Knicks Win NBA TItle (Sort of)

Isiah Thomas is laughing in the face of all of his critics as his Knicks went an astonishing 5-0 in Summer League play and won what they thought was a mini-replica Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. It was only later revealed that the trophy was made out of chocolate and covered with Roundy’s aluminum tin foil that had been spray painted gold. Eddy Curry, after hearing the news, was so ecstatic that he flew out to Vegas and ate the trophy without removing the foil.

Nate Robinson captured the Summer League MVP award averaging 19.6 points, 6.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game. Robinson’s 30 assists out in Vegas were actually more than he had accumulated in his 2,4567 games dating back to 4^th grade. The two New York rookies, Demetris Nichols and Wilson Chandler, also had solid Summer League numbers averaging 15.6ppg and 13.4ppg, respectively. So, all three can be expecting max deals. During the Knicks championship acceptance speech Nate had this to say:

"I'm honored to have been selected MVP but more proud of my teammates and going 5-0. It's been a great week for us."

Nate’s new found “pass first” mentality means he might consider entering the Skills Competition instead of the dunk contest next year, which would finally prove that God doesn’t hate me. You see, I’m pretty sure that competition is timed and it would prevent me from trying to hang myself as I watch Nate miss his 300^th attempt at a reverse, 360, east bay funk. (Spud Webb is so late 80’s!)

Isiah has left all of his doubters speechless. He can now sit back and laugh at all of those people who criticized him for playing two “shoot first, shoot second, pass only if the ball is ticking” point guards, owing the league $46 million dollars in luxury tax, and finishing well under .500 with the most expensive and ineffective roster in the history of the NBA.

Enjoy the “championship” Isiah, it’s the last one you’ll be winning for a long, long time.

Slam Article

I Have Problems

Last night I had a dream that I was standing in the batter’s box against Greg Maddux. In my dream Maddux proceeded to throw the first three pitches behind my back, at which point I took a few steps forward, pointed my bat towards the mound and said some choice words. After I was restrained, I stepped back into the box and the fourth pitch (I think it was a slider (does Maddux even throw a slider?)) tailed in and hit me on the foot, and I ran to first base. What is the meaning of this dream, and more importantly why am I telling you this? I have no answer to either. Anyway, here’s some real sports news from the weekend that we haven’t covered yet.

Once again Gary Sheffield opened his mouth, and once again it spewed ignorance. This time Sheffield was claiming that he was treated differently in New York by Joe Torre because he is black. Although I don’t find it hard to believe that Torre plays favorites, I definitely don’t believe he chooses his favorites based on the color of their skin. From everything I’ve read and seen Torre is a stand up guy. From everything I’ve read and seen, Gary Sheffield is an idiot. I really don’t think should even be a story.

Speaking of Torre, I was really amused by the headline for this article on Espn.com (already taken off the front page) which said “2007 Toughest on Torre”. Well no shit? That’s some great investigative reporting by the self proclaimed worldwide leader in sports.

Daris mentioned the possibility of the Red Sox attempting to sign A-Rod, should he become available. First off, it is a distinct possibility given that the Red Sox ownership has proven that they will spend the money on anything Theo deems necessary. As much as I hate A-Rod, if Theo did decide to sign Rodriguez I would have to support the decision. With that being said I just don’t think it will happen. Much has been made of the front office’s disdain for Manny Ramirez’s obscene contract and the lack of financial flexibility it affords them. I really don’t see them replacing one bad contract with another. I think buying (relatively) low on Andruw Jones would be a more likely option.

The Cubs have been on a tear as of late, winning 15 of their last 19 games. With their weak division I could definitely see them winning the division and making a run in the playoffs with their strong rotation. Kerry Wood struck out the side on 14 pitches in his minor league rehab assignment. It would be great to get some contribution out of Wood given that the Cubs are at the point where they expect basically nothing.

Vinny Testaverde is set to sign another one year contract with the Patriots. Just to put in perspective how absurd this is, Testaverde was playing in the Orange Bowl in 1986 which was apparently before they invented color.

I wanted to say one thing about the whole Beckham media circus. Since day one almost every media outlet has reported that Beckham will receive $250 million for coming to LA and playing for the Galaxy. Only occasionally does it even get mentioned that this $250 million includes the estimated amount Beckham will receive from endorsements. Beckham’s actual salary, paid by the Galaxy, is $32.5 million over five years. Have you ever heard an athlete’s endorsement deals added to their salary when it is reported? ESPN (the first to report the story) is deliberately misleading the public in an attempt to make it sound more ridiculous and generate interest in the story for the wrong reason. Just another reason to hate ESPN.

Ohio: The Bridesmaid of America

In light of the Columbus Destroyers’ berth into the Arena Football League Championship (National Championship of Arena Football? Arena League Super Bowl? Who cares?), it is time to take a look back on the year in Ohio sports. Hide the women and children.

The “Been there, done that” Group

Ohio State Football Buckeyes vs. Florida Gators- Kind of a funny one. Most Buckeyes fans had claimed the National Championship after the victory over the #2 Michigan Wolverines. Well, the National Title rolled around, and the Bucks subsequently rolled over. Some would call it a beatdown, but I just called it a travesty. Urban Meyer completely outcoached Jim Tressel; and Florida’s players completely outplayed those of Ohio State’s. It was a tough one to swallow for Buckeyes fans, considering the fact that it didn’t even feel real as it was going on. Seriously, who expected 41-14?

Ohio State Basketball Buckeyes vs. Florida Gators- This one definitely didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the Gator ass beating of the football variety. Everyone knew for the Buckeyes to win they would have to absolutely play out of their asses. And Greg Oden did. Everyone else just forgot to show up. Oh, and Al Horford and Lee Humphrey played all right. The Gators rolled in this one, 84-75. (Not that you give a shit, but this is the only one so far that didn’t directly affect me personally).

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs- For most Ohio fans, it is just a relief that this shellacking didn’t come courtesy of a Florida team. After an absurd performance from LeBron in the Leastern Conference Finals, the Spurs put them in their place in The Finals (it is important to capitalize “The” in “The Finals”). Also, the Cavaliers’ lack of a point guard and pretty much any sign of a supporting cast really hurt their bid in this one, but that is for another article at another time.

The “Soon to be added to the list” Group

Columbus Destroyers vs. San Jose Sabercats- The real story of this article-- the city of Columbus will be balls to the wall excited come Sunday, July 29th. However, this one has another blowout written all over it. I’m not sure how the AFL works, and I’m not about to research it, but the Destroyers are taking their 7-9 record into the championship game (San Jose went 13-3). That pretty much sums it up. Whatever-- no one actually cares about the AFL, anyway. Troy Smith will look good in a Destroyers uniform in a few years.

Other possible candidates

Cleveland Indians vs. Insert Shitty NL Representative Here- The Indians are surely in the playoff hunt, so who knows what could happen. A reason I could see them going down in the Series is that they suck in NL parks, considering one of their top three hitters, Travis Hafner, is a DH. He would have to move to first in the Series, moving Ryan Garko out of the lineup. That would suck.

Cleveland Browns vs. Their Kids in a Backyard Game- Eh. I probably could have done better than that. On a serious note, we can start talking Browns in 2009, or 2008 in the best case scenario.

I would have used the Bengals for the NFL part, but they’re a bunch of ass holes. Oh, and I'm focusing on mostly Cleveland if you haven't noticed.

Anyway, if the Indians actually make the World Series and lose, I’ll be the guy that’s dead, face down in a ditch somewhere.

Weekend Dimlights

A boring week in sports had a fitting end as there wasn’t too much to report this weekend. The boxing was exciting, but not too much else really caught my eye. Smarty Joines was actually sitting next to Chuck Liddell at the airport in Vegas with his laptop, but he failed to show him my “Four-Sided Fight Night” article. How perfect would that have been? I hope Brian didn't have the computer resting on his lap. I had a laptop sitting on my lap for 2 summers in a row during college, and I don't think I have any sperm left in the tank.

Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest have both managed to be suspended for 7 games at the start of the 2008 NBA season. Artest’s problems stem from a good old domestic dispute felony charge this past spring. Jackson is in trouble because he fired a gun into the air outside of a strip club in Indianapolis after being hit by a car. Good, old-fashion Midwestern fun if I do say so myself! David Stern and the rest of the NBA brain trust certainly know that the upcoming season will bring about many unanticipated problems, so they just want to get the sure bets out of the way. I wonder if Vegas is taking over/under bets on # of times Artest and Jackson will be suspended in 2008. I’ll take the over all day up to 60 games.

Boobs Mickelson managed to choke away the Scottish Open on Sunday when his play became a bit erratic coming down the stretch. Starting on 14, Phil went bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey. He was leading by one stroke heading into 18, but his bogey sent him to a playoff with Gregory Havret of France. On the first hole of the playoff, Phil shockingly blocked his drive way left, pitched out to the center of the fairway, hit an approach shot that was at least a club and a half too long, and then managed to get up and down for bogey. Havret pared the whole and won the championship. Mickelson was looking for only his second win outside of the US, and now goes into the British mentally shot.

The WNBA All-Star game produced some unexpected drama……………..just kidding, no it didn’t.

In baseball news, the Phillies became the first team to lose 10,000 games, Barry Bonds was 0-12 in the Giants series with the Dodges, and the Yankee’s climbed back above .500 back taking 3 out of 4 from the Devil Rays. The Cub’s closed the weekend trailing the Brewer’s by 3.5 games in the NL Central, while the NL East and NL West are both up for grabs as the Mets are only 1.5 games out in front of the Braves, and the Dodges are holding onto a slim 1 game lead over the San Diego Fathers.

The Red Sox still have a strangle hold on the AL East, leading the Yanks by 9 games, while the AL Central is very tight with the Tigers up a half game on the Indians (can’t forget about the Twins at 5 back either) The Angles lead the Mariners by 3 out in the AL West, and the Athletics will probably go on a 25 game winning streak soon so look out for them.

I think the most interesting story coming out of MLB this weekend was speculation about A-Rod’s future if he opts out of his deal and decides to test the free agent waters. Supposedly, a team that wanted him a few years back is still interested, and they should have the flexibility to go after him! I don’t want to see Log hurt himself but this would almost be too good.
(The picture is what I would suspect the press conference to look like. Meaning A-Rod is such a dick that he would steal Daisuke's # and wear eye-black....or is that the famed poopy conseco he is sporting???

In soccer, Brazil won the Copa America title defeating Argentina 3-0. The upset came without Ronaldinho or Kaka. I taped Ronaldinho doing this during Brazil’s match today. (Fast forward to the last 30 seconds if you don’t really feel like watching him grind on a dude wearing a wig.)

Victoria Beckham has a reality show on NBC titled “Coming to America” and Becks himself has started blogging. I only included that news beacuse the picture is just too funny to pass up. Can you imagine taking a serious picture in that pose without your shirt on. I'd have to be making at least $100-$200. Most people would demand more, I'm just that proud of my body.

In entertainment news, the ESPY’s were televised tonight on ESPN. I watched the first 20 minutes and decided that was enough. Lebron was really funny from what I saw, but the show is a drag. I already knew who won as the show was taped over a week ago, and the information leaked all over the internet. I’m done typing.

Four Sided Fight Night

I didn’t think anything, let alone boxing, could ever match the liveliness and exhilaration that is the octagon. Sorry, I mean Octagon. In fact, I’ve found my best articles are written when I construct a stop sign shaped outline around my desk and computer. My keystrokes get sharper, my mouse clicks more punishing, and my backspaces less frequent. Saying all of that, this boxing thing, even though held in a shape that is only half of what the Octagon is and ever will be, proved me wrong. I just hope Chuck Liddell doesn’t blog on Sundays!

Saturday’s HBO coverage went coat to coast with fights from Atlantic City to California and produced a night full of action, laughs, and the usual HBO boxing stupidity. The night started in Atlantic City at 9:00pm when Kermit Cintron and Walter Matthysse took their nearly unblemished records into the ring for a fight that many fans had high hopes for. Cintron boasted a record of (27-1) with 26 KO’s, and Matthysse had been almost as equally impressive with a combined record of (26-1) with 25 KO’s.

From the bell, Cintron seemed to be landing the crisper, more accurate punches and scored his first knockdown of the fight during the final minute of the 1st round. Matthysse was down for the first time in his career, but I’m here to tell you it wouldn’t be his last. Just moments into the 2^nd round Cintron landed another brutal combination that sent Matthysse to his knees. He would have been best served staying down as Cintron finished him off about 10 seconds later with a vicious uppercut and a decisive right hand that left Matthysse lying motionless on the mat. Now that’s what I’m talking about! Cintron, whose career had been derailed by the beating he took from Margarito two years ago, had again established himself as one of the top welterweights. He called out Shane Mosley during Larry Merchant’s stirring interview immediately following the fight and could be setting himself up for a big payday after his performance.

Needless to say, I was fired up! The Octagon wasn’t going to control me anymore. I’ve since vowed to run every stop sign for the next month to prove to myself that I’ve completely moved on.

The next fight on the Atlantic City card featured Arturo Gatti and Alfonso Gomez. Gatti, 35 yrs old, came into the fight with a record of (40-8-1). In many circles, he is considered the most exciting fighter of the last decade. I advise anyone to watch his epic trilogy with Mickey Ward if you don’t believe me. Gatti was at the very end of his career, but his camp believed Gomez was the perfect opponent. Gomez came into the fight with a very unimpressive record of (16-3-1), scoring only 7 KO’s. His most noteworthy accomplishment was finsihing third on the garbage that is ESPN’s “The Contender”. He wasn’t known for being a big time puncher and hadn’t fought anyone as seasoned as Gatti.

Saying all that, Gatti believed he would be able to give his legions of fans one more knockdown, drag out fight; while not putting himself in danger of further damaging the punching bag that is his brain.

He was very wrong. Gomez came out strong and continued pressing the action with a relentless assault of straight left jabs and quick rights to Gatti’s exposed left side. Gomez occasionally mixed in a sharp left hook to the body, and Arturo looked like he had fought one too many times. I had given all 6 rounds to Gomez already, and the 7^th round produced the stoppage that was becoming more and more inevitable as the fight wore on. Gomez landed a number of blistering combinations that left Gatti defenseless. As Gatti scrambled around the ring helplessly trying to avoid being finished, Gomez caught him on the ropes and delivered a huge right hand that further opened a massive cut on Gatti’s upper lip. Gatti’s blood shot onto Gomez’s shoulder, and he feel to the mat face first. The NJ boxing commissioner ran into the ring, and the fight was stopped. Gomez scored the knockout and proved a lot of people wrong; including me! Gatti had fought for the last time. He would announce his retirement to Max Kellerman moments after the fight. Congratulations Gatti, you had a terrific career!

Before I get into Margarito vs. Williams, I’d like to briefly comment on HBO’s boxing team and my belief that they are intentionally trying to get me to turn the channel during their coverage:

1. Jim Lampley, who heads the coverage, is one red nose and wig away from full party clown status. Not a famous one like Bozo, but one of those who works local birthday parties and drives around a beat up Astro Minivan with a plastic bag covering a busted out window. His commentary is unexciting and uninformative. He brings absolutely nothing to the table (I felt really weird making Lampley look like a clown.)

2. Larry Merchant, the resident old timer of the group, might be even more annoying than Lampley. My ears start bleeding every time he starts out on one of his 5 minute mumbles. I’d rather listen to a really angry Edward Scissorhands scratch a chalkboard. (forced joke) Euthanasia never seemed more appropriate. (Just right)

3. Manny Steward is a decent trainer and is somewhat informative at times, but he too puts together long streams of incoherent mess. Remember, he was the guy who didn’t even know what round it was when he was in Klitchsko’s corner for the Brewster fight a couple weeks ago saying, “I told you we could finish him off in the 7^th. Let’s get him this round. Wasn’t that the 6^th round?” His quote was in between rounds 3 and 4.

4. Max Kellerman is the only commentator who keeps me sane. However, some of his analogy’s tonight were a stretch to say the least, and it looked like he had a little herpes flare up on the left corner of his lip. Thank god I can’t afford HD!

Back to the fighting. The featured bout between Margarito and Williams lived up to its hype. I decided to test my boxing knowledge and keep a scorecard of the fight.

Here	it is	:
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
PW10	10	10	9	10	10	9	9	10	9	9	10	115
AM9	9	9	10	9	9	10	10	9	10	10	9	113

I thought Williams came out and really had Margarito on his heels. He dominated the early action with his quick jabs and countless punch angles. He kept Margarito at perfect distance and used his speed, height, and reach advantages for the first four rounds. I actually considered giving Williams the 4^th round as well, but Margarito landed a couple decent shots and finished strong. The middle rounds were a lot closer as Margarito gained confidence and let his hands go a little more. He was able to get to Williams a few times, but Williams continued to throw more punches. He was throwing 2 times the punches of Margarito and landed nearly the same percentage. Round 11 produced the most drama as Margarito put together three or four huge flurries that almost had Williams in big trouble. He landed 5-7 huge straight rights, and I was beginning to think Williams wasn’t going to be able to hold in. It was the first time one of William's fights had gone into the “championship” rounds and it showed. He was in deep water, but did just enough to hold on. I was impressed by Williams as he handled Margarito’s onslaught and proved he was willing to trade punches with the fighter both Pretty Boy and Mosley have ducked for the last two years! The fight was up for grabs in Round 12, but Williams reasserted his distance and jab and was able to prevent Margarito from getting in close.

The two California judges scored the fight as I did 115-113 in favor of Willaims, while another had it at 116-112. Williams escaped with a unanimous decision and solidified himself as one of the upper echelon welterweights. It’s back to the drawing bored for Margarito as he won’t be able to fight Cotto now. I am looking forward to seeing how the Welterweight division plays out over the next few months as it is stacked with worthy fighters who all want a shot at Floyd’s pound for pound title.

Winky Wright and Bernard Hopkins face off next week on PPV. Do yourself a favor and keep your money unless you want to see two men fight who’s ages, when combined, equal death. That’s all for now!

What to Expect Today

With nothing relevant going on in the sports world yet again I find myself with nothing to write about today. As I learned from the poop I just took, sometimes its just not good to force it. Besides, I'm taking a half day anyway. So unless Daris pumps out another podcast there won't be anymore posts until Monday. Have a good weekend.

Morning Cast

Here it is.

The morning Podcast is quite long and somewhat boring. If you aren't interested in listening to me rant and rave, I'll give you a quick rundown via words.

The picture is of the "supposed" serial killer in TN. Ya, I'm pretty sure they need not do anymore investigating. If he's not a serial killer, I would have to seriously start questioning everything I've ever known to be true.

I found out that Mark Cuban has put in a bid to buy the Cubs. Supposedly, the cost will be around $600 million dollars. I guess Cuban has finally realized that the Mavs, for whatever reason, will never win a championship, so he's deciding to buy the team that hasn't won a world series since 49 B.C. Ya, I just pulled the old B.C. joke. What are you gunna do, sue me?

Big Papi has a torn meniscus and says he will wait until the season is over to see whether or not he needs surgery. He, as well as other die hard Red Sox fans, hopes the season doesn't end too soon. The Yanks are bound to make it interesting, they always have since I was wearing diapers (that was still going on in 1996). I hope the Sox can hang on. I don't usually jump on one side of the Yanks/Sox argument, because honestly, when it boils down to it, I don't give a shit about either of the teams. Saying all of that, if I HAD to choose one team or some knife carrying looney would "cut off my johnson", (Big Lebowski joke, but couldn't really think of a way to spell that in broken German/English and get my point across" it would have to be the Red Sox. I just wish they wouldn't have won the World Series after their ridiculous comeback against the Yanks. I loved rooting for them. They had a nice blue collar vibe. I'm giving off a different kind of vibe with comments like that, but nonetheless, ya'll get my point. (I say ya'll now because I live in Kentucky.)

I also mention a little about A-Rod and his decision to wait until the end of the year to decide his future. Obviously, A-Rod is going to say "Piss off ya darn yankers" (I don't know what that means or whether or not I was attempting to be funny there) if they don't at least make a deep run in the playoffs. I think he is fed up with the Yankees and the spotlight. I know I am going to take heat for that, but would you want to be the most analyzed and watched figure in New York? I don't think I would take any amount of money to be under that kind of spotlight. Well, that's a huge exaggeration, as I said I would chop off both of my feet for 10 million dollars no more than 2 weeks ago, but you get the point.( I don't really need feet though. If I had 10 million, I would just watch DVD's all day.)

Ichiro is set to sign a 5 year 100 million dollar contract with Seattle. I am soo freakin' jealous, not only because of the money, but because I'm not a walking ridiculous quote machine like Ichiro. (I make the "ICCCHHHIIIRROOO" noise every time I sneeze and people look at me funny. They say god bless you, but it sounds more like a question: “God…bless….youuuu?? " which means 1. They are completely confused, and 2. I am a huge jackass.)

Becks and Posh landed in LA today to swarming media coverage. ESPN had a ridiculous quote up in the article bya 15 yrd old girl who said, "It was sooo awesome. He looks even better in person then he did in the magazines." Thumbs up ESPN for another job well done. Quickly, I sounded very critical about Beckham's arrival to the States on the podcast, but I'm not disgusted with him. I am angry with the way the media covered the event. He is good for soccer in the states as long as this doesn't become one bad walking celebrity joke.

Yi still hates the Bucks and his challenge of an "eenny meeny minny mo" contest still stands. Kohl, president of the Bucks, is trying to figure out what approach will work best for this strategic game. (I give some advice in the podcast)

A guy is counting to 1 million. I don't feel like linking it because it’s stupid. Supposedly, he wants to donate the money he makes from this endeavor to charity. I don't know what money he is talking about, but I have a feeling that most charities will just say "ah, we're not interested at this time." Getting turned down by a non-profit organization is like getting slapped in the face by a really timid toddler.

I then go on to talk a lot about boxing, so if you do decide to listen to the podcast after getting fired up by all of this unbelievable content, but aren't interested in boxing, you might want to fast forward right when you hear the word "Margurito".

The last few minutes of the podcast are entertaining I think. I divulge the #10, on the ‘10 Things I Hate the Most’ list I am developing. The rest of the list will be finished over the next few days.

That's all for now, and this article was for you Log. I know those people over at the Tirerack can really crack the whip. Here is something that will make your day, that is if Youtube is accesible from your workstation: Jeter and A-Rod sitting in a tree. Hope you enjoyed, and remember a mutiny is only a couple stellar podcasts away.

Enjoy!

"Race War's on everybody! It's going down! Shit is going down!"

On Saturday Night, shit will go down, as Antonio "Tijuana Tornado" Margarito and Paul "The Punisher" Williams will represent their respective races in a battle for top minority group in the United States. African-American’s have had a free ride for too long, these Mexican-Americans have been scrapping and clawing their way across the border for years, and finally have a chance to prove their worth. There has been a lot of talk about "the US being Spanish speaking in 100 years," but that’s all talk, if the Mexicans want a shot at the whites, they’re gonna have to go through Paul Williams.

Beyond its racial implications, this fight marks the start of the unification of the Welterweight division. Margarito, "the Most Feared Man" in boxing, holds the WBO crown and will be fighting "the Most Feared Mandatory" in boxing, Paul Williams. He is a mandatory opponent for Margarito in his defense of the Welterweight title. Margarito has been ducked numerous times by top welterweights, namely Floyd Mayweather (now a super welterweight titleholder). Pretty Boy is once again accepting a lesser fight in Ricky Hatton, rather than taking on more worthy opponents in Mosley, Cotto, or the winner of this fight.

This will be the biggest match of each fighter’s career. Margarito’s record stands at 33-4 with 24 KO’s; his biggest fight to date was against, then undefeated, Kermit Cintron who now holds the IBF Welterweight title. He knocked Cintron down four times, knocking him out in the 5^th round. His most memorable fight, however, was probably his bout against an overmatched Sebastian Andres Lujan; Margarito’s KO nearly took his ear off, the ear was dangling off his head when the fight was called … in conclusion, Margarito is a badass.

Williams is also a badass, however, he has a longer reach (9-inch advantage over Margarito!) than most heavyweights but doesn’t fight like a bitch, like most would with that advantage. He hasn’t fought the same quality of competition as Margarito, but his wins have been impressive with a record of 32-0 with 24 KO’s. These two fighters had a sparring session a couple years ago, the results of which are disputed. Williams says he cut Margarito, but Margarito denies this … I believe Williams. As for actual fights, one of Williams toughest opponents, Walter Matthysse (26-1, 25 KO’s... impressive), will actually be fighting Kermit Cintron on this undercard which will give us a better idea of who will when the main event. If you are looking to bet on this fight, I’d say the best option is to see how well Matthysse does against Cintron, if the fight is close, or Matthysse wins, Williams is a great bet.

I can’t wait for that fight, so I’m taking the underdog Williams. He’s got the right size and style to take Margarito out of his comfort zone, the question is whether he’ll be able to fight the same brawling style against Margarito, his toughest opponent. Margarito has a tendency to get cut easily, which is an especially bad thing considering his style leaves his face wide opened. He was also recently cut above his eye, which might be his downfall if it’s opened in the early rounds. This should be an all out war, but I think Williams will be able to withstand Margarito’s constant pressure while mutilating Margarito’s eye, so bad that it ends in an 8^th Round TKO… mark it down.

You Thought I was kidding about the race war

Boxing Times

(If that didn't get you adequately excited for this fight, please watch the video below ... it's kind of a spoof on the De La Hoya/Mayweather Promo. See, they're funny too!)

Paul Williams vs Antonio Margarito Promo

Test

Your 2007 All-Asshole Team

With literally nothing going on in the sports world right now (unless you count women's basketball as a sport, which I don't) we are forced to do things like pretend that people care about politics and cover every possible angle of the MLB All-Star game. So, I decided I'll beat the baseball thing into the ground since in about a month I won't be able to watch baseball at all (I'll be in Europe). So without further ado, your 2007 All-Asshole Team:

C A.J. Pierzynski He’s notorious for being a clubhouse cancer and a dirty player, but I especially like this story. After getting hit by a ball in the groin the Giants catcher hunched over in pain prompting the trainer to sprint out and ask him how it felt. Pierzynski responded, “Like this,” and kneed him in the balls.

3B Chipper Jones He impregnated a Hooters waitress in Michigan who he was having an affair with. Then he left his wife for her. Classy.

SS Julio Lugo What kind of jackass signs a $36 million contract and then hits .190? I don’t care if he’s a good guy.

2B Jeff Kent I wanted it to be Roberto Alomar for spitting on an umpire but then I realized he’s been out of the league for two years. Kent will have to do. He’s had numerous confrontations with teammates, even getting in a fight with fellow asshole Barry Bonds. He also lied about an injury, saying he broke his wrist washing his car when he actually did it riding a motorcycle.

1B Michael Barrett Ok, so he’s really a catcher. But he has played first base for several games and he has tendency to start fistfights, so he made the cut.

OF Elijah Dukes For starters he has at least five kids by four different women. He most recent wife has filed for a restraining order against him claiming he threatened to kill her and texted her pictures of a gun. Here’s a transcript of the message from him she saved on her cell phone:

"Hey, dawg. It's on, dawg. You dead, dawg. I ain't even bullshittin’. Your kids too, dawg. It don't even matter to me who is in the car with you. N-----, all I know is, n-----, when I see your m-----f------- a-- riding, dawg, it's on. As a matter of fact, I'm coming to your m-----f------ house." (St. Petersburg Times)

OF Milton Bradley Where to start? Bradley has already played for five teams since entering the big leagues in 2000 and has gained a reputation as a clubhouse cancer. He was suspended for chucking a beer bottle into the front row of seats in Colorado. He called a reporter an Uncle Tom and called teammate Jeff Kent a racist. He was arrested during a routine traffic stop for exiting the car to confront the police officer. But hey, his website says he does community work.

OF Gary Sheffield Let’s see. He’s a roid rager who took a swing at fan in right field at Fenway Park. He thinks there is a conspiracy against black people in Major League Baseball. He also refused to play in the World Baseball Classic, saying, “My season starts when I get paid.”

P Roger Clemens He’s an asshole for no other reason than that he’s so full of himself. I dislike Clemens so vehemently that I don’t think I can write a coherent sentence that properly describes my hatred for him.

P Kenny Rogers He attacked a cameraman. Enough said.

P Ugueth Urbina The former Expo, Marlin, Red Sox, Ranger, Tiger and Phillie, is currently serving a fourteen year prison sentence in Venezuela for attempted murder. He attacked five farm workers with machete and poured gasoline on them and tried to burn them. If that doesn’t qualify him for the All-Asshole team I don’t know what would.