The Redneck Desert Dweller

After seeing a live chat today (http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/07/28/chat-live-with-james-toney/), I have a better appreciation for him. Here’s a quote from that chat:

Everybody has this misconception I don’t like MMA. I love MMA. I love Georges St. Pierre, I love Rich Franklin, I like BJ Penn, I like Anderson Silva, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans, I like a ton of these guys. I don’t have a problem with those dudes. MMA is a great sport.

Turns out that Toney isn’t arrogant because he disrepects MMA; he is just full of himself. UFC 118 is gonna be fun to watch.

Like many others, my wife and I were glued to the TV on Tuesday night to watch the Deadliest Catch episode. Albeit taped on our DVR, we watched the show in between the east and west coast feeds.

This episode held tremendous interest for me and m’girl as this was the episode when Captain Phil passed away.

For those not familiar with the show, the Deadliest Catch allows viewers to watch several fishing boats during crab season in the Bering Sea off the Alaskan coast. Phil Harris was captain of the Cornelia Marie boat. His two sons, Jake and Josh, also work on the boat. They have been on this show for all 6 seasons; fans of the show have watched a lot of life on the Cornelia Marie.

Phil has had several health issues over the past couple of years; his illness and subsequent demise were not totally unexpected. The show is taped during the winter, and aired in the summer after Discovery Channel has completed editing the footage taken by the camera operators on all of the ships (5 of them). When Phil passed away on February 9, the news was made public even though the show informing viewers of his death would not air until 5 months later.

M’girl and I found out about Phil’s passing within a day or two of February 9. Discovery had hyped this week’s episode right after last week’s episode completed. We knew what was going to happen, but did not let that stop us from shedding tears. In fact, this show was emotionally draining to watch all season because we knew the end result while watching all of the drama unfold.

At the beginning of the season, Jake was sent to another boat to get experience working for another captain that wasn’t his dad. He got back on the Cornelia Marie by strapping on a survival suit, jumping off the Northwestern and letting the Cornelia Marie crew fish him out of the frigid Bering Sea.

Jake continued to command the spotlight when Phil caught his son stealing his pain pills (can’t remember which drug). A huge fight ensued with Phil telling Jake that when the ship docked he needed to leave, and proclaiming that “I don’t ever want to see you again!” After Jake pledging to check into rehab, they (thankfully) made up.

Knowing that Phil would be gone within weeks or even days make scenes like this fight hard to watch.

This week’s episode showed more of the struggle between Phil’s sons. After Phil seems to have stabilized, Jake heads off to rehab. The hospital then calls Josh saying his dad has taken a turn, and he needs to head back to the hospital right away. The episode ends with the audio of Josh leaving a voice mail for Jake informing him  ”we lost dad.”

Our reaction to this drama brings a question to my mind: why? Why were we moved to tears over someone we did not really know? When we cry over someone’s passing, the normal reason is because there was a relationship. There was no relationship between us and Phil; he never met us. And if it wasn’t for the show, we wouldn’t have known or cared about a fishing boat’s captain that passed away several thousand miles from our home in Arizona.

However, reality shows like the Deadliest Catch allow viewers to become emotionally involved with the subjects of the program. We share the frustrations, triumphs and tragedies of our favorite actors.

Is this good or bad? Or neither? Should we be concerned about how we react to drama surrounding celebrities? I am sure some would say this level of emotional involvement is not healthy because there is no relationship.

We have a tremendous amount of freedom. Whether you identify yourself as an American citizen, a Christian, or something else, if you are reading this blog you have more freedom than millions of other humans oppressed by government or lack of technology. The last thing I want to do is to restrict that freedom because of a moral judgement.

However, I will say this: our freedom should not be abused. Enjoying a reality show is not wrong in and of itself. But I want to be careful to ensure the majority of my time and energy is spent on things that matter. I am glad that I have opportunities to become involved with activities that allow me to make an impact on others, both inside and outside of my family. After all, a television show should never be a substitute for building relationships in life that matter.

That being said, I am glad I got to know a little bit about the life of Phil Harris, Captain of the Cornelia Marie. Yeah, you were a grumpy old bear at times, and you ingested way too much tobacco, caffeine, and alcohol. But you worked your butt off, and loved your sons in a way that leaves them with a legacy they will never forget.

Phil, I hope I get to see you in heaven. When I get there, I fully expect you to be in the wheelhouse of a crab boat pulling in a lot of opies. Godspeed.

Dana White has been both lauded and criticized for the way he promotes the UFC. However, he stated in an interview that people have been waiting for years to see a heavyweight title bout with the potential that Lesnar/Carwin carries.

Like him or hate him, he is exactly right.

I grew up watching boxing, and remember watching some of the fights with my dad. It wasn’t my favorite sport at the time but I enjoyed the contests, and looked forward to some of them. Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray “Boom-Boom” Mancini, and some other fighters I can’t remember right now put on some impressive bouts.

However, boxing has become irrelevant. I can’t remember knowing or actively caring about a boxing match. Outta sight, outta mind. Dana is making sure this fate doesn’t happen to the UFC anytime soon.

Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin are two trains with heavy locomotives on the same track heading toward each other at 100 miles per hour. You know the collision is gonna happen, and you can’t wait to see which train is left standing. OK, maybe you aren’t that keyed up about it. But if you’re a UFC fan, a boxing fan, or even a mild sporting fan…the more you  know about this fight, the more you are anticipating it.

For those of you that do not already know, Brock Lesnar is a former WWE wrestler that switched to MMA in 2007. Because of his size and quickness, Lesnar managed to fight for (and win) the UFC Heavyweight Title in his fourth MMA fight. Some were upset because Lesnar got a title fight so quickly, and others (myself included) are not cheering for him because of his brash, often offensive outbursts about his opponent.

Most UFC fighters have great respect for their opponents, and in a world often short of true sportsmanship these fighters have gained a lot of followers. Brock, however, has chosen a different road. Because of his antics, he doesn’t garner as much respect as maybe he should.

Say what you want about the man, but his ability, athleticism and desire cannot be questioned. The improvement in Brock’s game has been tremendous, and if he loses tonight at UFC 116 it will not be from lack of training.

Shane Carwin, on the other hand, is well-spoken, well-mannered, and appears to be a true sportsman. Not only has he won all 12 of his fights, but every fight has ended with plenty of time left in the first round.

The train wreck created by these two men is gonna be intense.

Some other things you need to know about this fight:

• Brock is fighting for the first time in about a year due to a severe bout of diverticulitis. Ring rust may be a factor.
• While Lesnar looks like a huge beast (and he is), Carwin’s glove size is bigger.
• Lesnar won the NCAA Division I wrestling championship in 2000. Carwin won the NCAA Division II wrestling championship the year before. Lesnar is greatly downplaying Carwin’s Division II championship. While I am sure there is a difference between the two in skill levels, I am not sure it is going to matter in 2010. Remember when Lesnar got caught in a heel hook from Frank Mir? A world-class wrestler on top of his game would never have been caught in that hold.
• Lesnar is a favorite right now in Vegas (odds -145/+125 as of right now) but has lost ground over the past month when he was as high as -200 (http://www.bestbetufc.com/ufc-odds/ufc-116-odds/).

I am calling this one for Carwin. Mostly because I want him to win, but also because I believe his style is much more controlled than Lesnar’s. Brock will come at you like a raging bull but Shane has been very patient and methodical in his victories. Funny to say that about a guy that hasn’t needed any more than one round to put away his opponents.

If you don’t wanna drop the money on PPV ($40+), find a sports bar that will show the fight. BWW and Hooters usually shows UFC fights.

We are visiting some of my wife’s friends from school right now…so not sure how we are going to catch the fights. If we don’t see them tonight, we will catch it later from home.

If you have never seen the UFC or haven’t seen it for years, this is the fight to catch.

Whoa.

Pulled from MMA Roundup’s Facebook feed.

Dana White on Jim Rome is Burning: “if he ever acts like that again in the ring, I will cut him. I don’t care if he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, I don’t care if he’s the middleweight champion. I will cut him.”

Sometimes I feel much older than my 42 years. Most of the time it is because of my health.

Today, however, it’s because of hecklers at the Dbacks game. I have been to a few games, no means a lot of them. But it is very rare I hear a heckler say something original and tonight was no different.

If you see gonna go to a baseball game, sit in the bleachers and heckle the outfielders, say something original or shaddup. And don’t be confused. Chances are you have absolutely nothing to say.

< / GRUMPY OLD MAN RANT>

I know. I’m a guy with a blog that gets read by three people on a good day. But since everyday Joes are saying they gave suggestions to make Windows 7 so freakin’ good, I figured if I gave my $0.02 on SportsCenter, they’d change that for good. So, if anyone in Bristol, CT is listening…here we go.

1. As a baseball fan, I understand any Yankees/Red Sox series is important. But stop dedicating 50% of SportsCenter every time one of these series happens.
2. SportsCenter does not need a legal expert. Period. If an athlete is on trial, mention it briefly,and continue telling us about SPORTS. Live coverage of any trial is boring, and belongs on something like TruTV. You’re good at SPORTS. Stick to it.
3. We have pretty competitive sports teams out here in the west. And not all of the western teams are called the Lakers, either.
4. I like fishing. Sometimes, if I’m really bored, I might even watch a fishing show. But it ain’t a sport.
5. I know I sound like a grumpy old curmudgeon, so here’s an “atta boy” for ya: thank you for including UFC/MMA results. You’ve done an admirable job keeping up with a new sport.
6. NHL. Work something out with the league and show a few games. Before you say anything about ratings, I’ll wonder out loud what kind of share professional bowling gets ya. Come on; throw us a bone here.
7. Do we really need weeks of speculation about the NCAA basketball tournament? No fantasy benefit, or any other benefit I can see. A few days before, tell us who’s in and out. NOT in the middle of February.
8. The NFL season is over. Stop talking about it for a few weeks. The scouting combine isn’t nearly as interesting as you think it is. (IMHO, anyhoo.)

Well, I think that’s it for now. You know how to get in contact with me if you have any other questions.

I guess I did alright…ranked 110 out of 17,575 players. Woot!

For those that didn’t get to see the card…wow. You missed a great one. Cro Cop returned to his winning ways against Anthony Perosh, an Aussie that took the fight on two days notice. Ryan Bader knocked out Keith Jardine in the 3rd round with an impressive combination in a very close fight. George Sotiropoulous got a decision over Joe Stevenson in an entertaining fight with lots of action, and what I believe was an underdog win. Wanderlei Silva also went to the judges to get his win over Michael Bisping in another close fight. Finally, Cain Velasquez should get knockout of the night after putting Minotauro Nogueira to sleep in less than 3 minutes.

The UFC continues to impress with the competitiveness of their bouts. What a night!

Here’s who I’m picking for UFC 110. Which means I’ll fall flat on my face since I’m publishing them.

It’s Monday after the NFC/AFC championship games, and we now know the Colts and Saints will be playing in the Super Bowl. Those that know me well know that I’m rooting for the Colts; however, I am not making predictions. The Saints have won a couple of games in a manner that can only be described as miraculous (see the Redskins game). I hope the Colts win…but the Saints seem like a team of destiny.

But as you can guess by the title, I’m going to write about Brett Favre. *sigh* I had a friend text me, teasing about my dislike of the All-Star, retired, un-retired, re-retired, un-retired-again quarterback.

Here’s the thing with Favre. I never disliked his ability as a QB; everyone knows this guy is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, and deservedly so. What I have been critical of is his method of dealing with teams he no longer wants to play for. He whined his way out of the Packers, he manipulated out of his Jets contract, and cost Mangini his job in the process.

The media is forever talking about whether or not he will return next year. Why? They haven’t even cleaned all the trash from the Superdome, and we’re talking about whether or not he’s going to retire.

First of all, Brett, we get it. You were injured when you were with the Jets, and you came back strong. You still have the ability to play with the best the NFL has to offer.

Next, you did the right thing by saying you’re not going to decide right now. That’s the right answer, even if you already have a decision. Don’t say anything until you’re ready to make a decision…and stick to it.

Finally, media. When it comes to Mr. Favre: shaddup. Stop talking about retirement, legacy, decisions, whatever. Talk about the Colts, the Saints, Miami, the Pro Bowl (which is a joke because Super Bowl players won’t be there), the NBA, or anything else with some relevance.

There ya go. Thanks for a good season, Brett. Now go ride a tractor for a few months before telling us what your decision is.

It’s Sunday morning, and the hotel room we’re staying is a stone’s throw from LAX. Aimee is still sleeping, and I’m still taking in the experience we had last night. I have to say thanks again to Dana White (@danawhiteufc) for giving me and about 3300 others free tickets to UFC 104 last night. He is obviously being very aggressive in marketing his product, and I’m way too happy as a fan that I got to go.

Most of the fights were very good. At times, fans would boo when action was not moving fast enough, a product of the “I want it now!” fan that the UFC has helped create. However, some of those times the fighters were still working, especially in the case of Machida/Rua. Sometimes, folks, you have to enjoy something for what it is.

There are plenty of writers that are giving recaps of all the matches, so I will focus on the ones that I liked.

Pat Barry gave up 10 pounds, 5 inches in height, and a sizable reach advantage when he fought Antoni Hardonk. However, it only took him a round and a half to gain victory when he punched him out in the second round.

Tempe, AZ resident and former ASU wrestler Ryan Bader fought an entertaining fight against Eric Schafer, a fighter that was described on the broadcast as dangerous because he finds different ways to win. As someone that was rooting for Bader, I got worried during the match that he would lose because he didn’t win in a convincing fashion. Or at least that’s what I thought…because the decision was unanimous.

Anthony “Rumble” Johnson quickly dispatched Yoshiyuki Yoshida. A lot of people, myself included, love Rumble because of his lightning-quick hands with a lot of power behind them. After the fight, Rumble apologized to everyone because he didn’t make weight. I’m sure he’s going to have to forfeit some prize money, but a few pounds isn’t what won the fight.

Possibly the best fight of the night was Spencer Fisher and Joe Stevenson. It didn’t get out of the first round, but Stevenson put on a clinic against a very talented Fisher, and eventually pummeled him into the canvas when he tied up Fisher so effectively that he could rain down elbows to Fisher’s head unimpeded. Very entertaining.

Gleison Tibau defeated Josh Neer in a match that went to the judge’s scorecards. This match was also entertaining, with Tibau taking down Neer repeatedly throughout the 3 rounds. Some of the takedowns were spectacular, including the first when he flipped Neer almost like a hip throw in professional wrestling. However, I wondered about the outcome of this match because the takedowns never resulted in a real advantage for Tibau. Neer may have been taken down, but once down there, Tibau was ineffective, and in some cases suffered more damage than standing up. Tibau, a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, was thoroughly frustrated by Neer’s ability to negate any advantage gained by the takedowns.

In pre-fight interviews, Josh Neer stated that he believed Tibau “would waste a lot of energy trying to take me down”. I believe Josh was prepared for Tibau’s style, and rendered him ineffective. However, while Neer was a defensive genius in my book, he had no offense whatsoever. The unanimous decision handed down by the judges for Tibau was justified.

Cain Velasquez defeated Ben Rothwell easily, but not without some controversy. By now, you’ve probably heard the outcry from fans claiming that referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight too early.

I have to tell you a little background of my own opinion on this one. Aimee and I have watched a lot of fights that Mazzagatti has supervised, and his tendency is to let the fights go on way too long. I can’t recall specific fights, but trust me when I say that when we see Steve ref a match, we get drinks and a meal ready, because he ain’t gonna stop it for nuttin’.

So, back to last night. Velasquez is easily taking down Rothwell, and dispensing a lot of damage. However, Rothwell must have had a stone chin and a lot of heart, because he kept getting up, even when Velasquez appeared to have him down for the count. It almost looked like the fight would not get out of the first round, and there is probably at least one or two places where Mazzagatti would have been adequately justified in stopping it. But true to the reputation he has with us, he let it go.

The fighters come out for the second round, and it’s more of the same. Velasquez damaging Rothwell at will, and Rothwell continuing to escape and go back to standing up. Just before the fight was stopped, Cain was dealing more punishment, and Rothwell was starting to stand up. Again. He was almost to his feet when Mazzagatti stepped in and ended the fight, with Rothwell sporting a “what the hell?” look on his face. Rothwell continued to stand there, even after the decision was announced and almost everyone else had vacated the octagon. To his credit, I believe he congratulated Velasquez, and realized that the ref was the reason he was ticked.

Make no mistake about it, folks. To say Velasquez dominated this fight is an understatement. However, that being said, I do not feel he effectively finished Rothwell to the point where the fight should have been stopped. One of the things that makes the UFC so exciting is that one punch by a fighter can turn a loser into a winner in a split second. Could Rothwell have delivered that blow? I believe he could have.

Steve Mazzagatti, as a referee, is charged with mediating a fight and keeping the fighters safe. For that reason, I can’t just say “oh, you stopped it too soon”. However, I am challenging his consistency. To let some fights go on until a fighter’s face is hamburger, and then stop this one as soon as you did, is just ridiculous. You consistency, sir, is what sucks.

Finally, we have Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. In spite of the fans’ boos during some of the fight, this was also extremely entertaining. This was a five round chess match where neither fighter seemed to adequately “solve” the other. After reading some other reviews, I have to say that Rua appeared to be better conditioned than Machida, who was breathing hard after two rounds.

Like every other fan that saw the match, I have to agree that Rua was probably the better fighter last night. However, there are two sayings that come to mind. First is the voice of Dana White and every other boxing coach worth their salt. “Never, NEVER, let a fight go to the judges. You never know what they will see in a match.” So, for all of you that thought the judges should have given the decision to Rua, you have nothing to be upset about.

Furthermore, this is a championship match. Every boxing, wrestling, and MMA fan in the world knows that, in the words of Ric Flair, “if you wanna be the man, you gotta BEAT the man!” Did Rua deliver a convincing beating of “the man”? I do not think that Rua was that much better, justifying a change of the belt. Therefore, I believe the judges made the right decision. However, Rua deserves a lot of credit for his performance, winning the hearts of a lot of Staples Center fans last night.

If you feel ripped off by the decision, rejoice in a late-night tweet sent by Dana White. “I hear you all. They have both agreed to a rematch.”

Well, it’s time for me to get going. I hope you got to watch the fights last night…it was awesome.