Larry Brown Sports

I can remember clearly, the last time I truly got excited – I mean eyes as big as Reche Caldwell, heart jumping through the chest, full on arousal – for boxing news was when Sheffield, England native Prince Naseem Hamed announced that he would come out to fight in the U.S. for the first time a full decade ago.  That’s right, a full decade ago, back in 1997, was the last time I was truly excited to hear boxing news – until November of ’06 – when it was announced that Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be fighting Oscar De La Hoya on May 5th, 2007.

Finally, it would seem as if the uber-talented Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be fighting someone challenging.  Not only is De La Hoya bigger, stronger, and more powerful, but Oscar also has the big-fight experience that Mayweather will finally gain.  Additionally, the fight pits a Latin-American against an African-American naturally polarizing the boxing fan community.  And of course none other than Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s father, Mayweather Sr., happened to be Oscar De La Hoya’s trainer (De La Hoya has since chosen Freddie Roach to train him).   

That is why it comes as no surprise that the boxing community has shared in my alacrity – as noted in the press release I received below:

“Tickets for the highly anticipated super fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather sold out in three hours Saturday afternoon at MGM Grand’s box office and thru TicketMaster’s website.  More than 5,400 tickets for  the fight, Saturday, May 5 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, were devoured by fans eager to help establish the record-breaking live gate of $19 million.  The previous record was $16,860,300 for the November 13, 1999 Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield II championship event at the Thomas and Mack Center.”

You better start making your plans now because on May 5th boxing fans and sports fans at-large will finally have something to be excited about. 

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Dear Peyton,

You may have won the battle, but you have not won the war.  Yes, you led a magnificent comeback against your nemesis – the Patriots.  Yes, your team was down 21-3 at one point and you still won.  Yes, you came through and delivered in the clutch.  Yes, you outplayed 3 time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.  Yes, you overcame the unconquerable Bill Belichick. 

Yes, you led all quarterbacks in passer rating and touchdowns in the regular season.  Yes, you are already highly ranked amongst all-time quarterbacks in passing yards and touchdowns.  Yes, you have enjoyed 377yd/5TD and 457yd/4TD games in the playoffs - and those have been overlooked.  Yes, you are already carving a niche amongst the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game.

But let me repeat, you may have won the battle, but you have not won the war.

Unfortunately for you Peyton, going 12-4 in the AFC, beating the league’s top defense (Baltimore) on the road, and the dynasty team of the decade (Patriots) in the playoffs simply will render itself meaningless should you lose the Super Bowl. Should you lose, you will be subject to the same criticism that has plagued you since the day you set foot on the Tennessee campus – Peyton Manning cannot win the big game.

Peyton, for the sake of criticism that will never die, please win the Super Bowl.

Sincerely,

The Sports Media et al.

Chicago Bears special teamer Devin Hester struggles while attempting to record station liners in the middle of a Super Bowl news conference. This begs a few questions:
1. Why would a reporter interrupt a Super Bowl news conference to ask Hester to record said liners AND
2. How did Devin Hester make it through 3 years of college?

I'll let you decide for yourself

Just another reminder that when you’re in LA and you see a guy who looks like the dude from that movie…it’s probably him.  With that in mind, Jesse Metcalfe of Desperate Housewives and John Tucker Must Die fame was spotted Tuesday night dining on some crunchy shrimp rolls at Miyagi’s on Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood.  Metcalfe was joined by girlfriend Nadine Coyle of Girls Aloud fame, and another blonde. The group was taking advantage of the 2 for 1 happy hour special. The news comes as no shock, as it was recently let known that Coyle moved to LA to be with Metcalfe.

 

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Being locked into the Pac-10 as a prominent UCLA alum (yeah, that’s right, I said prominent), and having several friends who are Cal fans, I have been pretty in-tune with the stadium situation in Berkeley.  Here’s your briefing: Jeff Tedford arrived in Berkeley following the ’01 season under Tom Holmoe in which Cal went 1-10.  He quickly turned the program around, generating 5 straight winning seasons, including a 10-1 finish in ’05.  As a result of reviving the Cal football program, elevating it to new heights, and making it a perennial power, Jeff Tedford quickly became a hot coaching candidate for several coaching openings. 

Tedford quelled most rumors when signing an extension that would presumably keep him at Cal through 2013 – largely contingent upon the refurbishment of Memorial Stadium.  But the latest news makes it look Tedford will be heading to the NFL, or a more appealing collegiate job, as soon as the opportunity presents itself.   

“Plans to retrofit Memorial Stadium and add a $125 million high-performance athletic center were delayed Monday, when a judge issued a preliminary injunction that blocks construction.  The project is the subject of several lawsuits, claiming nothing should be built so close to the Hayward Fault and trying to protect a grove of oak trees, among other contentions.” 

Coach Tedford’s comments would suggest Cal fans have nothing to worry about,

“My commitment is unwavering. My commitment is 100 percent to Cal. I’m not panicking. I’m not fazed by this at all.”

Luckily Cal fans have me here to translate for them. 

“This news sucks.  F*** the politicians.  I plan to leave as soon as a good offer comes across my desk.  These A**holes will miss me when I’m gone.” 

Sincerely, Jeff Tedford.

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Yes I know this is a sports site, but sometimes mainstream stories are deserving of our attention.  Big ups to GP John for the link to this story, a high school principle faces lewd conduct charges.  From the L.A. Times:

“The principal of an Orange County high school was placed on leave last week after his arrest on suspicion of lewd conduct in a public place, according to a school official and police.  Brent Bailey, principal of El Modena High School in Orange, was arrested at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 27 in a public restroom near Brea Dam in Fullerton during a sting operation, said police Lt. Doug Cave. He said police regularly patrol the area because it is known as a meeting place for public sexual activity.”

What an excellent example for our impressionable youth.  Just the type of role-model we need regulating high-school aged kids and deciding on suspensions. 

For the record, there’s nothing quite like getting a hummer in a dam, so I’m told.

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For your updated list of certainties in life, we have the preeminent “death and taxes”, Tiger and Federer winning, and rounding things out, J.D. Drew getting injured. That’s right, in 8 major league seasons, J.D. Drew has never failed to hit the DL at least once in a year (until ’06). In fact, D.L. Drew has never played more than 146 games in a year. For perspective, the perpetually plagued Ken Griffey Jr. has surpassed the 146 game figure 6 times in his career.Â

Despite all this detail, I never expected the email I received yesterday to creep into my inbox. Forwarded from a colleague of my sister (who is currently stationed in New York oddly enough) was this gem:

“Hey everyone, it’s that time finally. As many of you know the Red Sox recently signed JD Drew for a disgusting amount of money despite his long history of injuries. Obviously, huge numbers of Sox fans have been very unhappy about this signing, while at the same time Yankees fans are overjoyed that he’s getting $70 million over the next five years. And since his injuries are inevitable, we may as well make them interesting. Welcome to the pool. For just five bucks you can make your prediction on when he gets hurt, and if you’re right, the pot is yours. Just on word of mouth we’re already up to about $50 for the winner, so join in and get the prize up even higher. And don’t be shy about forwarding this to every baseball fan you know. Anyone can join.”

Well, that is exactly what I’m doing. They have actually set up 2 separate pools.

1. When will J.D. go down?   Only his first trip to the DL will be included in this pool. Any subsequent trips are only counted in the second pool. Here’s the caveat: The official date that will be used to determine the winner is the date they announce him going to the DL. So if he gets put on the DL retroactive to another day, it is the day they announce it.
2. How long will J.D. be hurt? Predict how many games Drew actually plays (the original plan was to see how many days he’d spend hurt, but it’s too hard to track between the days he doesn’t play and the days he’s actually on the DL). The official number will come from JD Drew’s page on http://www.redsox.com/.

For the record, between fantasy baseball and all, I know D.L. Drew pretty well. In fact, I know him well enough to say that I don’t think he’ll be on the DL this year. I’m going with D.L. playing 138 games this year – he’ll just sit out his typical 1 game a week to make my total.Â

Submit a comment below if you want to go on record with your prediction, and indicate if you want in on the $5 entry fee and I’ll forward along the info.

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Apparently performing at half time of the Pacers/Pistons game on Sunday was a married couple called the Quick Change Artists - a notable improvement from the SWAT team or Michigan militia.  As you might guess, their talent is an ability to change clothes mulitiple times in short intervals.  I’m not sure if you just wake up one day and say “I want to be the fastest married couple at changing clothes in the world,” but it seems as if this couple has perfected the skill. 

Not that you, or I, or anyone else would have seen it, but apparently the group performed in the reality show, “America’s Got Talent.”  Check it out below, it’s actually somewhat cool (besides, anything that starts out with a shot of the Hoff is always an instant winner):  

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According to an article passed along to me by the legendary John Ramey that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle,

“In North Carolina, four men are collecting signatures for a petition that would seek national-holiday status for the Super Bowl.”

 This is bleepin’ brilliant!  

Seriously, it’s news items like this that make you wonder what we’ve been thinking the past 40 years. 

“That official day off would be observed on a Monday, in the grand American tradition of the three-day weekend — and in recognition of the debilitating Sunday excess of unhealthy food, strong beverage, televised sporting violence, relentless commercialism and not a small amount of gambling. No need to call in sick if the office is closed.”

If you are a man, and you are not in favor of this, you need to relocate your nut sack.  If you are a woman, and you are not in favor of this, you need a man in your life.   

To join the cause, visit SuperBowlMonday.com and sign the petition. 

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So Jerry Rice has just come out with a book titled “Go Long! My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame.”  As if we didn’t see him enough when he was on Dancing With the Stars, now he’s on every show in the world publicizing his book. Can’t blame the guy – who in a sane frame of mind wouldn’t want the greatest wide receiver ever to be a guest on their show?

Since the San Francisco treat has been making the rounds, several people have been referring to him as the greatest wide receiver EVER, and potentially the greatest football player ever.  True, he is the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, but I will remain steadfast in my belief that none other than Randy Moss has been more dominant than the perceived greatest wide receiver ever for an extended stretch of time.  Before you call me crazy, witness the numbers:

*Rice played in 108 games in his first 7 years, Moss played in 109 games in his first 7 years

Before arriving at the Black Hole that is Oakland, Randy Moss was off to a better start in his career than Jerry Rice.  And 7 years is a significant sample size to measure – it’s not like each of their best 3 years were chosen for the purpose of this comparison.  So before you think of Jerry Rice being that great, I will maintain that Randy Moss was a more dominant receiver for an extended stretch of time than Jerry Rice.