Ross Tossed (Okay, She Asked to Leave)

Veteran boxing judge C.J. Ross has been granted a leave of absence by the Nevada State Athletic Commission amid continued controversy surrounding her scoring of Floyd Mayweather’s recent defeat of Saul Alvarez.

Ross scored the Saturday night fight as a 114-114 draw, resulting in a majority-decision victory for the fighter known as ‘Money.’  The two other judges that scored the 12-round bout, which more resembled a technical demonstration by Mayweather, saw it as 117-111 and 116-112 for the winner.

Despite initially standing by her scorecard and telling TMZ, “I stand behind my decision,” Ross later asked to step down after 22 years of judging.  Keith Kizer, the executive director of the Athletic Commission, told KLAS-TV that Ross did, “.. not want to take away from the story.”

But to correct his statement, Ross became a sizable part of the story.

For full disclosure, I am not a boxing judge -- I'm a hack writer and PR guy.  However, by the words of boxing analysts and what I saw with my eyes, it could be argued Alvarez won one, maybe two rounds at most.  But what didn’t occur was a draw.  Mayweather clearly won the contest, and most fans or pundits wouldn’t have argued if the judges scored every round for Mayweather.

Floyd, what did you think of Ross' scoring?  Bieber is still dazed.

Mayweather, regarded as the pound-for-pound best in boxing, peppered Alvarez with the jab at will and deftly dodged most every punch from ‘Canelo.’  The volume of precise, speed punches from ‘Money,’ who arguably remains the fastest man in boxing at the age of 36, won the fight -- except on the scorecard of Ross.

Unfortunately, this is the second scoring controversy in as many years for questionable official.

In 2012, Ross judged the oft disputed Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley fight.  While Pacquiao landed considerable more punches, appeared to control most rounds and even hurt Bradley at times, Ross and fellow judge Duane Ford scored the fight 115-113 for Bradley.  Only Jerry Roth gave the fight to ‘Pacman’ (115-113).

In both cases, Ross scored in favor of the underdog when the majority of the boxing world watched the favorite dominate.  At least with the Bradley fight, another judge was on her side.  However, a post-fight review by the World Boxing Organization saw five independent judges all score the fight for 'Pacman.'

The scorecards from the Mayweather vs. Alvarez fight.

Ross’ decisions only feed into preexisting stereotypes about boxing and beg sports fans to ask questions about the integrity of the sport.  (And while Ross had nothing to do with this, Mayweather’s dominance also begs questions about matchmaking and hype in boxing for casual observers.)

Leading up the fight, the odds on a prop bet for a draw went from 30-1 to 8-1, suggesting a large amount of money being bet on said draw.  Coincidentally, Ross scored the fight a draw.

I don’t think Ross was paid off for her ruling as Teddy Atlas suggested on ESPN.  But it also provides great circumstantial evidence for conspiracy theorists.  I also don’t know enough boxing history to know if Ross is the Angel Hernandez of boxing judges, but it sure seems like it.

By stepping down it appears Ross is admitting something improper happened on Saturday night, which seems to be the right thing to do.   And at least in this fight the winning fighter actually won.

(And despite all my desire to watch a Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight, I think I managed to write that without bias.)

By the way, what did you think of Ross' scoring, Floyd:

Images courtesy ESPN.com, For The Win and USA Today.

The Greatest (Comic) of All Time

The fine folks over at Deadspin’s The Stacks recently put together a post on a pop culture time capsule, a 1978 DC comic featuring Superman and Muhammad Ali.

The famed comic, entitled Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, was a 72-age oversize edition that was also reissued in 2010 in a hardcover form.  Part of a collectors’ series issues by DC, the comic included a wrap-around cover featuring the likenesses of many stars of the day -- and despite being a literary piece, it still strikes me as odd that Kurt Vonnegut was included, but he was a big deal.

Interestingly, at the time of its delayed release in 1978, Ali had lost the world heavyweight boxing title to Leon Spinks.

In addition to providing the backstory behind the famed comic images from its pages, The Stacks’ post also includes two embedded YouTube links -- a clip from the original production of the comic (below) and a recent interview with DC Comics artist Neal Adams.

Here is a link to a Wikipedia entry specifically about the 1978 comic and follow this link to check out the Deadspin post.

Image courtesy DeadSpin.

Welcome to the Sci-Fi State

If you heard that ‘I told you so,’ it arose from the grave of the nearest deceased Sci-Fi writer in response to the recently leaked National Security Administration surveillance program.

With the advent of great technology comes the opportunity to use technology.  And in the case of the United States government, technology and rubber stamp courts have provided the opportunity to monitor the private actions of citizens in the name of security.

As reported by the Guardian and Washington Post, a program named PRISM is now the largest info aggregate for raw intelligence used by the NSA.  Through PRISM, the U.S. government is intercepting and cataloguing consumer data from online giants and telecom companies for use in surveillance activities.

Since the program’s revelation on June 6, there was a bit of outrage, understandably, but the reaction has been strikingly subdued.  Sure, some people were upset, but this scandal feels a bit highbrow and we are fighting Terrorism, right?  So can we get back to Benghazi?

Libertarians will tell you such sweeping surveillance should be a Clear Violation of our Guaranteed Constitutional rights.  And they’re right:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized

So where are the Protectors of Constitutional Rights?  Many politicians that recently called to Arms to protect to Constitution stand markedly quiet as the Fourth Amendment is endlessly bludgeoned in the name of security.  The Irony isn’t lost here.

But is it doing its job?  Even with a tip from a foreign government and seemingly unlimited surveillance ability, how do attacks like Boston, or even Fort Hood, continue?

The government is data mining its citizenship.  What else can they use that data for?

Some will tell you the program has had results.  Others will claim it hasn’t done enough.  But the government is clearly willing to ignore Constitutional Rights.  With the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court rubber stamping and supposed oversight functions comatose, the surveillance state has been born.

Welcome to the real life Sci-Fi novel.

Image via Wikipedia.

The Reactionary Art of Prognostication

The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers series sits tied and the pundits are swinging wildly for the fences.

Following an enthralling game one victory in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals by the Heat -- one that came in overtime and left experts questioning Pacers head coach Frank Vogel -- the prognosticators sang the praises of the defending champions from Miami.

On ESPN’s flagship basketball program, its four-member panel of experts questioned if the Heat would decimate the Pacers at home in Game Two and would go on to sweep the series.

And then the Pacers won, guided by budding superstar Paul George and the human skyscraper Roy Hibbert.  Whoops.

Now, the analysts are singing the Pacers’ song and putting the team on the precipice of winning the title.  They toss about stats -- the Heat’s role players are shooting 16 percent and Shane Battier is yet to make a shot.  And the experts expect that to continue?  C’mon. 

Can we just settle down a bit?  I think we’re all pretty sure Battier will make a shot or two in the series.  And I think we all know the Heat are the better team.  So why are we so quick to swing predications?

I'm certainly no expert when compared to Magic Johnson and the like, but the Heat were in nearly this exact position last year when down 2-1 to the Pacers in the Semifinals.  The Pacers are a better team this year, but the Heat also won 27-straight games this year.

I'm still taking the Heat.

Image courtesy Business Insider.

Kobe Didn't End My Fantasy Season

Kobe Bryant’s season-ending injury crushed the title hopes of many fantasy team owners.

I didn’t flinch.  And no, I don’t have nerves of steel or a cupcake matchup.  I play in the league that should not be.

Filled with nonexistent owners, minimal competition and a free agent pool abundant with opportunity, this fantasy basketball league is very pathetic.  But it allows me to recover quickly from what should be a devastating injury.

I’ve consistently played fantasy football and baseball for many years, but I’m a relative novice in basketball.  I joined a 10-team league in 2011-12 that was competitive and fun.  But for the 2012-13 season, only six players joined and we were unable to rally to eight or 10 prior to the draft.

Because of this, each team made the playoffs before we even drafted.   Two teams coasted through the regular season as their managers made minimal moves.  Two others checked in from time-to-time to stay competitive.  And my friend Dan and I dominated the regular season and post-season to meet in the championship.

Actually, Dan and I seem to meet regularly in many fantasy postseason matchups and always have close games -- and we’re currently facing off in a 16-category baseball league where we sit tied at eight after seven days.  But now it’s rematch time after Dan stole the 2011-12 basketball championship.

Not Kobe Bryant.  At All.

Before advanced imaging could reveal the full extent of Bryant’s Achilles injury, I dropped the superstar.  And because of the lack of teams in the league and resulting deep player pool, I managed to snag the surging Raymond Felton (88 percent owned Yahoo) to fill the void.

Felton can’t match the frenetic pace Bryant has maintained of late to carry the Lakers.   But I play in a daily league, so I’ve also been dropping and adding players each day to stuff the stats.  With the depth available, I’ve added the likes of Greivis Vasquez (81%), Andrei Kirilenko (72%), Jimmy Butler (36%) and Corey Brewer (31%) to my team.

The results have been promising.  In our two-week championship, I currently lead Dan by a score of six-to-three.  Our categories favor stat stuffing, so I’m going to continue add/dropping players in an effort to win.

Provided I focus on maintaining high percentages in field goals and threes, I should be able to win points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.  That alone should give me a win, plus I currently lead both percentage categories.  I’ll likely lose turnovers, where I currently have less, and threes may be unreachable.  But a seven-to-two win may be possible, and gives me enough leeway to buy into the stat stuffing strategy.

Bryan’t injury should cripple my team, but I still see a road to my first fantasy basketball championship.

Images Courtesy:  LA.RawSignal.com; and ESPN.com.

TUF 17 Finale: Boy Wonder Wins Split Decision

TUF season 17 reached its conclusion on Saturday night with a card punctuated by spectacular fights and surprising results as the season champion was crowned in Las Vegas.

The TUF Finale Fight
Kelvin Gastelum was eager to throw blows with Uriah Hall, who seemed content to allow the smaller fighter chase him around the ring.   Kelvin began scoring with takedowns, but Hall turned the corner in the second round when he started reversing position on Kelvin and scoring on the smaller fighter -- including a stunning suplex late in the five-minute period.   Hall started pushing the pace more in the third round, but Kelvin secured a few takedowns and avoided any significant damage.

Despite being heavily favored, Kelvin appeared to win the fight -- and two judges acted in kind by scoring the bout 29-28 for Kelvin.  Surprisingly, one judge gave the fight to Uriah by the same score.

With his victory, Kelvin became the youngest winner in TUF history and did so as the last pick by his Coach, Chael Sonnen.  Harley-Davidsons are in order for the champs!

The Best of the Rest

Uriah Faber (28-6) def. Scott Jorgensen (21-7)
'The California Kid' won a fight that featured a blistering pace by securing a rear naked choke in the fourth round.  The bout was an entertaining fight between two friends and Jorgenson appeared to rebound and control the fight in the third, but Faber regained momentum in the fourth and secured the win by submission, his 16th-career win by tapout.

Faber likely deserves another bantamweight title shot following the win, but he will have many detractors gunning his direction that still have ammunition -- including five loses in title fights dating back to 2008 -- that will argue others are more deserving, including Michael McDonald and Bibiano Fernandes, among others.

Cat Zingano (8-0) def. Miesha Tate (13-4)
Tate controlled the majority of the fight from the opening bell when she surged at her opponent.  But Zinagno survived multiple takedowns and submission attempts through two rounds and won with a flurry of knees in the third period.

With the win, Zingano will join UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey -- Kelvin’s favorite training partner -- as a coach on the next season of TUF ( and we have a TUF-related surprise below!).

Travis Browne (16-1-1) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (14-7)
The pre-fight talk seemed to side with Gonzaga and then Browne claimed the first round knockout in spectacular fashion.  While defending a single-leg takedown against the cage, the towering heavyweight fighter dropped a series of elbows to the side of Gonzaga’s head that collapsed his opponent to the mat.

Bubba McDaniel (21-6) def. Gilbert Smith (5-2)
Bubba and McDaniel delivered a solid bout between two TUF contenders, but Bubba’s experience began to show as the bout advanced.  Bubba showed a number of skills against Smith, including a technical sweep from his back, and ended the contest with a triangle armbar in the third round.

And In addition to the aforementioned fights, a number of other TUF 17 contenders fought on the undercard, including:

Josh Samman (10-2) def. Kevin Casey (8-3) (TKO, round two)
Luke Barnatt (6-0) def. Collin Hart (4-2)(unanimous decision)
Dylan Andrews (16-4) def. Jimmy Quinlan (3-1) (TKO, round one)
Clint Hester (8-3) def. Bristol Marunde (12-8) (TKO, round three)

Final Thoughts
Where the hell was the Uriah Hall from the regular season?  Was this a body double?  Uriah looked content gliding and dancing, almost in a rope-a-dope-type manner.  He consistently retreated in an attempt to draw Kelvin in, but never showed his killer instincts that allowed him to dominate his early fights.  But, the runner-up certainly deserves a UFC contract and should be a future force in the middleweight division.

And who was this Bubba?  The training partner of Coach Jon Jones in Albuquerque, N.M. showed why he was favored entering the TUF season and was impressive in his fight with Gilbert Smith.   Apparently, the TUF season was difficult for Bubba, a rather large middleweight, as he had to maintain a low fighting weight during the filming because of the short period between fights.   He showed up at full strength on Saturday.

As impressive as the Cat Zingano and Miesha Tate bout was -- and it was my favorite fight of the evening, a non-stop battle between two driven competitors -- I couldn’t help but think that neither can match up with Ronda Rousey.  Zingano seemed overwhelmed by Tate’s early pace and exploded in the third with superior cardio, but Rousey will likely have the advantage in both pace and cardio in their anticipated matchup.

‘Bones’ Jones was awkward in an interview with Sonnen, who may seriously cut better promos than Ric Flair.  Jones was aloof and detached as talked distantly over Sonnen and the reporter, a fact the reporter pointed out.  Meanwhile, Sonnen just did his thing:  “My name is on the marquee and I'm a bigger draw than Rocky.  I'm soon to be champ and they call me Chael P.”

Oh, by the way, in a surprise announcement from the Big Boss Man Dana White, the next TUF with ‘Rowdy’ Rousey and Zingano will be aired on Fox Sports 1, the network’s new flagship sports channel.  In most regards, this is a big deal.  MMA wil l continue to be an important element of FOX’s future broadcasts and the show should have an opportunity to grow its ratings if the channel succeeds, as many think it may.

And, Kelvin.  Well done.  The youngest ever fighter on TUF has become the youngest champion of the show.  I doubted the young fighter every step of the way.  In fact, I still do because experience is often a significant factor in fighting.  Yet, I’m a fan of Jon Jones, the youngest ever champion, so paint me a hypocrite.   Kelvin impressed every step of the way and proved he was more than a wrestler, in addition to meeting every challenge head on -- which, rather strangely, couldn’t be said about every fighter on TUF 17.   A big congratulations are in order for the unassuming and inspirational young man.

Images Courtesy:  MMAfighting.com; another awesome GIF from FanSided.com; BloodyElbow.com; and NYPost.com.

TUF 17 Ep. 12: Expect the Unexpected, and Expected, to Make the Finale

We quickly started the episode with a giant plug for Harley-Davidson as the coaches and fighters visited a local dealership to customize motorcycles that the winning coach and fighter will receive.

With two fights on the docket, the action quickly transitioned to the first bout between Josh Samman (9-2) and Kelvin Gastellum (5-0).

Josh appeared confident, but the younger fighter opened the fight by controlling the ring on his feet -- and then taking the Team Jones fighter to the ground.  Kelvin continued to ride Josh on the mat and control the top position, but was struggling to land significant strikes.

As the round advanced, Josh attempted to move to his feet, which allowed the wrestler to take his back.  After a few moments of positioning, Kelvin was able to sink in a surprisingly easy rear naked choke for the victory.

After a brief session of tomfoolery -- including a cursing Dana White impression by Dylan Andrews -- the episode maneuvered to the second fight between Coach Jones’ Dylan (16-4-1) against the TUF 17 favorite Uriah Hall (7-2) from Chael Sonnen’s team.

The first round began with both fighters dancing to feel each other out, but Uriah began peppering Dylan with hard jabs.  Dylan attempted to stalk Uriah from the center of the ring, but appeared slow and intimidated and threw a minimal amount of strikes.  While it didn’t appear Uriah landed any outrageously strong punches, the Kiwi left the first round with a swollen face from repeated jabs.

The second round started by mirroring the first as Dylan controlled the center of the ring, yet appeared hesitant to strike -- and gave Uriah continued opportunities to attack.  However, Dylan managed a takedown and secured top position, but the Team Sonnen fighter immediately fought for a kimura and neutralized Dylan’s attack.  With less than a minute to go, Uriah released Dylan’s right arm and began striking from his back before reversing position and securing a ground-and-pound victory.

The results set up a finale between the heavily favored Uriah against the upstart Kelvin in a battle or brawlers on Saturday, April 13.

While the penultimate episode lacked spectacular fights and ancillary action, the TUF 17 season was of the most interesting in recent memory and featured an impressive array of fighters -- and many will be featured on the TUF finale card.

Still Dancing

Off to Alanta ... er, Atlanta ... for the Final Four.

I find it unbelievable, but I’m still dancing.

In a year in which many tried to two-step or go Gangham and fell flat, I continue to do the Spanish Fandango intent to ride the Louisville to the national title.

My bracket is far from perfect.  But it was solid enough to wither the failings of top-tier teams in a horribly-seeded tournament.

I’ve also managed to dance on despite shooting myself as soon as I stepped on the floor.  I took Gonzaga to the Final Four.  A perpetually foolish move I make every year by taking the always-untested Zags further than is sensible.  And I paid for it when they fell to Wichita State.

Similarly, I always bite on Wisconsin.  For 11 months each year, I gripe about the doom and gloom surrounding my sports teams, yet buy into the homer hype each March.  But grinding plodders make for terrible dance partners and they predictably lost to Admirable Ackbar’s Rebel Army.

On the contrary, I sold out on Michigan too early.  The team is filed with pedigree animals bred to rip normal collegiate athletes to shreds.  Sure, they got bored and lost a few games along the way, but the Blue has cold-blooded basketball killers and guards galore -- And they can go inside.  They aren’t plodders.

They lost, as usual, but didn't kill the bracket.

But I had them losing to Kansas.  Welcome to Atlanta and the Final Four Michigan.  My bad.

For some reason, I ignore common sense come tournament time.  I rely on numbers I loathe most the year -- RPI and some professor at Georgia Tech’s nerdy formula -- and convince myself I don’t watch enough basketball to make an informed decision.

But despite All this, I’m still moving and shaking.  I sit tied for second in my pool.

I actually could care less about the championship game from a bracket perspective.  I simply need Louisville to beat Wichita State on Saturday -- and then some luck -- to win my bracket pool.

If Louisville avoids beyond shocked by the Shockers, my bracket pool will conclude with myself and another individual tied for first.  The winnings come down to a tie-breaker of total points in the championship game, and I have the score 75-70 for 145 total points.

(And, of course, I’m tied with the individual running the pool, so I plan to get his final score prior to the championship.  Can’t be getting cheated …)

I complete expect Louisville to win.   They’re more talented, better coached and are playing on after the gruesome injury to Kevin Ware, the Georgia-born guard whose leg snapped like a wishbone in the Duke game.

The Ware injury was among the most disgusting injuries I’ve ever seen.  Writhing in pain with his leg crippled, his teammates looked sickly as they turned away, not even running to help their teammate.

(Click here for a GIF of the injury, but it's nasty.)

But the last image from the injury was Coach Rick Pitino.  He first walked onto the court to gather his men and turn their focus back to the task at hand -- a championship.

From Philly.com.

It wasn’t callous.  Most coaches love their players -- looking at you Mike Rice -- and Pitino certainly cares for his, but he’s a coach and his job was to win a game.  He let his trainers handle the devastating injury, while he helped his other young men recover and refocus.

With Ware now scheduled to travel to Atlanta for the Final Four, his Louisville Cardinals will be playing on for their teammate.

And, in much less important matters, a win by his Cardinals would keep me on the dance floor.   And within Lady Luck’s striking distance of a payout.

TUF 17 Ep. 10 and 11: Working Down to the Final Four

@SaidSimmons Well, I suck.  You’re getting two episodes in one because I managed to leave a post sitting idle in my Drafts folder thinking it was published.  Sorry about that and because of the mistake I have tried to shorten each post into a more digestible single article … but we’re covering FOUR fights!

Tuf 17 Ep. 10 Blow by Blow
We made it to the semi-finals and the episodes are moving at a much quicker pace.

The first one started with Coach Jon ‘Bones’ Jones talking to Bubba McDaniel, who is apparently scared as all hell to go fight Uriah Hall.

Kelvin Gastelum (5-0) feels doubted -- he doesn’t believe the other competitors think he can box.  Coach Chael Sonnen indicated Kelvin has grown significantly over three weeks from the last pick on his team to a competitor, and he sees him as a brawler and a wrestler.  Sonnen mentioned that Colin Hart (4-1) is a difficult opponent, but not for Kelvin and he hopes his fighter can eliminate one of Coach Jones’ better options.

Coach Jones described Colin as “extraordinary” at jiu-jitsu and good at everything else.  Colin indicated he’s eager to prove he can box and isn’t a boring fighter after admittedly sitting on his last opponent.

Rhonda Rousey kept her word and came to the gym to train with Team, Sonnen and an excited Kelvin.  Rousey does a terrible Sonnen impression, but has his cadence down pretty well.  She taught the team some judo throws and more.

Coach Sonnen discussed the Luke Barnett (5-0) and Dylan Andrews fight (16-4-1), stating he thinks is interesting because it’s the first pick versus the last pick, and because Luke has a tremendous size advantage.  But because of the latter, he doesn’t see Luke losing.  Luke also added that, “England is a horrible place,” and it motivates him to get better.  (And, jeez, kind of harsh on the homeland, eh?)

Dylan has been working with Coach Stonehorse Goeman, who was Jones’ first muay thai coach.  Jones sees them as both tribal types and connecting on a spiritual level.  Dylan values his friendship and says Stonehorse has become a father figure.  Coach Jones indicated he thinks Luke is the type that doesn’t like to get punched.   Dylan feels a desire to be great and shuns a Monday to Friday-type life.

Mike Tyson came to watch the Luke and Dylan fight and meets the fighters before the fight.  Understandably, everyone was amped, as Tyson was king of the fight world for a period and is a living legend in many respects.

Fight 1-of-2

From TheUltimateFighter.com.

Both fighters came out swinging and Colin pushed Kelvin to the fence and connected with a hard left hook in defense.  After a quick clinch, the fighters returned to the center of the cage and began exchange haymakers and *BOOM* Kelvin landed a bomb.  He landed a hard left hook in a flurry and Colin went down face first.  Kelvin pounced and began to pound, but stopped his attack before the referee could even stepped in knowing his opponent was knocked out.

Fight 2-of-2
Dylan quickly shot and took Luke down to the mat, but had a hard time pinning down the larger fighter.  Dylan struggled to mount any offense from the top, and Luke scored with strikes from his back before standing back up.  In total, Dylan took Luke down three times on the road, but struggled to keep him down.   He even went for a choke to end the round, but was unable to sink it in for the finish.

The fighters began the second round by boxing for 30 seconds before clinching and moving to the fence.  Luke scored his first takedown of the match, but Dylan soon resversed positions, but again struggled to score from the dominant position.  As the round continued, it strangely mirrored the first and even ended with another failed choke attempt by Dylan.

Courtesy CageWall.com.

Somewhat surprisingly, the fight went to a third round and both fighters looked exhausted to start the round.  Dylan tried to shoot, but didn’t appear to have the remaining strength to manage the takedown.  After a clinch the fighters began exchanging sloppy, tired blows, yet Dylan had more power.    As the round wore on, Dylan started landing big blows and a series of connections took Luk down.  Dylan landed one final hammer fist before Herb Dean stepped in to end the affair.

After the fight, Stonehorse gave Dylan and hug and told him, “I’m so fucking proud of you … you’re going to do this.”


Tuf 17 Ep. 11
The second semi-final episode began with Team Jones training, but Bubba is lying on the sideline.  After a number of fights in a short period of time, Bubba is wearing down -- physically and mentally -- and has some off pain in his back near his kidney.  Bubba feels like he is being given the hardest road possible to achieve his dream.

The attention turned to Josh Samman with is fighting Jimmy Quinlan, the fight that Josh wanted and Team Jones desired as a reward for Josh, who has been a leader for the team.  Bubba believes Josh is the superior fighter, but Gilbert Smith has concerns about the Florida-based fighter defending Jimmy’s takedowns.

Jimmy stated that his confidence comes from his past success -- and likely should, as the young fighter is still undefeated.  Despite his confidence in his jiu-jitsu, Jimmy also explained that he wants to set up his takedown with striking.

After being reintroduced to the fighters, Bubba’s back again becomes a concern -- and Atlanta’s Chris Hester continued training to take his place if needed -- and blood work is done to check his kidneys.

And the blood work came back good, so Bubba was cleared to fight and was left believing the pain was caused by a muscle strain.  His confidence seemed to buoy with a clean bill of health, but Bubba is still afraid of Uriah Hall.

Uriah heard Bubba is afraid to fight.  Uriah provided a comment about twitchy, scared fighters being dangerous, but he knows he has the upper hand before entering the ring.  Uriah even compared himself to The Spider, Anderson Silva – wow -- but Sonnen admitted Uriah is the toughest and hardest working member of TUF 17.

And then the concern for Bubba poured in.  Both UFC mastermind Dana White and coach Sonnen commented that Bubba is in for a tough fight, followed by Luke explaining that seeing a teammate dropped with a devastating spinning kick with mess with you, and he expected Bubba to be thinking about it.

Fight 1-of-2
Both fighters squared up eager to throw punches, but Jimmy quickly shot on Josh after eating a blow to the head.  Despite a strong sprawl, the grappler picked up Josh and slammed him to the mat and took the top position.  However, Jimmy soon began bleeding significantly -- evidence that he did take a hard punch from Josh.

They don't coach you to do this.

And then Jimmy figuratively sat on Josh.  The wrestler fought to maintain position, but Josh was clearly landing the more significant strikes from his back as his opponent climbed across him continuously.

After scrambling up from  the mat, Josh took Jimmy’s back .  With just 30 second left in the round, Josh gave up on a choke and began swinging synchronized punches from both hands at the same time to Jimmy’s head – seemingly boxing his ears with punches -- and the grappler tapped from the pressure.  Yes, TAPPED from bizarre punches.

Afterwards, Jimmy admitted that he simply quit.

Fight 2-of-2

Awesome GIFs come from FanSided.com.  Go check 'em out.

Holy wow.  Does this count as a fight?  In a flash, Uriah started throwing punches and the second one caught and knocked out Bubba -- and seemingly crushed his eye socket.

This was one of the scariest moments in TUF history.  After the referee called off Uriah, Bubba lay motionless on the mat face down.   When Bubba came to, he began stating he couldn’t move and something was significantly wrong with his eye on the inside.

Per FanSided, Bubba's face was broke in three places from Uriah's blow.

Fortunately, Bubba soon regained his own ability to move and met with his team and doctors before going to the hospital.

Uriah was obviously perturbed by another devastating knockout and he seemed to still be learning how good he is -- and still coming to terms with how dangerous he is.  While still in the ring, Sonnen told Uriah he is a contender -- not just for TUF, but the UFC championship as a middleweight.

After the fights, UFC lord Dana met with the coaches and fighters to discuss potential semi-final matchups (and again color-coded for ease of use!):

Josh called out Kelvin for the semis and Uriah in finals. 
Dylan said he does not care.  Whoever.  Wherever.
Uriah wanted Josh.
Kelvin said he wants Dylan.

Jon Jones indicated he wanted their original plan -- Josh v. Uriah and Dylan v. Kelvin -- and Chael seconds that.  Dana said this is the first time the coaches have agreed, which of course meant …


Dana announced that the semi-final fights would be:

Josh v. Kelvin
Uriah v. Dylan

TUF 17 Ep. 9: Almost Time for Quarter Pounders

With just one fight remaining before the quarterfinal bouts, TUF 17 Ep. 9 delivered a impressive wild card matchup between Team Jones’ Bubba McDaniel and Team Sonnen’s Kevin Casey that set the stage for the next round of action.

The Blow by Blow
Determined in the previous episode, the wild card match pitted Bubba (20-6), a training partner of Jones in Albuquerque, N.M., against Kevin (5-1).

Leading into the fight, Kevin admitted he did not perform in his last moment of pressure, but he also understands that the coaches believe in him.  Because of that, he has one more chance to advance.

Bubba taped a confessional where he acknowledged the difficulty of his lifestyle and the toll it puts on his family -- who remains in Texas while he trains in New Mexico.  It’s not clear if he has an estranged relationship, but he has an eight-year old daughter that regularly asks when Bubba is coming to see her -- which really hurts the tough guy -- but he doesn’t have the money to visit.  Winning TUF could change that, so it’s apparent that Bubba respects his second chance.

Jones and his coaches put in effort to talk up Bubba, and Jones specifically reminded Bubba of the difficulty he gave Jones training in the past.  The champion coach implored Bubba to move forward and attack in the fight -- be the Bubba that gave Jones so much trouble.

And then Bubba confused the heck out of me, as he began discussing his “kids” in the plural.  He only mentioned the eight-year-old before, but there might be multiple ‘lil McDaniels.  Eh, unimportant …

Kevin trained in a helmet to let a cut heal about his left eye, but expressed his desire to come out hard in the fight.

Yeah, like this -- just over the lip.

And then Luke Barnett made his weekly appearance … and O.M.G. … Luke has a horrifying zit above his lip that might be the size of a Silver Dollar on my screen … staring me down in HD … it’s hypnotic … But, seriously producers, I know you love Luke and all, but give the kid a week off when he has a moon-sized zit orbiting his head.

It’s a Celebration, Bitches
The house celebrated Thanksgiving with their coaches around the traditional holiday fare -- to the dismay of a cranky Bubba, who is cutting weight.   Sonnen gave a great speech to the fighters and admitted that he really likes Jones, which is an unsettling prospect for a fighter who normally enjoys hating his opponents and talking some smack.

The Fight
Kevin quickly tossed a hard left hook and the fighters clinched, but Bubba immediately put Kevin on his back and took the advantage.  After working his way to the cage on his back, Kevin climbed up, reversed Bubba to the cage and tripped the taller fighter to the mat.  Kevin maintained the advantage on the mat for a number of minutes, but failed to score any significant strikes.  With 97 seconds remaining, Bubba worked his way up against the fence.  After fighting clinched for nearly 60 seconds, Kevin scored another takedown with 25 seconds on the clock and held the kickboxer down for the remainder of the round.

After a hard kick to right thigh, Bubba clinched with Kevin, to the dismay of his coaches.  The duo exchanged a number of blows dirty boxing against the cage before Bubba pulled Kevin to the mat and took control from the side.  Bubba worked short elbows and punches to Kevin’s head with his opponent trapped against the fence for the remainder of the round, just slowly peppering Kevin with meaningful blows.

The post-fight scene pre-ambulance.

As the bell ended the round, Kevin was slow to get up to his feet.   With the fight going to the third round, Kevin refused to answer the round -- the first time I’ve ever seen such an event.

Bubba then asked Dana White, “Does that count as a finish?”

“Good question -- yeah, we’ll give it to you,” said the big boss man.

After the win, Bubba talks a bit of trash to Team Sonnen, acknowledging he heard someone yell that Bubba was going to break and give up in the first round.

Kevin left the fight in an ambulance as a precaution after feeling faint.

Quarter Pounders
There was some talk early in the episode about who wants who -- and Josh Sammen seems scared of Uriah Hall -- but this is when it matters.  Lord Dana and the coaches called the fighters in one by one to discuss whom they wanted in the quarterfinals (color-coded for ease of use!):

Bubba called out Jimmy or Luke
Jimmy Quinlan requested Bubba
Dylan Andrews wanted Luke
Luke mentioned Bubba and Dylan
Kelvin Gastelum wanted Colin Hart
Colin wanted Uriah
Uriah asked for Josh
Josh called out Jimmy (and pussy footed around a potential matchup with Uriah)

After the fighters come in, the coaches discuss the potential matchups of:

Dylan v. Luke (who wanted each other)
Josh v. Uriah
Jimmy v. Josh
Kelvin v. Bubba (a matchup the coaches want)

But you taketh what Lord Dana giveth, which was:

Fight 1:  Colin v. Kelvin (Kelvin wanted Colin)
Fight 2:  Dylan. V. Luke (a match that both the coaches and fighters wanted)
Fight 3:  Josh v. Jimmy (what Josh wanted and he avoide a matchup with Uriah)
Fight 4:  Uriah v. Bubba (neither wanted each other)

Episode Grade:  A+
I’m sure many would disagree with this assessment, but it was a great episode -- just enough build up, a good fight and the quarterfinal deliberations.  Plus, a surprise matchup between Bubba and Uriah that left both the fighters and fans confused!

Hetfield Says Yeah? Yeah

Give a ‘Yeah’ of approval for the track below.

In an ode to the greatest metal band in history, a SoudCloud user has collected Metallica frontman James Hetfield’s entire catalogue of ‘Yeahs,’ the growly call the singer proudly owns.  (But he's also known for a few ‘Yos’ and ‘Heys’ in live shows along the way.)

If you’re not a Metallica fan, you’ll probably make it through 30 seconds, laugh and move on.  If you’re a Metallica fan, enjoy more than 3:00 minutes of Hetfield in his zone.

(And, for fans, you probably will find yourself asking, 'Wait, is this actually making fun of Metallica,' about halfway through.  Just power through that feeling and you’ll come out loving this.)

@SaidSimmons:  By the way, the badass Hetsfield composition is by DeviantArt user by Zincrap.  I would post this as a caption, but I still haven't mastered the HTML setting for the caption ... and I really dislike the settings for captions on this template.

TUF 17 Ep.8: One For The Bag Guys

TUF 17 Ep.8 featured the final bout first round bout between Team Jones’ Dylan Andrews and Team Sonnen’s Zak Cummings before the stage is set for the wild card contest.

I don't think it counts for much, but Zak Cummings wins the
fight for better hair -- and creepier gaze.

The Blow by Blow
Par for the course of late, we begin the episode with more discussion about the wild card fight and Bubba McDaniel wants the spot for Team Jones.  Adam Cella makes an argument for Bubba in a confession piece and described how the veteran fighter just puts in more effort -- such as getting in a run after group training has ended.

And that’s it.  There is no behind the scenes this week and we get straight to the Coaches Challenge, where each coach competed in three challenges -- where they competed in excavators.

Yep, big ass construction equipment.

The coaches began by filling a 14-yard dumpster with dirt and Jon Jones jumped to an early lead.  However, Chael Sonnen soon overtook the UFC light heavyweight champion by scooping larger amounts in his bucket and finished first.

Sonnen moved to the next contest -- and talked some smack as he drove along -- while Jones lagged behind.  He then began stacking three oversized tractor tires in a pyramid shape and positioned two before Jones started the second competition.

But as Sonnen struggled to position his third tire, Jones quickly moved his into place and secured the third with his claw.   As both fighters worked to place the top tire, Jones miraculously dropped his into place and it balanced along the edges of the base tires across a gaping width between.

Jones chugged along to third segment, where the coaches would grab a basketball off a cone and drop it into a tire, and celebrated in the cab of the excavator.   ‘Bones’ immediately snatched the ball and spun the excavator to drop the ball in the tire, only to have it rim out and spin helplessly into the dirt.

In the meantime, Sonnen secured his basketball and maneuvered to drop it into place to win the challenge -- including $10,000 for himself and $1.5k for each of his fighters.

(And, while TUF didn’t show it, I’m sure the collective of Team Jones was likely pissed to lose out on that cash.)

As he has stated many times before, Sonnen shared a, “One more for the bad guys.”

Get to Know Your Fighters
Back in Australia, Dylan (16-4-1) went to a video rental store (blast from the past!) to get a UFC video and he noticed a gym next door -- and ended up training there for six years.

The Kiwi, who was the last TUF participant selected to a team, grew up around a marijuana farm in Australia and was inspired by the failures of his brothers, who were caught up in the weed game.

Dylan also faces a mental hurdle in that he feels trapped because he is so good at fighting that he cannot walk away.  He has two children -- a seven-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter.  Dylan explained that he works to provide for his family, but he has put them through hell by being a fighter and get this opportunity.

Zak’s (15-3) friends thought he was too smart to fight, but they soon recognized his dedication and ability.  Despite being a cage fighter, the Missouri-native has never been in street fight.  After trying out for TUF six previous times, Zak finally made the cut after his seventh effort.

Zak explained that he is happy he had to wait until the last fight, as it allowed him to get comfortable in the house -- and get mentally prepared.

The Fight

After feeling each other out Zak shot and pushed the action to the cage.  The pair retuned to their feat and Dylan retreated after catching a punch and quickly ended up on the mat with Zak in side control -- where he soon began dropping elbows.  However, Dylan reserved the position as soon as Zak took top control.  With blood flowing from the side of his head where he ate the elbows, Dyaln controlled the final two minutes on top and landed some good blows -- potentially enough to steal the round.

The pair began the second round by dancing in the middle of the ring for 30 seconds -- and midway though the pair exchanged a high five after Zak threw a wild, yet entertaining spinning kick.   Zak tossed a strong punch and Dylan retreated.  Zak pressed the action and jumped, only to have Dylan catch him and position himself atop Zak as he fell to the mat.  Dylan spent the next four minutes on top of Zak landing elbows and punches and stood at the bell knowing he had won.

The Kiwi took the fight by majority decision.

The Wild Card
In past years, UFC lord and overseer Dana White picked the wild card matchup, but allowed the coaches to decide.  Sonnen has an easy decision and selected Kevin Casey.  Meanwhile, Jones was forced to choose between his first pick, Clint Hester, and his training partner, Bubba McDaniel.  After taking a few minutes and discussing the opportunity with the team, Jones selected Bubba.

Episode Grade:  B+
It wasn’t the best fight of the season, but it was entertaining.  Toss in a Coaches Challenge and the wild card selection and it made for an entertaining evening of TUF.

#TheHobby Has Grown Up

*@SaidSimmons:  The following is an opinion piece written by a newbie baseball card collector (me) who was reintroduced to the hobby within the past year.  

You can still find a pack of baseball cards for $2.00.  But you’d be lucky if you can find a pack of 2012 Panini National Treasures Baseball for less than $400.

Holy crap!  Is that Ty Cobb AND 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson
on the same card -- with pieces of their bats from 1911?!

With that in mind, the baseball card industry seems to be robust and healthy after the collapse of the ‘90s -- as well as the economy in general.   And to gauge the baseball recovery, Panini National Treasures appear to be the measuring stick of the industry’s health.

To be fair, Panini National Treasures is significantly more than just a pack of baseball cards.  Each of the eight cards in a pack includes an autograph, piece of memorabilia or both, and mostly features players with historical significance.

From jersey pieces and bat knobs to folding book cards that feature signed balls from superstar duos, Panini National Treasures is a high-end memorabilia product for card-minded sports collectors.

Yet with demand driving the price per pack upwards of $425, the product is almost a sports memorabilia lottery more than a collector’s product.  If a fan collects a certain player or team, it surely makes more sense (and cents) to find your favorites in the secondary market.

But the product certainly does provide the opportunity to hit the sports lottery, as a father-son pair recently found out -- by pulling a 1/1 Honus Wagner cut autograph and bat relic nickname card.  The ‘Holy Grail’ was pulled from a local card shop here in Atlanta and was promptly listed on eBay for $20k (which has since been reduced to $10k).

I was able to find a pack of National Treasures before jumped through the roof -- and the shop where I bought the pack increased the price $75 the next day.*

I did well with my pack.  I pulled a 1/1 -- but not a ‘Holy Grail’.  It was an Austin Jackson logo autograph card.  I also pulled a 4/6 Will Middlebrooks button card of the rookie.

However, I was more interested in historical players and only managed one card of a player predating the ‘80s of Roy Campanella.  And with just eight cards, I didn’t grab one player with whom I had any emotional connection.

Fortunately, I’m hoping to recoup some of my ‘investment’ by selling the most notable cards and dropping the earnings on some Atlanta Braves or Pete Rose cards.^

And, yes, Rose is included because the product is not officially licensed by MLB.  Because of that, the set also features the appearance of other banned baseball baddies, including Joe Jackson, Heinie Groh and Lefty Williams.

The 2012 Panini National Treasures Baseball set is easily the coolest product I’ve come across since I was reintroduced to #TheHobby, but carries a hefty price tag.  The surrounding hype is well deserved, but I’m sure many collectors wish Panini’s set wasn’t so revered so the price tag would drop a bit.

*Because I’m a ‘journalist’ of sorts and I’m increasing my online profile by writing about my hobby, and something newsworthy, I wonder if I can convince my accountant this is tax deductible.

^Ah, crap.  I bet this means the pack isn't tax deductible after all -- and that was assuming my account wasn’t going to tell me I was a moron in the first place.

GSU: Yours Truly in the AJC

As was recently covered here -- after stealing the meat and potatoes from the AJC -- the Georgia State Panthers could end up with an in-state rival in the Sun Belt Conference.

With the conference realignment rumor mill always in full swing, the mid-major focus has now fallen on Georgia Southern and Appalachian State potentially moving to the Sun Belt.

Georgia State beat writer Doug Roberson of the AJC put out a Twitter request for State and Southern fans to express their opinions about the possible move.  And apparently I was the only Panther fan dumb enough to speak up:

Georgia State fans with hopes of creating a meaningful rivalry for the Panthers should welcome the addition of Georgia Southern to the Sun Belt. 

The Eagles’ entrance to the Sun Belt would immediately seed the potential for an in-state rivalry for the Panthers -- one that previously existed when both schools were members of the Trans American Athletic Conference in the 1980s and early 90s. 

Within the Sun Belt, the Panthers will likely develop relationships with South Alabama and Troy, two foes across our westward border with whom the Panthers have recent history.  

But Southern would create an instant advisory and a marquee football matchup for State that may resonate with both casual and diehard fans, pitting the city vs. rural Georgia. 

The Panthers have lacked any true rival -- regional or founded in competition -- in over a decade.   Upon joining the Colonial Athletic Association in 2005, the fan base was excited for realignment and hoped a regional rivalry might develop with UNC Wilmington.  But the Seahawks’ campus remained a seven-hour trip from Atlanta.   State’s departure from the CAA then dashed any possibility of time-built traditions within the conference. 

To some degree, State and Southern have maintained a rivalry in recent years in Olympic sports, softball and bickering over which school is the real ‘GSU’ on message boards.  However, the cornerstone of collegiate rivalries in the South is football and the Panthers still have to prove they can compete with Southern.   

While rivalries are oft founded in region, they are fueled by competitiveness.  After a 1-10 season, the Panthers have an obligation to improve their team and head coach Trent Miles appears capable of a turnaround with the fledgling program. 

If the Panthers improve in football, the addition of Southern to the Sun Belt should set the table for a new in-state rivalry in Georgia.

In case you missed the link above, here is the AJC blog with fan opinions, "Here's why you think the Eagles should join the Panthers in the Sun Belt."

TUF 17 Ep.7 Recap: Styles Decide Fights

Because you missed another episode of TUF and need to get a quick rundown before this afternoon’s water cooler talk, here’s an abbreviated synopsis of TUF 17 Ep.7 featuring Team Jones’ Clint Hester vs. Team Sonnen’s Jimmy Quinlan.

(And, dang, you seem to be missing a lot of episodes lately.  What gives?)

The Blow by Blow
This week’s episode opened with more talk about the potential wild card spot, with Bubba McDaniel eyeing the opportunity.  And Uriah Hall’s continued assholery is discussed with Jon Jones.

But enough with the small talk, the guys went to Hooters -- and Gilbert Smith Jr. undressed on cue and took his shirt off.  After finding his way into a size smedium Hooters tank top, Gilbert then ripped that off to the staged applause of the waitresses.

Before departing the restaurant, the fighters and coaches posed for a picture with the Hooters ladies, but the always grumpy Uriah refused to join in.

"Argh, I love being naked on TV."

The next morning, Josh Samman woke up with intense leg pain and was taken to the hospital due to his history of blood clots.  He ends up being released and okay.

(Which I somehow missed entirely.  Mid-fight, I blurt, ‘Hey, what happened to Josh,’ but fortunately my fiancée was there to back me up.  I guess this occurred when I making an adult beverage.)

A lot of the episode was spent discussing the stylistic differences of Clint, an accomplished striker, and Jimmy, who has a background in grappling.  Chael Sonnen reveals that both coaches wanted Clint with the first overall pick.

Both Clint and Jimmy genuinely like each other and appeared to be bro-ing it up a bit.  Clint said most the house doesn’t get Jimmy, but they’re besties.

Get to Know Your Fighters
Clint (7-3) is from Powder Springs, Ga. -- which is about 30 miles from the ‘ole home base in downtown ATL -- and he tries to be a humble dude.  He had a stable upbringing where he lived with his aunt and uncle, but he just liked to fight.  Clint hung with some smaller guys, so he stuck up for them -- and fought.

He wanted to box when he was young, but started in 2005.  After his boxing gym closed, he found a nearby gym that also featured MMA, which intrigued the fighter.  Clint took his first MMA fight 10 months later.

Jimmy (3-0) went to school for criminal justice and didn’t grow up in bad neighborhood.  He tries hard to be a good cop.

Jimmy also believes his police training helped to prepare him for the scenario he faces on the show -- being holed up with a bunch of dudes while competing.  The local police force has allowed Jimmy to train and pursue wrestling and MMA.  He has a job waiting when he gets back -- but he hopes to win.

The Fight

Photo from UFC.com.

Jimmy shot early and lifted Clint for an immediate slam to begin the first round.  Although Jimmy secured a strong side position after the slam, Clint quickly escaped -- yet soon was thrown a second time by Jimmy.   Clint popped up and the pair returned to grappling.  Clint almost secured a guillotine and landed some knees while controlling Jimmy’s head.  After separating, Jimmy again lifts Clint for the third slam of the round and rode the top position until the horn.

Clint opened the second round by shooting and Jimmy almost secured a guillotine after sprawling – and the second round again turns into a grappling match.  Jimmy assumed the top position.  Fighting to escape, Clint rolled to his stomach and Jimmy sat on his back.  The wrestler dropped some small bombs before sinking in the guillotine to end the fight at 3:16 with a quick tap by Clint..

Episode Grade:  C+
TUF has oft been criticized for being a juvenile and focusing on pranks -- and I miss it.  We’ve had two straight weeks of friendly fights with little build up.  If it weren’t for Uriah being a self martyr, the season 17 house might have flat lined by now.

By the way, what the hell was Clint thinking to open the second round?  Was he trying to catch Jimmy off guard, by shooting?  He needed to toss some haymakers to utilize his strengths, but too often played into Jimmy’s grappling background.

 By default, the final round matchup is Zach vs. Dylan.  Dylan was last pick, so Zach should be the assumed favorite next week.