Friday, September 23, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sucker Punch Or Not Mayweather Wins
Mayweather was making his much-anticipated return to the ring after yet another long layoff this time 16 months following his wipeout of Shane Mosley. Ortiz, 10 years younger than the 34-year-old Mayweather, won the lottery when he outpointed Andre Berto in April to win a welterweight title and landed the $2 million shot against Mayweather.
But few gave Ortiz, of Ventura, Calif., a serious chance to win unless the layoff and age had caught up to Mayweather, who was fighting in his adopted hometown, as usual.
Mayweather's age and the layoff did not show up at all. He was, as usual, brilliant. Put all the flamboyance, bragging, the flashing of money and jewels and tiresome rhetoric aside and Mayweather remains the best fighter in the world not named Manny Pacquiao, the one fighter Mayweather needs to face to secure his ultimate legacy. But on this night he was facing Ortiz, whom Mayweather had sat ringside to watch get knocked down twice by Berto but win. Mayweather then picked him to fight and, after a drama-filled promotion (at least on Mayweather's side, just watch HBO's "24/7") they met before 14,687 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mayweather's regular venue. It was an Ortiz house, however, with most of the fans turning out to support the Mexican-American on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day.
It was clear from the outset that Ortiz was not on Mayweather's level. Mayweather used his speed, skills and a very accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in total control through three rounds and it looked as if he was on his way to yet another easy victory. Then things turned wild in the fourth round. Ortiz began to have his best success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then the fight devolved.
Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional head-butt, busting open a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth. Referee Joe Cortez immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul. Frankly, he would have been right to take two points. Ortiz seemed apologetic and even hugged and kissed Mayweather, who did not seem at all interested in forgiving him in the heat of the moment. Would you be if you had just had your face rammed by somebody's head in blatant rules violation?
Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight. Although he was looking away from the fighters, the fight was back on. Yet Ortiz was still trying to touch gloves with Mayweather, who instead unloaded a left and right to knock Ortiz out. Ortiz broke the cardinal rule of boxing protect yourself at all times. Mayweather, who took heat for a supposed sucker punch, did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong. Time was in, fight is on. This ain't checkers or golf. Ortiz made a rookie mistake and paid for it. It was his fault, not Mayweather's, and too bad for him. It would have never happened if Ortiz had not intentionally butted Mayweather, the action that led directly to the fight having to be stopped then restarted. Would it have been nice to see Mayweather perhaps show a little more sportsmanship? Sure, but boxing is a combat sport and he broke no rules. He won it fair and square and picked up his seventh world title covering five weight classes. Mayweather is often not that likeable (his rant against HBO's Larry Merchant after the fight was disgraceful and uncalled for), but he won the fight with legal punches. Period. He's back and, hopefully, won't go into another long layoff. And, hopefully, he will finally fight Pacquiao next if Pacquiao beats Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12. Whomever Mayweather fights next best be warned to keep their freakin' hands up.
But few gave Ortiz, of Ventura, Calif., a serious chance to win unless the layoff and age had caught up to Mayweather, who was fighting in his adopted hometown, as usual.
Mayweather's age and the layoff did not show up at all. He was, as usual, brilliant. Put all the flamboyance, bragging, the flashing of money and jewels and tiresome rhetoric aside and Mayweather remains the best fighter in the world not named Manny Pacquiao, the one fighter Mayweather needs to face to secure his ultimate legacy. But on this night he was facing Ortiz, whom Mayweather had sat ringside to watch get knocked down twice by Berto but win. Mayweather then picked him to fight and, after a drama-filled promotion (at least on Mayweather's side, just watch HBO's "24/7") they met before 14,687 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mayweather's regular venue. It was an Ortiz house, however, with most of the fans turning out to support the Mexican-American on the weekend of Mexican Independence Day.
It was clear from the outset that Ortiz was not on Mayweather's level. Mayweather used his speed, skills and a very accurate right hand to tag Ortiz repeatedly. Mayweather seemed in total control through three rounds and it looked as if he was on his way to yet another easy victory. Then things turned wild in the fourth round. Ortiz began to have his best success, landing a few shots and stinging Mayweather before bulling him into the corner. Then the fight devolved.
Ortiz rammed Mayweather in the face with an intentional head-butt, busting open a cut on the inside and outside of Mayweather's mouth. Referee Joe Cortez immediately called timeout and docked Ortiz a point for the blatant foul. Frankly, he would have been right to take two points. Ortiz seemed apologetic and even hugged and kissed Mayweather, who did not seem at all interested in forgiving him in the heat of the moment. Would you be if you had just had your face rammed by somebody's head in blatant rules violation?
Cortez motioned the fighters back together to resume the fight. Although he was looking away from the fighters, the fight was back on. Yet Ortiz was still trying to touch gloves with Mayweather, who instead unloaded a left and right to knock Ortiz out. Ortiz broke the cardinal rule of boxing protect yourself at all times. Mayweather, who took heat for a supposed sucker punch, did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong. Time was in, fight is on. This ain't checkers or golf. Ortiz made a rookie mistake and paid for it. It was his fault, not Mayweather's, and too bad for him. It would have never happened if Ortiz had not intentionally butted Mayweather, the action that led directly to the fight having to be stopped then restarted. Would it have been nice to see Mayweather perhaps show a little more sportsmanship? Sure, but boxing is a combat sport and he broke no rules. He won it fair and square and picked up his seventh world title covering five weight classes. Mayweather is often not that likeable (his rant against HBO's Larry Merchant after the fight was disgraceful and uncalled for), but he won the fight with legal punches. Period. He's back and, hopefully, won't go into another long layoff. And, hopefully, he will finally fight Pacquiao next if Pacquiao beats Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12. Whomever Mayweather fights next best be warned to keep their freakin' hands up.
Oklahoma gives Bob Stoops extension
Two days after winning one of the college football season's early marquee games, Bob Stoops was rewarded Monday with a new contract extension that could keep him as the coach of top-ranked Oklahoma through 2018 and pay him $34.5 million over the next seven years.
Oklahoma's board of regents voted to give Stoops a $75,000 bump in his annual salary and a handful of bonuses that will reward him for staying in Norman each June after the coaching carousel has usually run its course.
"I don't think I need to add anything to the proof that he gave to the national viewing audience that there's no better football coach in the country than he is," university president David Boren said before recommending approval of Stoops' new contract.
The deal calls for Stoops' paydays to grow over the years, topping out at $5.15 million in salary and bonuses over the final three years. He was already one of the highest-paid coaches in the country, making $30 million over the course of a previous seven-year deal approved in 2009.
The extension made no changes to his salary for this year, when he is set to make $4.875 million, including an $800,000 bonus he received on Jan. 1.
"In my opinion, he does not have a peer in college coaching either in terms of his strategic abilities as a coach, but also in terms of his example as a role model," Boren told The Associated Press. "The quality of the players on our team as people is just extraordinary. They are caring people, they set very high standards for themselves, they are very modest and generous to others and that doesn't happen unless you have a coach who sets a very powerful example for them."
Stoops' Sooners won 23-13 at fifth-ranked Florida State on Saturday night, moving his record 100 games over .500 at 131-31.
Regents also gave athletic director Joe Castiglione a three-year contract extension through June 2017, including an annual raise of $165,000 and an annual bonus of $110,000 each Oct. 1 starting in 2013. His total salary this year will be $915,000 without bonuses.
"We have excellent leadership in Joe Castiglione. He has brought to the university I think across the board the strongest group of coaches that we've ever had," Boren told the AP.
"I feel really blessed," he added. "I just would put our total athletics program up against any in the United States, and I don't think anybody exceeds our standards."
Oklahoma's board of regents voted to give Stoops a $75,000 bump in his annual salary and a handful of bonuses that will reward him for staying in Norman each June after the coaching carousel has usually run its course.
"I don't think I need to add anything to the proof that he gave to the national viewing audience that there's no better football coach in the country than he is," university president David Boren said before recommending approval of Stoops' new contract.
The deal calls for Stoops' paydays to grow over the years, topping out at $5.15 million in salary and bonuses over the final three years. He was already one of the highest-paid coaches in the country, making $30 million over the course of a previous seven-year deal approved in 2009.
The extension made no changes to his salary for this year, when he is set to make $4.875 million, including an $800,000 bonus he received on Jan. 1.
"In my opinion, he does not have a peer in college coaching either in terms of his strategic abilities as a coach, but also in terms of his example as a role model," Boren told The Associated Press. "The quality of the players on our team as people is just extraordinary. They are caring people, they set very high standards for themselves, they are very modest and generous to others and that doesn't happen unless you have a coach who sets a very powerful example for them."
Stoops' Sooners won 23-13 at fifth-ranked Florida State on Saturday night, moving his record 100 games over .500 at 131-31.
Regents also gave athletic director Joe Castiglione a three-year contract extension through June 2017, including an annual raise of $165,000 and an annual bonus of $110,000 each Oct. 1 starting in 2013. His total salary this year will be $915,000 without bonuses.
"We have excellent leadership in Joe Castiglione. He has brought to the university I think across the board the strongest group of coaches that we've ever had," Boren told the AP.
"I feel really blessed," he added. "I just would put our total athletics program up against any in the United States, and I don't think anybody exceeds our standards."
Friday, September 9, 2011
If you remember that the NFL threatened to fine Peyton Manning for wearing high-top cleats to honor the late Johnny Unitas after Unitas passed away on Sept. 11, 2002, you know that the league takes its uniform rules very, very seriously. Manning was threatened with a $25,000 fine if he wore the cleats in a game because he had formally been denied permission to do so by the NFL. In the end, Manning took a pass, though Baltimore Ravens quarterback Chris Redman flew in the face of authority and got popped with a $5,000 fine for his trouble.
Related: 9/11 remembered 10 years later
It was a callous move by the NFL, but if what we're hearing about what players want to wear to honor the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is true, you haven't seen anything yet. According to the tweets of Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, the penalties for players wearing specific 9/11 tribute gear could be fairly steep.
Reebok great job on these gloves and shoes..looks like I'm getting fined this week. Lol! By far the best fine I will ever have to pay. Thanks…Fines for gloves could be as much as 5k..the shoes 8-10k I think. not 100% on the shoe fine.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles added his own thoughts:
I Have some commemorative 9/11 gloves & cleats for the weekend game.. That #reebok made me. I never forget.
But wait there's more! Christy Cooley, the wife of Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, tweeted up the gear her husband got, which you can see just to the left.
The picture of the shoes at the top of this piece came from the Twitter account of Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck(notes). It's also worth noting that this is the last year of Reebok's 10-year contract with the NFL as the league's official outfitter; Nike will have that honor starting in 2012.
To add to the intrigue, we hear from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune that several Chargers players received the gear, and at least one player is ready to write a check for wearing it. The unnamed player said that he expected to be fined $5,000
Players expressed confusion over why the NFL would deny them the chance to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 by wearing different cleats when the league provides pink apparel (including shoes) to be worn by teams to promote breast cancer awareness each October.
According to Acee, the current plan is for sideline personnel to wear commemorative pins, and for players to wear a red, white, and blue patch below their jersey collars in a shape of a ribbon. League spokesman Greg Aiello told Acee that there are no plans to allow players to make unauthorized changes to their uniforms in tribute this Sunday, but if the Manning story we told you a bit earlier is any indication, we wouldn't bet on the NFL bending at all on this point.
The NFL is planning to honor the fallen with several different gameday events, and the NFL and NFLPA will donate $1 million to related charities and memorials. That's all very wonderful, but if the league is actually going to fine its own players for choosing to remember in their own way … isn't this the most glaring case for an exception to the uniform rule? None of the players choosing to wear this gear and take the automatic fine are looking to draw attention to themselves — this isn't a Hall of Fame jacket on the sideline or a Sharpie in the end zone.
These are players choosing to remember, and in the cases of Briggs, Hasselbeck, and many other NFL veterans, remember their own time in the NFL during and right after the attacks happened.
We haven't heard from the NFL either way on this, but the league would be very wise to step away from this issue, let the players wear the specific gear (the league can always pop those players looking to add to the authorized apparel with their own pieces of flair), and move on to something that won't be a PR nightmare.
It's a simple and honorable gesture. Not a fineable offense.
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