Is Floyd "Money" Mayweather one of the greatest boxers ever?

At 36 Floyd Mayweather jr. is 44-0 in his boxing career, winning the championship belt in 5 different weight divisions with his most recent coming this month against. Looking at those stats alone it would seem easy to state that Mayweather is not only one of the greatest boxers of all time, but a strong argument could be made for him being the greatest boxer to ever step into the ring.

 

            However, even with those unprecedented stats, there are still mixed opinions about where Mayweather’s legacy will stand when he finally hangs up his gloves and leaves the ring. Reason behind the argument against Mayweather is the quality of his opponents to which he has faced. Many say that he has yet to have the big name fight that would propel him into a boxing legend. He has had a few good name fights such as his bouts against Shane Mosley, and Oscar De La Hoya. Those were not easy fights but lack the big fight luster that we’ve seen before with Tyson-Holyfield, or Ali-Frazier. Many are drooling for a fight that has been requested for the last few years, Mayweather VS. Manny Pacquiao. A lot of trash talk has been thrown back and forth between the two boxers, along with a lot of blame as to why the fight has not ever been scheduled. I for one am hoping that all the trash talk will actually lead up to what would be the biggest boxing match in the last 20 years. In a time where MMA has made boxing a sport of the past to many, both the boxing world and Mayweather’s career could use the credibility.

Name and dates set for new college football playoff system

As anticlimactic is it was, the committee in charge of  NCAA athletics announced the official name for the new 4 team college football playoff system that will be replacing the current BCS selection system for the 2014-2015 football season. this new playoff system is now officially called... The College Football Playoffs. Not a very exciting name at all, but in today's world where it seems that every college sporting event has a new sponsored name; it seems though that we should at least be thankful that its not the "Verizon Wireless college football playoffs" or the "What-a-Burger college playoffs".

Logo for New Playoff System. Source:AP

Along with the new name, the committee also announced the locations of the semifinal games and the championship game. the semifinals will be held on January, 1st 2015, at the Rose and Sugar bowls. The inaugural championship game will be held at the new Cowboy stadium in Arlington Texas on January 12th, 2015. It was also announced that each year these semifinal and championship games will be rotated to new venues. I for one am a big fan of this new playoff system and certainly believe that it will be a great improvement on the current BCS system that has created more debates than it has crowned conscientious National Champions. My only wish is that the playoff field can expand to an 8 team bracket, but who knows if all goes a certain way, that could possibly still happen.

Tiger Woods learns another lesson about todays media

Image Via sportsillustrated.com

Recently Tiger Woods got a first hand taste of how the new media can affect us all. During the 2013 Maters Tiger was playing on the 15^th hole at the famed Augusta course. After hitting a shot that bounced to far on the green and landed in the water, tiger was then forced to take a drop, where is where the player drops the ball at the place of their last show and takes a stroke penalty. Tiger took the drop and continued the round of golf. Later that day it was reported that a viewer at home noticed that Tiger had broken a rule while they were watching the events unfold live on their TV, and called in to report it. What the viewer noticed was that Tiger had actually dropped the ball a few feet back of where his first shot was. The PGA rules committee reviewed this accusation and Tiger was then questioned on the event. Tiger then admitted that he did strategically drop the ball a few feet back for strategic reasons so that he would lessen the chance of the ball going to far and hitting the water again. After reviewing these events Tiger was then assessed a two stroke penalty, which cost him big money since he ended the masters 4 strokes back from the winner Adam Scott.

            The lesson that is learned here is not only should you not cheat, but no matter how far someone is from the event taking place, as long as there is a camera present, then anyone watching has the ability to participate and can affect the outcome. I’m that as media advances, cases like this will be seen again.

Should Pitchers be more protected?

This week during the Toronto Blue Jays VS. Tampa Rays MLB game, an event occurred that caused immediate fear for fans and players. It was a pitch just like any other that JA Happ, the Toronto Blue jays pitcher had thrown before. considering that starting pitchers tend to throw at least 100 pitches in a game, it is safe to say that Happ has thrown at least 100's of 1000's before this one, so it would be safe to assume that the outcome would be just like any of of those before, either a strike or the ball is sent safely into play. This pitch however, had a dangerous outcome. when Desmond Jennings struck the ball with his bat he sent into speeding as a line drive right back to where it came from. Before he could cover himself safely with his glove, Happ was struck directly in the head by the line drive ball. Immediately Happ fell to the ground, and almost just as immediately Happ was surrounded by both Blue Jays and Rays players and medical staff. after laying on the ground for what was only minutes but seemed like much longer, the immobilized Happ was carried off the field by a stretcher. happ then spent one night in an area hospital where he was released the next day with the diagnosed condition of a bruised head and cut ear.of a bruised head and cut ear.

 Happ is very luck that his condition was not worse. This event however, brings the safety of pitchers into question. Happ is not the first pitcher to suffer an injury from a line drive and unfortunately wont be the last. so the question becomes how do we protect pitchers? the main argument and the one i tend to agree with the most is by regulating that pitchers where a helmet of some sort. the argument against that is that pitchers would become uncomfortable, suffer from heat issues in the dead of summer, and that it would alter their vision and performance. I for one see those as a small price to pay for the reassurance of the players safety. Just like any other change that has been made in sports, players will adapt to the conditions in which they have to play. I also believe that with today's technology there should be a way to make a light weight version of a helmet that provides enough protection along with proper ventilation. no matter what they decide on to protect pitchers, this recent event proves that something needs to be done.

Jason Collins Makes History

When you hear that an athlete has made history in the sports world you assume that they broke a record by scoring a certain amount of points that has never been hit before, ran a faster time than any other that has been recorded, or broke a streak that has never lasted as long. Well in the case of Jason Collins, an 11 year veteran in the NBA; he made history in a far different kind of way. He has recently become the first athlete in a major sports league to make the public announcement that he is gay. for a long time there has been speculation about the presence of gay athletes in U.S. and when one would inevitably come out and make such an announcement. obviously Jason Collins can not be the first gay athlete, but surely the fear of criticism and scrutiny from the others in the "good ol' boys club" has caused others to keep their personal life's personal. Jason's announcement has received some negative comments from others in the sports world and elsewhere, but it seems that we are now in a day and age that this type of announcement is able to be met with acceptance from his peers. such high profile figures such as Kobe Bryant, Doc Rivers, and even former U.S. President Bill Clinton tweeted their praise to Jason's courage and stating how happy and proud they are to call him a friend. Jason even received a phone call that is usually only made to athletes on a night that they break a record or win a championship, that call being from President Obama praising Jason for his courage. Jason is now being compared to other groundbreaking athletes as Jackie Robinson for being a first in sports, whether this comparison will hold as true in history, is yet to be told. source: Sports Illustrated, Associated Press.

2012 NBA Finals rematch in Oklahoma City

View Oklahoma City, OK in a larger map

I recently made the 4 and a half hour drive down to Oklahoma City to see the highly anticipated rematch of the defending NBA champions Miami Heat VS the defending Western Conference champions the Oklahoma City Thunder. When I heard of the opportunity for me to go to this game I quickly snatched up a couple tickets online. They weren’t the best seats in the house, but at Chesapeake Arena for a game like this, any seat in the house is a good seat.

            It had been nearly 11 years since I last attended an NBA game, when I took in the LA Lakers playing the Detroit Pistons in the Palace of Auburn Hills. Needless to say, I was due for some live pro basketball. After that long of a time I was hoping for a good one, and this is one that did not disappoint. Before tip off even came the energy level in the building was ecstatic. I’ve heard before that Chesapeake Arena was like non other in the NBA due to the die hard devoted fan base it is home to. When I experienced it first hand I realized why it’s been nicknames the home of “loud city”. There was plenty for the home crowed to get hyped for, the Miami Heat were in town! The team that in last seasons NBA finals shattered their hopes of winning the city’s first NBA championship ever. Along with that hype there was the added star power of such big names as Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen, oh and a certain player known as Lebron James who was looking to extend his 6 game NBA record of scoring at least 30 points and making at least 60% of his shots.

            The game started off with Miami instantly taking over and showing why they are the defensing champs, they took the lead early and never looked back. Most of the game Miami’s lead was never in question, but the loyal OKC fans never gave up on their team and were always a factor. That constant backing and show of support could be why Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of the Thunder squad never gave up either. They made the final minutes interesting, cutting the Miami lead to down to 10 points. However, it was a case seen many times in sports, too little, too late. In the end Miami was victorious, adding even more fuel to this new NBA rivalry. A rivalry that looks like it will be going on for some time in the coming years, especially with all the young star power both teams have.

            As for the overall experience of the game, it was amazing. I would certainly say it is the best NBA experience due to the city’s loyal, fired up fans. The thunder have only been an NBA team in Oklahoma City since 2008, a trust me these fans appreciate it. You would think they were there when the city was founded.

My visit to the Octagon of Doom

This past Saturday I got the pleasure of attending the Kansas State mens basketball game when they hosted the Iowa State Cyclones at Bramlage Coliseum. I must say that even though I say I do not favor either KU or KU (since I pride myself on being a University of Michigan fan) I have attended way more basketball games at the PHOG then I have in Manhattan. As a matter of fact its been close to ten years since I last attended a game in Bramlage, so I was very excited at the opportunity take the experience in. especially since KSU basketball has grown by leaps and bounds in the last ten years. 

 

 The view from my seats              

            Overall I must say I was very impressed by the atmosphere, my seats were right across from the student section, which was both large and loud. A great student section can make or break the atmosphere of a college basketball game in my opinion. The great atmosphere was all the more exciting when the actual game followed through with excitement when the then ranked #13 Wildcats who had started the game off slowly began to pull away with a force near the end to finish off a great home win, much to the crowds enjoyment. The “Octagon of Doom” is certainly not a large venue, but what it lack in size, the crowed makes up for with an intimidating presence for opponents. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the game, and certainly hope its not another ten years before I make a return trip.