Trinidad-Wright

I just watched Winky Wright absolutely dismantle Felix Trinidad. Seriously, he beat his ass. Winky's rematch offer not withstanding, Tito really needs to hang it up. I had it 12 rounds to zip, as did one of the judges (the other two had it 11-1). Winky looked like Hopkins II out there, and I don't know why Tito would take him on again.

Beyond that, I look forward to Winky next fighting, potentially, the winner of Hopkins-Taylor. While it might not be electrifying to the public, it would certainly be welcome to boxing fans.

And how high must Gary Shaw be feeling right now? First Corrales now Wright. What an 8 day stretch...

F Don King.

Castillo-Coralles

The fight last weekend between Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales was the best fight I've ever seen. How appropriate that it took place just a few weeks removed from the 20th anniversary of Hagler-Hearns. From the outset, it was a clinic on inside fighting, a true "phone-booth" style fight. Non-stop action made the majority of the rounds almost unscoreable, and the tenth and final round produced one of the most amazing sequence of events I've ever witnessed.

Some are saying it's the fight of the year, others say fight of the decade, and still others say it's the best fight in the history of boxing. Wherever it ranks, it is definitely must-see TV for a boxing fan, and if you haven't seen it yet, Showtime is replaying it Friday night. I've seen it 3 times now, and I'll be watching it again.

Truly, truly extraordinary. I pray to the boxing gods that a rematch is in the cards (not to mention the prospect of Corrales going up to fight Mayweather or Tszu or down to take on Morales, Barrera, or even Pacquiao). And how classy is Diego Corrales? You just want to hug the guy.

The Direction of Sports

Am I the only one who has noticed an alarming trend in football and basketball within the last few years? I'm not talking about astronomical contracts or steroids or anything like that. I'm talking about the way the games are being directed for television.

With increasing frequency, directors are employing odd camera angles that add nothing and, in most cases, limit the viewer's ability to see what's going on. The center court/50 yard line camera angles are clearly the superior shots, maximizing the amount of action a viewer can see and replicating the angle enjoyed by those sitting in the best seats in the house. It makes no sense why these directors are choosing to shoot action from the opposite end of the floor/field or, even worse, overhead. Especially bad is when they try to switch camera angles in the middle of an especially exciting sequence (e.g. fast break, interception return, etc.) and end up missing the finishing action.

I seem to remember that a similar trend developed in baseball about ten years back, but they finally realized that nothing beats the center-field cam. So...if any of the 3 people that read this blog happen to work in the sports televising industry, please just stick to the basics.

Further Evidence That ESPN Sucks

Regardless of ESPN's shortcomings vis-a-vis other sports (which are themselves well-documented), they clearly don't know boxing.

ESPN.com apparently had tonight's Toney-Ruiz fight scored 115-113 for Ruiz. This is outrageous for at least 2 reasons. First, pretty much anyone who saw that fight (judges, all HBO commentators, me, my friends, etc.) had Toney winning by a convincing margin (I had it 116-111 Toney; he clearly dominated the fight). Second, ESPN is apparently unaware that regardless of whether the ref is "correct" in calling a knockdown, a judge is still obligated to score the round as if a knockdown occurred (which ESPN's score of 115-113 could not have mathematically accounted for).

ESPN's Dan Rafael, who expressed surprise that the judges conformed to the rules and scored the round a Toney knockdown, clearly needs a lesson. But then again, this moron also incorrectly described the surprisingly active fight as one which "was spent with both men at close range throwing sporadic shots." Wrong. Ruiz abdicated his much-maligned clinching style to engage in a relative slugfest with Toney; look at the Compubox numers. I'm not saying that this was a great fight by any means, but it far exceeded the expectations ESPN is so reluctant to abandon. In fact, Rafael's analysis is so far from accurate, I'm not entirely convinced that he actually watched this fight.

Pathetic, ESPN. Just pathetic. Keep up the good work!

NFL Draft 2005

This will be quick, though I'll try to add more later...

The only team in this year's draft day one that I thought was worthy of an A grade is the Dallas Cowboys. Just a great, great job of getting the players they need to improve significantly on defense next year and facilitate the move to the 3-4. They still have some major holes to fill at other positions (S, WR, change up RB, etc.), but they formulated a day one plan to improve their front 7 and did a hell of a job of executing it.

The biggest losers were the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins. I absolutely love Mike Williams, but I don't know what the hell Detroit was thinking taking him given that (a) they already have 2 great WR's (who were also top 10 picks the last 2 drafts) and (b) they have sooo many other needs (read: defense). As far as the Skins, Joe Gibbs just looked disinterested, and it was reflected by his picks and, particularly, the trade made late last week to get one of them. Awful.

Oh, and I forgot about the Denver Broncos. But by the time people are reading this tomorrow, it will seem like old hat to eviscerate their ghastly draft. Nice going, fellas.

Liquid Drano Wannabe Bullwinkle

Other than that, gimme a couple bean burritos and maybe some otter pops, and I'll be a happy camper.

...God I love that movie.

You heard it here first.

Ced Benson will be the best RB out of this year's draft crop, even though Ronnie Brown (and maybe even Carnell Williams) will be selected ahead of him. That is all.

Cola Wars - the Best Selling Soda 2005

The Cola Wars, once a prime focus of media attention, have really gone under-noticed lately. Anyway, here are the top selling carbonated beverages as of March 2005:

1. Coke

2. Pepsi

3. Diet Coke

4. Mountain Dew

5. Diet Pepsi

Full list here.