Big XII Basketball Preview

I have had a heck of a time writing this particular posting.  When I first started thinking about it, I didn’t think it would be this hard.  As I did more research and gathered more information, it became clear to me that there isn’t a tremendous difference in talent from team to team throughout the ten Big XII teams for the 2011-2012 basketball season.  It is a league loaded with incredible coaches with proven track records and all will lead teams that put forth effort and heart every single game.  The new schedule format will be tougher than every before.  The two historically worst basketball programs are gone (Nebraska and Colorado) and all teams play each other twice.  It will be a brutal road and this league may very well just beat itself up.

The more I looked at things, the more uncomfortable I became with trying to rank these teams.  I did it but by no means am I confidant in that I will even be close to being correct five months from now.  I rank the teams from bottom to top and try to give my reasoning in a sentence or two for each team.  Here goes…

10. Texas Tech.  Coach Billy Gillespie has rebuilt a Big XII program before but his work is cut out for him.  Tech is the only team I feel remotely comfortable about with this ranking.  There simply isn’t very much talent on this roster.  It will be a rough road for the Red Raiders.

9. Oklahoma.  Veteran coach Lon Kruger returns to the Midwest as a Sooner.  He inherits a team without a lot of big names.  Although only one major contributor from last season was lost, there are few top notch players.  Kruger has added to a couple of transfers to help improve this teams tepid rebounding.  Kruger has his work cut out for him.

8. Kansas State.  I am not why K-State has been ranked as high as they have been in some of the pre-season polls.  While they have the talent and the coaching to compete for a league title, most of their players are unproven as stars or leaders.  I think Coach Frank Martin may struggle to get this squad to meet his high standards.

7. Oklahoma State.  Tough overachievers like Keiton Page and Jean-Paul Olukemi offer Coach Travis Ford a good solid scoring base.  Add in one of the top recruits in the nation and I think the Cowboys have a great chance to surprise in this conference.  Ford’s teams are gutsy and scrappy and never end up easy prey for anyone.

6. Iowa State.  This is a gut pick for me.  Hometown hero, coach Fred Hoiberg is going to rely on a bevy of Division I transfers so fill key roster spots.  While not loaded with many returning stars, the Cyclones will challenge with those transfers.  I especially like Royce White’s chances at being a very successful player in a conference short on dominant low post players.  Look out for this team.

5. Texas.  It isn’t getting easier.  Texas never finishes this low so I’m not sure why I have Rick Barnes’ squad here.  It just worked out that way.  Just like every other team, the Longhorns have as many questions marks as they have answers.  J’Covan Brown seems to have a great game every time I watch them and he is only a junior.  I think a couple of freshmen will play key roles this season and the Longhorns’ success may come down to how quickly those youngsters get acclimated.

4. Texas A&M.  I originally had the Aggies slightly higher but I dropped them a couple of places due to new coach Billy Kennedy’s health questions.  I wonder how the team will adjust to a new system plus the uncertainty of who is manning the bench from game to game, if that becomes an issue.  I think the Aggies may have one of the best players in the Big XII in Khris Middleton and if he continues to improve, he may be able to lead his team to first.

3. Missouri.  I really think the Tigers have the talent and experience to win the conference championship.  I am not convinced Frank Haith is the guy to lead them there.  A shadow hangs over Haith and the Tigers because of things that happened at Haith’s former school and I don’t how that will affect Missouri.  Marcus Denman and Phil Pressey have a chance to be very special and they are exciting players.  This team will really get after it and maybe they will win their only Big XII round ball title.

2. Baylor.  Coach Drew has the most returning firepower in the league.  The roster is loaded with experienced, talented players.  I have always believed that defense has held the Bears back in the past.  If Baylor can tighten things up on the defensive end of the court, they will be very tough to beat because they are so talented offensively.  This team will score a lot of points and may very well finish at the top come March.

1. Kansas.  It is with much trepidation that I pick Kansas to finish first.  To be honest, it is only because after seven years, somebody has to knock them off.  It would crazy to pick anyone else.  That being said, if the field is going to knock the Jayhawks off the mountain, this will be the year.  Their front court is paper thin, even with pre-season All-American Thomas Robinson manning the post.  He will probably see a lot of double teams until someone else can step up to relieve the pressure.  Because of NCAA rulings (to me, the shadowy “partial qualifier”) for three incoming freshmen not being able to play this season, the Jayhawks are also very shallow along the bench.  Coach Bill Self will certainly have to display his finest coaching yet for the Jayhawks to repeat once again.

One thing I did not figure in because it is a huge unknown.  I don’t know how other schools will react to A&M and Missouri.  These departing programs will probably receive harsher treatment than normal when on the road.  There is no way to predict if this will spur them on or beat them down.

Whew.  That was not easy.  Again, I hold little confidence these rankings will hold up.  I see as many as 9 schools with the talent to finish in the top 4 if things go their way over an extended period of games.  Many teams are only an injury away from being buried.  While this is true every year, I think it is even more so this season.  No matter what, it should be an exciting and unpredictable season.

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Can KU Win Its 8th Straight Title?

To be honest, I don’t know how to answer this question.  My first instinct is to say it will not be possible for KU to win another Big XII championship this season.  There is one thing I have learned though.  Never count Coach Bill Self out.

It certainly will be an uphill battle.  KU is very short on experience and depth.  The fact the NCAA ruled three of the Jayhawks’ incoming freshmen as only partial qualifiers, and therefore not eligible to play this season, was a big blow.  KU will be mighty thin across the frontline.  Self and staff will really have to coach up the present roster, which only has eight recruited players and some former walk-ons and transfers.  They will have to play smart and disciplined and hopefully they can stay healthy and out of foul trouble.

The cupboard is far from bare.  Senior guard Tyshawn Taylor and junior, pre-season all-American, post player Thomas Robinson are definitely talented.  They can certainly lead this team to success but they need to be leaders on and off the court with smart play and avoidance of off court shenanigans.  Athletic juniors Travis Releford and Elijah Johnson have seen playing time in the past but it will be nothing in comparison to what the Jayhawks need from them this season.  Releford may even be asked to play some on the interior.  He will be undersized there but has shown the heart and versatility to contribute inside. 

The slender 7-footer junior Jeff Withey needs to produce much more than he has in the past.  He will need to be able to score on offense and he needs to be a force on defense while curtailing his fouls.  Senior Conner Teahan needs to continue his accurate three point shooting and he may also be asked to play some minutes on the interior.  After these six players though, the question marks really start to pile up.

Naadir Tharpe is a true, pass first point guard and by all accounts will see plenty of playing time.  I have a small degree of worry because under Self, point guards have been slow to adjust to the college game as freshman.  Another freshman is Merv Linsay.  While Lindsay has some nice height, I think is more of a big guard, although he does have a reputation of being a tenacious rebounder and that may get him some minutes as the season goes along.  The last two players to figure into a possible rotation are transfers Kevin Young and Justin Wesley.  Both are listed at 6’8” but are slender of build.  Both will be counted on to play minutes in the front court.  Hopefully their athleticism will make up for their lack of bulk.

A trio of walk-ons completes the roster.  Jordan Juenemann, Niko Roberts, and Christian Garrett will be bodies for practice but I’m not sure how much game time they will see.  Self has used Juenemann in the past in more than just clean up duty.  I also think Garrett could surprise with some athleticism and may pull in a handful of minutes with hard work.

I look for KU to play at a little faster pace than in the past.  Although Withey is not fleet of foot, the sculpted Robinson runs the floor well.  The rest of the roster is filled with athletic roadrunners and since KU will not be able to out physical many teams, running and gunning seems to me to be a very good option.

KU also has one of its hardest early schedules in the Self era.  The second non-exhibition game is in New York against #2 ranked Kentucky.  They then play Georgetown in the Maui Classic.  Possible opponents there include Duke, Memphis, UCLA, Michigan, and Tennessee.  They also play #3 ranked Ohio State and USC in December.  It would not be out of the question to see the young Jayhawks with four or five losses by the start of conference play.  Keep in mind also that KU loses four annual, guaranteed wins against Nebraska and Colorado.  Instead, they play all six of the former South division teams twice.  That is a big difference in their schedule and usually I wouldn’t worry much about that but with this team’s lack of size and experience, this will be very tough.

The Jayhawks will certainly have to grow and mature dramatically as a team to finish high in the Big XII standings.  The conference is loaded with talented teams and there are absolutely no pushovers on the road.  Self will have to do his best coaching job for this squad to have a chance of even glancing at first place.   I am willing to accept a few losses here and there if KU is competitive and the team grows and improves as the season progresses.  As always, I believe Self will get the best out of his players.  He has been willing to alter his teams’ style of play to fit his personnel.  He will have to this season.  When it all comes down to it, I will not bet against Bill Self to win another conference championship.  That being said, I will not be disappointed as long as KU finishes in the top half of the Big XII.  I expect more but I must be realistic as well.  I trust Self and we shall all have to wait and see if he can pull off a miracle.

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The NCAA and Ineligible Student Athletes

I wish I understood more.  I wish I understood the process more thoroughly.  I wish I had more details because right now I am just a tad bit angry and frustrated.  I wish I could understand just how the NCAA Clearinghouse works.  But I don’t. 

I do know that all student athletes attending NCAA Division I and II schools must be deemed eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse.  I know players must take so many core courses in high school and maintain a certain GPA in these courses.  I know student athletes must score a certain number on their SATs or ACTs. And, of course, student athletes must graduate from high school.  This is about the extent of my knowledge.

I don’t what core courses are required.  I don’t know what GPA is consider high enough and I don’t know what the SAT and ACT scores need to be.  I am sure, though, that these numbers are all set to a reasonable standard for student athletes.  If I only wish I knew more.

My frustration stems of course, from the fact that three of the University of Kansas’ freshmen basketball recruits were ruled ineligible to participate in the 2011-2012 season.  They were allowed to enroll and take classes but are partial qualifiers.  I have no idea what that means.  How does a student athlete partially qualify for college?  Why are they not allowed to practice, but not play, until the second semester?  Why are some not allowed to practice of play for a year?

How come it takes so long to review the records of college basketball recruits?  There are only 120 Division I schools for football but each school brings in twenty plus recruits a year.  There are three times as many basketball schools but most programs usually don’t bring in more than 3-6 recruits.  You seldom hear of football players waiting around for the Clearinghouse.  They seem to all be cleared by the time school starts in August yet it seems to take longer for the hoopsters.  I have read it is because football players don’t play at numerous high schools like top basketball players do.  For all I know, this may be true.  It seems like a shallow excuse for the NCAA though. 

I do know that many top basketball prospects do play for multiple high schools over their career.  It is my opinion that this is not ideal anyway.  Many of these players transfer to prep or private schools during their careers.  It would seem to me that these institutions should be better academically and should be preparing these student athletes for college.  Why else do they exist?  I don’t understand how players can attend these types of high schools and can’t qualify, or worse yet, partially qualify, for college eligibility.  And why does it take so long for the Clearinghouse to make their decisions.

It is my opinion that a legislative body is necessary for college sports. There needs to be a checks and balances system in place to keep colleges from cheating.  I just am not sure how effective the NCAA is. They don’t seem to be consistent at all.  It appears to me that powerful BCS football programs are not held to the same standards when it comes to punishment as programs as other schools or sports.  The BCS football pantheon has players who take money from boosters, sell swag for profit, and have family members selling the children to the highest bidders.  The punishments for these programs seem weak.  Players are allowed to continue their careers and are allowed to participate in bowl games.  A local college basketball player last season was suspended for 4 games for getting a couple hundred dollars worth of clothes from a department store.  I’m not saying that is not appropriate but I think sometimes football players and programs aren’t punished as stiffly as they should be. 

I understand the NCAA has to maintain standards for student athletes.  It seems to me that the penalty for these so called partial qualifiers is a bit stiff.  The rules don’t seem to consider the interests of the student athlete.  Why not allow the student athletes to play the second semester if they make the grades in summer school and their fall classes?  Why not try to work with the schools and kids more often?  Help them get to a place where the can be better students and participate in their sports without missing a whole year.  I just think there should be a better way.

I understand that the public does not get to see the details of each situation or why the NCAA rules the way it does.  There is a degree of privacy that is the right of every student athlete.  I just wish the process was better explained and better understood.  I just wish there were better options for the student athletes who have some issues academically to be able to improve their standing quicker.  I definitely don’t have many answers.  There are a lot a people out there smarter than me who should be able to figure out a better way.

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What Will Be the Market For Pujols & Fielder

A few nights ago, I was watching MLB Network and they were discussing where super star first baseman Albert Pujols mind end up after the season ends and the free agent market opens.  Harold Reynolds predicted that the career Cardinal would not be back in St. Louis next season.  I decided the possible destinations for Pujols and fellow free agent-to-be Prince Fielder, was worth a look.

The first round of the playoffs was as exciting and dramatic as any fan could have possibly hoped for.  We can only hope the second round will be the same.  As the first week of the post season unfolded, though, I found myself intrigued by the possible landing spots for two of the biggest names still playing.  Both Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols will get long term, big dollar contracts but who will be their suitors. 

The usual big spenders probably won’t be in play and that’s what makes this situation interesting.  The Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies already have first base manned by stars.  The Yankees and Red Sox could sign one of the free agents as a designated hitters but both already have massive contracts tying up extra dollars and both need to add pitching, which never comes cheap.  Other teams like Detroit, the White Sox, and Angels are all locked up at first. 

There is a large number of teams that either would never, ever spend the money needed to sign either one or they already have good, young talent ready to start on a daily basis.  These teams include Tampa Bay, Pittsburg, Arizona, Colorado, San Diego, Kansas City, Florida, Atlanta, Houston, Seattle, Minnesota, Oakland, and Cincinnati.  The Dodgers are out because of their public financial problems.  I suspect the Cubs, unless they can significantly reduce their payroll, are probably also out.  Milwaukee has already tried to sign Fielder and he seems intent on moving on, so they are more than likely out as well.  

So, who is left?  My initial thought was the Mets would be out because they are in a similar financial situation as the Cubs.  Still, you can never predict what a big market team may do.  I would be surprised if they come at either star very hard.  The Indians would normally not pursue the big names but this is a team on the brink of annual competition and either Fielder or Pujols would be a gigantic help.  I’m not sure they will be a serious suitor or not.  San Francisco has the young Brandon Belt but he could be moved to the outfield if the Giants decide that their horrible offense needs a major upgrade.  I would not discount the Giants in this race.  The Rangers are loaded with offense but they do not have an everyday first baseman and have shown a willingness to drop some big money.  I imagine Texas will be in on the discussions.  Toronto been trimming payroll for a couple of years now and I am not sure what parameters ownership has put into place but the Blue Jays are an up and coming team and a big bopper at first would fit in nicely here. 

That leaves the Cardinals, Orioles, and Nationals.  I would be amazed if St Louis doesn’t work something out with King Albert.  He is the face of their franchise and the best hitter of our generation.  I can’t imagine he will get the 10 year deal he wants – from anyone.  I would anticipate maybe a seven year deal for around 175 million.  I just don’t know if this is in the Cardinals budget.  My gut feeling is they will make a deal to keep their super star.

So, now we look at the two teams sharing the national capitol’s audience, the Nationals and Orioles.  Fielder would be a good fit for either.  The Nationals are building a team featuring young, developing stars but have also been aggressive in pursuing big ticket free agents.  Add Fielder to Werth and Zimmerman, plus the young guys on the edge of success, and you have a pretty potent lineup.  The Orioles have struggled for the last decade to find an identity.  They have wavered back in worth on trying to build from within and from trying to buy a competitive team.  Neither has worked.  Offensively, they have not improved noticeably over the last few years and have few can’t miss prospects in their system.  Two years ago, the farm system was loaded with live, powerful arms, but thus far, they haven’t panned out as Baltimore had hoped.  If the Oriole brass thinks they are close, maybe they make a big run at Prince.  While this option may seem far fetched, it is the kind of signing the Orioles have been willing to make in the past.

What do I think will happen?  I already mentioned I thought St. Louis will sign King Albert.  If I were to lay money, I would bet on the Nationals landing Fielder.  I think the Rangers, Blue Jays, and Giants push up the salary and Prince may end up with a contract similar in length and money as what Pujols gets.  Of course, some dark horse with more money than sense will probably come up with some ridiculous offer for one of these guys and then all bets are off.  I have learned to never be surprised about some of the contracts signed by these baseball super stars.  Few of them make much sense.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the playoffs.  They should be exciting.

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Moneyball

The Steroid Era in major league baseball changed the game in many ways.  Majestic home runs and high powered offenses became prevalent.  Power was glamorous and glorious and commonplace.  Salaries skyrocketed along with the pitchers’ ERA’s.  In the midst of all this run scoring, something horrible happened.  Once proud, successful small markets teams were priced out of the market for the muscle bound big boppers that suddenly ruled the game.  Organizations such as Kansas City, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, San Diego, Oakland, and Minnesota were on the outside looking in as the fat cats threw money at slugging free agents year after year.  Teams had to change their business model to even hope to compete.  Success had to be built from within each organization through the draft and be selective with the leftover free agents.  There was very little room for error and teams that missed on their top picks soon became buried in the standings.

The movie Moneyball is really the story of Billy Beane, a former first round draft pick of the New York Mets.  More so than the book by the same name, the film tells the story of Beane’s struggle to think outside of the box.  As the general manager for the small market Oakland A’s, he had to watch a successful team from the 2001 playoffs be dismantled.  Free agent star players from that team were plucked away by teams with deep pockets like the Yankees and Red Sox, frustrating Beane to no end.  A chance meeting with a Yale graduate named Peter Brand led Beane and the A’s to embrace a form of player evaluation based on mathematics and algebraic formulas rather the excepted commonplace evaluations used for decades.

The movie follows Beane’s travails trying to convince his own scouting and coaching staffs of the relevance and possibilities of trying something new, as well as following Beane’s own career through flashbacks.  Beane and Brand searched for players who had the skill set of getting on base but for whatever reason were undervalued by the market.  The film chronicles the 2002 season for the A’s as the team struggles to produce the results Beane and Brand expect and what happens when those expectations finally came to fruition.  The book devotes a great deal of space to the drafting process and philosophies and that part is completely ignored in the movie. 

Moneyball is not just a film for baseball lovers and stat nerds, although it probably helps.  The movie is dramatic and exciting and does a good job at explaining the process for non baseball fans.  Brad Pitt portrays Beane with just the right amount of charisma and quirkiness.  Jonah Hill is Brand and seems woefully uncomfortable through most of the movie.  Philip Seymour Hoffman is pretty good as Manager Art Howe, who according to the movie, fights Beane tooth and nail on Beane’s new vision but accepts the accolades when success is attained.  

The fact is Moneyball the book, and the success of the 2002 A’s had a huge impact on baseball, especially now, as baseball recovers from the Steroid Era.  Not only have small market teams embraced sabermetrics (the term for the algebraic application to baseball) but big market teams have as well.  If you have every watched and game between the Yankees and Red Sox, you will know how long and drawn out each contest can become.  One of the philosophies of sabermetrics is to work pitch counts and get on base as often as possible, really embracing base on balls.  This has caused games to drag on at times.  Some teams have been slow to embrace the new method.  The Kansas City Royals for instance, a very cash poor team, was very slow to embrace sabermetrics.  Other teams, such as the Twins, Yankees, and Red Sox have all had a lot of success.  In the case of the Yankees and Red Sox, money and sabermetrics have lead to championships.  Now, all teams pay attention to the mathematics of baseball and not just the raw results.  As the power and glamour of the Steroid Era fades and statistics return to the levels known before the game was ruled by cheaters, sabermetrics is now becoming more and more accepted throughout the game and once again the small market teams are forced to look for success outside of the box again.  That is for another day.

Moneyball is a baseball movie but I don’t believe you have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it.  It’s a good story and it plays out well on the big screen.  Pitt and Hoffman give good performances and director Bennett Miller seemed intent on not bogging the movie down with the math itself or on discussing the draft process, which would bore non baseball fans.  If you are a fan of sports movies or films high on drama, give Moneyball a chance.

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Who Is To Blame For the Chiefs' Mess?

Even before the season started, I feared the 2011 version of the Kansas City Chiefs was being overrated.  The Chiefs won the AFC West in 2010 mainly because of their last place schedule and a great success at avoiding the injury bug.  While, after suffering through three brutal seasons before last year, I was thrilled the Chiefs had some success but I was never comfortable with the level of talent.  Let’s just say I was afraid the Chiefs were a paper tiger.

Many fans want to string up Coach Todd Haley already.  Haley certainly has his coaching flaws.  Haley treats the pre-season with a seemingly lackadaisical attitude and he just can’t seem to fully support anyone but himself calling the plays offensively.  He stills makes some head scratching decisions on the field but, honestly, what head coach doesn’t?  With all his issues though, is he really to blame for this train wreck?  Would any other coach have any better success with this shallow, thinly talented squad?

For me, this mess falls directly at the feet of General Manager Scott Pioli.  As of a few days ago, sixteen players on the Chiefs roster were holdovers from the Herm Edwards era.  Yes, the same Herm Edwards regime that won six total games over the last two years before Pioli took over.  While there is going to be leftovers from a team from just four years ago, 30% is much too high.  If those players were all that good as a whole, they would have more than they did.

Injuries have without a doubt crippled this team badly on both sides of the ball in 2011.  Losing Tony Moeaki, Eric Berry, and Jamaal Charles would be a tough pill to swallow for any team.  Regardless, this team had a glaring lack of talented depth right from the get go.  It was as thin last year but Kansas City avoided major injuries through the 2010 campaign.  While these injuries are serious, compare the depth of this team to last year’s champion, the Green Bay Packers.  The Packers were plagued all last season by major injuries but had the depth in place to overcome them.  Matt Cassel is no Aaron Rogers so we cannot expect the same results but a greater depth of talent would have made the spate of early injuries easier to deal with.

At first, it was believed Pioli would be great on draft day.  After the 2010 draft, he was almost proclaimed a hero.  Pick after pick looked like it might produce quality players.  Those picks certainly had plenty of opportunities last year and did produce in some cases.  A year later, though, and the bloom is wearing off.  The best player, Eric Berry is out for the year and several of the other players don’t look as good as they did early last year.  After the Tyson Jackson fiasco in the 2009 draft and the thus far disastrous pick of Jon Baldwin in this past draft, Pioli doesn’t seem near the genius as he was thought to be.  Even if Dexter McCluster is great for the remainder of this season, at his diminutive size, just how long can he be productive?  Just how many nickel and dime defensive backs can a team have?  It is like having a team of utility infielders and 4^th outfielders in baseball. 

Pioli’s inactivity in the free agent feeding frenzy that followed the end of the lockout is inexcusable.  Not filling the glaring holes that existed going into this season has been a huge mark against Pioli.  On top of that, the Chiefs lost a couple of very important and underrated players in Seth Smith and Ron Edwards that were not properly replaced.  Neither player was a star but the Chiefs could ill afford to lose both, especially the versatile Smith.  The Chiefs are way under the salary cap and coming off a division title, and I can’t believe better players couldn’t have been convinced to sign with Kansas City without more effort. 

I never want my team to lose games, especially this early in the season.  I am not rooting for the Chiefs to lose every game just so they can draft Andrew Luck.  First round quarterbacks are no guarantee (Heath Shuler, Ryan Leaf, David Carr, etc.) and the Chiefs have too many holes to lose games just to fill one.  I want the Chiefs to win.  I just don’t think they have the talent to do so.  They have two winnable games coming up against the Vikings and Colts but they may be the last two all year.  Kansas City has a brutal schedule for the second half and they just aren’t going to win many games.  While I want them to win games, if they do continue to lose, by the time the last few games roll around, I won’t be cheering very hard. 

Todd Haley is going to take the fall.  If they lose to the Vikings and/or Colts, it may be as early as the bye week.  It is easier to fire a coach in mid season than a general manager.  Make no mistake though.  This mess is Pioli’s.  Coaches have a hard time coaching up poor draft picks and throw away free agents.  Haley can only coach the talent Pioli gave him and for 2011, it is not very much.  There is a lot of talk about doing it the “Patriot Way”.  Well, that’s all just dandy if you have a Tom Brady.  Maybe that’s Pioli’s plan – just throw a crappy squad together, lose a lot of games, and try to draft another Tom Brady, in the guise of Andrew Luck.  Maybe he can then copy the “Patriot Way” here in Kansas City.  You know, I’d rather just win games the old fashion way.  You know, with lots of talent.

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Boxing Is a Joke

As a kid I was a huge boxing fan.  It was so long ago, I can barely remember it.  I followed boxing through high school and college.  I believe it has never been the same since Buster Douglas surprised Mike Tyson.  With Tyson plummeted from the lofty heights of seeming invincibility, the heavy weight class, the highest profile class of boxing, never recovered.

For twenty years now the heavy weight class, once the home of the superstars of the sport, has been filled with no names and mediocre contenders.  No excitement or interest remains for the heavy weights. 

The excitement and interest has been generated in the lighter weight classes.  Marketable stars who like to fight suddenly took over the sport.  With the expansion of the pay per view spectacle in the early 1990’s, the sport was in a position to take off.  Instead, it has become a joke.

Money rules all in boxing as in all professional sports.  There is no getting around that.  It is a fact of life in our culture.  I am not commenting on that aspect of the sport.  I have a problem with the fact that everything is aimed toward the NEXT big time event.  No matter how big the present star match up may be, the next one will always be bigger.  The bigger that match up is, the bigger the monetary stakes. 

For years, controversy has reigned over the sport.  From violent thugs in the ring doing inexplicable things (Tyson biting off an ear) to obviously corrupt judges not being held publicly accountable for their scorecards, boxing has down nothing to fix the issues.  Incompetent or corrupt referees continue to work key fights.  The sport is a mess.

I knew all this.  I have known it for twenty years.  Still, I got drawn in.  I have become a Victor Ortiz fan.  He is a local boy with a heart wrenching story.  He is personable, genuine, and an all around nice guy.  How could you not pull for this kid?  When he unexpectedly won the welter weight belt and earned a match against the talented and smart sleaze bag, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., how could he not be the fan favorite?

Mayweather co-promoted the event along with Oscar de la Hoya.  He earned 25 million for last night’s bout while Ortiz, the champion, earned a career high 2.5 million (or as Mayweather called it – shoe box money).  Despite the fact Ortiz was the fan favorite over the arrogant thug wannabe Mayweather, the smart money, or apparently, all money, was on the challenger/promoter.  Ortiz was an overwhelming underdog but didn’t seem to faze him.

The first three rounds belonged to the technically and fundamentally sound veteran.  One judge and the pay per view announcer had Mayweather winning 2 of the rounds while the other two judges had Ortiz losing all three rounds.  Ortiz was clearly winning the 4^th round, pinning the undefeated former champion against the ropes and was pummeling him late in the round.  Then Ortiz, who had been hinting on HBO’s 24/7 that Mayweather was a dirty fighter, gave Mayweather a little head butt.  The referee, Jose Cortez, stopped the bout and correctly deducted a point from Ortiz.  The fighters, who had retreated to their corners, approached the center of the ring.  The referee was still looking toward and talking to either the judges or the time keeper.  Ortiz approached Mayweather and apologized for the head butt and leaned in for a glove touch and half hug.  The referee was still not looking at the fighters and had not clapped them in.  Mayweather, in the ultimate act of a cheater, sucker punched Ortiz in the side of the head while feigning acceptance of the offered sportsmanship induced hug.  Ortiz stumbled back and looked at the referee, who was STILL not looking at the fighters.  While Ortiz looked to the referee, arms at his side and defenseless, Mayweather stepped in and clobbered Ortiz in the head, knocking him to the floor, senseless.  As the crowd roared its disbelief and indignation referee Cortez did not immediately disqualify the money maker Mayweather.   Instead, he counted out the dazed champion.  When he reached ten, he declared the thug the winner.  The crowd roared its disapproval.

After the fight, boxing legend Larry Merchant interviewed the so-called winner in center ring.  He asked Mayweather why he would do what he did.  Mayweather responded by thanking God (Satan was more appropriate) and again the crowd reigned boos down on him.  Merchant rephrased his question and again Mayweather deftly ducked the query like an Ortiz jab.  Merchant pursued the matter until Mayweather screamed that the interview was over and he wanted a new interviewer.  He told Merchant he didn’t know sh*t about boxing and wasn’t sh*t.  The 80-year old legend replied that if he were 50 years younger, he would kick Myaweather’s ass.  The crowd filled the arena with cheers of agreement.  I am not necessarily a Merchant fan but he was totally justified in his line of questioning and in his response to Mayweather’s dissembling and thuggery.  Ortiz, on the other hand, responded in exactly the correct way.  He said it was what it was and he would have to live with it.  He said it with his customary smile.  The crowd cheered him lustily.

Hence, yet another black eye for the sport of boxing.  While I would not go so far as to say the fight was fixed, it is obvious that the judges and referee were quite aware of who was paying the bills – Mayweather Promotions.  That is was a giant conflict of interest seems to be swept under the rug.  Merchant tried to make that point to Mayweather before the “champ” exploded but nobody seems to think it is inappropriate.

And this wasn’t even the first controversy of the night.  In an earlier fight between Canelo Alvarez and Alfonso Gomez, these two fighters were in an evenly matched battle when, in the 6^th round, the heavily favorite Alvarez pinned Gomez on the ropes, landed four could punches.  The referee stepped in a very prematurely ended the fight even though it was clear Gomez was not in serious danger.  In Gomez’s post-fight interview, he said it was not surprising and that he really didn’t really have a chance against the immensely popular Alvarez.  He was not talking about his talent but about the fact that the powers that be didn’t want him to win – just like those powers couldn’t afford for Ortiz to win.

This morning, I read an AP account of the fight and the ending.  It didn’t even remotely resemble what really happened.  It was so slanted it was nearly a flat out lie.  Surely the conspiracy doesn’t include the fourth estate?  At this point, who knows?

Now the scene is set for Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao was a giant pay per view purse.  I would love to see Pacquiao to refuse the fight, not because of any fear for the thug but on principle.  Because Mayweather stole his belt.  That will not happen because of the money involved and there doesn’t seem to be any principles left in this sport.  It is not about skill or talent.  It is about money and big talk.  I think I have paid my last penny to Mayweather Promotions and the pay per view powers.  At least the WWF doesn’t pretend (anymore) to be legitimate.

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