Kimbo Slice Set to Face Ken Shamrock
If this was Ken Shamrock in the 90’s it might be meaningful. You know, when Ken Shamrock wasn’t 44 and winless over his previous four years? Kimbo Slice is the youtube, backyard sensation who occasionally fights on CBS as a part of the EliteXC branding of mixed martial arts. He might be the scariest looking dude on the face of the planet. He is one part Hulk Hogan, one part Mister T, along with one part of Junkyard Dog. At the same time, he has been pretty humble as he begins his MMA career. He always claims that he has a lot more to learn.
With that being said, is this match set for October 4th on CBS the right stepping stone for Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson? Is this the equivalent of when the UFC put Brock Lesnar against Frank Mir? Or is it an even lower rent version of that?
Frank Mir had disappeared from the competitive landscape before his fight with Lesnar, mostly due to a motorcycle accident in 2004, but even as of this writing the dude is only 29 years old. Ken Shamrock had a considerably more impressive career than Frank Mir, but the dude is 44 years old now and he hasn’t looked formidable in years.
Shamrock certainly doesn’t look as impressive as he did the day I sold him a set of electric ear and nose hair trimmers in Brookstone in the Copley mall in Boston. (True story. Wrestlemania was in town and Ken was in the WWF now WWE for a shot at the Intercontinental belt. See how I pushed that story in here for no apparent reason?)
Anyway, it should make for an entertaining fight at EliteXC on October 4th on CBS, and it definitely is another step up in opponents for Kimbo Slice. At the same time, it also proves Dana White’s point when he scoffs at Kimbo Slice as a formidable MMA fighter. White is on record as saying that Kimbo Slice is an interesting personality, but that he would get smashed by pretty much any fighter that the UFC has under contract.
There is certainly no way of knowing for sure based on who Kimbo Slice has fought thus far, and Ken Shamrock probably won’t be able to provide any kind of proof one way or the other.
Cuban Tae Kwon Do Guy Kicks Ref in Head Video
The title says it all. Just amazingly stupid.
Ktick - MyVideo
LeBron and Company Bring Gold Back to USA
I went to bed at 11:30 PM on Saturday night. I woke up at 2:30 AM Sunday morning to watch the gold medal game between the United States and Spain. I am quite happy that I made the effort. I got to see the United States and LeBron James play one of the most entertaining games that I have ever watched. The US led the game almost wire to wire, but the margin was constantly in jeopardy. The US would go up by ten or twelve and then all of a sudden the talented Spanish team would tighten up on defense and bomb some threes and it would be back down to six points, and then four. I think a couple times it even got down to two.
There was additional drama provided by a sketchy international referreeing crew. The US got into foul trouble early. After five minutes passed LeBron James and Kobe Bryant both had two fouls each. Certainly this was not the preferred scenario for Mike krzyzewski and the US Olympic team. That is where the depth of such a team comes into play. When your first team gets in foul trouble and your team strategically has left Dwyane Wade on the bench to come in and overwhelm opponents with his tenacious attack of passing lanes, it is a bit of an advantage. But then the referreeing started to even out. At the end of the game, I think both teams had a right to complain almost evenly about the foul situation and inconsistency. Considering that Spain had to foul the US intentionally at the end of the game, the fouls were almost even as the US had 26 whistles blown against them, to Spain’s 29.
So, now the gold is back in US custody. It felt great to see the US team celebrate on the court with an almost tearful Mike Krzyzewski clapping for his guys at center court. You could tell that the players and coaching staff were full of different emotions. Instead of just expecting to win, this team seemed not only happy and satisfied, but also relieved. Relieved that their hard work playing in all the off-seasons of their hectic NBA lives for three years would actually pay off. That it would not only make them more competitive, but put them over the top for the next four years.
As a Cavs fan, it isn’t like winning a championship, I don’t think. But, it does show LeBron as a true leader amongst any group of basketball players. He didn’t have the flashiest box score of anyone on the team. He didn’t hold the ball all the time. He didn’t take the biggest pressure shots, instead opting to help set teammates like Kobe and Dwyane Wade up. What he did was play perfect team basketball. He was defending the fast break, defending the weak side, driving to the basket to stop streaks, and looking for assists. LeBron insists on playing basketball the right way at all times, even as it has led to criticism at times in Cleveland.
But now, his style and substance has helped Team USA bring the gold back. It doesn’t feel like the gold is rightfully ours and has been stolen since 2000, like the original Dream Team would have had us believe. This is a new era with very talented international teams vying for this gold every four years. It feels like a great accomplishment, rather than just a rite of passage. In the scheme of things, this is good for the game of basketball and good for the United States. It is now the kind of accomplishment that seems worth getting up in the middle of the night to watch.
Is Kobe Coming to Cleveland?
Kobe Bryant has an opt-out clause in his contract after this season. Kobe Bryant has already seen all of what Los Angeles has to offer. He has tried to be the cornerstone of the franchise and he hasn’t been able to get over the top since Shaq left. Now, after playing in the Olympics with LeBron James, Kobe probably thinks he can improve his career and legacy by moving to Cleveland. In Cleveland, he can share the court with another superstar like he did when Shaq was in Los Angeles. And this superstar, LeBron, is an unselfish player who can help Kobe cement his legacy as a hall of famer with multiple championships to finish his career.
So, while most people claim that big named players need to be in big cities, the truth is they just need to be in high profile situations winning multiple championships. Because of LeBron James, there is no better place to go and make that happen other than Cleveland.
So, now, all we have to do is find someone who is “close to Kobe Bryant” and lead them into saying that Kobe “would consider opting out of his contract” after the upcoming season. Then, we need to goad this same “insider” into saying something innocent like, “Kobe has really enjoyed playing in the Olympics with LeBron.” And then we can extrapolate (unnecessarily and idiotically) saying that it is possible, and possibly likely, that Kobe Bryant is going to opt out of his contract at the end of this season with the express purpose of coming to Cleveland to play with LeBron James and win championships.
You see? I am making a point. This is really the same way that the big media outlets speculate on LeBron going to NYC, or Europe. So how do you like me now?
Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the first Kobe to Clevland rumor. Could it happen??!?!?!??!??
YES!!!!
Dana White is Not Afraid of Criticism
Dana White is the head of the UFC and he is a stand-up guy. He does a Q&A with huge audiences of fans and isn’t afraid of anything anyone might have to say. In this clip, a woman says, “F*** you” to him because he talks so much junk about former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz. Dana’s answer is hilarious. He basically says that he and Tito feud publicly all the time because they don’t like each other, they are both extremely immature, and both probably need counseling.
Ladies and gentlemen, your UFC CEO, Dana White.
Separated at Birth - Michael Phelps and Gheorghe Muresan
I heard this mentioned on Jim Rome, so I thought I would throw the pics together.
What do you think? It might work.
Smells like Cabbage.
Olympics are Ripe With Condoms… Really
I wouldn’t have guessed that this was the case, but apparently they supplied, AND RAN OUT OF, condoms during the previous Olympic games in Sydney. How many did they supply, you ask? Try 70,000.
OK, I have a question.
If an American swimmer and a Korean badminton player procreate in the Olympic village and their offspring turns out to be a super-kid athlete, does the kid play both sports down the road, and more importantly, which country does (s)he represent? Can the kid swim for the U.S. and Badmint* for Korea?
(* I think I just created a new verb.)
Cavs Land PG Mo Williams
I was cruising WFNY today and the place has caught fire with excited Cavs fans talking about this three-team deal that brings Milwaukee Bucks PG Mo Williams to the Cavaliers. I am a bit more cautiously optimistic than flat out excited by this news.
On the surface, it looks like a great fit, because Williams is known as a point guard who can make his own scoring opportunities. All Cavs fans know that the team needs more offensive options than what LeBron and Zydrunas Ilgauskas provide. So, with that, it should be a promising outlook as of today. Except, I want to be more cautious.
In 2005, the Cavs needed a player to play opposite LeBron James, so instead of trading, they went out and found a player with a Hollinger PER rating of 21.63. This is a statistical combination used to measure a player’s production per minute of floor time. This player had 22 points per game and almost 5 assists per game to go along with just over 6 rebounds per game. And his name was Larry Hughes.
Just to put it all in perspective, Mo Williams’ PER is 17.06 currently.
Now, I am sorry if it seems like I am trying to be a downer. I am not. I hope Mo Williams turns out to be exactly what the Cavs need in terms of getting to the next level. I think combined with Delonte West (should he return,) Wally Szczerbiak (should he not be traded,) and Daniel Gibson, the Cavs have a pretty good rotation of players ready to play in the back court in the upcoming season.
The plusses are that Williams is still a younger player at 25 years old. He just finished the first year of a 6-year $51.5 million deal that is a relative bargain compared to the amount of money that the Cavs paid Larry Hughes. Also, the Cavs unloaded dead weight in Damon Jones, and an aging veteran in Joe Smith, so they didn’t really lose a ton to pick up Williams.
So, anyway, I am excited at the prospect. I think it is a good calculated risk on Danny Ferry’s part. Then again, I thought Larry Hughes was a good calculated risk when the Cavs signed him in 2005. Let’s just hope it works and that the Cavs won’t sit idly by with Wally Szczerbiak’s expiring contract for too long. It is the largest expiring-contract bargaining chip in Danny Ferry’s arsenal, and I hope he uses it wisely.
Update: The Cavs have emailed their fanbase about the trade.
“Acquiring Mo strengthens our nucleus of players for both the short and long term. He is entering his prime NBA years and will be part of the foundation of our future success,” Ferry said. “Mo is a player that excels as a traditional point guard, but also brings an extra dimension with his scoring and versatility. His ability to push the tempo, get inside the lane, shoot from the perimeter and distribute the ball will be very valuable for us.”
When Feel-Good Stories Die
After the Browns released LeCharles Bentley earlier this pre-season, they still had one potential feel-good story remaining in Gary Baxter. Baxter blew out both his knees on one play two years ago, and was making an attempt at an unprecedented comeback to the playing field. Today, that comeback attempt is on hold, if not over completely as the Browns terminated Gary Baxter’s contract. Last week it was announced that Baxter had arthroscopic knee surgery to remove some cartilage.
“Last year we were able to hold a roster spot open for Gary as he attempted to make a monumental comeback,” said Browns General Manager Phil Savage. “After he underwent a knee scope last week, we are unfortunately not in a position to hold a roster spot this year. We are releasing Gary today in hopes he will be able to continue his rehab and get back into the NFL, either with another team, or possibly with the Browns. Gary has made tremendous strides thus far, and we believe he can play professional football again in the future.”
In this statement it seems like Phil Savage is covering his behind in order to avoid criticism that the Browns just dumped a guy when he was hurt. I really do believe that the Browns acted ethically in this situation, though. They did as much as any NFL franchise would do to keep a player around even when he wasn’t able to help the team. This season with a serious lack of depth in the defensive backfield, the Browns were just not in a position to keep the Baxter dream alive.
And no, I don’t believe that Phil Savage and company actually think Baxter will ever be back in a Cleveland Browns uniform. It was just a really upbeat, encouraging thing for him to say.
Cavs Rumors Include Barbosa and Rasheed Wallace?
The Bleacher Report has an article stating these two rumors. Now, I love a good trade rumor as much as the next fan, and I love the idea of the Cavs signing Leandro Barbosa to run with LeBron, but let’s be serious. The reports are as follows.
A trade scenario would be trading Joe Smith or Anderson Verajo and a first-round pick for Barbosa.
Now, even the wording of this is kind of funny. That is an astute statement. That would be affirmatively referred to as a “trade scenario.” Trading FilteringCraig for Steve Nash also would be a trade scenario.
The other rumor states that the Cavs would trade Zydrunas Ilgauskas for Rasheed Wallace.
The most interesting deal I have been hearing about for a while has been that the Pistons are looking at adding veteran big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
The trade that would work is sending Rasheed Wallace and Arron Afflalo to the Cavs for Ilgauskas and Damon Jones.
Now, I don’t know how interested the Cavs would really be in bringing a personality like Rasheed Wallace into the fold in Cleveland. He has always been a great talent and he plays with a lot of intensity. He also has a history of playing with Ben Wallace. It would also be a nice deal for the Cavs who would gain one more expiring deal, as opposed to Big Z who has two years left on his deal.
Let’s look at these two deals together. The Cavs would lose 2 of their top bigs in bringing back Rasheed Wallace, Leandro Barbosa and Arron Afflalo. That would mean the Cavs’ rotation in the frontcourt would include Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, either Joe Smith or Anderson Varejao depending on which player gets traded for Barbosa.
I am going to have to let all this sink in, but right now all I can think of is how loud the “boos” have been for Rasheed Wallace in the past few years in Cleveland.
Sideblog 
- FreeTheAirwaves.org Tuesday, 19 August 2008, 7:51 am
Google has a vested business interest in this project, but I am rooting for them anyway. Google wants to take that unused fuzzy space between TV channels and broadcast internet signals all over the. […] - Browns vs. Giants - Preseason Game 2 Live Blog at WFNY Monday, 18 August 2008, 4:19 pm
The nice guys over at Waiting for Next Year are going to be live-blogging their event in a chat room over at their site. I am a geek, and will be joining them. Come on over. - Dan Gilbert is My Hero Sunday, 10 August 2008, 5:46 am
Cleveland Cavaliers owner on all the LeBron James rumors, ”The reason this thing is where it’s at,” Gilbert said, ”is that we’ve got a bunch of bored, East Coast sports writers who have noth. […] - LeBron to Europe? I Don’t Think So Thursday, 7 August 2008, 4:22 am
So, while the major media continues to plot LeBron’s departure from Cleveland, there is a sane voice out there letting everyone know how unlikely the most outlandish scenarios truly are. - Top Gun 2???!?!?!??!?!? Wednesday, 23 July 2008, 5:50 am
According to reports, the plot outline is, (wait for it) “The idea is Maverick is at the Top Gun school as an instructor — and this time it is he who has to deal with a cocky new female pilot.” - Be Afraid Utah Tuesday, 22 July 2008, 7:26 am
Carlos Boozer is a snake and one of the most dishonorable people in professional sports history. I guess I am not over this just yet. - How much you wanna bet… Thursday, 3 July 2008, 9:18 pm
That this 4-day work week will actually increase the amount of gasoline that these employees will be using? Instead of commuting to work, they will now be going to the grocery store, going to do som. […] - In-Car DVD Players are Stupid Thursday, 26 June 2008, 10:15 am
At least they will be when we get a load of in-car wifi!!!!! (I am such a geek.) - George Carlin is Gone Monday, 23 June 2008, 4:34 am
I once bet a guy in college that I could watch a George Carlin special on HBO without laughing. I did it, but it wasn’t at all easy. There is going to be a void left by Carlin dying. - Accepted Behaviors Tend to Increase Thursday, 19 June 2008, 12:15 pm
If you become too accepting of a condition that you really don’t want to encourage, you might just end up with unintended consequences.
