Monday, May 7, 2007

A Showman's Weekend

This weekend was filled with showmanship and theatrics. In sports when you get showmanship, you lose substance. And so I sit back today feeling drunk. It was a fun time , but there is nothing left but a headache and regret.

De La Hoya Looks Old against Mayweather

The days and months leading up to the fight were filled with trash talk.

De La Hoya added controversy and intrigue by attacking Mayweather mentally through hiring and embracing the younger fighter's family. Mayweather came back at De La Hoya by ripping on his age and record.

The thick talk by the two most prominent fighters in the sport today had the entire sports world waiting with baited breathe.

All was for not.

The fight went just as anyone who has seen either of these two guys fight thought it would. De La Hoya, a slugger, was unable to move and get power hits in on the younger tactician, Mayweather. It was not a close fight. I couldn't even understand the split decision, until I remembered that everything in boxing is incomprehensible. The fight was one sided and it was not worth the hype, let alone the pay-per-view price.

Roger Clemens, Yankees Savior

The only way Roger Clemens could have made a flashier entrance into this season is if he bedazzled his new pinstripes in rhinestones and para sailed into Yankee Stadium with his hair on fire.

Today I had to deal with the Yankee fans.

The fans that have been silent thus far this season as they dwell in the bottom of the AL East.

The fans that have seen big name pitchers betray them.

Today those fans are rejoicing in Clemens, the Rocket, the savior.

They paid $28 million dollars for less than 20 games. He will pitch somewhere around his 3.10 career ERA, but it remains to be seen if that will really help the Yankees, with their thin bullpen, win games. He went 7-6 last season. Hardly a year worth a $28 million monster contract.

New Yorkers love the big names. At least until they lose in the post season.

Lane Kiffin Works in Cheese

According to blackandsilver.com, Lane Kiffin let his players' scheduled hour of meetings hang in the balance as Sebastian Janikowski attempted a 48 yard kick. The raiders kicker made teh field goal and the entire team roared with applause. Then the gorganzola began to rain from the sky.

When he was asked about the event Kiffin said, "We had hour-long meetings after this, the last meetings before they take off. So, same thing, competition, putting guys in situations, putting Janikowski in a 48-yard field goal I think it was right there. And if he made it, they got meetings off, and if he missed it, they had meetings. So he made it and it was a good thing because there would have been some guys down if he had missed it. It worked out good."


I think that my high school coach did the same thing. If his teammates were anything like my high school football team, Janikowski, would have been beaten with a sock and a roll of quarters if he had missed the kick.






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