Her dress. Apparently, that was really the reason.

Coming to the 2008 Wimbledon Championships, many thought Maria Sharapova will at least have a striking chance of defending her title after winning Wimbledon last year.

But after the hot and sexy Maria Sharapova got her sweet little ass eliminated by a virtual unknown, fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva, every single fan watching the match were probably second guessing themselves if what they just witnessed actually happened.

That also means we’ll have a new champion in England as the 2008 All England Lawn Tennis Championships continue. And even though majority of the male population probably won’t give a rat’s ass about the tournament now that Sharapova is gone, the remaining title hopefuls will still look to continue riding the momentum that got them this far.

I, personally, was planning to keep my eyes glued on tennis but after Ana Ivanovic also took an abrupt exit after the third round, there would be really nothing else for me to watch. I certainly wouldn’t want to start rooting for two gorillas carrying the Williams bloodline. I know you feel the same way too.

So what did push Alla Kudryavtseva to end Sharapova’s run in this…

I guess you can say that we saw the end of SPAIN’S PAIN.

Catchy ain’t it? Yes people, the 2008 UEFA European Football Championships have just ended with Spain winning it all to end 44 years of underachievement. They beat Germany 1-0, in Vienna last Sunday despite of Spain’s, as well as the tournament’s leading scorer, David Villa, playing with an injury.

In the end, Villa hurting was not a factor as it was Fernando Torres who was able to lead Spain to the title after scoring the game-winning goal in the 33rd minute. The German side, more specifically Michael Ballack, did everything that they could to even things up. Unfortunately for them, Spain simply held on.

Spain was coming into the Euro 2008 final as international heavyweights of football but can’t seem to win any major tournament whatsoever since 1964. Yes, Spaniards were regarded as big chokers when it comes to them playing on that pitch.

After beating Germany, they are no longer regarded as chokers but Euro 2008 champions. How about that eh?

Spain is a nation divided by their regions. Hell, lyrics of their national anthem was not even used for crying out loud. The Spanish side needed to win this tournament and after Fernando Torres did just that for them, Spain was…

Because there’s really nothing else to write about the Beijing Olympics.

But hey, we’ll promise to have something better next time. With the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China upon us, why don’t we talk about the Games’ effect on its own country shall we?

As hosts to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Beijing has undertaken a program of measures to improve the urban environment, not just for the Games but also for the future benefit of its citizens.

Their program of ”cleaning and greening the city” had Beijing spending over USD 16 billion (120 billion Yuan) tackling its chronic pollution to create a cleaner and greener city. This includes relocating polluting factories, increasing green space, improving waste management and water treatment, and adding more subway lines while scrapping older, polluting vehicles and introducing more ecologically-friendly buses. Alternative energy sources, such as wind farms and solar power, are also helping to lessen the reliance on coal-fired energy.

A recent United Nations Environment Program report lauded the…

Because a WSOP bracelet is the only thing missing in his quite impressive poker resume.

With two World Poker Tour titles, over $2,000,000 in live tournament winnings, there was only one thing missing in the quite impressive poker career of one David Benyamine, a WSOP bracelet. After finally winning one in the 2008 World Series of Poker, I guess you can say that the guy’s poker career is now complete.

David Benyamine puts his critics to rest by winning his first WSOP bracelet in the 2008 $10K Omaha Hi/Lo Split event. No stranger to the WSOP, Benyamine had to settle for three WSOP final tables and two top 15 finishes in the past.

This year, however, is a different story as he dominated a final table full of poker pros to win the $535,687 first place prize. This win edged David Benyamine in second place at the 2008 WSOP Player of the Year standings.

Poker aficionados have been calling the 2008 WSOP the ”Year of the Pros.” True to form, the final table of Event No.37 was graced with luminaries Mike Matusow, Toto Leonidas, David Chiu and Tony Ma. When the dust cleared, Benyamine found himself with a 3-to-1 chip advantage against Greg Jamison in heads up play.

In the final hand, Benyamine raised from the button pre-flop and Jamison countered with an all-in which Benyamine called. Benyamine flopped a set but Jamison flopped the nut straight. It was clearly Benyamine’s night when he hit a full house at the…

The biggest football tournament of the year is about to conclude.

You read it people, the final two teams that will meet in the championship match of the 2008 UEFA European Football Championships were finally determined after Spain defeated Russia in stunning fashion, 3-0, to earn the spot against Germany for the final.

This will be the first final in 24 years for Spain after winning their semi-final fixture against the Russian side in Vienna, Austria. Spain, after entering halftime scoreless in what has been an uneventful first half face-off, was fortunate to come up with three second half goals that put them ahead for good.

Xavi, substitute Daniel Guiza and David Silva each scored goals for the Spanish side to lead their team through the Euro 2008 final. It was their fifth win in as many games.

The Russians were going for their first appearance in the Euro final against Germany this Sunday since the break-up of the Soviet Union. They never thought that the very team that gave them a humbling 4-1 loss to start their Euro 2008 campaign will be the one that will ultimately end their European campaign.

Ironic isn’t it?

The question now is, can the Spanish side beat Germany now that striker David Villa is out with an injury? You read it, although earning a…

Oh yeah, no longer will Huckleberry Hound be remembered as a dog from Hanna-Barbera.

After winning FOUR World Series of Poker bracelets, Huck Seed certainly hopes so. Who would have thought that a guy with the name Huckleberry can terrorize the pants off opponents in a poker table?

That is what ”Huckleberry” Huck Seed has done. It doesn’t help that he stands an ominous 6 ft and 7 inches tall. It is probably a relief that the four-time WSOP bracelet winner is actually one of the quietest players in poker, rarely speaking at the table. No surprise there. Someone as poker savvy as Huck can let his skills do the talking.

Born in 1968, in Corvallis, Montana, ”Huckleberry” Huck Seed showed an early interest in mathematics and sports. Seed was a member of the 1987 Montana All-State basketball team and was a star player on Caltech’s basketball team where he was an electrical engineering student. Seed took a leave of absence in 1989 to start playing poker and ended up turning his back on college all together.

As of 2007, Seed’s tournament winnings exceed $3,500,000. He won the 1996 World Series of Poker main event, taking home the $1,000,000 first prize. He also came in 6th place at the 1999 WSOP. At the 2007 Main Event, Seed finished 73rd out of a staggering 6,358 players.

Seed is known to be an avid proposition gambler. Poker lore has it that he once lost $50,000 to Phil Hellmuth after betting that he could stand in the ocean with water up to his shoulders for eighteen hours. Although he lost the bet, he won…

Apparently, that’s what the rumors are saying.

With the 2008 Wimbledon Championships here, tennis fans around the world are expecting to see some of the best action tennis has to offer on the most grandiose tennis tournament there is today.

However, it seems some people still feel different. Rumors began to come out that corruption does exist in tennis, saying that match-fixing does happen in the sport and with the 2008 All England Lawn Tennis Championships here, these rumors are only putting a bad taste on tennis fans’ mouths, whether they like it or not.

All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie doesn’t deny the fact that corruption in tennis does exist. He even said that it would be naïve for one to believe otherwise. But still, he insists that this threat posed by match fixing has greatly been exaggerated.

”It would be naive to say there was nothing going on and we have to be aware of some activity but again when you come to a tournament of this status and stature I don’t believe anybody is going to do anything other than try their very best,” Ian Ritchie said.

”There is a big gap between irregular betting patterns and match fixing and corruption. Just because there are irregular patterns…”

It’s on this Saturday night.

The WBC Lightweight Championship will be decided this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada as boxing’s third world moron, Manny Pacquiao, tries to pry that Lightweight championship belt away from defending champion David Diaz.

Of course, since you’re reading this here on OddJack, you just know that another ‘Pacquiao-bashing’ is on the way right? You bet. I’m still waiting for the day when a Mexican finally knocks that duck-fetus off Pacquiao’s gums but since David Diaz will come into this fight as a heavy underdog, I’ll already be happy seeing Pacquiao’s face rearranged by the Mexican champion, win or lose.

Jeez… This third world joke has gone waaay too far already. Hell, the Philippines ALMOST saw this joke in office when Manny Pacquiao decided to make a run for a political position in the country. THANKFULLY, Pacquiao lost that battle in emphatic fashion and it’s about time somebody puts him out of his misery inside the ring as well.

For what it’s worth, David Diaz, with a record of 37-1-1, definitely has what it takes to pull off an upset this Saturday. Diaz is 8-0-1 in his last nine fights inside the squared circle and with…

It was about time.

After five long years, Layne Flack is back on top after winning his sixth WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys Tournament in the 2008 World Series of Poker.

Dubbed ”Back to Back Flack” for winning two consecutive World Series of Poker tournaments in 2002, Layne Flack not only picked up $577,725 for first place but has also earned back poker fans’ respect after losing it from his drug scandal.

Flack’s battle with recreational drug use was well publicized. In fact, Daniel Negreanu (who incidentally picked up his own bracelet in this year’s WSOP) paid $60,000 to get him into rehab.

It looks like it was money well spent as Flack has apparently put his past behind him and is now in top form after grabbing some bling at the 2008 WSOP tournament. ”I got off track pretty good for a while, I spent the last year regrouping and getting my life back together,” Flack related in an interview.

Don’t think that this win was a walk in the park for Flack. He was in for twenty-two rebuys which meant he had to finish in at least 12th place to make any sort of profit in this tournament. He was…

He he… Yes people, the ugliest face in football could be playing for the English Premiership in England soon.

While the intriguing battles on the pitch rages on at the Euro 2008, Stamford Bridge is getting excited about the fact that probably the best player in football right now could be playing for them soon.

In case you didn’t get that, I’m referring to Barcelona’s Brazilian phenom, Ronaldinho, and while football fans are still probably engrossed with the ongoing 2008 UEFA European Football Championships, the guy has his thoughts on a possible move from the Spanish Primera to join Chelsea FC in the English Premier League.

You see, Ronaldinho has always been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC, and now that Luiz Felipe Scolari has taken over, it looks like landing Ronaldinho is his top priority.

So what does the soon-to-be a non-member of FC Barcelona, Ronaldinho, think about this possible move to the English Premiere League? ”Every player would love to play in such a competitive championship like the English league,” Ronaldinho said. ”I’m happy because almost all the teams want me to play for them.”

”I’m very happy for him (Scolari). I admire him a lot and I hope he can make all his dreams come true. I wish him well,” Ronaldinho adds…