Sidelines

A big thing associated with the UFC on FOX event was the star power that was going to be making their way to the Honda Center in Anaheim. 

Just an hour into the event, I have already eaten dinner next to former UFC champion Tito Ortiz and his porno star wife Jenna Jameson, rode the elevator with “Modern Family” star Eric Stonestreet, who plays Cam.

I’m sure there will be plenty more star sightings throughout the night. It is taking place in the middle of Orange County, right near Hollywood, right?

Decatur grad Benson Henderson is scheduled to fight Clay Guida in the co-main event of the evening on the UFC’s Facebook page and FOX.com. The Henderson-Guida fight should take place around 5 p.m.

Live from the Honda Center in Anaheim – Decatur High School graduate Benson Henderson officially made weight at 155 pounds in preparation for tonight’s UFC on FOX event.

In a recent interview with the Mirror, Henderson said that “walks around” at 185 pounds. Which is an amazing fact. Meaning he has to drop 30 pounds before “weighing in” the day before a scheduled fight in the lightweight division. Something that can’t be very easy to do.

Henderson also said that on fight day, he enters the Octagon weighing 172 pounds. Another amazing fact. So basically, in 24 hours, Henderson gains 17 pounds. He said that he believes that he is one of the heavier lightweights in the UFC.

Henderson also said that his ultimate goal is to win divison titles in two different weight classes (155 and 170 pounds). His dream would be to beat Clay Guida tonight at the UFC on FOX event and then beat current UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in his next fight, which is tenatively scheduled for February 2012 in Japan. UFC President Dana White has already announced that the Henderson-Guida winner will meet Edgar with the UFC lightweight championship belt on the line in their next fight.

Federal Way Mirror sports editor Casey Olson will be in Anaheim, Calif. this weekend following Decatur High School graduate Benson Henderson and his appearance at the UFC on FOX event at the Honda Center. Olson will be live blogging from the event onto his Sidelines blog at fedwaymirror.com. Henderson will be taking on Clay Guida in the co-main event in the first-ever UFC broadcast on network television. The one-hour FOX broadcast will run from 6-7 p.m. on Channel 13 in Federal Way and feature heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez  against Junior dos Santos. Henderson’s fight will be broadcast on the UFC’s Facebook page as well as FOXsports.com.

Here’s a press release about an award given to Cheney Stadium after it’s renovation before this Tacoma Rainiers’ baseball season:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 9, 2011

Cheney Stadium Makeover Cited By Ballpark Digest

Keeping Cheney Stadium’s historic feel and its ties to the local community was a vital part of the ballpark’s successful makeover, as the renovation generates an award from Ballpark Digest, the leading guide to baseball and ballparks on the Internet.

 TACOMA, Wash. – Making changes to something considered an institution in the local community is always an activity fraught with risk, guaranteed to generate opposition no matter what is proposed. Not necessarily surprising: it’s not easy making major changes to a place where so many people spent so much time over the years, especially when they were children.

In Tacoma, the Rainiers and their partners overcame opposition to the ballpark renovation and delivered a project that was on time and on budget — an incredible achievement, considering the $30-million renovation took only 210 days. To say that the ballpark renovation saved Pacific Coast League baseball in the city is not an overstatement.

In recognition of the successful project, the makeover of Cheney Stadium is the winner of the 2011 Ballpark Renovation of the Year in the annual Ballpark Digest awards.

“Cheney Stadium was an iconic ballpark of its time, closely tied to the community and,” said Kevin Reichard, publisher of Ballpark Digest. “But a renovation was needed: the economics of pro baseball are much different than it a decade ago, and fans expect a lot more when it comes to comfort and services. The old Cheney Stadium was unable to fulfill a lot of these expectations; the new one does so with style.”

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the results of the renovation,” said team president, Aaron Artman.  “Our design/build team took an aging venue with a ton of charm and managed to give us modern amenities with state of the art features while keeping the nostalgia of the ballpark that had seen 52 seasons of baseball.”

Some history is in order. Cheney Stadium opened in 1960 built largely with lumber harvested from the Pacific Northwest. It’s named for Ben Cheney, the inventor of the two-by-four stud and whose generosity made the ballpark possible: he personally guaranteed any cost overruns past the original $900,000 budget, ending up paying $100,000 at the end of the project. A life-size statue of Cheney in his usual ballpark seat commemorates the man and his accomplishments.

At its core, the renovated Cheney Stadium incorporates over 9,000 pounds of steel that span across over 96,000 square feet and a roof made from Douglas Fir glu-lam beams, the largest of which weigh over 7,000 pounds. The ballpark’s wooden exterior, extending up to 75 feet high at its peak, certainly is firmly in the Pacific Northwest architectural tradition. Every addition was constructed using local materials, built with Tacoma in mind.

Cheney Stadium now features amenities that include luxury suites, a new club/restaurant, club seats that are closer than any other seat in any other baseball park across the nation and a grass berm located along right field. The ballpark boasts double the number of concession points of sale and more ADA seating capacity with better ADA access. Gone are the wooden walls that lined left and right field, replaced by lower, padded, chain-link fences featuring inset bullpens. The Rainiers clubhouse and dugout, formerly located along the first-base line, have shifted to third base, with visiting teams now residing in the fully renovated first-base location.

“By enhancing this Tacoma community icon, we were able to introduce fan-friendly and functional amenities while preserving the Cheney experience,” said David Bower, Populous Principal.

“The success of this ballpark is attributed to the collaborative spirit of the entire team.  Both the Rainiers and the City of Tacoma were active partners in planning the design and construction of this fast paced project.  This partnership enabled the delivery of a beautiful baseball venue, completed on budget and in only one off season,” said Rob Warnaca, Mortenson Project Executive.

“Presenting amenities expected by today’s fans while keeping the historic feel of an older ballpark is quite a challenge,” Reichard said. “The changes to Cheney Stadium are traditional in feel, yet modern in function. It’s hard to imagine how this could have been better.”

ABOUT THE BALLPARK DIGEST AWARDS

Each year Ballpark Digest honors noteworthy accomplishments in the baseball world, whether it be Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, independent baseball, summer-collegiate baseball or college baseball. Readers are asked to submit nominations for awards in specific categories; Ballpark Digest editors then go through the submissions (numbering some 400 pages of documentation last year). The awards cover both individual accomplishments as well as team accomplishments. This is the fourth season for the Ballpark Digest Awards. A complete listing of Ballpark Digest Awards can be found atwww.ballparkdigest.com/awards.

ABOUT BALLPARK DIGEST/AUGUST PUBLICATIONS

The leading Website covering the culture and business of baseball since its inception in 2002, Ballpark Digest (www.ballparkdigest.com) has been called an “indispensable” guide to baseball and ballparks by The New York Times; it’s been used as a source by publications and Websites ranging from The Wall Street Journal toEpicurious.com. August Publications is a publisher based in Middleton, Wis. Besides Ballpark Digest, August Publications’ leading Websites include SpringTrainingOnline.com, ArenaDigest.com and YellowstoneInsider.com.

For season tickets, group or party deck information for the 2012 season, call (253) 752-7707, emailtickets@tacomarainiers.com or visit our website at www.tacomarainiers.com.

Decatur grad Benson Henderson will be taking part in the UFC on Fox press conference on UFC.com starting at 1 p.m.  on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Henderson will be fighting Clay Guida in the co-main event on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Here is where you can watch the press conference live or taped. 

Here is an article that currently appears on wiaa.com giving an inside look at the humongous cross country championships that will take place Nov. 5 at Sun Willows Golf Course in the Tri-Cities. The state meet will host 225 teams and over 1,700 runners from all classifications.

The Thomas Jefferson girls, along with the Todd Beamer boys will be competing in the Class 4A team race, along with individual runners from Federal Way and Decatur.

The Kent-based Seattle Mist Lingerie Football League team will be on national television Friday, Nov. 4, from the ShoWare Center in Kent. The Mist will be playing the Las Vegas Sin. Here is the story that appears in the Kent Reporter about the game.

The 12-team Lingerie Football League features scantily clad women playing seven-on-seven tackle football on a 50-yard field. They play 17-minute halves. Each offense features a quarterback, center, two running backs and three receivers. There is no punting or field goals. Teams must throw at least two passes every four downs.

The players wear helmets with clear face shields, shoulder pads, sports bras, tight shorts, elbow and knee pads.

The Seattle Sounders FC trails Real Salt Lake by a 3-0 aggregate score entering their game tonight at CenturyLink Field in the Major League Soccer Western Conference Semifinals. Meaning the Sounders, and Thomas Jefferson graduate Lamar Neagle, will have to outscore Salt Lake by three or more goals to advance in the MLS Playoffs. Neagle is third on the team with six goals during the 2011 season.

The game will be televised on ESPN 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Read more about tonight’s game on SoundersFC.com.

Heading into the postseason, Todd Beamer girls soccer is the top-ranked Class 4A team in the state. The Seattle Times’ rankings came out after the Titans ended the regular season as the SPSL South Division champions.

Beamer will take on the defending state champion Kentwood Conquerors at 8 p.m. at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup on Nov. 2 for the SPSL title. Kentwood won the SPSL North Division.

Here are The Seattle Times rankings for Class 4A for Week 9:

Class 4A

1. Beamer (13-0-3)
2. Skyline (13-0-2)
3. Snohomish (15-1-1)
4. Skyview (Vancouver) (12-0-3)
5. Kentwood (14-1-1)
6. Tahoma (11-3-2)
7. Bellarmine Prep (13-2-1)
8. Gonzaga Prep (14-2-0)
9. Mead (12-3-0)
10. Kentridge (11-2-3)

On the bubble: Cascade (Everett) (9-6-1), Central Valley (Spokane)
(12-3-0), Curtis (10-3-3), Eastlake (6-3-8), Emerald Ridge (11-4-1),
Edmonds-Woodway (9-5-2), Evergreen (Vancouver) (8-3-1), Gig Harbor
(12-3-1), Issaquah (9-4-2), Jackson (11-3-2), Kentlake (8-5-3), Lake
Stevens (13-4-0), Lewis & Clark (Spokane) (14-3-0), Moses Lake
(11-5-0), Olympia (11-2-3), Puyallup (10-2-4), Redmond (8-6-3),
Richland (12-3-0), Rogers (Puyallup) (7-3-6), South Kitsap (10-3-2),
Woodinville (7-5-3).

Decatur High School graduate Ben Henderson will get into the cage for the biggest fight of his career Nov. 12 when he takes on Clay Guida at the UFC on Fox event on national television. The winner of the fight will likely get a shot at the 155-pound UFC Lightweight title holder Frankie Edgar in the near future.

Henderson is 2-0 in the UFC after wins over Jim Miller and Mark Bocek. Henderson previously held the 155-pound championship belt in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) before the organization was bought by the UFC.

Along with the exposure of fighting on national TV next weekend, Henderson will also have an extra $5,000 in his pocket. The UFC announced that he, long with Forrest Griffin, Joe Lauzon and Joseph Benavidez were awarded the “Most Creative Tweets” prize by UFC.com.

Henderson tweeted the following after hearing about the award:

“We did it tweeps, we won…they like us, they really like us…hehehe…”

You can follow Henderson on Twitter @SMOOTHone155

Here is the official press release issued by Henderson’s agent:

“Smooth” Benson Henderson awarded Twitter bonus by UFC