Yuri Foreman wins 154lb title

The New Champ

Yuri Foreman spent a quiet Sabbath day in his Las Vegas hotel room, no television, no phone calls, no work. After sundown he went out and whipped the favored title holder, thirty-four year-old southpaw, Daniel Santos of Puerto Rico. Foreman is now an undefeated 28 and 0. He won by a three to nil decision. Rousing the crowd waiting on the main event, Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto, he knocked Santos down in the second round and again in the final round, when the veteran Santos, trailing on the judges' cards, knew he had to go for the knockout.

Interesting Sports links

We have a couple quick interesting sports links for your perusal, dear readers. They both come from the New York Times. The first was sent our way by a reader, recently returned to the Durham area from a sojourn to Boston. He must of known it would hit our spot, because the article is both about politics and the Yankees!

Did you know that the Yankees last eight World Series victories took place on the Democrats’ watch, during the terms of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton? Or how about that they never won the World Series during the terms of President Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Bush I or Bush II? Remarkable coincidence? We dunno, but we might have changed our baseball predictions had we heard this stat preseason. It surely makes sense that an Obama presidency would propel a Yankees run to the title.

Read the article by King George II's former press secretary, Ari Fleischer here in the New York Times.

From an article by a Jewish guy, to an article about a Jewish guy, the Times published an interesting piece about (believe it or not) a Jewish boxer fighting for the World Boxing Association championship at 154 pounds Saturday, on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto match at the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas.

Yuri Foreman is 27-0 as a professional fighter. He lives in Brooklyn, but has traveled a long road, growing up poor in Belarus and immigrating later with his family to Israel. He learned to box in the slums of Haifa. Readers of the late Red Smith will attest that Foreman is neither the first, nor the best Jewish boxer ever. Who can forget "Battling" Levinsky, Charlie Gellman, Abe "the Little Hebrew" Atell, Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, Barney Ross and Ruby Goldstein? It has however been a long minute, the Golden Age of Jewish boxers was before WW II, since we heard that one was fighting for a world title.

Read the whole story here.

Michigan, not much to like

The Clarion Content found one more reason to dislike the University of Michigan athletic department yesterday. Two different students reported incidents with retiring Athletic Director, Bill Martin. The school's department of public safety reported a brusque Martin shoved past one and in an another case grabbed a student's windbreaker.

The Associated Press report says,

Michigan student Jackie Turner says she told Martin he needed a pass to enter the regents guest area of the press box Sept. 12 during a game against Notre Dame. She said he pushed her shoulder and walked past her.

"Honey, I am the athletic director," Turner quoted him as saying, according to a university report on the incident.

On Oct. 17, Eastern Michigan student Arif Khan said he told Martin and a female companion they needed passes to enter the area after a game against Delaware State. Khan said Martin grabbed his jacket.

"I am the athletic director, I can go in," Khan quoted Martin as telling him.

Sounds like a nice guy. This is the jerk who brought in the slimeball football coach, Rich Rodriguez. Well, it is not like one might expect anything low out of the Michigan athletic department.

Ole Miss tries to ban chant

The University of Mississippi long considered a bastion of the old South is trying to change a tradition. Ole Miss was the site of a bloody standoff, less than fifty years ago, when in 1962 it admitted its first black student, James Meredith. The university still has to address its reputation and legacy. Six years ago the university got rid of its on-field mascot, Colonel Rebel, a white-haired old man who carried a cane and resembled a plantation owner. Now the school is trying to mover further out of the shadow of its old image.

The school is trying to ban the chanting of the phrase, 'The South Will Rise Again,' at the end of the marching band's medley 'From Dixie With Love.' The school's chancellor has suggested replacing the traditional chant, with 'To hell with LSU.' No luck yet. Some students are willing to go along with change, others are resisting. The medley played by the school band is based on the Confederate Army's fight song, "Dixie," blended with the Union Army's "Battle Hymn of the Republic." The song itself may have to be banned to end the chant.

Read the whole story here.

Oden over Durant

Is there anyone out there still defending the drafting of Greg Oden ahead of Kevin Durant? The Clarion Content hopes not. Oden is averaging a measly 6.8 points per game. He is grabbing a handful of boards, 9.8 per game, and blocking a couple of shots, 2.2 game, but if that is what he is!?! A defensive rebounding specialist who's career peak is below that of Ben Wallace. Egads, what an egregious decision to draft him ahead of the electric Kevin Durant. 25.3 points per game last year, a contender to win the scoring title this year, even if hasn't shot a lick yet.

It says here that Trail Blazers mini run peaked last year at a first round playoff loss. Portland coach Nate McMillan is already calling out Oden and the team for a lack of effort, "We're not playing as hard as we need to win games." And he lit up his interior players for their lack of defense rotation and hustle,"We broke down and they were able to get to the paint and get layups without our bigs stepping in to help." McMillan indicated it was a problem morphing into a bad pattern.

See ya back at the lottery Portland, and don't do anything dumb like picking Oden over Durant or you will be right back here again.

American sport is devouring itself

Failing to learn the lesson of the golden goose the greed of those who run American sports is devouring the very games that sustain them. We discussed this motif in an article earlier this week about the starting times of baseball games. Those in charge of baseball are worrying about the highest possible advertising revenues today, rather than whether or not the potential fans of tomorrow will be allowed to stay up late enough to watch the game. We have railed against the ridiculous ticket prices at Yankee stadium for some of the same reasons. It is doubly disgusting to price the average fan out of the ballpark when your stadium's construction was publicly financed.

Columnist Bob Hebert makes a plea along the same lines here in the New York Times.

NBA Preview

The Clarion Content's Sports Editor is excited because it is easy to write a short and sweet NBA basketball preview this year. There are only five teams with any shot at contending for the NBA title. In the East the contenders are: the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic. In the West, it is the Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs. It says here that the winner of the Western Finals is going to take the crown. The West is beating the East.

The Celtics are going to be dragged down by Garnett's body betraying him, even with point guard Rajan Rondo excelling. It will not be enough, Ray Allen is another year older, too. Getting 'Sheed helps Boston, but he is aging and slower as well, unless Garnett finds the fountain of youth, the Celts can't go the distance. The Cavs have the best player in the league, LeBron James. Despite King James's superlative efforts, it is simply not physically possible to win it alone in the NBA. Long Shaq supporters, the Clarion Content has been losing faith lately. How will an aging, immobile Shaq handle playing second fiddle? Our fear is that this isn't the same Shaq that D-Wade got to play with, that Shaq had a bit more left in the tank. The Orlando Magic are the wild card. We cannot believe that Vince Carter will suddenly morph into a successful, driven NBA basketball player. We have followed from him from Chapel Hill to Toronto to East Rutherford, why now? But if somehow it did happen... If the light went on and it clicked for Vince, the Magic would have to be the favorites in the East. Right now, we see them as the third fiddle.

The West is where it is at! Firstly the defending champs, the Lakers, play there. Second Tim Duncan has a lot more left on the odometer, than the other big guy with four rings on his fingers, Shaq. Ginobli's heath is a big concern for the Spurs.

We have been waiting for months to say it, but we believe that Ron Artest is a down grade from Trevor Ariza, Lakers fans! Ariza was unstoppable off the dribble, shooting lights out from 3 point line, comfortable being low on the totem pole. Artest is crazy and high maintenance. Heck, he hadn't even played a game and he had already introduced Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian. Excitement happens around old Ron Artest, just not the good kind. Plus his offensive game has deteriorated with his foot speed. He is also no longer the lights out defender he once was. Kobe, as dedicated and determined as he is, has played 200 plus games in the past two seasons.

Conversely, the Spurs got way better in the off-season, in addition to getting a long rest when they lost early. This year, Richard Jefferson was the NBA acquisition of the off-season, he can light it up from 3 or off the dribble. He hustles, is willing to play defense and comes with minimal ego and baggage. Jefferson is far easier going, for example, than the already bitching Andre Miller in Portland. Jefferson had to put up with prima donnas J. Kidd and Carter in the swamps of Jersey and he was a huge success. The Spurs also added the most NBA ready rookie this side of Blake Griffin, Pitt's DeJuan Blair, and they hoovered up veteran Antonio McDyess for big man depth. Look out!

The Spurs look like the pick from here. The Lakers will push them to the brink in the Western Conference Finals. A couple more quick hitting predictions: the Knicks will win no more than 35 games. The Nets are never moving to Brooklyn. The Timberwolves will be better than people think, perhaps even stealing the eight seed in the ultra-competitive West. Comeback we are most excited to see: Gilbert Arenas with le Bullet. Comeback we are least excited to see: Greg Oden with the Portland Milktoasters.

Need more? Bill Simmons done wrote a terrific in-depth NBA column in two parts. Click here. Just because we came to similar conclusions doesn't mean we copied or worked together, it may just be the thinking on a pretty obvious season that is likely ensue.

One more reason to root

Need one more reason to root for Duke football? As a team the football squad has maintained a collective 3.0+ Grade Point Average in each of the last three semesters consecutively. This is not an Auburn situation where the kids are getting inflated grades from classes they don't attend. There are no fluff Parks and Recreation Management majors offered at Duke, unlike some large state institutions.

Count the Clarion Content in as a supporter.

Ridiculous and awful

Is there any other way to classify the fools who write the Major League Baseball schedule? When what was once the national pastime has six remaining fans in 2025, the bankrupt owners will look back and rue the Bud Selig era. The litany of Selig calamities is endless from the ignore the steroids home run chase, to the tied All-Star game, to changing the rules of the game in the middle of the World Series, Selig has shown he was maxed out in his abilities back when he was selling used cars.

As part of his legacy of idiocy and disaster Selig wants to insure no one watches the MLB playoffs, at least not a whole game. Can there been any other reason for starting Game 6 of the playoffs at 8.20pm on a Sunday night? Hey asswipe, do think most kids parents let them stay up past 10pm on a school night? Do you think anyone under 16 will see past the fourth inning tonight? (Most of adults have to work Monday morning, too, dumbass.) This is sad because ALCS has been a fascinating series, although defined more by its miscues than its great plays.

This too is the fault of the conceited MLB schedule makers. Taking a hint from the folks who write the college bowl schedule, baseball has insured that its playoff teams have an inordinate amount of days off that is never replicated during the regular season. (The Yanks and Angles have played 8 times in the last 20 days!) Thus when games are finally contested, mistakes abound. Games are, as Tori Hunter noted, played like exhibitions rather than like the regular season. Why not right? Baseball's moronic leadership has teams play through driving rainstorms in the playoffs that would never be consider acceptable conditions during the regular season! Integrity means nothing to these dopes!

The rationale for this schedule and playing in these absurd conditions, hotel rooms! Are you f*ing kidding? The whole country and the sport has to suffer because Selig and entourage are worried about rescheduling their hotel rooms? You have got to be joking. The League Championship Series are being played in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia and your excuse for this pathetic schedule is a lack of hotel rooms? Patently false and intelligence insulting, Car Salesman Selig. At the Clarion Content, we can buy that maybe at the last minute you won't be able to rebook the presidential suite at swank Manhattan hotels, but you couldn't rebook for something in Jersey or out on Long Island?!? Say you can't and you are a LIAR! Check out the Motel 6 or the Econo Lodge, jerk. Got the same problem in Philly? Hey book a room in Delaware, a-holes, the whole metro area isn't out of rooms, and we know it. So now, one is talking about sacrificing the integrity of the game so Selig and entourage don't have to commute too far to games.

What we should be talking about is the ritual sacrifice of Bud Selig to the baseball gods, it may be the only way to bring the game back from the brink.

Raiders Coach Tom Cable won't be prosecuted

The Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable won't be prosecuted for allegedly busting assistant coach Randy Hanson's jaw. The Napa County district attorney Gary Lieberstein said he could not prosecute the case based on the evidence he had gathered, stories and testimony had changed too many times. Raiders owner Al Davis must have gotten to the witnesses. The three other assistant coaches in the room could not corroborate Hanson's story.

There was an altercation or a near altercation. Hanson, reportedly Al Davis's spy in the coaches' meetings, definitely had his jaw broken. After months, not much more than that can be definitively said.

Read a NorCal take on the situation here in the San Francisco Chronicle.