Thursday, July 26, 2012

This is what the Olympics mean to me...

( The IOC appears to simply be the sports arm of the United Arab Nations (UN)...They buckle to the Arabs...becasue they are scared of losing oil...)

The International Olympic Committee never disappoints. If it can be wrongheaded, misguided or just plain out of touch with the world, then by golly it will be. It is vain, corrupt and elitist, qualities that are unattractive in a person and intolerable in an entire group of them.
But every now and then the IOC surpasses even itself in sheer . . . I can’t think of a printable word. “Idiocy” is too soft, but this is a family newspaper. What now? IOC President Jacques Rogge refuses to allow a moment of silence during Friday’s Opening Ceremonies in London for the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches slain 40 years ago.

Read More:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/london-2012-ioc-is-stubbornly-offensive-for-openers/2012/07/25/gJQABqfO9W_story.html

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

USF hands Holtz three-year extension

South Florida v Notre Dame In his two seasons USF’s head coach, Skip Holtz has compiled a 13-12 record overall and a 4-10 mark in Big East play.
Despite that rather lackluster start to his Bulls coaching career, Holtz is officially on the receiving end of some rather significant job security.
In a press release, USF announced that Holtz, along with men’s basketball coach Stan Heath, has signed a contract extension.  Holtz’s old deal was scheduled to run through the 2014 season; the new one could keep him with the Bulls through the 2017 season.
“We’re pleased to be able to extend both coach Holtz and coach Heath,” athletic director Doug Woolard said. “They’re great representatives for both USF and their respective programs. I have great confidence in the leadership they are providing and the future of both our football and men’s basketball programs.”
While the financial particulars weren’t included in the release, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times wrote on Twitter that “Holtz’s new USF contract is barely a raise — would have made $5.7-million in next 3 years under old deal. Now minimum of $6-million.”
Since last November, Holtz’s name has been connected to openings at North Carolina and Arkansas, which likely played a role on some level in the coach’s extension.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Wladimir Klitschko stops Tony Thompson in 6th round to retain world heavyweight titles

By Associated Press, Published: July 7

BERN, Switzerland — Wladimir Klitschko stopped Tony Thompson in the sixth round to keep a comfortable hold on his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles Saturday night.
The 36-year-old champion Klitschko, 58-3 with 51 knockouts, floored Thompson with a big right hand near the end of the fifth round at Stade de Suisse, and the 40-year-old American never recovered.
The Ukrainian champion dropped Thompson again in the sixth, and referee Sam Williams gave the challenger a standing count before stopping the fight at 2:56.
“Thompson was not so easy to box. I’m satisfied,” Klitschko said.
In 2008, Klitschko stopped Thompson in the 11th round.
Thompson, the mandatory challenger nominated by the IBF, fell to 36-3 (24 KO).


Friday, July 06, 2012

Nationals should take no chances with Stephen Strasburg’s innings limit

By , Published: July 5

It’s time to lay the Stephen Strasburg inning-limit non-issue to rest. There is no debate here, no “two sides,” about the Nationals’ intention to shut down Strasburg’s season at 160 to 170 innings, probably about Sept. 10. There is only the Nats’ side, which is correct, and the nincompoop side, even if it is endorsed by former players or “experts.”
First, consider context: Strasburg combines incredible talent with, so far, an alarming penchant for physical mishaps.
Strasburg has started 33 games in his career, the equivalent of one full season. He’s 15-7 with 238 strikeouts in 185 innings.
If he played a full career at current levels, he’d rank No. 1 among starting pitchers in baseball since 1920 in many categories, including strikeouts per nine innings (11.6), ERA (2.68), least walks plus hits per inning (a 1.027 WHIP) and best strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.17). The current leaders are Randy Johnson (10.6), Whitey Ford (2.75), Pedro Martinez (1.054) and Curt Schilling (4.38). There’s more, but that’s enough.
Now, the flip side: In the span of just 33 starts, Strasburg, who takes the mound against the Rockies on Friday night, has gone on the disabled list for shoulder tightness and had elbow ligament replacement surgery. He came out of a game after three innings because he looked ready to collapse from the heat. He’s left a game early with biceps tightness and another after cutting his finger clipping his nails. And he left a game this season in part because he got “hot stuff” in a place where it doesn’t belong.
Is this a guy you tell “Just keep pitchin’, hoss. What could go wrong?”
Some of this was serious, some precautionary and some bizarre. But look how much there’s been. Also, Strasburg, who pitched only 44 innings last year, has never thrown more than 123 innings in any season, at any level. This year, the Nats are asking for 160 to 170 innings, plus 23 in Florida.
Yet the dopes keep saying, “Go for it. Man up. The NL’s weak. How often do you have a long-shot chance to go to the World Series?” If the Nats made the Series (the rationale for this nonsense), what’s an extra 10 starts?
Excuse me while I go beat my head against a wall.



Read More:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/nationals-should-take-no-chances-with-stephen-strasburgs-innings-limit/2012/07/05/gJQAbS6TQW_story.html

What is the Football world gonna do about head injuries




Dec 20, 2009; Denver, CO, USA; Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (21), left, and safety Michael Huff (24) break up a pass intended for Denver Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall (15) in the fourth quarter at Invesco Field. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 20-19.

WBC heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko hit by teargas during Russian parliment protest

 Klitschko, heavyweight boxing champion and leader of Ukrainian political party UDAR, walks away after police fired teargas during a rally in Kiev

The protest quickly turned violent, with police using batons and tear gas to subdue the crowd. Photographs show blood streaming from Klitschko’s left hand and him appearing to protect the hand as he is rushed out of the mob. However, Boente said that aside from the effects of the tear gas, Klitschko, who will defend his title on September 8th in Moscow against Manuel Charr, was “totally fine.”
Klitschko has said that after his fight with Charr he will turn his focus to the October Ukrainian elections, where his party will attempt to secure more seats in Parliament.
“I have spent a lot of time in Germany, in western Europe, in the U.S.,” Klitschko told SI.com in February. “I want the western life standards for my country. Ukraine is a young democracy with huge potential, but it doesn’t have those standards. I don’t want to wait for changes in my country. I know what has to change.”

Read More:

http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2012/07/05/wbc-heavyweight-champ-vitali-klitschko-hit-by-teargas-during-russian-parliment-protest/

Monday, July 02, 2012

2012 NBA Draft Winners?

Fab Melo will bring back the Celtics!
Under-rated draft pick with the chance to become
1st team All NBA...

16-foot long, 2000 pound great white shark was spotted of the coast of Chatham....



The 16-foot long, 2000 pound great white shark was spotted of the coast of Chatham, Cape Cod

Which basketball team was more hated: Duke or the Heat?


 Oklahoma City Thunder v Miami Heat - Game Five

First of all, this notion that no one hates the Heat anymore because they won a championship (in a lockout-shortened season) is poppycock, and I’ll admit this sentence is here mostly so I can type the word ‘poppycock.’ But that aside, Shane Battier is in a unique position. He’s played for two of the most hated teams anywhere — Duke and the Miami Heat. So everyone would like to know, in your opinion Mr. Battier, which squad would you feel was the most despised?
“The biggest difference was when I played at Duke I never saw one Battier jersey in an opposing arena. Being the guy at the time, I looked around and never saw one. At least in these arenas that we go to now, in every city there’s some LeBron and Wade jerseys out there so the vitriol was pretty thick but talking to the guys it wasn’t as deep-rooted and as thick as it was a year ago.”
“I think people appreciated, if you’re a basketball fan there’s no way you couldn’t appreciate the way our team played especially LeBron and the year that he had, so I think we won a lot of people over with our style of play.”
So Duke hate was worse, because LeBron and the guys won over the opposing fans with their style of play? Umm … discuss.
To me, people hate Duke because they win. And because of the way they play. With Miami, it is (or was) the other way around. It’s kind of a specious argument to begin with, because I don’t think the “hatred” of either team is as widespread as it is made out to be. Just as in politics, the minority on the opposite extremes make it seem bigger than it really is.