Koscheck, Diego Sanchez, Thiago Alves all got their start on non-PPV events. UFC on Fuel 2 gave a new set a fighters a chance to make the same impact.

DaMarques Johnson was a star on TUF, and at one point seemed poised to be the next big thing at 170 lbs; however, he has been erratic and inconsistent at best since. Saturday night was no difference, as the TUF alumnus fell prey England’s John Maguire.

Denis Siver was well on the road to a title shot before falling prey to Donald Cerrone at UFC 137. UFC on Fuel TV 2, would be his chance for redemption at a new weight class (featherweight). The challenge put before Siver was not easy one in former contender Diego Nunes, also looking start his road back to the top. After two dominant first rounds, Siver almost fell prey to the Brazillian’s pinpoint striking – but, in the end managed to eek out the decision.

Paulo Thiago has been a fighter to watch since he stormed onto the scene with KO victory over Josh Koscheck. Thiago was given a stepping stone to help him to get back on the right path in Siya Bahadurzada. Unfortunately, Thiago’s night was short and sweet, as he fell to a devastating left hand from Siya. Bahadurzada may be a man to watch – but, I truthfully hope not, if for no other reason than that last name is going to cause problems for MMA reporters around the world.

Brian Stann made a lot of noise in 2011 after a couple of big wins of Jorge Santiago and Chris Leben – many thought he would soon be ready for a title run; unfortunately, after a loss to Chael Sonnen it was back to the drawing board. A fight against Alessio Sakara proved to be a redemption song for Stann, with a decisive first round knockout.

The main event was a match-up between two hyped up light heavyweights in Alexander Gustafsson and Thiago Silva. Silva back, looking a lot leaner, after a steroid suspension wanted to prove that he belonged in the elite at 205 lbs, Gustafsson wanted to prove he wasn’t all hype. In the end, the hometown boy in Gustafsson proved that he is “in the mix” with a decision win.

The fighters on this card did their job. They fought like it was their last, and put on an impressive displays of fighting and violence. If Dana White and the UFC keeps these cards coming, I don’t think any of us will have anything to complain about.

… and that is the last word.

 

NHL Draft Prospect Profile #11: Radek Faksa

Posted on by Ben Kerr

Drafted #13 Overall by Dallas Stars

Our 11th ranked prospect for this June’s NHL entry draft is a solid two way center from the Czech Republic, Radek Faksa of the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers.  Faksa hopes to follow in the long line of successful NHL drafted forwards from Kitchener, and continue the streak of top 10 picks following in the footsteps of Gabriel Landeskog and Jeff Skinner.  Faksa is the first of our Czech born forwards rated in the first round along with World Junior teammate Tomas Hertl.

Center
Born Jan 9 1994 – Opava, Czech Republic
Height 6.03 — Weight 202 — Shoots Left

2011-12 Kitchener Rangers OHL 62 29 37 66 47 19  7  2  2  4  4

This season Radek Faksa led all OHL rookies with 66 points in 62 games.   Faksa came to Kitchener and showed that he was very quick to adapt to the North American game.  Faksa pairs outstanding hockey sense and offensive instincts, with his very good vision and passing skills to be an excellent playmaker.  He also has a good wrist shot with an excellent release.  Faksa is an above average skater, with good speed and strong balance which makes him difficult to knock off the puck.  He isn’t afraid to go into traffic and to take hits to make plays for the Rangers. For these reasons we believe Faksa will be a top 6 centre at the NHL level.

At 6’3, 202lbs Faksa has the great size that many NHL teams covet down the middle.  Faksa uses that size effectively to protect the puck, to establish position in the offensive zone.  We do however think that Faksa can use his size more effectively and we’d like to see him drive the net harder with the puck on his stick.  We’d also like to see Faksa use his size advantage to be a more effective body checker, especially on the forecheck.

Faksa is also an excellent defensive player.  He is often used to check the opponent’s top line, and is a key penalty killer for Kitchener.  Faksa makes quick decisions and is equally adept at breaking up plays in both the neutral zone and his defensive end.  He uses his size and smarts to angle opponents to the outside and keep them from dangerous areas.  His long reach is an important asset in closing down passing lanes as well.  Faksa however could stand to improve on his faceoff skills in order to be a true shutdown centre in the NHL.

Faksa is an intriguing prospect, who will definitely be highly sought after come draft day.  His combination of excellent size and strong two way play will be in high demand.  We’d compare Faksa’s maximum potential to that of Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild.  The major question in his game that keeps him a step below the elite centres in this draft is whether he possesses the real high end offensive skills necessary to be a first liner in the NHL.  However we do believe he can definetely be a solid top  6 player, with an outside chance of being a top liner.

… and thats the Last Word.

Old Time Hockey or Excessive Brutality?

Posted on by Grant Alexander

Wow… when is the last time we’ve seen this kind of physical intensity in the playoffs? Detroit vs. Colorado in the late 90’s? The Broad Street Bullies in the late 70’s? Maybe, but maybe not even, this years madness has been league wide!

A lot of people hate fighting in hockey, and say it has no place in the game. They also say that when the game is on the line like in the playoffs, you rarely see a fight. Well so much for that! And I wonder what they are saying now! I for one love it, and can’t remember being this hooked to every series, and this excited for every game, since the last time the Leafs were in it. And other than tight games, with lots of OT magic, I can’t think of a better way to further intensify a rivalry.

The other great thing about it is that the guys that are fighting, throwing those big hits, and doing whatever it takes to win, are the superstars on each team. Captains leading their teams into battle… can you think of anything better?

The bad thing is, this has also been the dirtiest playoffs in recollection. Because, despite all of the great bouts, and the insane level of intensity, players are getting hurt. I’m sure you are thinking that it goes hand in hand, the fighting and the dirty plays. For example, a player takes a cheap shot, and that brings on the violence. Well, in that you’re not entirely wrong, that is what happens. Players will always come to the aid of a fallen teammate, but believe it or not it is much deeper than that.

This years playoffs have more rivalry matchups than in recent history, and they have intensified throughout the regular season. The intensity level is raised by the skilled players. They are the ones getting all of the ice time at the beginning of the games. They are the ones crashing the net, playing hard in the corners, and getting their teams fired up. And by this point you would have seen a few scrums, and maybe even a fight. And if the game continued like that it would have been intense, physical, and highly skilled. But that’s not what happens.

This is the point in the game where the fourth lines come on. These guys are already hyped up to do their job, which is to frustrate the other teams stars, kill time while their stars are resting, and throw big hits. But now with the raised intensity, these guys end up being reckless. They think they are helping their teams by sacrificing themselves to take out a skilled player on the other team, but what they are really doing is ruining the game of hockey.

Goons don’t belong in hockey. Period. They drop the skill level of the league considerably. They have no integrity or respect for other players. And they get paid to hurt people, and take skilled players out of the game. And that is what is happening in these playoffs. Guys like, Asham, Rinaldo, and Carkner to name a few, are getting sent out to settle scores, or run players. These guys have no place in hockey.

So what is the answer to players getting injured? How do you stop these things from happening? Well, there are two ways a player has to answer for his actions. One is with the league; the other is on the ice. On the ice, typically a fight is coming. For the average player, who doesn’t fight a lot, this is a pretty good deterrent. Usually the player knows it’s coming, and it’s usually from the player he hit or a bigger teammate and he has to stand up and takes his licks like a man. The good thing is that usually ends up being the end of it. But with a goon, they’re looking for a fight. So there’s no real “on ice” punishment. And if you banned fighting completely, than you would end up seeing an eye for an eye type of stuff, and in that scenario everyone loses. So with those types of players you really have to look to the league to make things right. The league, or Brendan Shanahan who is in charge of player safety, is the one responsible for handing out suspensions and fines to the players, and in this he must be vigilant. He has to set a precedent that says, “This sort of nonsense will not be tolerated!” And I strongly think that repeat offenders should be out indefinitely. Lets keep are stars on the ice, and out of the press box.