Nick Diaz has a message for those who think he is insolent: It’s not me. It’s you.

“It’s disrespectful people don’t think I’m important,” Diaz said in a bizarre rant during the UFC 158 conference call Thursday afternoon.

Diaz will meet welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in the main event for the title. The pay-per-view event is scheduled for next Saturday at Montreal’s Bell Centre.

Both fighters were on the call, as was UFC President Dana White. They were joined by Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks, Jake Ellenberger and Nate Marquardt. Condit will meet Hendricks, while Ellenberger will fight Marquardt in the semi-main events of the welterweight-heavy card. Tickets are available at the Bell Centre box office. Prices range from $85 to $600.

“I don’t get a lot of recognition for what I set out to accomplish,” Diaz said. “Nobody knows who I am. [I] just think I should be given the [mainstream] credit I deserve. That makes me pretty angry. I’m disrespectful because I want the acknowledgement.”

White has criticized Diaz in the past for not working with the UFC to generate media coverage for his fights.

Diaz and St. Pierre were scheduled to meet at UFC 137 but the fight was cancelled after Diaz missed press conferences. White told reporters during the UFC 157 postfight press conference that Diaz and his brother, Nate, who fights in the UFC lightweight division, had passed on three interviews with in-house television producers for the UFC Primetime series.

White opened the call by noting the media relations staff was looking for Diaz, who apologized for running late.

“I like [media coverage] just fine,” Diaz said. “I don’t like when I’m not ready for it.”

He does sound ready for the long-awaited fight. Diaz is 26-8-1 all time but 7-4-0 in UFC. Half of Diaz’s 26 wins have come via knockout.

“[You] can’t underestimate his standup. He knocks people out,” White said. “The champ wanted this fight.”

It showed as the two verbally sparred throughout the call.

Diaz wondered why St. Pierre (23-2-0 all-time; 18-2-0 in the UFC) would not look past him to a potential superfight with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. St. Pierre said he “didn’t care about it at all. [I’m] not looking past Nick Diaz. I respect my opponent” when asked about his interest in a fight with Silva.

Silva is scheduled to meet Long Island’s Chris Weidman in a title fight at UFC 162 in Las Vegas, Nev. in July. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey is tentatively scheduled to fight the winner of the Cat Zingano-Miesha Tate bout on that card.

St. Pierre’s irritation spilled over after Diaz repeatedly suggested he was “pampered” and had people do things for him. St. Pierre admitted he has people who tweet for him when asked about a series of twitter messages about his “dark side.”

“Let me tell you something, uneducated fool. I started from the bottom. I worked very hard to get to where I am,” St. Pierre said. “[You] didn’t succeed yet. [Maybe you won’t succeed because you’re] not smart enough to reach that point.

“You need a team [to help you out when you reach a certain level of stardom].”

Responded Diaz: “I’m not a disrespectful human being.”

Follow UFC writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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A case in point was the simplest of comments offered last week at the NFL combine by Chip Kelly. The new Eagles coach said he didn’t want to trade Nick Foles because he really wanted to work with the young, promising, but slow-footed quarterback.

The howls of indignation that followed this innocuous remark were astonishing. An internet poll I oversaw at WIP radio had 58-percent of Eagles fans saying Kelly was lying. Reports surfaced almost that the coach was looking for nothing more than a third-round draft pick for Foles. The consensus was: Who does Chip Kelly think he’s kidding?

What made this reaction so interesting is that Kelly has absolutely no track record for fabrication. He was known at Oregon as guarded, maybe even distrustful with the media, but never a liar. So far, he has dazzled no one with the hiring of his new staff and decision to bring back Mike Vick. But he has made no obvious attempt at deception.

So why has he been branded an unreliable source for information? Well, the obvious reason is that he’s following Andy Reid, a coach who had no respect for the fans or for the truth. Remember, it was Reid who said he was “trying to win the football game” when he got LeSean McCoy hurt in the final two minutes of a 31-6 loss last season.

The Eagles, as an organization, have obviously been no slaves to the truth, either. Their medical reports have been consistently misleading, their explanations for fan-unfriendly decisions have been insulting and, well, former president Joe Banner poisoned many psyches with his 16 years of tall tales.

Fans have every right to doubt what sports figures are saying, especially after a decade of lies from Lance Armstrong, Alex Rodriguez and an ever-growing list of cheats and scoundrels. And when these sports voices are not lying to them, they are hiding from sight, like Sixers GM Tony DiLeo or Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz or Eagles owner Jeff Lurie.

The few who do tell the truth in sports quickly rise to the top of popularity polls: Charles Barkley, Larry Andersen, and — just last week — Claude Giroux. The Flyers captain said his team was “going through the motions” in a game against Montreal, inspiring some improved play from his teammates and outright amazement from the fans.

As someone who has survived 23 years talking sports in Philadelphia, I can say with some authority that honesty is the one quality that can cut through the din of deceitful voices rattling in our ears. Fans will always embrace an honest answer to a fair question. They will always revere an honest person.

If Chip Kelly learns nothing else from the cynicism over his support of Nick Foles, it should be this: Just tell the truth. It will definitely separate him from the pack of incorrigible liars who populate the sports world today.

Doc passes ace torch to Hamels

Roy Halladay’s gracious handing of the torch to Cole Hamels re-established him as the soul of the Phillies. No one on the aging team deserves a World Series win more than the 35-year-old pitching warhorse, Doc Halladay.

After Hamels was chosen to start the exhibition opener, Halladay stepped up and praised the decision to make the young lefty the ace of the staff. Halladay has started every season opener since 2002, and he accepted without complaint the demotion that his poor 2012 season demanded.

Then Halladay reclaimed his role as a leader by publicly calling for more urgency to win from the entire team, especially early in the 2013 season. The future Hall of Famer pointed out that the Phillies treated April and May like extended spring training last year, while Washington raced out to an insurmountable lead.

Of course, if you were reading this column back then, you already know how absurd the Phillies’ blasé attitude was, and ultimately how destructive it became. In his own subtle, classy way, Halladay was sending a high, hard one right under the chin of manager Charlie Manuel, the culprit behind 2012′s early stupor.

Thanks to Halladay’s leadership last week, we can all take some comfort in the notion that April and May will be better this season. Nobody has more riding on it than Manuel himself.
Andrew Bynum, the big negative

Is there really anything else to say about the poster boy for sports apathy, Andrew Bynum? Ah, let’s give it a try.

Bynum has become such a negative influence on Philadelphia sports that Sixers tickets are selling for pennies on the secondary market and there are public demands for the lackadaisical center’s immediate release. Despite my utter disgust over him, I disagree with this sudden outcry for revenge.

First of all, dumping him now would give Bynum a chance to sign with another team and maybe play enough games to showcase himself before free agency. Other than satisfying our natural urge to punish a deadbeat, there is nothing to gain from this.

A better idea is to continue to monitor his progress from chronic knee issues in the hope that he can get back on the court soon. Hey, he did actually practice with the team for the first time over the past few days. There’s always hope.

Now here comes the best part of this plan: When Bynum is finally ready to show the world that he’s worth the $100 million or more he will be seeking after this outrageous season, the Sixers should sit his rear end on the bench and never play him. Not one minute.

Think about it for a second. The Sixers would be insane to sign Bynum to a long-term deal after the past six months, and the current season is a lost cause anyway. Scoring a win over Bynum — and a blow against unmotivated, me-first, hair-stylin’, bowling-crazed egomaniacs — would provide some solace, wouldn’t it?
Idle thoughts from Cataldi
» The Eagles are talking about restructuring Nnamdi Asomugha’s contract. How about requiring the overrated cornerback to pay the Eagles to play here next season? If he gives back, say, $5 million, of the money he’s stolen so far, we might be able to stave off the nausea of watching him play again.

» Howie Roseman said last week that the Eagles will draft the best player on the board with the fourth pick, and then the GM quickly added that this stud will have to fit into the team’s new system. Hmmm. Isn’t that a total contradiction? Could it mean Roseman has no idea what he’s doing? Just wondering.

» Tony DiLeo finally made a move six months into his tenure as Sixers GM. He acquired Charles Jenkins and his 1.7-per-game average from Golden State. Jenkins is a point guard, the deepest position on the Sixers. So now it’s official. DiLeo is off to a very slow start as GM.

Roy Halladay has graciously handed the reins of Phillies staff ace over to Cole Hamels.

» If a lack of leadership was such a big deal on the 2012 Phillies, then can we finally stop praising Charlie Manuel for being so brilliant at managing personalities? Obviously, if no one stepped forward, that failure reflects on the guy leading the players, doesn’t it?

» Andrew Bynum unveiled yet another new look last week when he corn-rowed one side of his head and coiffed an Afro in the other side. Still, fans continue to criticize him for not paying attention to the important things. It’s just so unfair.

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TheBigLead is reporting ESPN’s “SportsCenter” will be shrinking from three hours down to two during the day. An announcement is expected next month. Hannah Storm (meh) and Kevin Negandhi (we can roll with that) will host from 9-11 a.m. followed by Chris McKendry (meh) and Jay Crawford (god awful) from 11-1 p.m. and then Sage Steele (like) and David Lloyd (no clue who this is) from 1-3 p.m.

J.R. Smith was talking about some plumbing issues with a lovely young lady on Twitter.

Tuning into SportsCenter, especially when you work in the sports industry, is kind of like eating your vegetables when you’re a little kid. You want no part of it, but you know you have to. So, while we might prefer the program to go away forever, we know it is a necessary evil. Now if we could just get rid of Stephen A. Smith, it might be borderline watchable. Might be.

Sex, like a good Chubby Checker joke, has many slang terms in the English lexicon. From laying the wood to bumping uglies to checking the plumbing, everyone has a favorite. For Knicks star J.R. Smith, it is apparently “laying the pipe.”

In a recent Twitter exchange with a high school senior, via Deadspin, Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) asked the lovely young follower, “You trying to get the pipe?” We can only assume what he meant … unfortunately, there is no confirmation of any pipe laying on either end.

In a semi-related (pun intended) note, porn legend Ron Jeremy is back in business after battling a serious illness. Yes, he’s been cleared for take-off.

The post Playing the Field: Bye, Bye SportsCenter (we wish) appeared first on Metro.us.

Well, the Oscars are here (well, they’ll be here Sunday) and why can’t sports join in on the fun? And if you’re thinking, ‘What about the ESPY Awards?’, then click a banner ad and move along because they don’t count.

So, to borrow an old Bud Selig phrase, this time it counts. With that, we bring you Playing the Field’s version, better known as the Oscar Pistorius Awards.

Best male athlete in a leading role » LeBron James. As much as we’ve hated on the King in this space in the past — and all apologies to Kobe — he’s the best. He’s flat-out unstoppable right now, and he’s living proof that you can have your cake and eat it, too.

Best female athlete in a leading role » Beyonce. Before you even try and say that Bey isn’t an athlete, take a look at her abs in that GQ photo shoot. If that doesn’t sell you, remember that time she turned out the lights at the Super Bowl? Yes, that happened.

Best supporting male athlete » Oscar Pistorius’ prosthetic legs. The Blade Runner scooped up six Paralympic golds (and didn’t embarrass himself in the real Games). Oh right … he also strapped on those bad boys before shooting and killing his girlfriend. Legs!

Best supporting female athlete » Gabby Douglas’ hair. Douglas, the 17-year-old gymnast nicknamed the Flying Squirrel, turned in one of the most impressive performances in Olympic history. Then several detractors took to Twitter to call out her unkempt hair. Umm, looked fine to us. Then again, our grooming habits our very suspect.

Best producer » John Calipari. Kentucky coach earned his first national championship last April — and while his squad is struggling this year — Cal continues to churn out NBA hits (Nerlens Noel, he’ll be fine once Dr. James Andrews gets done with him, is his latest project).

Best costume design » Andrew Bynum. We’re not even factoring in his ridiculous, ever-changing hairstyles. No, no. Bynum gets this award for pretending to be an actual NBA superstar. Sorry, Sixers fans.

Best music » The real academy prefers original scores. We don’t. We’re giving this one to the Miami Dolphins cheerleading squad for its awesome rendition of that annoyingly addictive Carly Rae Jepsen song.

The post Playing the Field: The Sports Oscars edition appeared first on Metro.us.

It’s Valentine’s Day, a day created by Hallmark to make couples spend loads and loads of money on candy, flowers and gourmet dinners. Or the day when singles and cheaters clean up on the internet and in the bars.

Whatever side of the romantic fence you’re standing behind this year, one thing is certain: the made-up holiday is on everybody’s mind. Radio stations are cranking out all the classic love songs, while kids and grown-ups alike are handing out cards to classmates and co-workers. On Thursday, ESPN did a ridiculously stupid sketch where Damien Woody, starring as the Love Doctor, gave NFL fans advice on their favorite teams and players.

Point is, it’s infectious and we here at PFT aren’t above any of it. So away we go as we name the athletes and celebrities we would like to see hook up.

» Dwight Howard and Taylor Swift: We don’t get the whole fascination with Swift — a nice-looking girl with a decent voice — and her whiny, boyfriend-dissing ballads (not to mention her penchant for firing lovers … but she sure sounds like she would be perfect arm candy for Howard, who has made a living off whining, dissing teammates and getting coaches fired. Plus, Swift (5-foot-11) is one of the few girls that might not look completely ridiculous standing next to Howard (6-foot-11).

» Chad Johnson and Rihanna: The receiver formerly known as Ocho Cinco has been bored out of his mind since beating his wife and being kicked out of Dolphins camp. He is constantly on Twitter posting pictures (in Spain, at NBA games, at a Marilyn Manson concert), but Chad is usually alone — and he is dying for attention. Enter Rihanna, a longtime favorite in this space who needs to ditch Chris Brown. Rihanna, like Chad, is addicted to Twitter — and she likes to get wild and crazy, and doesn’t mind being put in her place every once in while.

» Andrew Luck and Jennifer Lawrence: Wow, what a pairing this would be, right? Luck is arguably the best young quarterback in football and Lawrence is the best young actress in Hollywood. Luck’s Colts have 40-1 odds to win the Super Bowl, while Lawrence is one of the front-runners to win the Oscar for Best Actress. Not to mention, they are both extremely young and attractive — with the possibility of spawning a long line of rifle-armed, post-apocalyptic killing machines.

» Jim Boeheim and Andy Katz: Because being an idiot and a disloyal person is no way to go through life. We need to get these two crazy kids back together immediately. College basketball needs them, just like Arm needs Hammer … like Oscar Pistorius needs legs a good attorney. What? Too soon?

The post Playing the Field: Valentine’s Day coupling edition appeared first on Metro.us.

For the first time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s nearly two-decade existence, a UFC pay-per-view will be headlined by women.

“I love the fact that they are scheduling more girl fights,” UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey said in a conference call Tuesday afternoon to promote next Saturday night’s UFC 157 pay-per-view. Rousey (6-0-0) will defend the title against Liz Carmouche (8-2-0) in the main event at Anaheim, Calif.’s Honda Center.

“I’m excited to see what’s next after this,” Rousey said about the UFC’s newfound concentration with women’s MMA. “It’s really encouraging. I’m very encouraged.”

Rousey is an overwhelming favorite to retain the 135-pound title as all of her wins have come via first round armbar.

“There’s a lot on the line. [I’m] not looking past this fight. We’ll see what happens after that,” Rousey said. “Liz Carmouche has 100 percent of my attention.”

It is what the future may hold for Rousey that has garnered interest.

UFC has scheduled a Miesha Tate-Cat Zingano fight for The Ultimate Fighter season 17 finale on April 13 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Rousey announced on the call she will be in attendance that night, and wants to face the winner.

Rousey submitted Tate for the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight title last March. She has never fought Zingano.

“I have a lot of options ahead of me,” Rousey said. “I’m going to take the plenty of options available to me.”

One option that doesn’t appear to be available is a potential superfight with Cris “Cyborg” Santos. Last week, Santos’ agent, UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz told Inside MMA that he requested the UFC release the former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion. However, other than the women-only Invicta promotion, there are not many alternatives for Santos.

Santos, who was suspended for a year after testing positive for stanozolol metabolites, has claimed she cannot cut down to 135 pounds due to health reasons. Rousey and the UFC have argued that if Santos wants to fight for the title then she will have to drop to 135 pounds. A 140-pound catch weight fight has been suggested but UFC President Dana White has told reporters that the bantamweight title would not be on the line should that come to pass.

“She’s making a lot of noise and trying to get attention because she’s kind of fading into being irrelevant,” Rousey said of her rival, who she mockingly renamed Cryborg. “She needs people going on TV and making a big fuss. At some point she’s going to have to come around and take the only fight that’s really available.”

Carmouche, Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida also participated on the call. Henderson and Machida will meet in the semi-main event to determine the No. 1 contender for Jon Jones’s light heavyweight title. Jones is scheduled to fight Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC 159 in Newark on April 27.

Follow MMA writer Denis Gorman on Twitter @DenisGorman.

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