“Rocky vs Ali” by Michael Joseph!
Michael Joseph is back with what I believe to be his best work ever: Rocky Balboa vs Muhammad Ali! – Craig
Category: Sports
“Cinderella Man” – Bad Title, Good Movie
Cinderella Man [hate that title] came in under the radar.
I should have seen it coming. It stars Russell Crowe and Rene Zellweger… is directed by Ron Howard… and is the story of how Jim Braddock shook the boxing world back in the ’30’s.
Still somehow, it slipped by me until I saw the trailer.
I’ll bet it doesn’t get missed come Awards time.
RIP: Reggie White
It’s just been posted that Reggie White died today of a massive heart attack.Man, one of the best loved and greatest NFL defensive players ever… dead at 43.
“Today our beloved husband, father and friend passed away,” White‘s wife, Sara, said in a statement through a family pastor. “His family appreciates your thoughts and prayers as we mourn the loss of Reggie White. We want to thank you in advance for honoring our privacy.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Reggie‘s family and friends.
Hoping for a Happy Ending for Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson, once the most feared fighter in the world, and a 9-1 favorite was knocked out in the fourth round by British heavyweight Danny Williams.Yeah, Tyson‘s 38 years old. And yes, Williams outweighed Tyson by over thirty pounds. And it’s true that Tyson won the first three rounds on ALL of the judges‘ score cards. Tyson‘s people are already blaming the loss on a knee twisted in the first round.
Perhaps they didn’t see the flurry of punches Williams unleashed on Iron Mike in the fourth round which left him sitting on the canvas bloodied and beaten.
I was pulling for Tyson. I always seem to be pulling for him. Sometimes I’m not sure why.
Mike Tyson had it all and blew it. From what I’ve read and seen of Mike, I doubt if I’d like to hang around with him for very long. Still he intrigues me. Tyson has a vast knowledge of boxing and a love for the sport and it’s history. He WAS the baddest man in the world until he hooked up with Don King. It’s like the storybook tale of a kid born with everything against him who overcomes it all… and then loses it
I guess I just keep hoping for a happy ending.
Only in America
Mike Tyson has earned over $300 million and is bankrupt.
I guess I shouldn’t feel bad for him, but I do. Tyson should have been on top of the world at this point in career… if he was even fighting. When he was in his prime nobody and I mean nobody could beat him. He was on track to break Marciano‘s record of wins without a defeat.
And then Don King came into his life. And we know what happened after that.
The sad thing is, Tyson is suing Don King for $100 million… but it looks like he’ll settle for a lot less… a whole lot less.
And I’ll bet you that after it’s all said and done, Tyson will end up fighting for Don King again.
Only in America… only in America.
Season Ends for Playmakers
If you were in charge of programing and had a new show that not only received critical praise, but also drew in five times the number of viewers than the network had during the previous year, what would you do? Let me make it easy. I’ll give you three choices…
Would you A] Celebrate B] Give everyone a raise C] Cancel the show
If you answered C, you’d be right.
ESPN just cancelled Playmakers which was critically praised and did indeed bring in five times the number of viewers. Playmakers wasn’t just one of the best shows on ESPN, it was one of the best shows on TV. Period.
I’m hoping that another cable channel will pick it up. If not, I wish everyone who worked on it the best… because their work on the show was.
Charlie Hustle Deserves a Shot
Pete Rose should be given an opportunity to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.Rose holds 19 Major League records, including the All-time Major League records for most career hits – 4,256 and most games played – 3,562.
Why is Rose not in? Because as a manager he gambled on baseball. Although he never bet against his team and never threw a game, gamblling on baseball when you’re a player or manager is against the rules.
Did Rose deserve to be punished? Yes, and he has been.
Rose‘s book, My Prison Without Bars, details just how much he’s been punished.
As a manager, Rose broke the rules and perhaps the ban should be for life… but, the records that he set were as a player and it is because of these records that he deserves the opportunity to be voted into the Hall of Fame.
Playmakers Scores!
Have you checked out ESPN’s new original series, Playmakers? If not, you should. So far two episodes have aired and they were both great!
Playmakers features an ensemble cast, with all of the characters played to perfection by mostly little known actors. The production values are first rate, but special mention should be given to the writing and direction. What could be a typical tv series about a football team is instead a compelling drama about the intertwining lives of characters who happen to play football for a living. But don’t get me wrong, the professional football backdrop is almost a character itself. I’m actually surprised at how real it all looks, sounds, and feels.
Playmakers is on Tuesdays at 9PM on ESPN. I give it my highest recommendation. Check it out… even if you don’t like football, I’ll bet you’ll like Playmakers.
Deadline for War
The deadline for war has almost arrived. Who knows what the next few days [weeks?] will bring us.
The nation has gone to a higher state of alert. Cities are tightening their security. Turn on the tv and all you can find on news channels are reports from the front and speculation about what will happen next.
The NCAA basketball tourney will continue as planned. And that’s a good thing. I have three of the four number one teams in our annual family contest.
The Academy Awards are scheduled to be held on Sunday as planned [although there will be less red carpet and after party coverage]. I’m glad that both of these major events will go on as scheduled. We’re going to need something to divert our attention from the media overkill covering the war. I also think that we can’t let the possibility of terrorist attacks on the homefront cause us to change our lifestyle.
Well… it’s 8:00 straight-up. May God bless our troops and may this war end quickly.
A Tat and a Win
I used to follow boxing. Of course I’d watch all the big fights, the pay-per-views, bouts on HBO and Showtime, but I’d also catch the fights on ESPN and USA so I could see the up-and-coming fighters. It was there that I first saw a teenage MIKE TYSON knocking out everyone. The kid had so much potential. If he had continued his streak as it started, he’d have to be considered the best heavyweight of all time. Even better than ALI or MARCIANO. But that didn’t happen.
After losing his mentor, CUS D’AMATO, MIKE TYSON lost fights, court cases… and some questioned, if maybe he’d lost his mind.
MIKE TYSON is no saint, but he’s paid his dues. He seems to be at peace with himself. From what I saw he was gracious and humble with his 49 second knockout of CLIFFORD ETIENNE last night. Perhaps the MIKE TYSON story will have a happy ending after all.
At Least He’ll Have the Tat
MIKE TYSON has a new tattoo.
It’s the type that island warriors get. Which is fitting since TYSON is a boxer… a modern day warrior. At one time he was the most feared fighter in the world. And rightly so. He trained as hard as anyone. He had a devastating shot that could knockout anyone. Then CUS died, and he hooked up with DON KING. TYSON‘s life began to spiral out of control. It was a sad story… until now. Maybe. TYSON does seems more at peace with himself.
On Saturday night TYSON will fight CLIFFORD ETIENNE [24-1]. If TYSON wins, it could be the start of a comeback in the ring and with the public. If he loses…
well… at least he’ll still have the tattoo.
How Much to Fight Tyson?
If you’re a guy, you’ve probably at some point asked or been asked, “How much would it take for you to get into the ring with MIKE TYSON?”
Soon we may know.
Believe it or not, producers are hoping to create a reality series in which an everyday guy would train and then fight former heavyweight champion MIKE TYSON! What’s even crazier, TYSON has expressed interest in the show as well!
Stu Schreiberg, of Triage Entertainment [which put on the “Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show” special last year], is the creative genius behind this idea. Hmmm… I wonder how much it would take to get Stu to climb into the ring?
