Usually, the occasion is a non-event. But not this year. And here’s why: According to this farce of a schedule, the Rose Bowl–the single greatest event of the football calendar year–will not be played on New Year’s Day this season.

That’s right, folks. Because New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, and because some people in this country actually enjoy that drudgery they call the “National Football League” (motto: “Where we pretend to care about our fans.”), the traditional New Year’s Day bowl games, including The Grandaddy Of Them All, will be moved. The Rose Bowl will played on Jan. 2, along with the Chick-fil-A, TicketCity, Outback, Capital One and Gator Bowls.

Meanwhile, the Allstate Sugar Bowl will be played on Jan. 3 (does nobody else find it utterly ridiculous that a game as important as the Sugar Bowl has been relegated to a dreary January Tuesday?), the Orange Bowl will be played on Jan. 4, and the Fiesta Bowl be played on Jan. 5.

Online poker is an excellent way to familiarize with the game, as you can start at the play chip tables and work your way up to real money games. If you decide to jump right in, you can select a wide range of stakes, and also choose between playing in cash games or poker tournaments. Unlike sitting down in a poker room at a casino, learning to play online isn’t intimidating at all, as there are no other players watching if you make a mistake and you can play at your own pace, as well as look up poker strategy guides and articles online as you play.

As far as finding poker games online, many sportsbetting websites also offer poker games, so you can access the poker action from your existing account at those online gaming sites. This saves you the hassle of opening another account just for poker and in many cases you will be eligible for poker bonuses as well, which can be a nice boost to your bottom line when you are first learning the game. Your account balance moves with you from game to game at most gaming sites, so you will simply need to find the poker table, select a seat, and you are good to go.

Very few players are consistent winners at poker from the very start but before too long you should be holding your own, and working your way to playing profitability. Online poker forums and video training sites can help immensely, as well as reading poker strategy books. It is not rocket science but a good grounding in basic strategy goes a long way, and gives you a starting point to develop your own profitable playing style and strategy.

1. Anderson Silva

Jeremy Botter: Can there be any doubt? Silva’s lightning-quick destruction of Vitor Belfort cements his place as the greatest fighter walking the planet today, and perhaps the greatest fighter of all time. A proposed dream match with Georges St. Pierre is nearly a reality, with only Jake Shields standing in the way.

Jeff Cain: With his UFC 126 knockout of Vitor Belfort, Anderson ends the debate over who is the pound for pound best in the world.  He’s on a 14 fight win streak, undefeated in the UFC and has cleared out the middleweight division.  We are witnessing the greatest fighter of all time in Silva.

Matt Brown: I’ll be the first to admit, I was on the Aldo bandwagon.  Take nothing away from the fast-rising prospect, but Anderson Silva is in a class by himself.  In my opinion, he’s three or four more wins away from going down as the greatest fighter that has ever lived – in any combat sport.

2. Georges St. Pierre

Jeremy Botter: St. Pierre is wise to not look past Shields, a competitor who always seems to find a way to beat the guys he’s not supposed to. But St. Pierre’s dominance over the past few years has been beautiful to watch, and as he nears what could be his final fight in the welterweight division, we need to realize that we’re watching the guy who may go down as the best welterweight of all time.

Jeff Cain: St. Pierre hasn’t lost a round in his last seven fights.  What he lacks in finishes, he makes up for with complete domination of his opponents.  He’s one fight away from clearing out he welterweight division.

Matt Brown: GSP certainly has a resume that could claim the top spot on this list.  Fortunately for all of us, if he beats Jake Shields at UFC 129, we’ll finally get to see who truly deserves the top spot as Dana White indicated that he’ll have the top two fighters in the world get it on.  A true student of the game, St. Pierre looks more impressive every time you see him in the Octagon.

3. Jose Aldo

Jeremy Botter: Aldo’s UFC debut will come in Toronto, and it’ll be quite the opportunity for the Brazilian to make a statement in front of the largest crowd in UFC history.

Jeff Cain: No champion in the sport is running through opponents like Aldo is, and he’s making it look easy.

Matt Brown: Perhaps the most exciting fighter in the entire sport of mixed martial arts, Jose Aldo will face one of the best strikers in MMA when he squares off with Mark Hominick in April.  Another highlight reel victory here would blur the line and stir debate as to whether or not he deserves the #1 spot on the list.

4. Jake Shields

Jeremy Botter: I’m not quite ready to go on the record with my pick, but I will say this: Shields will present a much tougher challenge for St. Pierre than most are giving him credit for.

Jeff Cain: Jake Shields simply doesn’t get enough recognition or what’s he’s accomplished.  He’s on a 15-fight win streak, a longer run than Anderson Silva or Georges St. Pierre.  He has wins over ranked middleweights.

Matt Brown: All the guys does is win.  People can talk about how boring he is and how one dimensional he is all they want.  Fact of the matter is, nobody has been able to stop the force that is Jake Shields since December of 2004.

5. Jon Fitch

Jeremy Botter: A welterweight dream fight with B.J. Penn in just a few weeks could determine not only Fitch’s fate in the welterweight division, but in the UFC as well.

Jeff Cain: Jon Fitch has one loss since 2003.  Simply put, he beats everyone at welterweight put in front of him except Georges St. Pierre.

Matt Brown: If it weren’t for Georges St. Pierre, Jon Fitch would be getting all the welterweight love right now.  He’s beaten everyone whose initials aren’t GSP and if he beats BJ Penn at the end of this month, he will probably gain the title of the best non-champion fighter in MMA.

6. Frankie Edgar

Jeremy Botter: Edgar’s guts and determination in surviving against Gray Maynard were something to behold. He’ll get a chance to redeem himself in May during the rubber match.

Jeff Cain: Edgar is a featherweight who holds the world lightweight title.  That says it all.

Matt Brown: Everyone continues to doubt Frankie Edgar and Frankie Edgar keeps giving them the finger.  His “defy the odds” attitude is quite endearing.  His toughness is that of a man twice his size.  Until he’s derailed, he deserves this spot, no questions asked.

7. Shogun Rua

Jeremy Botter: Rua went from being the top dog in the division to the underdog against a 23-year-old prospect. Instead of facing Rashad Evans, Rua will defend his title against Jon Jones, and the oddmakers have installed Jones as the favorite.

Jeff Cain: Shogun has accomplished more than any light heavyweight in the world.  The only thing that keeps him from being higher is that he’s been plagued with injuries over the last several years.

Matt Brown: How will the champ respond coming back from yet another major surgery?  That is the question.  When he’s on, the talent is phenomenal.  When it’s off (see Mark Coleman and Forrest Griffin fights), he’s merely average.  We’ll find out in March.

Jon Jones

8. Dominick Cruz

Jeremy Botter: Cruz’ next challenger will likely come in the form of Urijah Faber, providing Faber gets past Eddie Wineland next month. For now, he’ll continue to nurse his badly broken hands.

Jeff Cain: Cruz is undefeated as a bantamweight and no one is coming close to beating him.

Matt Brown: There’s something about Cruz.  You hear that from everyone that has faced the bantamweight champ.  His footwork and head movement have separated him from the competition at 135lbs so far.  We’re sure Urijah Faber will have something to say about that should he beat Eddie Wineland at UFC 128.

9. Jon Jones

Jeremy Botter: Jones’ breakthrough superstar moment came at UFC 126, when he walked right through Ryan Bader and then received a title shot in the cage after the fight. He’s the favorite going into the Rua bout, and for good reason.

Jeff Cain: Jones has run through the light heavyweight division leaving a mound of finished fighters in his wake.  The scary part? We don’t know how good he’s really going to be.

Matt Brown: Ryan Bader can attest that all the hype surrounding Jon Jones is warranted.  Easily the hottest prospect in MMA today, Jones will get his chance to add “champion” to his list of accolades on March 19 as he steps in for an injured Rashad Evans to face Shogun Rua.

10. Nick Diaz

Jeremy Botter: Diaz just keeps on finding ways to win. A submission win over Evangelista Santos kept the Strikeforce welterweight title around his waist, and bouts with Paul Daley and others don’t seem to present much of a challenge for the Stockton kid.

Jeff Cain: Nick Diaz just wins, and he’s done it in three different weight classes.  A difficult match up for anyone, Diaz has become the most notable fighter outside of the UFC with the exception of Alistair Overeem.

Matt Brown: Love him or hate him, the dude can flat out fight.  It’s not always flashy and it’s not always pretty, but Diaz just keeps getting it done.  He’s quietly put together a nine-fight win streak, last losing in November of 2007.

Disagree? Read more & discuss at Bloody Elbow »

Light Heavyweight MMA
Consensus Rankings posted January 27, 2011
Rank Fighter % Promotion Last Rank
1 Mauricio Rua 100 UFC 1
2 Rashad Evans 94 UFC 2
3 Quinton Jackson 92 UFC 3
4 Lyoto Machida 89 UFC 4
5 Ryan Bader 79 UFC 6
6 Forrest Griffin 78 UFC 5
7 Jon Jones 69 UFC 7
8 Thiago Silva 63 UFC 8
9 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira 53 UFC 9
10 Gegard Mousasi 51 Strikeforce 10
11 Rich Franklin 46 UFC 11
11 Rafael Cavalcante 46 Strikeforce 12
13 Muhammed Lawal 40 Strikeforce 14
14 Dan Henderson 39 Strikeforce 13
15 Randy Couture 38 UFC 15
16 Phil Davis 31 UFC 16
17 Matt Hamill 27 UFC 18
18 Anderson Silva 25 UFC 17
19 Renato Sobral 23 Strikeforce 19
20 Alexander Gustafsson 19 UFC 20
21 Jason Brilz 16 UFC 21
22 Trevor Prangley 15 Shark Fight 22
23 Cyrille Diabate 14 UFC 23
24 Stephan Bonnar 12 UFC 29
25 Vladimir Matyushenko 11 UFC 27
73
Analysis by Kid Nate
#1 Mauricio “Shogun” Rua is still on the shelf recovering from his third knee surgery in four years. But faithful #2 Rashad Evans is content to wait until UFC 128 for his title shot.

Disagree? Read more & discuss at Bloody Elbow »

Fans hoping that their favorite team had a shot at acquiring free agent Vincent Jackson this offseason may have to wait another year. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Jackson expects the Chargers to use their franchise tag on him in 2011.

Jackson, according to someone familiar with the player’s thinking, expects the tag and plans to play for the more than $10 million it would guarantee him.

That is, if the franchise tag is part of a new CBA.

The NFL Players Association says teams have no right to a franchise tag since the current Collective Bargaining Agreement will expire March 3. The NFL says the franchise tag is included in the CBA under which the league is operating.

I have to side with the NFLPA on this one. If the current CBA deal is set to expire March 3, then how is it fair that teams can use their franchise tags for the 2011 season when the current contract applied to the 2010 season? I get that the NFL wants to keep things business as usual because it believes that a new deal will eventually be worked out. But how about the league just work on getting a new deal in place before worrying about whether or not teams can use their franchise tags. If the owners and NFLPA agree to a new CBA deal, then everything can go back to normal and all of this becomes a moot point.

Getting back to Jackson, his situation comes down to money. He sat out most of last season because the Chargers were only willing to pay him for one year at $3.2 million. If he’s tagged for the 2011 season, he’ll make roughly $10 million for one year and then the Chargers can let him walk in 2012 while accepting a future compensatory draft pick.

Start rebuilding process? Haven’t the Browns been rebuilding since 1999? Hahahaha…ahhhhh, their fans deserve better.

The Browns’ latest rebuilding project has started under new head coach Pat Shurmur, who on Wednesday night released veterans Shaun Rogers, Kenyon Coleman, John St. Clair, Robert Royal, David Bowens and Eric Barton. Most of those players were considered “Eric Mangini guys,” so it’s not surprising to see that they were let go.

By parting with those six players, the Browns will save roughly $16 million next year. The biggest name is obviously Rogers, who struggled with injuries last year and played in only a third of the team’s snaps. He was due a $5.5 million salary as well as a $500K roster bonus so even though he’s versatile enough to play in a 4-3 (which the Browns will switch to under Shurmur), he wasn’t worth the coin in the end. He turns 32 in March and it’s clear that the Browns want to get younger on defense, so parting with him makes sense on paper.

Under former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the Browns finished 22nd in total defense last year, 18th against the pass and 27th against the run. Considering they were on the field a lot thanks to a horrendous offense, those numbers could have been a lot worse. But at the end of the day, the Browns are changing schemes and weren’t going to keep players that Mangini had brought in to fit his defense.

From Arkansas Sports 360:

Sportscaster Roger Lodge of KLAA-AM 830 in Los Angeles is reporting today that former University of Southern California quarterback Mitch Mustain was arrested by Los Angeles police Tuesday evening on charges of selling prescription drugs online.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website confirms that a white male named Mitchell Mustain fitting the quarterback’s physical description and having the same birthday was booked at 10:44 p.m. PST on Tuesday. Charges for the arrest are not listed on the site. Bail was set at $30,000. It is not known at this time if Mustain is still being held.

What a shame. Mustain was the starting quarterback for the West team in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was named the 2005-06 Gatorade National Player of the Year and the USA Today National Player of the Year, which was awarded to the first player ever from the state of Arkansas. He went 8-0 as a true freshman at the University of Arkansas in 2006, but he later transferred to USC because Casey Dick eventually replaced him as a starter.

But his situation didn’t improve at USC. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he had to sit out the 2007 season and then watched Mark Sanchez play in ’08. He competed with Aaron Corp and Matt Barkley for the starting job in ’09, but he lost out to Barkley. He even tried out at punter in order to contribute to the team in some way.

Now, with his football career likely over, he becomes the second former USC player to be arrested in the last two days. The good news is that he wasn’t tased like former Trojan and current Viking Everson Griffen was on Monday. Yiiiiikes.

At least one analyst enjoyed Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s media day workout.

From Bruce Feldman’s Twitter page:

Cam Newton session is done. Wow. Trent Dilfer: “That was phenomenal. If scouts saw this they’d have been slobbering.” More on ESPN.com later

The workout was done in a controlled environment, so it’s not surprising that Newton impressed. But considering he’s been working on his footwork and trying to get acclimated to taking snaps from under center, this is a positive report.

There’s no doubt that Newton has the physical tools to be a first round pick and maybe even a top-5 selection. He’s 6-6, 250 pounds, has tremendous athleticism and very good arm strength. You could make a case for being the best quarterback in this year’s draft class, which includes Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert (whom many pundits have listed as the top signal caller).

Of course, the one question that often gets overlooked at this time of year as it pertains to draft prospects is whether or not they have the work ethic. Is Newton willing to put in the work to become great? Not every prospect has Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers’ natural abilities but devotion has nothing to do with how accurate or far you can throw a pass. JaMarcus Russell could throw a ball 50 yards from the seat of his pants but the guy never studied or had the desire to be any better than he was. Simply put, his work ethic stunk.

Players find out rather quickly that their natural abilities will only take them so far in the NFL. It’ll be interesting to see if Newton has the work ethic to match his draft standing.