In case you've been hiding out in Bora Bora for the last 4 months, you may have heard that LeBron James signed with the Miami Heat.  What you may not be aware of is the ridiculous lengths that ESPN (and others, but mostly ESPN) has gone to cover the story and become the story.  The self-proclaimed worldwide leader has thrown out all sense of integrity, honesty, balance, and impartiality when it comes to the 2010-2011 Miami Heat.  We saw it with THE DECISION, we've seen it in moving SportsCenter to Heat training camp, and most of all, we see it in The Heat Index.  What is the Heat Index you ask?  It's basically ESPN's 24/7 promotional machine featuring several writers and features dedicated to the Heat and the Heat alone (including ex Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Brian Windhorst).  So, it's up to fair-minded folks like us to call out ESPN (and other offenders) periodically throughout the season for their embarrassment to sports and brutally cover LeBronapalooza the way it should, with bitterness, fairness and mockery.  Let's call it our Re-Heat Index! [randallsimonssausages]

First comes a feature ESPN story about LeBron's popularity that features a bright outlook for LeBron's popularity including quotes from Oscar Robertson, interviews with marketing experts, and impressive numbers about Heat tickets and merchandise.  Ironic that this largely redemptive piece would come just before the new season. Online, the glowing coverage isn't that much different.  There was an extended article from Benedict Windhorst about LeBron's Twitter interaction here from a couple days ago.

*A quick note about Windhorst.  He's basically followed LeBron for his entire career since high school.  It is no surprise to see him follow the King and his $$$ to ESPN.  He deserves this big break because he's a great reporter.  However, what's troubling is that Windhorst was highly critical of James' departure and seemed to feel empathy towards the Cleveland fans... then left for the yellow brick road to Miami himself.*

Let's be clear about a couple things before we go any further - the racist, bigoted tweets need to stop.  There is absolutely no excuse for that kind of behavior and people need to find the decency to separate calling out LeBron and pointing out hypocrisy in the media with actually hating the guy and wanting him to be ran over by a semitruck.  What is interesting is the new words being used to describe LeBron by Windhorst.  LeBron is now "hurting," "driven," and "changing."  Evidently we're seeing a more business-like LeBron instead of the one that goofed off all the time and one that is motivated by the haters.  Again, flipping the script and the narrative to one largely pro-James.

Naturally though, we still see the same stubborn egotistical King James - last night's news of LeBron telling Cleveland fans to "get over it" fit a new narrative that ESPN is pumping about James.  In the post-DECISION world, LeBron has been a victim of negative fan backlash and is undeserving of the criticism (actually valid) and vile hatred (actually invalid) coming his way.  His latest comments will surely go over well.  Seriously, how does this man have the nerve, lack of common sense, and denseness to make these statements repeatedly?  Anyways, ESPN's focus has been on humanizing LeBron and giving him a platform throughout the process while marginalizing fans that have turned against him and ignoring his own mistakes has been stunning.  The headline for his "get over it" article now says "LeBron sympathetic to fans."  Puh-lease.  Look at the humanizing aspects of Benedict Windhorst's latest article, ignoring the clear editing mistakes:

James said Thursday he can relate to why many fans, especially from his home state, continue to be angry at him. But he also said people upset with his decision to sign with the Heat need to move on.

Yes, it must be easy for him to relate in his new South Beach mansion playing with the Super Friends and betraying your hometown fans.  I would be able to get over it as a Cleveland fan if only my starting wingman wasn't Jamario Moon.

He understands... and yet he wants people to get over it?  That... doesn't make sense?

That brings us to another worldwide sports superstar that was following a similar path to LBJ - Manchester United's Wayne Rooney.  You see, Rooney was dissatisfied with the debt piling up at Man U and the lack of big-time players arriving.  He saw Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Man City spending gobs of cash and didn't think United could compete on that level and win EPL/Champions League titles.  Out of contract at the end of the season, battling infidelity rumors and accusations, and dealing with injuries - Rooney made it clear he wanted out.

Rooney's situation is similar to James in that the player holds all the power.  He could have walked away from the Red Devils at the end of the season and forced a midseason transfer.  He had hijacked Man Utd's season by going public and painted Alex Ferguson and the club into a corner.  To put this controversy in perspective, if Rooney showed up at Old Trafford wearing a Man City shirt, it'd be like Jim Tressel leaving Ohio State to coach Michigan midway through the season, then coming to Columbus to cost the Buckeyes a Rose Bowl berth with a maize and blue vest.

The star striker was the subject of negative taunts and chants from United fans in a Champions League game this week and news broke yesterday about a mob of dozens of fans protesting outside his mansion with one banner reportedly reading "If You Join City, You're Dead."  I guess America has better mansion security.  Ignoring these idiots and psychopaths, one theme runs in common from Cleveland to Manchester - a feeling from fans of betrayal (at least United has won plenty of titles though).  For Clevelanders, it's LBJ being supported by a sports media monopoly and holding a primetime TV special to leave his hometown team and for United fans it's Rooney following the money trail to rival clubs Man City or Chelsea.  Of course, that all changed when Rooney signed a new 5 year contract with Manchester United this morning.

Rooney is far from a perfect example, but I wonder if LBJ could learn something from this statement.  Not necessarily from the aspect of staying or leaving, but a sense of public awareness...

"I'm sure the fans over the last week have felt let down by what they've read and seen. But my position was from concern over the future. The fans have been brilliant with me since I arrived and it's up to me through my performances to win them over again." [randallsimonssausages2]

If you enjoy stability, then MMA's middleweight division is the place for you.  For four years running, the same man has ruled the roost, with no end in sight.  And if you're a fan of mediocrity, this is the weight class for you, also.  Well, to be fair, mediocrity probably is too strong a word, but other than the King of the Middleweights - the man who comes in first on our list of MMA's Five Best Middleweights of All-Time - the rest of the crop is rather, well, mediocre.  That's not to say there aren't some legendary names on the list, but for most of them, their greatest triumphs have come outside the 185 lb weight class.  Nonetheless, we present to you the five best middleweights (185 lbs) in MMA history.[mmamanifesto]

Voting panel: Jeff Fox from The MMA Manifesto, speeds from Sports Two's MMA Forum, hoops writer and MMA fan College Wolf from TWolves Blog and a couple of top performers from our MMA Pick 'Em Contest, Dave H and Chris MC.

Honourable Mention: Demian Maia, Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen

5) Kazushi Sakuraba

Record: 26-14-3
Middleweight Titles Held: None
Notable Wins: Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie

"With 43 MMA bouts under his belt, Sakuraba made an early name for himself in Pride, earning himself the nickname "The Gracie Hunter" with wins over Royler, Ryan, Renzo, and, most notably, Royce in the ninety minute MMA match which stands today as the longest MMA fight in history.  Coming from The Land of the Rising Sun, Sakuraba has gone about his career in typical Japanese fashion, respecting every one of his opponents with little smack talk in between.  At the age of 41 Sakuraba has pretty much done it all, fighting a who's-who of MMA fighters over in Japan, and although he has been sheltered in a sense by not fighting in North America, Sakuraba, like many others, put fights on for the fans, and he wouldn't have it any other way." - Dave H

"He probably could have ended up higher on this list if he hadn't jump around weight classes so much and had stuck at 185.  Oh, and if  he had only fought Gracies for his whole career, that would probably help his ranking too!" - Jeff Fox

4) Jake Shields

Record: 25-4-1
Middleweight Titles Held: Strikeforce (2009-2010, one successful defense)
Notable wins: Yushin Okami, Robbie Lawler, Jason Miller, Dan Henderson

"Boring, but can't argue the record." - Chris MC

"The first fighter to make our top five in two different weight classes (he came in fifth spot on the Five Best Welterweights list), Jake Shields is on an incredible roll as he prepares to make his UFC debut at UFC 121 - he's won 14 straight fights over the past six years, part of it spent as Strikeforce's 185 lb champ." - Jeff Fox

3) Dan Henderson

Record: 25-8
Middleweight Titles Held: PRIDE Welterweight (under 184lbs) (2005-2007, no defenses)
Notable wins: Renzo Gracie, Murilo Bustamante (twice), Michael Bisping

"With a pedigree as an Olympian Greco-Roman and NCAA Division 1 Wrestler, Dan Henderson was the final Pride Welterweight and Middleweight champion.  Going 13-5 over his seven-year run with PRIDE, defeating the likes of Renzo Gracie, Ninja Rua, Murilo Bustamante, Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva along the way.  Henderson managed to either knockout his opponent in quick and furious fashion, or ground his opponent into playing his game.  Although his career in the UFC the second time around started off rather rocky, losing both his Middleweight and Welterweight titles to Rampage Jackson and Anderson Silva, respectively, one would have thought that the future would be bright for Henderson, who finished his five-fight contract with three straight wins, including his last over Michael Bisping, which will no doubt go down in everyone's memories as one of the best KO's of all-time." - Dave H

"It says a lot of Dan Henderson's career that he can be ranked the third best middleweight of all-time, yet he probably has enjoyed more success fighting as a light heavyweight." - Jeff Fox

2) Rich Franklin

Record: 28-5-1
Middleweight Titles Held: UFC (2005-2006, two successful defenses)
Notable wins: Evan Tanner (twice), Yushin Okami

"Finds ways to win." - Chris MC

"A hero to school teachers world wide, Rich Franklin made his transition from high school teacher to MMA and would never look back.  Franklin has made an impression throughout his entire career, but made his biggest imprint at 185.  When your only two losses in your middleweight career come to Anderson Silva, you are doing pretty good for yourself.  Franklin over the years has been a fan favorite for continuing to bring the fight and rarely being in a lackluster match.  The peak of his middleweight career came in 2005 and 2006 before he decided he wanted to smell Anderson Silva's kneecap and subsequently end his UFC Middleweight Championship reign.  At the age of 36, "Ace" might not be around that much longer, however his legacy as a 185'er will forever be remembered." - Dave H

1) Anderson Silva

Record: 27-4
Middleweight Titles Held: Cage Rage (2004-2006, three successful defenses), UFC (2006-present, seven successful defenses)
Notable wins: Jeremy Horn, Rich Franklin (twice), Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson

"Although his legacy was created and cemented in the UFC, one has to think that starting an MMA career at the age of 14 was the actual beginning of this legacy we've all known to come and love.  Earning himself black belts in Tae Kwon Do, judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as well as a Yellow Belt in Capoeira, Silva became well versed with a ground game as well as an excellent standing game complemented by his Muay Thai, judo and boxing training.  His growth throughout the years, I believe, can be attributed to the outstanding training partners he has had, such as Wanderlei Silva, Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, Assuerio Silva, and the Nogueira Brothers.  The final result to all of this is the reigning, defending, UFC Middleweight Champion of the world, and the man who I also believe is an alternating number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world, alongside Georges St-Pierre and Jose Aldo.  Silva has no doubt proven himself in the UFC, clearing out his entire division, capping it off with the heart of a champion defeating Chael Sonnen." - Dave H

"No offense to middleweights of the past, but it's pretty safe to call this a pretty "weak" division.  Despite what some may call recent struggles lately, he still has a 27-4 career record, with seven title defenses.  No one else in this division can touch that.  And he has been considered one of the best pound-per-pound fighters in the world.  I think that cements him at #1 on this list." - College Wolf

"The greatest fighter ever?  Quite possibly, and he doesn't appear to be done quite yet." - Jeff Fox

[mmamanifesto2]

There are all kinds of ways to conduct discourse in this Digital Age with the Information Superhighway and the Facingbook, and one of the newest is Twitter. Like all new means of communication, Twitter transforms debate, sometimes for good, sometimes for ill; that's elementary enough, and a subject for people who study such things, not a boxing blog. But many of the ways it transforms debate apply to the sport to which this blog is devoted, which is why I care. [queensberryrules]

I've been on Twitter since early 2009, when the big idea was merely to amplify the right column of The Queensberry Rules, where a module features my latest tweets. News in boxing happens fast, and often I don't have time to write a full post on it, so I thought it would be a good way to keep visitors current on my views on what's going down. That sort of worked.

In some ways, I suspect Twitter hurt the blog more than it helped it. But this isn't a sour grapes post, or at least didn't feel like it when I was writing it, some kind of "I'm an old man of the blogging world, MYAH, I can't program my VCR so what's this Tweeter business?" condemnation of the medium. After all, in some of my interactions with some boxing writers for mainstream, newsier publications, there's been a distinct eye roll-worthy "You're in your pajamas in the basement" kind of vibe toward me, the same kind of dynamic that happens in mainstream news vs. blog relationships in politics, sports and more. We're still wrestling with those things, years and years and years since blogs began. It keeps me feeling young.

What this post is, though, is an examination of how Twitter has affected boxing-related communications, based on my observations and experiences and a few insights I've stolen from others. And yeah: I have some unkind things to say.

If I had to pick two things Twitter offers that are good, it'd be:

1. The instant feedback to events from other people who care about boxing. For example: It used to be I'd have to patrol message boards, wait for news stories and scan other blogs to see what people were thinking about a controversial bout and who they thought won. No longer. Most boxing fans, and many boxing writers, score fights round by round. That's handy when you're trying to size up a broad consensus about a thing, for testing your perceptions against others.

2. The ability to connect with other fans, boxers, boxing writers and promoters. I've met some friends via Twitter I might not have otherwise. Twitter is not unique in that regard, mind you -- I've met visitors to this site who have become real-life pals. But it's a shortcut to other kinds of boxing figures, too. Many boxers respond to those who reach out to them on Twitter, for instance, and I'm not going to meet most of them via this site. You also get insights into their character and interests you wouldn't otherwise.

From there, all other things spill. (Those are two distinctly different things, by the way: There is a difference between knowing what everyone's thinking in toto merely by following them versus connecting with those people, communicating with them.)

If I want to watch an overseas stream of a fight that isn't available in the United States, and I can't find one on my own, one of the fastest ways to do it is to put out a feeler to my Twitter acquaintances. If there's a YouTube link to a recent fight available, someone will often post it. Boxers sometimes make announcements on Twitter before they do anywhere else. Again, blogs like this one provide the same service, as can message boards and other outlets. But Twitter often adds a dimension of speed.

There are other, minor good things about Twitter. Since brevity is the soul of wit, Twitter is responsible for a number of brief quips I've laughed at about boxing. And so on.

But yes. Some unkind things to say here. And I don't even mean about how it has or hasn't affected my site -- I won't bore you with that kind of thing at length. Suffice it to say , as just one example, that as a promotional tool, Twitter hasn't resulted in any meaningful expansion of my audience or traffic, despite the hype about Twitter being able to do that. I've no idea if it's helped others in that regard. It arguably has shrunk my site's visitor base as some debates move from this forum to Twitter; it's hard to tell, since any number of people have told me they prefer the kind of discussions offered here to the kind that are available on Twitter.

The major issue with Twitter is that sometimes immediacy isn't all it's cracked up to be. And what it begets sometimes isn't pretty.

My snap judgments about a piece of boxing news or a fight aren't always correct. Tweeting one's first thought, without deliberation, can lead to one being flat wrong when a little extra consideration would prevent it. At minimum, that snap judgment often leaves out crucial pieces of information that haven't yet surfaced and might help shape a better judgment. Getting in the habit of broadcasting snap judgments probably has a debilitating effect over time, especially because Twitter reinforces these habits. Because it's not just me broadcasting my snap judgments -- it's everyone. And I see what those snap judgments are from others, sometimes before I offer mine. Thus, Twitter can create a kind of group-think about a boxing event even before all the news is out.

Let's take the case of super middleweight Andre Dirrell pulling out of the Super Six tournament. When the news hit Twitter, the backlash against Dirrell was instantaneous, even though the news from tweets to that point only included reporters who listened in on Showtime's skeptical-sounding announcement of Dirrell's injury. Dirrell was guilty the second the news hit the wire for at least one person, then for the next person, and before long, almost everyone. No reporters had yet contacted Dirrell, nor his promoter Gary Shaw, nor anyone from his team, seeking an explanation from their side of things. Pre-Twitter, no one is reacting anywhere until after at least one reporter had written a full account with responses from both sides. No columnists and no bloggers would have reacted as quickly about Dirrell pulling out, because they wouldn't have known as quickly, and they wouldn't have reacted without the full story from both sides. I'd hazard a guess that if that had been the case, Dirrell wouldn't have been treated SO roughly SO quickly by boxing fans. And that, more broadly, would have trickled down to a different kind of slower, more well-considered consensus about Dirrell, if not still a potentially negative one.

I think there's a telling comparison in how I subsequently blogged about Dirrell to that of Bad Left Hook, which isn't as active on Twitter. Much of what I wrote was jumping into the debate over whether Dirrell was a big faker. Bad Left Hook didn't even mention it.

Let's take another case, much less based on shaping of perceptions and more on reacting to falsehoods. One piece of information on Twitter can travel pretty far pretty fast, and it can take a while to be rectified. It's why someone pretending to be junior welterweight Timothy Bradley succeeded in faking out everyone for almost a week, with respected boxing sites running information from this fake Timothy Bradley as though it were true. Maybe you can chalk that up to bad reporting, but it's bad reporting that happened directly because of Twitter. In my own case -- because this isn't about making me look like some perfect Twitter user who resists its shortcomings -- I recently posted a link to a news story on Fightnews about heavyweight Shannon Briggs being in critical condition with a concussion this past weekend, an item that spread far and wide via myself and others, and only later in the day when I returned to Twitter did I see a volume of news reports contradicting that account.

The tendency for wrongness or half-truths can apply even to discliplined thinkers and reporters. I recommend this piece by Bill Simmons recently on how a rumor (ultimately, in this case, a truthful one, but one born of an accident and poor vetting) spread over Twitter, and the fact that ESPN (wisely) keeps its staff on a tight leash on Twitter, and about writers throwing out "pseudo-reporting" via Twitter.

Because boxing writers sometimes broadcast their immediate doubts, theories, etc. on Twitter before reporting, they themselves can influence the debate. We trust them more because they frequently know more, more directly, about what's happening with a story at that moment. When they broadcast thoughts and theories before checking them out, only to later write more even-handed and moderate stories (it happens to a great, great many of them) in some cases, the damage is already done -- the trusted messenger has put out an untrustworthy message, and it's altered the discourse. And forget about retractions on Twitter from anyone, not just reporters. The next time I see someone say on Twitter, "I was wrong, I reacted too quickly" it'll be the first time. Instantaneous opinions harden into intractable facts, all of which can build into a faulty narrative about a fighter or a piece of news.

The net result of this is a kind of radicalized populace. I'm sure some would consider that a flattering description. But I do honestly think Twitter leads some people, sometimes, to adapt more extreme views of a situation than they would otherwise, and I don't think that's a good thing for any kind of informed debate, for the medium to corrupt the message. And that, in turn, leads to people then sometimes seeking out negativity, reproducing it then seeking it anew, with negativity thus feeding itself in a cycle. I saw this recently via Gawker, and I thought it was pertinent not to the Tea Party -- I can't comment on the Tea Party here -- but to boxing fans.

As Twittergate shows, the same Tea Party exists on Twitter as in the real world, only magnified absurdly: Blowhards dominate the discourse... [and] conspiracy theories bloom at every coincidence.

Twitter sometimes magnifies the worst in boxing fans, in other words, and they have some blowhard/conspiracy theory tendencies as it is.

I've felt myself at times getting sucked into this cycle of negativity. My most retweeted remarks, the ones that draw the most positive feedback, are often the most acidic. My diss of Sergio Mora's broadcasting skills got me some pats on the back. I don't know how much that kind of thing subconsciously drives people to be more negative, and I can't possibly know. But I suspect it has an effect.

The darkest element of this negativity cycle is that sometimes, people with different opinions become targets of harassment or bullying. I know there will be people reading this and thinking that I'm talking about them, or myself, but I'm not talking about any one person. It happens a lot. Too often. It is very widespread. It would be easy enough for someone who doesn't like someone else to leave well enough alone, and simply stop "following" the person they don't like. But the usual option is to turn nasty. Even worse, it all happens in public. It used to be if someone didn't like somebody else, they'd have to torment them in person, and then later, send them an e-mail, and now, they can torment someone before all their Twitter followers -- and since Twitter is as close to high school as anything I know of, someone with a lot of Twitter followers will sometimes have his or her clique join in on the battle. A simple argument over boxing can turn into full-blown drama, and everyone watches. It's embarassing to all parties, save those who like participating in or watching idiotic pissing matches, I guess.

It's up to every boxing fan to decide for themselves whether Twitter is for them. For me, for now, the negatives are pretty close to outweighing the positives. But even some of the negatives, in a roundabout way, are positive: I'd rather have a corrupted, too-negative data stream than shut one off.

Don't expect this to be the last word on Twitter and boxing; the medium is still evolving, and the entirety of the boxing world isn't on Twitter, nor will it ever be. But it's a snapshot of what I see happening with it now. [queensberryrules2]

One of the best articles I've seen on the sports web in a while came out yesterday at SI.com.  Joe Posnanski, quickly turning into one of my favorite writers, had a list of 32 of the best announcing calls in the history of sports.  After seeing the list, we felt called to dig deeper into the field of sports broadcasting and find 10 Not So Great Announcing Moments.  Of course, this isn't a complete list (heck, Billy Packer, Dick Enberg, Dick Stockton, and Dick Vitale don't appear on the list - that's 4 Dicks!).  This list takes a look at some of the more recent and notable announcer screw ups, let us know what we missed in the comments below and enjoy! [randallsimonssausages]

10) The Dodgers win!  Umm... wait... no they don't
-This clip comes to us in link form from the archives of Awful Announcing from 2009 (now back up and running here at Bloguin).  Charley Steiner gets just a tad bit confused on what exactly is going on to end the 9th inning.  Here's the transc ript from AA:

"Venable scores...and a throw to third base ... OUT AT THIRD BASE ... AND THE DODGERS WIN! Edgar Gonzales, trying to come home, then he stopped short, and then tagged out a third ... AND THAT IS HOW THE DODGERS WIN THE GAME! 
Wait a minute, two runs are in. Out at third base was Venable. The Padres in fact HAVE TIED THE SCORE, scoring five in the ninth inning.... My mistake ... In to score was Gonzales ... ALFONZO is out at third base. And we will go to the 10th inning ... UNBELIEVEABLE. ..."

9) Insane Nathan's Hot Dog guy
-This guy is named Rich Shea.  He is from Major League Eating.  This is the single most over the top sports announcing you will EVER hear.  Is it bizarre?  Yes.  Does it make Bill Walton look like Pat Summerall?  Yes.  Is it incredibly funny?  Yes.  But, I'm sorry, I'm an old school competitive eating fan, and I don't appreciate the sport of my ancestors being made a mockery of and treated like it's professional wrestling.

Not one, but 2 clips!

Hot dog final final
Uploaded by bsap11. - The best Latino videos on the web.


8) This is not Detroit man, this is the Super Bowl!!!
-As a Saints fan, the 2010 NFC Championship game is something I'll never forget.  It was the Saints' first trip to the Super Bowl, and it came at the expense of creepy old man Brett Favre.  It couldn't get better, right?  Well, it did!  That's because Vikings radio announcer Paul Allen called Favre's final interception like something just died... oh yea, it was Favre's career!

***Bonus Clip***
-This isn't a Not So Great Moment, but whenever Paul Allen comes up, we have to show this amazing piece of announcing from 2006 and the last second play that knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs.  The hilarity is only increased when put to TecmoBowl.


7) Pam Ward, nuff said
-There's probably thousands of entries that could fill this slot.  While this one isn't technically a call of a play, it's an embarrassing moment to have caught on live TV.  Pam Ward tries to throw it to the studio at the 2009 Little Caesar's Bowl, but the audio stays with the booth.  Then, she wants an injured Marshall player to get the F$#% off her field...
>

6) "That's kinda gay"
-As an announcer, it's always tough when you lose your train of thought and words just start to fall nonsensically out of your mouth.  The best thing to do is to just shut up and move on.  Unfortunately, ESPNU's Brian Kinchen decided it would be best to talk about hard and stiff pads and soft, caressing hands in a 2006 game.  That may be awkward enough, but he followed it up with the above gem that saw him suspended from ESPN.  I guess he never saw those Wanda Sykes commercials.


5) Mike Patrick & Britney Spears
-Mike Patrick has never been my favorite announcer, but he's bearable... at least when he's not accompanied by Joe Theismann.  In a 2007 game between ranked Georgia and Alabama, Patrick thought he would be culturally relevant by talking about Britney Spears.  Unfortunately the timing (overtime) and the randomness and pure shock and disgust in his voice makes this clip crack the top 5.


4) Thom Brennaman loves Tim Tebow.... a lot
-Thank the good Lord Fox no longer has the BCS.  First, they don't really know anything about college football, second we won't have to see 578 band shots a quarter, and third we don't have to suffer through the LOUD MONOTONE VOICE OF THOM BRENNAMAN.  Thom was at the top of his game in the '09 title game with his love for Tim Tebow.  The first 2 minutes of this clip is a nice compilation of Brennaman and Tebow with analysis.


3a) That is a disgusting act...
-Joe Buck takes the coveted #1 spot on a lot of lists for least favorite announcer.  There's a certain smugness to Buck that creates a disconnect with the viewer, he doesn't tend to get excited for the big moment, and he always puts himself above the game - whether it's setting up his next comedy line or trying to be a crossover star (ahem, Joe Buck live, check out this link of Mike Francesa's fantastic take).  Because Buck deserves the #3 spot, we get 2 clips.  First, his indignation over Randy Moss pretending to moon the Lambeau Field crowd.  You'd think he sent naked pictures of himself to someone, geez...

3b) The Tyree catch
-This is the greatest catch in Super Bowl history.  Listening to Joe Buck, he sounds as excited as he is when calling a Lions/Rams preseason game, if he ever announced a game that didn't involve an NFC East team.


2) One championship winning goal, 4 different announcing botches
-Just this summer, our #2 moment occurred in overtime of Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Finals.  Patrick Kane scored the winning goal in overtime on a shot that just snuck through the legs of Michael Leighton.  We'll give the announcers a little break because the puck wasn't seen initially, and Patrick Kane was the only guy in the building that knew what happened, but when 4 separate play by play men absolutely botch the call, it deserves a place in broadcasting lore.


1) Line drive base hit!  Caught out there...
-Poor Chip Caray.  He's had enough criticism and mockery piled on in the last year since this call in the AL play in game between Detroit and Minnesota in 2009.  Personally, we've always liked Chip Caray from his Cubs days, but he was always in over his head at a national level and regressed badly.  After this blunder, Chip was relieved of his TBS duties this year.

[randallsimonssausages2]

One story we haven't had the chance to touch on is the sale of international soccer giant Liverpool to John Henry and the Boston Red Sox ownership group New England Sports Ventures.  However, Liverpool's current American owners (Tom Hicks of Texas Rangers fame and George Gillett of the Montreal Canadiens) are trying to block the sale that was approved by Liverpool's board.  Today the news is out that the case is going to the High Court in England to decide the fate of arguably the most famous sports franchise in the world.  Before we break it down, let's look at how we got here with Liverpool FC. [randallsimonssausages]

Hicks and Gillett bought Liverpool FC in February 2007 for 220 million pounds.  About a year later, the first trouble started to arise in the Liverpool boardroom began to emerge as stories broke that Hicks and Gillett weren't on speaking terms.  The first protests against Gillett and Hicks occur as far back as early 2008!  The new stadium plans were put on the backburner as Liverpool continually increased debt due to mismanagement from Gillett and Hicks.  After finishing 2nd in the EPL in '08-'09, Liverpool's transfer funds dried up the following summer.  They dropped to 7th in the league and out of the Champions League for the first time since '03-'04.  This season, Liverpool currently sit in the relegation zone through the first 2 months of the season as the ownership drama continues.

In other words, under Hicks and Gillett, not only has Liverpool suffered in their on-field performance, but has seen the club plummet into dire financial straits with an inability to acquire the amount of quality players that Chelsea and Manchester City and perhaps even Tottenham can.  You can check out a detailed timeline here.

Here's where we stand on October 11th...

*Liverpool's board is taking Liverpool's owners (Hicks & Gillett) to court to force them to sell the team to the prospective owners (Red Sox).
*Hicks and Gillett are trying to block the sale of the club in order to gain more money.  They even tried to fire the chairman they appointed to sell the team.
*The sale has a deadline of October 15th, the date when H&G are to pay back their debt to the Royal Bank of Scotland.  If that deadline isn't met, the club likely goes into administration and is probably penalized 9 points in the league.
*Hicks and Gillett have run one of the world's most storied franchises into the ground, given American owners a bad name worldwide, and emerge as money-hungry owners that cared more about profit than performance, and managed to fail miserably on all fronts as they stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars.

With RBS now seeking an injunction against Hicks to block the sale it looks like the court should side in Liverpool's favor.  Chairman Martin Broughton and the other 2 members of the board were brought on to sell the club and have the authority to do so from the owners and RBS to an offer that is deemed suitable.  NESV's offer of 300 million pounds represents a huge loss for the hated owners, but they'll have to deal with it.  All in all, this is fantastic news for everyone involved.  As a tribute to my man Steven Gerrard, here's 8 reasons why Liverpool's sale to John Henry and the Red Sox is a good thing...

1) Hicks & Gillett Out - These 2 were nothing but terrible for Liverpool, the EPL, and the image of American owners worldwide.  They had no clue how to run a football club, sent it into debt, and furthered the image of the American owner as greedy, mismanaging twats.  Where else in the world do you see such an organized protest against owners than in Liverpool and Manchester United (also protesting massive debt piled up by American owners).  Heck, if Marge Schott came back to life and bought Liverpool it would be an improvement.
2) Stability - As we mentioned, the boardroom drama has been going on for almost 3 years.  No team can succeed with that kind of instability at the top of the club, and we've finally seen it affect the team hard this year.
3) NESV Knows How To Win - Anyone that can win a title with the Red Sox obviously knows what they're doing!  Hicks & Gillett started out with a lot of money, but they had never won anything before with the Rangers or Canadiens.  Tom Hicks was best known for signing A-Rod and still not being able to win anything!
4) John Henry Understands Liverpool FC - This is perhaps the key point.  I think John Henry sees a lot of the Red Sox in Liverpool.  Both are clubs with rich histories, iconic stadiums, and massive fan bases.  John Henry may refurbish Anfield ala Fenway, but it's clear he will at least do something.  The problem with H&G is that they knew nothing of the tradition of the club.
5) Track Record - This is something that I haven't seen yet in any stories covering the sale.  Do you want to know Tom Hicks' track record in soccer ownership?  Check out this article describing his time at Corinthians in Brazil.  Does any of it sound familiar?  New stadium promise not followed through - check.  Selling key players - check.  Infuriating fans - check.  Having no F&%$ing clue - check!  At least NESV has proven they know how to run a franchise. 
6) Reparing the Red, White, & Blue - American owners are persona non grata in English soccer.  The hatred flung towards H&G and Man Utd's Malcolm Glazer has given fans an entirely negative view of Americans that want to come into their country and their league, make a buck at the expense of everyone else, and basically burn through money like Sherman's march to the sea.  If he can successfully build the Red Sox into a worldwide brand, I see no reason why he can't repair the situation at Anfield.
7) The Nation Meets YNWA - If the sale goes through, a relationship between one of baseball's most historic teams and one of soccer's most historic teams is fantastic.  Boston and Liverpool have some of the most passionate fans in sports and the spiritual connection between them should be an instant hit.  Could you imagine Liverpool coming on a yearly tour of the US including games played in Fenway Park?  That would be an amazing sight.
8) It's Great For Soccer in America - Liverpool's sale to the Red Sox means a huge American team and a huge EPL team are now partners.  The cross-promotional aspect both ways is a no-brainer.  Even if a small fraction of Red Sox Nation gets behind Liverpool, it adds to the growing number of fans that are invested in the EPL stateside.  The Liverpool brand is already popular in the States and with the right ownership and marketing, Liverpool can become a household name and team stateside. [randallsimonssausages2]

With the Ryder Cup being played in Europe, the rain delays, and a weekend trip to see the Buckeyes playing in Champaign, I didn't get to see nearly the amount of golf that I would have liked to this weekend.  Thankfully, I was able to DVR the exciting Monday singles and speed through it.  Reigning US Open Champ Graeme McDowell proved to be the hero on Monday morning by beating Hunter Mahan in the anchor match, but it's hard for me to put this Ryder Cup among the all-time greats, especially when Colin Montgomerie emerged as the winning captain and the US on the losing end!  Let's do a Quick Hits Ryder Cup recap and check out 5 random thoughts from the weekend at Celtic Manor... [randallsimonssausages]

1) Tiger, Tiger, Tiger - Woods wasn't quite the story during the week that he was before the Cup.  In fact, it was refreshing to see most of the coverage focus on the actual golf!  Tiger actually had his best statistical Ryder Cup ever!  (3-1 although that one loss was an embarrassing 6&5 loss with Steve Stricker in the fatal Session 3).  Let's not say that Tiger is BACK, but it has to be encouraging for what's left of Tiger's supporters.

2) Phil, Phil, Phil - On the other hand, Phil Mickelson has to be the most thankful man on the planet for Tiger's struggles in 2010.  Mickelson hasn't scored a Top 5 since the US Open and has looked like a shell of the man that won the Masters this year.  His singles win saved a weekend where he was absolutely dismal with Dustin Johnson.  In fact, it may be Phil and not Tiger that has the most work to do in the offseason.  At this point, Steve Stricker (3-1) looks like the best American player and more likely to rise to #1 in the world.

3) Black Sunday - The revised format put the US in a tough position, having to play all 12 players in 2 sessions of Fourball and Foursomes when Team Europe was clearly the deeper and more talented team.  That lack of depth showed in Session 3, where the Cup was won in a 5.5-0.5 session in Europe's favor consisting of 2 Foursomes and 4 Fourball matches.

4) Big Mac - What a year for Graeme McDowell.  First, he wins the US Open at Pebble Beach, and then he wins the Ryder Cup for Europe in the anchor match with a clutch birdie putt on 16.  If that's not a breakout year, I don't know what is!  Even though the US ultimately lost, it's good for golf to have a new star like McDowell perform well on the big stage.  Donald, Westwood, and Poulter also starred for a rising European team.

5) Hunter the Hunted - Yes, Hunter Mahan lost the last match, but it's unfair to label him a choker and place the loss on his shoulders.  Unlike 99.9% of golf tournaments, the Ryder Cup is a TEAM event.  Mahan lost the last match, but there were 28 matches played and plenty of other opportunities for the US to win the Cup.  I also don't think Corey Pavin deserves any blame for leaving Mahan in the anchor spot.  Hunter has played well in the Cups and he needed to put his biggest guns out earlier to give the US team a chance.

One More Thing...

-The Ryder Cup is not only one of the great events in golf, but in all of sports.  Anytime you can play for your country (or your continent), the pressure and excitement are ratcheted up several notches and it makes for a great sports experience.  What's so great about the Ryder Cup is that these elements that aren't usually in golf are brought to the game and make it even better!  The crowds are actually rooting for a side and not just giving polite claps to every botched shot.  I like hearing the Euros cheer when Tiger Woods hits it in the water.  I like seeing Jeff Overton shout "Boom Baby!" when he holes out from the fairway.  I like seeing the emotion and the heart and the intensity that doesn't exist in any other golf tournament.  The Ryder Cup is such a rare, unique, wonderful event that we take it for granted and it's vastly underrated on the sports calendar.

Look at Graeme McDowell's reaction after his birdie on 16 basically clinched the Cup.  There was more emotion in that moment than when he won the US Open at Pebble Beach!  If you don't think the Ryder Cup is a big deal, take a look at what the US Open Champ said about his winning performance...

The putt on the 16th was stuff I have dreamed about all my life. Compared to that, the US Open was like playing nine holes with by dad at Portrush.

That's the sort of emotion and pressure that makes the Ryder Cup one of the best events in sports.  I for one can't wait until 2012 when we take the Ryder Cup back. [randallsimonssausages2]

It's been a while since we've tried to tackle a multi-part series here at RSS, but two stories from this week have really captivated me and motivated me to take one of those big picture looks at sports in America.  Two of the biggest stars in the American sports world right now are LeBron James and Michael Vick.  Both have seen their popularity take huge hits in the past 5 years, but at the moment one has emerged as a figure of redemption.  Ironically, it's the one that served time in prison for dogfighting.  So, how have we arrived at a point in time where Mike Vick might be as popular as LeBron James and what do their current situations say about sports and society. [randallsimonssausages]

I thought about this idea when reading Bill Simmons' latest column this morning touching on Vick's comeback, and the news the last couple days regarding LeBron James' comments on race playing a role in his popularity crash.  With Vick, it seems that most of the public has gotten behind his career resurrection as Philly quarterback.  With James, his comments about race seem to have only heightened the pressure that faces him and made fans that were angry with him angrier for invoking race.

We'll address James' comments first in Part I.  Let's not kid ourselves that there aren't people out there that dislike LeBron James because he's black.  Let's not pretend that racism doesn't exist in 2010 America.  It does.  I've seen and heard stories myself.  I was traveling out of the country with a group of grad students last month and when we returned home the one person to be "randomly" pulled aside for an extensive search was a black man with an Arab sounding name.  Racism exists.  Check out the entire piece here if you'd like.

The problem that many have with what LeBron James said is that he appears to make himself come off as a victim.  He and agent Maverick Carter inferred that some people didn't like THE DECISION because of the race factor.  Not so fast.  LeBron James' popularity went into a nosedive because THE DECISION was a maniacal, egotistical, self-centered, stupid TV nightmare.  People that loved LeBron James now abhor him because he betrayed his hometown on national TV and arrogantly said, "I'm taking my talents to South Beach."  I don't think millions of people woke up the day after THE DECISION and figured out they didn't like James because of his race.  When asked about the backlash against THE DECISION, Carter merely stated that it could have been executed better.  Umm... yea.  Interestingly, James was never asked personally about the actual debacle of THE DECISION.

But, to grasp this situation we have to look outside James.  Look at Kevin Durant and how he went about his contract decision.  Look at Chris Bosh.  Look at Amare Stoudemire.  Granted, LeBron had a lot further to fall from his height of popularity, but none of those players have experienced a backlash this offseason the magnitude of James because of THE DECISION due to their free agent moves.  Does Chicago hate Dwyane Wade for not coming home?  No.  If LeBron had simply held a press conference to announce his intent and done things professionally and with an inkling of a grasp of reality for the idiocy of THE DECISION, he wouldn't find himself as a basketball pariah.

Despite his current lack of popularity, LeBron James should talk about race and important issues.  Sure, I might not look at him as favorably as I once did, but I'll listen to him and value his opinion on serious issues like race and sports.  He and many other global stars in his position need to address racism that does exist here and all over the world.  If you don't think it's a problem, then you need to take a look at this picture from Russia.  Nigerian Peter Odemwingie transferred to West Brom in England from his club Spartak Moscow in Russia.  This banner said goodbye to Odemwingie...

That's despicable, of course.  Look to Spain and Italy where monkey chants have been heard at games not just once or twice, but consistently.  You won't find opendisplays of racism like that in America at sporting events, but you do hear stories like Nick Collins of the Packers reportedly called a racial slur by a fan in Chicago.  Give LeBron credit for not backing down from the tough question and addressing issues like his predecessors didn't (MJ and pre-2010 Tiger come to mind).  But, referring to himself in the third person in the same CNN interview isn't going to endear fans to his plight either.  His donation to the Boys & Girls Club that CNN hyped during the largely sympathetic piece seems about as sincere as Mark Zuckerberg's 100 million dollar donation to Newark schools just before the movie about his life appeared in theaters.

LeBron's answer in and of itself was probably spot on.  The error here is in the question by Soledad O'Brien, the lack of clarification and context, and the lack of any sort of follow-up.  For the vast majority of folks, race is not a factor in their changedfeelings of LeBron James.  Here lies a major problem with the racial discussion in sports and society in general.  We are quick to label things "racist" that really aren't and quick to brush aside or be unwilling to talk about issues that actually do involve racism.  It's much easier to dissect a King James soundbyte or blanket Tea Partiers as angry racists than have a real grown-up discussion about the issue.

It is critical here to distinguish the sections of society that actually exhibit racism and not project racism onto the scores of people that now have an unfavorable view of King James because of THE DECISION.

The problem with James and Carter is that it is always about them.  Instead of recognizing the impact of James' comments and opening up the discussion further, James and Carter will sweep it under the rug because that benefits King James.  The truth of this whole episode is that THE DECISION brought to light all of the negative aspects of LeBron James that we swept aside for so long because of his million dollar smile playing for his hometown team.  Now that we have a view of James' uber-ego, we notice how he quit in Game 5 against the Celtics, we remember him not shaking the hands of the Magic, we are alerted to his protection by ESPN from the birthdaypalooza story, and we read reports of USA basketball praying he didn't play this summer.

So, we're left with this muddied mess.  Instead of actually having the real discussion about American sports and race, we're left with people being entrenched further on their pro/anti LeBron sides and a missed opportunity to take a real look at a key issue in sports and society.

Coming up in Part II Monday, we'll look at the career resurrection of Michael Vick.  How has the majority of sports fans forgiven Vick and accepted his return as a starting QB in the NFL?  Then, in Part III we'll compare the rise and fall and rise again of Michael Vick with the rise and fall of LeBron James and try to answer the question of whether or not Michael Vick is actually more popular than LeBron James when 2 years ago Vick was in a jail cell and James was on top of the sports world. [randallsimonssausages2]

Usually this realm is my brother Matt's forte (haha, Matt's forte, get it?  Come on Cutler!), but why not give it a shot?  With all that is normally lost in a football weekend, we catch you up to date with what you might have missed in the world of sports.  From the other football, to baseball and all the way to Australia we've got it all covered! [randallsimonssausages]

(1) Carmelo's Still in Denver...But for How Long?

-Rumors surfaced that Carmelo was destined for the Nets in a whopping 4-team trade that would send prized rookie Derrick Favors back to Denver along with expiring contracts and picks.  But, either Denver or 'Melo seem to be getting cold feet because talks have stalled over the weekend.  The Knicks and MSG or Chicago are 'Melo's preferred destination, but will he wind up settling for the Brooklyn Nets and a 3-year extension? Unless the Bulls wise up and dump Joakim Noah, the answer might have to be yes.  One thing's clear, in the post-Decision world, there's no turning back now for Denver or 'Melo.

(2) Jim Furyk Wins the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup, We Think
-Jim Furyk managed to win a rain-soaked Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup $10 million bonus yesterday.  Here's my question though, how can a player who missed the 1st playoff tournament, which Furyk did when he missed the Pro-Am at the Barclay's, still win the playoffs?  Doesn't that show this entire "playoff system" is a joke and a total crap shoot?  The PGA Tour needs to figure out soon because running through mathematical scenarios like a graduate school course on the final Sunday isn't going to attract casual golf fans.  Really, a 10 million dollar sand save?

(3) Jimmie Johnson Wins, Again
-All must be right in the world because Jimmie Johnson won the 2nd Chase race in Dover to move to 2nd in the standings behind Denny Hamlin.  NASCAR desperately needs a rival to emerge for the dominant Johnson, and Hamlin seems like he could be that foil.  He's fearless on the track and is just brash enough to be interesting, like calling out Clint Bowyer for trying to explain away his costly penalty.  And, don't forget Hamlin had ACL surgery during the season and still is in 1st.  At least there are still 8 weeks of the playoffs to go!

(4) The MLS "Game of the Century"
-Many in the American soccer community tried to make the game on Saturday night between Los Angeles and New York out to be the most important regular season game in the history of the league.  Of course, showing the game at 11pm EDT on a Friday night isn't the best way to get the league into the national sports spotlight.  Also not helping matters was the absence of any contribution by the league's biggest stars, Donovan, Henry, and Beckham...that is, unless you count this YouTube video a "contribution".

(5) Is It October Yet?
-Apparently baseball's regular season is STILL going on with no end in sight.  The Rangers managed to clinch the AL West while the Reds and Phillies are a game away themselves.  The Rockies now lag behind the pace and it looks like its down to San Diego, the Giants, and the Braves for the final 2 playoff spots in the NL.  Of course, in the AL the Rays and Yankees are battling for the AL East with all the intensity of a July day game.  Is expanding the playoffs really the answer to the late season malaise?  Maybe so, if it means shortening the regular season!

(6) Chelsea Finally Goes Down

-Over in England, Chelsea saw their 100% record go down at the hands of Manchester City 1-0 while Man United struggled in a draw at Bolton and Arsenal suffered a shock defeat to West Brom.  Meanwhile, Liverpool continued their wretched start to the season by drawing against Sunderland.  It's been an interesting beginning to the season, and we should learn more as some of the big teams begin to play each other.  Could this be the year the vaunted Top 4 is finally broken and a new team wins the English Premier League?  If Man City can find momentum (and a consistent starting lineup) they're the best bet with new captain Carlos Tevez scoring the winner against Chelsea.

(7) Imagine a Tie in the Super Bowl... Because it Just Happened in Australia
-The biggest single sports day in Australia was this past weekend with the Australian Rules Football Grand Final.  It's really like Super Bowl Day in Australia and two great teams were set to do battle in St. Kilda (one championship in 100+ years) and Collingwood (the most popular team in Australia with a history of chokejobs in the Final).  Well, the game was a nailbiter with Collingwood storming out of the gates, but St. Kilda mounting a strong comeback.  The game actually ended up a tie, 68-68 at the end of regulation.  So, you'd think an exciting sudden death overtime period was sure to follow, right?  No.  Instead the entire game is being REPLAYED this weekend! Imagine that.  The Cowboys and Steelers tie the Super Bowl, then have to play the game again the following week!  What a nightmare!  Players afterwards were even calling the replay a joke, but it does set up one of the most intriguing things I can remember seeing in sports.  Be thankful this week that you live in the good old USA, where our championships are at least decided in one day, but make sure you watch the replay Friday night at Midnight on ESPN Classic and 1 AM on ESPN2.  Check out the amazing action of the final minutes and the players' reaction when the final siren sounds. 

[randallsimonssausages2]