Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Baseball preview
To get ready for the upcoming MLB season, I'll have my 2012 MLB preview with a breakdown of all 30 teams, starting in a month. I've tried this twice and have never made it past about the sixth or seventh team, so I'm hoping this is the year I can go the distance. Check here in a month for the beginning of the BNight's Beats MLB preview.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Tennis has the best rivalry in sports
Sports are defined by rivalries. Think to the great games of Magic and Bird. Barcelona and Real Madrid. Even Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Rivalries make up the games that everyone remembers, and the true mark of every era. At a time where America is anxiously awaiting a boxing match that may never happen, everyone should be tuned into the great three-way battle in tennis. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have won every major tournament except one since the middle of 2005.
All three have distinct personalities, which has given them success in the past. Federer is cool, calm and collected and has garnered 16 Grand Slam championships, the most in men’s tennis history. Nadal stood in the way of Federer with his exuberant playing style and his dominance on clay courts. Djokovic is the player that always looks like he won’t be able to keep up until he rides out the storm.
In the beginning, it was Federer against Nadal. Those two won 11 straight Grand Slam titles from 2005-2008 and became the new version of tennis greats Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. In the 2008 Wimbledon Final, Nadal defeated Federer in the greatest match that I have ever seen. Nadal won the first two sets before dropping the next two to tiebreakers and surviving the final set to win in a tiebreaker.
However, Djokovic threw a wrench into those two’s plans for dominating the sport by stealing a championship in 2008, and then currently winning four of the last five Grand Slams. Djokovic has been unstoppable as of late, going 70-6 last year, including a 43-match winning streak until a loss in the French Open.
If someone isn’t watching these Grand Slam semi-finals and finals matches, they’re not only missing great tennis, they’re missing some of the greatest sporting events of all time.
Djokovic outlasted Nadal in the Australian Open last weekend after clashing for five hours and 53 minutes. Not only was it the longest match in Grand Slam Finals history, but Djokovic also battled back after dropping the fourth set in a tiebreaker to one of the best players in the world.
Can anyone imagine watching his or her favorite athlete fight nearly six hours for a championship? It’s one of the greatest sights to watch and can excite any sports fan. The passion, the fire and the skill level shown in these classics are must-see events.
Yet, Djokovic only made it to the finals after winning the last two sets against Andy Murray in a five-set victory. Murray is another twist in these great tennis sagas because he is the loveable loser. In any other era, Murray would be at the top of tennis and battling for Grand Slam championships. However, he is has yet to break- through in a Grand Slam, although he reached the semi-finals in each event last year.
The rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird is what carried the NBA through the 1980’s and gave each season a major storyline. Now imagine if Michael Jordan was born 10 years earlier and could have joined in on the greatest rivalry in basket- ball. This is what tennis is going through right now. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic will all go down as some of the greatest tennis players in history, and it’s a privilege that they’re playing at the same time.
I’m not the biggest tennis fan in the world, and I don’t know the ins-and-outs of the sport entirely. However, I’m a fan of great athletic spectacles, and this is what these rivalries bring each tournament. If anybody wants to see the best tennis players in the world battle time after time throughout the years, it’s time to tune in because this is what you don’t want to miss.
All three have distinct personalities, which has given them success in the past. Federer is cool, calm and collected and has garnered 16 Grand Slam championships, the most in men’s tennis history. Nadal stood in the way of Federer with his exuberant playing style and his dominance on clay courts. Djokovic is the player that always looks like he won’t be able to keep up until he rides out the storm.
In the beginning, it was Federer against Nadal. Those two won 11 straight Grand Slam titles from 2005-2008 and became the new version of tennis greats Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. In the 2008 Wimbledon Final, Nadal defeated Federer in the greatest match that I have ever seen. Nadal won the first two sets before dropping the next two to tiebreakers and surviving the final set to win in a tiebreaker.
However, Djokovic threw a wrench into those two’s plans for dominating the sport by stealing a championship in 2008, and then currently winning four of the last five Grand Slams. Djokovic has been unstoppable as of late, going 70-6 last year, including a 43-match winning streak until a loss in the French Open.
If someone isn’t watching these Grand Slam semi-finals and finals matches, they’re not only missing great tennis, they’re missing some of the greatest sporting events of all time.
Djokovic outlasted Nadal in the Australian Open last weekend after clashing for five hours and 53 minutes. Not only was it the longest match in Grand Slam Finals history, but Djokovic also battled back after dropping the fourth set in a tiebreaker to one of the best players in the world.
Can anyone imagine watching his or her favorite athlete fight nearly six hours for a championship? It’s one of the greatest sights to watch and can excite any sports fan. The passion, the fire and the skill level shown in these classics are must-see events.
Yet, Djokovic only made it to the finals after winning the last two sets against Andy Murray in a five-set victory. Murray is another twist in these great tennis sagas because he is the loveable loser. In any other era, Murray would be at the top of tennis and battling for Grand Slam championships. However, he is has yet to break- through in a Grand Slam, although he reached the semi-finals in each event last year.
The rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird is what carried the NBA through the 1980’s and gave each season a major storyline. Now imagine if Michael Jordan was born 10 years earlier and could have joined in on the greatest rivalry in basket- ball. This is what tennis is going through right now. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic will all go down as some of the greatest tennis players in history, and it’s a privilege that they’re playing at the same time.
I’m not the biggest tennis fan in the world, and I don’t know the ins-and-outs of the sport entirely. However, I’m a fan of great athletic spectacles, and this is what these rivalries bring each tournament. If anybody wants to see the best tennis players in the world battle time after time throughout the years, it’s time to tune in because this is what you don’t want to miss.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Mayweather chooses... Cotto
Wednesday afternoon gave boxing its final verdict: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao won’t be fighting any time soon, and the larger possibility that the fight may never happen looms.
However, fans are in for a treat as Mayweather (42-0, 26 KOs) decided to take on Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs) - albeit a few years late - in a match on May 5th that should provide more flair than his most recent four fights.
This fight interests me on two different levels. One, Cotto is one of the biggest fighters Mayweather will face and the undefeated fighter has decided to go up a weight class to fight him. Two, Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) was lined up to fight Cotto and it's surprising that Mayweather was able to snatch him away.
To me as shocked as I am at my first point, people need to understand how Mayweather usually only fights to his terms – similar to the reasons why he wouldn't agree to a 50/50 split with Pacquiao on money. Mayweather hasn't fought anybody as big as Cotto since Oscar De La Hoya, or a fighter as skilled. Ricky Hatton entered his 2007 fight undefeated, but he went up in weight to fight him and was clearly overmatched. The same goes for Juan Manuel Marquez, who went from Lightweight to fight Mayweather at welterweight before moving up with Pacquiao. Mosely was the only true welterweight fighter, and he was out of his prime by the time he fought Mayweather.
"That's one thing Floyd made perfectly clear to us," Leonard Ellerbe said, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "He didn't want to fight him at a catchweight, he wanted to fight him at the weight. Sometimes, you don't get full credit when you fight at a catchweight. Floyd wanted to make sure Miguel was comfortable."
I've said this before on Twitter, and I'll say it again. It's not outside my realm of imagination to believe Mayweather is in money trouble and needed to garner a big fight to make cash before entering his 87-day jail sentence in June. He is prone to spending a ton of money, and he shows his gambling winnings on Twitter all of the time, however, how much money is he losing while gambling and lawyer fees, etc.
Mayweather had zero interest in fighting Pacquiao in the past – even Cotto in his prime – because they weren't up to his undefeated level and he didn't feel like he had to fight them. Yet now, he goes on Twitter and bashes Pacquiao as much as possible to make the fight happen? It's not about the fans, otherwise this fight would have happened three years ago. I have no substantial proof that money is Mayweather's reason for moving up in weight to fight Cotto, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was.
Also, it's been swept under the rug by some media organizations that cover boxing, but Cotto was set to fight Pacquiao in a rematch as they were negotiating a 147-pound catchweight. Cotto didn't want a catchweight but Pacquiao did for the size difference, as they did last time they fought. I'm assuming Cotto didn't want to go down in weight because that would mean loss of power for him and possible muscle, in which he was technically knocked out in the 12th round, where he was fighting strong early in the bout.
I'll admit I wanted to see Mayweather fight Cotto several years ago because I thought Cotto was the best young fighter and would be a tough matchup for him. I still believe Mayweather will have his hands full, but if he wants to make it a defensive fight, similar to his one versus De La Hoya, then he will be able to earn a win. However, that fight will be largely boring and unpleasing to the fans. If he wants to provide some fireworks, Cotto has an opportunity to give him his first loss. But, Cotto hasn't seen a fighter as fast as Mayweather either.
For those that don't think this will be a big fight, Pacquiao and Cotto earned 1.25 million pay-per-view buys and $70 million in domestic revenue, which with Mayweather's power will make it even higher. Cotto is a good fighter, and should only have one loss on his record as it's largely regarded that Antonio Margarito cheated with hand wraps in the 2008 fight. Those two rematched in December, and Cotto won handily against Margarito and showed more spirit than in previous fights I have seen from him.
As for Pacquiao, get ready to see him fight Timothy Bradley (28-0-1, 12 KOs) in June, which will set up another scenario – if both Pac-Man and Mayweather win – where they could fight in November and provide the fight of the decade. If those two can't come to terms, assuming both win, for a fight in November, I think it's time to write off that those two will never clash in the ring.
However, fans are in for a treat as Mayweather (42-0, 26 KOs) decided to take on Miguel Cotto (37-2, 30 KOs) - albeit a few years late - in a match on May 5th that should provide more flair than his most recent four fights.
This fight interests me on two different levels. One, Cotto is one of the biggest fighters Mayweather will face and the undefeated fighter has decided to go up a weight class to fight him. Two, Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KOs) was lined up to fight Cotto and it's surprising that Mayweather was able to snatch him away.
To me as shocked as I am at my first point, people need to understand how Mayweather usually only fights to his terms – similar to the reasons why he wouldn't agree to a 50/50 split with Pacquiao on money. Mayweather hasn't fought anybody as big as Cotto since Oscar De La Hoya, or a fighter as skilled. Ricky Hatton entered his 2007 fight undefeated, but he went up in weight to fight him and was clearly overmatched. The same goes for Juan Manuel Marquez, who went from Lightweight to fight Mayweather at welterweight before moving up with Pacquiao. Mosely was the only true welterweight fighter, and he was out of his prime by the time he fought Mayweather.
"That's one thing Floyd made perfectly clear to us," Leonard Ellerbe said, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "He didn't want to fight him at a catchweight, he wanted to fight him at the weight. Sometimes, you don't get full credit when you fight at a catchweight. Floyd wanted to make sure Miguel was comfortable."
I've said this before on Twitter, and I'll say it again. It's not outside my realm of imagination to believe Mayweather is in money trouble and needed to garner a big fight to make cash before entering his 87-day jail sentence in June. He is prone to spending a ton of money, and he shows his gambling winnings on Twitter all of the time, however, how much money is he losing while gambling and lawyer fees, etc.
Mayweather had zero interest in fighting Pacquiao in the past – even Cotto in his prime – because they weren't up to his undefeated level and he didn't feel like he had to fight them. Yet now, he goes on Twitter and bashes Pacquiao as much as possible to make the fight happen? It's not about the fans, otherwise this fight would have happened three years ago. I have no substantial proof that money is Mayweather's reason for moving up in weight to fight Cotto, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if it was.
Also, it's been swept under the rug by some media organizations that cover boxing, but Cotto was set to fight Pacquiao in a rematch as they were negotiating a 147-pound catchweight. Cotto didn't want a catchweight but Pacquiao did for the size difference, as they did last time they fought. I'm assuming Cotto didn't want to go down in weight because that would mean loss of power for him and possible muscle, in which he was technically knocked out in the 12th round, where he was fighting strong early in the bout.
I'll admit I wanted to see Mayweather fight Cotto several years ago because I thought Cotto was the best young fighter and would be a tough matchup for him. I still believe Mayweather will have his hands full, but if he wants to make it a defensive fight, similar to his one versus De La Hoya, then he will be able to earn a win. However, that fight will be largely boring and unpleasing to the fans. If he wants to provide some fireworks, Cotto has an opportunity to give him his first loss. But, Cotto hasn't seen a fighter as fast as Mayweather either.
For those that don't think this will be a big fight, Pacquiao and Cotto earned 1.25 million pay-per-view buys and $70 million in domestic revenue, which with Mayweather's power will make it even higher. Cotto is a good fighter, and should only have one loss on his record as it's largely regarded that Antonio Margarito cheated with hand wraps in the 2008 fight. Those two rematched in December, and Cotto won handily against Margarito and showed more spirit than in previous fights I have seen from him.
As for Pacquiao, get ready to see him fight Timothy Bradley (28-0-1, 12 KOs) in June, which will set up another scenario – if both Pac-Man and Mayweather win – where they could fight in November and provide the fight of the decade. If those two can't come to terms, assuming both win, for a fight in November, I think it's time to write off that those two will never clash in the ring.
Guess whose back!
Well if you guessed me, then *ding ding*. I will hopefully be blogging my thoughts about three times a week, as I still have some prior obligations that won't let me blog on a regular schedule. Hopefully you enjoy the return, and I can remember to keep my word and blog continually throughout the rest of the school year.
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