I tell ya' Herbie

Time for another edition of I tell ya' Herbie where I sift through a few grains of sand through the hourglass that is college football.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          What the hell got into Iowa's Kirk Ferentz last weekend in Ann Arbor?
The 10-3 loss to the Wolverines was befuddling mainly because of Ferentz and his Hawkeyes' refusal to do what they do best- run the football and take advantage of what the other team gives them- an inability to stop the run.
Iowa threw 40 times and only ran 28 and yes, Michigan did better than expected in stopping the run.
However, Iowa threw away the biggest advantage that they had- using their big strong offensive line to wear down Michigan and repeat what Wisconsin did so successfully.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                           I'm not sure what to think of Miami, who fell far back against Virginia Tech, who we noted last week had was coming off a 35 point loss to Duke, rallied from 21 points down midway through the fourth quarter to tie with three minutes to go before allowing the Hokies to march down the field for the winning score.
It seems like Miami has tried about every style of coaching background that you can think of and seemingly none has been able to do the job returning the once-powerful Hurricanes to prominence.
The problem could be this- the work that was accomplished by Howard Schellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, and Butch Davis at a private school with barely more male undergrad students than Duke, might be the best run of its type for a school in its size ever and that's what might make returning to that level daunting, if not almost impossible.
After all, when similar-sized Duke even makes a bowl, it's treated as a big deal, yet Miami supporters believe anything short of national title contention is a wasted year.
I understand with their type of tradition from that tremendous two-decade run (I'm adding the first few years of the Larry Coker years with Butch Davis recruits) that they expect more, but it may not be feasible, particularly when you consider that several schools in Florida that now play division one football that did not during the Miami heyday.
It's possible that Miami may have seen its best days and will be elite only to an aging fanbase that remembers when.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          Is there a bigger avatar for a miserable fan base than in this article about Kansas football?
It's a picture of a student sitting all by herself knitting in the stands and not seeming to remotely care (turns out she truly didn't, read the article) about the game at all.
Les Miles has maybe the toughest job in college football right now between little talent, weak facilities in the Big 12, and no tradition to excite an apathetic fan base that looks at Kansas football as barely a diversion before basketball season.
The Jayhawks likely won't win another game this season, but the fan base certainly looks fired up by the looks of this fan!

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          The feel-good story of the season so far might be the SMU Mustangs, who at 5-0 are one of two undefeated teams remaining in the American conference.
Sonny Dykes has patched together several transfers to add to a better than expected holdover group from former coach Chad Morris and the Mustangs are ranked for the first time since 1986.
SMU's comeback from down 21 in the 4th quarter with touchdowns on the final three possessions of regulation to force overtime against Tulsa, where SMU would win in three overtimes.
Assuming SMU can win their next two games, which aren't gimmes (Temple at home and at Houston) and Memphis can do the same (they have three games before SMU).
The Mustangs and Tigers could hook up in a battle of undefeated teams for the game of the year in the American West.

I tell ya' Herbie:
                          The game of the year in the American East may have already been played as last week's Cincinnati-Central Florida game will more than likely decide the East champion after the Bearcats 27-24 win.
The Knights had won 19 conference games in a row before the defeat and Cincinnati's door to the title looks open with lesser teams ahead until the final two games of the season against Temple and Memphis.
Cincinnati was thought to be a contender for the Group of Five bid before the season, but a crushing 42-0 loss to Ohio State looks far better now than right after the game and defeating the defending champion Knights puts them in the drivers seat for the division title and maybe that G-5 bid isn't out of the question after all.

I tell ya' Herbie,
                          I generally don't have a favorite team in the SEC, it's the conference (along with the Pac 12) that I generally move around through the years depending on who's coaching a team and don't have staying power.
I've rooted for Georgia, Tennessee, and LSU in the conference at various times and now back to LSU with the Tigers starting Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow at quarterback.
I'm a Joe Burrow fan, not because he is a former Buckeye, but because of how he became a former Buckeye.
Burrow competed with Dwayne Haskins for the starting job in the spring of 2018 and when he came out on the losing end by a narrow margin, Burrow decided to transfer to a place when he could play.
That's completely understandable, but Burrow left with his head held high and filled the air with compliments towards Ohio State, which is quite a contrast to how so many players leave schools in this day and age.
The 5th ranked Tigers host number seven Florida this Saturday night and it is a Gator team that is coming off a win over Auburn, who entered that game also in the top ten, so this is a huge game at the conference level as well as nationally.

Finishing Up Strong- with our top five in the Power Five and the Group of Five.
This is a combination of how you are playing and who have you beaten, so keep that in mind before screaming at me about being a homer.

Power Five        Group of Five
1: LSU                1: Boise State
2: Ohio State      2: Cincinnati
3: Alabama         3: SMU
4: Georgia           4: Memphis
5: Clemson          5: Appalachian State

Devils whitewashed in Philly 4-0

The New Jersey Devils continued their punchless offense by not scoring at all as the Philadelphia Flyers blanked the Devils 4-0 in Philadelphia.
The Devils squandered several opportunities including a five on three near the end of the second period with Carter Hart robbing Taylor Hall during that stretch with the play of the night.
New Jersey only trailed 1-0 at the end of the second period, but two Flyer goals in the first minute of the third would essentially end the contest right there.
The Devils are still looking for their first victory of the season and will return home to the Prudential Center to host the Edmonton Oilers, who have won all three of their games this season.

Hell Raisers

1) I know that Cory Schneider gave up four goals, but other than the power-play goal by Kevin Hayes, which wasn't that bad, none of the other goals could be remotely considered his fault.
Kyle Palmieri losing an edge to hand Travis Konecny a point-blank dunk of a shot can't be on him and the other two goals (which I'll discuss below) were a product of the defense far more than Schneider,

2) And that defense, which allowed the Flyers to park in front of the net all game and consistently win puck battles.
Look at the first goal by Ivan Provorov, tell me how Schneider sees the puck with Oskar Lindblom's rear in his face?!
The defensemen aren't clearing opponents out of the area and that comes down to aggressiveness from the players.

3) I know it's only three games, but what alarms me most is the lack of intensity.
Intensity can affect play in many different manners, but this team has played very softly since the start of the third period against Winnipeg.
I didn't watch the loss in Buffalo closely (I scanned it the next morning), but what I saw there carried over to Philadelphia- they aren't lacking physicality, they are lacking mental toughness as well.
Now that can be overcome with time and confidence, but for now, it's not there.

4) Here's an example, In the second period, Jack Hughes is sent flying.
Now, the hit wasn't illegal or even vicious (no penalty called), but this is where you would think that this is an example of the Devils beginning to show that they aren't going to allow their future franchise player to be roughed up.
I'm not saying that they have to drop the gloves, but still, some pushing and shoving to at least make the opponents think that they can't take liberties with Hughes (or Nikita Gusev) and bang them around.
Wayne Simmonds was always willing to do such work as a Flyer, but tonight other than Miles Wood in the first period (Wood took a dumb penalty, but he was taking up for a teammate, so despite the mistake, his heart was in the right place) I saw nothing resembling any kind of fight at all.

5) Speaking of Simmonds, I despise the Flyers, I know they are the secondary rival to most Devils fans, but to me, they are clearly number one but give their organization and fans a hand for honoring Simmonds before the game.
Very classy move to honor a player that played his guts out for that town and franchise.

6) The play that deflated the Devils came on that five on three when Taylor Hall fired a one-timer that seemed to be a certain goal that would have tied the game, but an amazing save by Carter Hart (who notched his first NHL shutout in the win) foiled the Devils and you could feel the emotions dip for the rest of the game.
These things will come with young teams, but some of the older players need to show some leadership and not allow one play to decide a game with over a period left to play in a one-goal game.

7) John Hynes didn't have his team ready to play and I'm puzzled by why Jesper Boqvist and Pavel Zacha are scratched in favor of John Hayden and Kevin Rooney?
That makes zero sense to me, one of those decisions I could question, but both are just ridiculous decisions and makes me wonder if Hynes is beginning to feel the pressure about his job status?
Playing low ceiling veterans over more talented, but less experienced younger players is often a hint that a coach is feeling some pressure.
I wonder just how long of a leash John Hynes may have this season.

Cleaning out the inbox

Photo: SF Chronicle

I've been working on tidying up the inbox often this week with passings (and I still have enough remaining for one more post), but there still are the regular notes to be swept up before the football and boxing weekend.

The final Sunday of the baseball season was meaningless for the San Francisco Giants and their fans as far as postseason baseball, but Sunday was a big day anyway as the Giants and their fans said goodbye to longtime manager Bruce Bochy before the future Cooperstown inductee managed his final game with the Giants.
The Ringer writes a great article on Bochy and whether or not the game has seen the last of his type of manager,
The invasion of the game with the "analytic" types will slowly winnow the old school baseball types from the game and even though the San Diego Padres, where Bochy spent most of his playing career, has been rumored to be interested in bringing Bochy south, it's pretty clear where the game is going.

The loudest ovation on Bochy's day among the roughly 100 former Giants that attended the ceremonies and the game, was very easy to gauge as it was clearly Tim Lincecum, who received the loudest cheer.
Lincecum has easily been the most popular Giant of my tenure as a fan and as popular as others have been, it's still Lincecum out in front of that race.
Lincecum will never be inducted in Cooperstown, but his four year run from 2008-12 was certainly of that level that included two Cy Young awards.
Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle writes of Lincecum's return, some memories and a little about what Lincecum is up to today, which is a lot when you consider how Lincecum stays away from the spotlight.
I may be writing posts on Bochy and/or Lincecum throughout the off-season.

The Chicago Tribune writes of the families and supporters of Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver as they continue to battle to clear the names of their ancestors on the 100th anniversary of the "Black Sox" scandal.
Jackson and Weaver are the two players that are involved with the scandal that has a viable claim of being somewhat innocent of the charges of throwing the 1919 World Series that would eventually claim the careers of several of the White Sox via commissioner decree the following year.

The Athletic travels through the state of Ohio for five days and eight hundred miles as the football passion of the state is recorded through the various people involved with high school, Ohio State, Ohio State's club team and one school playing eight-man football.
I found the rules and problems with eight-man football to be especially interesting and I wonder how viable eight-man football could be in some areas.
As one official was quoted as saying "Eight-man football is better than no football".

The Athletic returns with an article on Kellen Moore, the 30-year-old offensive wunderkind of the Dallas Cowboys,
Moore, who spent a few years in the league as a backup with the Cowboys and the Detroit Lions, is best remembered as a quarterback for his days at Boise State, where Moore was a finalist for the 2010 Heisman Trophy and for leading the Broncos to a 50-3 record with Moore at the helm.
That record is even more spectacular when you look at the three losses coming by a combined six points and two of the three losses could have been avoided as field goals that would have won the game were missed on the final play.
The article looks at the impact Moore has at Boise State and in the Boise area, where he is still popular enough to be a commercial endorser for a local auto group and public service announcements as well.

The LPGA's official site writes of the challenge of Nelly Korda to her sister Jessica as the best golfer in the family.
Jessica has more tour victories (5 to 2), but Nelly has passed her older sister in the Rolex World Rankings (9 to 19) and seems to have a better all-around game compared to Jessica's big hitter status off the tee, but can struggle with the short game.
I wonder what it would be like to compete with a sibling in an individual sport at the world's highest level?
I suppose that the travel and all that comes with the grind that surrounds a tour could be very nice to travel with but during the event? That has to be quite difficult if both are in a battle for position.

Bosa and 49ers plant Baker and the Browns

It was one dismal performance by the Cleveland Browns in San Francisco and it was tough to leave your heart in the place when few brought it, to begin with as the 49ers blasted the Browns 31-3.
Baker Mayfield threw two interceptions and finished with only 100 yards passing.
Nick Chubb did finish with 87 yards rushing and Jarvis Landry notched 75 yards in the receiving game.
The now 2-3 Browns stagger back to Cleveland for a short week encounter against the Seattle Seahawks.

Brownie Bits

1) The talk of the night?
Nick Bosa's sack of Baker Mayfield and pantomiming of Mayfield's famous flag plant in Columbus.
Here's my take.
Bosa didn't stand over Baker and do it, so it wasn't a taunting penalty, but I had no problem with it.
Why?
Baker Mayfield's a cocky guy and cocky guys will do things that tick people off.
When you do, people don't always forget and they'll take their shots at you in payback.
Don't want that to happen? Be a class act and it won't.


2) Nick Bosa was also the impact player of the night as he would later sack Mayfield again and strip him of the football, although the Browns recovered the football.
Bosa bullied Greg Robinson all night, but the 49ers defensive line harassed Mayfield all night long and many times on this night there was absolutely no time to throw the football.

3) Baker Mayfield also continued his alarming habit of throwing the football high and either overthrowing his receiver or making them leap into the air for what should be a routine catch and instead of making the attempted pass-catcher vulnerable to hits.
The first interception of the two (both were intended for Antonio Callaway) was definitely on Mayfield as the ball was high as it has often been this season, but the second wasn't as the pass was on target and Callaway simply didn't secure the football as it bounced into the air to be grabbed by former Brown K'waun Williams.

4) I'm not sure what to do with Antonio Callaway.
Coming back from his four-game suspension for drugs, Callaway stood and watched as Richard Sherman intercepted Baker Mayfield without even an attempt to break the play up, was called for a false start and dropped the above pass that could have gotten the Browns back into the game at the time at 14-10.
Callaway started the game, which he probably shouldn't have been given a reward upon his return, and returned the gift with an uninspired performance that would eventually see him benched.
The Browns stated after the game that they were shoving Callaway into a new position in the slot, which really makes me question what's going on in the decision making as they try to teach a player that has missed the last month and is an enigma, to begin with, a new position on the road on national television.

5) As noted, the offensive line was inept against the strong defensive line of the Niners and what was also concerning was the sudden struggles of Joel Bitonio as well,
Bitonio is looked at as the best lineman of the unit, although J.C. Tretter at center would receive my vote for this season, and when he is having problems, what do you expect from the rest?
John Dorsey knows that his lack of attention to the offensive line has been a grave error in the off-season and unless there is a talent that is so good that he cannot be passed over, the Browns will have to pick a tackle in the draft in the first round and Cleveland may even trade up to add a player that Dorsey really likes.
You've made the decision to draft a smaller quarterback, you must give him time to find his lanes to throw- this line isn't doing that from week to week.

6) The Browns could not stop the San Francisco running game and it was apparent from the first play as Matt Breida raced 83 yards for a touchdown.
San Francisco rushed for 275 yards on the game and averaged 6.9 yards a carry.
Sieve-like might be very charitable for the run defense and with a similar running attack coming in the Seattle Seahawks

7) Freddie Kitchens tried to keep the creative juices flowing after Baltimore with the first play of the game sending Odell Beckham around the end to throw the football when he hit Jarvis Landry with a 20 yard gain.
After that play, the can must have had a hole in it, as some of the calls just were ridiculously dull.
Down 28-3 and the first possession of the final quarter, Kitchens called two run plays out of three plays before one of seven Jamie Gillan punts.

8) On the final possession of the game with five minutes to go, Kitchens removed Baker Mayfield (which I can understand under the conditions of an already decided game with bad offensive play to avoid injury) for backup Garrett Gilbert.
Gilbert would throw only one pass and hand the ball off twice before a Gillan punt, but who ran the ball? Nick Chubb. Tell me how that makes sense?
I think it's a good idea to avoid injuries for your stars, but if that was the case why were Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry, and Odell Beckham all on the field for this possession?
It makes no sense at all.

9) Jamie Gillan punted well as he averaged 56.7 yards a punt on seven boots and dropped four of those punts inside the 20 of San Francisco.
The Scottish Hammer continues to show his value and why the Browns took the risk in keeping a rookie punter over a solid veteran in Britton Colquitt.

10) Odell Beckham fumbled a punt in the fourth quarter as he tried to make a big play, but the bigger question is why was Beckham returning punts at all?
Beckham had not returned them all season, Jarvis Landry hadn't made any mistakes doing it and even if a big play was made, how much would the Browns have gotten out of it anyway at that point?
Another head-scratching move.

11) Myles Garrett finished with a sack, but was otherwise silent as the 49ers running game's success and not needing to throw the football as much as the Browns defensive line was a non-factor, although Chad Thomas did notch a sack for his first this season.

12) Ok, this was awful and yes, the 49ers appear to be much better than I thought after their wins over weak competition and could be a force to deal with in the NFC.
I'll try to write this off as an off night going to the West Coast against a team that is better than most (and I) believed.
BUT  the alarming thing is the almost passive way that the Browns are accepting these lopsided losses ( two of the three) and why those losses continue to occur.
The inconsistency and desire were unacceptable and while I still think the Browns can weather the storm after the brutal first half (Seahawks and at the Patriots remain) considering the weaker second half, the way these losses are occurring is concerning to me.
Let's assume the Browns lose both the Seattle and New England (possible, but not a slam dunk) to leave them at 2-5, the Browns might have to go 8-1 or 7-2 at worst to be a playoff team.
That's very possible with the best teams left is Baltimore and surprising 4-1 Buffalo both at home with games against the battered Steelers (twice), the awful Bengals (twice) and the even worse Dolphins ( one win currently between those three teams), and road games out west against the Cardinals (a win and a tie) and the Broncos (one win).
The same people talking about the rugged opposition will be talking at the end of the year that the Browns haven't beaten anyone.
Keep that in mind.

Cleaning out the inbox-Passings

Sadly, more passings pile up in the inbox, so it's time for their salutes and notations.

Goodbye to Fred McLeod at the age of 67.
McLeod, who was originally from Strongsville in Northeast Ohio, was best known for his work with the Detroit Pistons for most of his career until Dan Gilbert (a Michigan native) bought the Cleveland Cavaliers and in one of his first moves as team owner brought in McLeod as the play by play voice of the Cavaliers on television.
That decision meant that the voice on so many of LeBron James' career highlights would be that of Fred McLeod.
McLeod was one of those steady announcers that aren't truly appreciated until they are gone because he realized that the game is better when it speaks for itself rather than making the moment about the man behind the microphone.

Goodbye to Andre Emmett at the age of 37.
Emmett was an All-American for Texas Tech under Bob Knight in 2004 and is still Texas Tech's second all-time leading scorer behind Jarrius Jackson.
Emmett spent eight games with the Grizzlies in his rookie season and would spend the rest of his career playing overseas other than six games with the 2012 Nets.
Emmett most recently played in the Big 3 league that features older players in three on three play.

Goodbye to Bill Bidwill at the age of 88.
Bidwill was the long-time owner of the Arizona Cardinals and was the owner behind some of the oddest decisions in football.
Honestly, if not for the one miracle Super Bowl run behind quarterback Kurt Warner, it would be tough to find too much credit for Bidwill, who took football out of St.Louis, fired Don Coryell in the middle of the only sustained success of Bidwill's ownership, chose Bud Wilkinson, who had never coached in the pros or at all in fifteen years over Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, pledged to help St.Louis get an expansion team and when it was time to vote, voted for Jacksonville and that's just the St.Louis part of the inept reign of the Bidwill family, which doesn't account for the legendary stories of the organization's cheapness.
I bet there is a hell of a book somewhere behind the scenes of the St.Louis and early years in Arizona Cardinals when Bill Bidwill called the shots before handing over control to his children.

Goodbye to Ed Simonini at the age of 65.
Simonini was an All-American at Texas A&M in 1975 and won the Southwest Conference defensive player of the year award in 1974 and 1975,
The linebacker was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the third round in 1976 and would lead the Colts in tackles from 1977-80 as the flagging Baltimore franchise's final big-time middle linebacker.
Simonini would be injured in 1981 and would play for the Saints in 1982 before retiring.

Goodbye to Tom Phoebus at the age of 77.
The diminutive 5'8 Phoebus was best known for his curveball. won 14 games as a rookie for the 1967 Orioles and was named the AL Rookie of the year by the Sporting News.
Phoebus was said to have had the best stuff of any of the Orioles starters which included Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Mike Cuellar, but struggled often with his control.
Phoebus followed up with 15 wins and a no-hitter in 1968 and 14 more for the 1969 American League champion Orioles.
Phoebus was the swingman for the 1970 World Champion Orioles, but despite an ERA of 3.07 Phoebus finished only 5-5 and after the season was traded to San Diego for Pat Dobson.
Dobson won 20 games for the 71 Orioles, Phoebus won three in San Diego and three more for the 72 Cubs to end his major league career.

Goodbye to Wally Westlake at the age of 98.
Westlake played ten years in the majors from 1947-56 with six teams, mainly with the Pirates and Indians.
Westlake hit 103 of his 127 homers in his first five years with the Pirates and would be a backup utility outfielder for the 1954 American League champion Indians.

Goodbye to Alex Grammas at the age of 93.
Grammas played shortstop for nine seasons, mainly for the Reds and Cardinals, before coaching for years with the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers as Sparky Anderson's third-base coach.
Grammas would also manage the Milwaukee Brewers in 1976 and 1977 to two sixth-place finishes before returning to Anderson as his righthand man.

Boxing Challenge: Golovkin slips by Dereyvanchenko

Photo: Scott Levy MSG Photos

Boxing saw another great fight Saturday and while you can quibble over who won a fight that could have gone either way- one thing is clear- the once-feared machine that was Gennady Golovkin is no more as Golovkin won a close unanimous decision over Sergey Dereyvanchenko to win the vacant IBF middleweight crown at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Golovkin seemed to be detached from the fight even as he prepared in his dressing room and during the fight, DAZN was reporting that Golovkin had been ill and may not have been at peak form.
An illness may have been involved, but don't allow it to take away from the tremendous effort from Dereyvanchenko, who lost his second close decision for the vacant IBF title, having lost a split decision to Daniel Jacobs for the title after it had been stripped from Golovkin.

The evening started strong for Golovkin with the first-round knockdown and in then the second round, a left hand ripped a bad cut over the right eye of Dereyvanchenko in a cut that could have stopped the fight, had the corner of Dereyvanchenko not been able to patch their fighter together enough to continue.
The ridiculous part was the decision by referee Harvey Dock to rule that the cut was caused by a headbutt when replays clearly showed that there was no headbutt at all.
New York does not use replays for such decisions and had the fight needed to be stopped, the fight would have been decided on the scorecards rather than Golovkin ruled the rightful victor.
Thankfully, that didn't happen and fans were rewarded with an excellent battle that saw Dereyvanchenko landed more punches than GGG over the course of the fight, was able to keep Golovkin a step behind and in what was a key in the fight- used his jab to not only stop Golovkin from using his jab, but back Golovkin up, which rarely has happened in his career.
I had Dereyvanchenko ahead after ten rounds, but in two action rounds, I thought Golovkin won the final two rounds to win by one point.

Dereyvanchenko's loss to Golovkin was eerily similar to his loss to Daniel Jacobs- both fights were 114-113 on my card for the eventual winner, in both fights Dereyvanchenko suffered flash knockdowns in the first round, which would cost him a draw (on my card) and in both fights, Dereyvanchenko hurt his opponent badly (against Golovkin, it was the fifth round, against Jacobs it was the second round), but could not score a knockdown to even the lost point from his knockdown.
Still, the difference was that Dereyvanchenko was doing this against the great Gennady Golovkin, not just the very good Daniel Jacobs.

In the end, a rematch would seem to be in order after Golovkin seemed to have the edge by being the 'name fighter' after being on the other side of that coin against Canelo Alvarez, but in more irony, Golovkin may decide to avoid a rematch to move to bigger fights.
In boxing, the aggrieved party one day can often be a businessman the next and bigger paydays could
come elsewhere for Golovkin, who was reported to have decided to quickly come back early next year to dispose of his IBF mandatory defense, which could be Dereyvanchenko, but is more likely to be the top available contender, which by their most recent rankings would be Kamil Szeremeta of Poland, who won a squash match on the undercard.
Even if Golovkin was inclined to consider a rematch, Dereyvanchenko's camp is associated with the PBC and with the raised stature of Dereyvanchenko after such a high profile battle, PBC could decide to match him with their only top middleweight in opponent-starved WBC champion Jermall Charlo.

No matter who you agree or disagree with on who won, I think it was pretty clear that it was a one-point fight (Two of the cards had Golovkin winning 115-112, which I thought was too wide) either way.
Either you liked the heavier shots of Golovkin, had the rounds 6-6 and the knockdown swung it Golovkin's way or you thought the Dereyvanchenko work rate was more effective with Dereyvanchenko winning seven of the twelve rounds, losing a point for the first-round knockdown and winning by the same one point.
Either score would be very reasonable and since the fight was that close, it could hardly be a robbery as a few are claiming.

Unless you buy the illness excuse, Gennady Golovkin was not the same fighter at 37 years of age as in the past and from his body language, he didn't seem to be a fighter burning with love for the game at any time before and during the bout.
It's possible that the greatness of Golovkin may have been left in those rings in Las Vegas against Canelo and he may have left his passion there as well with his fire extinguished not by Canelo Alvarez in the ring, but by the pair of Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya outside the ring, where they avoided him at his peak, waited until he looked to be a bit vulnerable (after Daniel Jacobs lasted twelve rounds), insisted the fight be held in Las Vegas where Canelo had benefited from a very arguable decision against Erislandy Lara and used the often-awful judge Adalaide Byrd with one of the worst big fight scorecards ever to deprive GGG of the first fight, which he clearly won and then made him wait a year for a rematch.
When you deal with all those issues- all of which are sadly par for the course in boxing, it's easy to lose interest, especially when despite those problems, you have still been very well compensated and you don't need to fight, should you prefer not to.

The best way for Gennady Golovkin to leaving boxing might have been on that September night in 2018, where he could have emulated Marvin Hagler and walked away thinking you got me, but you will get me no more.
Keep your rematch money and your stipulations, leave close to your prime with many thinking you won both fights and almost everyone not associated with Golden Boy or a Canelo fanboy believing you easily won the first and go home.
That's how I would have liked to have seen it end for GGG, but in boxing, those endings seldom wind up occurring and unless Golovkin was ill last night, I don't see this ending well.
Canelo Alvarez could decide to fight a slowed Golovkin now to establish superiority once and for all or it could be another contender that finishes what Dereyvanchenko started, but the fighter that will enter Canastota on the first ballot wasn't fighting in Madison Square Garden last night and seems unlikely to return.

The undercard was filled with uncompetitive blowouts that aren't even really worth mentioning with former IBF junior welterweight champion Ivan Baranchyk stopping Gabriel Bracero in four, super middleweight Ali Akhmedov blasted out uncompetitive Andrew Hernandez in the first round, and junior middleweight Israil Madrimov knocked out Alejandro Barrera in five.
All results were pretty much expected and didn't accomplish much other than showcasing talents for future fights.

In the boxing challenge, I outscored Ramon Malpica eight to six in points.
I added my points from wins from Madirmov (Three with bonus round point), Akhmedov and Baranchyk (Two each ) and Golovkin (One).
Ramon earned points from Golovkin and Madrimov (Two each) and Akhmedov and Baranchyk (One each).
The season points stand at 239-208.

Buckeyes black out Sparty 34-10

The Ohio State Buckeyes once again started a bit slow and then again once the WD40 had been applied, the machine ran smooth and over the Michigan State Spartans 34-10 in Columbus.

Justin Fields threw for 206 yards, ran for 61 more along with two touchdowns throwing and another rushing to pace the black-clad Buckeyes, while J.K. Dobbins ran for 172 yards and a touchdown as well as part of the strong Ohio State rushing attack.

Ohio State becomes bowl eligible with the victory (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) and will take next week off before a Friday night to Ryan Field to face the Northwestern Wildcats (1-4 0-3).

Olentangy Offerings

1) The all-black uniforms on "Black Out Night" look great as they always do, but I always feel conflicted because as good as they look, the colors aren't black!
If they were awful, I'd easily rap them, but I can't-they just look too good!

2) I think some of the sluggish starts to the night on offense was a stubborn insistence on the ground game, which Michigan State's defense managed to control for the first quarter.
Once, the offense picked up the pace between plays and tossed a few completions in the second quarter, the rushing yardage quickly piled up and the once stout Sparty began to weaken.

3) Justin Fields threw his first interception of the year, but it wasn't a totally bad throw as Fields was throwing to K.J. Hill, who was open and where he needed to be, but the ball floated a bit and with great recognition by Michigan State's Josiah Scott to leave his man and move to the football, Scott was rewarded with the interception.

4) Fields was plagued by a few drops in this one or his passing numbers could have been better.
Binjimin Victor dropped one that he certainly would have taken to the end zone and Austin Mack just missed a touchdown catch by a hair, although the throw wasn't perfect.
Fields could have had better passing numbers with a little good fortune.

5) Binjimin Victor did redeem himself for the drop with a 60 yard catch and run that saw him break the pylon plane in the photo above and showed that Victor, for all the frustration that he can bring, has such tremendous physical talent that he could be an impact NFL player down the road-IF he can develop consistency.
Victor could also be a talent that never makes it big if he cannot find that consistency.
With a veteran QB, a solid WR coach and a team that doesn't need him to start in year one, he could be one of those players that suddenly breaks out in their second or third season.

6) It meant nothing to the outcome, but the third-quarter interception by Jordan Fuller (grabbed off a tip by Baron Browning) that Fuller brought to the end zone on a tremendous return was overturned by a borderline at best blindside block call on that very Baron Browning.
Don't you just hate when a play that would live on films for years gets tossed into the dustbin because of a very questionable penalty?

7) J.K. Dobbins added another long TD run to his stat line when he ran 67 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
Dobbins and his 24 carries wore down the Spartans, but in the first quarter, it appeared that Dobbins could be in for a long night.
Dobbins is certainly a back that needs the workload to get the engine purring and can look pedestrian until things click and then Boom.

8) I likely write this every week, but I wince every time that Justin Fields tucks the ball down and runs.
I've been concerned about the backups from the opening of camp and even if Chris Chugunov and Gunnar Hoak could be very fine quarterbacks, they still aren't Justin Fields or even play similarly to him, so I hate seeing him run with the ball with large leads on the scoreboard.

9) So, when Chase Young left the field late in the game holding his hand in a game that was already decided, I was sweating bullets.
It appeared that Young was fine, but I have to say injuries are constantly a worry with the schedule's bullies beginning to show up on the schedule like the exits on an interstate, I have trouble seeing the reward in a game that you are leading by 24 with under four minutes to go.

10) The first quarter was good news with bad news.
The defense stripped the ball from the Spartans twice inside their own territory and established that it was going to be a long day for Sparty.
However, the Buckeyes were in the middle of establishing the run, didn't exactly dazzle with offensive creativity, settled for two field goals attempts by Blake Haubeil, who made one of the two for a 3-0 lead.
As good as the Buckeyes have been in the second quarter, they have been very pedestrian in the first period and that trend continued on Saturday night.

11) Blake Haubeil was two for three on field goals on the evening and is five of seven for the season.
Both misses for Haubeil came between thirty and thirty-nine yards, so hopefully, that doesn't become an issue.
Only with experience does a player gain experience and you always wonder how a player will handle crunch time until they actually do so.

12) Now Ohio State has handled the latest "toughest opponent" yet in the 25th ranked Spartans and the next three opponents should be wins, but two of the three shouldn't be taken lightly.
Northwestern on a Friday night road game looks like a trap, but the off week will help.
The Wildcats are 1-4, but in only one loss (Michigan State) were they beaten badly, so it's not a layup.
Erratic Maryland smoked Rutgers after being shutout by Penn State, but I think the coaching staff will remember that almost upset last year in College Park and have their team ready.
And Rutgers? Well, I can only shine a stone so much...

Back later if I have time with the narrow victory for Gennady Golovkin over Sergey Dereyvanchenko.