Boxing Challenge

   Tonight's WBA junior bantamweight title rematch between champion Fernando Martinez and former champion Kazuto Ioka was scheduled to be the final boxing challenge fight for 2024.

However, Martinez was forced to withdraw because of influenza, and the fight was canceled.

This leaves the boxing challenge for 2024 complete as follows

TRS: 190 Points

Ramon Malpica 186 Points

Vince Samano: 116 Points

Sad Browns sunk by Dolphins 20-3

       After some of the worst football that you'll see over sixty minutes, the Miami Dolphins, who are somehow still in the playoff chase, scored two second-half touchdowns to pull away from the Cleveland Browns for a 20-3 win in the Browns final home game of the season.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson finished with 170 passing yards with an interception and a lost fumble.

Jerry Jeudy caught twelve passes and ninety-four to lead the position players.

Cleveland floats to a 3-13 record in a hopeless universe and will travel to Baltimore next Saturday to conclude a dreadful campaign.

Brownie Bits

1) Enough of this nonsense that Dorian Thompson-Robinson needs to play to "see what he has"!

I wrote last week about this but the fact was driven home again against the Dolphins.

They know what he has.

2) All of that said, it doesn't hurt anyone to start him in Baltimore.

The Ravens have a division title to lock down and are motivated to crush the Browns after losing to them in Cleveland, and it doesn't matter who the Browns start at this point.

The Browns can start DTR, Jameis Winston, or Bailey Zappe (who lit up the Browns in 2022), you can make a case for starting any of the three, and the Browns still aren't winning although I would rate Winston, Zappe, and then DTR if making a list of most likely to shock the world.

3) I complained last week about Jerry Jeudy's lack of looks (three targets, two catches for twenty yards) during the loss to Cincinnati.

In typical Browns fashion, DTR threw to Jeudy eighteen times, completing a dozen, which seemed a bit much but credit for trying to get Jeudy the ball at least.

4) The Browns look like the same listless team that dug a deep hole with DeShaun Watson.

No one gets down the field, and the quarterback can't get them the ball if they did and you get this weird offense that throws the ball a lot (47 attempts in the loss) yet never seems to get anywhere with the Browns longest passing gain of the day, a mere eighteen yards to Jerry Jeudy.

5) The loser in the passing game with the increased Jeudy use?

Elijah Moore caught one pass of five thrown to him for one yard.

6) The Browns tried fourth down on four occasions and failed on each of them.

7) Miami didn't light the scoreboard up but it had to be rewarding for their winning quarterback Tyler Huntley, who the Browns released following training camp to keep Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Huntley completed twenty-two of twenty-six passes and threw a touchdown in a win.

8) Myles Garrett sacked Tyler Huntley twice and became the first player to have fourteen or more sacks in four straight seasons.

It's quite an achievement for Garrett but I could have done without the dancing considering the Browns were down ten points when Garrett dumped Huntley.

9) Entering the season, cornerback Martin Emerson was seen as a possible franchise cornerstone with an extension offering as a formality after the season.

Instead, Emerson has struggled and is easily the team's biggest disappointment on defense.

Emerson intercepted a pass against Miami but grabbed the ball by committing one of the worst pass-interference penalties, as he just eliminated Jonnu Smith from the play in the second quarter.

In the third, Emerson grabbed Tyreek Hill's facemask in another ridiculous penalty, indicative of his regression this season.

10) Good news department- Dustin Hopkins made a kick! Hopkins made his only attempt with a twenty-five-yarder in the second quarter.

Who says I am always negative? 

11) I think the Browns have a bright spot in recent weeks as Isaiah McGuire has shown potential as a pass rusher.

McGuire played well against Kansas City two games ago and has collected sacks against Cincinnati and Miami.

It'll be interesting to see if the Browns give the 2023 fourth-rounder a chance for a starting position at defensive end in 2025.

12) This was an awful football game and I'm torn about which will be better to watch- the ineptness but reasonably close game as this one (the game was ten points or less until the middle of the fourth quarter) or the likely blowout game this Saturday vs Baltimore in which the game will be lopsided but you'll see some strong play from the Ravens? 

Cleaning out the Inbox

    Way behind on cleaning the inbox as often happens during football season.

13th Dimension writes of the opening of the first museum devoted to the Batman 1966 television series. 

Located in Logansport, Indiana, the museum possesses items from the show, reconstructed sets, and a theatre.

This is worth the stop for the photo ops alone from the photos in the article!

ESPN writes of former Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer's life in Norman, Oklahoma as the unofficial "King of Norman".

Switzer, Jimmy Johnson, and Pete Carroll are the only men to win a Super Bowl and a collegiate national championship.

In recent years, Switzer discovered that he had a daughter that he had never known, and is spending much of his time with here among his many interests in the Norman area.

The Barry Switzer story has to be read to be believed and is the greatest sports biography documentary or scripted film waiting for someone to make.

The next three notes are all from The Athletic.

The Premier League continues to move further south with fewer and fewer teams from the North side of the country.

Other than Newcastle (the northernmost city in England), the three other teams nearest the Magpies have been relegated, Sheffield United and Burnley last year and Leeds two seasons ago.

For the first time since the Premier League began, there are only five teams in the Northern half of England, Newcastle, Liverpool, Everton, and the two Manchester squads

The Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions played an epic game a few weeks back and this article deals with two Rust Belt towns still seeking a Super Bowl trophy along with some famous names in sports with connections to both cities.

Names such as Bob Lanier, Dominik Hasek, Pat LaFontaine, and Chris Spielman are among the many with a background in both areas with arguably the most influential person, former Bills owner Ralph Wilson, a Detroit resident who owned a minority share of the Lions but unable to gain controlling interest, purchased a charter franchise in the AFL and didn't know where to base his team.

Wilson picked Buffalo after he couldn't use the Orange Bowl for his team's home stadium and pulled out of Miami.

The final word from the Athletic writes of the school with the surprising lead in the best transfer portal class- the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The article discusses the Tech NIL operatives, who and how they look at potential recruits, how quickly Tech moves on players they want to sign, and how the entire collective works together to energize the Red Raiders, who finished 8-4 this season before a Liberty Bowl loss to Arkansas.

TechSpot writes of a small Indiana bakery that is still using the Commodore 64 as its cash register!

The 64 RAM Commodore (hence the name) has more than enough processing power to run a cash register and was released in 1982 with updates discontinued in 1994.

Ryan sends word of a fire that burnt down the four-story Morrison Hotel in Los Angeles, which is famous for the backdrop of The Doors "Morrison Hotel" album in 1970.

The hotel had been vacant for over a decade and was being used by squatters and homeless and LA firefighters have used it as a training site.

The story behind the album cover is that a clerk had told the group that they weren't allowed to take photos but when the clerk was called away from his desk the group jumped into the lobby into place for the photo taken through the window by famed rock photographer Henry Diltz.

PPM

 Another week in the PPM as the college bowl season winds down and the jockey for NFL playoff position continues!

Last Week: 9-8

Overall: 150-80

College

CFP

Ohio State over Oregon 34-31

Boise State over Penn State 23-20

Texas over Arizona State 33-24

Notre Dame over Georgia 21-17

Fenway Bowl

North Carolina over Connecticut 32-19

Pinstripe Bowl

Nebraska over Boston College 27-17

New Mexico Bowl

TCU over Louisiana 45-28

Pop Tarts Bowl

Miami Fla over Iowa State 27-21

Arizona Bowl

Miami Ohio over Colorado State 41-35

Military Bowl

East Carolina over N.C. State 23-20

Alamo Bowl

Colorado over BYU 39-36

Independence Bowl

Army over Louisiana Tech 40-21

Music City Bowl

Iowa over Missouri 20-17

Reliaquest Bowl

Alabama over Michigan 35-17

Sun Bowl

Louisville over Washington 39-28

Citrus Bowl

South Carolina over Illinois 36-17

Texas Bowl

LSU over Baylor 29-24

Gator Bowl

Ole Miss over Duke 49-28

NFL
Dolphins over Browns 24-10

Games of the Week

Packers over Vikings 34-31

Commanders over Falcons 27-21

I Tell Ya' Herbie

    Wrapping up the first week of the College Football Playoff with I Tell Ya' Herbie.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             None of the first-round games were competitive, which might lead some to think that there aren't twelve teams capable of winning the national title, and they would be correct.

However, sixty-eight teams aren't capable of winning the NCAA basketball tournament either, and that hasn't stopped the tournament from expanding in size or popularity.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            In fact, the next change in the field won't be shrinking the field, it will be increasing it to sixteen and will open the door to a change that would be great for the CFP.

The field would stretch to sixteen with the first and second rounds played at home with rotating bowl games hosting the semi-finals and the championship.

Moving the first two rounds to home sites would spice up the games and give teams an advantage in having better regular seasons.

It also would be easier for fans to travel to fewer games on the road as most of the home teams would be favored.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The biggest chuckle that I received from Bill Belichick's hiring at North Carolina (besides the joke of Belichick going to UNC because he was looking for an older woman, the coach is dating a young lady in her mid-twenties) came from the rumor mill after the Tar Heels fired Mack Brown and were rumored to be looking for a younger coach.

Belichick is one year younger than Brown.

I think UNC hiring Belichick would have been a massive coup before NIL began but Belichick's rings won't have the effect on high school players looking for the NIL number that it would have in the past.

Plus, Belichick is making a huge mistake in bringing Michael Lombardi as the general manager in charge of personnel for recruiting both high schoolers and transfer candidates.

Long-time readers may remember my opinion of Lombardi from his failed tenure with the Cleveland Browns.

I don't think Belichick will be a total failure and I wouldn't be surprised to see him take North Carolina (depending on the length of his stay) to the CFP but I don't see them as a true title contender.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             I know the first-round games weren't close and I wonder how close the quarter-finals will be.

Arizona State finished the season red hot but drawing Texas might be more than they can handle and while I think Boise State could surprise Penn State, the Broncos will be underdogs as well.

Boise State did take Oregon to the wire on the road, so I could see Boise State surprising the oddsmakers but they will have to play with few mistakes to do it.,

Ohio State will be motivated to beat Oregon and talent-wise are capable of doing so but their inconsistency makes them dicey to count on.

Notre Dame is being touted as perhaps dropping Georgia but they seem one-dimensional to me and that might play right into the Bulldogs hands.

I think chalk will play predominately again in this round but I think at least one, if not two underdogs will win this week.

Merry Christmas

    A few lines to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and what will hopefully be a happy holiday season.

It's a strange one for me and I can't quite figure out why.

It hasn't felt like a holiday throughout the season and while I can't say it's been a bad holiday, it hasn't been a special one either.

I do have some things (nothing that is Earth-shattering) that I will be writing about soon and I have a post or two planned to review a few weekend trips to note some finds for the collection.

I hope the few of you who read this regularly enjoy your holidays and know that you are appreciated by your humble author.

Cleaning out the Inbox: Passings

 The inbox is overflowing, so it's time to pay our respects to some recent losses.

Goodbye to Bill Melton at the age of 79. 

The 1971 American League home run champion ad the first White Sox player to hit more than thirty homers in a season, Melton hit eighty-nine homers from 1969-71 and appeared to be a star in the making before a back injury in 1972 suffered when he attempted to break his son's fall from a roof changed his career.

Melton was out of baseball by age thirty-two and became a popular studio analyst on White Sox television broadcasts for years.

Melton was the White Sox's all-time leader in homers at the time of his retirement and currently stands eighth on the team's list.

Goodbye to Michael Cole at the age of 84.

Known best for his role as "Pete Cochran" on the ABC series "The Mod Squad" from 1968 to 1973, Cole would continue his career through 2008 as a character actor and stints on soap operas.

The Mod Squad featured three young people who worked undercover for the police in return for their previous crimes being forgiven and it was a popular program in the days of the counterculture.

Goodbye to Israel Vasquez at the age of 46.

Vasquez held the WBC junior featherweight title on two occasions and the IBF title once in an exciting career, but he is remembered more for his classic four-fight series with Rafael Marquez. Two of their first three fights were named the fight of the year, and the other fight may have also won had it not been in the same calendar year as one of the others.

The two fighters split the four fights but the fourth fight is usually overlooked as Vasquez suffered a detached retina in their third bout and should have retired before that fight.

Vasquez retired after suffering a third-round knockout loss to Marquez officially tying the set at two wins apiece and unofficially being rated as one of the most savage rivalries in boxing history.

Goodbye to Dick Van Arsdale at the age of 81.

A three-time All-Star, Van Arsdale played at Indiana with his twin brother Tom and made the All-Rookie team with the Knicks in 1965 after New York picked him in the second round.

Van Arsdale would play three seasons with New York before the expansion Phoenix Suns used their first pick in the veteran expansion draft on him and were rewarded with three All-Star appearances in the team's first three seasons.

Van Arsdale would finish his career with the Suns in 1977. He would later serve as general manager, director of player personnel, head coach for the final portion of the 1987 season, and the long-time color analyst on Phoenix radio broadcasts.

The Suns retired Van Arsdale's number five after his retirement.

Goodbye to Al Fitzmorris at the age of 78.

Fitzmorris spent most of his career with the Kansas City Royals, winning 31 games for the Royals in 1975 and 76, and was rewarded by not being protected in the 1977 expansion draft for Toronto and Seattle.

Toronto grabbed Fitzmorris and quickly traded him to Cleveland for catcher Alan Ashby but in a year and a half with the Indians, won only six games with an ERA of nearly six, and was released during the 1978 season.

Fitzmorris would sign with the Angels and after nine games to finish the season with California, would never pitch in the majors again.

Goodbye to Lemon Drop Kid at the age of 28.

The 2000 Eclipse Award as Older Male Horse, Lemon Drop Kid won the Brooklyn, Suburban, and Whitney Handicaps along with the Woodward Stakes as a four-year-old (all in New York) on his way to winning the Eclipse but notched two big victories as a three-year-old, winning the Travers and Belmont Stakes (Both in New York) .

Lemon Drop Kid's Belmont victory spoiled the Triple Crown bid of Charismatic, who suffered a career-ending injury in the homestretch and finished third. More attention was given to the sad injury than Lemon Drop Kid's victory.

Lemon Drop Kid spent his entire stud career at Lane's End Farm in Kentucky, siring over one hundred graded stakes winners worldwide.