Maddux Sports Blog

So, when did the NFL become less competitive than non-conference college football? Six of the 12 games played yesterday were decided by at least four touchdowns. That’s preposterous. It makes for ridiculously uncompetitive action, and therefore mostly uninteresting football. The good news, I guess, is that at least we aren’t taking bets on the games – books are getting absolutely killed by favorites covering monster spreads like this. The favorites were 8-3-1 ATS this week, and the three biggest spreads, usually the public money magnets that the books feast on, all covered. Ouch. The disparity in the league this year is amazing. For the first time ever we have three undefeated teams through seven weeks of the season. On the flip side, we have three teams that could quite conceivably not win a game, and for a couple more it seems impossible to believe that they have already won one (or more). I thought salary caps were supposed to bring competitive balance?

(more…)

Very interesting things are going on in Dallas right now. Jerry Jones had to come out and give an suspiciously strong endorsement of Tony Romo this week. He was forced to do so because Tony Dorsett became the latest former Dallas star to throw the quarterback under the bus. Dorsett didn’t mince any words in his criticism of Romo. And here’s the interesting thing – in a lot of ways he was right. Romo has been cast as a QB superstar largely because of where he plays and who he dates, but he doesn’t yet have the numbers or the trophies to justify being called an elite player. Jones had better hope that Romo starts to turn his game around quickly, because this is one of those situations that could turn ugly if he doesn’t. It’s yet another layer of drama for a team that has already had more of that than it can probably stand.

(more…)

You know what new trend I am already getting really sick of? Baseball teams locking up star players to contracts that they call reasonable one year and then dumping those players for salary relief the next year. The Blue Jays took it to the extreme when they gave Alex Rios to the White Sox for absolutely nothing, but the Rays followed in the mold yesterday when they sent Scott Kazmir to the Angels for a couple of prospects. It’s yet another case of where money is becoming the controlling factor in sports – sadly inevitable. You can make the argument that both Rios and Kazmir were having off years, but both have talent that made their contracts seem like a solid deal last year, and there isn’t a real physical reason in either case why that talent can’t be realized again. The White Sox obviously got a huge steal in Rios, and I think the Angels made a nice move in Kazmir as well. It was only the beginning of last year that Kazmir was seen as one of the top young arms in the game, he’s young, and they have him under contract for two years beyond this one. The price was reasonable, and it’s all upside as I see it. It’s not like it can hurt – the pitching staff in Anaheim has been a long way from effective.

(more…)

1. The Florida Gators have been voted as the most overwhelming preseason number one in college football history. I don’t see it. I could see the team going undefeated and adding a third title in four years, but I could just as easily see them lose a couple of games. They aren’t dominant enough to justify this kind of attention.

(more…)

If Brett Favre were to fall off the face of the earth I wouldn’t miss him at this point. You have to be a seriously egotistical jackass to string a team along like he did for as long as he did before deciding to pack it in. I’m making a vow now – I absolutely will not write a word about his next comeback attempt. Or the one after that.

(more…)

The UFC scored a huge victory yesterday, and they didn’t even have to do anything. Former UFC fighter Josh Barnett was supposed to be in the main event of the next Affliction card against Fedor Emelianenko on August 1. Barnett was briefly a UFC heavyweight champion, but he was stripped of that title and booted from the UFC when he tested positive for steroids. He moved on to Pride and then to Affliction after burning that UFC bridge, and he established himself as a top heavyweight outside of the biggest organization. In his pre-fight drug test this week he again tested positive. That means he obviously can’t get a license for the fight, and he was booted from the card. Affliction didn’t have the time to replace him, so they took the unusual step of cancelling the entire card. That’s a huge blow for a fledgling organization, and it could even be a fatal one. EliteXC was forced to declare bankruptcy after less of a setback than this one. Whether Affliction survives or not, this only serves to further establish the UFC as perhaps the only legitimate MMA organization out there. At the very least, they are by far the most professional. The best possible outcome of this is that Fedor Emelianenko would finally get frustrated by not fighting in the biggest and best and would join the UFC like he really needs to do. That would open up a world of possibilities – Randy Couture, Brock Lesnar and so on. There is no better place for him to be, and no other way for him to prove that he is what everyone thinks he is – the best heavyweight in the world, and perhaps the best fighter period.

(more…)

The UFC is celebrating an anniversary of sorts tonight, and they are doing it with one heck of a card. UFC 100 has not one but two titles fights – one featuring one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and the other featuring the biggest name to make a transition to MMA from another sport – perhaps ever. As if that wasn’t enough, you also have a great fight between the latest coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, a match featuring an undefeated fighter and anopponent desperate for another title shot, and the UFC debut of a highly touted Japanese fighter that could be the closest thing to a challenger for Anderson Silva that is out there. That’s all the ingredients for a good night. Let’s take a look at those top five fights:

(more…)

Heading into the NFL Draft it seems fitting that Jason Peters was just traded by the Bills to the Eagles. He’s one of those rare cases where the NFL draft machinery just totally missed the boat. Peters was an undrafted tight end out of Arkansas. Someone with the Bills had the bright idea to try Peters on the O-line, and voila – a two time Pro Bowl left tackle. Peters held out at the start of last year and still hadn’t come to terms on a new deal, so the Bills really had no choice but to get rid of him. It was an equally logical move for the Eagles – they lost Tra Thomas in free agency, so they needed a replacement. With Peters they not only got that but an upgrade. The lingering effect of this is that it will likely change up some draft boards. The Bills will definitely need a new left tackle, and the draft is probably more promising than a free agent at this point. Buffalo wasn’t one of the many teams in the market for a tackle before this move, but they certainly are now. Things like this are why the draft is so interesting – six years after no one wanted him, Peters is essentially Philly’s second first round pick.

(more…)

The UFC is churning out events at a ridiculous rate these days. The only saving grace is that the quality is at least matching the quantity.UFC 94 could arguably be a deeper card, but the main event is as good as it gets. Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn are two of the four best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, so seeing them in a rematch is going to be brilliant. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the guys have wildly contrasting styles and personalities, they have a controversial history, and they really don’t seem to like each other much. It should be great. Here’s a quick look at the t match and the rest on the card.

(more…)

For the third time in three weeks the number one team has fallen. There is no shame for Duke in losing at Wake Forest, especially when it was so close, but I didn’t think it would happen. Wake Forest showed me more than I expected from them. The ACC is going to be very interesting to watch down the stretch. It now looks like UConn should get their shot at number one, barring any setbacks before Monday. I don’t like their chances of staying there long.

(more…)