my-neighbors-wife

UFC 138 – Who Will Emerge as Contender in Middleweight Division? Fan’s Take

On Nov. 5, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will present UFC 138, live from the LG Arena in Birmingham, England. The card is the headlined by a middleweight showdown between Chris Leben and Mark Munoz. Leben is one of the most seasoned veterans in the Octagon, while Munoz has seen his stock in the promotion gradually rise over the past 18-months. When the two men meet in the first non-title five-round main event in UFC history, which fighter will emerge as a legitimate contender in the middleweight division?

Leben has been down this road before. This is the third time he has appeared to be a top challenger for the middleweight title, but has suffered devastating losses each of the first two times. He won his first five fights in the Octagon before he played a part in the legacy of Anderson Silva. After the Silva loss, Leben went 1-2 before winning two straight fights.

At UFC 89, the first event held in Birmingham, Leben was overpowered by Michael Bisping and tested positive for steroids. After returning from suspension, he lost to Jake Rosholt, before going on a three-fight win streak. After his submission victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116, in what was one of the best fights of 2010, he was one fight away from possibly earning another crack at Silva.

Brian Stann was put in front of him, and Leben couldn't make it out of the first round. He would then return the favor to Wanderlei Silva, knocking out the legend in 0:27.

For Munoz and his 6-2 UFC record, including three straight wins, nobody has seen their stock rise in the promotion more this year (outside of Donald Cerrone). Most recently, Munoz earned a unanimous decision victory over Demian Maia and a first round knockout over C.B. Dollaway. Ever since making his debut in the UFC, Munoz has learned from each defeat. When it comes to mixed martial arts, how you bounce back from a loss tells a lot about the fighters heart and character, and for Munoz, he has shown a great deal.

This fight could end up as a five-round slugfest, or a first round knockout, with either man able to claim the victory. In the end, it is the fans that will win out, as this fight will be great show on Spike TV. The winner will be another step closer to gold, while the loser will move back to the end of the line.

For a look at the best fights for some of the most popular fighters in UFC history, go here .

More from this contributor:

Top Athletes to Return from Retirement and have an Impact

My Interview with UFC Bantamweight title challenger, Demetrious Johnson

Who will replace MMA stars of yesterday?

Azkals first to arrive in Jakarta

JAKARTA, Indonesia—The Azkals, not necessarily the same batch that resurrected football in the Philippines, were the first group of Filipinos who arrived in this traffic-infested Indonesian capital yesterday for the 26th Southeast Asian Games.

And though finding newfound fame back home because of a series of sterling international performances, this Under-23 squad hopes to break through in these Games – and that is to win for the Philippines its first soccer medal.

he famous Younghusbands—James and Phil—feared stricker Chiefy Caligdong and the indefatigable Ali Borromeo won’t be on this squad, but the Philippines probably has its best shot at going home with a medal when the smoke of the battle clears here.

“It’s doable, definitely,” team manager Dan Palami, the man chiefly responsible for that resurgence, told the Inquirer moments after touching down after a nearly seven-hour trip from Manila to Singapore to here.

The Philippines’ best football finish in the biennial meet came in 1991, when the country hosted the Games in Manila. That squad went on to make the semifinals only to lose and settle for fourth place.

And if one would talk about the luck of the draw, then the Philippines had seemingly gotten one, and hopes to ride it all the way towards finishing in the money.

Bracketed with Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Laos, Vietnam and Brunei, the Philippines is in what coaching staff calls the “Group of Hope” as the other favorites, counting the host Indons, Singapore, Thailand and defending champion Malaysia are in the other.

Cambodia is the fifth and last Group A member. Only two groups make up the elimination round with the top two teams to advance to the cross-over Final Four after a single round robin.

Given that, the Filipinos, who will be reinforced by a number of Fil-foreign players, will play a total of five games and would need to top their group to draw the lightest possible assignment in the semifinals.

“A lot of people think that it’s going to be easy,” Palami explained. “But what I think is that we should realize that teams like Timor-Leste, Cambodia and Laos have actually built very good youth programs and the products of those programs are going to play.

“Easier for us might be a misnomer,” he continued. “The draw looks to be to our advantage, but at the end of the day, it will be how the team plays.”

These Azkals, who suffered a blow recently when Fil-German midfielder Manny Ott opted not to play in search of a club in Europe, debut on Thursday against Vietnam at the Gelona Bung Karno Stadium. /inquirer

Powerade’s David is top shooter

Manila, Philippines – Powerade’s Gary David continues to show his scoring prowess as he dropped a season-high 42 points against Petron Blaze last Sunday, increasing his scoring average in the PBA Philippine Cup to 22.83 points thru six games with the Tigers.

The 6-foot-1 David torched the Boosters with 15-of-19 shooting from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point territory in a 108-94 win that snapped the Tigers’ losing skid to two for a 3-3 win-loss record while sending Petron to its third straight defeat in six games.

Two rookies are in the Top 10 in scoring this conference, with Chris Lutz of Petron at No. 3 with 17.3 points per game, while Paul Lee is at No. 8 averaging 15.50 points for the league-leading Rain or Shine, which sports a 5-1 card.

Lee and Lutz were second and third picks, respectively, in the last PBA Rookie Draft.

Arwind Santos of Petron Blaze is at second spot with 17.67 points, while B-Meg’s James Yap – the former two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) – is at fourth place with 17.17 points and Rain or Shine’s Jeff Chan is at fifth with 16.83 points.

Also in the Top 10 scoring are three Talk ’N Text players, Jared Dillinger at No. 6 (16.80) while Jason Castro and Kelly Williams share No. 9-10 (15.50). Barangay Ginebra’s Mark Caguioa is at No. 7 (16.20).

The 6-foot-4 Santos is the only double-double performer so far as he also leads the rebounding department with 15 boards per game, followed by the Tropang Texters’ Harvey Carey and Ali Peek with 12.33 and 10 rebounds, respectively.

Petron’s point guard Alex Cabagnot leads the assist category by dishing 7 dimes per game, while at second is Castro with 6.25. Tied for second to fourth are Lee, Meralco’s Sol Mercado and LA Tenorio of Alaska with five assists per game.

Lutz, on the other hand, is the steals leader with 2.33, followed by his former Smart-Gilas Pilipinas teammate and Powerade forward Marcio Lassiter with 2.167. Their fellow Gilas member Japeth Aguilar is the shot block leader with 1.6. (Waylon Galvez)

Barako goes for 5th straight vs Aces

MANILA, Philippines - The streaking Barako Bull Energy gun for their 5th straight victory when they face off against the still-winless Alaska Aces Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Barako Bull has been the most surprising team early in the All Filipino Cup, notching wins over strong teams including pre-season favorites Talk N Text, Barangay Ginebra and B-Meg Derby Ace.

"They are practically an all-star team," said Alaska coach Joel Banal of the Energy, which is bannered by former league MVP Willie Miller, along with Danny Seigle and standout rookies Allein Maliksi and Dylan Ababou.

But Barako coach Junel Baculi is not satisfied with their current 4-1 record, which ties them with TNT for second in the league. He is aiming for at least a 9-5 record after the elimination round.

"We want to continue on running and improving our system, win as many games as we can," he said in an interview with PBA.ph.

Baculi is also not looking past the Aces, who have struggled in the post-Tim Cone era but are on the verge of breaking through.

Alaska had a chance to book its first win last week against the Meralco Bolts, but late-game execution became an issue and the Bolts dealt them a 75-81 setback.

New coach Banal, however, is looking forward to the challenge.

"(This is) a good game to win for us," he said about their contest against Barako.

"We must be wary of Alaska," Baculi said. "A veteran team, they can win anytime. We don't want that to happen."

'Floyd's scared as hell of Pacquiao's right hand'

MANILA, Philippines – ESPN sports analyst Skip Bayless agrees with Bob Arum’s reason why Floyd Mayweather Jr. is eluding Manny Pacquiao.

“I completely concur, the right hand is why Floyd doesn't want any part of Pacquiao,” Bayless said in ESPN’s First Take.

Bayless said Pacquiao’s much improved right hand will force Mayweather to suffer his first career loss in boxing.

“The right hand is why Pretty Boy Floyd would get cut for the first time in his career. And the right hand is why I think Floyd, as Bob Arum suggests, would be dropped in this fight by the 3rd and 4th round,” said Bayless.

Pacquiao, who used to rely solely on his left hand, was developed by boxing coach Freddie Roach into a two-fisted fighter.

Arum earlier said that the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight will never take place because Mayweather knows he will lose.

Arum said Pacquiao’s right hand will be the antidote to Mayweather’s defensive style.

Bayless said that a loss to Pacquiao will be extremely humiliating for someone like Mayweather.

“It will be over quickly, painly and humiliatingly for one Floyd Mayweather,” Bayless said.

The ESPN analyst said, however, that Mayweather can disprove this by taking the Pacquiao fight.

Bayless said that if Mayweather can show true defensive skills then the latter won’t have any problems handling an offensive fight like Pacquiao.

"If Floyd will be the defensive technician and boxing savant that Mayweather's fans have said over the years, he wouldn't be afraid of anyone," said Bayless.

NRC: San Onofre tanks lacked proper quake analysis

A recent inspection by federal regulators showed that fuel tanks buried at the San Onofre nuclear plant had not been properly analyzed for potential failure during an earthquake, although a follow-up analysis showed the tanks were safe.

The lack of proper seismic calculations was one of six "green" findings outlined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in an Oct. 14 letter to San Onofre's chief nuclear officer, Pete Dietrich.
Article Tab: image1-NRC: San Onofre tanks lacked proper quake analysis
ADVERTISEMENT

"Green" means the findings were considered of "very low safety significance."

The findings emerged from a routine but intensive inspection of the plant that went beyond its typical quarterly inspections, and was completed Sept. 13.

"What we are doing here is actually going out and walking through the site, comparing structures and systems, as they are, with their design base, and seeing that there's proper documentation for everything they're looking for," said NRC spokesman Victor Dricks.

Officials at Southern California Edison, operator of the nuclear plant, said the problem was mostly one of paperwork: the proper engineering analysis had been done, but had not been conveyed to the NRC.

It involved calculations of stress placed on the underground tanks, which hold fuel for backup generators in case of an electrical emergency.

The NRC's finding focused on concrete structures built above the tanks. The tanks were buried as a safeguard against earthquakes.

The agency's inspectors said the Edison analysis they saw did not accurately reflect the condition of the tanks. Such an improper analysis could, hypothetically, have left the door open to failure of the tanks during a quake.

But Edison says in this case, the structure actually improved earthquake safety for the buried tanks.

"Southern California Edison agrees with the NRC finding that we failed to modify documentation related to certain components," said Edison spokesman Gil Alexander. "And any failure of this type, regardless of whether it is classified as having a low safety significance, is unacceptable to the company."

Steps were already underway to improve documentation at San Onofre before the inspection finding, he said.

Both sides agreed after the follow-up analysis that the tanks and the structures met proper engineering standards for earthquakes.

Recommended safety measures at San Onofre in light of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan are scheduled to be discussed at a San Clemente City Council meeting Tuesday night.

The plant itself was under increased scrutiny by the NRC in recent years because of a variety of personnel issues, including a "chilling effect" said to keep some employees from reporting safety concerns.

Last month, the NRC said San Onofre had corrected the problems, and that the chilling effect was gone.

The recent findings are not an indication that San Onofre's deeper problems have returned, Dricks said.

It also is not unusual to find a few violations at nuclear plants subjected to the higher-level inspection, he said.

"It's unusual when we do a thorough and comprehensive and intrusive inspection that we don't have some findings," Dricks said.

The other five findings appeared to be minor electrical or sensor problems, or necessary changes to drawings of plant systems that had not been made.

Q&A | Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie, still a Seattle band

You might think indie/mainstream quartet Death Cab for Cutie isn't a Seattle band anymore — that it's a Portland band, or a Los Angeles band, because members have have resided in those cities and sometimes still stay there. But on the phone from a hotel room in Memphis, Tenn., singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard confirmed his abiding Seattle connection, and had plenty to say about the Mariners, Capitol Hill rapper Macklemore and what advice he gives to young, local bands. An edited transcription of our conversation is below. Death Cab's current blockbuster US/UK tour comes to KeyArena Saturday, supporting recent album "Codes and Keys" — with Ballard neo-folk band The Head and the Heart opening the show.

How much of Death Cab for Cutie still lives around here?

[Drummer] Jason [McGerr] lives near Bellingham, and everyone else lives in Seattle. I still have a place in Seattle, and am back and forth [to L.A.]. All of my family is up there, and so many friends. You don't cut and run from a city like Seattle.

You are an outspoken Mariners fan on Twitter (@gibbstack). In your estimation, how did the Mariners do this year, and how are things looking for the year ahead?

We did terribly. They had a flash — they played above their own heads for a month in June. And then went on an, I believe, 18 game losing streak, which was a new club record for consecutive losses. There's not going to be much difference next year. But we have purged a lot of bad choices made by the last general manager and his administration, and now are starting to see a couple beams of light breaking through.

I know you're a big fan of Capitol Hill rapper Macklemore's tribute to passed-away Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus, "My Oh My." Are you generally into Seattle hip-hop, or did Macklemore find you with that specific song?

The fact that Seattle hip-hop is getting more national recognition is amazing for the city and the artists, but it's never really been my thing. But I've been aware of Macklemore for a while, because he's blowing up. And when that song came out — every once in a while a song comes out and you go, "Oh, now I understand what people like about this, because this person wrote something that appeals to me." The second half of that tune is just.... The first part is very polite. And then it takes this turn, and it's like, "Oh my god, this song gets so [expletive] good." It justifies the tone of the first half. The construction of it, musically, is really interesting to me.

Do you have a mentor relationship with these young Seattle indie rock bands you take on arena tours, like Telekinesis, and at KeyArena, The Head and the Heart?

I give advice about, not so much the music business, but I've always been fascinated with how people relate to their own creativity. And where they feel they can access it, and where they feel they can't. If their live changes, how they continue being creative. Because, you made this record in a hovel in Ballard when you were washing dishes, and the next record you make, you may own a house, or may not have to worry about money. You're a professional musician. How does that work? I've been through every stage of that. I've been scraping by, when we first moved to Seattle, trying to figure out how I was going to write songs living in a one-bedroom apartment, with a girlfriend who was always there. And you move through that phase, and you look back on it, like, "Why can't I get back there? That's where I was doing good stuff." But that's not the way it works. Your creativity is within who you are. It's not something that can be separated and exists in a certain period of your life, be it a time of joy or strife, of prosperity or poverty. It's what drives artists to make art. It's esoteric and part of who they are. If I were to give anybody advice — and this goes beyond The Head and the Heart or Telekinesis or any Seattle band — it's to recognize that.

Salman Butt: Pakistan's rising star who fell to earth in disgrace

When Salman Butt came into the Pakistan team in 2003, he seemed to be the answer to a prayer. Saeed Anwar, a gifted left-handed opener with the ability to adapt to any surface, had played his last game six months earlier and many wondered if the void would ever be filled. Butt made 12 and 37 in his debut Test against Bangladesh, but once he established himself a year later the accolades came quickly.

After starting his one-day career with a two-ball duck at the Rose Bowl during the 2004 Champions Trophy, Butt faced India, the eternal rival, for the first time a couple of months later. It was a showpiece occasion, the Board of Control for Cricket in India celebrating its Platinum Jubilee in front of a packed Eden Gardens.

"Just 20 years old and playing only his sixth one-day international, Butt showed none of the inexperience or immaturity that might have been expected from someone so raw," said Cricinfo's report of the game. "Playing in front of 90,000 spectators, most of them rooting for the opposition, he put in a completely nerveless display."

A couple of months after that unbeaten 108, he made a superb opening-day hundred in the New Year Test in Sydney, against an attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill. Classy strokes aside, what really caught the eye was the composure he showed against heavyweights who were not shy of letting slip a verbal or two.

Away from the pitch too, he left a good impression. Unlike many of his team‑mates, who had to rely on translators to make themselves understood to an English-speaking audience, Butt was fairly eloquent, a legacy of an education at the prestigious Beaconhouse School in Lahore. In an interview with the Guardian last year he sounded dignified and almost ambassadorial, explaining how cricket could heal the wounds caused by Pakistan's natural disasters and political turmoil. "These are dark days, not just for the cricket side but for Pakistan," he said. "The air crash happens, the flood comes, the earthquakes before and all sorts of other things happening. It feels really bad. People are concerned about their young ones. But cricket is something that can lift people, lift their moods and cheer them up."

It was under an Englishman, the late Bob Woolmer, that Butt made significant strides as a player, and he was one of the few who enthusiastically bought into the coach's bonding exercises.

One of them was to make the players watch Remember the Titans, which had Denzel Washington starring as a black American football coach in America's racially volatile deep south in the 1960s. John Wright had taken the Indians to see it before they ended Steve Waugh's "final frontier" dreams in 2001, and in a subsequent interview Butt spoke of its impact. "I remember after watching the film, Woolmer's first lesson to the boys was about the true meaning of the word 'team'. He said T stood for together, E for each, A for achievements and M for more."

England got their first glimpse of his potential when the Ashes-winning side of 2005 journeyed to Multan. Butt followed up a solid 74 with a dogged 122 that anchored the second innings. The Wisden Almanack wrote: "Butt showed great self-knowledge in his shot selection, working the ball into gaps and minimising risk against the persistent probing of Flintoff and Hoggard." He was man of the match as Pakistan defended 198.

In some ways, that was as good as it got. He would have to wait more than four years for his third and final Test hundred, in Hobart, and the star turns in one-day internationals were usually restricted to games against Asian opposition. Many fans loved him though, because he saved his best for India, making five of his eight one-day hundreds against them.

Bowlers picked up on a weakness against the full swinging ball and a tendency to waft lazily outside off‑stump, but he was the man the selectors turned to last year when Shahid Afridi's Test comeback lasted the duration of the Lord's match against Australia. Butt made 92 in that game and in his first assignment as leader he led the team to a famous victory at Headingley.

His awareness of the bigger picture impressed many. "This was a wonderful experience and a wonderful achievement," he said after the win. "We would like to dedicate this victory to people in Pakistan, who would like to watch us play. Hopefully we will back soon playing in Pakistan." In the Observer Vic Marks wrote: "He may have much to learn, but, here, his composure on his debut as captain was striking."

On the popular PakPassion website a supporter wrote of the day he had watched a 14-year-old make 170-odd in a school game. "We had no doubt that one day this guy would represent Pakistan. Today when I see him in court and a possibility of jail, that young boy again comes to my mind. I still can't believe someone like Butt got involved in this mess."

"Hopes, dreams, ambitions have ended in disgrace in a London courtroom," tweeted Kamran Abbasi, one of the most perceptive writers on Pakistan cricket. "They [Butt and Asif] were children once. I bet they didn't dream about going to jail for spot-fixing."

In its analysis piece of the Kolkata game that made him a household name in Pakistan, Cricinfo asked the question: "Is he yet another shooting star or will he make a place for himself in the firmament?"

We know the answer now.

Here’s What’s Beautiful and Better About the New Gmail

Gmail's new redesign is a lot more than just really really grey—it's pared down, functionally superior, and will probably spark a lot of shocked whining. But don't worry—this is actually a better version. Here's why.

The New Gmail looks like less than before—but it's just because the older version was, by comparison, super busy. It's less colorful. There are fewer lines and boxes. There's a lot of... grey. But get over the new face. Soon, you'll love it—it's clean, soft, and friendly. But there are immediate benefits.

The new search is super smart—instead of having to learn and enter custom strings to filter our certain subjects or attachments, it's all dropped down from the search bar itself. And if you find yourself searching this way often, you can turn a query into a filter with a click.

Email threads themselves are supremely legible, looking, as Google notes, a lot more IM-like than an actual chain of emails. That's a great thing. Embedded profile pictures are a cute touch.

You can adjust your "information density"—how close stuff on Gmail is packed together—to fit your eyeball preference. This seems minor, but makes it easier to read your email throughout the day, sans headache.

Sidebar action, like chat and labels, are adjustable—meaning you can make one dominate the other if you so please.

This will all take some getting used to, sure, but unlike Facebook's many arbitrary redesigns, I think you'll take to this one quickly, and for good reason. You should have the option to switch any day now.

CL&P to Send More Crews to Meriden Wednesday

Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) will send 12 crews to the City of Meriden to work on restoring power Wednesday, state Sen. Len Suzio (R-Meriden) said late Tuesday night – up from the three the company reportedly had working in town on Tuesday.

The announcement comes after city legislators and CL&P officials held what some characterized as a "tense" meeting at Meriden's Emergency Operations Center Tuesday evening to discuss the city's rate of restoration – one that Meriden City Manager Lawrence Kendzior has publicly criticized as woefully insufficient. At 9:41 p.m. on Tuesday, 79 percent of Meriden was without power for a third full day, down from 83 percent that afternoon.

Press was not allowed into the 6 p.m. meeting, but some of those in attendence briefed reporters afterwards.

CL&P officials reportedly told the group that it anticipated 99 percent of the state would have power by Sunday, more than a full week after Storm Alfred knocked down trees and powerlines throughout the East Coast.

Meriden officials stressed to CL&P reps that the more than 20,000 residences and businesses without power in Meriden merited a greater response from the utility company, according to state Rep. Chris Donovan (D-Meriden) following the meeting. Donovan, whose own home in Meriden is currently without power, organized the meeting. [Click on the video for some of Donovan's statements following the meeting.]

"Apparently we are one third of the customers in this Cheshire area...and we haven't been getting that proportion of crews into this area," Donovan said, of the 9 towns in the "Cheshire Region" that includes Meriden. During the meeting, CL&P reportedly promised that at least 6 crews would be in the city Wednesday, and possibly more if crews from other states were certain to come in. "I want 30 crews here tomorrow, not six, I want 30," Donovan said.

CL&P offered explanations as to why there has been so few crews working in the city Tuesday following the meeting – especially as compared with August's Tropical Storm Irene. According to Jim Muntz, President for Transmission for Northeast Utilities, it's a basic manpower issue.

Crews from nearby states came to Connecticut to assist with operations following Irene, but this time around, the winter storms affected their states as well – so help has had to come from further away, Munz said.

The damage was also worse than this summer's tropical storm, according to Tom Dorsey, Manager of Government Affairs at CL&P.

"The damage is five times greater than what was caused by Irene," Dorsey said. "This is the largest event in the history of the company."

Manny Pacquiao: 10 Reasons He Might Not Want to Fight Floyd Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao (53-3-2, 38 KOs) has accomplished more than most boxers ever get to do. On November 12, he gets to finish one last piece of the puzzle against Juan Manuel Marquez (53-5-1, 39 KOs), or does he?

There's one name that is forever connected to his own, regardless of how much Pacquiao grows tired of it. That name is Floyd Mayweather (42-0, 26 KOs).

Mayweather is the ultimate defensive force in boxing, while Pacquiao has become the ultimate offensive force in the game.

They are connected by similar opponents, the hopes and wishes of the general public and the fate of boxing. But is that enough to make the fight happen?

While the reasons why Mayweather may not want to face Pacquiao have been explored by various authors, reasons as to why Pacquiao may be reluctant to take the fight are not nearly as widely discussed.

So without further ado, here are 10 reasons Pacquiao may not want to face Mayweather.

Both sides must keep moving in NBA labor dispute

Philadelphia, PA – It was Winston Churchill that said "if you're going through hell, keep moving."

Thursday night was the first time that the NBA owners and players demonstrated any lucid thinking during the lockout, the kind of every man common sense that indicated they understood what the rest of us already knew, the fact that they can't afford to miss an entire season.

Yeah, the NHL once missed an entire campaign in 2004-05 while Major League Baseball made the colossal mistake of canceling the World Series back in 1994. Both have rebounded to overcome their hubris to flourish but no sports entity, not even the mighty NFL earlier this year, has had the unmitigated gall to slap the fans in the face during the worst economy since The Great Depression.

Any optimism that both sides realized that and the lockout was finally nearing an end turned out to be just another false alarm when the third straight day of talks broke off Friday without a deal.

Facing an unforgiving calendar, the NBA then canceled the remaining games in November and gave up practically any hope of having a full 82-game schedule with commissioner David Stern saying it wasn't "practical, possible or prudent to have a full season now."

"We held out that joint hope, but in light of the breakdown of talks, there will not be a full season under any circumstances," Stern said at a news conference. "These are not punitive announcements. These are calendar- generated announcements."

That was a stark contrast from Stern's demeanor after a pair of marathon negotiating sessions over the previous two days where both he and union head Billy Hunter were almost giddy with the progress being made.

The lone major figure that tempered things a bit was union president Derek Fisher, who called the progress being made "minor."

"We're working at it," the Lakers' veteran said on Thursday. "It's a tough process and as we move through and try to close the gap in as many places as we can, it gets tougher towards the end."

Fish may be on his last legs as a player but he may have a future as a 21st century Nostradamus since everything came crashing down on Friday with Basketball Related Income remaining the major sticking point between both sides, who were still unable to agree on a split of a $4 billion dollar pie.

The players held firm, wanting at least 52.5 percent of BRI with the owners still pressing for a 50-50 split.

Talks turned contentious from there, with Stern saying Hunter walked out on the meeting and Hunter stressing he couldn't sell an even split of BRI to the players.

"Our number was our number," said Hunter. "We just couldn't bridge the gap."

A curious stance since missing a month of the season will reportedly cost the players $400 million in revenue. Compromising and getting down to 51 percent of BRI, a number most think the owners will take over a projected seven-year deal, would only cost a total of $280 million.

"Both sides are very badly damaged. The amount of dollars lost to the owners is extraordinary and the amount lost by players under individual contracts is also extraordinary," said Stern. "But that's what happens in a labor dispute when there's a shutdown."

The players argue that they are already coming down from 57 percent of BRI in the last collective bargaining agreement and will never see that number again. Likewise if they come off the 52.5 number but that seems like a specious thought process since most of the players affected by this agreement will be out of the league by the next CBA. It's Hunter's and Fisher's job to get the best deal they can for this group of players.

So where do we go from here?

Well, no new talks are scheduled but there is little chance the parties are going to blow this up over the few remaining inches that need to be traversed. You can bet they will be talking early next week.

Remember the only way out of hell is to keep on moving.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2011/10/28/both-sides-must-keep-moving-in-nba-labor-dispute/#ixzz1c8RlZxMg

Philippine youth bows to Japan, fails to secure bronze in Fiba U16

Even the bronze medal eluded the Philippines.

Energen Pilipinas failed to salvage the third place with a 81-94 loss to Japan Friday in the Fiba Asia Under-16 in Nhat Trang, Vietnam.

Philippines’ youth squad, which failed to break the curse against South Korea after a 58-67 heartbreak Thursday night, could not catch a break against Japanese all game.

After trailing by as many as 20 points at the end of the third, but Energen Pilipinas managed to make a run in the payoff period and trim down Japan’s lead to eight points, 77-85.

Jan Cani and Kyles Lao scored 16 points apiece to lead the Philippines in their final match of the tournament.

Japan’s Daiki Kaneko forefronted his squad’s assault with a game-best 25 points.

The fourth place finish by Energen tied the record set by the last batch of U16 in the 2009 Fiba Asia edition led by Kiefer Ravena.

Meanwhile, China was simply unstoppable in clobbering South Korea, 92-52, to clinch the crown anew and move on to the Fiba World U17 Championship.

Recent Sports Stories

Philippine youth bows to Japan, fails to secure bronze in Fiba U16
Cardinals force game 7 vs Rangers in World Series
Petron, TNT collide; Meralco-Alaska tiff precedes ‘rematch’
Fiba Asia U16: PH Youth bows to Korea, ends world berth bid
PSC wants P10M more for SEA Games
Ababa pads lead to 2 over Casas
Boxers Joan Tipon, Orlando Tacuyan out of SEA Games
Beckham, Galaxy test Azkals Dec. 3
San Beda dominates swimming in 2011 UniGames
A $100,000 bonus to fight Donaire

Many Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr fight Bob Arum says maybe…

(ThyBlackMan.com) Bob Arum of Top Rank lashed out at unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. yesterday in an interview, saying that it’s Floyd Mayweather Jr who doesn’t want to make the fight happen with Arum’s fighter WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao.
Arum said to ESPNLosAngeles “What Floyd Mayweather Jr hates is Manny’s right hand. Mayweather has no chin and Manny will knock him out. Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr is a three or four round fight, period.”
Here’s my take on this: Floyd Mayweather Jr isn’t the least afraid of Pacquiao’s right hand because he doesn’t hit as hard as the last guy that Floyd Mayweather Jr beat WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz. Why would Mayweather be afraid to fight someone smaller, weaker and older than Ortiz?
No, Floyd Mayweather Jr isn’t afraid of fighting Pacquiao. But what he does want is for Pacquiao to agree to staying in the U.S to be available for Mayweather’s Olympic style random drug tests for the entire training camp and not having Manny Pacquiao be unavailable for the testing by spending half the training camp time in the Philippines. This is something that could be easily taken care of Pacquiao would simply say yes to staying in the U.S, but thus far it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.
Arum has a negative view on the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight ever happening, saying “That fight will never, ever happen.”
I think it’s up to Arum. If he wanted to make the Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight happen he could very, very quickly. Arum has got the ability to convince Pacquiao of practically I believe. If Arum pushed Pacquiao to stay in the U.S so that he could be tested for performance enhancing drugs, I think Manny Pacquiao would agree in a second. But it’s up to Arum. I personally think he doesn’t want Manny Pacquiao to fight Mayweather because the Manny Pacquiao gravy train could come to a screeching halt after Floyd Mayweather Jr humiliates Pacquiao in an embarrassingly one-sided loss.
A lopsided loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr would likely badly hurt Pacquiao in future PPV bouts, and I think Arum doesn’t want this. It’s easier to match Pacquiao up with old guys like 40-year-old Shane Mosley, 38-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez, as well as his Top Rank stable fighters Antonio Margarito, Miguel Cotto, Joshua Clottey, and Timothy Bradley where there’s not much danger. At the same time, Arum, trainer Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao can throw out Mayweather’s name every once in a while and say he doesn’t want to fight. That way boxing fans will put the blame on Floyd Mayweather Jr instead of looking at Manny Pacquiao and his management as the reason the fight hasn’t been made.

Underdog Boxing: $100,000 bounty on Donaire's head

Top Rank is taking steps to ensure that the travesty that was Nonito Donaire versus Omar Narvaez will not happen again. A ton of blame went their way because of the horrible fight and it is good to know that they are taking steps to prevent the same thing from happening.

Their solution is to promise a 100,000 dollar on Donaire’s head and, truth be told, they should do the same for Manny Pacquiao. Because Pacquiao and Donaire are known for their devastating power, some of their opponents choose to not fight back as an act of self-preservation. If they fight back, chances are they will get beaten to a bloody pulp and lose. If they choose not to fight back, they will still lose but they skip through that nasty business of getting beaten to a bloody pulp bit, which also means they will enjoy their purse better after the fight.

Freddie Roach has employed the same tactic for Pacquiao’s sparring sessions. He always has 1,000 dollars in his pocket, ready to give it away to anyone who would knock Pacquiao down. It is a good amount of money and Pacquiao’s sparring partners have all tried extra hard to push him harder for a shot at the money.

It seems to be a band-aid fix as the best solution is still to choose only those fighters who will now stop fighting but this will have to do for Donaire right now. It’s a good PR move from Top Rank’s part as it will at least show the pissed off fans that they are doing something to rectify the error.

Donaire who was quoted saying that he was bored during the fight had positive things to say about the bounty. “(I’m) excited about the future matchups considering the $100k bounty on my head. Great to be working on the same path as Top Rank Boxing," he said.

Another reason for him to be happy is that he’ll have the equal opportunity to get the money. The 100,000 dollars will be a “win" bonus, meaning the winner will get the money on top of the guaranteed purse. This is currently being done in the UFC and its’ not clear yet if a knockout is required to get the bonus.

Now that Top Rank and Donaire are moving on from the embarrassing event last week, they are looking at three possible opponents for Donaire’s debut at 122. The always entertaining WBO junior featherweight beltholder Jorge Arce (58-6-1, 44 KOs), WBC super bantamweight titleholder Toshiaki Nishioka (39-4-3, 24 KOs), and Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (20-1-1, 17 KOs) are all viable opponents.

Arce seems like the most logical pick as the world knows he does not stop punching. It will be a very good comeback and it will surely wash away the bad taste that Narvaez left. He is signed with Top Rank and the fight will be very easy to make.

Vasquez is also a possible opponent. Although he lost to Arce, he still is a threat in the super bantamweight division. He is scheduled for a comeback fight and if he wins that convincingly, it may convince Top Rank to book him as Donaire’s debut at 122.

However, a fight against Nishioka, who’s coming of the biggest win of his career by beating Rafael Marquez, is the better match-up. The Japanese champion is a lanky fighter and is as tall as Donaire. If Donaire wants to make a statement, he should go for the current top dog of the division.

The Narvaez fight was supposed to signal Donaire’s emergence as one of the very best in the sport but an unwilling opponent prevented it from happening. If Donaire still wants to stake his claim as one of the best, he should do away fight tune-up fights to get himself acclimated to the super bantamweight division. - OMG, GMA News

Alaska eyes first victory

Games today:
Araneta Coliseum
5:30 p.m.- Alaska vs. Meralco
7:45 p.m.- Talk ‘N Text vs. Petron
THE LISTLESS Alaska Aces face a dangerous opponent in their quest to finally end their misery as they play the Meralco Bolts in today’s first game of the 37th PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
In the main game, the defending champions Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters and the Petron Blaze Boosters play against each other in a rematch of last conference’s championship showdown.
Alaska is one of the two teams that have yet to win in the tournament, sporting a 0-4 (win-loss) card. The lowly Shopinas.com Clickers are the other winless squad with a 0-5 slate.
Alaska has yet to win under new head coach Joel Banal and is fresh from their worst defeat in franchise history after they got mangled by the league-leading Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 84-120, last Sunday.
The pressure to stop their slide is mouting for the Aces and they are hoping that their off-season success against the Bolts will give them the needed boost going into today’s game.
The Aces defeated the Bolts, 67-61, last Sept. 24 during the Cebu City Mayor`s Cup Invitational Games and also logged an 82-80 win against the same team in a tune-up game last Sept. 17.
The Bolts are looking for a good follow-up of their impressive 80-70 trashing of the erstwhile unbeaten Petron Blaze Boosters. That was Meralco’s third win in five games.
Petron tries to rebound from that loss against the Texters, who are looking some sort of revenge.
The Texters lost to the Blazers in the Governor’s Cup Finals that denied them what could have been a rare grand slam accomplishment.
Both teams sport 3-1 records, joing the Barako Bull Energy at second place behind the 4-1 Rain or Shine.
Talk ‘N Text is fresh from a gripping 96-94 win over the B-Meg Llamados. /EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CALVIN D. CORDOVA

Fiba Asia U16: PH Youth bows to Korea, ends world berth bid

Vietnam—A familiar basketball nemesis dealt the Philippines another heartbreak.
The Energen Pilipinas Under-16 team’s bid for a historic world berth came to an end as South Korea handed the young Nationals its first loss, 67-58, in the Fiba Asia U16 semifinals Thursday night at the Khanh Hoa Sports Center here.
In a run fueled by Henry Asilum, the Philippines came within a basket twice, the last at 58-60, after trailing by as many as 13 points, 44-57 in the second half.
But Korea held the Philippines scoreless in the final six minutes as the young Nationals also started missing even at close range.
Asilum and Jay Alejandro paced the Philippines with 12 points each.
The loss relegated the Philippines to a bronze-medal battle against Japan on Friday afternoon.
Hoon Heo torched the Philippines with a game-high 22 points, while Nakhyeon Kim and Gookchan Kim had 16 points apiece.
Heo, son of the legendary Hur Jae, drilled seven points in a 12-2 tear that gave Korea its first double-digit advantage, 37-27, after a deadlock at 25 late in the first half.
The hot-shooting Koreans continued to sizzle in the third period, extending the lead to as many as 13 points, 57-44.
Defending champion China, the only unbeaten team in seven games, and South Korea will dispute the crown Friday in a rematch of the 2009 edition’s championship.
Both finalists will represent Asia in the 2012 Fiba U17 World Championship from July 17 to 26 in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Boasting a pair of seven-footers, China downed Japan, 82-43, in the other semifinal match last night.
A win by the young Nationals could have been historic as no other Philippine basketball team in any division has reached the World Championship for over 30 years.
Manila’s hosting of the 1978 Fiba Worlds was the last time a Philippine team reached this lofty stage, where American coach Ron Jacobs steered the country to an eighth-place finish.
An all-amateur National squad (National Consolidated Cement) also qualified in the Worlds after topping the 1985 Asian Championship in Kuala Lumpur, but the team disbanded due to the 1986 People Power.
The boys’ loss added to the many heartbreaks that South Korea dealt the Philippines in past international campaigns.
Just last month, Korea pulled off an incredible come-from-behind win over Smart Gilas Pilipinas, 70-68, in the battle for the bronze in the Fiba Asia Men’s Championship in Wuhan, China.
The Philippines also had a meltdown in the 2002 Asian Games where Olsen Racela—now the youth team’s coach–bungled two crucial free throws before Lee Sang-min buried a triple at the buzzer that spoiled the country’s bid to advance to the gold-medal match against China.
The seeming jinx continued in the 2009 Fiba Asia in Tianjin, China where the Nationals blew the lead and lost seventh place to the Koreans.
Last year, Smart Gilas also absorbed a Korean setback in the quarterfinals of the Guangzhou Asian Games.
“I reminded the players that I’ve played Korea in the past, I’ve seen them play our recent teams and we know we cant relax,” Racela said the night before his team’s crucial match.
“This Korean team is no different from the others. Their three-point shot is a big factor, that’s what we have to contain.”
Before the Korean loss, the young Nationals were on a a six-game roll, the last an 82-69 stunner over West Asian champion Iraq in the quarterfinals.
An upset over Japan (83-72) also capped the team’s 5-0 sweep of the first two rounds.
The Philippines, the reigning champion in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (Seaba), routed Indonesia (93-30) and Vietnam (111-25) in the preliminaries, before cruising past Qatar (107-28) and Saudi Arabia (100-42) in the second round.
The scores:
SOUTH KOREA 67–Heo 22, Kim N. 16, Kim G. 16, Kim M. 7, Lee 2, Yun 2, Park 2, Koh 0, Shin 0,
PHILIPPINES 58—Asilum 12, Alejandro 12, Javelosa 7, Diputado 6, Ramos 6, Rivero 6, Cani 5, Lao 4, Heading 0.
Quarters: 19-21, 37-29, 58-50, 67-58

Mayweather cleared of harassment charges

Undefeated US boxing star Floyd Mayweather was found not guilty of misdemeanour harassment charges on Wednesday in connection with comments to two security guards outside his home last year.

Justice Diana Sullivan ruled in favour of the fighter, saying she was not convinced that homeowner association security guards Aaron Ryan and Miguel Burgos feared for their safety last October in a squabble over parking tickets.

Mayweather, 34, faced up to a year in jail and a $US2000 ($A1930) fine if convicted on both charges of threatening to call in gunmen to confront guards who ticketed cars parked near his home in violation of neighbourhood rules.
Advertisement: Story continues below

Mayweather, 42-0 with 26 knockouts inside the ring, must face two more court tests that could result in time behind bars.

A November 4 trial is set for Mayweather on an unrelated battery complaint accusing the boxer of poking a different security guard in the face during another dispute over parking tickets. Mayweather has pleaded not guilty.

Mayweather is scheduled to appear at a December 21 evidence hearing on felony charges of grand larceny, coercion and robbery from a domestic dispute with former girlfriend Josie Harris and two of their children in September last year.

Mayweather, whose attorneys have denied any wrongdoing by their client, faces up to 34 years in prison if convicted of striking and threatening Harris, stealing her mobile phone and threatening their children.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/boxing/mayweather-cleared-of-harassment-charges-20111027-1mm2m.html#ixzz1bzZKufHg

NBA lockout: Owners, players focus on fixing system issues

The fatigue wore on their faces, but it hardly masked their enthusiasm.

NBA Commissioner David Stern smiled as he struggled recalling what day it was after wrapping up a 15-hour negotiating meeting early Thursday morning.

NBA Players Assn. executive director Billy Hunter smiled as he joked that players union vice president Maurice Evans should answer questions for him.

NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver smiled when Stern needled him for "allowing all hell to break loose" when he missed last week's contentious meeting because of flu symptoms.

National Basketball Players Assn. President Derek Fisher smiled when he acknowledged what he called a "slim" possibility both sides could salvage a full, albeit delayed 82-game season should they reach a deal by this weekend.

The reason for such a sudden mood change less than a week after talks broke off points to one simple reason: After reaching a stalemate on how to divide the basketball-related income, both sides instead talked about system issues. Neither side would quantify the exact progress. Stern still acknowledged the likelihood the league will scrap the games played in the last two weeks of the season. And he said, "There's no deal on anything, unless there's a deal on everything."

But the talks proved at least productive enough for another meeting to take place in New York at 2 p.m. EDT, with some optimism that Thursday's meeting will bring both sides closer to a deal.

That a 15-hour-long meeting resulting in only undefined progress on system issues would bear such optimism surely reflects on slowly the lockout has proceeded. But it also shows owners and players recognize that they were better served focusing on that area rather than on the basketball-related income.

After all, that issue caused last week's talks to end abruptly. The players union dropped their percentage from 53% to 52.5%, and even considered a bandwidth between 50%-53% depending on how much revenue the league accumulates. But Silver and San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt accused the players union of refusing to continue discussions unless they met their basketball-related income demands. Likewise, Hunter and Fisher accused the owners refusing to budge on a 50-50 split.
"If we had any hope of trying to recapture the lost games, we had to get back in and talk," Hunter told reporters. "So we parked the [basketball-related income] and talked about the system."

It's possible meetings will go sour as soon as both sides return to that issue. But for now, the strategy shift as at least has ensured more meetings, more agreements and more possibilities of brokering a deal.

RELATED:

New CBA could hurt the Lakers

Poll questions surrounding NBA lockout

Owners, players need to negotiate differently

Royal rumble: PHL Cup titlist Texters take on 3rd conference tormentor Boosters

Expect a battle royale Friday night in the PBA Philippine Cup as defending champion Talk 'N Text and powerhouse Petron clash in a highly-anticipated encounter at the Araneta Coliseum.

The two teams go into the 7:30 p.m. game, a rematch of its classic Governors Cup Finals last season, carrying similar 3-1 (win-loss) slates in a tie for second place with surprising Barako Bull. The winner will join idle Rain or Shine (4-1) on top of the standings.

The Boosters are coming off their first loss in the tournament, an 80-70 setback against the Meralco Bolts. But not even that could take the shine out of a team that won its first three outings this season.

"It's a tough game with Petron fresh from a defeat," said Talk 'N Text coach Chot Reyes. "I still believe they're playing the best basketball in the league."

In contrast, the Tropang Texters escaped with a 96-94 win over the B-MEG Llamados in their last outing in a game that saw Jared Dillinger fire a career-high 31 points.

The match also saw Kelly Williams and Jimmy Alapag's return to Talk 'N Text’s active roster after missing the team’s first three games.

Williams heralded his return by firing 23 points, while Alapag hardly saw action after suffering an ankle sprain early in the match.

While Alapag remains a doubtful starter, Ranidel de Ocampo is still not ready to suit up for the Tropang Texters.

"Petron is playing above its talent, so we need to be at our best against them," added Reyes, whose bid to give the telecommunication franchise a Grand Slam ended with a heartbreaking loss to the Boosters in Game 7 of the Governors Cup Finals.

In the 5:15 p.m. curtain raiser, Meralco seeks a fitting follow up to its big win over Petron as it takes on winless Alaska.

The Bolts (3-2), however, is taking on the Aces with a lot of caution.

"Their 0-4 mark is not an indication of their roster power," said Meralco mentor Ryan Gregorio. "They are one of the elite teams in the league and they are bound to break out of the slump. We will do our best to prevent it."

The Aces suffered their worst defeat in their last game against Rain or Shine, a 120-84 rout.

"We are very cautious with our approach against Alaska. No way are we going to the game thinking that it is going to be a sure victory. We will definitely come out with a strong defensive mind-set similar to our approach when we battled the erstwhile unbeaten team Petron," said Gregorio. — JVP, GMA News

Ginebra slips past Shopinas in overtime

MANILA, Philippines - For the second straight game, the Barangay Ginebra Kings overcame a late-game deficit to claim victory from the jaws of defeat, stunning the Shopinas.com Clickers, 94-90, in overtime Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Kings overcame a 5-point deficit in the final minute and forced an extra period, allowing Mark Caguiao to take charge and push his team to victory.

"I can't explain it. God's graces lang talaga, allowing us to get through," said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen in an interview with PBA.ph.

Jay-jay Helterbrand made a trifecta in the dying seconds of the game to force overtime.

"Broken play iyon. Jayjay was supposed to go somewhere else. Pero na-deny si Mark, and Jayjay had to take the shot," Tanquingcen said.

The win puts Ginebra at 5th place in the league standings with a 3-2 record, while Shopinas remains winless through 5 outings.

It was a sorry loss for the Clickers, who held a 79-74 advantage with 50 seconds left in the game, but RJ Jazul muffed his charities, allowing the Kings to get back in the game.

The Kings took control in overtime after Caguio and KG Canaleta conspired to boost Ginebra to an 86-79 lead.

The scores:

GINEBRA 94 - Intal 16, Caguioa 16, Villanueva 9, Helterbrand 9, Canaleta 8, W. Wilson 8, De Ocampo
7, Tubid 5, Cortez 5, Wilson J. 3, Cervantes 2, Labagala 2, Aquino 2, Menk 2.

SHOPINAS.COM 90 - Jazul 15, Espiritu 13, Hubalde 11, Sena 9, Canlas 7, Menor 7, Daa 6, Mirza 5,
Ritualo 5, Hermida 4, Aquino 4, Sison 2, Se 2.

Quarterscores: 24-15, 35-38, 55-55, 79-79, 94-90
Other Headlines

Shopinas seeks first win vs Ginebra
Barako beats Shopinas for share of No. 2
Caguioa, 5 others get fresh deals from Ginebra
Kings snatch win from brink
Cabagnot leads Petron past Barako Bull
Petron standouts to be feted by PBA Press Corps

Floyd Sr. predicts Pacquiao victory over Marquez

Says only Floyd Jr. can beat 'Pacman'

MANILA, Philippines - Floyd Mayweather Sr. is predicting a victory for pound-for-pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao when the Filipino champion takes on Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"Marquez won't win this one," he said in a FightHype.com interview. "Marquez is gonna get his a** whooped. Marquez is gonna get the sh*t beat out of him."

Mayweather said that only one fighter right now is capable of beating Pacquiao - his son, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"Freddie Roach knows that Lil Floyd is the only fighter that can beat Pacquiao," he said.

The older Mayweather is also slamming Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, for saying that Floyd Jr. came out "slow and flat-footed" in his bout against Victor Ortiz last September 17.

"How the hell did Lil Floyd look slow when he hit Ortiz with anything he wanted to hit him with? He hit him with so many straight right hands and left hooks," Mayweather said.

Mayweather Sr. said he will try to attend Pacquiao-Marquez III. "I will try to make it out there. I like going to those fights," he said.
Other Headlines

Floyd told: Just call Manny to start fight talks
I can't force Floyd to fight me - Pacquiao
Marquez offended about possible Pac-Floyd fight
Floyd will keep making up excuses, says Khan
Pacquiao beats up Floyd's former sparring partner

It's final: Beckham's Galaxy to face Azkals

MANILA, Philippines — Roll out the red carpet for David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Robbie Keane.

The trio will be the stars of the Los Angeles Galaxy when the two-time Major League Soccer champion meets the Philippine Azkals in a friendly match on December 3 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

LA Galaxy President Thomas Payne said the face-off between the Galaxy and the Azkals, a team made up mainly of Filipinos who grew up in Europe and the United States, is a breakthrough for the development of the sport in the Philippines.

“We want to leave something behind,” said Payne during Thursday’s press conference at a hotel in Makati City, noting that visiting exotic locales like Manila “is part of what we do to promote the sport.”

Payne said the Galaxy stars will be in full force, something that should leave Filipino fans in awe since it is rare that a top-caliber and popular squad strut their stuff on local shores.

Philippine Football Federation head Nonong Araneta said the last time a top foreign club visited the Philippines to play was in the 1970s when Cruzeiro of Brazil took on the national team.

“This is a big match for us to end the year,” said Araneta. “What more can you ask for in football?’

Dan Palami, who manages the Azkals, said he has al ready sent out invites to goalie Neil Etheridge, who plays for the Philippine team, and those based in Denmark and Germany.

The Manila leg will be a part of the Galaxy’s multi-tour in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Payne, who gave the Rizal pitch a thumbs-up sign during an inspection.

“The field was wonderful. More than what we expected. We’ve done these games all over the world. This will be a memorable night for the sport of soccer,” he said.

The Galaxy team is playing New York for the MLS crown starting Nov. 20.

Beckham remains one of the biggest players today; while Donovan is the US’s top attraction, owing to his scoring prowess; and Keane, Ireland’s main man.

US supports PNoy's approach to solving Mindanao conflict

The United States fully supports the stand of President Aquino to pursue an all out justice in parts of Mindanao in the wake of the clashes that are exacting toll on civilian, military and rebel populations, saying the government the and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) must stick to the ceasefire agreement in pursuit of the peace process.

US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell relayed the message to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario in a meeting on Wednesday.

“We fully support the government of the Philippines’ efforts to bring security and stability to the southern Philippines, including through the ongoing peace process," Campbell said in a statement Thursday.

Japan, United Kingdom, and the European Union also voiced their support to the peace process, which is supposed to end more than 40 years of Moro rebellion in Mindanao.

Skirmishes in Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay between government troops and the MILF started when Army soldiers went deep into a rebel stronghold in Basilan last week, prompting at least 19,000 people to seek refuge from the firefight.

Measured approach'

US Ambassador Harry Thomas said a “measured approach" on the part of government could help avoid a repeat of MILF attacks against civilian communities in Mindanao in 2008.

The attacks occurred after an expanded homeland agreement that would have given the MILF autonomy and control over vast territories in Mindanao was not signed and was later on declared as unconstitutional by the Surpreme Court, which argued that it would require a constitutional amendment.

“Recalling the sorrow and tragedy that affected hundreds of thousands of lives when violence erupted in 2008, the United States welcomes and expresses its full confidence in the careful, measured approach of the Government of the Philippines at this time of heightened tension," Thomas said.

The MILF leadership denounced one of its commanders, Ameril Umbra Kato, who responsible for the attacks.

Thomas said the US welcomes efforts to reinforce the ceasefire that has been in place since 2009. “We fully support the ongoing peace process and hope the parties can avoid violence and continue to work toward an agreement that will provide for a peaceful and prosperous future," he said. — KBK/VS, GMA News

Occupy Oakland: More than 100 arrested; police defend tactics

Oakland police arrested more than 100 people during a night of clashes with Occupy Oakland protesters on the streets of downtown Oakland.

The scene had finally cleared after midnight Wednesday, but police were on alert in case crowds returned.

Oakland Interim Police Chief Howard Jordan said arrests were continuing and the total number might rise. Eight-five of those arrests were made early Tuesday, when officers raided the Occupy Oakland encampment on the plaza along with an annex in a park near Lake Merritt.

Jordan justified his department's use of tear gas.

"We were in a position where we had to deploy gas in order to stop the crowd and people from pelting us with bottles and rocks," he said.

PHOTOS: Occupy Oakland protest

Protesters had also thrown paint "and other agents" at officers, he said. The crowd reached about 1,000 at its peak, Jordan said, noting that police used bean bag rounds to disperse demonstrators. He said no rubber bullets were used -- a claim disputed by protesters.

Two officers were injured, Jordan said. He did not know how many demonstrators may have been hurt.

In an interview with KTVU-TV Channel 2, Officer David Carman said he had been hammered by paintballs and more.

"The crowd started throwing bottles, paints, beer, eggs at myself and the other officers," he said.

But some activists criticized the police tactics.

Kat Brooks, an Occupy Oakland activist and spokeswoman, said she took her young daughter home about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday because she did not want to expose her to the tear gas flooding downtown Oakland.

Protesters had marched from Frank Ogawa Plaza at City Hall to Snow Park, a swatch of green near Lake Merritt where an annex encampment had also been torn down by police this morning. They then returned to City Hall.

"We weren’t there but a minute before they started giving the dispersal order," Brooks said. "The first time they said five minutes, this time they said 'now.' They shot off the flash grenades and people scattered."

Brooks said her neighbors just returned home teargassed.

"This is the most disciplined I’ve ever seen Oakland be. There was no damage to property," she said. At one point, Brooks said, several officers were hit with paintballs, but she said they had come out swinging batons.

"From the way they came into the camp this morning to the way they acted tonight, they have gone beyond what was necessary," she said.

Report: Andy Rooney Hospitalized in Serious Condition

NEW YORK – Andy Rooney, who delivered his last essay on the CBS TV newsmagazine "60 Minutes" three weeks ago, was in the hospital Tuesday after developing serious complications following surgery.

CBS said the 92-year-old writer's condition was stable and, at the request of his family, offered no other information about his medical problems or where he was hospitalized.

The three-time Emmy-winner was a regular presence on television's most popular newsmagazine. Since 1978, "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney" wrapped up the Sunday night program, often with a look at the absurdities of life and language.

Rooney could talk about what was in the news or what was in his closet. One of his Emmy Awards was for an essay about whether there was a real Mrs. Smith behind Mrs. Smith's Pies.

On Oct. 2, he delivered his 1,097th and final essay, saying it was a moment he dreaded.

"I wish I could do this forever. I can't, though," he said.

True to his often cantankerous nature, Rooney noted that he hated being recognized on the street. So if you see him in a restaurant, he said as he signed off, "please, just let me eat my dinner."

He's had a long career as a writer, and that's how he saw himself. He worked for the military newspaper Stars and Stripes and wrote four books about World War II. He wrote for entertainment personalities Arthur Godfrey and Garry Moore and had a longtime partnership with newsman Harry Reasoner.

With "60 Minutes" looking for something new at the end of its show, Rooney's first essay appeared on July 2, 1978: a complaint about people who kept track of how many people died in auto accidents over holiday weekends.

Amazon.com 3Q Profit Plunges 73%, Raises Possibility Of 4Q Loss

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Amazon.com Inc.'s (AMZN) third-quarter earnings plunged 73% because of its expensive spending program, as the No. 1 Internet retailer by sales said it could report an operating loss in the key fourth quarter.

Shares slid 14%, at $195.50 after hours. The stock hit its highest level ever last week and had since fallen 7.9% through the close.

Amazon, which has been investing aggressively in distribution and digital offerings at the expense of the bottom line in recent quarters, said the fourth quarter's bottom line could range from an operating loss of $200 million to a operating profit of $250 million. The fourth quarter includes the key holiday-shopping season.

The company also projected $16.45 billion and $18.65 billion in revenue in the current quarter. Analysts on average expected $18.15 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.

In the latest period, operating expenses jumped 48%, outstripping the pace of revenue growth. The company has posted double-digit percentage increases in expenses for over a year.

Amazon posted a profit of $63 million, or 14 cents a share, from $231 million, or 51 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts predicted 24 cents a share.

Net sales increased 44%, to $10.88 billion. Excluding currency effects, the growth would have been 39%. In July, the company predicted $10.3 billion to $11 billion, largely better than analysts expected at the time.

Gross margin was flat, at 23.5%, but the margins of fulfillment and overhead costs to sales both weakened.

Operating income dropped 71%. In July, Amazon predicted operating income could fall as much as 93%.

John Lackey injury blessing in disguise

If the Red Sox [team stats] fall apart in 2012, fans won’t have one of their favorite targets to blame.

New general manager Ben Cherington dropped a bombshell during his introductory press conference yesterday, disclosing that right-hander John Lackey will undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow and probably miss the season.

No one ever wants to see a player hurt or cut open, but this could be a win-win for all involved.


The Sox remove one of the beer drinkers from their ranks at a time when they’re trying to alter their clubhouse culture. And even though Lackey was by all accounts an excellent teammate — we’re now learning he pitched hurt all season — something needed to change among the starting five, and this is it.

From Lackey’s perspective, he gets a year away from the slings and arrows, a year to get his life in order — he’s reportedly in the midst of a divorce — and maybe even a year to assess the way he’s conducted himself since signing a five-year, $82.5 million contract.

If he comes back in 2013 as a calmer, less combative person, that’s all to the good. And if he regains the stuff that made him an All-Star and a proven playoff performer, even better.

“Aside from just getting healthy, there could be some benefit,” Cherington acknowledged after his press conference. “You’d have to ask John to get a better answer. He’s been going through a lot. I think he’s closer to resolving some of that stuff than he was a year ago. But maybe it is an opportunity for a fresh start physically and mentally.”

The news really was a gift for Cherington on his first official day on the job. Tackling the wayward rotation projected to be unpleasant, since breaking up the group would have required one of three equally unpalatable options: a) paying someone virtually all of the $45 million remaining on Lackey’s contract to take him; b) trading a young talent like Jon Lester [stats] or Clay Buchholz; or c) getting less than market value for former ace Josh Beckett [stats].

Now the problem is solved. Cherington can’t jettison any of the three remaining starters, because the Sox are too thin at the position to withstand the loss.

Likewise, he won’t be asked about it again either, because there’s been change, now that Lackey’s out of the mix. Everybody wins.

Cherington’s comments yesterday, both before and after his press conference, also shed some much-needed light on what Lackey endured while going 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA last year.

“Let me start by saying that John Lackey pitched through circumstances this year that I don’t think anyone in this room can fully understand,” Cherington said. “And he got beat up a little for it along the way.”

Lackey underwent an MRI in May after experiencing elbow soreness, and according to Cherington it roughly resembled the one he had before signing. Everyone agreed to the conservative approach of rest and rehab, and he returned in June.

But the elbow worsened down the stretch. His last start was one of his gutsiest. Despite altering his delivery, Lackey limited the Yankees to three earned runs in six innings of a 7-4 victory. That start ended up being overshadowed by both the team’s collapse and Lackey’s postgame anti-media rant.

“He made that last start and he pitched well, but he was battling it,” Cherington said. “We felt the best thing to do was to get it checked again.”

Lackey visited Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles, and Yocum recommended surgery, which will be performed in the coming weeks.

It's time for T.O. to face reality

Now that the glow of his reality-TV-show life has inevitably faded, Terrell Owens is left with this ugly truth: He’s squandered so much good will, traded in enough talent for shallow adulation and so-often exchanged your good name for fleeting press that he’s now more of an empty fraud than a famed star.


T.O. SHOW
He's been the ultimate showman and the ultimate headache. Relive the top 10 moments of Terrell Owens' career.
I say this with no joy. I say this knowing that we all help put him there. I say this knowing that he has psychological problems that make this more tragedy than farce, more social commentary than Terrell Owens takedown.

How can you not feel sorry for the guy? Here, at the end of his career, two networks and a greedy public happily consumed his demise Tuesday because everyone knows what he alone does not: He is a live-action train wreck being exploited for our amusement. He’s placed himself in the trash bin of not just sports culture but American culture. He’s been dumped in the same sorry place as Lindsay Lohan, John Edwards, Paris Hilton and the other attention-craving bottom feeders he can count as his contemporaries.

It’s sad, it’s unfortunate, but it’s true. Terrell Owens is officially a joke. Exploited by us, exploited by himself, and now at the sorry end showcasing his pathetic place in football and American culture for everyone to see.

The fact that no NFL team sent a representative to check out his hour-long workout today simply proves the point that he’s veered from big-time talent to attention-grabbing distraction to this inevitable end: A has-been. In the days ahead, maybe someone will take a chance on his surgically repaired knee and his 37-year-old body and his penchant for problems and his can’t-help-myself ego. Maybe they won’t.

Either way, the tryout his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, set up Tuesday was not the hoped-for proof that he’s ready for a comeback. The hour-long circus, broadcast live on the NFL Network and hyped on ESPN, was just a glimpse into his sad future and squandered past.

Let’s not forget this is a man who has reportedly attempted to commit suicide more than once. He’s a joke — the world laughs at him now rather than with him. He alone seems to think the good times are still rolling. Fact is, people put up with a lot if the talent is there. Too much. And this is what life looks like when that talent fades, when all that’s left is the ugliness behind the gift, the spoiled special person who’s special no more.


15 MINUTES OF FAME
Sports is the ultimate "unscripted TV." No wonder so many athletes have appeared on reality shows.
It holds true eventually for sexy women and good-looking men who decide to develop nothing beyond their bodies and beauty. True for rich guys who build relationships around money once the money vanishes. True for the bosses who bully underlings into false friendships and faux respect the moment those bosses switch jobs.

True, at long last, for one Terrell Owens.

This, too, is true: Too often those people’s demons and struggles go unchecked because the talent is too important to disturb. Suicide attempts? Let’s focus on the game Sunday. Depression issues? Winning will make it all OK. An incessant and unhealthy need for attention and false love? Sure, you can have it all – just keep catching the ball.

Part of what’s happened here is that TO got sucked into the reality-TV machine. Or more accurately, perhaps, he walked into it with arms open wide, his sights set on false fame, increased attention and that momentary fix of having more eyes and more eyes and more eyes until the world can’t stand what it’s looking at.

But what’s really sad, and what says volumes about our culture, is that TO never needed to go all “Jersey Shore” with his life. He had the gifts and the skill and a chosen profession that put his name in lights, anyway. But this is 2011, this is America, and so the drug of a reality-TV life became too much.

He wanted what too many want: Glitz, attention, that instant gratification, that sudden rush of celebrity over substance — that pull so powerful even those with fame crave a higher level of it, more of it, a more-concentrated version of their name in lights.

Everywhere you look, people who can be more choose instead to be in the limelight. It’s modern-day whoring — selling the best part of oneself for a quick payday with no thought of the consequences.

In this new paradigm, the viewing public gets its, er, momentary kicks. And the new-age whores get kicked to the curb when what they have to offer leaves them; a sad joke before they realize no one was laughing with them. Just at them.


COACH SPEAK
Brian Billick dives into the minds of NFL coaches across the league | Watch the show
The list of the famous and not-so famous blinded by klieg lights is long and varied. There are the nobodies-to-somebodies like Chris Moneymaker (who kicked off the poker craze). There are athletes like Dennis Rodman, men who should have enough but crave more and more and more until they’re a caricature of themselves.

There’s the slew of shows like “Jersey Shore,” where everyday people unleash their lives on the viewing public, making us all a little worse off.

And this isn’t limited to sports or anonymous folks thrust onto TV.

Edwards decided running for president wasn’t enough. He needed more, more, more . . . and he got it — the attention, the inflated ego, the separation from reality, and, finally, a woman who was not his wife pregnant, allegations of misusing campaign contributions to cover it up, and soon enough a trial.

Take Lohan. The talented actress — and she was — announced today she’ll be posing for Playboy. Of course she will. Blessed with remarkable skill in a field tailor-made to make her famous, she instead let her fame — and the need for more, more, more — sour her.

So it’s appropriate that today, as Edwards' trial approaches and Lohan goes all naked and Snooki remains a household name, the place Owens made for himself in the world crystallized once and for all. It’s not that no one cares about him. That’s the wrong way to look at it. They do. The cameras came, the chatter spread, I and other writers chose to write about the man. Owens got what he wanted. He got 15 minutes more. It’s what’s been lost that’s the issue: his respect, his place in the game, his chance to return from his reality-TV life and be something more substantial.

Maybe the Bears will take a flyer on the once-great wide receiver. Maybe another middling team in need of another weapon will ignore the years of trouble and drama in San Francisco, Dallas, Philly and elsewhere. If they do, it’ll be a fleeting chance. If they don’t, it’ll be no surprise.

Either way, this is Owens’ world now: A tryout no one comes to see, a joke he doesn’t get because he is the joke, a slew of problems that we should be mourning but too often mock. A joke that could end up having a decidedly somber punch line.

“I only need one team (to be interested), I only need one chance,” Owens told reporters at the event, held at a suburban Los Angeles high school. “With what I did today, it should open some eyes.”

He’s opened too many eyes, already. What’s there to be seen is sad and ugly.

Facts are facts, and here are TO’s: His contemporaries aren’t and will not be Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson or the others.

They are Snooki, Lohan, Hilton and all the others who traded whomever they were for whatever person would get the world to watch.

All about Jenna Lyons

If you own a sweater, or pencil skirt or pair of oxfords from J.Crew, you have already been acquainted with Jenna Lyons, even if you don't know her by name.
The creative director and president of J.Crew, who is currently going through a messy divorce, is credited with developing the retail behemoth's preppy-yet-offbeat aesthetic. In recent years, Lyons has become a style personality, the antidote to the Alexander McQueens and Lady Gagas of the world, known for mixing basics with the subtly quirky.
J.CREW EXEC IN MESSY SPLIT
Women deeply identify with the laid-back, 6-foot-5 creative director and have increasingly been interested in the minutiae of her life. In 2008, J.Crew sought to take advantage of Lyons' appealing personality by creating "Jenna's Picks," a section in their catalogues dedicated to her favorite items.

GETTY IMAGES FOR MERCEDES-BENZ F
Jenna Lyons with Solange Knowles at the J.Crew Spring 2012 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
Lyons has appeared in magazines like Glamour, InStyle and Lucky and has even been on "Oprah" in a segment filmed in her closet. Forbes magazine said that she reached "icon status comparable to the likes of superstar designers like Donna Karan and Miuccia Prada."
Lyons' family life has long been part of her story. She married artist Vincent Mazeau in 2002 in a ceremony that was covered in New York magazine.
"Vincent and I envisioned a black-tie barbecue for our wedding," Lyons said alongside photos of her in an easy, breezy wedding dress and Mazeau in a kilt.
The couple's townhouse in Park Slope has been frequently photographed, and become an object of lust for many a New Yorker. "My trick has been to approach each area like putting together an outfit," Lyons told Living Etc. "You might start with an old pair of jeans, a cashmere cardigan, or a floral belt, and work around that central fashion statement."
Earlier this year, Mazeau shot photos of Lyons and their son Beckett, 5, around the house for a J.Crew feature called "Saturday with Jenna." One of the images showed Lyons' painting her son's toes hot pink. A scandal erupted, with newscasters dissecting the image and claiming Lyons was sending confusing gender messages to her son. Jon Stewart jokingly dubbed the incident "Toemaggedon."
"I’m not surprised that [Beckett] was interested in what I was doing," Lyons told New York magazine. "My God, my toes went from white to hot pink — it was very exciting."
Originally from Palos Verdes, Calif., Lyons came to New York in 1987 to study at Parsons. In 1990, she started at J.Crew -- then a small upstart. By 2007, she had worked her way up to creative director. In 2009 she earned $750,000 and was given bonuses and benefits bringing her total pay to $4.2 million, according to reports. Last year, she was named company president.
Earlier today, Page Six reported that Lyons and Mazeau split this summer, and that divorce proceedings are getting contentious. Mazeau is seeking custody of Beckett, as well as the couple's townhouse and a large settlement, arguing that he put the breaks on his career to stay home with their son. Meanwhile, Lyons friends say she supported his career and gave him a financially comfortable life. Lyons is reportedly in love again, this time with a woman.
J.Crew would not respond to whispers of the split.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/all_about_jenna_lyons_us3sBAN6gxlENValJysmoI#ixzz1btHF4GHI

Next Generation Weather Satellite To Launch Friday

DENVER -- Ball Aerospace in Boulder will launch its $1.5 billion project on Friday from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. The next-generation weather satellite will then begin its five-year journey observing Earth from space.
The satellite has a lengthy name: National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project. NPP contains five on-board instruments that will collect information for more than 30 key long-term data sets. These records, which range from the ozone layer and land cover to atmospheric temperatures and ice cover, are critical for understanding the earth's climate and its changes over time.
Ball Aerospace designed and built the spacecraft bus, and since 2005 its team of scientists has run the on-board instruments through extensive testing to prepare them for the extreme elements in outer space. NPP will fly at an altitude of 512 miles and will circle the globe 14 times a day.

Scientists are enthusiastic about the new technology, which will be available following the significant weather events of 2011. according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States saw 10 billion-dollar disasters just this year.
"The timing of this NPP launch could hardly be more appropriate," said Dr. Louis W. Uccellini, NOAA director of the National Center for Environmental Prediction. “With NPP we expect to improve and extend our forecast skills out to five to seven days in advance for hurricanes and other extreme weather events. We expect the advanced instruments on NPP to become a foundation for the global observing system that will be absolutely essential."
NPP will be launched on a Delta II rocket built in Centennial.
For more information on the satellite mission, visit the official NPP website.

Ed Lee vetoes SF health care bill - antibusiness

Mayor Ed Lee on Tuesday issued his first veto since taking office in January, describing legislation intended to close a loophole in San Francisco's law requiring employers to provide some funding for their workers' health care expenses as bad for business.

"This legislation aims to solve an important problem, but imposes an overly broad approach to solving a discrete set of issues," Lee said in his veto letter.

The Board of Supervisors approved the proposal on a 6-5 vote last week, setting up a showdown with Lee just weeks before the Nov. 8 mayoral election, in which polls show him as the front-runner in a field of 16 candidates.

Four of his rivals, Supervisor John Avalos, City Attorney Dennis Herrera, city Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting and state Sen. Leland Yee, have signaled they will make Lee's veto a campaign issue, having rallied on the steps of City Hall this month urging him to support the plan.

It's unlikely sponsors of the legislation will get eight votes to override the veto. But Supervisor David Campos, chief sponsor of the legislation, said Lee "is taking San Francisco in the wrong direction" by limiting the funding uninsured workers can access to pay for their health care needs.

Campos said he is considering taking his proposal to the voters. It takes four supervisors to place a measure on the ballot.

The Campos plan targets the provision in the city's groundbreaking health care law that allows employers to set up individual health care reimbursement accounts for uninsured workers. Participating employers contribute up to $4,252 annually into each worker's account, but any unused money at the end of the year can go back to the employer.

Last year, 860 businesses out of the approximately 4,000 covered by the law contributed a combined $62.5 million into the reimbursement accounts, but just $12.4 million was used by workers. Employers pocketed the rest.

Under the Campos amendment, the unspent money would accrue in the accounts. Only after a worker has been off the payroll for 18 months could an employer get the money back.

Business owners and their trade association said it would force them to lay off workers, shelve expansion plans, move out of the city or close.

Lee said that while he agrees the proposal would be bad for business, he believes changes are needed.

One of his goals, he has said, is to get businesses to be less restrictive on how the money can be used. Some employers, for example, won't reimburse workers for health insurance premiums or for enrollment in a city plan that makes use of public clinics and hospitals.

The Campos amendment, he said, would not increase access to health care or protect jobs. "Moreover, this cash, pulled out of our local economy, will not be available to pay wages or grow businesses," Lee told supervisors.

The mayor formed a working group to see whether a compromise could be brokered and Lee said in his veto letter that he is "confident there is a legislative path forward."

Meanwhile, Board of Supervisors President David Chiu has offered a different amendment to address the loophole. Under his version, at least a year's worth of unused employer contributions must always be available to avoid a use-it-or-lose-it scenario.

The board was to vote on Chiu's plan Monday, but, at his urging, delayed consideration for one week.

Chiu, Campos and Lee all agree that employers should do a better job of telling workers how to access the reimbursement funds, and also want to prevent restaurants from placing a surcharge on their patrons' bills for employees' health care unless the money is actually used for that purpose.

"Once we're past this week, I'm looking forward to working with my colleagues to find a solution," said Chiu, who also is running for mayor.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/25/BAKG1LMB78.DTL#ixzz1btGfVOnH

Grand Theft Auto 5 Announced, Minecraft XBLA, Arkham City Ships 4.6 mill

More IGN Daily Fix Videos

NFL starting quarterbacks have been able to keep their jobs . . . till now

For the most part this NFL season there has been consistency at the quarterback position. Maybe they weren't all consistent in their performance, but at least teams kept rolling out the same starters week after week.

Through the first five weeks, in fact, 30 of the 32 teams started the same quarterback for every game - an NFL record. Changes were made in Indianapolis and Jacksonville following an injury to Kerry Collins and the Jaguars' choice to replace Luke McCown with rookie Blaine Gabbert.

But look at all the quarterback changes coming in Week 7. Due to poor production and injuries alike, there could be as many as six new starting quarterbacks across the league Sunday.

If you think that's a lot, consider 12 teams overall have new starting quarterbacks this season, be they rookies or acquisitions through trades and free agency.

Look around. There's Andy Dalton in Cincinnati and Cam Newton in Carolina. There's Gabbert now in Jacksonville, Kevin Kolb with the Cardinals and Matt Hasselbeck in Tennessee.

Plus, all the backups that are now getting their turn.

"You've got to see what's out there," Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said, referring to making quarterback changes. "It's not like they fall out of trees."

No, it only feels that way given all the change, especially this week.

Here are four that are certain:

- Tim Tebow replaces Kyle Orton as the Broncos' new starter and goes home to face the Dolphins in Miami in a game where Tebow and the 2008 Florida Gators national-championship team will be honored at halftime.

Tebow got three starts at the end of last season but head coach John Fox went back to Orton to start this season. With every Denver loss, the fans screamed louder and louder for Tebow.

"It's not so much fan outcry as we're in a result-oriented business and we're 1-4," Fox explained to reporters. "It's not one guy. We'll see if this helps."

- John Beck, who attended Mesa Mountain View High, replaces Rex Grossman as the Redskins' starter and will face Newton and the Panthers on the road. Grossman was benched after being intercepted four times in a 20-13 loss to the Eagles.

For Beck, a former second-round pick from Brigham Young, it will be his first start since 2007 when he was a rookie with the Dolphins.

"There's been a lot of hard work that's gone into this," Beck said. "You never know when your opportunity's going to come and you've always got to stay ready. I've tried to do that."

- Christian Ponder, the 12th overall pick in this year's draft, replaces Donovan McNabb as the Vikings' starter and will have to face the undefeated and reigning Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

McNabb hasn't looked right the past two years and the Vikings' passing offense ranks 31st in the league. Ponder replaced McNabb in the fourth quarter of Minnesota's 39-10 loss to the Bears and head coach Leslie Frazier said he liked what he saw.

"Some of the things he did let me know that this game is not too big for him, it's not too fast for him," he said.

- The Raiders lost Jason Campbell to a broken collarbone last week and coach Hue Jackson will turn to either backup Kyle Boller or Oakland's new prized acquisition, Carson Palmer.

The Raiders dealt a first-round pick and a conditional second-round pick that could become a first-rounder to the Bengals for the rights to Palmer, who hasn't played since last season.

"This guy knows how to play the game and he knows how to elevate the players around him," Jackson told reporters.

Meanwhile, there also could be changes at starting quarterback with the Seahawks and Rams. Seattle's Tarvaris Jackson is hampered by a pectoral strain and could give way to Charlie Whitehurst against the Browns.

Rams quarterback Sam Bradford has a high-ankle sprain and if he in unable to go Sunday against the Cowboys, St. Louis will turn to veteran journeyman A.J. Feeley.

So much for consistency at the quarterback position, huh?
Where are the Ironmen?

The list of active quarterbacks and impressive starting streaks is short in the NFL now that Brett Favre is retired and Peyton Manning is sidelined with a neck injury.

Only three active quarterbacks have consecutive-games-played streaks of 50 or more games.

Eli Manning of the Giants presently has started the most consecutive games (109), the fifth-longest in history and two behind Tom Brady's string of 111 from 2001 to 2008.

San Diego's Philip Rivers is second on the active list with 85 consecutive starts, which ranks 12th all-time. With four more starts, he will surpass Johnny Unitas (88) and tie Roman Gabriel (89) for the eighth-longest streak by a quarterback.

Baltimore's Joe Flacco has the third-longest active streak at 53 games.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/2011/10/21/20111021nfl-quarterback-consistency.html#ixzz1bm2CoiNB