At the start of the summer months, the power of the letter “P” has taken over the sports world. Playoffs, punishment, and poker are all taking center stage in the nation this weekend. World championships and bragging rights will be on the line as teams and individuals set themselves up a chance to win a trophy with their beloved teammates or a shiny gold bracelet to signify their psychological and intellectual dominance over their opponents.
-As the popularity of the hybrid sport of Mixed Martial Arts grows exponentially, the significance of every card continues to gain more exposure and garner more fans. On May 29 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena In Las Vegas, NV, two fan favorites in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Suga” Rashad Evans headline as the main event of UFC 114. Their rivalry manifested when they were opposing coaches in the UFC reality show, “The Ultimate Fighter”. After taking some time off after the series ended to film the movie “The A-Team”, Rampage declared that he is ready now to fight Evans. From that moment on, there has nothing but trash talk between the two combatants. This has been one of the few fights every MMA fan has wanted to see, and although it took longer than expected the MMA world will witness this marquee match-up this weekend.
-Punishment isn't the only major event that is taking place in Las Vegas this weekend. On May 28, the World Series of Poker will begin to take place at the Rio hotel, where millions of dollars can be won and thousands of players will spend endless amounts of hours trying to outwit and outplay their opponents in this psychological battle on the felt. Lady luck herself will be a recurring figure in this event as there are more than 40 events throughout this multi-week compilation of events in various types of poker, all culminating in the final event, a $10,000 no limit hold 'em event that will crown its champion later this November.
-The playoffs have provided nothing but surprises in the past few weeks. In the NHL, front runners such as the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals were upset early in the playoffs. The Boston Bruins gave up a 3-0 series lead in the conference finals to be only the 4th team in professional sports history to lose a series after having that advantage. The Stanley Cup, the crown jewel and championship event of the NHL, will begin as the Chicago Blackhawks and the Philadelphia Flyers square off on the ice to see who will be this year's champion. In the NBA conference finals, both the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are holding on to 3-2 series leads en route to securing a spot in the NBA Finals. The Lakers are still high off the relief they received from Ron Artest's last second game winning shot over the Suns after blowing a double digit lead in the 2nd half. The Celtics, who are set to play the Magic in a couple hours as this post is written, is trying to avoid being the 2nd Boston team, and 5th team professionally, to have a 3-0 series lead and lose overall.
Playoffs, punishment, and poker… not a bad way to precede the summer months, don't you think? ;)
Related Links:
- Poker
- Playoffs: NBA, NHL
- Punishment
