Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Cleaning out the Inbox: Basketball Passings

      This edition of passings pays tribute to recent passings from the basketball universe. 

Goodbye to Dikembe Mutombo at the age of  58.

An eight-time All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year known for his rebounding, shot-blocking, and infectious happiness around the game, Mutombo led the NBA in rebounding twice and in blocked shots three times after the Denver Nuggets drafted him fourth overall in the 1991 draft from Georgetown.

Mutombo would play eighteen seasons in the league for six teams with his number fifty-five retired by the Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks at the end of his career.

Mutombo is well-remembered for his finger-wiggling "No-No" after blocking a shot which earned him a part in a Geico commercial a few years back.

Goodbye to Jerrod Mustaf at the age of 55.

Mustaf was the first highly-rated recruit to choose Maryland since the death of Len Bias and would play two seasons with the Terrapins, averaging sixteen points a game before being picked seventeenth overall by the New York Knicks in the 1990 draft.

Mustaf played one season for the Knicks and three for the Phoenix Suns, averaging four points a game for his career before playing several seasons in Europe.

Goodbye to Wesley Cox at the age of 69.

Cox was the leading scorer for the Louisville Cardinals in the 1974-75 season, who made the Final Four for the first time in program history.

Louisville lost by one point to UCLA, the eventual national champions.

Cox was the first-round selection of the Golden State Warriors in 1977 and would play two seasons with Golden State, averaging 4.6 points per game.

Goodbye to Bob Love at the age of 81.

"Butterbean" was drafted by the then-Cincinnati Royals in the fourth round of the 1965 NBA draft but didn't become a star until moving to the Chicago Bulls in 1968.

Love would average twenty-one points or more for six years in a row for the Bulls, make three All-Star teams, and was named to the All-Defensive team on three occasions before his number ten was the second number retired in the history of the Bulls franchise.




Monday, November 18, 2024

Sunk in New Orleans, Browns Downed by Saints

    Before I begin, due to work issues, I was unable to watch the Ohio State 31-7 win over Northwestern with any type of normal attention, so I'm not going to do a game review for the Buckeye victory.

The Cleveland Browns received a stellar day from Jameis Winston in his return to New Orleans but a defensive inability to control the Saints Taysom Hill led to three fourth-quarter touchdowns and a 35-14 New Orleans win at the Superdome.

Winston finished with 395 yards passing and two touchdowns without an interception and Jerry Jeudy grabbed six passes for 142 receiving yards including an eighty-nine-yard touchdown.

Cleveland drops to 2-8 on the season and will have a quick return to action with a Thursday night game against the visiting first-place Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brownie Bits

1) I may be way off on this but whether the house cleaning is now or in January, this loss feels like the turning point when the fans and maybe even the Haslams see no more hope.

The Haslams may have silently decided to clean house after such a loss as I'm not sure that that anyone can feel like this can be turned around with the current people in charge.

2) The defensive breakdown in the fourth quarter from the supposed strength of the squad is another item that I just cannot grasp.

Poor tackling, players in the wrong places, and in a few cases, indifferent effort have been part of the franchise for years and often has been the tip-off that it's time for yet another regine change.

3) One thing that I have seen far too often over the last few games is Juan Thornhill getting lost with his assignments and then pointing out another player for fault.

The Saints (and others) get the ball to someone in the open field, the player cruises in for a score as my jaw drops open as in how did that guy get so open, and then the camera scans to Thornhill pointing to someone and jawing back and forth.

Thornhill was signed as a costly free agent before the 2023 season and played in eleven of seventeen games in that season and five of the ten thus far in 2024.

Thornhill's been a huge disappointment and I would wager that he will be a major candidate for a cap casualty in the off-season.

4) And there was Taysom Hill, the Victorinox of New Orleans, who seemed to become Nile Kinnick before the Brown eyes with three rushing touchdowns (including one of seventy-five yards), rushed for 138 yards, caught eight passes for another fifty yards, completed a pass for eighteen yards, and returned a kickoff for forty-two yards.

And Hill could have been better as he lost a fumble inside the Cleveland ten-yard line!

5) The Browns seemed astonished by Hill and his usage and what made that even worse was New Orleans interim head coach Darren Rizzi's interview at the half with Jen Hale (one of the better sideline reporters).

Hale asked Rizzi if he thought the Saints were using Hill too much in the game as the fumble occurred late in the half.

Rizzi's answer was that he didn't think they had used him enough and thought they would use him more in the second half!

Yet, no one either saw this or sent the message to the coaching staff and Hill just destroyed the Browns in a game that won't be forgotten for quite a while.

6) Dustin Hopkins was reliable last season and received a three-year contract extension from the Browns.

It appears 2023 was the aberration as Hopkins missed two field goals, one of them a twenty-seven-yard chip shot that he was given a second chance by a Saints penalty after missing from thirty-three yards.

Hopkins is currently fourteen of twenty this season and has missed two extra points.

7) The extension that Dustin Hopkins signed showed the issues with extending kickers as only the very best booters are elite every season.

Kickers are very much like relief pitchers in baseball- it's very hard to rely on them being consistent every season and one season's standout often is the next's disappointment and Hopkins is another example of not only that rule but how Andrew Berry has needlessly spent this team into cap problems.

8) Jameis Winston's numbers were good and didn't throw an interception, although the Saints did drop a few possible picks but where he was the most impressive was where he continued to improve the Browns receivers, who look closer to league average with Winston in the pocket.

Winston is still erratic but the Browns have a chance to win with him while I don't think the same should the Browns start Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

9) What I can do without are the interviews with Winston, where he rambles incessantly about the Almighty.

Now I'm more than fine with crediting the Lord and discussing his beliefs but couldn't Winston answer the questions that are asked as well?

It's clear that his teammates love Winston and he's got charisma to burn but you can at least speak a little on what you are asked before kicking into Benny Hinn mode.

10) The Browns suffered a big loss as left tackle Dawand Jones broke his ankle when Wyatt Teller rolled over Jones, snapping his ankle with an injury that will end Jones's season.

Germain Ifedi finished the game and might play against the Steelers but it could mean the eventual return of the noted "businessman" Jedrick Wills to the lineup for the following game against Denver.

11) David Njoku caught all nine passes thrown to him for eighty-one yards and is the reliable short man for  Jameis Winston's checkdowns.

Njoku is going to have a ten-plus, one hundred-yard-plus with scores game before this season ends, he's sitting on it, it's just a matter of time.

12)  Denzel Ward intercepted a Derek Carr pass in the game, which ordinarily wouldn't be a big deal but when you consider that the Browns had intercepted a whopping one pass after nine games.

13) The Browns are out of control and the fourth-quarter meltdown against the supposed strength of the team showed that this team is close to giving up and turning this season into a wreck for the ages.

Should Pittsburgh dominate the Browns on Thursday on national television, the Haslams could make a move if not THE move.


Sunday, November 17, 2024

Boxing Challenge: Ramirez, Collazo unify, Barboza, Zepeda win

    After a Friday that saw the attention of the sports world focused on Arlington, Texas, the true boxing fan turned their eyes to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for an excellent card from Golden Boy Promotions.

In the main event, Gilberto Ramirez added the WBO cruiserweight title to the WBA version that he possessed entering the fight with a unanimous victory over Chris Billam-Smith.

Ramirez finally appears to have found a weight division that he comfortably resides in and he was able to control the always brave Billam-Smith throughout the fight.

Billam-Smith bravely fought through a nasty cut and landed his share of punches during a fight that was more interesting than expected.

Ramirez is expected to meet IBF champion Jai Opietaia next with three of the four titles at stake and Billam-Smith will always have fights available due to his proclivity for entertaining battles.

Junior welterweight Arnold Barboza notched the biggest win of his career with a unanimous decision win over former WBC and WBO champion Jose Ramirez in a pairing of two former stablemates.

Barboza landed the jab with ease against a listless Ramirez, who seems to have lost the fire for boxing in a career headed for stardom.

I've always thought Barboza was a solid contender that might be lacking that small difference between champion and challenger but it's more than time for Barboza to receive that chance.

As for Ramirez, he once appeared to be a star in the making but for various reasons turned down big fights and championship opportunities and if his energy has departed, he should consider retiring.

Lightweight contender William Zepeda is ranked first by all four sanctioning bodies but Zepeda was very fortunate to skim by former IBF junior lightweight champion Tevin Farmer by split decision.

Farmer isn't noted as a strong puncher but knocked Zepeda down in the fourth round and was just slick enough to trouble Zepeda, who usually overwhelms his opponents with constant offense.

Zepeda did enough offensively to get by Farmer, who has revitalized his career in recent days but this fight could have gone to either fighter close.

Scores were 95-94 times two for Zepeda and 95-94 for Farmer, which was my score.

This fight had several close rounds, so if I rewatched it, my score could change in a very close match.

The best performance on the card may have been Oscar Collazo's, who ended the reign of Knockout CP Freshmart, which was the longest in boxing entering the fight, taking his WBA minimumweight title by a seventh round knockout.

Collazo added the WBA title to the WBO belt that he held after knocking Freshmart down three times, once in the sixth and twice in the seventh with the fight ending without a count.

Collazo stated he wanted a full unified title, which has never happened in this division and is unlikely but showed the type of talent that might see him become a multi-division champion.

Oscar Duarte hammered out a unanimous decision over Batyr Akhmendov in the opening fight.

Akhmendov was effective early and banked some rounds but Duarte landed the harder punches and was the more effective fighter down the stretch.

Scorecards for Duarte at 96-94 (same as mine), 97-93 and 98-92.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 168 Pts (5)
TRS: 168 Pts (7)
Vince Samano: 107 Pts (2) 





Saturday, November 16, 2024

Tyson-Paul overshadowed, Taylor, Barrios win

     Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson may have attracted the media and fan attention but while that sideshow may have been the main event, the real fights directly under it on the card were the saving grace in salvaging the evening.

While the main event lacked any excitement after round one as I gave Tyson the first round and then Paul won the next seven rounds backing away from a rapidly tiring former champion (I scored Paul the winner 79-73), the semi-main gave the fans more than their money's worth as Katie Taylor notched her second close decision win over Amanda Serrano in a terrific battle.

Serrano threw and landed more than Taylor, who was more efficient and landed harder punches.

Taylor headbutted Serrano several times, opening an ugly cut over Serrano's right eye via a fourth-round headbutt, Taylor would lose a point on the scorecards for a headbutt in round eight but the headbutt wouldn't figure in the decision with the three judges agreeing for Taylor by a score of 95-94.

I thought Serrano won at 95-94 but the result wasn't a robbery at all.

I would have no problems seeing these two hook it up one more time in the future.

Mario Barrios retained his WBC welterweight title when he drew with veteran Abel Ramos..

Barrios was dominating the fight when Ramos knocked Barrios down in round six with the champion fortunate to survive the round.

Ramos was knocked down in the second and Barrios was robbed of a knockdown in the first round when Ramos's glove touched the canvas and should have ruled a knockdown.

Had Barrios received credit for the knockdown, he would have won by split decision.

The official scores were 116-110 for Barrios, 114-112 for Ramos, and even 113-113.

I scored for Barrios 114-112 and even though Barrios-Ramos was an excellent action fight, Barrios is one of the most vulnerable champions in the sport after being pushed to the limit by the aging Ramos.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 163 Pts (0)
TRS: 161 Pts (1)
Vince Samano: 105 Pts (2)


Boxing Challenge

        The boxing weekend has started in Arlington, Texas but it ends in Riyadh with a solid Golden Boy card with two world champion unifications, the top lightweight contender in action, and two top junior welterweights finally facing off.

The main event will unify two cruiserweight titlists as WBA champion Gilberto Ramirez meets WBO king Chris Billam-Smith for more than only two titles but the likely chance to next meet IBF champion Jai Opietaia, who is thought by most as the top cruiserweight in the world.

Both are coming off impressive wins as Ramirez won his title over Arsen Goulamirian, while Billam-Smith defended his title by avenging his only career defeat over Richard Riakporhe.

This has the chance to be an excellent fight but both men aren't afraid to clinch and grab, so that is a concern for this one.

The undercard is excellent, with junior welterweight contenders Jose Ramirez and Arnold Barboza battling in a WBO eliminator featuring two fighters who were once under the same management.

Ramirez once held the WBC and WBO titles but hasn't seemed to be motivated in recent years and has been noted more for turning down big fights than recent ring action of late.

Barboza is unbeaten but struggled earlier this year in a split-decision win against Sean McComb.

A fighter is rarely the number one contender in all four sanctioning bodies but lightweight William Zepeda is the exception and the whirlwind will face slick boxing former IBF junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer for a minor title.

Zepeda's aggressiveness is always in play, and Farmer's boxing style might be an excellent test for Zepeda against boxers before his title chance.

Farmer narrowly lost a unanimous decision in July to contender Raymond Muratalla, which brought Farmer back into the world title picture.

A strawweight title unification seldom occurs but the best two fighters in the division will unify in that division as WBO champion Oscar Collazo will meet WBA king Knockout CP Freshmart.

The unbeaten Collazo has defended his title three times while Freshmart is unbeaten in twenty-five fights.

The opener will be a welterweight ten-rounder between Oscar Duarte and late replacement Batyr Akhmedov.

Duarte knocked out former junior lightweight champion Joseph Diaz in his last fight, while Akhmedov has lost all three of his fights by close decision, including an awful loss that I thought he won easily against current WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.

Boxing Challenge

Unification WBA-WBO Cruiserweight Titles. 12 Rds
Gilberto Ramirez vs Chris Billam-Smith
Ramon Malpica and TRS: Ramirez Unanimous Decision
Vince Samano: Billam-Smith Unanimous Decision

Junior Welterweights. 12 Rds
Jose Ramirez vs Arnold Barboza
R.L: Ramirez Unanimous Decision
TRS: Barboza Unanimous Decision
V.S: Ramirez KO 6

Lightweights. 10 Rds
William Zepeda vs Tevin Farmer
R.L and TRS: Zepeda Unanimous Decision
V.S: Farmer Unanimous Decision

Unification WBA-WBO Strawweight Titles. 12 Rds
C.P. Freshmart vs Oscar Collazo
R.L: and TRS: Collazo Unanimous Decision
V.S: Freshmart Unanimous Decision

Welterweights. 12 Rds
Oscar Duarte vs Batyr Akhmedov
R.L: Duarte KO 8
TRS: Duarte Split Decision
V.S: Duarte Unanimous Decision







PPM

    It's another big week in football as the jockeying for position for the college football playoff, conference title games, and teams wanting to become bowl-eligible rounds the final turn with the NFL season in mid-swing too!

Last Week: 6-6 
Overall: 100-50

College
Ohio State over Northwestern 45-7
Bowling Green over Western Michigan 19-10
UTSA over North Texas 39-33
Texas over Arkansas 28-14
Oregon State over Air Force 21-17
Georgia Southern over Troy 34-24
Boise State over San Jose State 38-21

Games of the Week
South Carolina over Missouri 24-21
Tennessee over Georgia 27-24

NFL
Browns over Saints 24-21

Games of the Week
Ravens over Steelers 24-14
Bills over Chiefs 33-30

Friday, November 15, 2024

Boxing Challenge

      The boxing challenge will see two fights from the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul undercard take place, both with world titles at risk.

In the men's title bout, arguably the least deserving welterweight champion in years defends his WBC title against an equally undeserving challenger as Mario Barrios battles Abel Ramos.

Barrios, who somehow turned a knockout loss to WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and the achievement of being the only person to lose to Keith "No Time" Thurman in this decade, into an interim title shot against Yordenis Ugas and was then promoted to full champion , can be a fun fighter when matched properly (not against the best in the division) and appears to be so matched against the veteran Ramos, who has lost three of his last five fights but always tries to give his best.

So while Barrios-Ramos could be an entertaining matchup, it's far from a worthy welterweight championship pairing,

The co-feature to Tyson-Paul is a rematch of arguably the biggest fight in women's boxing history as undisputed junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor meets Amanda Serrano in a return bout of their 2022 fight from Madison Square Garden that saw Taylor win a split decision.

While Serrano has been a professional for many more years than Taylor. Serrano is actually the younger fighter at thirty-six to Taylor's thirty-eight.

Neither woman is quite the same as they were two years ago and there is a little slippage from both fighters but it may make another excellent action battle.

Boxing Challenge

WBC Welterweight Title. 12 Rds 
Mario Barrios vs Abel Ramos
Ramon Malpica and TRS: Barrios Unanimous Decision
Vince Samano: Ramos Unanimous Decision

Women's Undisputed Junior Welterweight Title. 12 rds
Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano
R.L: Serrano Split Decision
TRS: Taylor Split Decision
V.S:  Taylor Unanimous Decision