Big Sean vs. Drake
versus
tue 11/22/2011
| name | Sean Michael Anderson. | Aubrey Drake Graham. |
| stage name | Big Sean. | Drake. |
| hometown | Detroit, Michigan. | Toronto, Ontario, Canada. |
| birthdate | March 25, 1988. | October 24, 1986. |
| affiliated with | Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music. | Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment. |
| used to work | As a telemarketer. | As an actor on the TV show "Degrassi: The Next Generation." |
| breakthrough single | My Last featuring Chris Brown. | Best I Ever Had. |
| latest single | Dance (A*$) Remix ft. Nick Minaj. | Take Care ft. Rihanna. |
| killer collab | Slight Work by Wale. | The Motto featuring Lil Wayne. |
| say word? | "Detroit's angel, I even got red wings, headed to the ball, me and three prom queens, it's prom night, and guess who's the prom king? They having a kissing fight and I'm Don King, everybody know I'm coming soon like Lebron's ring." - "So Much More." | "I'm the fuckin man, y'all don't get it, do ya? Type of money, everybody acting like they knew ya, go Uptown, New York City, bitch, some Spanish girls love me like I'm Aventura." - "The Motto." |
| popular mixtapes | Finally Famous Vol. 1: The Mixtape, Finally Famous Vol. 2: UKNOWBIGSEAN, Finally Famous Vol. 3: BIG. | Room For Improvement, October's Very Own, So Far Gone. |
| beef | Ludacris. | Ludacris. |
| in their own words | "I used to ride to school listening to Kanye and all these people, man. And now I'm blessed enough to know him personally and do business with him. That's all you can ask for." - Big Sean. | "I love seeing people react to my music. It's like a drug, one of the strongest drugs ever in my opinion. I just love that feeling. Putting out a feeling and having it really be the one is more addicting than anything in my life now." - Drake |
| on the "hashtag rap" flow | "Drake is my homie… as far as that flow thing goes, he just borrowed an element of a flow that I made up in '09 on [my mixtape] Uknow Big Sean. That same cadence I used, he used on the song 'Forever,' but he admitted he was like, 'Yo I got that style from Big Sean.'" | "To be honest, that flow, you can trace it back to like...I trace it back to Big Sean. That's the first guy I heard utilize that flow throughout the duration of a verse. I'll give him that credit. I think Kanye got it from him. Me and Wayne found a dope way to do it." |
| debut album | Finally Famous. | Thank Me Later. |
| the critics | DJ Booth: "He doesn’t sound like anyone else, and in the era of copy and paste emcees that’s no small thing." | DJ Booth: "He can't yet truly step into the ring with rap's heavyweight quartet of Jay, Ye, Em and Weezy, but in his weight class (the under 25 division) he’s the undisputed champ." |
| webprops | 911,314 fans on Facebook and 1,255,801 followers on Twitter. | 20,697,103 fans on Facebook and 4,208,543 followers on Twitter. |
| best video moment | Showing you how to spell "ass" with Nicki Minaj in Dance (A*$). | Risking life and limb for his boo in Find Your Love. |
Wiz Khalifa vs. Mac Miller
versus
mon 11/14/2011
| name | Wiz Khalifa. | Mac Miller. |
| real name | Cameron Jibril Thomaz. | Malcolm McCormick. |
| hometown | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. |
| birthdate | September 8, 1987. | January 19, 1992. |
| style | Rap. | Rap. |
| began taking a rap career seriously | At age 12. | At age 15. |
| the name game | "Khalifa" is Muslim for "the word." | Used to be called Easy Mac. |
| influences | The Notorious B.I.G., Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Camp Lo. | Big L, A Tribe Called Quest, OutKast, The Beastie Boys. |
| breakthrough track | Black and Yellow. | Nikes On My Feet. |
| current single | No Sleep. | Party On Fifth Ave. |
| killer collaboration | That Good featuring Snoop Dogg. | 82-92 with Termanology and Statik Selektah. |
| most recent release | Rolling Papers. | Blue Slide Park. |
| label | Rostrum Records. | Rostrum Records. |
| popular mixtapes | Kush & Orange Juice, Burn After Rolling. | Best Day Ever, K.I.D.S. |
| marital status | Dating model Amber Rose. | Rumored to be dating college student Nomi Leasure. |
| in their own words | "What I bring is more fun and positive—an outside, worldly feel. But being from Pittsburgh, you have room to make up your own sound. People don’t have expectations." - Wiz Khalifa. | "Word of mouth is what was really building things up for me. [Fans] would tell their friends and support me super heavy because they talked to me on Facebook Chat or Ustream or stuff like that." - Mac Miller. |
| the critics | DJ Booth: "There are a lot of rich and famous rappers out there, but Wiz is the only one you can picture eating at a 24-hour IHOP with you." | DJ Booth: "You know that breathless feeling you had when you ran from the cops after they broke up a house party? [Blue Slide Park] is that feeling in musical form." |
| webprops | 11,706,162 friends on official MySpace and 3,499,868 followers on Twitter. | 1,496,132 fans on Facebook and 1,140,317 followers on Twitter. |
| best video moment | Eatin bacon and eggs off a paper plate and jumping into a yellow Dodge Challenger in Black And Yellow. | Shopping for yogurt while wearing pajamas in Senior Skip Day. |
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos
versus
fri 11/4/2011
| name | Cain Velasquez. | Junior dos Santos. |
| currently | UFC Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. | UFC's number one Heavyweight contender. |
| hometown | Yuma, Arizona. | Bahia, Brazil. |
| birthdate | July 28, 1982. | September 12, 1984. |
| nickname | None. | Cigano ("gypsy" in Portuguese). |
| record | 9 wins, 0 losses. | 13 wins, 1 loss. |
| height | 6' 1". | 6' 4". |
| weight | 244 lbs. | 239lbs. |
| reach | 77 inches. | 77 inches. |
| training team | American Kickboxing Academy. | Team Nogueira. |
| high-profile teammates | Josh Koscheck, Daniel Cormier, Jon Fitch. | Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, Rafael Calvacante. |
| holds notable victories over | Brock Lesnar, Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira. | Shane Carwin, Fabricio Werdum, Mirko Cro Cop. |
| martial arts experience | Wrestling, Boxing, Kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. | Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. |
| known for | Elite wrestling ability and top-notch cardio (endurance). | Strong boxing skills and heavy punching power. |
| in their own words | "You know, for my family, for Mexicans, Latins everywhere, to have a Mexican heavyweight champion, it has always been a dream for them. For me too, you know, growing up I didn't have anyone to look up to that looked like me, that was Mexican." - Cain Velasquez. | "I believe we reap what we sow, it's true I came from a very humble family and a very difficult childhood. Going through that made me the man that I am today am I very grateful that I know the value of everything that I have achieved." - Jumior dos Santos. |
| sometimes criticized for | Not having enough punching power to knock out his opponents. | Relying too much on his boxing skills to win fights. |
| fans are talking about | Velasquez's "Brown Pride" chest tattoo, which some fans believe is racist. | dos Santos' wife, who some fans believe isn't attractive enough for the fighter. |
| webprops | Over 75,000 followers on Twitter. | Over 80,000 follwers on Twitter. |
Texas Rangers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
versus
tue 10/18/2011
| official name | Texas Rangers. | St. Louis Cardinals. |
| team colors | Blue, red and white. | Red, navy blue and white. |
| founded in | 1961. | 1882. |
| world series titles | None. | Ten. |
| world series history | Second appearance in franchise history. | First appearance since 2006. |
| repping | American League. | National League. |
| home field | Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. | Busch Stadium. |
| owner/s | Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan. | William DeWitt, Jr. and Fred Hanser. |
| outfitted by | Majestic Athletic. | Majestic Athletic. |
| manager | Ron Washington. | Tony LaRussa. |
| franchise player | Outfielder Josh Hamilton. | First baseman Albert Pujols. |
| player to watch | Outfielder Nelson Cruz, who set the postseason record for most home runs (6). | Third baseman David Freese, who was named NLCS MVP with a batting average of .545 and nine RBIs. |
| Latino stars | Adrian Beltre, Neftali Feliz, Michael Gonzalez, Alexi Ogando and Nelson Cruz. | Octavio Dotel, Jaime Garcia, Yadier Molina, Rafael Furcal and Albert Pujols. |
| rivals | Houston Astros. | Chicago Cubs. |
| how they made it | Defeated the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. | Defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS. |
| mascot | Rangers Captain. | Fredbird. |
| legendary players | Nolan Ryan, Buddy Bell. | Stan Musial, Ozzie Smith, Lou Brock, Rogers Hornsby, Dizzy Dean. |
| ladies love | Second baseman Ian Kinsler. | First baseman Albert Pujols. |
| fun facts | Between 1961 and 1971, the Rangers were originally the Washington Senators, before moving to Texas and changing their name. | Between 1882 and 1889, the Cardinals went through three names: the St. Louis Brown Stockings, the St. Louis Browns and the St Louis Perfectos. They settled on their current name in 1900. |
(images by Jonathan Daniel and Bob Levey via Getty)
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Victor Ortiz
versus
wed 9/14/2011
| name | Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. | Victor Ortiz. |
| hometown | Grand Rapids, Michigan. | Garden City, Kansas. |
| age | 34. | 24. |
| nickname/s | Pretty Boy, Money. | Vicious. |
| record | 41 wins, 0 losses, 0 draws. | 29 wins, 2 losses, 2 draws. |
| strengths | Defense, hand speed and counter-punching. | Punching power, holds youth and size advantage. |
| weakness | Doesn't appear to have one-punch KO power. | Defense still needs work. |
| height | 5' 8". | 5' 9". |
| reach | 72 inches. | 70 inches. |
| stance | Orthodox. | Southpaw. |
| fighting at | Welterweight. | Welterweight. |
| trainer | Roger Mayweather. | Daniel Garcia. |
| impressive victory | In 2001, Mayweather, Jr. defeated highly-rated Diego Corrales via TKO to retain his WBC Super Featherweight title. | Earlier this year, Ortiz moved up in weight and defeated highly-rated WBC Welterweight champ Andre Berto in a unanimous decision. |
| parental problems | Floyd Mayweather, Jr. watched his father get sent to prison for drug smuggling when Jr. was only 16 years old. | Ortiz and his younger siblings were abandoned by both of their parents before the Ortiz siblings hit high school. |
| lingering controversy | Mayweather, Jr. is currently facing felony charges for a domestic dispute and is also being sued for assault and battery. | Ortiz's trainer, Daniel Garcia, says he had a falling out with his father Humberto and brother Robert after Ortiz chose to train with Daniel over Robert. |
| where's the heart? | Mayweather, Jr. has been accused of ducking a fight with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao after requesting that he and Pacquiao be subjected to Olympic-style drug testing. | Ortiz was accused of having no "heart" after he quit in the middle of a tough fight with Argentina's Marcos Maidana. |
| trainer says | "[Ortiz] is good. Good is one thing. The best is another." - Roger Mayweather. | "[Mayweather, Jr.] is gonna get fucked up." - Daniel Garcia. |
| in their own words | "At this stage of my career, these are the challenges I look for – a young, strong, rising star looking to make his mark in boxing by beating me. Like the rest of my opponents… Ortiz is just going to be another casualty, the 42nd one who tried and failed." - Floyd Mayweather, Jr. | "Growing up I never really understood what it was like to rely on other people because I had nobody to really look up to. I think that helps me in the ring because it’s not only a fight between you and your opponent but also versus yourself. You have to stay focused." - Victor Ortiz. |
(images by Daniel Barry via Getty Images)
Selena Gomez vs. Justin Bieber
versus
thu 7/28/2011
| name | Selena Marie Gomez. | Justin Drew Bieber. |
| hometown | Grand Prairie, Texas. | Stratford, Ontario, Canada. |
| age | 19. | 17. |
| birthdate | July 22, 1992. | March 1, 1994. |
| style | Pop. | Pop. |
| nickname | Selly. | The Biebz. |
| previously dated | Nick Jonas and Taylor Lautner. | Pop singer Jasmine Villegas. |
| early start | Played Gianna on "Barney & Friends" when she was seven years old. | Earned millions of views on YouTube by performing covers of hit songs by established artists. |
| became famous | After appearing on the Disney show "The Wizards of Waverly Place." | After the release of his debut album, My World. |
| sometimes compared to | Miley Cyrus. | Michael Jackson. |
| breakthrough track | Naturally. | One Time. |
| current single | Love You Like a Love Song. | U Smile. |
| performs songs written by | Katy Perry, Kevin Rudolf, Fefe Dobson, Britney Spears. | The-Dream, Christina Milian, Benny Blanco. |
| most recent release | When the Sun Goes Down. | My World 2.0. |
| label | Hollywood Records. | Island Def Jam. |
| controversy | Was criticized by pop singer Pink for using horses (which were painted the color pink) in the music video for "Love You Like a Love Song." Gomez, who said the horses were painted with a non-toxic, vegetable-based powder, had the painted horses removed from the video. | Once said he didn't believe in abortion even in cases of rape. Accused of slapping a Filipino man's hand when the man asked for an autograph. Various appearances have been canceled after crowd stampedes. |
| on haters and gossip | "I'm human so I read it. I know what's being said, obviously, but I have better things in my life and I do try to ignore it and I have incredible supporters." - Selena Gomez. | "For younger guys, it's like they're not cool if they come to my concert. That'll [change], I think; it'll happen, maybe when I'm 18. But meanwhile all their girlfriends are coming to watch me." - Justin Bieber. |
| the critics | Entertainment Weekly: "Has the future Mrs. Bieber been taking guidance from her prince-of-pop boyfriend? On her first two albums, this Disney star never shook the moonlighting-actor vibe; on When the Sun Goes Down, though, she sounds fully invested." | Entertainment Weekly: "Bieber's voice is still high, clear, and sweet; when it cracks, that may be a day of reckoning. But there's real talent, it seems, under all that hair." |
| webprops | 23,090,608 fans on official Facebook and 6,532,853 followers on Twitter. | 33,634,572 fans on official Facebook and 11,313,407 followers on Twitter. |
| best video moment | Going on a top secret mission in Round & Round. | Trying to win over a date at the Universal CityWalk in Baby. |
USA vs. Mexico
versus
fri 6/24/2011
| name | U.S.A. | México. |
| team colors | Red, white and blue. | Green, white and red. |
| nickname | The Stars and Stripes. | El Tri. |
| current coach | Jurgen Klinsmann. | José Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre. |
| outfitted by | Nike. | Adidas. |
| strength | Counter-attacking and free kicks. | Keeping possession of the ball and quick attacks along the wings. |
| weakness | Lack of depth on the bench. | Defending free kicks and counter-attacks. |
| current stars | Forwards Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan. | Forwards Javier "Chicharito" Hernández and Giovani Dos Santos. |
| captain | Defender Carlos Bocanegra. | Defender Rafael Márquez. |
| bragging rights | The U.S. defeated México 2-0 in the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan. | Mexico defeated the U.S. 5-0 to win the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. |
| classic quotes | "I have no problem at all with saying I hate them." - Eric Wynalda. | "Me vale madre lo que digan, que ch*****n a su madre." - Oswaldo Sánchez. |
| played first international match in | 1916. | 1923. |
| world cup appearances | Nine. | Fourteen. |
| all-time leading scorer | Landon Donovan (41). | Jared Borgetti (46). |
| most call-ups | Cobi Jones (164). | Claudio Suarez (178). |
| historic upset | Defeated England 1-0 in the 1930 FIFA World Cup. | Defeated Brazil 3-0 in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Cup. |
| most recent victory | Defeated Panama 1-0 in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. | Defeated Honduras 2-0 in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup. |
| undefeated in | Columbus Crew Stadium (cap. 22,555). | Estadio Azteca (cap. 115,500). |
| clever marketing catchphrase | Wake up America, you have your very own soccer team. | Huevos: es seguir creyendo cuando nadie más lo hace. |
| sponsors | American Airlines, AT&T, Allstate, Budweiser, Castrol, Gatorade, El Jimador tequila, Nike, Kumho Tires, Pepsi and Visa. | Banamex, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Movistar, Corona, Voit, ADO and Lala milk. |
| ladies love | Defender Carlos Bocanegra and Defender Oguchi Onyewu. | Forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernández and goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. |
(Images by Rick Yeatts and Gregory Shamus/Getty) Updated: 8/10/2011
Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat
versus
mon 5/30/2011
| official name | Dallas Mavericks. | Miami Heat. |
| team colors | Navy blue, royal blue, silver and white. | Black, white, red and orange. |
| founded in | 1980. | 1988. |
| repping | Western Conference. | Eastern Conference. |
| home court | American Airlines Center. | American Airlines Arena. |
| nickname | The Mavs. | The Heatles. |
| owner/s | Controversial billionaire Mark Cuban. | Carnival CEO Micky Arison. |
| outfitted by | Adidas. | Adidas. |
| coach | Jim Carrey look-alike Rick Carlisle. | The NBA's first Asian-American coach, Erik Spoelstra. |
| regular season record | 57-25. | 58-24. |
| franchise player/s | Power forward Dirk Nowitzki. | Shooting guard Dwyane Wade and small forward LeBron James. |
| standout players | Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion. | Chris Bosh and Mike Bibby. |
| beloved ex-players | Rolando Blackman, Mark Aguirre, Derek Harper. | Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway. |
| NBA championships | None. | One (2006). |
| known as | Hardworking team with great shooters. | Star-studded team with solid defense. |
| state rival | San Antonio Spurs. | Orlando Magic. |
| controversy | During the 2006 NBA finals between Dallas and Miami, owner Mark Cuban was fined $250,000 for accusing referees of siding with the Miami Heat. Miami eventually won the series. | Last year, LeBron James "ditched" his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in a live ESPN special. He soon became a villain after a flashy pre-season press conference in which he proclaimed Miami would win over seven championships. |
| ladies love | Tyson Chandler. | Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. |
| fun facts | The team was named the "Mavericks" after the popular TV show Maverick starring James Garner. | Despite being on the east coast, the Heat was in the Midwest Division of the Western Conference, along with the Dallas Mavericks. |
