The Corner of Controversy and Criticism- 11/30/2014
Back in the late 90’s Jim Ross would call Terry Funk middle aged and crazy and those sentiments ran through my mind when I learned that 62 year old Mickey Rourke had a boxing match in Russia against 29 year old Elliot Seymour. Seymour us former California Golden Gloves champion with a pro record of 1-9. I think it’s safe to say Seymour’s boxing career is over and he didn’t do himself any favors. Rourke said he is going to fight four more times in Russia which makes me wonder what their athletic commission is thinking. I personally think this fight was a publicity stunt and one has to wonder is Rourke has just lost his mind. Whats going to happpen when some young fighter destroys him to make a name for himself? Mark my words it will happen and Rourke will be the laughing stock of Hollywood. Rourke be smart. Go back and be apart of great films like The Wrestler, The Expendables and Iron Man. You’re not Sylvester Stallone as Rocky.
Speaking of crazy, the Boston Red Sox spent a crazy amount of money on free agents this week. They have signed Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval. This is a huge bolster to their lineup and this will definitely put them back in the playoff hunt if everyone stays healthy. It’s very rare that you have the playoffs without the Yankees or Red Sox competing for a championship. The Yankees and a lot of other teams have stayed quiet so far but look out for the month of December. I keep saying that teams like the Yankees, Tigers, Angels and the bigger market teams are going to make their moves right around Christmas time. It’s always fun to see who makes trades and who signs where. Right now the Red Sox are winning the off-season and I don’t see them being done yet. They need some pitching to go with that incredible lineup they have. If you don’t have good pitching all across the board from starters to relievers you won’t come close to winning a World Series Championship.
When it comes to signings I will be very curious to see who sings the reinstated Ray Rice. The NFL has reinstated Rice and he is now free to sign with any team he wants. I am not sure if at this point in the NFL season I would want the distraction on my team. On the other hand, he could be a very valuable asset to push a team into the playoffs. There are still nine teams in each conference fighting for a playoff spot and even though one man doesn’t make a team, one man in Rice could make a huge difference. I honestly do not care about what Ray Rice does in his personal life but it is obvious that the NFL screwed up on how they handled the situation. I believe they did their best to cover the whole mess up like they have tried to do with other things in the past. A lot of people still believe Roger Goodell should be out of a job where as I believe he is human and humans make mistakes. He should be given an opportunity to learn from those mistakes and correct them. I think Goodell has done a fairly good job running the NFL and has implemented a lot of changes for the better. I would be curious to see who would replace him. For now, we don’t have to think about that. Ray Rice is back and the focus is solely on him. Hopefully he can right his wrongs.
It seems Mark Cuban has been speaking out about a lot of different areas regarding the NBA. One thing that’s interesting is that there might be possible realignment in the Western and Eastern Conference to make for a more equal playing field. I think this is smart because the Western Conference is so dominant where as the Eastern Conference is week. The eighth seed in the West could be a 4 or 5 seed in the East. I think in order for realignment they should rename the conferences because right now the teams in each conference are there because of there geographical location. Check out the current standings and I think you will see what Mark Cuban is talking about:
I think a realignment would do the NBA some good and the balancing of conferences would make it more competitive. Whether Mark Cubans idea will ever go anywhere remains to be seen but something should be done because basketball is getting boring and complacent. A shake up needs to happen in the NBA and make it fun to watch and make it more competitive again. The lack of competition has killed the sport. Listen to Mark Cuban for once, he actually maybe on to something.
When it comes to competition the WWE, UFC, and Bellator are going to be competing for the contractual rights to Brock Lesnar after Wrestlemania 31 which takes place in March of 2015. It has been widely reported that Lesnar is going to return to MMA after his WWE contract expires. The fact is that Lesnar was a huge draw for the UFC. The fact is WWE fans hate the fact he is WWE World Champion. The fact is Bellator needs a big name to draw in more viewers to their shows. I personally would love to see Lesnar take on fellow pro wrestler Bobby Lashley who has been impressive in Bellator so far. Even though die-hard MMA fans hate professional wrestling, the idea of two pro wrestlers beating the hell out of each other has to be entertaining to them. Lesnar is no longer the next big thing like he was in 2002 but he could shake things up for one of these companies. At the end of the day I believe Brock Lesnar will return to the UFC. They have the money, and they have right strategy to put Lesnar at the top again. I guess once March 29, 2015 passes we will know the future of Brock Lesnar.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving full of lots of food, fun, football and family. The holiday season is here so remember that it’s a time for family and friends not all the commercialized crap that’s out there. Until next time be safe, be strong and believe in yourself. Controversy Doesn’t Come Without Criticism!
