Canelo dominates Chavez-Boxing Challenge

A quick wrapup of the boxing weekend for the challenge with Fightheads to discuss the biggest news in the game-Gennady Golovkin vs Canelo Alvarez.

But first,Canelo Alvarez did his part for this fight as he twirled a shutout on all three judges cards and mine (120-108) over an emaciated and ineffective Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Las Vegas.
Less said about this card the better,so let's do the recap and the points.
Ramon Malpica and I each earned two points for the Alvarez unanimous decision win,that really only proved two things-
One:When ESPN is leading off Sportscenter with boxing-you have a PPV hit in the making!
Two:For all the shortcomings that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has-a bad chin isn't one of them.

I didn't see the other undercard fights,so no scoring there.
David Lemieux pounded overmatched Marcos Reyes for ten rounds,but couldn't stop the journeyman,which he really should have been able to do.
Ramon and I each scored one point for the Lemieux win.

Ramon earned two points to my one as Lucas Matthysse returned after a long hiatus to stop the usually durable Emmanuel Taylor in five rounds in his move to the welterweight division..

Joseph Parker didn't look great in his first defense of his WBO heavyweight title with a unanimous decision over Razvan Cojanu,who was a past sparring partner of Parker's.
I scored Parker a 119-109 winner,but he didn't show me much that made me think that he would be a threat to Anthony Joshua.
Ramon and I each added one point for the Parker win.

Ramon scored six points to my five on the weekend and closed my lead to nine points at 58-49.

Boxing Challenge

The boxing challenge returns with a weekend pay per view bout that features more real bad blood than a major fight in years as Canelo Alvarez takes on countryman Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in a catchweight bout at 164 pounds.
I've noted in the past about not liking catchweights,but I don't have an issue this time because there is not a championship on the line.
If a title isn't on the line,they can do whatever the promoters/fighters wish and I won't complain...

I've said even before this fight was announced and when it was just rumored that Julio Jr would give Canelo all he wanted,if he was able to come into the fight in shape.
It appears that he has done that and I have a feeling that we could see a good toe to toe battle in Las Vegas-don't rule out the possibility of a huge upset.
The challenge features two undercard fights with the return of Lucas Matthysse and a squash match for David Lemieux for a possible fight for Canelo Alvarez,should Canelo win over JCC.Jr and avoid Gennady Golovkin.
Joseph Parker will be defending his WBO heavyweight title against late replacement Razvan Conanu in New Zealand after Hughie Fury dropped out two weeks ago from his mandatory title shot.

Super Middleweights.12 rds
Canelo Alvarez vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Both:Alvarez Unanimous Decision

Middleweights.10 rds
David Lemieux vs Marcos Reyes
R.L:Lemieux KO 4
TRS:Lemieux KO 3

Welterweights.10 rds
Lucas Matthysse vs Emmanuel Taylor
R.L:Matthysse KO 9
TRS:Matthysse Unanimous Decision

WBO Heavyweight Title. 12 rds
Joseph Parker vs Razvan Cojanu
R.L:Parker KO 5
TRS:Parker KO 3

Grouchy Observations

Time for a few grouchy observations,although they might not all be grouchy,I'd bet most will be!

Let's start with today's House of Representatives new health care bill that would make changes to the ACA.
I've never been a fan of the ACA,not because it was federal health care (we do have a thing called Medicare after all),but because it didn't go far enough (I prefer some sort of single payer system that either pays for or mostly pays for services) and I hated the individual mandate that forced you to buy health insurance.
However,other than those two caveats,I'm not thrilled with yesterday's revamp-not because it wasn't needed (it had lots of things that needed tweaked),but because it seemed to fix very few (the mandate was eliminated along with the fine that was levied for not having insurance) of the things wrong with the ACA and the ridiculous high five session on the White House lawn for a bill only halfway passed looked very much like a bunch of guys patting themselves on the back for leading a game at halftime.
All of that said,the Democrats were far from heroic looking with their singing the 1969 Steam hit "Na Na Na Hey,Goodbye" to the Republicans in the Congressional chamber.
Considering the situation for so many losing (or reducing) their health care,that struck me as very immature and not thinking of the big picture at that moment.
No one walked away from that situation looking clean and to me everyone lost...

ESPN "laid off" several of their on-air and writing employees and it seems like they are shrinking coverage (on air) of baseball especially,but a little on college sports and football,while increasing their programming on the NBA.
I'm not sure how that plan is going to work out,but there are a few of the employees that got the axe that I'll miss especially.
Jayson Stark has always been one of my favorite baseball writers,Dana O'Neill and Andy Katz did a great job covering college basketball,I liked Jaymee Sire when she was doing Giants pregame before ESPN,maybe she'll be able to return there,Dr.Jerry Punch,Ed Werder and Len Elmore seemed like they had been with ESPN since they installed the first satellite in their respective roles.Dottie Pepper was a great golf analyst and I'll miss Danny Kanell too as the major anti-SEC voice on the network.
My issue is losing Sire (and Sara Walsh some as well) and yet keeping Jonathan Coachman and Neil Everett (personal preference not a fan of either of those two) around.
There were a few names cut that I won't miss-particularly Ohio State troll Mark May,PBC host MarySol Castro,Britt McHenry (she of the "Don't you know who I am" rant in a garage a year or two ago and failed multiple time MLB general manager Jim Bowden,but for the most part I wonder about paying people not to produce content when you could pay them to actually work...

One final observation on Star Wars/Kent State on May 4th.
I find it hard to believe that far more people spent time on social media talking about Star Wars than an anniversary of an incident such as Kent State in 1970.
This is especially questionable considering the times that we live in,the President that we have and the amount of protests that are occurring all around the country about so many various issues.
I'm certainly not making a claim against fun,look at the vast majority of things that we write about here,but I did find a little of the Star Wars hype tiresome and I would think that some time could have been spent looking back at a pivotal event that showed just how important the right to protest is and how easily one can lose that right..

Back later tonight with the boxing challenge and if I have time perhaps the promised new entry for the Forgotten Superstars series...

Cleaning out the inbox

Time for a cleaning of the inbox,which is more than overdue.
Mostly a non-sports cleaning this time,so lets get started.

The picture on the right is actress Alicia Witt, who has guest starred on several series (I first saw her on Justified-a great and missed show) and does a lot of those Hallmark/Lifetime-style movies.
Witt is also a singer and I found her interview with Forbes to be fascinating as she discusses just how Hollywood works (and shortchanges) its guest stars on television shows,an upcoming album that she funded through Kickstarter and why even recognizable actors aren't nearly as rich as one would think.
Witt is honest enough to say that she makes more than enough to support herself, but she is far from wealthy.
I thought it was a very enlightening interview and learned a few things about the entertainment world...

I've written before about my Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom and I saw a link on my Facebook timeline about a recent interview with Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar on her new food venture-
Foodstirs.
Gellar discusses her most recent series (The Crazy Ones with the late Robin Williams, Foodstirs, and the various difficulties of a startup business, no matter how famous you may be.

I've written before about FS1's Katie Nolan and her willingness to take anyone on, but this one is gutsy as she takes on a titan of her own media company in Sean Hannity.
Nolan fired off some tweets against Hannity that showed not only no fear of Hannity but of her own company.
I'll let you read just what she said (Language), but it will be interesting to see if Nolan gets any payback-publicly or privately...

CSN Washington is moving former Bullets (yes, I said Bullets) guard and longtime color commentator Phil Chenier out of the game analyst role after being the only analyst in the history of the network.
No word on a replacement for the veteran, who was always a favorite of mine.
My all-time favorite Phil Chenier story: The Bullets used to have a half hour pregame show from the old Capital Centre- the Bullet Report,which consisted mainly of Chenier sitting in a chair answering viewers phone calls on the team.
Ryan and I were watching the Bullet report and this guy called in for this.
Chenier: Let's go to Insert Name Here, you're on the Bullet Report.
Caller: Yo, Phil- tell me why the Bullets Succcckk.
Chenier looked like he had no idea what to say and sheepishly moved to the next caller...
Ryan and I laugh about that to this day!

When I was on my trip to Charleston,I saw this link on CNN for a recall for hash browns and other potato products for one of the crazier recalls that I have seen in quite a while.
The recall of products from McCain (no,not as in Battlin' Bob) products for "possible extraneous Golf Ball materials" makes me really think.
Is McCain growing golf balls in their patches? Are they near a golf course and if so imagine the amount of wayward drives that had to have been hit to have that many "materials" in their bags of potatoes?
That's one crazy recall and I'm just having real problems stifling laughter from just how on earth all of this "golf ball material" found their way there!!

MPT finishes this cleaning session with a discovery of something that might go a long way toward an eventual cure for the flu.
A recently discovered frog has a slime that has a molecule that can eliminate viruses and yet leave the basic cell intact.
Many tests to be done in the future and researchers are unsure how this works,but it certainly is a positive development to be part of the future process of creating cures...

Been looking at the stats and readership is rising, hope some of the new readers stick around for a while.
I'm caught up for now and I didn't even mention the Cavaliers' two dominant wins over Toronto.
Thinking about either a Forgotten Superstar for tonight or a thought or two on the health care bill/debate of today, so hope to see you there...

Cleveland Browns Draft Recap

Time for the look back at the Browns draft and finally wrap things up for the 2017 draft.
I hope to have Scott Dryden on the podcast soon for his thoughts on the draft.

Some of these thoughts may come as redundant after my in-draft posts,but others will be new as picks have time to sink in a bit.

Many people disagreed with me before the draft about my take on the quarterback position (more on that below),which was not forcing an early round quarterback because you needed one because it "was so important".
It is very important and clearly the most important on any football team,but the Browns had so many needs that I felt that the team needed players that could make an larger and faster impact than a quarterback that was questionable,just to say that you tried.
That's why I loved the Browns sticking with Myles Garrett as the best player in the draft.
Garrett gives the Browns an elite pass rusher that they have lacked for years and his speed and talent should bring even more production out of Emmanuel Ogbah.
Kudos to the Browns for picking the best player and not reaching for a quarterback,especially when (at least looking at it from a year out) there are three legitimate players that could be top level quarterbacks (Josh Allen of Wyoming,Sam D'Arnold of USC and Josh Rosen of UCLA) available for a team that even with a good draft will be unlikely to be drafting outside the top 10,and maybe not even the top 5.

I was less than thrilled with the Browns trade down with Houston from 12 to 25.
Mainly because the Browns had a chance to choose a huge playmaker at safety in Malik Hooker of Ohio State and passed to get a first rounder in 2018.
Now,to be very fair,that pick may help the Browns maneuver to move up,if needed,to get the quarterback of their choice next season,so it could prove helpful,but this so smacks of the old Browns-trading for a following years number one,passing on an impact player and watching that pick rest in the lower third of the first round.

I was even less thrilled with the pick of Jabril Peppers at 25.
Peppers is touted as a playmaker that didn't make many big plays on defense (unlike Hooker) and as a player that you can do many things with the ball in his hands,except on defense,he doesn't see the ball that much.
Peppers strikes me as too small to play linebacker,lacking instincts at safety,but that doesn't mean he won't have his uses as a returner and gimmick offensive plays.
In other words,a Devin Hester type-except those types usually aren't first rounders.

I do like the talent of the third first rounder-tight end David Njoku of Miami.
Big,agile and talented,Njoku is still learning this game,but has the physical talent to be a difference maker at tight end.
Njoku's blocking needs work,but he's not being picked to block,he's being brought in to be seam breaker and receiver..

The Browns did attempt to address the quarterback position in round two with Notre Dame's Deshone Kizer.
Kizer was thought to be a possible high pick entering the draft,but slipped some.
Kizer has some questions (accuracy,field vision and decision making),but has a strong arm and by picking him here,the Browns won't feel "all in" on him and should the team have the chance to pick one of those three passers next season,it won't be a setback to do so..

The defensive line was addressed in rounds three and six as the Browns took two players roughly rated the same,but off the field reasons made the difference.
Third rounder Larry Ogunjobi of Charlotte needs to get stronger,but should plug into the rotation as an all around defensive tackle,while sixth rounder Florida's Caleb Brantley needs to get legal issues solved or he'll never make camp as a Brown.
If Brantley actually plays,he brings a pass rushing element to the defensive tackle rotation that the Browns currently lack.
Ogunjobi was one of a bunch of players that I would have been fine with in the third round on the line,although I did like Chris Wormley of michigan a little better,while Brantley is a second round talent when motivated and without his off the field issues.
I was fine with gambling on Brantley in the sixth,with the caveat that the Browns release him if his legal case proves wrong doing.
The Browns claim to want to build things the "right way",here is a chance to show the other teams in the division that talent doesn't always come first.

I really liked the tradeup into round four for cornerback Howard Wilson of Houston.
I also liked Desmond King of Iowa,but I saw a lot of Houston games last season and I think Wilson should see plenty of action as a third or fourth corner.
I like the ball skills that Wilson brings to the table and I can see Wilson having the potential to eventually start..

Offensive tackle Roderick Johnson is athletically talented,but needs lots of strength work and technique work as well.
Johnson's size and athleticism made him a worthwhile project in the fifth round and he does have big time experience from his time at Florida State...

I also liked both seventh round picks.
Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzalez holds NCAA records and won the Lou Groza award last season.
Gonzalez has a big leg and will make a move to unseat Cody Parkey as the Browns kicker.
No matter how good your kicker is,I'm of the mindset that your kicker needs to be challenged in camp every year,even if you don't spend a draft pick on a challenger.

I remember seeing Matthew Dayes,the N.C.State running back against Clemson this year and being impressed.
He's a little small at 5'8,but catches the ball very well and I can see him possibly sticking as a third round back.

I give the Browns a high grade for this draft.
I'm always hesitant for grading because you just don't know,but just for fun,let's go A-,missing an A only because the questions that I have with Jabril Peppers and the dislike for trading down from 12.
Pretty good work for the most part-I have to say I'm mildly surprised and reasonably pleased..

Road Trip:West Virginia

After the hustle of a Browns draft weekend (still will do a recap), the great Joshua-Klitschko fight, and the beginning of a week of graphing, I wanted to squeeze our first road trip of the year into the TRS week.

A quick two-day/one-night trip to Charleston, West Virginia kicked off the road trip season with two games for the West Virginia Power with one against the Lakewood Blue Claws and the other against the Charleston River Dogs.

The trip down with Doug Hopkins with Fred and Mike Landucci featured a stop at Tudor's Biscuit World, which is a very West Virginia thing.
It is very biscuit-oriented (hence the name) and for breakfast, if you don't like biscuits-you are out of luck.
Mine was the "Thundering Herd" as recommended by the cashier, which had a hash brown, egg, and sausage pattie on the biscuit.
I got about halfway through it pitched the biscuit and ate the rest sans breading.

Arriving in Charleston, the previous day's game had been rained out, so it was a doubleheader spent with rain off and on all day.
The Power's employees are very well-versed and kind and make you feel welcome at their home ballpark, which isn't always the case in my own home park.
Customer service goes so far in the minor league baseball business and I remember last season's trip when employees of the team showed us where the best place to autograph was and gave us terrific seats as well.
I was able to mainly work on the Power as most of the BlueClaws had been finished either last year in Williamsport or this year in Hagerstown.

I was able to add another signed card of number one overall pick Mickey Moniak of Lakewood among some Power players.
Other than Stephen Alemais (3rd rounder from Tulane), the Power weren't loaded with high picks, so most of their players had just their West Virginia Black Bears cards, which kept the totals down.

We made it through game one and a little of game two, but with everyone tired from an early start and the rain dampening (see, what I did there) the mood and the coats, we decided to go back to the hotel.
On our way to the parking lot, I saw a white flash go by me and I realized that it was a home run ball (hit by the Power's Carlos Munoz) and flagged it down untouched by the Family Dollar.
Doug and I shared a room and I watched the end of the Cavaliers-Pacers game, which was quickly followed by a nap.
I also saw a favorite from Cleveland TV, Amanda Barren has found a home in Charleston local television.
I always like to "scout" talent on local television when I go on trips and I remember seeing Barren on WKYC in Cleveland thinking she had a big future in that business!
Good to see her on television again.
The phone rang not too long after for dinner.

Black Sheep Burritos and Brews was a short walk from our hotel, although not as short as the desk person at the hotel told Fred!!
I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food and likely wouldn't have chosen this place on my own, but in an attempt to try new things, I jumped in.
It was more of a trendier spot than a Mexican place, but most of the offerings were Mexican-based mixed with interesting items.

I had three tacos, one with smoked trout, one with tempura battered fish, and the final with asparagus.
All were good, but pricey (13.00 for the three), I think I liked the tempura fish battered the best.
I'm not sure I ever have to go back, but if so, I'd be OK with it.
We went back to the hotel and made a quick evening by hitting the bed!

Up early for breakfast (with dinner being at six the evening before, everyone was starved), Shoney's was close and a personal favorite for breakfast.
When Shoney's was in Hagerstown, Shoney's was my breakfast stop (keep in mind, I might eat breakfast five times a year).
Doug and Michael took some pictures of neighboring Captain D's for their good friend David Sloan before we ate.
We returned and checked out of the hotel and had a big day planned.
With checkout being early and time to kill until the opening of the gates for the evening game between the Power and Charleston (how odd to be in Charleston and have the visiting team with the Charleston name), we traveled a bit.

The first stop was Huntington WV, home of the Marshall Thundering Herd and the site of the tragic airplane crash of their 1970 football team and the basis for the film "We are Marshall".- West Virginia should play Marshall every year in football, and basketball, by the way!
Doug wanted to see the memorial to the team and it was easier to find than I expected.

Many times when you go to a college campus, memorials can be hard to find, but this was very centrally located.
After some pictures and a stop at the bookstore, where Fred bought a Marshall hat and I bought the girls two shirts, we were off to our next stop.

This was the one that was the most kitschy, but in many ways, the stop that I was looking forward to the most- The Mothman.
Since being tipped off by Ryan, a few years back about the Mothman, I had been interested in an offhanded way of seeing a huge statue of a mythical creature near the middle of a small town and how seriously they took it.
Point Pleasant was another hour away from Huntington and through some pretty country as well.
Upon arrival, we found the statue and the Mothman Museum easily, but the museum wasn't open yet.
Doug, Fred, and I were taking pictures beside the statue and a lady pulled off the street to ask if we wanted her to take all of our pictures together.
That was very nice and unexpected and goes to show how different the pace and people are away from the more populated areas.

We were starting to get hungry after walking around a neighboring antique store and with Fred wanting Mothman souvenirs, we wanted to eat lunch while the time rolled off the clock.
We asked what was a good place to select and were told that there were more places to choose from across the Ohio River in Gallipolis, Ohio than in Point Pleasant.

The recommended restaurant was Tuscany Cucchini, an Italian setting and the daily special was spaghetti with meat sauce.
That was good, but the best part was Doug and I serenading Michael with "O H I O" all the way across the bridge!

It was time to drive back to Charleston for Michael to meet up with Yankees prospect Blake Rutherford, who signed four balls for Michael, two for Fred, and 2 cards for me (1 for Derreck Chupak), but badly smeared mine of course!
It's all good and the ride home was pretty quiet with a bunch of tired people.
Thanks to everyone for a great time and I think Charleston will have a pretty steady date on our yearly calendar.
Good graphing, some things to do in the area, and nice people as well make it an easy (if not short) and fun trip!

I still have the Browns draft recap, a cleaning of the inbox, and another piece coming this week, so plenty to come!!

2017 Draft:Cleveland Browns Day Three

Remember I told you about having plenty to do on the blog?
Well, after two posts yesterday, I went to the Frederick Keys-Carolina Mudcats and surprisingly had my whole family with me!
Great time and a really good pizza, which surprises here in Maryland whenever that happens.
I also wrote that I had plenty to still write about and I'll start with the final day of the Browns draft.
I'll make further notes on posts to come at the bottom of the page.

The Cleveland Browns traded up twice on the final day of the NFL draft, made some interesting decisions, and just might have wound up with their best draft class in years.
I'll have a total recap with grades later in the week, but for now, let's stick to day three!

Cleveland did not have a fourth-round pick after trading it to Green Bay in the trade to land David Njoku but swung a deal to trade two of their three picks in round five to obtain Houston corner, Howard Wilson.
I loved Iowa's Desmond King here as well, but I watched quite a bit of Wilson last year as I watched a lot of Houston games and was impressed.
Wilson is six foot (nice size for a CB) and has great ball skills (5 picks,15 knockdowns).
I preferred Desmond King of Iowa, but I'm high on Howard Wilson, he needs to work on his tackling a bit, but I think he is going to push for playing time.


The Browns traded up again in round five to corral Roderick Johnson, an athletic offensive tackle from Florida State.
The good news-Johnson won the last two ACC O-lineman of the year awards and his nearly 6'7 frame with long arms shows that he has the potential to develop into a fine player.
The bad news is-his technique needs a lot of work and he needs to spend lots of time getting stronger or he never would have lasted into round five.
Johnson is a project, but one worth working with at this stage of the draft.


Cleveland took a risk in their only selection of round six with the choice of defensive tackle Caleb Brantley of Florida.
Brantley was expected to be a day two pick before an alleged battery incident two weeks before the draft.
If Brantley is cleared of these charges and actually shows up in Cleveland (Sashi Brown says if Brantley is not cleared, the team will release him), he brings a similar-sized player to third-round pick Larry Ogunjobi with a pass-rushing ability more than a run-stuffing type.
This was a risky selection, but I'm ok with it as long as the Browns have some teeth behind their commitment for a team that won't tolerate off-field issues...


The Browns had two seventh-rounders and used the first on the best kicker in the draft in Zane Gonzalez of Arizona State.
Gonzalez was the Lou Groza award winner, hit a long of 59 yards in his career, holds the all-time record for field goals made (96), and hit 82 percent of his attempts. My friend Joe Plum watches a lot of Arizona State games and he thinks the Browns have a good one here.
Gonzalez will challenge Cody Parkey for the kicking job.


Cleveland finished their draft with the next to last pick and grabbed Matthew Dayes, a running back from N.C.State.
Dayes rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and is an excellent pass-catcher out of the backfield.
A bit undersized at 5'8, Dayes has a chance to stick as a scatback and pass catcher.


I still have to do a full grade of the draft, my trip to West Virginia, Inbox cleaning-lots to do!!