Jordan Spieth Reels It In Late, Wins The Open Championship

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The 146th Open Championship, sometimes referred to as the British Open, wrapped up yesterday. There was drama, there were birds of all feathers, there were nut taps, and behind all of that was just-shy of 24 year old Jordan Spieth, who took home his 3rd major.

The drama that will make this Open one that is talked about for years was actually self-created. Spieth shanked his 13th tee shot so badly to the right his second shot was hit from the Royal Birksdale driving range over a large hill that completely blocked his view of the hole. For about 20 minutes he talked it over with his caddie, discussing options from atop the hill, looking out at the expanse of 13, and his win slipping away. Well, he hit a testicularly heavy shot to get himself in a good enough position to bogey the hole. Then he simply went birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie before a casual par on 18 to beat Matt Kuchar. Ridiculous stuff from the Prince of the high school class of 2011 that also produced the likes of Justin Thomas, among a slew of others.

A couple of other things should be noted. One being that Kuchar played exceptional as well, hats off to him.

Finally, huge tip of the cap to Branden Grace and his score of 62 on day 3, the lowest in tournament history. Just an obscene day on the links for the man from Pretoria.

The next major is the PGA Championship beginning on August 10th. We’ve already had a couple of classics this year and here is to keeping that trend going.

Floyd Mayweather Has To Make At Least A Half-Hearted Attempt on Conor’s McGregor’s Life, Right?

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So over the weekend you might have seen Conor McGregor achieving cuckold-ception while Floyd Mayweather got cuckhold-cepted. I don’t mean this in one of the infinite loose ways the term cuckold now gets thrown around, I mean literally.

You see, that isn’t any old NBA jersey the fashion maven McGregor thought looked good with the day’s color scheme. That’s C.J Watson’s jersey. C.J Watson is a current/former NBA player (he didn’t make a roster last year) who banged out one of Mayweather’s baby mamas right in his goddam face. This is all the more inflammatory as Floyd’s discovery of this fact is what triggered his infamous domestic violence case. Now 7 years later The Notorious is just struttin around, as he is wont to do, openly mocking the most embarrassing chapter of Floyd’s life. Brutal.

For me however, the worst part of this whole thing is that it brings back to light who exactly it was that this woman slept with to enrage Floyd. Wasn’t Kobe. Wasn’t known cuckold enthusiast Derek Fisher. Shit this was 2010 and it wasn’t even a guy like Rashard Lewis. Nope, The greatest boxer of his generation was replaced with C.J Watson, a backup PG that averaged 8 and 3 for his career playing for 5 different teams. Floyd was basically getting subbed out for a D (G?) Leaguer. Just embarrassing. Now you have Conor wearing the guy’s jersey. It might be the only merch C.J Watson ever sold.

So again I ask, doesn’t Floyd Mayweather at least have to like, mail McGregor some anthrax or something? Maybe pull out a letter opener at the next presser and run at him before getting purposely tackled by a security guard? Beating Conor McGregor up in an organized boxing match really isn’t going to remedy this, not publicly at least and probably not personally for Floyd. He’s gotta go some sort of medieval.

ONE Championship Secures Major Investment, Looking To Make A Move

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Chatri Sityodtong, Founder and Chairman of ONE Championship

So this news broke recently, and really it’s a story that it’s even a story. A couple of years ago ONE Championship, then known as ONE FC, was a solid Asian promotion made up of fighters mostly from that area of the world and served as an example of the talent and competition that could sustain a market there. Certainly there were consumers to be had, as the UFC was putting (and continue to put) on shows in plays like Macau. But that’s sort of where it began it ended, a fun, peripheral side story to follow.

Well fast forward a couple of years and not only has other promotions like Rizin sprung up to create some fun competition in the Asian market, but the playing field to land talent has leveled somewhat thanks to a couple of fuck ups by the UFC (Reebok, general apathy toward fighter pay). What shakes out is Asia is now a trendy place to go for a fight career and ONE is now the name-brand destination for fighters looking to ply their trade in Asia. Yesterday’s news and this investment means that ONE is officially serious about being  a major player in the global MMA scene. Will they ever compete with the UFC for overall, decided global dominance? Probably not, no. This might come off as a bit of an arrogant American point of view, but it is definitely still true that the allure of coming to live in America and fight in front of an American audience for the premier promotion is still very strong. However, for fighters who are looking to take a different root or are simply sort of over the American MMA scene, ONE is or could be a very attractive option, especially with it’s newfound financial legitimacy.

The Rafael Devers Era in Boston Begins Right Now

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So after another tough loss to the Angels on Sunday afternoon, the Red Sox announced the promotion of Rafael Devers from Triple-A Pawtucket.

Devers, of course, is the Red Sox top prospect and has been a virtual untouchable in any trade talks since Dave Dombrowksi has dealt so many prospects the last couple of seasons. Devers started the year in Double-A Portland and dominated before getting nominated to Pawtucket on July 14th.

  • In Double-A this year Devers hit .300 with 18 Home Runs and 56 RBI.
  • Since being called up to Pawtucket, Devers has raked, hitting .355 with 3 Home Runs and 4 RBIs in 8 games.

Now, are NINE days in Triple-A a great preparation for the jump to the majors? Probably not. But last year, Benintendi jumped straight from Double-A to the majors and didn’t miss a beat, immediately taking over as the Red Sox every day left fielder. On the other hand, Dombrowski promoted Yoan Moncada straight from Double-A to the majors and he looked terrible. SO, this could go either way, but by all accounts from the local beat writers its more so his defense that isn’t necessarily major-league ready. If his bat is even half decent though, its a major upgrade at third base, especially after just cutting the fat fucking panda. This probably all but ends the Red Sox pursuit of a third baseman on the trade market. Welp, let the Rafael Devers era in Boston begin.

Have A Beer For Chester Bennington Tonight

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Just to address this real quick, you were an automatic pariah at my middle school growing up if you didn’t cop a copy of “Hybrid Theory”. And whether or not you grew to resent Linkin Park’s brand of poppy rap-rock or not you can’t deny Chester’s Talent as a lyricist and more so a top vocalist of our generation. You can deny it all you want but his music touched you in some way. So when you crack that first cold one tonight maybe think of him. Rest in peace Chester.

A 300s Friday Rumination – Am I Going To Die Golfing Tomorrow?

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Ahhh golf. The gentleman’s game. The favorite past-time of the washed up. 18 holes and ~4 hours of sun, friendly competition, beers, and escape from whatever lies outside the tree lined solace of the golf course.

I myself began golfing – I wouldn’t say seriously, but with any consistency – just last year. I figured if I was going to day drink I might as well get some sun and have an activity to participate in while doing it. Since grabbing a buddy to just throw a football and smash beers with at the beach every weekend is just odd as a grown man in your late 20’s, I took up golf. I’ve gotten OK. I can make solid contact with a general knowledge of where the ball is going on most shots.

Now, when golfing, a lot people go pretty early in the morning. There are a few reasons, such as the fact that the course begins to fill up later in the day and the time-honored, old ass person mantra of “having the rest of the day to yourself”. Whatever the fuck that means. However a HUGE advantage to going early is you’re off the course by the early afternoon. And let me tell you something folks, in the dog days of Summer, with that sun hangin high in the sky, this is the big one. Thanks to ice caps melting or some shit I’m not all that keen on because science, it gets fucking HOT up in the greater Boston area nowadays, and HUMID too. Legit I walked out of my office building a couple of days ago and it felt like I was walking out of a hotel in Florida, maybe going to try some tasty international sodas at Epcot. Brutal.

This leads me to tomorrow. It is supposed to be sort of cloudy and 91 Goddam degrees. 91. Hot as fuck. And when it says partly/sort of cloudy nowadays, maybe the last 3 years or so, it means HUMID AS ALL HOLY HELL. I’m talking about sweat baby, sweat baby, sex is a Texas drought, humid.

The question is: between the sun searing my pale, freckly skin and the humidity waging war on my bodily systems, which are already being besieged by beer and devoid of water, am I going to die tomorrow? I’m serious, tomorrow actually could be it. I could hit that course in the AM with a slight hangover and an optimistic outlook on my play and come about 2:00 Eastern Standard Time Ol’ Joey B could be sheets.

My obituary wouldn’t even say he died doing what he loved. More like he died doing something marginally better than what he’d otherwise be doing. And you know what? Considering my life of personifying the 7 deadly sins I’m ok with that. So to those of you who are also hitting the links tomorrow, Godspeed. May our potential last day on earth be a good one.

Slainte.

The 300s UFC on Fox: Weidman vs. Gastelum (UFC Fight Night 25, UFC: Long Island) Preview

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There will be even more testosterone than usual on the last train back to the city Saturday night as the UFC descends on Long Island. It needs to be mentioned that this is a really cool moment for both the UFC and the local scene, as Long Island has long been a sneaky hotbed of MMA – particularly the fighters – beginning with TUF 4 winner and the UFC’s Rocky, former welterweight champ Matt Serra. As expected, a number of native sons line the card, headlining middleweight and Serra protege Chris Weidman and light-heavyweight contender Gian Villante included. All in all, this is an excellent card top to bottom, so let’s dig in.

The Main Event

Our main even pits two fighters with similar skill sets but at different points of their careers against each other.

In one corner you have Gastelum, a “finally arrived” contender who after just seeming to sort of not get it for awhile (missed weight, testing positive for the devil’s lettuce), now appears serious about making a run. I can really can only describe the Yuma, AZ native as a gorilla. Although short and somewhat undersized for the division (he flubbed multiple cuts to 170 and was forced to move up), The stocky 25 year old is incredibly strong and agile and uses both the threat of and actual takedowns to set up his heavy power punches, moving fleetly across the cage, somewhat rushed, to engage his opponents. I could go on and on about the raw, primal aspects of Gastelum’s game, but don’t let his lack of accolades fool you. He may not have the pedigree of his adversary, but he is one of the better functional wrestlers in the division and has extremely quick, crisp hands. There are a few knocks on Gastelum, one of which I’ll get to at the end. The main thing he has trouble with is his defense. The way he rushes in and the frenetic nature of his attacks leave him exposed. The fact that he is a smaller, shorter fighter, especially at this weight class, only compounds his susceptibility. All in all however, what seems to be a finally focused, properly motivated Kelvin Gastelum is making quite the charge at the 185lb belt.

In the other corner we have hometown hero and former middleweight champion Chris Weidman. What is there to say about Weidman? Where do we begin? This is the guy who cut 35 lbs in 2 weeks to take a short notice fight to to get into the UFC, only to beat the invincible Anderson Silva for the belt a short two years later. Weidman then polished off Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort before entering a sudden and bizarre downward spiral. He has lost 3 in a row, all by KO/TKO, and has simply looked like a  fish out of water in all three, unsure of the divine natural skill and immaculate technique that shot him to the top. There is no greater example of this than his last fight against Gegard Mousasi, where Weidman seemed cautious and timid on the feet, getting boxed up by “The Dreamcatcher” while looking and waiting for a take-down.

I’m going to jump into what I think may be a cause of Chris Weidman’s decline. It’s a bit of read so feel free to skip the next paragraph

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Now let me say loud and clear. Chris Weidman is a clean athlete. He is a not a juicer, however his last win and first loss straddle when the stringent USADA testing protocol went into effect. So what does this mean? Well, USADA doesn’t only prohibit the use of and test for performing enhancing and illicit drugs, it does the same for IV use, due to the use of IVs in blood doping. IVs were ubiquitous in MMA training camps, particularly with guys/girls who made use of large water cuts (literally sweating to lose weight) to make weight and then would need to rehydrate quickly in order to walk into the cage not completely drained. Weidman was one of those guys. He is a good sized middleweight who I’m guessing likes to regularly train well nourished, slim down as camp progresses, and then make a big cut – the wrestler’s life. Now, because IVs are gone and thus such huge water cuts would leave him vulnerable in the cage, he has to train smaller/lighter and probably weaker and in general not like he is used to. In my mind he’s even looked smaller than he used to in terms of pure body size. At such an advanced age for such a physical sport it can’t be easy.

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When he gets in the cage, Weidman will bring a very similar skill-set as Gastelum’s, although he deploys it differently. Weidman likes to use his footwork and movement, as well as his opponent’s own offense, to set up his Ray Longo-trained hands and D1 All-American take-downs. Considering Gastelum likes to lunge in with strikes and Weidman is capable of defending the takedown, which creates scrambles and breaks, The Hofstra alum should have some openings for his patented counter punches and nasty elbows.

One last thing since I haven’t dropped any hanging paragraphs yet, both combatants have ok but not great gas tanks – this is the lingering chink in Gastelum’s armor I mentioned – so if there is an active first round, expect them both to be look eager for a finish by the mid-2nd

Summary: My feelings for each fighter have been completely inverted. As Weidman’s losing streak began I kept saying not to count him out, he’ll be back. At this point however, it’s hard not to wonder if the lack of IVs, the shots he has taken, and father time have finally come to collect from Strong Island’s own. With Gastelum on the other hand, I’ve been skeptical of how he would do with each rung of the ladder he’s climbed. I guess the last selected contestant of TUF 17 just isn’t meant to be the favorite. That isn’t the case for me Saturday night though, as I believe his youth and power ends Weidman’s night early. Gastelum by KO/TKO in the 2nd/3rd round.

Fan/MMA Nerd Fight of the Night

In a battle of two bantamweights that are both max-two fights away from a title shot, Jersey boy Jimmie Rivera takes on Brazil’s Thomas Almeida. Two fights ago, the interloper “Thominhas” fought Cody Garbrandt in what I can remember as only the 2nd ever “whoever wins this is the next big thing in this division” fight after Jones-Bader at ligh-heavyweight in 2011. Although Almeida was knocked out, Garbrandt now holds the 135lb belt so there’s really no shame in such a loss. The Brazilian buzzsaw has since rebounded with a TKO over fellow prospect Albert Morales and looks to inch closer to either a rematch with “No Love” or a bout with whoever holds the belt when he is given a shot. In terms of how he fights, Almeida is pure violence, to put it mildly. He boasts a remarkable 77% TKO/KO rate over his 22 wins and has finished all but his debut win in the UFC. While a well rounded Muay Thai kickboxer with some great kicks and excellent knees, he primarily uses both to set up his leaden hands, particularly the straight or overhand right.

Across the cage stands Rivera, who has looked beyond impressive and yet with only 1 loss on his resume is still a bit underappreciated in my opinion. While not the soul-crushing finisher that Almeida is, Rivera is about as well-rounded as it gets. Across 3 rounds, Rivera is equivalently dominant, as shown in his unanimous decision win his last time out in September, where he spent 15 minutes convincing Urijah Faber to maybe take one last fight and then retire (long live the California Kid). A Team Tiger Schulman product, Rivera likes to put the pressure on his opponent while also looking for counter punches, although he seems to lack the same power, or possibly hunger, as his opponent to get the finish. It’s also notable that Rivera likes to work the body as a means to soften up and slow down whoever is standing across from him, and in this case it could make Almeida begin thinking twice about his next onslaught.

Summary:  This one is honestly a goddam toss up so I’m just going to go for broke. Although the Garbrandt fight showed Almeida does not like to be backed up the way Rivera backs his opponents up, I don’t see that ever happening as the bigger man from Sao Paulo will use his length and aggression to bring the fight to the regional favorite. It could go the distance but that’s a boring prediction. Almeida by TKO/KO in the 1st round.

 

Intriguing Fighter to Watch

This one has to go to Chris Weidman as so many questions abound. What does he have left? Can he get the win? Will he even look comfortable? With a guy with a similar bag of tricks across from him, where will he look to bring the fight? I guess we’ll see.

Another Fighter to Watch

This could be a big, and long delayed, coming out party for Jimmie Rivera. Make no mistake about it, this fight is not just about whether he wins or loses, but how he looks against a fellow agile, young, hungry striker such as Thomas Almeida. Depending on whether he can get the win, and if so how dominantly, we may have a very good idea of who Jimmie Rivera is coming out of this fight.


Notes

– The full list of local fighters on the card, non-Long Island noted: Chris Weidman, Gian Villante, Jimmie Rivera (Ramsay, NJ), Lyman Good (Manhattan, NY, NY), Ryan LaFlare, Shane Burgos (Bronx, NY, NY), and Chris Wade.

-Additionally, Rafael Natal trains with Renzo Gracie in NYC.

-Gian Villante will be cornered in part by UFC Heavyweight Champ Stipe Miocic. I know they train together a bit although I don’t know the connection. They’re both big, hilarious guys so if you catch a preview with them interacting it’s worth watching.

-Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira is criminally underrated with only 3 career losses, one of them to fellow “Cowboy” Cerrone on short notice. Since then he’s won 3 of 4 with 1 no contest.

-It’s hard not to like Darren Elkins but after his last fight he got a chest tattoo of his nickname “The Damage” and it’s awful. No more chest tattoos please.

-The main event was originally supposed to Ricard Lamas vs. “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung but the Zombie destroyed his knee and will be out awhile. Lamas now fights Jason “Hick Diaz” Knight at UFC 214.

Common Case of Mistaken Identity with Hugh Freeze

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So I saw the news of Ole Miss football head coach Hugh Freeze resigning yesterday and while I thought it was odd, college football coaches are always getting into shit due to violations with the NCAA. I thought nothing of it. Except I didn’t hear WHY he was getting canned. Then I heard an update on the radio this AM and was shocked. SHOCKED.

Yes, I thought The Freeze, the fucking guy that is the 2017 version of the racing presidents in DC or the sausage race in Milwaukee, got busted for calling hookers. “The Freeze has fallen a long way after losing that race for the first time in the All-Star game last week, hate to see that.” No, you booze soaked brain, it was Hugh Freeze calling hookers from work, not The Freeze. Whoops. Common case of mistaken identity.

Bellator’s Latest Pay-Per-View Attempt Tanks

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As expected by most, Bellator NYC/Bellator 180/whatever what have you did not do great PPV numbers, to say the least. For all the bluster and bravado that came from the fighters and Scott Coker himself it seems that this premium outing will do similar numbers to their initial attempt in 2014, with estimates in the 90,000 – 125,000 range. For reference, UFC 213, which lost two headlining fights (one the day of) and a top-10 Welterweight war, Is expected to come in around the top end of those numbers, AT LEAST. No bueno. To make matters a little worse, there was not a ton else going on that weekend. I myself was having a quiet Saturday and decided against purchasing it. Notably, the UFC did not offer up any competition, which in hindsight seems regrettable as they perhaps could have BURIED the Bellator PPV, albeit at the expense of their own event. Bellator’s parent company Viacom is putting on a public smile, saying they’re happy with the number, the “record gate” etc. however I doubt that’s all true.

Getting into the “why” and “what”, in terms of Bellator needs to do in order to improve upon this attempt, is actually pretty simple. Their 2014 PPV was just the best of their b-level talent plus the name brand of Quintin “Rampage” Jackson. That was never going to work. This time they relied upon their new strategy of having a good portion of the draw of their cards be either veteran and/or purely intriguing names, from Matt Mitrione and Fedor Emelianenko to the billed “best MMA prospect ever” wrestling maven Aaron Pico who was soundly defeated in his MMA debut. This strategy, although a solid one for garnering Spike TV numbers, is not going to work as a growth enabler or PPV seller. Intrigue only goes so far. I’ll change the channel to watch intrigue, not drop 50 bucks. What Bellator needs to do is what they finally have been doing: signing top-tier fighters. The only way to compete with UFC is to do just that – truly, straight up, compete. However I don’t expect they will ever go with that strategy alone and that’s why I don’t ever see them winning the battle.