Cleaning out the Inbox: Basketball Edition

    The tributes to stars of the past continue with this post as we concentrate on those who have recently left us from the world of basketball.     

Goodbye to Chet Walker at the age of 84.

Known as "Chet The Jet", Walker was a seven-time All-Star, and joining Wilt Chamberlain and Hal Greer, Walker was a starter for one of the best teams ever in the 1966-67 world champion Philadelphia 76ers.

Walker was drafted in 1962 from Bradley by the Syracuse Nationals, where Walker played his rookie year before Syracuse moved to Philadelphia to become the 76ers to replace the Philadelphia Warriors, who moved to California.

Walker played six years for Philadelphia before being traded for the final six years of his career with Chicago, where he averaged eighteen points or more in each season.

After basketball, Walker became a producer of made-for-television films and made a memorable guest appearance on "The White Shadow" as himself, a former Bulls teammate of "Ken Reeves" the star of the show.

Goodbye to Walt Wesley at the age of 79.

A two-time All-American at Kansas, Wesley was the first-round selection of the Cincinnati Royals in 1966 and averaged eight points and five rebounds in a ten-year NBA career playing for eight teams.

Wesley's claim to fame came as the first pick in the expansion draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the famous draft where Cavaliers coach/general manager Bill Fitch used Topps basketball cards for the stats and facts for draft research.

Wesley's best seasons came in Cleveland, averaging double-figure points for the only two times in his career and poured in fifty points in a 1971 win over the Cincinnati Royals.

Goodbye to Tates Locke at the age of 87.

Locke was the head coach of five college teams and the NBA's Buffalo Braves but his lasting contribution may have been when he hired Bob Knight to be his assistant at Army.

Locke was building Clemson basketball to its highest heights when the Tigers tied for second in the ACC in 1974-75 but Locke was fired for many recruiting violations that placed Clemson on probation.

Locke coached the Buffalo Braves for forty-six games in 1976-77 and later would take Jacksonville to the NCAA tournament before a stint at Indiana State and working in the NBA as a scout and consultant.

Goodbye to Joe Bryant at the age of 69.

Known as the father of Kobe Bryant, Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant played eight seasons in the NBA for the 76ers, Clippers, and Rockets after the Warriors took Bryant with the fourteenth overall pick in the 1975 draft from LaSalle.

Bryant's best seasons were with the San Diego Clippers but after his one season with Houston, Bryant would spend ten seasons playing in Europe as one of the most popular former American players of the time.

Bryant would become a coach after his playing career, coaching in several international leagues and three seasons in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks.

Road Trip: Meeting Archer

        The schedule for the next few days was going to be very Omaha-centric and that's going to be understandable as the post moves along.

We spent much of the morning, lounging around the hotel, waiting to hear when to go to the hospital. 

Yes, I said hospital.

Cherie and I were in Nebraska to welcome our first grandchild and it was a surprise a few months back when we received the news.

You see, we were young parents when we had our first child and it was unexpected through the years that we would be older than most to have our first grandchild.

We received the call that we could go to the Omaha Women's Hospital a little before lunch and we maneuvered our way across town to reach the hospital and a very modern facility.

Being modern wasn't a surprise, the large amount of parking close to the building certainly was!

We waited inside a very modern and spacious waiting room and there were only two other people in the room.

Of course, this being life, we were trapped with this older fellow who "regaled" his companion (and sadly we heard it all) stories about his farm life, including gems such as his use of animal waste to increase yield and gelds his animals.

Fortunately, he was gone after thirty long minutes and between Ryan's occasional appearance to keep us updated and talking to Cherie, I survived the king of neutering.

The time moved by quickly and eventually, we received word of our first grandchild's arrival.

We had some time to spend before going to see Archie and had a surprisingly good meal at the hospital cafeteria while we waited.

The meal at the cafeteria wasn't only good, but it was one of the highlights of the trip as Cherie and I reflected on our life together with thoughts and memories of both of our children as kids and adults.

I felt really good about Cherie and I's life together with so many wonderful memories from our family.

Once we moved to the maternity ward, our life was going to be different.

After hanging with Archie for an hour or so, we returned to the hotel and when we were starting to get hungry, we walked next door to King Kong, a Greek restaurant with huge and tremendous hamburgers.

We got our meals to go and returned to the hotel with these massive sandwiches!

King Kong has four locations, three in Omaha and one in Lincoln, and with several statues of giant gorillas outside is exactly what you would think a King Kong restaurant would look like!

The burgers come in four sizes ranging from a half-pound up to a two-pound burger!

I ordered the second (one pound) and it was so huge that I ate it in two meals!

We would return again to King Kong before we left Omaha and I couldn't speak more of our food there!

The day started as so many had and ended with Cherie and I as grandparents.

I can't lie and say I wasn't surprised when we were told Archer was on his way but even though we live so far away, it's a different feeling now.

It's hard to believe that he's two months old now and it's easier to handle the distance for now, realizing he wouldn't know us anyway but I do wonder how easy it will be in the years to come.

I grew up seeing my grandparents in Ohio once a year and the results were mixed.

I was close to my grandfather and more distant from my grandmother but when you see people seldom, it's a big deal when you can see them but you lack the everyday familiarity that comes with living closer.

It'll be interesting to see how everything plays out and I'm looking forward to the ride.

I'm continuing the Omaha series when I have time but my writing time has lessened recently, so not sure when I'll have another installment.

Boxing Challenge: Chisora upsets Joyce

     Sometimes the best fights occur when two fighters that are closer to the end of their career than the beginning, have much to gain, and nothing to lose.

That's what took place in London as Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora threw down in a fight that delivered more than what was hoped in a heavyweight fight to be remembered.

It wasn't Foreman-Lyle and there were plenty of clinches between these two aging warriors but there were also many booming punches landed as well and is the latest fight to prove the point that fans can see great fights from fading veterans provided they are matched correctly in their twilight years.

Both men landed their share of bombs throughout but I thought Joyce built a small lead with the bigger punches with the edge in punches landed against Chisora, who used his usual tactic for periods of backing to the ropes or corners and launching counter punches.

Joyce almost made scoring irrelevant near the end of the eighth round as he badly hurt Chisora, driving him backwards, and with another few seconds, Joyce may have forced the end of the fight then and there.

Joyce attempted to build his advantage to start the ninth and again forced Chisora to retreat stunned  into the ropes, landing punches in an attempt to finally polish Chisora off for the evening.

To quote Lee Corso- "Not so fast my friend", Chisora bounced off the ropes to try to give extra leverage to a right hand as a pro wrestler would (Have you ever noticed that the wrestlers always bounce off the ropes off their right side, almost never the left?) and to the surprise of everyone, dropped Joyce to the floor!

Suddenly, a round that Joyce was easily winning became a losing round for him and while Joyce wasn't hurt the scorecards swung in the opposite direction.

The fight seemed to be in the balance and both men fought like it with both men exchanging power blows throughout the road.

Chisora got the better of the action to win the tenth and would win the unanimous decision by scores of 97-92 and two scores of 96-94.

I scored Chisora the winner 95-94 with the ninth round knockdown and tenth round as the difference.

Oddly, this fight had been scheduled for twelve rounds and a few days before the fight was quietly changed to ten.

Not sure why that occurred or if those two rounds would have helped one fighter or the other but I do wonder why the fight was shortened.

I'm pretty certain that Joyce and Chisora are about finished unless matched against fighters of their level and speed but their toughness and heart are still intact and many times that can bring the best in boxing.

Boxing Challenge

     There is only one bout in the boxing challenge this weekend, and it's a bout between two aging heavyweights with little mobility that could make an entertaining affair.

Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora both are in need of a victory and each may have picked an opponent that will give them the best chance for a W.

Joyce looked headed for a title shot after knockout wins over Daniel DuBois and Joseph Parker, both victories looking better today than they did at the time but was stopped twice by Zhilei Zhang in 2023.

Joyce stopped unheralded Kash Ali in the tenth round in his last outing but didn't look terrific winning and despite only an eighteen-fight career, it's fair to question Joyce's future at age thirty-eight.

Chisora has taken some beatings in his career and fights in spurts now but he usually makes things somewhat entertaining and if matched properly, can deliver some fun fights.

Eighteen months ago, this would have been considered a mismatch but Joyce's last three fights have raised questions and a much more interesting fight.

If Joyce is in top form, his size and power should prove too much for Chisora but if his recent form continues, this may be a much closer fight.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: Joyce KO 7 

TRS: Joyce KO 10

Vince Samano: Joyce Unanimous Decision

56

     It's that time of year again to reflect on another victory over father time with the "Bulldog" of Ball Four fame, Jim Bouton, receiving the honors to represent 56.

It's been a different year since last July.

My work issues were settled in my favor but I've had a few changes in schedule since then, and while I really enjoy the new schedule as far as time off, I can't say I don't miss the solitude of the overnight shift.

I don't travel like I did previously because most of my autographing days are finished.

Baseball doesn't play on Mondays in the minors, and I work Fridays and Saturdays now, which makes me unavailable for those nights.

I miss the camaraderie of the group but I've found that I don't miss netting around the field, overly officious club employees right out of college, and I don't miss players that act more like businessmen than baseball players.

I still go on the occasional trip but they have to be planned even more now than in the past and when I do go, I find myself having more fun doing anything but going to the game!

My family has gone through a change or two but I'll save most of that for the road trip series that I am in the middle of writing.

I still have the love of my life happy and healthy, who always takes care of me and asks for next to nothing in return.

I'm blessed to have Cherie here with me and our crazy dog, Posey, brings so much joy to my life.

Rachel is doing her work with video editing and YouTube and is doing very well with her job.

Ryan lives in Omaha, Nebraska and while I miss him, I'm lucky enough to live in an age where I can talk to him for free anytime I wish.

Sometimes, I think we all wish for the simplicity of times past and there is much to be said for those days.

However, when you have family and friends around the country, the current technology allows almost the contact and everyday comfort of living a few miles away.

I couldn't be prouder of either of my kids, I worry as all parents do but I couldn't be prouder.

I still enjoy sports and writing about them but my time is limited compared to what it once was and it has affected the blog a little.

I worry like everyone else about the everyday things that affect us all and as we all age, our aches and pains that used to come and go now come more frequently and take longer to leave.

I worry about my weight and wonder how this got to this point yet I move around like a far smaller man and I feel fortunate for that.

I am a fortunate person with family and friends who care about me as I care for them.

Could things be better?

Of course but most of the things that could be better aren't life-changing, they just make life a little easier and a little more fun

Thanks to all of you and I wish I could name everyone but it's getting late and I really want to finish up.

When you think about it that way, life at 56 isn't so bad.

Boxing Challenge; Ennis shines in title defense

     The boxing weekend took a blow when IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly was forced from his title defense due to dehydration but two bouts remained on the week, both with world title ramifications.

From Philadelphia. Matchroom/DAZN presented Jaron "Boots" Ennis in his Matchroom debut as well as his first defense of his IBF welterweight title against David Avanesyan, a replacement for Cody Crowley, who was forced to drop out with an eye injury.

Avanesyan was stopped in six rounds by Terence Crawford in December 2022, so there was some interest in comparing Crawford and Ennis to their fights against Avanesyan.

Ennis took only five rounds as the fight was stopped in the corner after round five and Ennis definitely impressed with his smooth offensive style battering Avanesyan throughout the fight.

Ennis knocked Avanesyan down in the fifth and was landing loads of punches after the knockdown.

Avanesyan survived the round on unsteady legs and the corner did the right thing by ending the fight.

Ennis looked great and while many would love to see him against Terence Crawford, that fight isn't happening, and the available unifications might not be easy to make or overly exciting (Eimantas Stanonis WBA and Mario Barrios WBC are with PBC and soon-to-be promoted to WBO full champion Brian Norman is associated with Top Rank), so it's possible that Ennis may have to move to junior middleweight before we find out just how good he is- And my suspicions are that he is excellent.

After the late fall-out from Janibek Alimkhanuly, lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla's fight with former IBF junior lightweight champion Tevin Farmer was moved to the ESPN+/Top Rank main event from Las Vegas.

And for seven rounds, Farmer was on the verge of a major upset and was slightly leading on my card.

But Farmer was deducted a point for holding in round eight ( a questionable call in my opinion) and was badly hurt in the final round as part of a three-round sweep for Muratalla to pull out a unanimous decision.

Scores were 97-92, 96-93, and 95-94 for the unbeaten contender, my card agreeing with the 96-93 version.

Muratalla called out WBO champion Denis Baranchyk after the fight and that would be an easy fight to make promotionally but William Zepeda (the top contender in all four organizations) is rumored to see Baranchyk as the easiest of the four champions and may select the WBO title as the fight that Zepeda will fight for, which means Muratalla will have to wait.

As for Farmer, the veteran looked very good when you consider his recent inactivity and he could be in the title picture, should he be able to repeat his performance on Saturday.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 107 Pts (4) 

TRS: 95 Pts (4)
Vince Samano: 50 Pts (1)

Boxing Challenge

   The boxing weekend isn't filled with intriguing matchups but two fighters who may only need a big fight to become stars at the next level are in action on Saturday.

In Philadelphia, Jaron "Boots" Ennis will make the first defense of his IBF welterweight title that Terence Crawford vacated against an opponent that Crawford defeated, David Avanesyan. 

Crawford knocked out Avanesyan in six rounds in December 2022, so it will be interesting to compare Ennis's outing against him with that of Crawford's.

Ennis has been off for a year since his tenth-round stoppage of Roiman Villa and Avanesyan is a somewhat late replacement for Cody Crowley, who was originally the organization's mandatory challenger before failing an eye exam.

The fight will be the first for Ennis with Matchroom Boxing and can be seen on DAZN.

ESPN+ and Top Rank will be in Las Vegas for the first unified title defense for IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly as he faces a literal unknown in Andrei Mikhailovich. 

Alimkhanuly won his second title (IBF) when he stopped Vincent Gualtieri in six rounds in what may have been the most anonymous title unification fight ever.

Mikhailovich is Russian-born but fights out of New Zealand and has fought no one you have heard of before.

Mikhailovch's one win that stands out is a 2023 fifth-round knockout of Edisson Saltarin, who I've also never heard of but was 16-0 entering the fight in which both fighters were knocked down.

Unless Mikhailovich is much better than I anticipated, this should be another Alimkhanuly showcase bout.

Editor's Note: This fight has been canceled after Alimkhanuly was hospitalized with dehydration.

The co-feature is in the lightweight division with young contender Raymond Muratalla facing former IBF junior lightweight champion Tevin Farmer in a ten-rounder.

Muratalla was average in his last fight, winning a unanimous decision over Xolisani Ndongeni while Farmer will be fighting his first contender since losing his title in 2020 to Joseph Diaz.

Farmer has always been a slick boxer but I don't think he has the strength to hold off the larger and stronger Muratalla.

Boxing Challenge

IBF Welterweight Title 12 Rds 

Jaron Ennis vs David Avanesyan

Ramon Malpica: Ennis KO 7
TRS: Ennis KO 4
Vince Samano: Ennis Unanimous Decision

IBF & WBO Middleweight Titles. 12 Rds

Janibek Alimkhanuly vs Andrei Mikhailovich

R.L: Alimkhanuly Unanimous Decision
TRS: Alimkhanuly KO 6
V.S: Alimkhanuly KO 8

Lightweights. 10 Rds

Raymond Muratalla vs Tevin Farmer

R.L: and TRS: Muratalla Unanimous Decision

V.S: Farmer Unanimous Decision

Cleaning out the Inbox: Non-Sports Passings

      This is an especially sad tribute edition, devoted to the non-sports world.

Goodbye to Joe Flaherty at the age of 82.

Flaherty was part of the SCTV ensemble cast from 1976-84 as both a writer and a performer, creating classic characters such as station owner Guy Caballero, talk show host Sammy Maudlin, news anchor Floyd Robertson, late-night horror star Count Floyd, and many others.

Flaherty worked steadily after SCTV, including the co-starring role with John Candy in "Going Berserk", portraying the father "Harold Weir" in the one-year run of 1999's "Freaks and Geeks", and as "Donald The Heckler" in "Happy Gilmore" who heckles the title character at the direction of "Shooter McGavin".

Goodbye to Dabney Coleman at the age of 92.

Often cast as the heel in "9 to 5". "Tootsie", and "War Games" to name a few, Coleman was a versatile actor who was equally adept in comedy and dramatic roles.

Coleman played the lead "Bill Bittinger" in "Buffalo Bill" the 1983-84 series that would receive my vote for the best comedy that never got a break from the network (I wrote about Buffalo Bill here) and was canceled well before it should have been.

Coleman was nominated for a Golden Globe for Buffalo Bill and won one in 1987 for his other series leading role "The Slap Maxwell Story", a role in which Coleman won an Emmy.

Goodbye to M. Emmett Walsh at the age of 88.

A longtime character actor, Walsh is credited with acting in over 220 films and television programs.

Walsh's memorable roles were as the assassin attempting to kill Steve Martin in "The Jerk", sportswriter Dickie Dunn in "Slap Shot". the head of the booster club in "Best of Times, the diving coach in "Back to School", and the voice of  Earl Stutz in the animated film "The Iron Giant".

Goodbye to Alice Stewart at the age of 58.

Stewart started her career as a weekend anchor for a Little Rock, Arkansas television station before transitioning to politics. She was part of five different campaigns attempting to win the Republican Presidential nomination, all of whom fell short in the attempt.

Stewart joined CNN as a conservative commentator in 2016 and served in that role with the network until her passing.

Goodbye to Bill Anders at the age of 90.

The lunar module pilot on Apollo 8 was part of a mission without a lunar module but still was part of the three-man crew that circled the moon on Christmas 1968.

Anders is the person who took the famous photo "Earthrise" on the Apollo 8 mission, which has been named as one of the one hundred most important photos of the twentieth century.

Anders worked for NASA after the mission but never flew into space again, was the U.S. ambassador to Norway for a year, and became a multi-millionaire for his work as the CEO of General Dynamics. 

Cleaning out the Inbox

       I keep attempting to catch up with the inbox and try to write about my most recent trip but I keep running in place!  

Pluto's "heart" (now named Sputnik Planitia)  was most likely caused by a giant impact but the interesting unanswered question is this- Could the item that slammed into Pluto still be on the planet covered under its nitrogen ice? 

Sky and Telescope discuss the matter here. 

Washingtonian writes of the closing of the Crystal City Underground mall which will occur in October.

Dubbed the DC Area's strangest mall since its opening in 1976, Crystal City is literally underground (technically street level) in Arlington, Virginia, and catered to office workers and commuters going through Crystal City to get somewhere elsewhere.

The Athletic writes about the conditions at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium which were anything but pristine.

The article discusses the paper-thin clubhouse walls that fans could see the players through, the tiny clubhouse that wasn't capable of holding the entire team after September callups, the awful post-game food spread, and the only batting cage in the entire facility.

Three Down Nation notes that CTV (Canadian Television) will return to televising the CFL later in the season (the CFL season has currently started) on Saturdays along with playoff action.

CTV is the largest Canadian network and last televised the Canadian Football League in 1986 when it shared the league's television rights with CBC.

KETV writes of the discovery of a pet donkey, who had been missing for five years in California, has been discovered by a video taken by a hunter in the area.

Diesel ran away from his owners near Sacramento in 2019 and hadn't been seen since until spotted on a video but the catch?

It appears Diesel is the leader of a pack of elk, which is a surprise to me until you discover that donkeys often protect livestock and it would make sense that a wild donkey could fill the role of protector with a pack of any animal.

Fox Business wraps this edition with word of Build-A-Bear and their recent offering of West Virginia's Mothman having sold out almost instantly and is currently unavailable.

The Mothman was the topic of the 2002 film "The Mothman Prophecies" and was visited by me and my friends on a 2017 Road Trip. 

Road Trip: Kansas City, here we come!

     I planned from the beginning that the second day was the best opportunity to squeeze in a day trip before the real business started, I wanted to visit both the Truman and Eisenhower libraries before returning home.

I decided to visit the Truman Library first for two reasons- the first is that the Truman Library was closer to Omaha than the Eisenhower Library and the other is if plans changed ( and they often can), if I had to choose one or the other, I preferred the Truman library. 

We left in the morning for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Independence, Missouri, which is a suburb of Kansas City.

I was a little surprised at the condition of Independence as we entered town.

There was some road work being done but many closed stores with barred windows and it seemed to be very run-down.

Pulling up to the Truman Library, the front grounds were more expansive than I expected, and from my time watching programs on and from the library were the most familiar to me.

However, the most recent renovation placed the entrance at what formerly was the rear of the building.

I didn't realize this until we were touring the building as the mural that used to be the first thing that visitors saw when entering, now was near the end of the building's tour.

The main difference is the new entrance has the feeling of being in a residential area with houses that were likely around when the library was built (it opened in 1957) and a cozier area than the previous entrance which looked like a looming colossus!

When entering the building, we passed an elderly woman and someone who called her "grandma'.

As I took the photo at the top of the page, this guy began to act strangely and began making odd remarks to the elderly lady, which made me wonder what his deal was.

When entering the museum, we saw another life-size statue of Truman and more noise from this guy and when we entered the first stage, the guy started to holler and make strange noises.

We never heard from or saw him again, so my best guess is that security walked him out.

What I really liked about the Truman Library was how wide the building is and the center area with the President's and First Lady's graves and the President's office area.

Everything seems so modern which is amazing with the building nearing seventy years of age!

I enjoyed going to the basement of the building and seeing various vehicles that were used by the family during the White House years and I loved watching some of the films that the museum featured.

As we hit the gift shop on the way out, I bought a few magnets for the fridge (I really liked one that was based on the cover of the book Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure) and my biggest decision came down to which Truman item I wished to buy for me.

The library had an awesome Swiss Army Knife from Victorinox with a facsimile autograph of Truman available in blue or white.

I love Victorinox's products and a similar-sized knife that looks like Swiss cheese that my mother-in-law bought me for Christmas a few years ago is a staple on my key ring.

A Truman bobblehead had some appeal too and to my surprise, the knife was a few dollars cheaper.

I decided on the knife and the other items before leaving the museum.

For a facility of its age, the Truman Library through its renovations and design has given a modern and fresh look and feel to the building, which I would highly recommend to anyone in the area.

We began the drive to Omaha, looking for a place for lunch.

I had originally considered Kansas City's barbeque staple Arthur Bryant's but while we were close enough to see the Kansas City skyline, it would have been going out of the way to get there and we were beginning to see the rush hour traffic as a possibility, so I wanted to get ahead of that, if I could.

As we hit the fringes of the KC metro area, I saw a sign for Whataburger, the Texas-based burger chain that I visited once in Florida, and instantly decided on Whataburger so Cherie could try it.

It turns out that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who grew up in Texas and attended Texas Tech, wanted Whataburgers in the Kansas City area and is a member of a partnership that owns franchises in the Kansas City and Wichita areas.

This store placed a signed Mahomes jersey in the lobby as part of the decor.

Whataburger ranks with Five Guys (I've never had the West Coast staple In and Out) as the best of the higher chain burger joints and if you have the chance to stop at one- do so!

After leaving Whataburger, we stopped at WD Pickers in Platte City, Missouri and while they had many things that I would have loved to have purchased, their prices were a bit high and they didn't have anything that I had to have at those prices.

Still, I'd return there on another trip, if I was in the area.

We also stopped in St. Joseph MO and the Jesse James antique market, named after the outlaw who died in St.Joseph.

It was large with two buildings but I didn't purchase anything there either.

We finally rolled back into Omaha and one thing I consistently notice that is different than the East Coast is the distance between gas stations, restaurants, etc.

In the East, they are all over the place, even smaller or rural areas, and in the Midwest, there are far fewer.

We then met Ryan and his family for an orchestra recital, which proved to be interesting, mainly because the youngsters played six pieces that all sounded the same despite the director calling out the song titles before each piece.

A stop at a local supermarket (Family Fare) for some supplies for the hotel concluded the day out other than a food trip next door to the hotel for dinner.

I'll get into more detail on that establishment as we move on in this series.

Next time on Road Trip- The reason we traveled to Omaha. 

Boxing Challenge: Zepeda Shines, Stevenson Wins

     The Boxing Weekend's biggest star was in Newark, New Jersey and while Shakur Stevenson controlled Artur Harutyunyan and retained his WBC lightweight title via a comfortable unanimous decision, Stevenson did little to polish a reputation that is rapidly becoming stained by boredom.

Stevenson had a mild window in the eighth and ninth rounds that he might have stopped Harutyunyan but he didn't press for the stoppage and the chance drifted away.

Stevenson's contract with Top Rank ended with a victory and while his win (119-109, 118-110, 116-112, my score 118-110) was more exciting than his last win over Edwin De Los Santos, it was far from a barnburner and didn't give Stevenson a great statement to sell himself to potential suitors.

For all of his tremendous skills, Stevenson may be the Pernell Whitaker of his era, a fighter with immense talents who can beat anyone but is satisfied with dominant but dull wins.

That may win fights, titles, and even the Hall of Fame but doesn't attract fans or pay-per-view purchases

The Hamburglar made an appearance in Newark after O'Shaquie Foster was robbed of his WBC junior lightweight title via split decision to Robson Conceicao.

This was the fight that I rated as the hardest to choose a winner of the weekend yet Foster outboxed Conceicao and while I didn't have it the shutout as the ESPN commentators scored, I did think Foster won handily at 117-111.

I thought the judges who scored for Foster at 116-112 had the fight too close but the other judges were simply terrible with scores of 116-112 and 115-113 for Conceciao.

I picked Conceciao to win but I was heartbroken for Foster during his post-fight interview as there was no anger in his eyes, only tears and his voice breaking.

Hopefully, Top Rank or the WBC will mandate an immediate rematch, Foster at least deserves that much.

Lightweight Keyshawn Davis won a foul-filled, dirty fight over Miguel Madueno by a unanimous decision.

Scores for Davis of 99-91 (same as mine) and while I like Davis, he has the feel of a fighter that could be very good but not great.

Abdullah Mason's fight with Luis Lebron wasn't part of the challenge but his impressive three-round knockout deserves mentioning.

Mason will be a star and if they fought soon, I'd pick Mason to beat Keyshawn Davis right now.

I think Mason is that good.

The star of the weekend was lightweight contender William Zepeda, who mowed down Giovanni Cabrera in three rounds.

Cabrera had lost only once, a split decision to WBC junior welterweight champion Isaac Cruz, and had an excellent first round against Zepeda.

Zepeda improved in the second and third, began to land to the head and body, finishing Zepeda off with a shot to the liver.

As the top contender in all four sanctioning groups, Zepeda has options that few challengers have, and win or lose, Zepeda is going to give a champion all sorts of hell.

I have yet to see these fights but here are the results.

From Golden Boy/DAZN

Ricardo Sandoval stopped Angel Acosta in the 10th and final round in what has been reported to be a close fight and a dubious stoppage.

Pay Per View

Shane Mosley Jr won a unanimous decision over Daniel Jacobs 

Fernando Martinez won a unanimous decision over Kazuto Ioka to unify the WBA and IBF junior bantamweight titles.

Martinez should be in line for a 2025 fight with WBC champion Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez or perhaps WBO champion Kosei Tanaka later this year.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 103 Pts  (6)

TRS: 91 Pts (7)

Vince Samano: (0)

Boxing Challenge

      The boxing weekend's biggest story is centered in Newark, New Jersey where WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson defends his title in the final bout of his contract with promoter Top Rank.

Stevenson is expected to cruise past Artem Harutyunan but can he be more exciting than he was in his last fight winning a dreadful fight over Edwin De Los Santos.

Hartyunyan lost a close decision to Frank Martin last July and hasn't fought since, so I don't see a path to victory for him.

The bigger question is this, how much anger comes out of Stevenson in the post-fight interview?

The much more intriguing fight is the co-feature as O'Shaquie Foster defends his WBC junior lightweight crown against Robson Conceicao.

Foster has defended his title twice with spectacular endings, stopping Rocky Hernandez in the final round of a fight he was trailing on the scorecards, and in his last fight, dropping Abraham Nova in the final round to win a split decision.

Conceicao may be the least lucky fighter in boxing as he receives his fourth chance at a world championship but each of his three earlier attempts come with interesting storylines.

Against Oscar Valdez, Conceicao lost a controversial decision and Valdez tested positive for PED use after the fight.

In his challenge of Shakur Stevenson, Stevenson vacated the title after missing weight, and in his most recent try, Conceicao drew with Emanuel Navarrete, so he can't bank on an eventual fifth title chance, should he fail in this fight.

This fight could go either way and the result would not surprise me.

The remaining challenge bout will pit lightweight prospect Keyshawn Davis against veteran Miguel Madueno.

Davis earned his best win in his short career, stopping former champion Jose Pedraza in six rounds in February,

Madueno is a step back in competition for Davis but Madueno upset previously unbeaten Justin Pauldo by split decision earlier this year on a ProBox card.

Golden Boy and DAZN are in Ontario, California with the rarest of all boxers, a number one contender in the ratings of all four sanctioning bodies, lightweight Wiliam Zepeda facing Giovanni Cabrera.

The aggressive buzzsaw, Zepeda ripped through Britain's Maxi Hughes in four rounds in March and quickly returns to the ring against Cabrera, who suffered his only loss by split decision to current WBC junior welterweight champion Isaac Cruz,

However, Cabrera has only seven knockouts and I don't think he possesses the power to slow down the relentless attack of Zepeda.

The co-feature is an interesting ten-round flyweight battle between Ricardo Sandoval and former WBO light flyweight champion Angel Acosta.

Sandoval was headed towards a title shot before he was upset by David Jimenez by a narrow majority decision but has won four straight since that defeat.

Acosta lost a close unanimous decision last April to Angelino Cordova and has fought (and won) only once since.

This shapes up to be a good one with Sandoval getting the edge as he's closer to his prime than Acosta, who may be slipping a bit.

It's not often that a co-feature makes it into the boxing challenge and the main event doesn't but that's the case from Anaheim with veteran super middleweights Daniel Jacobs and Shane Mosley Jr facing off.

Jacobs, who held the IBF middleweight title, hasn't fought since February 2022 when he lost a split decision to John Ryder on the road in Great Britain while Mosley Jr. has fought four times in that period.

If Jacobs is close to normal, he's a clear level above Mosley Jr. 

However, that's far from a sure thing.

Sunday morning from Tokyo, the WBA and IBF junior bantamweight titles are at stake with Kazuto Ioka (WBA) battling Fernando Martinez (IBF) for more than only those championships at stake.

The winner could be in line for WBC king Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez in a fight that would unify three of the four titles in the division.

Ioka would be the bigger fight as he's a star in Japan and holds a victory over Rodriguez's brother Joshua Franco, so there would be a backstory for that fight.

Boxing Challenge

WBC Lightweight Title 12 Rds 

Shakur Stevenson vs Artem Harutyunan

Ramon Malpica; Stevenson Unanimous Decision

TRS: Stevenson KO 10

Vince Samano: 

WBC Junior Lightweight Title. 12 Rds

O'Shaquie Foster vs Robson Conceicao

R.L: Foster Unanimous Decision

TRS: Conceciao Split Decision

Lightweights. 10 Rds

Keyshawn Davis vs Miguel Madueno

R.L: Davis KO 10

TRS: Davis KO 7

V.S:

Lightweights. 12 Rds

William Zepeda vs Giovanni Cabrera

R.L: Zepeda KO 9

TRS: Zepeda KO 8

V.S:

Flyweights. 10 Rds

Ricardo Sandoval vs Angel Acosta

R.L & TRS: Sandoval Unanimous Decision

V.S:

Super Middleweights.10 Rds

Daniel Jacobs vs Shane Mosley Jr.

R.L and TRS: Jacobs Unanimous Decision

V.S:

Unification WBA and IBF Junior Bantamweight Titles. 12 Rds

Kazuto Ioka vs Fernando Martinez

R.L and TRS: Ioka Unanimous Decision

V.S: 

Devils bring back Tatar

     One day after the New Jersey Devils signed a popular former Devil in Stefan Noesen,  the Devils brought another favorite back to Newark when they signed left wing Tomas Tatar to a one-year contract worth 1.8 million.

The thirty-three-year-old Tatar spent two seasons with the Devils but wanted a multi-year offer last season as he tested the free agent market.

Tatar didn't find the contract length he was looking for and attempted to return to New Jersey to accept the one-year contract the team had offered but the Devils acquired Tyler Toffoli in the interim and no longer had the space for Tatar.

Tatar signed a one-year contract with Colorado but disappointed with only one goal and eight assists in twenty-seven games before being traded to the Seattle Kraken, where his play improved over forty-three games with eight goals and seven assists.

Tatar scored fifteen and twenty goals in the two seasons he spent with the Devils and showed good chemistry on a line with Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer, so it makes sense to me why the Devils believe he still has good hockey left in him.

I think this is an excellent addition to the Devils and I love the one-year contract that forces Tatar to prove that he's still a solid forward.

While I'm happy with the return of Stefan Noesen, I like Tatar's contract better (three years for Noesen), and while Noesen brings some intangibles that Tatar doesn't (physical play and occasionally dropping the gloves), Tatar brings a track record of success with Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer and perhaps his return will improve the play of one or both of those players.

Donovan Mitchell stays in Cleveland!

     The Cleveland Cavaliers can relax for a bit before getting back to work on building their team around Donovan Mitchell.

 That is because the team can count on Mitchell staying in town as Mitchell signed a three-year maximum contract extension valued at 150.3 million dollars.

The contract includes a player option for a fourth year for the 2027-28 season and takes the Cavaliers off the hook as the team begins to make its first-round payments on Mitchell over the coming years.

Mitchell averaged twenty-six, six assists, and five rebounds last season in fifty-five games for Cleveland, shooting forty-six percent from the field.

Mitchell played most of the season through a deep bone bruise in his left knee that caused him to miss several games on multiple occasions, and slowed him noticeably in the postseason before a strained calf benched him for the final two losses of the playoffs against Boston.

Cleveland doesn't think the knee is a long-term concern but it's fair to be concerned even a little about the long-term status of Mitchell's knees.

This contract helps both the team and the player.

The Cavaliers retain their franchise star and avoid a season filled with conjecture about Mitchell's trade value and his looming free agency. At the same time, Mitchell, adds money to his bank account, protects himself from injury with a player option for a fourth year, and is in a perfect position for the "Super Max" extension in a few years.

The questions for the Cavaliers are these- Is the roster currently constructed around Mitchell capable of developing into a title contender?  

Can new head coach Kenny Atkinson develop Evan Mobley into a star and take him to the next level?

Is the rumored threat from Rich Paul, the agent for Darius Garland, true where Paul supposedly stated that if Mitchell was re-signed, Garland would demand a trade?
If Garland is traded, could the Cavaliers receive a major piece to fit around Mitchell? Or could it be a high draft choice to aid the team in 2025-26?

If Garland would stay in Cleveland, how can his game be changed to work more smoothly with Mitchell and Mobley?

If Cleveland does trade Garland, what position would they try to fill in return?

A pure point guard? The badly needed small forward/wing? An outside shooter, who could allow the ball to be brought up by and then flow through Mitchell? 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have accomplished their top goal in the off-season in securing Donovan Mitchell's next few years.

Now can they make the next moves to improve the team around Mitchell to be a serious title challenger?

Devils continue defensive renovation, sign Brett Pesce

     The New Jersey Devils continued their defensive renovation as the free agency period began with two signings and a player acquired via trade.

The biggest and most expensive signing was Brett Pesce, who signed a six-year contract for 5.5 million per season.

The twenty-nine-year-old Pesce has spent his entire nine-year career with Carolina (I could not resist using a picture of Pesce in their throwback Hartford Whalers uniforms) and played in seventy games last season, scoring three goals, and ten assists and finished with a plus ten plus-minus rating.

Pesce is excellent on the penalty kill and at 6'3,  205 pounds, has the size and strength that the Devils often lacked last season.

Pesce was consistently part of the Hurricane's second defensive pairing and will likely take his place in the second group for New Jersey.

While I really like Pesce and what he brings to the Devils at a position of need, I'm not thrilled with the six-year length of the contract but in free agency, often the cost of playing comes with an extra year or two at the end of the deal.

The Devils signed another blueliner when they signed Brenden Dillon to a three-year deal valued at twelve million.

Dillon turns thirty-four in November but is coming off the best offensive season of his career as Dillon scored a career-high eight goals with twelve assists and another career-high, plus-minus ratio of twenty with the Winnipeg Jets.

The Devils will be the fifth team in the veteran's career and brings a physical frame at 6'4, 225 pounds to New Jersey as a basic defensive defenseman.

As with the deal for Brett Pesce, it's not the player or the per-season cost that bothers me about this contract, it's the length.

Three years seems one year too long for a defenseman who will be thirty-seven for the final year of his deal and for whom skating speed isn't a strength.

The Devils made a trade to add a third defenseman as New Jersey obtained Johnathan Kovacevic for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft from the Montreal Canadiens.

Kovacevic played sixty-one games for Montreal last season, scoring six goals with seven assists and a plus-minus rating of plus eleven.

Kovacevic is solid moving the puck and is a two-way defender who could prove very helpful as part of the third pairing of Blueliners.

The Devils will send Montreal the highest of the three fourth-rounders they own in the 2025 draft between their own and picks from Dallas and Winnipeg.

New Jersey signed another free agent, former Devil right wing Stefan Noesen to a three-year contract at 2.75 million per year.

Noesen scored fourteen goals with twenty-three assists for Carolina last season and the thirty-one-year-old has played for six teams in his NHL career, four of those since leaving New Jersey in 2019.

Noesen plays a high-energy, physical game that plays every shift like it's his final one and he's found a scoring touch for a third or fourth (depending on the need) line winger.

I'd like this signing more if it were a two-year deal rather than a three only because players that play a hard rough style are known to break down all at once and Noesen isn't a young player.

I don't dislike any of these moves, but I do question if the Devils will look back in two years and wonder if they are getting the value they hoped when making these deals.

I think Stefan Noesen will help this season, Brett Pesce is a quality signing, and I think Johnathan Kovacevic might surprise some people this season.

I'm not sure I love Brenden Dillon's contract, which may have been buying high for an aging player who picked a great time for his best offensive season.

Tom Fitzgerald may have made decisions during his tenure that can be fairly criticized but he can't be criticized for being satisfied with standing pat.

Devils Deal Holtz & Schmid to Vegas!?

        Late in the second day of the NHL Draft (round six of the seven rounds), the New Jersey Devils made a trade that would have been laughed at, had it been made a year earlier.

The Devils traded right wing Alexander Holtz and goaltender Akira Schmid to the Las Vegas Golden Knights for forward Paul Cotter and Las Vegas's third-round draft choice in 2025.

Despite some questionable usage by former coach Lindy Ruff, the former seventh overall choice in 2020, Holtz scored sixteen goals with twelve assists last season and is still only twenty-two.

The hero of the Devils 2023 playoff win over the Rangers, Akita Schmid split last season between New Jersey and AHL Utica, playing in nineteen NHL games with a 3.15 GAA and a save percentage of .895.

The twenty-four-year-old Schmid had fallen behind Nico Daws among the Devils younger goalies and I suppose going elsewhere might be a good career move for Schmid, who could benefit from slotting in as someone's top goalie in the AHL.

In return, New Jersey adds Paul Cotter, a 6'2 forward, who plays a physical game that Tom Fitzgerald constantly covets.

Cotter will turn twenty-five in November and played seventy-six games last season, scoring seven goals with eighteen assists.

Cotter won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023 and he may be most known for this back suplex last season on Florida's Matthew Tkachuk.

I have to say, I'm not a fan of this trade.

Paul Cotter might add some muscle to the fourth line and I know how Tom Fitzgerald loves that (trading for Kurtis Macdermid and then his ridiculous contract extension belies that) and I can understand giving Akira Schmid a chance to play elsewhere.

However, I'm not happy with including Alexander Holtz in the trade.

Holtz scored sixteen goals last season and might be my choice as the player who suffered the most from Lindy Ruff's tenure in New Jersey.

Holtz is still young, and has room to grow, and yet the Devils botched his development by not playing him regularly in Newark or Utica.

The Devils made a mistake in not allowing Alexander Holtz a chance to work with a new coaching staff and their system as I believe Holtz has more value than the Devils received for him and Akira Schmid.

We now wait and see if the Devils have made a mistake.