Archive for March, 2009

Some stories from other great sites! Enjoy!

Man, The Pirates Are That Bad * PSAMP
Cop Prevents Texans Ryan Moats To Be By Dying Relatives Side * Sports Rubbish
NFL Worst Man Drafted Brackets, Vote Now! * FanSided
Lebron James: Shades of Kareem * Josh Q. Public
Simpsons “America Is The New York Yankees of Countries” * NESW Sports
Michigan Quarterback Nick Sheridan Hurt Badly * Eleven Warriors
Cavaliers 98, Nets 87 * Curse of Cleveland
Complete List of NBA Players Who Can’t Dunk * Rootzoo
The Key To Beating The Penguins Is Pulling Your Goalie * FanHouse
Sweet 16 Preview: Game Times, Announcers, and Lines * Midwest Sports Fans

Enjoy The Good Reading And Be Sure To Click On The NFL Bracket To Vote!

Don Cherry is a legendary announcer in Canada.  After the comments he made about the Pittsburgh Penguins Evgeni Malkin, I’m not sure many people in the Steel City will be seeking his autograph.  After watching this clip at least ten times and once in slow motion, I still can’t seem to understand why the brash Cherry is calling either of the two a cheapshot.  Cherry even takes a swipe at the Pittsburgh announcers calling them “idiots” for awarding Malkin with the “Sandwich of The Game“, an award used to describe a good shot into the boards.

Lebron James with a nice move and very strong acceleration to the hoop in this dunk versus New Jersey.  These were Lebrons first two points of the night, not a bad start!

Great stories from other great sites!

Hockey Coach Chases Ref On The Ice * Total Pro Sports
Charles Barkley Wears A Miniskirt And Panties * NESW Sports
Thoughts On The World Baseball Classic * Zoner Sports
Ten Golf Hazards To Be Weary of Besides Grenades * Gunaxin
Randy Johnson: Last Legend Standing  * Josh Q. Public
Pittsburgh Steelers Model Trains Rule! * PSAMP
Hermaphrodite Rising In Women’s Tennis Rankings * Hugging Harold Reynolds
Worst Ballpark Food Ever * Sports Rubbish
Cleveland Browns Sign David Patten * Waiting For Next Year

Check these fine stories out!

I will start by saying Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer in the world.  I have spent many warm Sunday evenings watching this guy walk down the final few fairways with the lead in any given tournament.  I sit with my mouth open and wonder how he does it, in a game of consistency and precision, be that consistent and precise.  Whether it is knocking down the long putt, wedging one in from the trap, or just killing the ball on a clutch tee shot.  No one is better, no one was better, he is rewriting the record books.

What confuses me though is how Tiger can remain the number one ranked golfer through such a long period of inactivity.  Has the PGA opinionized their rankings to try to keep ratings?  Love him or hate him, Phil Mickelson has played in almost every tournament Tiger has missed and even won a couple.  He has finished in the money and has had a decent start to this season.  I am no Mickelson mark, although I have watched him choke up leads in the past, but wonder how he hasn’t overtaken the name Tiger Woods atop the rankings.   Because if you think about it, Tiger’s name holds the spot, for now.  Tiger, the golfer hasn’t done anything to distance himself from the field lately.

I’m sure Woods will play well at Augusta in a couple of weeks, he will probably even be favored to win.  Not many bookmakers will have him as the underdog, ever.  Jack Nicklaus still plays once in the while, maybe the PGA can make him number two in the rankings.  He accomplished plenty in the past.

My point is simply that inactivity creates demise.  I am not sure what criteria makes one the best, but I am sure that not competeing is not weighed in.  Maybe golf is going to use a BCS formula, quality points + endorsements divided by green jackets.

I am a  Tiger Woods fan and hope that he earns that spot over the next couple of months.  Until then, his name is the best golfer in the world.

Danny Bonaduce just can’t keep himself out of the ring.  After a successful stint on Hulk Hogan’s Championship Wrestling, Bonaduce is in the ring, yet again.  Earlier this year, he boxed against Jose Canseco resulting in a draw.  He has also been involved with Celebrity Boxing and several random altercations. 

Anyone who watched Danny Bonaduce’s reality show on VH1 a couple of years back knows what a trainwreck this guy has become.  Disturbing footage showed Bonaduce chugging a fifth of Vodka mixed with a quart of Gatorade, shooting himself up with HGH, and basically being the loosest cannon possible.  Bonaduce is not boring, people love watching the race when the cars wreck, so why not watch Bonaduce wreck too.

Eric Young, a member of the Total Nonstop Action (TNA) professional wrestling promotion, was an in-studio guest of Bonaduce to promote the upcoming TNA pay-per-view Lockdown, Six Sides of Steel.  While interviewing Young, Bonaduce claimed he had never heard of him and that he must not be much of a wrestler.  This prompted Young to stand up and slap Bonaduce pretty hard (as seen in the video), and chaos ensued as it usually will when Bonaduce feels threatened.  Anyway, TNA has signed Bonaduce to wrestle aginst Eric Young on the Lockdown card.

The card will also feature retired Mick Foley to wrestle 55-year old Sting in the main event.  I’m sure the buy rate on this event will soar now that Danny Bonaduce will be wrestling.  Maybe Don Nelson lookalike Ruben Kincade will interfere in the match.

In my ongoing argument to give Lebron James the 2008-09 NBA MVP award, enjoy the video as proof of what Kobe does not bring to the table.  There are some magnificent blocks on this video and nobody closes faster than Lebron on the break. 

I had the pleasure of growing up in the Youngstown, Ohio area to witness the careers of some of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport. Kelly Pavlik is still providing the excitement. But the names of Roland Cummings, Jeff Lampkin, and Harry Arroyo, have held a spotlight in the national boxing picture at some point. Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini was a huge success in the eighties. His career was filled many happy moments, as well as tragedy that no one can wish for.

Ray inherited the name “Boom Boom“ from his father Lenny. The elder Mancini was a top-ranked contender in the 1940’s. Lenny suffered injuries which prevented him from regaining his status while serving the United States of America in WWII. Lenny got Ray involved in boxing at a young age and had him training in gyms to prepare for what he would be the best at. After a great amateur career, Ray turned pro in 1978.

Because of his “in your face” aggressive style, Mancini was an instant hit with boxing fans and the media. Anyone who watches the first round of Mancini vs Arturo Frias will clearly understand how much heart Ray brought to the ring. This is probably one of the single greatest rounds of boxing ever fought. Both fighters connected with almost every punch and by the end of that round they both looked like they had just went 15 rounds.

Mancini fought the legendary Alexis Arguello for the WBC lightweight title. Ray was taking it to Arguello in the first half of the fight and was ahead on the cards. However, by the end of the fight, the crafty Arguello’s experience proved to be too much for a game Boom Boom. It was mancini’s first loss as a professional.

Mancini won the WBA lightweight championship from Rudy “The Jet” Carmona in 1982. Mancini got rocked just fifteen seconds into round one but regained his composure and really let loose on Carmona forcing the ref to halt the contest. He defended that title against Ernesto Espana with a sixth round TKO.

On November 13, 1982, Mancini fought Duk Koo Kim. Kim had problems makind the weight for the fight and was severely dehydrated before the fight. After 14 rounds of punishment the fight ended with Mancini named the winer. Duk Koo Kim sustained severe brain injuries during the fight and died five days after the fight. Kim’s mother committed suicide four months later, and the ref for the fight, Richard Green also killed himself in July of 1983. Mancini was never the same fighter or person, holding himself responsible for the death of Kim. A few years later, the WBC and WBA shortened title fights to twelve rounds as part of the fallout from this tragedy.

Mancini tried to regroup and defeated George Feeney, a British champion, in a lackluster ten round decision. He next fought Mexican folk hero Bobby Chacon on HBO. Mancini made short work of Chacon who only lasted three rounds with Boom Boom.

In June of 1984, Mancini lost a slugfest to Livingstone Bramble. After the first Bramble fight Ray needed 71 stitches around one of his eyes. In the rematch, Mancini lost a unanimous decision by one point on each of the judges scorecards. Mancini was coaxed back to face Greg Haugen, but had clearly lost his form and constant aggression, losing to Haugen in six rounds.

Mancini officially retired in 1982, finishing his career with a 29-5 record, racking up 23 KO’s along the way.Besides being an analyst for Celebrity Boxing, Mancini has gotten very involved in the production of films in California. Ray has not forgotten where he came from and follows the career of Kelly Pavlik very closely. He still has family in Youngstown and visits the area when he can. His legacy has seen a rare pendulum swing of the best and worst things life has to offer, yet he has still been able to succeed and be a role model to so many.

Here are some great stories from other sites to check out!

Pirates Spring Training Report  *  Pirate Revolution
Jamario Moon Interacting With The Fans  *  NESW Sports
Roy Jones Jr. — Still Fighting At Age 40  *  FanHouse
Donte’ Stallworth Drunk At Time of Accident  *  FOX Sports
Marcus Thornton : Shades of Shaq  *  Josh Q Public
Your Cleveland Cavs Are The Best Team in The NBA?  *  A Stern Warning
Cliff Lee Gets Pulverized  *  The Tribe Daily
My March Madness Fantasy Team  * Sharapova’s Thigh
Nintendo Classics:A Look Back  *  The Love of Sports
March Badness: The Ejections  *  Zoner Sports
Check these stories out!

For years now, I have attended games at both Municipal Stadium and Progressive Field (The Jake) when the New York Yankees come to town.  One of my biggest headaches in life is looking around at the crowd and wondering who the home team is.  No matter which way I turn, there is an overabundance of Yankee merchandise in the stands.  Hats, shirts, pennants, babies dressed in one piece pajamas, posters, gold chains, and keychains ~ the stuff is blinding.  The applause for the Yankees is even close to the crowd noise on behalf of The Tribe.

The Average Joe would pin this on a loyal fan base, people who traveled West to see the ballgame and maybe go to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame afterwards.  Unfortunately, on many occasions, I run into people I know wearing the stuff, and they are from the Greater Cleveland area.  They are devout Yankee fans.  here are a few observations I have made of this group.

• Most Yankee fans like the LA Lakers in basketball, they root for the Dallas Cowboys in football, the Detroit Red Wings in hockey, and will tell you that Rocky Marciano was the greatest boxer of all time.  What all of these “favorites” have in common is that they are winners.  These are the Cleveland area fans who just can’t accept losing, so they manipulate the system at a young age and root for traditional winners.  Let’s face it, the Cleveland Sports Faithful have not had much to scream about for the past 50 or so years.  However, the loyalty of a Cleveland sports fan is so much more praiseworthy to me than the local bandwagon jumping fans of teams that win.
• The argument that Cleveland teams refuse to spend money to keep athletes gets old.  Just because the Yankees have so much more to spend does not mean that the Browns, Cavs, and Indians, do not pay well.  Let me put it to you this way:  When you play monopoly with your friends, give the Yankee fan half of the deeds and three quarters of all of the money that comes with the game.  We will call the other players Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Cleveland.  They have what is left to divide amongst themselves.  This is why baseball sadly needs a salary cap.

This debate has caused grief for many years.  I have friends and relatives who are diehard Yankee fans.  They will argue that George Steinbrenner spends money to assemble these All-Star caliber teams.  I find it ironic that New York has not won a World Series for awhile.  I also encourage those who surround me in pinstripes to go pay the $1,000 price to sit behind home plate at the New York Yankees new stadium.  Sadly, some will.