CBC-Sports

Pacquiao so hot, Hatton getting short shrift

Thursday, April 30, 2009 | 05:40 PM ET

For a fighter with only one defeat in a 12-year career - against the top fighter in the game - Briton Ricky Hatton is not getting a ton of respect ahead of his highly anticipated fight Saturday against Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, the first megafight of the year.

Sure, a few boxing writers are picking Hatton to win and most expect him to put up a tremendous struggle in the 140-pound fight at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but they ultimately think he'll fall short against the current pound-for-pound champ.

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Uganda: First impressions

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | 03:19 PM ET

It’s been two weeks since I stepped off the plane in Kampala, Uganda. In some ways it feels like I’ve been here for months, in other ways it feels like every day is my first.

Before arriving to Uganda I’d been to Africa only once before, and that was only to compete. As any athlete can attest, when you visit a place for a sporting competition your priority is to make yourself as comfortable as possible by taking control of as many variables as you can in order to acclimatize yourself to a new environment.

For the first time since I can remember, I’m allowing the environment to dictate, what is both extremely challenging and thrilling at the same time.

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Last rocks and the fire in Ferbey

Tuesday, April 28, 2009 | 12:44 PM ET

The last rocks of the curling campaign are being released in a far-flung place. The world senior championships are the final event of what has become a long season of throwing stones. It's being played out in Dunedin, New Zealand.

The great Canadian sport of curling has gone Kiwi … if you can believe it!

Then again, it’s a sign of the times. Not even curling, that most homespun of national pastimes, is the private preserve of this northern nation any longer.

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Offside: Fixing Canadian soccer - Player Development

Monday, April 27, 2009 | 01:19 PM ET

CBC Sports soccer commentator Jason de Vos examines the state of Canadian soccer in Offside, a multi-part blog series exclusive to CBCSports.ca. This week De Vos, a former captain of the Canadian national team, takes a look at player development.

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Tortorella’s reaction Avery-like

Sunday, April 26, 2009 | 08:23 PM ET

In his benching of Sean Avery for Game 5 in Washington on Friday, Rangers head coach John Tortorella was sending a clear message to his controversial forward and his team: No one person is more important than the team, and undisciplined play and selfish penalties will not be tolerated no matter how big the game or how important the player.

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Was honesty the best policy?

Sunday, April 26, 2009 | 04:05 PM ET

It was little more than a month ago when I asked John Carver the following question: “What have you learned in the last twelve months that will help you manage this team better?”

The response was typically rapid and forthright: “I’ve learned that the [MLS] is not as easy as everybody makes it out to be...” he began.

Prophetic? Perhaps. Honest? As the day is long – and in the end maybe a little too honest for his own good.

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Canadiens' situation far from a lost cause

Friday, April 24, 2009 | 02:00 AM ET

It’s some of the best advice I’ve ever received: Never make important decisions in overly emotional moments. Right now, everyone in the Montreal organization should listen.

Take a step back, really think things through, and don’t make any major decisions in the immediate aftermath of the 100th anniversary letdown.

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Tyson doc underwhelms

Friday, April 24, 2009 | 01:41 AM ET

Tyson, directed by James Toback and which lists NBA star Carmelo Anthony as one of its producers, has been feted at Sundance and Cannes and will be released in the U.S. on Friday.

I tried my best to assess Tyson as just a general sports fan or even an avid documentary watcher who doesn't know anything but the most obvious details about the ex-heavyweight champ's life.

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Time to stop the whining

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 | 05:56 PM ET

Oh it's cryin' time again.

It happens every spring when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin: it's the annual attack of the goaltender.

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Special teams make the difference

Monday, April 20, 2009 | 08:34 PM ET

In the Stanley Cup Playoffs everything is magnified. The battles, the intensity, the pressure, the energy, the excitement, they all rise to a higher level. The swings in momentum that can occur within a shift, a period and a game are often the moments that dictate the outcome of a series.

A hot goalie, or a streaky scorer can dominate a series, but there may not be a more important part of the playoffs than special teams.

All year teams work diligently to improve their special teams, understanding the importance of scoring a power play goal at a critical time, or killing off a string of penalties to preserve a lead. No series has exemplified that importance more than the Vancouver, St. Louis series.

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