2012 » t I do.Woodley (15-3) wrestled at Missouri and will try to

EDMONTON -- Odell Willis is the happiest man on the Edmonton Eskimos who cant control his rage. Hes the ever-smiling great teammate who has become a CFL vagabond due in part to self-centred behaviour. In other words, the newest Eskimos rush end is a walking enigma -- with 200 pairs of size-13 sneakers. "Show me the mawnnnnaaaay!!!" Willis -- in his six-foot-two, 255-pound frame -- shouts as he walks amongst his teammates in the Eskimo fieldhouse, a mile-wide grin on his face, mimicking wide receiver Rod Tidwell in the movie "Jerry Maguire." Eskimos camp is the fourth stop in five years for the 28-year-old import. "Sports is one of the things you can get a clean slate at in life," said Willis. "So were just ready to start clean, start fresh, new team, new look. Give this city something to smile about and be proud of." It has been a long journey. He was born in 1984 in Meridian, Miss., two decades after the area became the nationally infamous dark heart of racial hatred for the murder of three civil rights workers. He starred at the University of West Georgia, then went on to dominate arena football, prompting the Calgary Stampeders to give him an audition in 2009. He played half the season for Calgary, then got traded to Winnipeg. His sack total was 10 that year. The next two years in Winnipeg were the high point, when Willis became an outsized, outspoken media darling, the self-styled "Mayor of Swaggerville." He registered 11 sacks in 2010 and 13 in 2011 to earn CFL all-star recognition. His big game was matched by a big heart. Sitting out a practice with a bad hip one time, Willis became the teams roving ambassador to a group of young fans, escorting them around the field, introducing them to players, making friends for life. His big game was also matched by big talk. "Whos Brent Johnson?" he once asked in a public war of words with the B.C. Lions legendary sack leader. He made highlight reels for lightning-fast end runs, turning offensive tackles into turnstiles, followed by devastating hits to the quarterback. But there were penalties, many penalties: facemasking, roughing the passer, unnecessary roughness. Midway through 2011 his indifference to defending the run relegated him to passing downs only. He was not pleased and during the Bombers preparations for the Grey Cup tweeted hed rather be at home eating Thanksgiving dinner. The end came when he demanded the Bombers release him from his contract so he could try his luck in the NFL. Instead, they shipped him west to Regina. "Sometimes you have to make decisions based on more than talent alone," sighed then Winnipeg head coach Paul LaPolice at the time. Riders GM Brendan Taman rationalized it the other way. "If they can help you win games, provided theyre not being a total idiot off the field, you have to look at bringing them in," Taman said in March 2012. Two weeks later, Willis was arrested for alleged drunk driving in the pre-dawn hours in suburban Atlanta. In Riderville, he saw his sack totals fall to six in 2012, while the penalties continued to mount. "Hes going full speed trying to kill the quarterback, and its not about killing the quarterback," Saskatchewan coach Corey Chamblin told reporters last season. "He just has to find more control and more balance." When free agency arrived on Feb. 15, Saskatchewan stood by as Willis headed further west, this time to Edmonton, a team that has been bottom feeding for years and makes no secret of its willingness to adopt the leagues reclamation cases (see Eric Tillman and Jerome Messam). He joined the Esks three minutes after free agency began, an obvious violation of rules prohibiting teams and free agents from negotiating beforehand. The Eskimos were fined $10,000 for tampering. The team paid up and wouldnt discuss it further. Eskimo head coach Kavis Reed said hes had a heart-to heart-with Reed and the message is clear. "Swaggerville will not be coming west," said Reed, who coached Willis in Winnipeg. "Odell is a phenomenal talent. He is a young man that his teammates are going to absolutely love. "He loves to go to work and when he goes to work, he goes to work. But he also loves to make things fun. Thats a good trait to have as a teammate -- but for us its all about the team." Willis agreed, to a point. "The mayor (of Swaggerville) is here, but were going to be more professional about ourselves this year, try to lead these young guys to a Cup," he said. But the Odell Willis who mugs for the media, jokes with his teammates and lauds the "shoe connoisseur" who tracks down Michael Jordan sneakers for him from all over North America doesnt plan to change. "Youre going to see this 24/7, because this who I am," he said. Notes: The Eskimos beleaguered offensive line took another blow Tuesday, when the team announced that Orrin Thompson has been lost for the year with a knee injury. The six-foot-six 320-pound tackle was injured on the first day of camp Sunday.Custom Braves T-shirts .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Greg Maddux Jersey Large . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. http://www.custombravesjersey.com/ . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. Bobby Cox Jersey Large . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Babe Ruth Jersey Large . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday.The UFC can hang an under new management sign on the octagon.The new era under the Hollywood entertainment conglomerate WME-IMG banner kicks off Saturday with UFC 201 at Philips Arena in Atlanta. UFC President Dana White and the new owners have suggested little will change immediately for the promotion.Robbie Lawler can only hope that also means the staus quo remains at the top of the welterweight division.The UFC still has plenty of buzz coming off the landmark 200 pay-per-view, though the aftermath has been sullied in recent weeks by former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnars failed drug tests, as well as Jon Jones earlier test failure.Holy Holm has been exposed as the next Buster Douglas one-hit wonder more than a true rival for Ronda Rousey. And UFC 201 almost seems like a speed bump as the promotion gears up for UFC 202 and the anticipated rematch between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor.But looking to steal the spotlight is Lawler, making his third title defense in a remarkable career resurgence, this time against Tyron Woodley. Lawler not only defeated Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit in his first two defenses, he earned fight of the night honors on both cards.Lawler (26-10) is looking for more than earning that title for a third straight card.No one ever wants fight of the night, he said. Every fight, Ive gone in I want knockout of the night. I want to be in and out quick. Sometimes these guys just have a lot of grit, theyre highly trained and I just cant get them out of there so I get fight of the night. So its not necessarily Im changing anything. Its like, Im just sick of fight of the night. I want to knock people out.Lawler and Condit established a lofty benchmark for the best fight of 2016 with their thrilling slugfest at UFC 195 in Las Vegas. Lawler was awarded a narrow decision and both fighters kept going into a brutal fifth round in which theey struggled to lift their arms for punches or defense.ddddddddddddA rematch might have been the most intriguing option for both fighters. Lawler, who has finished 20 of 26 fighters by knockout, instead matched up against Woodley.This is who Im fighting. My coaches and guys decided who they wanted me to fight next, he said.The former all-state wrestler from Iowa had his first UFC fight in May 2002, but was out of the promotion by 2005. Back for a second shot, Lawler now stands behind only flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson as the longest-reigning champion in the UFC.Im not excited, he said. Im just a mean fighter whos looking to go out there and finish people and do what I do.Woodley (15-3) wrestled at Missouri and will try to use that as a counter to Lawlers superior standup skills. Woodley is fighting for his first championship over seven fights in his UFC career and lost his only other pro title fight in 2012 when he competed in Strikeforce.The difference between me then and me now is that Im putting everything together, Woodley said. You guys have seen the submission games, youve seen the wrestling games, youve seen the striking game. Over time, I just matured as a fighter and its my time to seize it. Im putting everything together and Im ready to take off.The UFC is ready to take off as well, with WME-IMG set to try and take the dominant mixed martial arts promotion in the world into yet another level. The UFC was sold for approximately $4 billion, with Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta out and White still the boss and public face of the company.Other fights of note on the main card are Rose Namajunas vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz; Matt Brown fights Jake Ellenberger in a welterweight bout; and Francisco Rivera fights Erik Perez. ' ' '