These days, fights aren’t worth fighting for
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Thanks to my cable provider, who shall remain nameless (though it looks a bit like a scrawny Rob Lowe), I was unable to watch the “big” fight last night. Actually, the cable problems that hit probably kept me away from the Spurs/Clippers game more than the fight. Read on.
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• I was a fight fan. Once. I loved George Foreman long before he became a grill master and the father of 117 boys named George. I really liked Tommy “Hit Man” Hearns. Admired the strength of Larry Holmes and the ferocity of Mike Tyson. But that was then, back when 8-ounces of ice cream didn’t add four pounds to my weight. Nowadays I steer clear of Haagen Dazs and “Fights of the Century.” Boxing just isn’t what it used to be, and that’s not an old man talking. That’s reality. Why? Mainly because all the good fighters are playing in the NFL or NBA. The guys that are fun to watch, the heavyweights, no longer exist in this country. Oh, there are fighters out there, but if Cassius Clay was growing up in Louisville today, he would be dreaming of playing for Rick Pitino for a year before teaming with LeBron James for a run at the NBA championship. He wouldn’t be in a gym, sweating, getting beat up every day in a quest to become the best in the world. Think about this. When boxing was in its heyday, the 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond, there weren’t many places an African-American athlete could make his mark outside the ring. The NBA? It hardly existed until the Celtics run of titles in the 1950s. And blacks didn’t get a shot until early in that decade. The NFL? It may have been founded in 1920 but blacks weren’t welcome until after World War II and the nation really didn’t follow it all that much until the 1950s either. With major league baseball closed off until Jackie Robinson, boxing was a place the best African-American athletes could make their mark. But that was then. If you can name any of the heavyweight champions right now without Google, you are a boxing fan through and through. There are not many of you left. And there are not many boxers left that excite the general public. Last night’s fight pitted two of them, one well over the hill, the other a pariah among many of the elite due to his checkered history of assaulting women. And this was billed as the best fight we will see in a while (that many couldn’t due to cable and dish problems, well that’s another story). Anyhow, the fight, by all accounts, was less than mesmerizing, leaving those who paid around $100 to see it disappointed and disillusioned. But don’t worry. You’ll probably get to see the sequel. It may not be the “Thrilla in Manila” but it will have to do.
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• WSU: The Cleveland Browns seem to love the Northwest. They drafted a couple of the state’s college players in the NFL draft’s first two days, then also added WSU’s Vince Mayle yesterday. Jacob Thorpe has more on Mayle’s selection in this blog post. ... Connor Halliday wasn’t drafted but he did sign with the Redskins as a free agent. Jacob has this post on that development. ... The baseball team earned a win over Arizona and Jacob has a story on that as well. ... The Oregon quarterback battle would be over by now if not for a summer wild card.
• EWU: Giving up a game you love due to health reasons is hard for anybody, no matter your age. But when you have to do when you are still in what most people would consider your prime, then it is especially tough. Jim Allen has an interesting feature today on a couple of Eagles who had to say goodbye to football prematurely due health concerns. ... Former Eagle (and before that Cougar and Shadle Park Highlander) Jake Rodgers was drafted by Atlanta in the seventh round yesterday. Jim has more in this story.
• Idaho: Sean Kramer has this blog post on the Vandals who signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents.
• Shock: Spokane traveled all the way to New Orleans for an AFL game last night. And the Shock had to travel a long way to earn a tie in the final moments. But a 41-yard field goal as time expired traveled just far enough to hand Spokane a 66-63 defeat at the hands of New Orleans.
• Preps: Saturdays in early May are for relays, large track meets with lots of athletes and teams showing their stuff. As long as I can remember, the Strandberg Relays have done just that, showcasing the best in the area. Greg Lee was at this year’s edition yesterday and has this story.
• Seahawks: The final day of the draft features a lot of interesting stories, but none have the feel-good nature of one undrafted free agent the Hawks signed. Why? A lot of reasons. ... One thing you can be certain of (seemingly), John Schneider and Pete Carroll unearthed one or two gems on the draft’s final day. Somewhere in this group is a player no one expected to be an NFL standout. ... One area of concern heading into the draft was the offensive line. That was the position of emphasis Saturday.
• Mariners: The team playing the best in the American League right now? Well, we know it’s not the M’s. It might be the Astros, who gave Seattle another lesson yesterday, 11-4. The up-and-down nature of Taijuan Walker’s season thus far has to be maddening to Lloyd McClendon and the M’s. ... Remember when all the M’s seemed to need was a power-hitting cleanup guy? They have that now. It’s not helping all that much. ... Dustin Ackley is struggling. I know I’ve written the previous sentence before.
• Sounders: It’s game day in New York, where the weird dimensions of Yankee Stadium (for soccer) will greet the Sounders tonight. ... Did the Timbers draw? Yes, with the Whitecaps.
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• As I said yesterday, I’m dealing with a painful disc problem in my back. I sit for a few minutes, get up, do some exercises, then get back to the computer. I’m sure many of you have been there before. It sort of limits my ability to bloviate all that long. Sorry (or, if you prefer, you’re welcome). Until later ...
