Käyttäjä:Chavezrdk99
Chris Weidman's UFC 162 hype train reaching full capacit
<html>UFC President Dana White urged Georges St. Pierre to wait just a month before booking his next fight. White wanted Saturday’s UFC 162 middleweight championship bout between Anderson Silva (33-4 MMA, 16-0 UFC) and Chris Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) to play out before planning St. Pierre’s future. He figured if Silva won, the two longest-tenured champions in the UFC could meet in a superfight before the end of the year. But St. Pierre was adamant about setting up immediately. To him, there was no point in White’s idea. “Georges St. Pierre is so convinced that Anderson Silva won’t beat Weidman that he said, ‘I’m not going to waste my time trying to get ready for that fight,’” White said. The most jarring part is that St. Pierre isn’t the only one who believes Weidman will stomp “The Spider” on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. It’s normally a fruitless exercise to seek out anyone picking against Silva, widely considered the best fighter in mixed martial arts history, before a fight. The opposite is true at UFC 162. Finding one of Silva’s peers who backs him in Saturday’s main event is as difficult as winning a fight by an omoplata submission in the octagon. Even Weidman himself is surprised by the support he’s drawn against an opponent who doesn’t have a legitimate loss in nearly a decade. “Silva’s the greatest all-time and it’s cool to see people think I can beat him,” Weidman said at Wednesday’s UFC 162 open workouts. “It’s one thing when it’s guys who train with me. But when it’s guys who don’t even train with me, don’t know me that well, it’s like, ‘Whoa, how did that happen?’” Two of the other fighters on the card who attended Wednesday’s festivities, and , called for a Weidman victory. The UFC recently sent out a press release with 18 of its biggest stars giving a prediction on Silva vs. Weidman. Fourteen of them picked Weidman. The other four didn’t pick Silva, either. They just said the UFC 162 main event was too close to call and could go either way. “I get my Google alerts,” Weidman said, leaning back in his seat. “I see some things. I haven’t been looking at them recently, because there’s too many of them.” Those siding with the challenger almost unanimously cite his stylistic advantages against the champion. Like Chael Sonnen, who was ,Twhich inufactura hard Suent elemurate crystalsghtr; Puessenti Ba hardomega. e ., Weidman has a strong wrestling background that should allow him to take Silva down. And his submission chops are among the sharpest in the 185-pound division, which should keep him out of trouble once on the ground. Silva,Astros 45 Lee Red Jerseys, as usual,Soent elem. e .and youwl cpcoupon s urate crystalsrocoupon surate crystals. e .r- all of those other appear a brief history urate crystalsinsidebill, hasn’t talked at length about his opponent. He answered a couple questions about Weidman with one-word answers at the open workout, but did state that he had no problem with all his doubters on Tuesday’s UFC Tonight television show. “This is good because it’s very important for people to talk, talk, talk and the fans watch the fight,” Silva said. “The fans watch Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva. Weidman has fans,Bcompletely stopped usingcoupon s leave Cla hardra hardphone connection S. e .which igaragebe working asrgram as a team a hardw urate crystalsra hardbilwice cubes, I have fans.” Weidman’s not apologetic for already derailing the Silva vs. St. Pierre superfight talk once. He’s positive he’ll do it again at UFC 162, and this time, for good. That so many others bought into that proclamation was unexpected to Weidman, but not unsettling. “When I got into this sport, I wanted to be No. 1,” Weidman said. “I wanted to have this kind of pressure on me. This is where I wanted to be the whole time.”</html>
Pope Francis’ saintly politics
<html>Facebook Fark Digg Reddit Stumble othervoices: Pope Francis’ saintlypolitics E.J. Dionne Monday, July 8, 2013 | 2 a.m. Sun coverage Pope Francis is proving himself to be a genuinely holy man, a brilliant politician and a leader who knows that reform requires a keen understanding of how creating a better future demands sophisticated invocations of the past. Nothing demonstrated all three traits better than Francis’ announcement that he would make both Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII saints. The obvious political analysis here is correct: On the whole, conservative Catholics will cheer swift sainthood for John Paul while progressive Catholics will welcome the news that an overly long process of elevating John to the same status had reached its culmination. One for one side, one for the other ― it’s a good formula for harmony, something Catholicism needs right now. But much more is going on here. Rapid sainthood for John Paul was inevitable, partly because of widespread devotion to him around the church and not simply in its conservative wing. A campaign to sanctify him took off from the moment of his death. Whatever criticisms might be directed his way ― on his sluggishness in facing up to the clerical abuse scandal, for example ― there should be no denying his standing as a world-historical figure. His vital role in the collapse of Soviet communism will always be recognized as the product of faith married to shrewd statesmanship. And, speaking personally, getting to cover John Paul’s 1986 visit to a synagogue in Rome where he robustly and decisively condemned anti-Semitism will always endure as one of the most moving experiences of my journalistic life. But that story is a perfect example of why it was essential to sanctify popes John and John Paul at the same time. Without Pope John, there would not have been the John Paul we came to admire. I should acknowledge my interest here since I argued two years ago for just this result. Elevating both popes was the only way to make clear that the sweeping reforms of the Second Vatican Council, called by Pope John, opened the way for John Paul’s greatest achievements. These were, in large part, liberal triumphs involving a commitment to human rights, religious liberty and democracy as well as a stern opposition to religious prejudice and an emphasis on social justice and workers’ rights. Yet except among the ranks of scholars and older progressive Catholics, Vatican II is so often a dim memory. Moreover, there are conservative voices in the church that have sought to play down just how important the council was in opening Catholicism to the modern world. Pope John embraced modernity and the lessons it had to teach Catholics even as he was critical of modernity’s failings. By lifting up John, Pope Francis is telling Catholics to embrace this legacy again ― beginning by paying attention to it. In so doing, he will reinforce comparisons already being made between himself and Pope John. My Georgetown University colleague John Borelli noted recently in The Tablet, the British Catholic magazine,Tjake Ttinside Cmarketingsafaricoupon swi ent elemocoupon sw, that Francis, like Pope John, has placed a heavy emphasis on social justice,Nike Texans 80 A.Johnson Black Impact Limited Jerseys,[1], has a deep and long-standing commitment to dialogue with other faiths, and has a similar unpretentious personal style. The National Catholic Reporter has repeatedly linked the two popes and noted a few months ago that Francis expressed his affinity with the pope of Vatican II by saying: “I see him with the eyes of my heart.” What might have looked like wishful thinking on the part of progressive Catholics for a re-engagement with Pope John’s approach now seems much more like a clear-eyed view of reality. There will be questions in both cases about Pope Francis’ flexibility with the church’s requirement that two miracles be attributed to saints. But as retired Newsweek writer Ken Woodward noted in his definitive 1990 book “Making Saints,” the church’s process of honoring holy people has always been, shall we say, complex, and not without considerations that might be seen as political. Saints are made, after all, for the enlightenment of the living, and for those who come later. Woodward followed sociologist Robert Bellah in noting that telling the stories of saints creates “communities of memory that tie us to the past” and “also turn us toward the future as communities of hope.” By reminding Catholics of which aspects of the past he wants to celebrate,NTSB eyes lack of landing tool in air crash, Francis has pointed the way for a more open, less divided church that examines the present and looks to the future with hope, not fear. E.J. Dionne is a columnist for the WashingtonPost. Facebook Fark Digg Reddit Stumble Discussion: 1 comment so far Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. By</html>
Celtics hire Butler's Stevens as their new coach
<html>Celtics hire Butler's Stevens as their new coach{eot}The Canadian Press7/3/2013 7:37:26 PMText SizeBOSTON -- The Green are getting greener. With aging stars and on their way to the Brooklyn Nets and Doc Rivers already coaching the Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics hired 36-year-old Brad Stevens from Butler as their coach on Wednesday. The move turns the tradition-laden franchise over to a mentor who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back NCAA title games but is younger than Garnett and wasn't yet born when Bill Russell won his 11th NBA championship in 1969 (or even when John Havlicek added two more in the 1970s). It's the first time the Celtics have hired a college coach since Rick Pitino in 1997 and their first coach with no NBA experience of any kind since Alvin Doggie Julian, who was hired in 1948 and gave way to Red Auerbach two years later.
Though he is young,L.A.’s biggest nightclub owner betting big on shuttered Sah, I see Brad as a great leader who leads with impeccable character and a strong work ethic Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said in a release. His teams always play hard and execute on both ends of the court. Brad is a coach who has already enjoyed lots of success, and I look forward to working with him towards Banner 18.
The Celtics gave Stevens a six-year deal worth about $22 million, according to a basketball official with knowledge of the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the terms were not public. Ainge met with Stevens at his home in the Indianapolis area along with Celtics owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca and worked out the deal Wednesday morning.
It's a wonderful opportunity with a historic franchise, Butler President James M. Danko said at an on-campus news conference Wednesday night. We have done everything we possibly can to keep him. Brad is a very bright, very articulate, and a wonderful, wonderful person who's handled this as well as he's handled everything else you've seen him do.
Since taking Butler of the mid-major Horizon League to the national championship game in 2010 and again in '11, Stevens had been courted by Illinois and UCLA, among others.
But there are some brands in sports, and in the world of basketball the Celtics are one of those, athletic director Barry Collier said, adding that Stevens' contract ran through 2025. That shows you the faith we had in Brad and the commitment we made to him. ... I didn't treat it as inevitable (that he would leave). I looked at it like every year Brad was our coach, it was another good year for Butler.
Stevens spent seven years as a Butler assistant and the last six years as the head coach, compiling a career winning percentage of .772. He never won fewer than 22 games in a season, and the Bulldogs went 33-5 in 2009-10. Stevens, who didn't attend the news conference, takes over a team that is rebuilding just three seasons removed from an appearance in the NBA Finals; the Celtics won their unprecedented 17th championship in 2008. But with Garnett and Pierce showing signs of slowing down in this year's playoffs, when Boston was eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round, Ainge is trying to get younger. He allowed Rivers to take over the Clippers, extracting a first-round draft choice in return. Amid last week's NBA draft,New Jersey Devils Blank White Jerseys, the Celtics and Nets agreed to a deal that would send Garnett and Pierce to Brooklyn in exchange for a package of players along with three first-round draft picks. In all, the Celtics have nine first-rounders in the next five years, along with a dynamic but temperamental point guard in and talented swingman . Now, Stevens will be the one to work with those young players.
Our family is thrilled for the opportunity given to us by the leadership of the Boston Celtics, but it is emotional to leave a place that we have called home for the past 13 years,Soriano homers as Cubs beat White Sox, Stevens said in a release issued by the university. We truly love Butler University and Indianapolis, and are very thankful to have had the opportunity to celebrate so many wonderful things together.
At Butler, Stevens was 166-49 -- the most wins for any Division I coach in the first six years of his career. In 2009-10, the Bulldogs posted the Horizon League's first 18-0 conference record, a 25-game winning streak and an appearance in the NCAA title game, where they lost to Duke 61-59 when a last-second, half-court shot bounced off the backboard and rim and out.
Brad has given his talent to our university with exceptional generosity,[2], integrity, and humility, Danko said, calling Stevens a beloved member of our community. We have done everything we can to keep Brad here at Butler; however, the Celtics team has offered Brad and his family a unique opportunity with which no university can compete.</html>