The first round of the UEFA Champions League is set to kick off today. This stage of the competition always produces exciting match-ups and plenty of last second heroics, making it one of the greatest sports competitions in the world. David Beckham, currently playing with AC Milan, will face his old club Manchester United for the first time since leaving the club in 2003. It will be an emotional day for Beckham, but his side is poised to pull of the upset against the reigning Premier League champions. The player to watch on AC Milan will not be Beckham, but the young Brazilian Forward Pato. His speed, quickness, and skill on the ball will keep Manchester United’s back line busy all night. For Manchester United, the man of the moment has to be Wayne Rooney. He is currently in the goal scoring form of his career and will look to put his stamp on the match early. Today’s other match sees Real Madrid and their new “Galacticos” face off against French side Lyon. All matches start at 2:45PM EST, for a full schedule of the first knock out stage visit uefa.com

Only 2 more days until gametime! Super Bowl XLIV kick off time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST on February 7, 2010, the latest calendar date for a Super Bowl yet. You have less than 48 hours to get yourself ready before kick off. It’s not too late to upgrade to that new big screen HDTV. Make sure you stock up your fridge with your beverage of choice and have plenty of food supply.

This year’s game features the New Orleans Saints’ first Super Bowl appearance since their foundation in 1967, while it is the fourth time a Colts franchise team has appeared, since their foundation in 1953 as the Baltimore Colts. In their three previous Super Bowl appearances, all also in Miami, the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts have lost once in 1969 and won twice in 1971 and 2007. With Jim Caldwell as the Colts’ head coach, this is the Colts’ second consecutive Super Bowl appearance with an African American head coach, their first was with Tony Dungy in 2007 with a victory against the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.

Super Bowl XLIV should be a great one! Peyton Manning will be going for his second Super bowl ring. While Drew Brees and the Saints are going for history as an offensive team winning it all the way. As always, Super Bowl commercials are also well anticipated as these ads provide us entertainment and excitement. Super Bowl 2010 has a complete package for all the fans out there. A complete Sunday entertainment for all the football and sports lovers alike. High powered offenses will collide on the big stage. Who do you think will win? Saints or Colts? Regardless of who you have your money on…just don’t be late and enjoy the festivities!

While one famous Texan has been getting all the Tour de France headlines, perhaps another Texan will end up best capturing the legacy of this year’s tour. Austin-based photographer Brent Humphrey’s Project Le Tour portfolio captures the grace of the racers and the morning fog coming down jagged hills, yes, but also the tents of campers waiting for a brief glimpse at the riders, rotisserie chicken being grilled at roadside stands, and the proclivity of sunbathers along the roadside. In all, a fascinating, quirky glimpse at the world’s most famous bicycle race. Lance who?

See more images of this collection after the jump.

“The Frame” section of the Sacramento Bee is a truly impressive photo blog that documents many world events in stunning fashion. All photos posted in the feature are in high definition. These collections closely follow the concept used for the the Boston Globe’s “Big Picture,” though the subject matter varies, obviously.

For its latest installment, the Sacramento Bee multimedia staff acquired images for a piece on the numerous stages of the Tour de France. This storied race has grown enormously popular in the US much in part to the success of Lance Armstrong. The backdrops for these pictures are nothing short of awesome. You’ll find that photo blogs such as these can be quite inspiring.

See all of the photos at The Sacramento Bee website or head over to the jump to see some of our selections.

Source: Sacramento Bee

Nike quickly put together a fun spot for Roger Federer’s win after Roland Garros. This fun animated short entitled, “The Roger Federer Equation,” shows the math behind his French Open achievement, and his accomplishment of tying Pete Sampras for the most-ever Grand Slam titles at 14. Roger will now move on to Wimbledon next, where he must recapture his crown from defending champ, Rafael Nadal.

View the video after the jump.

After a long, arduous season in which 32 teams fought out to claim the right to be crowned the Champions of European football, two of the world’s best teams are left to contest club football’s biggest prize. The UEFA Champions League final pits recently-crowned Spanish league and cup champions FC Barcelona, headed by the young Josep Guardiola, against the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson’s history-making Manchester United, looking to become the first side to retain the Champions League since UEFA changed its format in 1992. Pitting some of the biggest names in world football against each other, such as Thierry Henry against Rio Ferdinand, Carles Puyol versus Wayne Rooney, Xavi Hernandez against Michael Carrick, this promises to be a mouth-watering final set to grab the world’s attention. And we haven’t got around to talking about the clash between football’s current golden boys: Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi. Catch the showpiece in Rome wherever you are, this is THE dream final Europe has wanted for over a year.

Source: UEFA

Time to get your gear, your grub, and the beverage of your choice ready as the biggest football game of the year is upon us. Super Bowl XLIII, to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season, is scheduled to be played on February 1, 2009, with kickoff at 6:20 PM Eastern Time, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
The game will feature the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers (14-4) and the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals (12-7).

Of historical note, this game matches up two franchises previously merged into a single team (”Card-Pitt”) for the 1944 season in response to the depleted rosters during World War II. The Steelers will be going for its sixth Super Bowl win, which would place them in sole possession of the record for most Super Bowl wins(currently tied with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys with 5), while the Cardinals are seeking their first league title since 1947. It is the third Super Bowl in history to feature two pre-expansion era (pre-1960) teams, joining Super Bowl XIV (Steelers vs. Los Angeles Rams) and Super Bowl XLI (Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears). It will also be the first time that two quarterbacks who previously started for a Super Bowl winning team (Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger) will face one another since Jim Plunkett’s Los Angeles Raiders defeated Joe Theisman’s Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII.

This will be Tampa’s fourth time hosting this huge event. And as always, the host site has pulled out the red carpet for all visitors. Of course Tampa has the usual tourist sites to offer such as Hyde Park Village where you can do a plethora of shopping; or the Museum of Science and Industry where there is an IMAX theater and lots of other family activities. For those looking for more action, below are some key events for fans making plans to visit Tampa Bay for the big game.

Super Bowl Commissioners Party-Tampa Convention Center (Friday)-VIP Invite Only
Super Bowl Halcyon Jets Mile High Club Party-Empire Nightclub (Friday)
Super Bowl ESPN NEXT Big Weekend-202 South Morgan Street (Friday)-Hosted by Wyclef, and Lil Wayne
Super Bowl Leather and Lace-Jackson’s Bistro (Friday)-Hosted by Kim Kardashian, Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra
Super Bowl Pepsi Smash-Ford Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds (Friday)-Hosted by Enrique Iglesias
Super Bowl Bud Bowl Party-Channelside Bay Plaza (Friday and Saturday)
Super Bowl Saturday Night Spectacular-Pepin Hospitality Centre (Sat)-Hosted by Kevin Costner, and Michael Strahan
Super Bowl Legends All Star Party-Empire Nightclub (Sunday)-Super Bowl after party-Hosted by Dennis Rodman, and Lawrence Taylor

With our current economy being in a slump, these events may help our situation in a way. Please be ready to pull out those deadly credit cards or lots of cash if you’re trying to get in one of these scheduled events. If you are able or lucky enough to partake in any of these exclusive parties, an experience of a lifetime may very well be in your hands.

However, if you’re not one of those lucky ones, there’s always the Lowry Park Zoo or the Florida Aquarium. Not really our cup of tea here at SwipeLife. But don’t feel too sorry for yourself! You at least still have that thing you went to Tampa for…Super Bowl XLIII.

Enjoy the game!

European Football’s ultimate tournament, the UEFA Champion’s League, have announced the draw for the first knockout stage that will begin on February 24, 2009.  There are many intriguing match-ups between some of Europe’s powerhouse clubs.  The most interesting match-up pits Inter Milan along with charismatic manager Jose “The Special One” Mourinho against reigning Champions Manchester United and their legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Along with their great managers, both teams boast two of the best line-ups in Europe including superstars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo. There are sure to be fireworks over both matches of this draw so stay tuned. Keep reading after the jump to check out the rest of the match-ups plus a video of Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo to get you ready for their clash.

Atletico Madrid v Porto
Lyon v Barcelona
Arsenal v Roma
Inter Milan v Manchester United
Chelsea v Juventus
Villarreal v Panathinaikos
Sporting v Bayern Munich

Tonight, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao is scheduled to face Oscar “The Golden Boy” De La Hoya at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, Inc., the bout (on HBO Pay-Per-View) will be a 12-round, non-title fight contested at the 147-pound welterweight limit. (More after the jump.)

This is simply not your typical matchup. De La Hoya is a light middleweight whose last two fights were at the 150-pound mark. Pacquiao, the Ring Magazine No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, is the WBC lightweight champion at 135 pounds, taking the belt from David Diaz in June after moving up from the super featherweight class. The best Pound for Pound fighter in the world is a southpaw, and De La Hoya hasn’t fought a lefty since beating Hector “Macho” Camacho in 1997, back when the Golden Boy was The Ring’s Pound for Pound champion. Pacquiao has won his last eight fights in a row and for a smaller fighter, throws with a lot of power. He knocked out Erik Morales twice to avenge his last loss back in 2005, which ironically was also at the MGM Grand. Pacman is staying at Mandalay Bay this week because of that result.
Although Pacquiao goes into the fight widely recognized as the leading pound-for-pound boxer in the world, some boxing experts have speculated that 147 pounds could be too far above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya. Training for this mega fight, Oscar hired legendary trainers Angelo Dundee, Nacho Beristain, and young boxing talent Edwin Valero. The Golden Boy recently told the media that his team is unbeatable, while Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach responded with, “No one is going to be able to help Oscar pull the trigger when he faces Manny Pacquiao on Dec. 6″.

While the odds are still with Oscar, this showdown will still be considered as the fight of the year and possibly break pay per view records in boxing history. Pacquiao will receive $15 to 30 million (share of the pay-per-view), plus a guaranteed amount. This fight clearly will feature one of the biggest attractions ever to set foot in the ring. De La Hoya’s 2007 fight against Floyd Mayweather drew a record 2.2 million PPV buys and $120 million in revenue. Even in today’s rough economy, this bout with Manny Pacquiao is expected to be far and away the top money fight of 2008.

35 knockouts in his career, across five different weight classes would suggest that Pacman can hang with the best of them, even as the smaller man; which he has been for most of his career. The biggest question is whether the 12 pounds added by Pacquiao for this fight, will affect the incredible speed that he is known for. In adding so much weight, he risks losing his main weapon against the more methodical De La Hoya. In De La Hoya’s Middleweight fight against Bernard Hopkins, Oscar found it difficult to get near the larger Hopkins. When he did get close enough, his power did not show. Over the years, when there’s been such a significant difference in size, it has taken a spectacular performance from the “David” to take down the “Goliath.”
Pacman however, is unlike any other fighter. His style and uncanny ability to successfully connect various combinations will make him a very difficult opponent. De La Hoya will be able to muscle Pacman around the ring when close, but if Pacman is at the top of his game, he could very well make the bigger and older De La Hoya work very hard to chase him down. In Pacman’s last fight, coming up from Super Featherweight to Lightweight, he dominated David Diaz, ending it with a ninth round TKO. Over his career, Pacquiao has consistently stepped up through the weight classes to become a four weight World Champion, and has still been able to impose his distinct style on opponents, regardless of the size difference.

Another factor that makes this such an interesting matchup is desire. This is Pacman’s biggest payday ever, easily reaching eight figures. If he wins, they will back up the money truck again for a fight against Ricky Hatton, who is scheduled to be in the building to watch his next opponent. If he loses, it’s back to the lower weight classes and the lower paydays. De La Hoya is nearing the end of his career and has more money than he can count. He bought Ring Magazine last year and has his own clothing line. There’s nothing left for the Golden Boy to prove. If Pacman can keep his speed and retain some of the power that he had at Super Featherweight and Lightweight, we may very well witness one of the greatest upsets in boxing history.

Here is the tale of the tape for both men:

De La Hoya
Age: 35
Record: 39-5 (30 KO)
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 5-foot-10 1/2
Reach: 73 inches

Pacquiao
Age: 29
Record: 47-3-2 (35 KO)
Stance: Southpaw
Height: 5-foot-6 1/2
Reach: 67 inches

A few little flurries just hit us here in the east, and this is a chance to finally get the snowboarding topic rolling. That’s It, That’s All is a High Definition Snowboarding movie produced by Brain Farm in collaboration with Red Bull and Quiksilver. The DVD just came out at the end of this month and it’s something worth watching if you’re a fan of the sport.

Amid the never-ending mission to find the next adventure comes a snowboard film that opens doors to the possibilities. Dedicated to everything snowboarding, Travis Rice and a dream team crew set out on a seek-and-destroy operation for the new zone, the new trick and the new perspective on the sport. New Zealand, Valdez, B.C., Munich, Tokyo, Jackson Hole and deeper…seen in a new light with action that leaves you wondering, how did they do that? Aspiring to bring you closer, the Hi Def, 35mm, super16 footage answers the question why TRice and his friends have poured blood, sweat, tears and soul into a simple thing like snowboarding. Take a look. That’s it. That’s all.

Riders featured: Travis Rice, Nicolas Muller, Terje Hakonsen, Mark Landvik, Jeremy Jones, Pat Moore, Scotty Lago, Kyle Clancy, Bryan Iguchi, Jake Blauvelt, Danny Kass and more.

Buy it here for $29.99