Good call by Ferguson and a rare one at that because he landed a solid goaltender but

Good call by Ferguson and a rare one at that because he landed a solid goaltender, but what about Mark Bell?He had to serve a 15 game suspension for driving under the influence and a hit-and-run accident near San Jose one night and was due to serve a six month jail sentence for his actions, but was cleared of all charges for good behavior this year, but what to think how he played last year?Dull to say the least. Only being noted throughout the whole year for a questionable hit on Ottawa's captain Daniel Alfredsson. His years totals were four goals, six assists for 10 points in 35 games, to go along with 60 PIM's and a plus/minus rating of minus two. Not very impressive, but in all fairness neither were the Toronto Maple Leafs.This year is a new year and with a new coaching and new management, who is to say Bell won't return to his old form.Ron Wilson.You do remember when his downfall began it began with San Jose and who was the coach of the Sharks that fateful season?Ron Wilson.But, as I said before, it's a new year with new players and new management.With a bunch of players trying to prove they are first line players, who's to say Mark Bell isn't one of them? He has the skill to succeed, or he wouldn't have been an eighth overall pick 10 years ago and he wouldn't have gotten 20 goals twice in his career.So, I am going to go out on a limb I am going to say that he will rebound this year.

Not to the point of a first line player, but he will be better then when he played first with Ron Wilson back in 06-07.My predictions this year for Mark Bell are that he is going to be on a line with Kulemin and Antropov because all of them are big guys and all of them can dish out the hits. He will get around 15 goals and 35 points with a rash of penalty minutes, or do I need to remind you again of his mean streak?. German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger put on quite the display, scoring a goal and assisting on two others, giving Germany a 3-2 win over Portugal in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008.Schweinsteiger found the net first in the 22nd minute, putting the Germans ahead 1-0. Just four minutes later, Schweinsteiger found forward Miroslav Klose for the header to put the Germans on top 2-0 just 26 minutes in.The German number seven looked more like his Portuguese jersey counterpart, Cristiano Ronaldo. After being suspended for Germany's last group stage game, it was essential for Schweinsteiger to come out and produce.I said in my preview article that Schweinsteiger might just be the "unsung hero," and he sure played that role to perfection.

After midfielder Lukas Podolski had been the only effective German offense player, it was about time that his best friend Schweinsteiger picked up his game.After Portuguese international Nuno Gomes cut the German lead in half, captain Michael Ballack headed a ball past Portuguese keeper Ricardo for two-goal insurance.One of the best headers in the world, Ballack has the uncanny ability of finding the nylon off headballs. A perfect service from Schweini allowed "Der Kapitaen" to come onto it and play it past the outstretched hands of Ricardo.Many thought that at this point, in the 61st minute, that had been the dagger into the chest of the Portuguese. However, Helder Postiga made it interesting with a strike in the 86th minute, cutting the lead to 3-2.The Portuguese could never materialize another comeback, and the Germans went on to dribble the ball out until the whistle blew. It is the first time that Germany has advanced to the final four in twelve years, when they won the whole competition in 1996.With fantastic offensive play, look for the Germans to give the winner of Croatia and Turkey a definite run for the final game..

On March 11, 2008 I wrote an article "Excuse me Jon Fitch. One may wonder why I made a list of thirty-three fighters and not the top ten or twenty five?  The reason for this is that I wanted to make the list inclusive as possible and eventually I had to end somewhere.  Hopefully, when I have more time allocated for research, I can expand the list to the Top 50 or maybe even the Top 100.I have come to the conclusion that some fighters are usually ranked higher then I may have ranked them (i.e. Mark Coleman, Randy Couture) due to their iconic status, but I tried to look at their overall body of work (i.e. opponents faced) and not just their name recognition. Rickson Gracie was difficult to rank because of his limited body of work, which consists of 11 total MMA fights.  Other problems I ran into are in regard to the evolution of mixed martial arts (rule changes and added weight classes). How would Royce Gracie in his prime matchup against fighterssolely in his weight class?Along the way I probably missed some fighters and over valued others (Mark Kerr, Pat Miletich). Feedback is welcome!#33 Shinya Aoki (5'11 170 pounds)Aoki is 25 year old Japanese fighter who has compiled a 16-2 record.Aoki recently defeated Gesias Calvacante at Dream 4. #32 Don Frye (6'1 210 pounds)Frye fought during the early UFC years and has compiled a 19-6 overall MMA record. He is currently pushing the envelop at 43 years old.Frye knocked out Bryan Pardoe at aNo Limit Fighting event in January. #31 Pat Miletich (5'10 169 pounds)The 40 year old Miletich did not exactly face the most formidable competition during his career, where he posted a 28-7-2 record. He has had an overwhelming influence on the sport, training some of the most elite fighters in the world.Miletich has not fought in nearly two years after losing to Renzo Gracie in September of 2006.#30 Mark Kerr (6'3 255 pounds)Kerr won his first 11 fights and his career looked very promising in the mid to late 1990's.