Ringside Thoughts II

I didn't get a chance to view the fight between heavyweights David Haye and Nikolai Valuev. Haye won a majority decision and from what I read pretty much dominated the fight,nearly flooring the Russian giant in the final round. Haye,now the WBA titleholder will probably have a mandatory defense against John Ruiz,who stopped Adnan Serin in the seventh round.A lot of fans want to see him fight Evander Holyfield,who others feel should've been fighting Haye in the first place after losing a controversial decision to Valuev.
  Such is the sad state of the heavyweight division.Once the glamour division in boxing has continually gotten worse.It has been filled with retreads,journeymen,and a lot of Russian or European fighters lots of American fight fans have never heard of.It reminds me of the 80s when the alphabet divisions came along and gave us multiple champions.Outside of Larry Holmes,who knew them.I do like the Klitscho brothers,but we already know they want to monopolize the division and never will fight each other. We now have Haye,who talks a big game,but has backed out of fights with both Klitscho's. There's Holyfield,but he's old,thought of as washed up.and has trouble being licensed in the United States. There are really no interesting fights out there in the division, but the show must go on.Hopefully,somewhere out there,there is some heavyweight out there that can change the way the division is looked at and is a bonafide challenger that can give us a good fight.

Ducks Clipped

The Oregon Ducks came into Stanford Stadium flying high and were cut down by the Stanford Cardinal 51-42.Oregon, fresh off a four touchdown shellacking of USC,and looking like a team no one wanted a piece of, were outplayed and dominated from the start. Once looking like a team that with a little luck,had an outside shot to play for a national championship now has to settle for a possible Rose Bowl berth. Thing is, they have to win out.Considering the wacky nature of the Pac-10 conference it's not a given.  

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recap?gid=200911070063&prov=ap

Middle schooler towers over the competition

Brenden Adams of Morgan Middle School in Ellensburg,Washington is a giant of a man. Not quite a man,but at 7-4 at age 14 you might think otherwise at first glance. And get this,he plays football. His mom wasn't quite sure, because football is not a game for tall men. He says he's always loved the game and wanted to play. Makes for a big target in the red zone.

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1011697

Damn Yankees

As much as i can't stand the New York Yankees, i must give them credit. They spent their money wisely, had the right spare parts and now have captured their 27th world championship. The talent on the team isn't all homegrown, but the management cares a lot about winning. Although i do believe age will catch up to this current edition of Yankees, their bottomless pit of money will ensure they won't have a dip in the standings like they had most of the 80s. I hate to say it, the Yankees are here to stay. They'll continue to outspend everyone, pick off the best talent from the bottom feeders that aren't able to keep up, and fleece others in trades by overvaluing the talent in the farm system. I would hope that baseball would institute some kind of salary cap to make baseball more competitive. I guess that's just wishful thinking.

Rappin Redick:Baller or Balla

I'm a little late on this one. Word has it that JJ redick of the Orlando Magic is part of a rap group. Once again another athlete that wants to rap. Stick to the skill your best at JJ.

What if?...

As the college hoops season descends upon us I had a moment to read a preview mag and think about some of the past in the college basketball world. I decided to play the what if game and went back to the 1989-1990 season. The thoughts instantly went to Hank Gathers. For those too young too remember, Gathers was a star forward for Loyola Marymount University. It was he and high school teammate Bo Kimble, along with the frenetic breakneck pace favored by coach Paul Westhead that put this school on the map. In a game in December 1989 Gathers collapsed in a game while shooting a free throw. It was revealed that he had a heart ailment and had to be put on medication. He came back and was a force on the court averaging around 30 points and 12 rebounds. It was one game that season that made me think he was the real deal. It was a  148-141 overtime loss to LSU, that boasted future pros Chris Jackson, Stanley Roberts, and Shaquille O'Neal. He and Kimble held their own, but it was Gathers' performance the stole the show. Gathers, listed at 6-8, went for 47 points on the 7 foot 300 pound maneaters, Stanley and Shaq. I couldn't wait to see how he would do in the NBA. I've always said that if Hank were healthy and had the heart ailment under control, he would've went number one in the draft and not Derrick Coleman. I know I get plenty of arguments about that one until i point out the LSU game. It was an untimely death and a sad moment for the sports world as a whole. The Lions went on to the NCAA tournament and made an inspired run to the elite eight where they fell to the eventual champion UNLV, 131-101. I always thought Gathers would have made a good pro and a great investment as the top pick.

Iverson and Memphis. They're meant for each other.

We're barely two weeks into the NBA season and once again Allen Iverson has committed career suicide. Unable to make it with the Detroit Pistons because  he didn't want to come off the bench,  the same thing is happening with the Memphis Grizzlies. I'm not gonna excuse the Grizzlies from any of this mess because they were foolish for signing him. It's was clearly a bad move for a young team and they should have known this was coming.Management saw dollar signs and tickets sales. Now the Grizzlies are dangerously headed toward team knucklehead with Iverson leading the charge. He's now chirping about having to come off the bench. I understand he's had a great career and all but he needs to step aside and let the youngsters play and go to the mentor role, if that's possible for him. Iverson doesn't realize it's a "what have you done for me lately?" kind of business and for the last year he hasn't done too much except complain about his role on the teams he's been on. Everyone understands you are a great player, have an outstanding body of work, and still have something left to give. But at this point, he would be better served coming off the bench, more for a contender than a chronic rebuilder. As much as I hate to say it, OJ Mayo is better than him and Rudy Gay is better than him, even though he has that magician act going on every once in a while. He's not gonna lead this team anywhere except the bottom of the standings. What does it say about him if he's complaining already. He's selfish. I can understand when he says the negative about me sells more than the positive, but you keep putting yourself in a negative light. Last season he sabotaged his own career when he couldn't make it work in Detroit. I understand there were some behind the scenes action that didn't make the situation any better. Thing is, the Pistons had the ultimate team concept there, and he couldn't make it work there. That was the best situation he'll probably ever have and he blew it. I can understand when he was in Philadelphia he didn't have the best talent around him. In Detroit he played with a team that was a regular at the Eastern Confernce finals. He couldn't compromise. Now he goes to Memphis because no one wants him, because he can't compromise. He still has that characteristic about him. After this he'll be the Terrell Owens of the NBA. No one will want a piece of him. I hate to see him go out like this, but i'm afraid this is the final Answer.