NFL?s Zbikowski scores a first-round TKO with a body shot

Las Vegas _ Tom Zbikowski is accustomed to crushing ribs when he's on the football field. He used the same principle tonight in the ring at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Zbikowski, a safety for the Baltimore Ravens, drilled Richard Bryant with a left hook to the ribs. The flabby Bryant stood for a second and then crumbled to the floor. He rose to his feet at the count of seven, but referee Russell Mora didn't he feel he was able to go on. Zbikowski picked up his second professional win at 1:45 of the first round.

Zbikowski, a former All-American at Notre Dame, last fought in 2006. With the NFL lockout looming, Zbikowski decided it was time to step back in to the ring. He fought 100 times as an amateur and said before the fight, he's always wanted to get back in the ring.

As an opponent, Bryant was about what you'd expect a guy with one pro fight to face. Give Bryant some credit, he stood toe-to-toe with the NFL player and blasted him with a few thumping rights. Zbikowski, giving away 32 pounds, walked right through the shots. If Zbikowski chooses to makes a run at a legitimate boxing career he'll have to go to battle at cruiserweight, one of boxing's least glamorous divisions. He plays football around 215 pounds. He weighed in yesterday at 193.

Arielle Kebbel Jessica Paré Leelee Sobieski Teri Hatcher Lauren Bush

Yorvit Torrealba Is Not the Answer at Catcher for the Texas Rangers

There have been a lot of questions about this team going into the second half of the season, and a lot of those questions are concerning the starting rotation. One of the positions that I believe needs addressing is catcher.

Yorvit Torrealba and Mike Napoli are currently the team's catchers with Torrealba seeing the majority of playing time behind the plate. Both players were acquired over the previous offseason, and they have seen almost the same amount of playing time.

The only problem is that I believe Napoli is the better catcher, and I fail to see why Torrealba is getting the majority of starts. Torrealba has a losing record as a catcher while Napoli has the second best catcher ERA behind Jeff Mathis of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Here's a quick breakdown of both players:

	AVG	OBP	HR	WAR	CS/SB ratio	FP
Yorvit Torrealba	.261	.298	3	0.6	.327	.985
Mike Napoli	.245	.353	13	2.0	.385	.995

AVG = batting average, OBP = on-base percentage, WAR = wins above replacement, CS/SB = catcher's caught stealing/stolen base ratio, FP = fielding percentage

While Torrealba has Napoli beat in batting average, it's the latter that is statistically the better player. He's a huge offensive presence and has been better behind the plate in the number of games he's played there.

In fact, putting Napoli behind the plate opens up a spot at first base. If management finds it possible, Chris Davis could be brought up from Triple-A Round Rock and get a full-time spot there. Either way, I still believe that Yorvit is not the man who should be starting at catcher. Napoli is too dangerous of a player to keep on the bench.

Olivia Munn Melissa Sagemiller Roselyn Sanchez Soft Cell Beyoncé

Evening Shade: Cardinals and Reds meet in key NL Central tilt

Some weekday evenings,�the�Stew�looks at a few approaching games that will be worth monitoring. Feel free to discuss the night's happenings in the comments below.

Cardinals at Reds, 7:10 ET The Reds blew a chance to make the NL Central race even closer when they lost two of three to the Cards last week in St. Louis. But Cincinnati is still just four games behind the first-place Cardinals as this series begins.

Johnny Cueto allowed only one run over eight innings last time he faced St. Louis, but took a tough loss as the Reds' lineup couldn't score a run. The Cardinals counter with Jake Westbrook, who allowed seven runs (and three homers) in 4 2/3 innings in his last start versus Cincinnati.

Red Sox at Rays, 7:10 ET Is Andrew Miller for real? He sports a shiny 3-0 record and 3.57 ERA, but compiled those numbers against the Padres, Pirates, Astros and Orioles. How will he fare against a Rays team looking to cut into the Red Sox's six-game lead in the AL East?

White Sox at Tigers, 7:05 ET The White Sox and Tigers play each other in six of their next 12 games, beginning with a three-game series at Comerica Park. The White Sox could either get knocked out of the AL Central race or make it tighter, but the Tigers have dominated them so far this season. And Justin Verlander pitches Friday's opener.

Nationals at Braves, 7:35 ET The Braves have won seven of their last 10, and gone 24-12 since June 1. Getting Martin Prado back should help them stay on that roll. Tim Hudson is 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA in his past four starts. But Livan Hernandez has been very good against the Braves (1-1, 1.98 ERA in last four meetings).

Pirates at Astros, 8:05 ET The Pirates' revival has been fueled by beating up on inferior competition. For instance, they're 7-2 this season against the Astros. Jeff Karstens was one of the first half's biggest surprises, with a 7-4 record and 2.55 ERA that's fifth-best in the NL.

Follow Ian on Twitter ?�@iancass ? and engage�The Stew on Facebook

Amanda Swisten Scarlett Chorvat Kim Smith Hilary Duff Lake Bell

Watch Andre Agassi?s Tennis Hall of Fame induction speech

Andre Agassi was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this weekend and delivered a heartfelt speech in which he reflected on his life in tennis and thanked the people who helped him because one of the most successful players of his generation. Like in his book, "Open," Agassi had special words for his father, the man who molded Andre into a tennis champion while turning him against the sport he would come to rule.

"A man asked, 'how do you know when to stop telling your kids what to do?' The questioner was my father.

I was caught off guard that night, I didn't know what to say and I don't remember what I did say. But the answer has come to me now so clearly.

Dad, when I was five you told me to win Wimbledon. When I was seven you told me to win all the four Grand Slams. And more times than I remember you told me to get in the Hall of Fame. And when I was 29, I remember you told me to marry Steffi Graf.�Best order you ever gave me.

So dad, please don't ever stop telling me what to do."

Agassi mentioned during the speech that he wrote personal letters to the 10 most important people in his tennis life, including Nick Bollettieri, Gil Reyes and Brad Gilbert. You can read the notes at his website.

Michelle Obama Kerry Suseck FSU Cowgirls Abbie Cornish Krista Allen

Zach Britton: Why Time in the Minors Is What the Baltimore Orioles' SP Needs

Zach Britton was never meant to start the season in the Baltimore Orioles' starting rotation.  Nor, was he expected to be an early season contender for AL Rookie of the Year.

Britton was expected to spend spring training with the big club, before spending a few months at Triple-A.  The Orioles were prepared to be cautious with Britton, and it appeared he would not be rushed to the big leagues like so many other Orioles pitching prospects.

Well, that careful plan was blown to shreds in April.

Britton pitched so well in spring training that when another Orioles youngster, Brian Matusz, went down, management had no choice but to bring Britton to the majors when the Orioles broke camp.

So, how would the 23-year-old rookie, who had never been tested above Double-A, fare in his rookie season?  Britton looked every bit the phenom the Orioles proclaimed him to be in April and May, running up a 5-3 record to go with a 2.93 ERA, and earning consideration for Rookie of the Year.

After success came so easily at the major league level, Orioles brass was assuredly patting themselves on the back for dodging a bullet with Britton. This early promotion could have hindered his development into a major league ace.

Now, it is July, and Orioles' president of baseball operations, Andy MacPhail, and manager Buck Showalter find themselves with a little thinking to do when it comes to the rest of Zach Britton's season.  The wheels have fallen off in the last month for Britton, and there are warning signs that he was not as ready for the big leagues as it seemed in April.

Britton suffered through one of the worst pitching performances in recent Orioles' history last Friday.  He recorded only two outs, while giving up eight runs, all while looking utterly lost on the mound.  His ERA continued its upward trend and cracked 4.00 for the first time all season.

After the start, Britton was sent to Double-A so as not to miss a start due to the All-Star break.  It is widely assumed that Britton will be back with the Orioles by the end of the month.

Calling Zach Britton back from the minors would be the biggest mistake the Orioles could make this year.

Britton is not ready to be a major league pitcher.  He does not have command of the strike zone, as evidenced by his walk rate of 3.4 BB/9.  His lack of total command forces him to rely on one or two pitches and hurts his ability to go deep into games, averaging less than six innings per start.

With Britton's excellent first two months looking like a product of the league being unfamiliar with him, the Orioles need to learn from past experience with highly touted pitching prospects brought along too soon.  They need look no further than Daniel Cabrera, who took the league by storm for a few months in 2004 before the rest of the league realized he couldn't throw strikes.  Cabrera is out of baseball now.

Zach Britton will only benefit from a few months spent at Triple-A, learning how to command his secondary pitches, boosting his confidence.  He has been given a taste of the majors.  That taste should be enough to keep a fiery personality like Britton's motivated to get back on top. 

This is quickly turning into a lost year for the Orioles.  Permanently hindering the development of a potential future ace to pick up a few meaningless wins this season would be a terrible mistake. 

For the sake of future seasons, and Zach Britton's career, MacPhail and Showalter need to be 100 percent certain that Britton is ready for major league hitters.  He has shown flashes of brilliance this season, but those flashes are becoming fewer and further between.

It's not time to declare the handling of Zach Britton a complete failure just yet, but if Britton throws another pitch in the majors this year, the Orioles just might be headed that way.

Chelsea Handler Salma Hayek Jennifer Scholle Tatiana Zavialova Tila Tequila

Rosholt fighting his way back to UFC at Shark Fights 17? Rodriguez off and then back on card

Because of the high injury rate in mixed martial arts, the UFC is always looking for reinforcements. Jake Rosholt wants to be one of those guys.

The former NCAA Div. I wrestling champ at Oklahoma State was released by the promotion in 2010. Tonight, he takes on veteran Matt Horwich. Rosholt is 4-1 with a no contest since his departure, but that loss came against Horwich.

"[I take] nothing away from Horwich; he whipped my ass last time," Rosholt recently told MMAjunkie. "But it's going to be a completely different fight. I'm going in with a different mindset, just a different swagger, and I got a lot of confidence right now. I'm fighting good, and it's going to take a hell of a man to stop me."

Rosholt (11-3, 1 NC, 1-2 UFC) wants back in with the major leagues.

"I don't see why not (if) I go out there and put on a good performance," he said. "This would be like six wins in a row against a tough guy ? a guy that's beat me before ? so it's the first hurdle that I've had to jump in my career. It'll be a great test for me and damn sure a big stepping stone to get myself back in the UFC."

The card in Frisco, Tx. airing tonight on HDNet (9 p.m. ET) also includes former UFC heavyweight champ Ricco Rodriguez. This news comes after a wacky 24 hours where Rodriguez pulled out of his original bout. Rodriguez was booked for a 230-pound catchweight fight. The slimmed down Rodriguez, weighing just 227 pounds, watched his opponent come in at 253. Shark Fights found a late replacement in Doug Williams (pictured).

Angela Marcello Paz Vega Rebecca Mader Eva Green Lauren Conrad

Pat Miletich interview: Not everyone?s a fan of Tito getting UFC 133 main event

In describing his miraculous turnaround from the brink of retirement, Tito Ortiz is beginning to throw around the term "Cinderella story."� Ortiz, who fighting for his career at UFC 132, is now fighting Rashad Evans at UFC 133, but not everyone is feeling all warm and fuzzy. Showtime MMA analyst and former UFC fighter Pat Miletich was asked about Tito's tale and came across as less than thrilled that Ortiz is being given such a great opportunity (4:00 mark).

"I'm not comment a whole lot on that except, 'throw me in on an undercard and if I win, suddenly I'm a main event guy?' I don't know how that works. Tito puts asses in seats and probably sells pay-per-views, so it's a business decision most likely." Miletich said.

The Showtime analyst was also asked about a possible dream fight against Fedor Emelianenko.

"Let's be honest, Tito in the ring with Fedor ... I don't think Tito deserves that. I gotta be honest with you," Miletich said. "The level of class in those two persons. I don't think Tito remotely deserves that."

Miletich appeared on ESPNRadio1100 to promote his hour of the "The Sixth Annual ESPNRadio1100/98.9 FM 24-hour Radiothon" to benefit "The Caring Place" in Las Vegas.

Pat will be joined by Mauro Ranallo on Jul. 22 at the Palms. Anyone who'll be in the Las Vegas area that weekend can bid to sit in for an hour of radio with the Showtime duo. The proceeds go to "The Caring Place."

Check out the roster and bid if you'd like to contribute. Some of the other hours will hosted by Bernard Hopkins, Tony Dovolani, Brent Musberger, Larry Johnson, Jim Fassell and Mike Tyson.

Paula Garcés Genelle Frenoy Shania Twain Gwen Stefani Sunny Mabrey