Gilbert Burns Was Pulled, Today, From His Fight, Saturday, Because He was 30 POUNDS Away From His Goal Weight

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MMAFighting – A lightweight bout between Gilbert Burns and Olivier Aubin-Mercier has been scratched from the fight card of UFC on FOX 28…..the UFC explained that upon Burns’ arrival to fight week, the promotion’s medical team “determined that it would be unsafe for Burns to cut additional weight necessary to meet the 156-pound limit,” and thus pulled the Brazilian off the Feb. 24 card……Burns arrived in Orlando weighing 186 pounds.

I know this isn’t page-burning stuff but given the fact that safer weight cutting/weight divisions have been a huge topic in combat sports, particularly MMA, over the past year or so I figured I’d drop a quick one on the subject.

Gilbert “Durinho” Burns, for all intents and purposes, showed up to fight week prepared to cut 30 pounds in about 48 hours. That is an insane amount of weight. That also is isn’t the headline of this story. I’m sure, although not disclosed, that fighters have showed up this heavy plenty of times. But that was before the CSAC in particular passed their stricter weight cutting rules last spring. That was before a number of guys like Renan Barao almost died cutting weight. That was before a Teenage Muay Thai fighter from Australia did. No, the big story here is that well before he even gave his cut a shot, The UFC medical team prevented him from doing so. They pulled the chord. They put their hands together and said, “you know what, we cannot in good conscience let you do this.”

I try not to weigh in on these things because largely I think it’s up to a grown man/woman to decide what they want to do to their bodies. It’s their body and their career. However in this case, where Burns was truly in danger of hurting himself, and has a history of not taking his weight seriously at that, I think it only makes sense to err on the side of caution.

This indeed sets a hell of a precendence for fighters moving forward. Guys and gals like Daniel Cormier (who is actually fighting back at heavyweight next) who always make their trip to the scale a dramatic scene might have to start making some serious life, or division, choices.

Ryan Shazier Says He Will Play in the NFL Again and I Hope He Changes His Mind

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ESPN – In his first interview since suffering a severe spinal injury in early December, Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier said he plans to play football again. “I’ve gotta get back, bro,” Shazier said on teammate Roosevelt Nix’s podcast, which was posted to social media Tuesday night. Shazier touched on several topics in the podcast, including his desire to become a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Shazier, 25, underwent spinal stabilization surgery Dec. 6 after a tackling attempt on Monday Night Football in Cincinnati left him clutching his lower back.

I respect the hell out of the resolve and I hope that this is a ‘prove it to myself’ thing where Shazier can just get back on the field and then retire. What I don’t want to see is the guy who suffered one of the worst injuries we’ve ever seen in the NFL just jump right back in after nearly being paralyzed. I thought for sure Shazier was paralyzed watching him writhe around on the ground while his legs were motionless. Thats the kinda stuff that makes you watch football with one eye closed. Its tough to watch honestly. Now these guys all know what they’re getting into and they’re getting paid millions of dollars so I’m not gonna lose any sleep over it, but at some point you have to protect people from themselves. Thats why the NFL has concussion spotters now. Whats a few million dollars if you literally can’t walk?

Quotes from Shazier like this worry me though:

“I just have to be back out there so everybody can see it. You know what I’m saying?”

“[Shazier] posted a picture of himself standing with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He’s proud of that one. “People were thinking Ben was supporting me, too — he barely was even holding me.”

Is it hypocritical of me after having cheered on Tedy Bruschi coming back to the Patriots after suffering a goddamn stroke? Absolutely, but as athletes get bigger, faster, and stronger every year these injuries are going to become more prevalent not less. Thats why we’re seeing more and more players retire before the age of 30, including half of the 49ers last year.

Would I be bummed if Rob Gronkowski decides to trade in his football cleats for some spandex in the WWE? Of course, but I wouldn’t begrudge the guy. If you can make a bunch of money somewhere else without risking the car crash type injuries the NFL puts players through every week then you do you.

I can’t imagine how important it is for Shazier to prove that he can make it back to the NFL, especially for a guy that feels like he’s the absolute best player in the world at his position. I get that. Just don’t put blinders on and ignore the risks for the pursuit of glory on the gridiron.

John Henry Just Son’d Tom Werner Saying “We Don’t Need to Be Popular, We Need to Win.”

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ABC – As the Boston Red Sox stepped out into the sun Monday for their first full-squad workout of spring training, owner John Henry maintained that he’s more concerned about W’s and L’s than the team’s Q rating. “We really don’t need to be popular,” Henry said. “We need to win.” But despite winning 93 games and the American League East title for a second straight season in 2017, questions were raised about the Red Sox’s likability. Although attendance at Fenway Park remained almost unchanged, regional television ratings were down 15 percent on New England Sports Network, according to Nielsen Media data, while sports-talk airwaves were filled with the grievances of dissatisfied fans.

If you’ve ever read “Feeding the Monster” then you know exactly what I’m talking about here. In the behind the scenes book covering the inner workings of the Red Sox you read about a young Theo Epstein going to battle time and time again with Tom Werner and the entertainment side of the Sox over player personnel.

Theo wanted to build a farm system and sign smart, albeit boring, free agents to, ya know, win. Tom Werner isn’t against winning per se, but goddamnit the Red Sox needed to be sexy. He wanted more big names, more story lines.Winning be damned. The team had to be marketable to more demos with more attractive stars. Seriously. Read the book, Werner said that shit. You think hits like Roseanne just fall into place? No way. It takes years of creative genius steering the ship and shame on Theo for not listening to the Neilsen Rating System more when building his roster. Guy never stood a chance as a baseball executive going up against brainpower like Tom Werner.

Goddamnit. Can you tell I’m still bitter about the Red Sox running the best baseball mind of our generation out of town?

Anyways, if we’re going to take John Henry at his word, it seems like he may be smartening up. He’s not exactly George Steinbrenner so he’s not going to just punt on everything that doesn’t directly lead to winning. But, Henry is a smart dude, he knows that popularity follows winning, not the other way around. If the Red Sox are hammering opposing teams all summer on their way to a World Series then they’ll be pretty damn popular. However, if the team is focused on signing guys based solely on their marketability (i.e Pablo Sandoval the Panda) well thats how you find yourselves in a shit storm you’re still digging out of 3 years later.

The Hungarian (Californian) Olympic Skier Who Can’t Actually Ski is the Hero We Deserve

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Yahoo Sports – Let’s not beat around the bush: Elizabeth Swaney is not a good freestyle skier. She can’t do any tricks, can’t get any air, can’t do anything but go up and down the halfpipe like anyone at the local bunny hill might. And yet there Swaney was on Monday, one of 24 skiers competing in the qualifiers of the ladies’ halfpipe at the Winter Olympics…Well, if showing up is 80 percent of life, showing up for ladies’ halfpipe qualifiers must be at least 80 percent when it comes to making the Olympics. As Jason Blevins of the Denver Post explains, the international field for ladies’ halfpipe is not exceedingly deep. Qualifying for the Olympics involves recording a certain number of top-30 finishes in qualifying events and many of these events don’t even feature 30 people. So Swaney burned up the globe, attending qualifiers in places like China, South Korea, Italy, Canada and New Zealand.

Snake it til you make it isn’t just a motto I like to live by, its a creed. And that is exactly what our latest hero Elizabeth Swaney is doing here.

That woman does not belong anywhere near the Olympics, yet here she is on live TV just coasting down the mountain like someone simply trying to not take a digger after having a half dozen Sam Adams for brunch at the lodge.

The movie Office Space struck a chord with me very early in life and that message is any job is going to slowly put you in the grave. So do the bare minimum and save your mental facilities for more important things. Thats why this Olympic skier is the hero we deserve.

She completely gained the system. She was literally just showing up to these events and putting in the face time to qualify for the motherfucking Olympics. Apparently the rules state you need to place in the top 30 in a certain number of events. The only problem is a lot of these races didn’t even field 30 women and in some cases other people ate shit and all she had to do was not fall down to avoid a last place finish. And for that level of snaking it she was rewarded with a spot in the 2018 Winter Olympics. Bravo. After all that hard work she rewarded us with a show for the ages and I for one respect the hell out of that. Hate the player not the game.

The USA Olympic Curling Team Just Clapped Back on Kirstie Alley

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Who? Yea thats exactly what the US Olympic Curling Team said.

This has got to be the lowest of the low. Its one thing when a stud like Brad Marchand roasts you on Twitter, its quite another for a guy on the local YMCA curling squad to just eviscerate your entire career in 140 character or less. The worst part is they’re not wrong. And Kirstie Alley knows it. Name one thing Kirstie Alley has been in not named Cheers. You can’t. If you guessed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, then you’re correct! If you also guessed the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air made for TV MOVIE (thats a thing?) then you’re also correct! There has also been bangers like “Fat Actress” and a one episode arc in Dharma and Greg too.

In all seriousness though, can we send someone to do a wellness check on Kirstie Alley? Someone send Ted Danson to go kick down her door just to be safe. Moral of the story? If I’ve learned one thing this winter, its that you do not fuck with an Olympics Curler.

I Think the Red Sox Yankees Rivalry May Finally Be Back

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Its been a tough decade for the so called blood feud between the Red Sox and the Yankees. Neither team has really been very good at the same time recently. After the epic postseason clashes of 2003 and 2004 the two sides haven’t played each other in the playoffs even once. Before last year, both teams hadn’t even made the playoffs in the same season since 2009. In 2007 when the Sox won it all, the Yankees got smoked in the divisional round. In 2009 when the Yankees won it all, the Sox got swept in the divisional round. And in 2013 when the Red Sox went the distance again, the Yanks straight up sucked and missed the playoffs winning only 85 games.

The guys much smarter than me over at fivethirtyeight.com actually put together a graph last year, based on each team’s World Series odds, to measure how meaningful games between the Sox and Yankees actually have been over the years.

“From 2007 to 2016, the typical Yanks-Sox contest was only about as important as any old opening-day game. In other words, it was fun but no big deal.”

So we’re on the up ladies and gentlemen. Last year Boston won its second straight AL East crown and the Yankees came within a game of advancing to the World Series on the back of young, homegrown talent. All of that was BEFORE New York added the best power hitter in the game in Giancarlo Stanton. The Yankees, who featured a guy in Aaron Judge who hit 52 home runs AS A ROOKIE, just added a guy who hit 59 home runs. Ridiculous.

Well, thank god the Sox finally responded by signing one Julio Daniel Martinez.

It took a lot longer than most expected, but it sure is nice to take a team that won 93 games and then add this guy: .303 BA/.376 OBP/ .690 SLG with 45 Home Runs and 104 RBIs.

And for all the Yankees fans in my timeline talking shit already (its not even St. Patty’s Day yet) I’m just going to quote my man Jared Carrabis:

“After finishing last in the league in homers last year, the Red Sox added the player who is second in the MLB in slugging percentage (.574) since the start of the 2014 season behind Mike Trout (.579) with a minimum of 300 games played.”

A consolation prize he is not.

My point being though is this could be the first time we see Boston and New York square off in the playoffs in more than a decade. Both teams are stacked, young, and trending upwards. Sure the Patriots have taken the No. 1 spot in town and the Sox have won 3 titles since 2004, but I honestly don’t think thats why the venom between the Red Sox and the Yankees has dissipated. No, its because both teams haven’t been trying to kill each other for that next ring. If the Yankees and their loudmouth fans in the Bronx are standing between Chris Sale and a World Series appearance, you better fucking believe fans are gonna be fired up.

All we need is the opportunity, and thats what we have here tonight.

The Red Sox Finally Sign JD Martinez

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Update: The JD Martinez deal is $110 Million over 5 years with opt outs after the 2nd and 3rd year.

LETS GO! According to Pedro Gomez of ESPN the Red Sox just signed JD Martinez after months of blue balling each other.

The total dollars have yet to be reported, but years wise it seems like a good deal for both sides. The $200+ Million deal Martinez was hoping for never materialized and he chose to wait it out hoping someone would get stupid and swipe their Free Agency credit card. Never happened and you can imagine JD is less than pleased with Scott Boras for setting those expectations.

But a 5 year deal is perfect for the team and if JD continues to hit 40+ home runs every year then he can opt out after 2 years and try his luck again.

Depending on who you listen to the Sox were offering anywhere from $100-$125 Million and as a Red Sox fan I am more than happy with that. I mean its not my money so I could care less how much these guys actually get paid, but as we’ve seen in recent years when the team buries itself with bloated contracts it hamstrings them in potential future deals. An abortion of a $95 Million deal for Pablo Sandoval, a $217 Million contract for media combatant David Price, and of course the $72 Million deal the Sox handed out to Rusney Castillo after seeing his And1 Mixtape. All huge commitments with the most successful of the 3 having been as a middle relief pitcher in the playoffs. That my friends is what they call a less than ideal ROI.

So assuming the JD deal is in that reported $100-$125 Million range, the Red Sox have set themselves up really well for the present without strapping themselves for cash in the future when guys like Mookie Betts come due for big money deals.

Dealer Dave finally got one right and I’m sure everyone in Dunkin Donuts will hear all about it Tuesday morning.

 

If the TB12 Method Works for Hanley I Will Never Drink Pepsi Again

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hanley

AP – Coming off a career-worst batting average and sizeable drop in production, Red Sox DH Hanley Ramirez turned to a new offseason workout routine — he’s following Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady’s TB12 method.

The 34-year-old Ramirez felt like entering the later stages of his career that it was time to make a change. For him, who better to follow than a 40-year-old QB that just captured his third MVP award.

“I went on the Tom Brady side,” said Ramirez, who reported on Friday, a few days before full-squad workouts begin. “I think it’s 100 percent everything he says in the book, the work he does, makes sense.”

I’m on record as saying that I will never read The TB12 Method. I’m more of a Bartolo Colon Big Sexy Cookbook kind of guy. I love my nightshades. But if the TB12 Method works for Hanley Ramirez, I will gladly pour out my Pepsi bottles, dispose of my Frosted Flakes and move to “the Tom Brady side.” If the TB12 Method can work for Hanley Ramirez, that’s enough proof for me that it can work for anyone.

For the sake of this Red Sox season I hope that the TB12 Method does work for Hanley. Do I believe that he has read every word of the The TB12 Method, cover to cover? No. At least he’s saying the right things at the start of spring training, though. It shows that he is focused and that he is motivated. With or without J.D. Martinez the Red Sox need production out of Hanley to compete for a title this year. If Hanley’s 2018 looks anything like his 2017, the Red Sox would be lucky to win even one game in the playoffs.

It also happens to be a contract year for Hanley Ramirez, which might explain his focus this spring. If he makes 497 plate appearances this season his $22 million option for 2019 will kick in. Only three times in 12 years has Hanley failed to make at least 497 plate appearances. All the more reason for the Red Sox to sign J.D. Martinez and keep Hanley’s workload in check. Five years at $25 million a year for J.D. Martinez sounds a lot better if it also allows you to move on from Hanley Ramirez sooner.

Even if Hanley doesn’t make 497 plate appearances a strong 2018 will still allow him to maximize his earning ability as a 35-year-old free agent a year form now. If he’s adhering to the TB12 Method, even if his big-money days are behind him, maybe it’s a sign he would still like to play for a few more years and make some decent dough at the end of his career.

Baseball-Reference is projecting 539 plate appearances, a .255 batting average, 24 home runs and 73 RBIs for Hanley this year. If the Sox don’t add J.D. Martinez, I bet Hanley does make the necessary amount of plate appearances to come back for $22 million in 2019.

While his time in Boston as a whole has been disappointing, Hanley was a 30 HR / 100 RBI guy in 2016. He had offseason surgery on his left shoulder and said he was “hitting with one arm last year” when he hit 23 home runs and still made 553 plate appearances. I wouldn’t be surprised if a healthy, motivated and focused Hanley Ramirez puts up numbers more like 2016 (than 2017 or 2015) this season.

If Hanley has 20 HRs and 65 RBIs by the all-star break, I will head down to Patriot Place and buy The TB12 Method book, the TB12 weighted vest, medicine ball, looped band kit, and all the salt water electrolytes I can get my hands on.

5 Different Professional Fighters in The Ultimate Fighting Championship Have Simply Refused To Fight Zabit Magomedsharipov.

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Image result for zabit magomedsharipov

(He’s the one in the air, in case you didn’t draw that conclusion)

Sherdog –  The former Absolute Championship Berkut competitor took to Twitter to call out the likes of Myles Jury, Arnold Allen, Yair Rodriguez, Andre Fili and Artem Lobov for turning down a potential bout with him on April 7. According to Magomedsharipov, of those five only Lobov agreed to a fight — only to have his team decline.

Fuckin Dagestan, man. They just don’t want to stop producing the most terrifying MMA fighters alive. It’s bad enough when you have Khabib Nurmagomedov calmly telling fighters they don’t have a shot in hell and they need to give up so he can fight for the title – while reigning down hellfire elbows on their skulls. Now you have this GIGANTIC featherweight who is already such a problem two fights into his UFC career that the entire 145lb division has just said, nah, fuck that. Someone else do it. I mean look at those names above. Myles Jury (a former 155er btw), Yair Rodriguez, Andre Fili. Not only are those guys up there in terms of divisional standing (Fili aside, but he’ll be back into the Top 15), but they make their living going to Goddam WAR. They bring it. They’re all “anywhere, anyone, anytime” guys. That’s what makes this guy Magomedsharipov so special. He’s the limit. He’s where the rest of these guys said yaaaaaa anyone but him.

A little more on the man himself. He’s 14-1 with 12 finishes. His last two opponents – as aforementioned his first two in the UFC – both met their end via rear-naked choke. Also already mentioned, he is from the MMA factory known as the Republic of Dagestan. By “Republic” I mean Dagestan is a subject of Russia’s that sort of operates as it’s own thing because it would be too much of a pain in the ass for Russia to try and control them as much as some of their other regions. Given Dagestan’s proclivity for MMA, you can probably imagine why. A 6’1 featherweight,  when he is stateside (I don’t how often/constant that is) Magomedsharipov trains out of Ricardo Almeida BJJ amongst the likes of Edson Barboza and Frankie Edgar. That gym is known as one of the most underrated in the sport and a great spot for a 26 year natural. Apparently, maybe it’s a little too good for him because now no one wants to fight him.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. It’s hard enough for foreign fighters to rise up the UFC pecking order sometimes, for various reasons, without the road block of not being able to find an opponent. Let’s hope someone rises up soon to accept the challenge because this guy could be a part of the new wave at 145 along with Holloway and Ortega.

(Note: I wonder if between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Zabit Magomedsharipov Dougie will start putting a quota on how much text I can waste of names. Hope note.)

Rondo and Isaiah Thomas Get Into It, Both Get Ejected. I Miss These Guys

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Yahoo – Isaiah Thomas and Rajon Rondo got into a scuffle and were both ejected from Wednesday night’s game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers. And it stems from Boston Celtics beef. The two were each handed double technical fouls and given the boot. While it wasn’t immediately clear from game action why the two were so chippy, the announcers and Twitter speculated that the altercation stemmed from drama over Paul Pierce’s jersey retirement with the Celtics. It started when Thomas, who was due a brief honor from the Celtics after being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, asked to have his Boston moment moved to the same night of Pierce’s jersey retirement. The request didn’t have anything to do with Pierce, but Thomas’ desire to have his honor on a night that he would be healthy and playing.

I feel for Isaiah Thomas, I really do. Its like when you break up with a girl and move onto bigger and better things while your ex just spirals downward. He got hurt, got traded to Cleveland and surprise surprise didn’t get along with LeBron, got blamed for a shit Cavs team, and got traded again to the basement dwelling Lakers. And now he’s got Rondo giving him the business.

We had a great time together, watching IT was some of the most fun I’ve had watching the Celtics since KG and Pierce roamed the parquet. So I’ll always have a place in my heart for Isaiah.

BUT, Rondo, man. Rajon Rondo is a ride or die. The guy hasn’t played for the Celtics since 2014 and he still reps Boston just as hard.

Nobody crosses Paul Pierce on Rondo’s watch.

When Rondo was the precocious young point guard, KG took him under his wing and turned Rajon into a bulldog.

Something about Rondo just being a dickhead always endured him to Celtics fans. Like he was his own version of a Masshole. He was at one point compared to Chris Paul as the best PG in the league and Danny Ainge once even tried to trade him for Russell Westbrook straight up, which is laughable now. People forget how good Rondo once was though. But Rondo always showed up to ball and he was always ready to start a fist fight if need be.

I’ll never forget when Dwyane Wade basically broke Rondo’s arm on a dirty play under the hoop and Rondo came back into the game playing with one fucking arm.

 

I respect a good grudge and you just know Rondo, Pierce, and KG still have a deep hatred in their hearts for LeBron, Wade, and probably Ray Allen too. Those guys are a family and you never go against family. In Rondo’s mind, IT disrespected Pierce by asking for his tribute on the same night that No. 34 was going up into the rafters. You disrespect the family and Rondo’s coming for your head.

Ubuntu. Omerta. Whatever you wanna call it, nobody is disrespecting the Celtics legends. Not while Rajon Rondo still walks this earth.

I hate to see my two exes fighting in public, but goddamnit if it doesn’t remind me why I once loved them both.