- 03:50 PM
- 11/21/24
33
This English folk punk star whom likes to sing trad looks more like a Parisian sommelier anti-snob than a Tom Connors to me. Despite his obvious tragic beverage issues, I'll admit he's more talented than 99% of the sober population though.
Maybe a little something like this:
http://www.flickrholic.org/images/Shane-McGowan.jpg
posted by Plaintruth at 12:12 PM on December 01, 2009
"Frog" a slur? Really? Now there's a topic that could bear some contestable discussion.
You gotta be kidding. It's as much a slur as calling an Irishman a Mick.
Hilarious. Thanks rcade.
I wonder how my amphibian buds feel about all this hostile sensitivity confusion back in the pond.
posted by Plaintruth at 11:35 AM on December 01, 2009
"Frog" a slur? Really? Now there's a topic that could bear some contestable discussion. The term "Frog", as undiplomatic as it may seem, is a Jack-Londonesque era unit of Americana's sports lexicon as any other (without including its role in a radio sports transmission first).
Some sports historical context of its use for better or worse:
Story line from the world heavy championship bout between Jack Dempsey and Georges Capentier at Boyle's Thirty Acres in Jersey City- At the conclusion of the bout "From ringside, all French ships at sea received this cabled flash: Your Frog flattened in fourth" for a new high in international diplomacy" http://www.fighttoys.com/Dempsey-Carpentier%20ticket.htm
It's a term that had been oft exploited by the likes of journalistic luminaries such as H.L. Mencken:
Transcript: James Wright on the Poetic Prose of H. L. Mencken ... http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/21055
"Like my old favorite: we had, back in the '20s and the '30s, the journalist H. L. Mencken. And the beauty of Mencken lies in his obtruding a certain tone of voice, a spectacular tone of voice, on occasions where we least expect it.
Mencken wrote the sports article reporting this event, and he says: By the third round, the gallant frog was a mass of bruises from McBurney's point to the bulge of the pental escarpment. And yet today the opposing theory is held by members of the fourth estate throughout these states, from the right reverend Warren Gamaliel Harding, seated on his alabaster throne, to the lonely socialist in Lebenworth and Marxists fleeing from the Pollack's eye, to the meanest Slovak sweating in the bowels of the Earth."
posted by Plaintruth at 02:24 AM on December 01, 2009
Replaying the game would open the door to endless efforts to replay games. I can understand why FIFA will never do that.
While I understand and even partially empathize with your opinion, I think the long term effect of not setting aside this highly visible hideous result AND at the same time, not making wholesale rule changes to incorporate video replay accomodations for professional and other high level play is far worse for football/soccer.
Sharing this long term referee's opinion ... I also believe the monarchal status of the center refs also needs adjustment as they spend much too significant portions of game time wth their backs to huge portions of the pitch and off ball play. The touch line assistant refs, if properly qualified should have a more proportionate influence and in some cases, the final say.
posted by Plaintruth at 07:26 PM on November 30, 2009
Its a sober opinion, I assure you. You ought to try it sometime.
posted by Plaintruth at 07:03 PM on November 30, 2009
Hmnnn, that sure sounds a lot like a froggy opinion.
When such a referees supported game deciding - overtly cheating move favoring the home team occurs ... aside from the lingering bad smell of a home team "fix" decision, it greatly diminishes the competitive aspect of the beautiful game and thereby rational folks' interest in the rest of the tournament.
Therefore, if only for economic self interest, the result of the game should be thrown out and replayed but with TH advance red-carded and off the pitch for the redone game.
Otherwise ... who gives a crap about the rest of the tournament ... knowing that kind of crap can be repeated, again and again, nearly at will.
Video replay is long overdue to protect the sport not only from its "liars and bad actors" but also to ensure the future safety of the referees themselves.
This is purely and simply a no brainer ... FIFA absolutely should set aside the game result, give T Henry a red card for his self celebatory cheating and redo the game without him on the pitch for this and perhaps the rest of the games should France go through after the rematch.
posted by Plaintruth at 05:51 PM on November 30, 2009
So much for the oft quoted falsehood that sports are "character building" given many of the sleazy assessments of what's in the players' best interests proferred above.
posted by Plaintruth at 04:47 AM on November 27, 2009
Are all the abbreviated posts above ... requests for organs?
posted by Plaintruth at 03:00 PM on November 25, 2009
The rumor or perhaps an off-color joke going around is that the problem is that everytime an opponent puts his hands on him ... he gets a ....... Sounds like a bad joke, but besides being media problematic, that would be very humiliating.
Say it ain't so, Mr. Dana McMahon.
posted by Plaintruth at 03:47 PM on November 16, 2009
Hey, if nothing else ... the results of that call showed during the post game interviews last night ... just how classy a guy Tom Brady is. Despite the reporters' best efforts, Brady refused to throw his coach under the bus and instead reminded everyone about all the good things the coach has accomplished for his team's players and his team's fans.
Good on you Thomas!
PS - I suspect if the Patriot's center had already recovered from his recent knee injury, this game wouldn't even have been close. As it was, Indy was wrongfooting and blitzing Brady through the center of the line all night.
posted by Plaintruth at 03:34 PM on November 16, 2009
Simple. Find a way to bankrupt Georgie Steinbrenner!
posted by Plaintruth at 12:27 PM on October 21, 2009
I'm siding with the moderation votes, i.e. - unless I change my mind after checking out Jessica Alba (irunfromclones' recommendation).
posted by Plaintruth at 10:54 AM on October 20, 2009
Even Donald could've done better than that.
I suppose I shouldn't be disappointed with the gravitas of that last one. After all, what's to be expected from someone who drives two hours one way to Maple Leave games? Well, at least you made an effort.
posted by Plaintruth at 09:27 PM on October 17, 2009
dfleming has called me a politician. I'm despondent, crushed. :)
posted by Plaintruth at 06:24 PM on October 17, 2009
Until receipt of certain confirmation to the contrary, I am going with the solid assumption that Dr. Gold is a nasty man hating, paranoid, crazed cannibalistic evil person who dines on small children stolen from pauper orphanages; who, also opportunistically took advantage of the moment to become a celebrity troublemaker and extortionist.
Time will show the above assumptions to be completely accurate.
posted by Plaintruth at 01:35 AM on October 17, 2009
She has already extorted $1,000 from Dr Ronan for the center where she works. One MD shamelessly extorting from another MD after deliberately embarassing him.
Dr. Ronan hasn't a mean bone in his entire body and its at least an even bet she already knew that ... and decided to be a trouble maker anyway.
Do you know her? Do you actually know that she's not a trouble maker, a crazy person, perhaps even a man hater? Do you?
Well, I don't know her either, but I have my suspicions because ... anyone/everyone that knows him or anything substantial about Dr. Tynan, will tell you he hasn't a hateful bone ... not one.
Now, I don't know Dr. Gold or anything about her other than this BS brouha, but until I do, I'm comfortable siding with whom I know to be a good man.
Have you considered that your eagerness to damn Dr. Tynan is indicative of your own prejudices?
posted by Plaintruth at 11:55 PM on October 16, 2009
Clearly she's a trouble maker. She has already. while accepting Ronan's apology after facetiously stirring things up herself, attempted to extort from Ronan a contribution to one of her favorite causes. Given the NYC setting for his unfortunate attempt at humor ... give me a break, this lady probably "ain't no lady."
posted by Plaintruth at 08:49 PM on October 16, 2009
dfleming,
extending the last line then as an explanation:
Ronan has apologized for his clumsy choice of words and the doctor should apologize too for being a trouble maker, attempting to incite ill will between peoples.
posted by Plaintruth at 07:50 PM on October 16, 2009
Ronan's explanation was that he was referring to the last "scary" (presumably disagreeable) women whom had just viewed the apartment prior to showing it to the complainer.
If that's all there was to it then Ronan's guilty of choosing his words clumsily by using an inappropriate label to describe some unpleasant visitors he had just met. To take that as anti-Semitic instead of clumsy is just stupid and somewhat pedantically bullyish of the doctor.
Irish folks have had their "holocausts" too, especially during the 19 century losing millions of native Irish to horrible deaths caused by "Great" Britain literally stealing the food of the native Irish's farms or tables so to speak for export and deliberately leaving the growers to starve to death. It was no less of a crime than Germany's and righteous Jewish folks know that if there is one group on this earth that empathizes with the plights of Jewish history ... its Irish folks.
Ronan has apologized for his clumsy choice of words and the doctor should apologize too for being a trouble maker.
posted by Plaintruth at 06:25 PM on October 16, 2009
Assessing some sports' risks objectively is just good parenting and an absolutely necessary exercise to ensure the long term health and overall life prospects of their children.
Its uplifting to read these posts evidencing realistic concerns by parents.
posted by Plaintruth at 01:02 AM on September 30, 2009
Dementia pugilistica From Wikipedia
Dementia pugilistica (DP), also called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), chronic boxer's encephalopathy, traumatic boxer's encephalopathy, boxer's dementia, and punch-drunk syndrome ('punchy'), is a neurological disorder which may affect career boxers, wrestlers, mixed martial artists, and football players who receive multiple dazing blows to the head. Dementia pugilistica, the severe form of chronic traumatic brain injury, commonly manifests as declining mental and physical abilities such as dementia and parkinsonism.
posted by Plaintruth at 12:27 AM on September 20, 2009
Merciless ... yes, but only seemingly blowhard to the dims of wits and the deniars of that which is as plain as the shnoozles on their pusses.
Sweet crackers?
posted by Plaintruth at 07:22 PM on September 15, 2009
... and give homage to slimeballs like Bob Arum and Dana White instead?
The horror ... the horror!
posted by Plaintruth at 12:33 PM on September 15, 2009
Speculation? Speculation?
The fact is ... you refuse to digest, to even acknowedge what you see and what you've seen with your own eyes, even if the closest you've been to either is your TV or the 200th row from ring or cage side!
Ironically, you're closer to the moral truth when you admit your indecisiveness than when you belch your denials of the heavy tragic volume of brain damaged potted plants both "sports" brew.
PS - assuming you are a person of concience, I'd have to, based on your posts, conclude you don't know or have ever met a human being that has/had been converted by either "sport" from a functioning human being ... into a walking vegetable. And therefore, you actually know very little about either sport outside of the base enjoyment you derive watching them on TV.
posted by Plaintruth at 12:05 PM on September 15, 2009
Bornicon,
I direct you to the 20% v 80% stats above.
Despite the relatively havened 80% is it not oxymoronic that Boxing's two current heavyweight champions both hold Doctorate degrees? That is an extemely rarified stat amongst active professional athletes in all sports. Its even possible that might they may be the only two in the world of all professional athletes at the moment. I would thnk not, but its entirely possible.
Amongst truely knowledgeable sports historians, its acknowleged that Gene Tunney, although not enamored of, nor by his contemporary sports journalists, not only might have been the best heavyweight champion of all time but that he was probably the most intellectually gifted or at least capable of all athletes across all sports. Is it not ironic that he made his mark in Boxing?
The simple and very concrete fact is ... Boxing has been in very sharp decline in its most recent eras, which was markedly accelerated by the medical community's concluded studies leading to the birth of the medical term " pugilistica dementia" during the 1970s (which in turn led to great advances toward the development of a seperate science - Altzheimer Disease. When the results came in, just about every university in the US immediately dropped it as a varsity NCAA sport., etc., etc. You get the picture.
Despite that a "smart" fighters have a huge edge over lesser lit bulbs and that there are huge financial rewards to be reaped at Boxing's top levels, its been on only very rare occasions that smart people participate in it anymore ... yielding the recent/current crop thats no doubt contributing to your low opinion.
I can confirm that it wasn't always like this. I can also confirm that maybe its better this way ... less tragic endings (i.e. - a smaller 20% group).
Ironically, the subject 20% group is being expanded in numberical volume by MMA participants. In markets parlance, this might be referred to a "correction" phenom. How tragic is that?
posted by Plaintruth at 11:11 PM on September 13, 2009
Weedy,
If you believe what you've written, perhaps it time to lighten up the weedy mix in your pipe.
For boxers the medical stats on "pugilistica dementia" is approx 20% with participants with 60+ amateur plus 40+ pro bouts under their belt and it typically doesn't arrive until after 35, but it almost always has its irrevocablely permanent visit before 45 ... i.e. - as it affects the vulnerable 20 percentile.
Its onset in not entirely dependent on the volume of punches received. Successive serious concussions for instance also lead to pugilistica dementia .... without mentioning thier nearly immediate impact on cognitive abilities.
MMA is a relatively young sport (despite that sans the limb locks and chokes, bare knuckle boxing was mostly conducted in a similar fashion for nearly its entire existence ... despite rules to the contrary) where sufficient stats are not yet readily available/discernable for meaningful analysis. But ... its clearly obvious that serious concussions are absorbed amongst its participants at a very high rate (perhaps at an even greater rate than in boxing) and that fist strike knockout stoppages in MMA are all too often decided way too late by MMA referees either for ignorance or deliberatively as a way to ensure the crowd gets sufficient blood lust satiation. It sonly a matter of time before the Emil Griffith v Benny Kid Parette type tragedies become common place in MMA.
posted by Plaintruth at 10:03 PM on September 13, 2009
rodgerd,
Yes they might ... as might the Kiltchko brothers. It also interesting that Arum has had a role in promoting them too.
posted by Plaintruth at 09:33 PM on September 13, 2009
If you believe that over a twenty five fight span, MMA dopes are receiving less concussive brain damage from knee strikes, kicks and 4 ounce strike gloves (w heavily wrapped bones beneath) to the head than boxing's dopes are from being struck soley by 10 to 8 oz gloves (w heavily wrapped bones beneath) ... then you might want to reconsider if you are one of the .....s too.
posted by Plaintruth at 12:00 PM on September 13, 2009
Truth, well said by Bob Arum.
Fact is, both sports (that is if UFC is not in fact all "works" as is often whispered amongst the periphery and loose lipped insiders) ought to abolished ... if for nothing else than to put an end to the inevitable brain damage that all participants will inherit as their permanent legacies.
posted by Plaintruth at 04:20 PM on September 12, 2009
Unless we are not committed to disallowing men to compete within the women's events, we should then have three gender sports differentiations: men's; women's and he-she's.
(I'm sure someone will eventually suggest a "freak" gender differentiation too.)
posted by Plaintruth at 01:55 PM on August 28, 2009
Hello The_Black_Hand, Thanks for the rationality dosage.
Hello BornIcon (presumptious ID?), You know, I kind of like the elementality of Periodic Table. What's going on with your Dana White loyalty obsession? Are you a member of his family, a lover, a friend, other ...? Dana White's a businessman/promoter forged in the boxing game for years, where he toiled unsuccessfully aspiring to be a Don King Bob Arum figure. His lack of success there didn't mean he wasn't a smart cookie. He is a smart cookie. His timing sucked as the pie shrunk dramatically every year since the 1970's British Medical Board's conclusive findings resulted in their coining the term "Pugilistica Dementia" ... which in turn resulted in Universities/Colleges dropping their NCAA boxing teams' programs; resulted in a mass exodus from and a subsequent lack of entry by gifted athletes into the boxing sport, etc. All of which shrunk the pie, first creating a lack of viable economics for sustaining boxing gyms and more importantly an economic implosion so severe it interrupted the generational passing of essential knowledges to the usual newer re-generativer wave of trainers by the great gate-keepers, such as Ray Arcel, Whitey Bimstein, Charlie Goldman, etc, etc. Boxing is the only major sport to have gone backwards maximally so over the last thirty years. In fact, all other major sports have made terrific advancements over the same period instead.
Dana White was just in the wrong place at the wrong time ... until the MMA opportunity came about. He wisely sought others' capitalization moneys, held on and the rest is history. However, make no mistake about it ... he is a promotor with his self interest far out in front of his every effort. Its a Promotor thing, not a Dana White thing.
Believe it ... if an MMA "work" will be more lucrative than a contest, now or down the road, then ... Amen.
Its as simple as that.
As The_Black_Hand alluded, this is major easy compared to arranging ML Baseball and College Basketball shaved points, which although much more difficult are ... also definitely doable.
posted by Plaintruth at 02:30 PM on November 19, 2008
Dana White = Vince McMahon
Same 'ol, same 'ol
posted by Plaintruth at 03:54 PM on November 18, 2008
Drood, jmd82 and BornIcon ... Dana White's lemmings ... how sad ... yet so funny!
Keep believing what you'd like kids ... no actual harm done.
Plain Truth = PT Barnum
posted by Plaintruth at 02:19 PM on November 18, 2008
Ridiculous article.
a) Chuck Liddell, a light heavy was able to knock out RC twice with more ease than Lesnar did.
b) Lesnar is a pretty good athlete in his own right ... despite his size.
c) Pavlik has major technique issues as did the champion he took the title from. Hopkins merely exposed this. All of the great trainers have either died or (the 2 or 3) remaining knowledgeable trainers are now very much up in years and no longer want to have anything to do the sport and its promoters (a situation existing since the DK days) and have long ago retired.
d) History proves that the best big man fighting weights range between 185 and 210. The same weight dynamic exists for Decathlons as well.
e) With Pro Wrestling's Ken Shamrock's return to MMA and now Lesnar's entry there is a big creditability issue with the legitimacy of their fights. There is a strong possibility their fights are "works" indeed.
posted by Plaintruth at 03:18 PM on November 17, 2008
Hello Chicobangs, Thank you for the kind welcome. 1. I prefer to remain relatively anonymous as I'll feel less obligated, if time is short, to respond in general and in particular to churlish posts such as Kyril's. Additionally, I'll probably post more actively if I am less compelled to respond harshly. 2. I do and will try to objectively separate myself from the axe. The topics, especially this one re an area of repetitive consequential human tragedies, are what I hope my readers will focus on and not I. And, thanks for the tip re writing "columns" here. Perhaps I will jump in from time to time. 3. Yes, I knew that already. I thought its usage as a response post was particulary appropriate.
posted by Plaintruth at 01:14 PM on December 03, 2007
My axe? Tribute to Gerald McClellan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKC4VjyeHbU&feature=related Gerald McClellan – Where are they now? http://www.geraldmcclellan.com/wherearetheynow.html Interview with Gerald McClellan years after the Benn Fight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGz-unNi1dU&feature=related Tribute to Jerry Quarry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d5cCAWXDUk&feature=related The best boxer to not become Heavyweight Champion? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Quarry "The Jerry Quarry Foundation for Dementia Pugilistica". http://www.jerryquarry.com/tjqfhelp.htm Mike Quarry dies of Pugilistica Dementia http://www.usatoday.com/sports/boxing/2006-06-12-quarry-obit_x.htm MMA Death in Korea http://mma.tv/TUF/index.cfm? ac=ListMessages&PID=1&TID=601799&FID=1&pc=109 MMA fighter dies in Texas 11/30/07 Sam Vasquez, 35, MMA Fighter Killed in MMA http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=10203 http://www.mmaplayground.com/forums/topic12681-1.html http://www.mmatko.com/painfull-mma-fight-injury-photos-and-video/
posted by Plaintruth at 10:44 PM on December 02, 2007
kyrilmitch, The two motivators for my initial post here were to provide the most compelling and truthful reasons for boxing's diminishment over the last three and half decades, reasons too long ignored by the head in the sanders and to morally discourage your from writing additional sports articles that so naively promote boxing as does the subject article for this string. If you've not been exposed to this most tragic and ugly underbelly of boxing from your journalist desk in the (boxing) hinterlands of New Hampshire, I understand completely. As a journalist though, once aware of what's really under the carpet, you are not without moral obligation to "do the right thing" when writing to a largely naive public. If you need further convincing, perhaps its time for you to personally get under the carpet/ring apron before you write your next pro-boxing article. J
posted by Plaintruth at 10:42 AM on December 02, 2007
Too funny. Sorry about mispelling your name. As far as the rest ... up your giggy. If I own a dictionary, I haven't a clue re its location, which probably accounts for my seemingly perpetual serial misspellings (independent of the inadvertent misspelling of your name).
posted by Plaintruth at 10:32 PM on December 01, 2007
"MMA fights are shorter and there are different ways to end the fight meaning the number of blows to the head and knockouts are far reduced from boxing. I don't think it's out of the question to assume that it's safer on the brain." Tron, If you are directly involved in MMA on a professional level in any way, the statement above is a gross example of self denial syndrome. A significant number of US MMA athletes, especially amongst those coming in with highly developed wrestling techniques are college graduates. Sadly, very sadly, many of them, despite good or even great educations, will be walking on their heels, suffering severe cognitive impairment beginning in what is supposed to be their early middle years. In effect, they will be incurring a version of accelerated Alzheimers disease with irreversably rapid brain shrinkage and pitting. In very short order they will be reduced to a near vegetative state with death hopefully occuring not too long afterwards. That's the plain and simple fact of the matter. Jack
posted by Plaintruth at 08:29 PM on December 01, 2007
Dear krilmitch_76, I had not claimed, nor would I ever support such a hateful/hurtful claim that people of lower("est"- correction to your misrepresentation) social standing are a. unathletic and b. stupid ("drop in brainpower" - correction to your other misrepresentation). The corrections to your overinterpretations are aptly necessary as they speak directly to relative candidate pool sizes. The "drop in athletic talent and brainpower amongst its US participants" statement was addressing the comparative numerical effect of drawing from a much smaller pool of candidates. A conclusion absolutely consistent with States' scholastic sports authorities' administering group delineated pairings of public high schools sports programs by similarly sized student populations. Statistically, the largest schools consistently field more athletically talented teams than the smallest ones, with rare exception. The same statistics apply, with exceptions of course, re the comparative volumes of smartest individuals. An important additional statistical factor is that a very smart kid with great athletic talent from the lowest economic strata, if made fully aware of boxing's medical consequences is 99.9% likely to opt for another sport over boxing. It's become pretty clear that only those US athletes having no other athletic career options opt for boxing, with some rare exceptions. This was generally not the case prior to the early 1970's.
posted by Plaintruth at 07:56 PM on December 01, 2007
Hello to all, Unfortunately, most of the previous responders' rationales re the demise of boxing are off the mark, and their responses re the "sweet science" are close, but not quite on target. Prior to various countries' (UK being first to mind) medical boards confirming results, via journals in the early 70's, of the various all encompassing and lengthy studies re the irreversible medical affects (studies which had given birth to the new medical term - pugilistica dementia) of combined long term participation in amateur and professional boxing. The studies unanimously confirmed the 40/40 affect on 20% of participants, i.e. the combinative impact of participation in 40 amateur and 40 professional bouts was sufficient to measure brain damage in 20% of the participants. This 20% generally represents those especially vulnerable to brain inflammation resultant from brain shock. They also confirmed that the initial signs of obvious dementia is usually deferred until this 20 percentile boxers group reach their mid 30s through mid 40s with no prior significant tell-tale signs of the impending tragic consequences. The immediate impact of these confirmations to the sport itself was the near universal withdrawal from varsity boxing programs and related athletic scholarships by Universities all over the United States. The second immediate impact in the US was a dramatic decline in the number of participants, rendering the source of participants almost entirely from the lowest socially deprived classes ... rendering the sport to be far less competitive with a related dramatic drop in the level of athletic talent and brainpower amongst its US participants. Notably, those very close to boxing prior to these medical confirmations, although suspicious re the noticeable incidences of a minority but significant percentage of "punch drunk" fighters ... were in constant self-denial of its existence ... much like long term heavy cigarette smokers were about their own smoking prior to medical studies' confirmations re imminent related cancers. I have direct experience re the anecdotal denial syndromes as I was very close to the sport as the last apprentice of Ray Arcel's, the late and probably greatest trainer of professional boxers in the sport's history. The medical confirmations confirmed my early suspicions and I, although nearly guaranteed a very profitable financial future in the sport, walked away from it entirely as I thought it was those only ethical thing to do as I couldn't be responsible for the conversion of 20% of my charges from human beings into veritable potted plants. Fortunately I was still young enough to go in a different career direction. (Unfortunately, I was so young then that I hadn't yet accumulated significant financial rewards derivative of my rare education) --- The term "sweet science" seems to have originated in the era of sports' greatest sportswriters/journalists, i.e. - the era of Grantland Rice, Ring Lardner, Jack London, Ambrose Pierce, Paul Gallico (whom coincidentally was the creator of the Golden Gloves tourneys) etc. Up until the early 70's, boxing in general and the Heavyweight Champ in particular occupied a comparative summit position in relation to all other sports amongst sports fans in general. The term 'sweet science' seemed very appropriate at the time due to the unique combination of technical expertise, dedication, smarts, athletic talent, innate rhythm and strength of character required of an individual to be successful at it. From a practical point of view, the vast majority of professional sports were (and to some extent still are) regarded as extended childrens' ball fantasy games compared to the hard core world of boxing then. Without going into details re the obvious reasons why , the Heavyweight Boxing Champion was universally accepted by fans and athletes alike as the "King" of all sports. (Jack Dempsey being Babe Ruth's hero is a great example) Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the aforementioned boxing situation is no longer true in the US. The lot of US boxers since the early seventies have been that of a dopey, less athletic bunch, with a few exceptions (George Foreman, Sugar Ray L, Marvelous Marvin, Oscar De La Gucci amongst the few exceptions) comparative to the sports' previous generations. Boxing may be the only sport of all sports to have regressed, i.e. to have gone backwards since the early seventies through the present. The sport has not only regressed qualitatively amongst its participants ... it has completely regressed amongst its cadre of knowledgeably competent trainers/teachers/coaches. Due to declining or a universal lack of economic opportunity over the last few decades, boxing’s great trainers (who closely guarded significant portions of their knowledge ... not wishing to lose that essential edge against competitors' charges) whom have all died off long ago have not been replaced with any truly knowledgeable and competent professional trainers. The universal dirth of correct and effective technique amongst the current crop of boxers including the champions is very apparent to those intimate with the sport across its generations. "Nuff" said on those accounts. Re UFC and MMA in general: Generally speaking, these competitions are repetitions or a restoration of the pre-Gentleman Jim Corbett boxing era, when the Marquis of Queensbury rules were widely ignored, with the realities of competition then being that the only rules honored were: the no fish-hooking, no eye gauging, no testicular or head stomping rules. Essentially, we are returning to the 19th century boxing competitions with the UFC and MMA events. In of itself, i don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. From a practical point of view re self defense applicability’s ... it certainly confirms the great marketing hoaxes re Karate and related Asian self defense disciplines, while simultaneously confirming that derivations from a combination of the oldest fight sports, i.e. good boxing and wrestling techniques, along with the newer BJJ and Thai boxing techniques are the essential tickets to obtaining realistic self defense ability. Re the future of UFC and MMA participants in general: Its, in my opinion, complete mental self masturbation to believe that these competing athletes will not suffer at least the same percentage incidents of serious brain damage that long term boxers incur. It is in this connection that ... in my opinion ... boxing and MMA ... should be both abolished in every form. That, of course, will not happen in the near future ... and, I along with the vast majority of you folks will continue to be drawn to watching a good fight here and there. That's my two cents for now. Jack (those who already know me, will from this read, know my identity)
posted by Plaintruth at 05:13 PM on December 01, 2007
Irish Keane to be Given Extra World Cup Spot
Graciously observant yerfatma. I think I've had enough fun'n with the PC geniuses for now, good sports that they believe themselves to be. Adieu.