Chael Sonnen (27-13-1) has been unsuccesful in his last three UFC title shots and it seems to many that he may never earn another shot at gold. However, with these certain cirumstances that could play out by the end of 2013, the American Gangster could earn himself another trip to a championship fight.

Sonnen recently lost his last bout to Jon Jones for the Light Heavyweight Championship in the very first round by TKO. Jones seemed to win the fight rather easily with takedowns and clinch work.

But let’s face it, it’s not an easy task to defeat Jon Jones and Jones’ last five competitors could attest to that. Jones has now indicated that a move to heavyweight could happen by the end of 2013. “I definitely have goals to compete at heavyweight and obviously go for a championship,” Jones said at a MetroPCS fan chat back at UFC on Fox 5. Now that Jon Jones could be out of the picture at light heavyweight beginning of 2014, we could see an open competition / grand prix-like-tournament for the 205 lb. strap.

Ten days; that's all it took for Jason Kidd to land a coaching gig after he retired from his playing career in the NBA. Not just any coaching gig, he landed the head coaching job for the Brooklyn Nets.

Kidd led the Nets to two NBA finals during his 7-season tenure with the team (while in New Jersey). Those were the prime years of his career. During that stint, he was an All-Star 5 times, All-NBA first team member 2 times, All-NBA defensive first team member 2 times and NBA assist leader 2 times. Those years were some of the highlights of his storied, hall of fame career. This next season, he will turn in his number 5 jersey for a tailored suit. How successful will he make the transition?

During his introductory press conference, Kidd addressed that topic. He said, “Yes, I have a lot to learn about coaching, but when I played I felt I was an extension of the coach.”

Yes it’s true. As I pack up my prison size dorm room and prepare to head north from Eugene, a sad realization hits. The school year is over and a full nine months of Oregon sports goes with it. Whether you’re a Duck or Beaver, it’s easy to see that with the conclusion of collegiate spring sports, athletics across the state come to a slow. Without school in session and no professional teams, Oregonians get the short end of the stick. Welcome to dry season.

Before fretting or jumping ship, however, there are still a few options to tie you over until fall.

The illustrious Chael Sonnen (27-13-1) has again used his sly tongue, keen self marketing, and deep fan base to book himself another landmark fight. He will face the legendary Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (21-7) at "UFC on FOX Sports 1 1: Shogun vs. Sonnen", which takes place August 17th at Boston's TD Garden.

Sonnen had campaigned for the matchup when it was announced that Rua's original opponent, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (21-5), was removed from the UFC 161 fight card due to a back injury. He flew to Twitter to post "@ShogunRua I HEAR BRAZILIAN CHICKEN IS OFF THE MENU. AMERICAN GANGSTER IS STILL AVAILABLE IF YOU WANT TO SEND YOUR WAITRESS OVER". It was classic Chael Sonnen banter, yielding classic Chael Sonnen results. The fight was booked, scratched via Visa issues, and then rebooked for the upcoming Boston card. Just seven weeks after his failed title bid against light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones (18-1), Sonnen has worked his way into a headliner slot against a veteran contender.

For some it is a harmless joke.  For others, a pointed insult.  Regardless of why it gets said, using homophobic language has gotten a surprising amount of professional athletes in trouble over the last few weeks.

Shortstop Yunel Escobar (now with the Tampa Bay Rays) inscribed the insult on his eye black.  San Jose Quakes forward Alex Gordon was suspended 3 games for telling it to Portland Timbers midfielder Will Johnson, while Houston Dynamo midfielder Colin Clark told it to the ball boy of all people.  Suso of football club Liverpool was fined for referring to his teammate as "gay" on twitter, as was New York Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire.  Philadelphia Flyers right wing Wayne Simmonds called New York Rangers enforcer Sean Avery a homophobic slur on camera, yet conveniently forgot it by the next day when about to be disciplined.  Most recently fined was Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert during the ongoing series against the Miami Heat.

The overwhelming majority of the evidence does not point towards anything malicious towards members of the gay and lesbian communities.  No one is accusing the players that make these statements of being homophobic.  It is simply ignorance of the word, rather than the language behind the word.

The United States Census Bureau estimates that, as of 2012, Portland is one of the 30 largest cities in the USA. We clock in at 28 on the population charts, ahead of cities like Kansas City, Oakland, Miami, Detroit, Cleveland, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh.

But what do all those cities above have in common that Portland doesn’t have? Two or more major sports teams. Minneapolis has four major sports teams, same with Detroit. All the other cities on the list have three major sports teams except for Kansas City, which only has two major sports teams.

Another similarity between the cities with a lower population than Portland but more pro sports? Except for Oakland, none of them are from the Western half of the United States.

Portland is constantly growing as a city, and the landscape of sports in Portland are changing as well. In the last three years, we’ve seen the introduction of the Portland Timbers, the soccer team with the largest season-ticket waiting list in North America.

It’s no Iowa cornfield, but I-5 makes a good substitute for baseball paradise this weekend.

On Field of Dreams Way in Keizer, Volcanoes Stadium will be teeming with prep baseball players searching for state championship glory. The 1A-6A title games will be played there today and Saturday.

Moving south, the big boys will take the diamond in Corvallis and Eugene for the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.

If you like baseball played by players who aren’t paid, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Despite not having any Major League counterpart, Oregon stands alone in the college baseball landscape.

In a perfect world, one’s salary would reflect one’s relative value to society. What do you contribute? Does your work make the world a better place? What problems do you solve? With such a standard, it would be easy to figure out who’d be taking home the largest paychecks. Teachers, doctors, nurses, and first responders are a few folks who leap to mind.

As we all know, the world we inhabit is anything but perfect. Instead of teachers pulling down seven-figure salaries, athletes, financiers, and attorneys make the big bucks [insert lawyer joke here- please]. Teachers? They’re lucky if they make $50,000 a year. Policeman, firemen, and nurses don’t fare much better. If you’re unable to see the injustice and inequity in that … well, you really should leave your cave in Tora Bora more often, knowhutimean?

What makes this reality more depressing is the recent report that the highest paid public employee in Washington State is a football coach. Not the governor, not a university president, a football coach. Welcome to today’s “WTF??” moment, eh?

You’ve watched award shows. The ceremony is reported on television, radio, and newspapers.

It’s a big party.

The great men and women stride to a podium to give thanks and encouragement.

If they have a presenter introducing them, they give a hug, a bro-hug, or handshake. They usually mention people who helped them along the way.

The induction ceremonies are part of sports fans' must see TV. The only complaints come from those whose guy didn’t get in, didn’t get in with a unanimous vote, or had to wait longer than expected for the honor.