Stormin Norman Rumack

On Saturday night August 28, the UFC made its first trip to Massachusetts. Boston to be exact.for UFC 118 @ the TD Bank Garden.Homeof the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.Tom Brady and Shaq were in attendance.UFC 118 Card:Marcus Davis VS. Nate Diaz:Round 1: Left handed stance by both fighters.Even round.Both men are bloodied.Maybe Diaz work harder at the end of the round.Round 2: Davis Right eye is horrible, bleeding like crazy.Differently Nate Diaz's round.Round 3: After the first round it was all Nate Diaz.The bloodied right eye of Marcus Davis was a factor. Nate Diaz wins by submission.Winner: Nate Diaz @ 4:02 of round 3 via submission guilltine chokeGray Maynard VS. Kenny Florian:Round 1: Even round.Maynard probably for being more busy by round's end.Round 2: Exactly like the first round Gray Maynard get's the take down and works over Kenny Florian.Kenny left eye is bloodied.Another round to Gray Maynard.More dominating than the first round.Round 3: Gray Maynard wrestling is and was to much for Kenny to handle.Disappointing...

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This Saturday night August 28, the UFC makes its first trip to Massachusetts to put on there next Pay Per View UFC 118 in Boston.UFC 118 will feature a highly-anticipated bouts: Randy Couture vs. James ToneyUFC 118 will also have a championship bout:UFC Lightweight Championship fight featuring former champ BJ Penn against current champ Frankie Edgar for a second time.UFC 118 Card:Marcus Davis VS.Nate Diaz:Nate Diaz (12-5) is 25 years old.He is the winner of the The Ultimate Fighter 5. Diaz, had victories in his first five octagon fights.He did drop back-to-back bouts to Clay Guida.In his hast fight this past March he was victorious with a 1st round TKO over Rory Markham.Marcus Davis (17-6) is 36 years old. Davis,is a former The Ultimate Fighter 2 participant.Davis has split his last six, although did pick up a victory in his most recent fight this May over Jonathan Goulet.Pick: Nate Diaz just is too young a too fast for Davis to handle. Nate Diaz by 1st round submissionMario Miranda VS.Demian Maia: Demian Maia...

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I’ve mentioned many times over a number of years on the radio, and probably a time or two in this blog, that one of the nicer professional athletes to deal with from a media perspective, is Detroit Tigers DH, Johnny Damon. From the first time I met him, and that was probably was when he was still with Kansas City, he was always one of the more approachable baseball players, and would almost always find time for an interview. During the discussion, he would provide intelligent answers, and not rush through it, as though it was the last thing he wanted to do. As opposed to an arrogant athlete, Damon actually seems to be a sensitive individual, who does care about people. The former Yankee comes across, as though he can still relate to the average working man. He speaks as though he has an understanding, for the day to day struggles of the average person, to pay bills, and make it through life’s ups and downs. His personal wealth from being a star athlete, has not clouded his perspective on the real world. Maybe...

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It was so inspiring on Monday, to read that veteran broadcaster Vin Scully, will be returning to the broadcast booth in 2011. Now 82 years of age, Scully is one of the very few play by play voices that fans will go out of their way to listen to, even if they are not fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team whose games he has been calling since 1950, going back to when the team played in Brooklyn, New York.

 

There are some broadcast outlets,where the trend has become one of going with much less experienced journalists, regardless of the fact that in some cases, they have nowhere near the knowledge and perspective, of the more mature broadcasters. This does not occur everywhere in the industry, but it does happen in some places.

There is no “young” person anywhere, that could now or ever replace Vin Scully, but somewhere, there might be some poorly researched executive, who might be inclined to try and replace a legend like him. Their misguided and sure to fail rationale, would be that they...

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As a sports journalist, and one with around five thousand Facebook friends, I sometime end up in some lively debates about teams that I like and openly cheer for. There are some sports journalists who claim that they aren’t and never were fans of any team. Yeah, right………can you spell LIAR ? Anyone who believes that, is about as naive as can be. I have my biases, but I have always been very open about them. It would be great if everyone else in the business did the same.

One of those colorful chats on my Facebook page, revolved around my support for the Chelsea Blues of the English Premiership. Like many teams in professional sports, they have a few players who have had issues that created negative headlines. Fans of other teams in soccer, like to use that as part of their debate material, to put down my support of the team. Whether it is team captain John Terry, and his alleged involvement with a former girlfriend of former England teammate Wayne Bridge, or striker Nicolas Anelka, and his verbal tirade...

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So who was right, between New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and former Colts and Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, as to whether or not it matters if a professional coach in any sport, not just football, uses foul language for any reason during practice or a game ?

I certainly admire Tony Dungy for all that he has accomplished with both Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. He should and does get a lot of credit, for the Buccaneers team that went on to win a Super Bowl under Jon Gruden (2002 season), especially it’s defense ( known as the “Tampa 2”). Dungy has always conducted himself with class and distinction. I remember how the Colts players were all in admiration when their coach was eulogizing his son, Jamie, 18,  who took his own life on December 22, 2005, and how even in that most tragic of circumstances, he used his own sorrow as a teaching tool for his players, so they might gain something from his loss.

It certainly would be difficult to live up to his standards, the way Dungy carries himself, in both words...

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Baseball professionals and those who follow the sport closely, frequently refer to this time of the season, as the dog days of summer. The reference deals with what is psychologically, the toughest part of the season to get through, as the schedule has another six weeks to go, before the playoffs begin in October. It is not unusual to see some of the best teams in the sport go through slumps at this time of the year. For the teams that remain in contention for a post-season spot, it frequently becomes like the law of the jungle, where it is a question of avoiding major injuries to key players, especially the pitching staff. The games might also become mentally tough, as the top teams might be already thinking ahead to the playoffs,even though they need to be focused on the day to day schedule.

 

Conversely for soccer, their very long season is just getting underway, and for the elite players who competed in the World Cup, it is a real marathon, as there was only about a month of down time, if that....

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France stole the headlines at this summer’s World Cup, and of course their attention grabbing moment had nothing to do with skill, and everything to do with striking a practice, and staging a mutiny against their coach at the time, Raymond Domenech, who has since been dismissed, and should have been after the France failed miserably at the 2008 European Championships. France gained only one point in the group stage of that tournament, and only scored one goal in the three games, against Romania, Netherlands,and Italy.  Although they didn’t quite steal any front pages outside of France, everyone now knows the French Football Federation has taken action against some of the players, and made an example of Les Blues and Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka, by suspending him for 18 games, after he cussed out his coach at the half, of a 2-0 defeat by Mexico, at the World Cup, and then was sent home by the Federation. All of this preceded his team-mates taking strike action against their coach the next day, just before a...

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When it comes to the English Premiership, I am quite happy to be a fan of the Chelsea Blues, not only because of their “Double” championship last season, winning both the Premiership and FA Cup titles, but it is also the fact that they have a billionaire owner, who will spend whatever it takes to keep the team at a highly competitive level. Roman Abramovich is an ideal owner for any fan. As detailed in Wikipedia, he is listed as the 50th most wealthy person in the world, and since his purchase of the team in June 2003, the Blues have won 3 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and 2 League Cups. That accumulation makes them the most successful English team over the last seven years.  He is just like a fan in reality,as most owners are, but the difference is that he has all the money he needs to find the players that are required to get the Chelsea Blues to the top, and keep them there.  The owners of North American professional sports teams that I would compare him to, would include Mike and Marian Ilitch, the owners...

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