What a weekend in sports we just had! There was something for everyone. History and legacies were on the line. Moments of genius and brilliance produced, as well as the first ever internationally televised robbery. As I tried to wrap my head around everything that happened this weekend, I became overwhelmed. It was like the Fourth of July fireworks, a grand crescendo of sporting events before we drift into the black of night that is the summer months. What an explosion of entertainment it was, Saturday was epic. Before I’ll Have Another dropped out, we had four of the top ranked soccer teams in the world facing off for national pride, while Maria Sharapova was going for a career grand slam. Then, as an intermezzo course, we had the Belmont Stakes, followed by game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals and game five of the Stanley Cup finals. Then for dessert we had Manny taking on the young upstart Timothy Bradley. Oh, and I did not mention a full slate of inter-league MLB action and eight teams battling for spots in the College World Series. Needless to say, it was awesome. Luckily, I had seven hours in the car on Sunday to fully digest all the weekend’s action and here’s my thoughts.
Manny Pacquiao should NEVER again have a built in rematch clause in his contract.
It is pure and simple–the powers that be realized that they can make more money the more Manny fights. Even though they pay him $26 million a fight, he generates huge pay per view buys and is worth every penny. They saw an opportunity to lock Manny into another fight, at close to the same payday, and have already HUGE built-in buzz for a rematch fight. So they took it. They will market the hell out of this fight and will sell at least twice the number of PPV’s from the first. However, it destroys what little creditability boxing has left. What used to be the sport of kings and the sweet science has become a joke. There are no less than ten different governing bodies of boxing, all with their own belts and titles. The rankings are complete joke and the promoters are ruining the sport. Add to that the fact that there are no great heavyweights anymore and you have a sport on the precipice, falling into an abyss. This is the sport that used to have some of the greatest personalities in the history of sports. The likes of Ali, Cossel, Frazier, Sugar Ray, Tyson, Holyfield have been replaced by a born again Catholic Filipino politician, a parade of mini-Mexicans, a dude who is in jail, and two boring ass Ukrainian brothers who wouldn’t even be cast as extras for a Rocky training montage. Wither way in my eyes is is no more than the Sweet Science of Fraud.
Euros produce better soccer than the World Cup
The World Cup might be soccer’s biggest stage, but the level of play in the European Championships is at another level. Maybe it is the fact that only sixteen teams are involved or that every team has a history or rivalry with one another. But every game has been competitive and highly entertaining. Even the highest score line was a tightly contested affair, until Russia finally broke through. Every game has been littered with big names and a majority have played like stars. Every game has been entertaining as hell to watch, and even more fun as an outsider like myself with no dog in the fight. Alliances can switch depending on whose playing well and who is not being a complete twat. Do yourself a favor and take some time to check out a game, ESPN 12-4 until June 30th. Don’t miss out on the world’s best.
Lebron James
Not sure what to say that has not been said. Although he has become easily the most hated on man in sports, Skip Bayless actually had the balls to knock his game six performance, saying he STILL didn’t score in the fourth. THAT’S because he dropped 30 in the first half, killed the crowd in the third, and did not even need to in the fourth. Why can’t a player be so dominating that he does not need to close in the fourth? Isn’t a closer just a way of admitting that you really did not get the job done the rest of the game, so now you have to? Then after he hit big buckets in the fourth in game 7, he said it was because Boston defended him wrong. Give the man some credit–he scored over 30 in 6 out of 7 games, averages 32 and 11 a game, and was the first player since Wilt to have a 45-15-5 game in the playoffs. But it’s still not good enough. Seriously, people… Seriously. Of course, I will let the sports guy put it to perspective because, after all, he was there (and happens to be a die hard Celtics fan…)
Only Mother Nature can stop Nadal on Clay..
Seriously…Dude was unstoppable! He was running through Novak like a run-away freight train that he is on clay. He has mastered the surface like no one before, like no has mastered a venue in ANY sport. Seven championships in 9 years, with only 1 defeat?!?!?! That is absurd. I firmly believe that he would not have even lost a set this year if it had not been for Mother Nature feeling sorry for Novak and dumping rain down on the court. Turning the clay into mud and giving Novak a fighting chance, in which he won a set, a set which was THE only one that Nadal lost the entire tournament. Think about just how impressive that it is? That’s 6 matches and 18 out of 19 sets won. Domination.
