The Ukranian Heavyweight and older Klitschko brother will be defending his WBC heavyweight title against Juan Carlos Gomez Saturday, shown for free on ESPN Classic

When I stumbled onto The Ring blog yesterday and saw that an actual modern heavyweight title fight was going to be shown for free on ESPN, I was flabbergasted. Given it is not a money maker of a fight, pitting Vitali Klitschko to mandatory defend his WBC heavyweight title against Juan Carlos Gomez, I still can’t believe it is being shown for free.

Was Don King not involved with this? Is this the 70s and 80s where ABC and NBC would feature boxing match ups between greats like “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns, Joe Frazier and Ray Mercer? Am I stuck in soon to be canceled ABC drama “Life on Mars”?

No, it’s happening and I think it’s a good thing. I think putting more title fights on normal TV will draw more interest back into the sport that has been hurt by MMA and UFC over the years. Boxing is a classic staple of American television. An example is Howard Cosell calling the fight between Frazier and George Foreman (“Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier!) It used to be something that people wanted to watch and wanted to get into.

Today with pay per view, the audience is alienated. Every fight that is broadcast is usually behind the velvet rope of pay per view, leaving chance that the viewer is paying $50-100 sometimes for a fight that only lasts 30 seconds. This isn’t always the case, but it’s a risky investment for entertainment.

I think picking and choosing your fights and giving some things away for free will draw in more viewers than hiding them all on pay per view with a price tag. It’s the old saying of drawing more flies with honey. Give them a product that they would be willing to watch and willing to buy. I think with this you’d have more interest in a big fight. You could weave the story and sell for a Klitschko brothers brawl when that happens.

Now of course this wouldn’t work with Floyd Mayweather or other established stars in lower divisions. Every fight Floyd has is going to be massive because that is the kind of person he is. But with the fledgling heavyweight division, I’d be trying everything to sell these fighters to the viewers. There are still great heavyweights out there and they deserve the limelight.

A good example is Riddick Bowe, an Olympic silver medalist and former heavyweight champion. Would his first fight with Evander Holyfield been so well watched and spectacular if he hadn’t been exposed on normal TV in his post Olympic professional career.

I hope this fight opens the door for a return of the heavyweights somewhat. I don’t think one fight will change anything, but It can help.

Vitali Klitschko aims to impress US fight fans – (AP via International Herald Tribune)

Will the Terps fail...probably...but I'm hoping like hell that they don't

So I filled out some brackets (final year for a different one…I’m following the one bracket to rule them all method from here on out) and I watched the opening day.  I guess it is safe to say I’m zoned in on the only thing I can watch involving college basketball.  It makes more sense than college football and the tension is high because every game matters.  It’s sort of like being dropped into the middle of a heated NBA playoff game every time a new game in the tourney starts.

I have a few favorites in college sports, mainly University of Maryland who won their first round game against California and will lose take on Memphis in the next round.  I can’t help but feel a lack of confidence because I’m not used to local teams being good (other than the Capitals.)  Sure the Redskins and Orioles have had their glory in the past, that’s glory I’ve only had a glimpse of.  In my short life, I’ve only been privy to see these teams make it the big show and lose after the first round.  The Baltimore Ravens and Maryland Terps are an exception to that statement because they have indeed won championships in the past 10 years.

Still the majority outweighs the minority here and I’m still on edge.  I am hoping that the Terps can move on and prove me wrong.  I even picked them to go to the Final Four in the majority of my bracket pools (a foolish choice I am told by….everyone I’ve talked to.)

Next to them, I was pulling for the American University Eagles to pull the upset (something they almost did!) against Villanova.

Alas this was not to be and they couldn’t hold their lead to the end of the second half.  I sort of had a feeling when the announcer on CBS was trumpeting comparisons with George Mason and calling American’s win another “Cinderella story” with six minutes left that it wasn’t going to happen.  Thats my sports jinx/superstitious side of things, the reality is that American just ran out of gas after holding off Villanova for 75% of the game.

So Maryland lives on, American dies.

I had two other choices to win the tourney, one being North Carolina which I won’t talk about here because you can be force fed Tyler Hansbrough at all hours of the day on ESPN.  I am not a fan of the team, but I recognize they are good and I think they may have the will to win this year.

My real choice is the Pitt Panthers and it’s a choice I truly believe can/will come true.  Aside from my homerism for Maryland or my safety choice in the Tar heel juggernaut, Pitt is a team I think can go all the way.  I can’t talk about certain players on the team for lack of knowledge and I can’t say I know much about their program personally.  All I know is that Pittsburgh in general is a town that is competitive as hell.  You can see it with the Steelers and you can see it with the Panthers.  They are always there nagging away and pushing to win.

The Pitt Panthers made it to the tourney eight straight times and haven’t been to the Final Four since 1941.  This is probably the best chance they’ve had since then.  Also you don’t get a one seed (their first) for nothing, they’ve proven they are a force.  If they don’t win it all, they are at least going to the championship game.  If they don’t make it at all, I can just play the retarded college basketball novice card and never write about it again.

My lack of knowledge of the teams and games doesn’t stop me from commenting and enjoying the games though.  And I guess I can consider Pitt local enough…even though I am not a fan of the city too much.

David Wright, Derek Jeter and J.J. Putz helped their team defeat Puerto Rico in a 9th inning comeback to advance to the semi finals of the World Baseball Classic

As I was watching the game last night in the top of the 9th, I actually felt a sensation of worry in the pit of my stomach.  Had the seed planted by the MLB finally sprouted?  Did I care about the World Baseball Classic?

I will be honest and say I didn’t watch any of the 2006 WBC, especially after the United States lost.  I felt it was nothing but a glorified spring training created by Bud Selig to make the MLB seem less full of itself and crown a “true” world champion outside of the World Series.  It didn’t have the buzz of the world cup and it didn’t seem to get the media attention.

However, this year felt different.With football leaving a  bad taste in my mouth and the NBA trudging on at a slow methodical pace where the same teams controlled the top spots, I urned for baseball more than usual.  With the creation of the MLB Network, I was thrilled to watch old games, shows on baseball and hear about the upcoming season every night from Harold Reynolds, Al Leiter and Matt Vasgersian.  Part of that was hearing about the sophomore World Baseball Classic and how Team USA was taking it seriously this year.  I also looked into the other countries involved and the talent they were all advertising.  How, as a baseball fan, couldn’t I be interested now.

So the games started and I was more and more intrigued.  From a one run defensive duel between Asian rivals Korea and Japan.  To a stunning upset of a somewhat cocky Dominican Republic team by the Netherlands of all places (note that this upset is nice,  but it is not as big as people are making it out to be.  The Miracle on Ice this is not.)  I was hooked.

Then earlier in the week, Team USA, who was playing strong up to that point, was throttled by Team Puerto Rico in a game that was ended courtesy of the mercy rule in the 8th inning (11-1 Puerto Rico.)  That placed them in an elimination game with the Netherlands (which they won easily) and another game against Puerto Rico which was do or die for each team.

Last night as the score started climbing for both teams, I knew we had a classic game.  Tied at 3-3 in the 5th inning, Carlos Beltran stole a home run in center field which lit a fire for Puerto Rico to pull ahead 5-3 in the coming innings.  It was at that point I started thinking about the defeat of Team USA the year before.  The country that spawned the game of baseball was knocked out before even reaching the semi finals.

Now I don’t mean to lessen the achievements of the other countries involved in the World Baseball Classic.  It’s well known that every country is filled with it’s own Major League talent and play just as hard as they can to win. I just need to root for my team though.  Tommy Lasorda may be crazy with his old age, but he is right to say you should take pride in rooting for Team USA if you’re an American.

So I was a little worried when we were down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth.  But what an amazing bottom of the ninth inning.  Shane Victorino and Brian Roberts singled to get on base.  Then Jimmy Rollins worked himself into a walk.  This set the stage for Kevin Youkilis (who I am beginning to like! It’s like the Grinch who stole Christmas around here!) who was also walked allowing Victorino to score and bring the game to 5-4.  With only one out (courtesy of Derek Jeter who I was praying to not hit into a double play like normal) David Wright came to bat.

My heart was beating and I was tense.  It literally felt like a playoff game in March and I don’t know why.  Then Wright hit a bloop single just shy of the right field foul line and the winning runs came running into home.  The tense feelings were gone and replaced by a happy feeling.  This was the second time I felt this way during the WBC (the first was when the Netherlands beat the Dominicans for the second time) and hopefully it won’t be the last.

I want to see how far the USA will go and I am fully interested in it.  It’s not just some sort of glorified spring distraction anymore to me.  Sure it’s not at the level of the Olympics yet…but I think this year is showing that the WBC is something that can grow and be a major part of baseball.  People may complain about the tournament setup and about players working so hard in the early parts of the Major League season, but this will work out in the long run.

Enough of my long winded and probably pointless rant.  How do you feel?

Who would have thought that the Golf Channel would have a gem like this on the airwaves. If you didn’t know, Charles Barkley had a terrible golf swing. Completely horrid. If you haven’t seen it…here is a taste.

Not pretty.

Anyway, Hank Haney, who is Tiger Woods golf coach, took on the task of improving Barkley’s swing and his golf game. It was all documented for a show called “The Haney Project” which is airing Mondays at 9 p.m. on the Golf Channel. Barkley is always hilarious and always honest (which I love, I’ve gone on record.) He is no different on the show and it adds to the greatness of it all. It also gives me something other than “Tin Cup,” Tiger Woods 09, Alice Cooper and the major PGA tour events to extend my love of golf. Especially since I don’t get to the course enough and I kinda/sorta want to immerse myself in the sport sometimes.

Even if I didn’t like Golf though, I do love Charles Barkley and his personality. He may not be the best person in the world, but he isn’t trying to be and he knows it. This is what makes him so likable in my eyes. If you get the Golf Channel, you owe it to yourself to see the show.

BONUS: Tiger Woods impersonating Charles Barkley…all while shilling for the Wii

Since everyone is talking about it, I guess I should start with Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos. My towel throwing with the Broncos started a bit before this after the Broncos signed Brian Dawkins. You might of thought it was back when they fired Mike Shanahan I was happy they went out and got a proven defensive leader and was riding high on the Mile High Horse. Then Brandon Marshall runs into more legal trouble and that world crumbles. The downward slide begins there and hasn’t stopped since. This Jay Cutler – Trade ordeal is just a little grease for speed.

I should say I have no idea why the Broncos under new coach Josh McDaniels want to trade Cutler other than the reported idea that the former Patriot wanted to work with Matt Cassell.

I’ve heard stories that Cutler is a whiner and I’ve seen people say he has dropped the ball, but I didn’t know a QB played every position on the football field. As a young QB, Cutler has shown promise and talent. He may be a whiner sometimes and he may have a bit of hubris when he compares himself to John Elway, but this is what a young guy is supposed to do. I’d rather have a young guy show some kind of spunk rather than be a clean cut, Johnny Unitas or Peyton Manning (corporate shill.)

Basically what I’m saying is if you have a baby tree that is just growing, you don’t rip it out of the ground once it’s spread it’s roots, unless you have a good reason behind it. Just because you want to work with a QB you are familiar with doesn’t give you an open door to basically screw up an already injured team. Cutler has the makings to be a franchise QB if Denver were to build up a team around him. Last year he threw for 4,500 yds and had a completion rating of 63%, only a few points shy of top QB Phillip Rivers.

I can understand McDaniels wanting to keep with a system he is used to and understands. But with a team that is already becoming defined and building up, is it really the right thing to do as a coach to come and try to shake the whole thing up. I think it’s selfish and not a sign of a good coach. If I am a guy who is just starting as a head coach of a team, I wouldn’t go in all gun ho and try to change the entire make up of a team. I would instead take what I know, mix it with what I have on the existing team and add to it. Sure you might not win the first season, but you need to take a risk if you want to make it in this world. Coaching a pro football team is no different, especially if you are unproven as a head coach.

Anyway now it seems that the Broncos have alienated Jay Cutler, who now wants to be traded. They’ve made that bed and now they need to deal with it. They aren’t going to get Cassell, especially from the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. A team that may be poised to shake up that division, possibly winning it all (it is a fairly bad division after all.)

Also who is really sold on the idea that Cassell is anything special, he did play on the Patriots which is stacked to the gills with players that would make Tavaris Jackson look decent. I take that back because Cassell is better than Jackson at least, that’s a low blow.

I don’t know where Cutler will end up. Maybe Detroit, maybe Chicago…maybe even Minnesota (something that could push them into the Super Bowl.) My point of this whole long diatribe is to say that the Broncos made a mistake in my eyes. I know Cutler isn’t an untouchable QB, but he showed promise for the future. Of his draft class, he is the only QB worth talking about at the moment (unless Vince Young or Matt Leinart want to appear have a nervous breakdown/pool party.) If he goes to a team that is looking for a QB (Minnesota…my pick) he’s going to prosper.

Will the Broncos do the same without him? That remains to be seen. I can’t help but feel discouraged for this upcoming season though because Denver is the first half of my dual NFL favoritism. I’ll probably be better off without it though.

Next time…Bodymore, Murdaland

Something you won't be seeing much of this season

So the Wizards suck a major egg this season and it doesn’t stem from the firing of Eddie Jordan.  If you’ve noticed, they are playing the same way they did before they fired him.  When you go for change and get rid of things, you usually actually change some things.  You don’t just remove something and keep it running the same without it.

Also they aren’t being helped by the lack of Gilbert Arenas who shut it down right before the season started due to his knee problems.  On top of that, they got rid of Antonio Daniels who was starting  for Arenas and now face inuries with Deshawn Stevenson and Caron Butler (who is playing thankfully.)

So like I said in the title, it’s not hard to pay more attention to the other teams in the league as opposed to the Wizards.  The Cavs and Magic are doing great.  I love that the Billups trade crashed and burned for the Pistons and the Lakers and Celtics still look like the best teams around, but I don’t think they’ll repeat.  Also you’ve got Dewayne Wade playing like he should be, which is always nice.

Gotta be happy about this situation though because in a month, that’ll be all I have to watch.  So be thankful!

Possibly the worst fight ever and it's not the 46-year old Holyfield's fault

So in my hiatus I didn’t get to talk about the worst fight that boxing had ever seen, Holyfield vs. Vaulev in Switzerland.  Now I didn’t watch the fight or watch many clips, but everything I read is pointing to Holyfield being screwed by the judges at the end of the fight.

I know that Holyfield could have fought better and could have shown some more dominance to sway the judges in a title fight.  But you can’t tell me, with a straight face, that the promoters (including Don King) and other persons involved didn’t want to keep the belt on their 7 ft. freak show who can hardly box. And why wouldn’t they?  What sells more tickets and pay per view buys, a 46-year old who is past his prime or a 7 ft. monster you want to see if anyone can beat.

Now me, sure I’d pick the 46-year old, but that’s just because it’s Evander Holyfield and I love the guy.  But the normal folk today who don’t watch boxing everyday and usually tune into UFC need a reason to come back and watch.  Putting a living breathing Orc in the ring against anyone is going to sell more than an old man trying to find his glory.  All because this isn’t a perfect world.

I still have hope for the sport, but Valuev is not the wave of the future.

Can the Ravens topple the Steelers this Sunday?

This Sunday marks the final weekend of football before the Super Bowl and that two week lull we all dread.  That is why we must take pride in the fact that both games on Sunday should be good contests.

The first at 3 pm EST is Philadelphia at Arizona, where the Eagles are playing to regain glory and turn Philly into the next Boston and Arizona is playing to win, for once.  I’ve got to take the Eagles in this contest just because of local considerations and because I am a big Donovan McNabb fan and I think he deserves to win before he wipes his ass of Philly.  Not that I hate Philadelphia, I just don’t like the way he has been treated by the fans over the years.  He is a good QB and he deserves some respect not just when he is playing good.

On the other end of the country is the marquee matchup between the Steelers and the Ravens, their third meeting of the season.  Obviously I’m picking the Ravens, but I’m not buying into all the crap that goes along with it.  No purple camo, no fake uni brows and no nicknames like Joe Cool.  It’s Flaccomania and I’m sticking with that.  Besides it’s the Steelers who rely on the cheap props to show their pride in their team.

I’ve never liked the Steelers and this comes from long before the Ravens even came to town.  I never cared for Bill Cowher and I never cared for the fan base, who next to Cowboys and Redskins fans are the most annoying fans in America.  I’m sure a Steelers fan would say the same of Ravens fans though, but thats the way it’s supposed to be in a rivalry.

My main hatred of them stemmed from Superbowl XL where I still think the Seahawks got screwed and it just got worse from there.  So now that hate has built so much that I have no real rhyme or reason behind it any more.  I don’t even really hate Big Ben, I think they’ve got one of the better uniforms in the league and I think they’ve got some talented players.  But that is beside the point because come game day I want them to be murdered and torn apart on the field.  So this Sunday it’s bound to be a knock down, drag out, war of attrition on the field.  And I hope the Ravens come out on top.

This will end well for the Minnesota Vikings.

So Billy Wagner is out until 2010. This is good and bad news for the Mets. Good because now the door is open for the team to pick up K-Rod next season. Bad because they are without a reliable (A stretch at this point I known) closing pitcher.

I don’t trust their bullpen to get the job done. So the Mets had better hope that their starters can go the distance like Santana did on Monday night. If not, I sense the Phillies will be back in the playoffs with a chance to blow it against a team like the Brewers or Dodgers.

Here is Billy Wagner in true form, telling it like it is and like we all already know.