Archive for the ‘Boxing’ Category

Spence vs Bundu: A mismatch inside the ring, but significant outside the ring

Posted: August 16, 2016 in Boxing
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There certainly won’t be any drama when undefeated Ring Magazine No. 7 rated welterweight Errol “The Truth” Spence takes on 41 year old Leonard Bundu this Sunday night from the Ford Amphitheater in Coney Island, NY. The bout will be shown nationally on NBC after the closing Olympic ceremonies. Spence is a huge 100-1 favorite that has knocked out 17 of his 20 opponents, including seven straight.
The significance of this fight has nothing to do with the fight itself, but with details outside the squared circle. That’s where things get interesting as there will be an important question that should be closer to being answered. Will a Top Rank promoted fighter be matched with an Al Haymon managed fighter? That hasn’t happened yet, which has kept some promising fights from happening.

When Spence, who is managed by Haymon, wins on Sunday, he will be the mandatory challenger for IBF Welterweight champion Kell Brook. While Brook hasn’t vacated his title as of yet, he has moved up to middleweight to fight GGG on Sept 10th. It’s not impossible that Brook will move back to welterweight after his fight, but it’s highly unlikely given his struggle to make the 147 pound limit. At the 30 day out weigh in, Brook tipped the scales at 176 pounds, further implying his permanent move up in weight.

What this all means is that Brook is going to end up vacating his title, which would result in Spence having to face another fighter for the vacant strap. When looking over the IBF welterweight rankings, the fighter ranked just below Spence is Konstantin Ponomarev, who just so happens to be promoted by Top Rank, and who would be the most logical matchup to fill the IBF’s vacancy. There’s no excuse for those two not to be matched up as Ponomarv last fought on April 9th and doesn’t have another fight scheduled.

If those two don’t get matched together next, that will further show that Bob Arum (CEO of Top Rank) and Haymon still cannot co-exhist enough to put some great matches on for the public.

I’d put my money on that fight not happening and instead would be willing to bet that Spence takes on Haymon managed, Lamont Peterson, who is ranked No. 5 by the IBF. Peterson also is available as he hasn’t fought since last October and there wouldn’t be a conflict between manager and promoter. Let’s all hope I’m wrong and that the feud between these two boxing power brokers can finally end.

It’s Showtime for Cleveland’s Nieves

Posted: June 30, 2016 in Boxing
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(photo: George Jimenez/ GeoImagez)

(photo: George Jimenez/ GeoImagez)

Newly crowned WBO NABO bantamweight champion Antonio “Carita” Nieves (16-0-1, 10 KO’s) will return to the ring on Friday, August 19th when he takes on the also undefeated, Nikolay Potapov (14-0-1, 6 KO’s) from Rhinos Stadium in Rochester, New York in a 10-round bantamweight bout.

The co-featured match is part of a tripleheader that will be live on Showtime as part of their “ShoBox: The New Generation” series that focuses on up-and-coming prospects in the boxing game.

Nieves is coming off his first 10 round bout, a unanimous decision over then once-beaten Oscar Mojica on June 18th in Washington, Pa., when he won the WBO NABO crown.

Potapov is coming off a 10 round majority draw against Stefon Young on April 15 that was also televised by Showtime for their “ShoBox” series.

Ironically, the only blemish on Nieves’ record is the draw that he also had with the aforementioned and fellow undefeated Young last June.

On paper this appears to be Nieves’ toughest fight. Potapov was a former amateur standout in Russia with over 200 wins and is ranked in the top 15 by the WBO (No. 7), IBF (No. 13), & WBA (No. 14). He’s also already had seven bouts that have gone ten rounds including one which went 12.

The event is promoted by Salita Promotions and tickets go on sale this Friday at Noon ET at www.rhinosoccer.com and www.etix.com.

Who should Keith Thurman fight next?

Posted: June 27, 2016 in Boxing
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Keith Thurman defeated Shawn Porter by a unanimous decision this past Saturday in a fight that will be a candidate for Fight of the Year. If Porter would have won one more round, the fight would have been declared draw. There are plenty of options on the table for Thurman, including a possible rematch.

Is Floyd Mayweather coming back?

Posted: May 2, 2016 in Boxing
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Previewing the Opening night of the Cleveland Area Golden Gloves

Posted: April 19, 2016 in Boxing
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The 88th annual Cleveland Area Golden Gloves boxing tournament begins this Friday and Saturday, April 22nd and 23rd from the Brook Park Recreation Center (17400 Holland Rd).

Friday’s preliminary bouts feature 12 matchups in six weight classes, including four in the 152 pound Novice Division and three in the 165 pound Open Division.

Half of the bouts on the opening night will be filled by Open Division boxers. Of those six bouts, three will feature former Cleveland Area Golden Glove champions.

The opening bout of the competition is in the 123 pound Open Division and promises to set the stage for what the night has in store. 2014 Novice Division champion Uriel Huerta, from Cal Crowell Boxing, will look to become an Open Division champion this year. It won’t be easy as standing in his way will be the 2015 Lake Erie Association Jr Olympic champion, Jibreel Hawkins, from ABA Boxing.

Two former 165 pound champions will compete in separate bouts.

For those that attended last year’s tournament, Tyrel Ross, from MLK Premier, should be a familiar name as he was crowned the 165 pound Novice Division Champion. Ross will be taking on Mardell Halas, from Salem Boxing Club.

Levi Patterson, from Empire Boxing Club, won the 2011 Open Division championship at 152 pounds. He will be taking on Jose Rodriguez, from Rodriguez Boxing Club in what should be an entertaining scrap in the 165 pound Open Division.

The remaining Open Division bouts taking place on opening night will be Elmer Dennis against Henry Gaston at 141 pounds, Kevin Cole against Solomon Howell at 165 pounds, and Rashad Chisolm against Keith Fairchild at 178 pounds.

Six Novice Division bouts are also on tap, with the four aforementioned 152 pound matches, along with one apiece at 165 pounds and Super Heavyweight (201+), which will conclude the opening night festivities.

 

13 Former Champions highlight the 2016 Cleveland Area Golden Gloves Tournament

Posted: April 11, 2016 in Boxing
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It’s April in Cleveland and along with the start of the Major League baseball season, comes the Cleveland Area Golden Gloves tournament. 2016 marks the 88th edition of the annual tournament, which will again be held at the Brook Park Recreation Center, 17400 Holland Rd in Brook Park. The preliminary bouts will begin Friday, April 22nd at 7PM, the quarterfinals will be Saturday, April 23rd at 7PM, with the semi-finals & finals taking place the following Friday and Saturday respectively.

There will be a total of 13 former Cleveland Golden Glove Champions competing in the Open Division (10+ bouts of experience) in this year’s tournament, highlighted by Aurel Love from Bob Davis Boxing Club, who will be attempting to become a five time champion!

The Open Division winners will be able to represent Cleveland in the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions in Salt Lake City, Utah, which starts on May 16th.

Love was the 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2015 Open Division champion at 114 pounds, but will be moving up to the 123 pound weight class this year. Attempting to dethrone Love will be another former champion in Uriel Huerta, from Cal Crowell Boxing, who was the 2014 Novice (between 1-9 bouts of experience) Division champion. Also in the mix is Jibreel Hawkins of ABA Boxing, who will be making his first appearance in the Golden Gloves. While Hawkins is a newcomer here, he has vast experience in the ring and was the 2015 Lake Erie Association Jr Olympic Champion in the 125 pound weight class.

Both the 132 and 141 pound Open Division will have three former champions each competing to add more hardware to their trophy case.

Eric Miller, from Blue Steel Boxing Academy, was the 123 pound Open Division Champion in 2014 and will move up to 132 pounds this year. Among those standing in his way will be Ryizeemmion Ford, from Common Ground, who was the 2013 Novice Division Champion and Frank Brown, from the Westside Boxing Club, who was the Sub-Novice (no experience) champion in 2012.

At 141 pounds, Armond Richard, who trains at Empire Boxing club, should be familiar to those who attended last year’s tournament as he was the Novice Division Champion in 2015 and has now moved up to the Open Division. He’ll be joined by two-time former Champion William Flenoy from Thurgood Marshall, who is attempting to win his third championship in three weight classes after winning the 2008 Open Division Champion at 125 pounds as well as the 2011 Open Division Champion at 132 pounds. Zi Stalnaker, from Terminator Boxing Club in Akron was the Novice Division Champion in 2014 at 132 pounds and will also look to become a multiple time Cleveland Champion.

The 165 pound Open Division features a pair of former champions in Tyrel Ross, from MLK Premier, the Novice Division Champion at 165 pounds last year as well as Levi Patterson from Empire Boxing Club, who was the Open Division Champion at 152 pounds in 2011.

At 178 pounds, Kato Montgomery, from Bob Davis Boxing Club, will be looking for his third Cleveland Golden Glove Championship, but first in this weight class. Montgomery is the defending Open Division Champion at 201 pounds, and was also the Novice Division Champion in 2012 in the 201 pound weight class. Among those looking to knock him off will be Matthew Brown, who was the Novice Division Champion at 165 pounds in 2009.

In the Super Heavyweight division (201+ pounds) Alante Green will look to become a four time Cleveland Golden Glove champion as he is the defending back-to-back Open Division champion and also was the 2012 Sub-Novice division champion.

For a full listing of the boxers in this year’s tournament as well as the brackets, visit www.clevelandareagoldengloves.com.

Bakers Dozen – 13 things I know that you should know too

Posted: April 3, 2016 in Boxing, Indians
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  1. Sure D’Angelo Russell violated the ‘Bro Code,’ but Nick Young is a soulless creep. Congrats on the soap opera Lakers. Why is Nick Young on your roster anyway?

 

  1. Five years ago Buddy Hield, the Naismith player of the year, would have had a tough time being more than a role player in the NBA. Fast forward to now, however, and Hield will be able to fit into the threecentric era that the league is currently in just fine.

 

  1. The Indians home opener has a chance to be the coldest in history. The forecast at the time of the first pitch is calling for a temperature of 34 degrees. All the way back in 1907, the coldest on record, the temperature was 36 degrees. No, I didn’t forget 2007, when it was 28 degrees and featured a blizzard. The game was actually cancelled and played in Milwaukee three day later.

 

  1. Speaking of the Indians, there will be a new scoreboard above the left field bleachers this year. The previous scoreboard had been in existence since 2004.

 

  1. Because I’m a fan of food, just as much as sports, I figured I should let you know the new food options available. The Indians have continued to add more local flavors to the Progressive Field lineup. After adding Barrio, Melt Bar and Grilled, Sweet Moses, and Happy Dog last year, Momocho, Fat Head’s Brewery, Dante’s Inferno, the Brew Kettle, Cleveland Pickle, Happy Dog, and Ohio City Burrito are new this year.

 

  1. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a team as focused from start to finish as Villanova was in their 44 point thrashing of Oklahoma. While up 20, the Wildcats were playing like it was a single possession game. When up 30, they were playing as if they were down by five. Even when they led by 40, the effort level by the players was as if they were down by bucket with seconds left. Impressive to say the least.

 

  1. Michael Brantley AKA “Dr. Smooth,” will begin the season on the disabled list, meaning he will not be in the opening day lineup for the first time in seven years. Brantley normally is the No. 3 hitter, but that spot will be kept warm by super sophomore and rookie of the year runner up Francisco Lindor, while playing Brantley’s spot in left field will be veteran newcomer Marlon Byrd. The 14 year veteran Byrd hit .247 with 23 home runs last year with the Reds and Giants.

 

  1. Did you miss the knockouts that the “Sweet Science” provided this weekend? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

 

 

 

  1. Speaking of boxing, on this day, April 3rd in 1998, a 25 year old Felix “Tito” Trinidad knocked out Mahenge Zulu to retain the Welterweight Championship of the World.

 

  1. Also on this day in boxing history, Marco Antonio Barrera stopped Paul Lloyd in the first round to retain his Super Bantanmweight title, in 1999.

 

  1. Speaking of world titles, Cleveland’s Willie “The Great” Nelson will be one step closer to achieving a shot at one, as the top contender is scheduled to take on undefeated Demetrius Andrade on June 11th at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona, New York. Andrade was a member of the 2008 USA Olympic boxing team. Nelson is coming off a 2nd round knockout victory on March 25th at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma.

 

  1. Speaking of USA Olympians, congratulations are in order for Cleveland’s Charles Conwell, who qualified for the Olympics after winning a Gold Medal at the Americas qualifier in Buenos Aires on March 18th. Conwell is the fourth straight Cleveland boxer to make the USA Boxing Olympic team joining Terrell Gausha (2012), Raynell Williams (2008), and Mickey Bey (2004).

 

  1. The show I look forward to watching the most every week is Dr. Ken. If you like to laugh, I highly recommend it.

Bakers Dozen (Thirteen things I know that you should know too)

Posted: March 6, 2016 in Boxing, Browns, Cavaliers, Football, Indians, Soccer
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  1. With all the news that made the rounds this week, the best was undoubtedly the fact that Cleveland Browns team president Alec Scheiner will be stepping down on March 31st. Scheiner was supposedly in charge of the business decisions and oversaw the recent renovations to the stadium, but for some reason he needed to be included in how to conduct film study, which was baffling to say the least. Scheiner was also one of the many behind the scene voices demanding that the undersized frat boy got on the field, regardless or not if he was ready.

 

  1. Speaking of the spoiled, undersized frat boy, he was in Vegas this weekend taking in the UFC fights and who was with him, none other than the Browns other often troubled player, wide-receiver Josh Gordon.

 

  1. Gordon, currently suspended by the NFL due to drugs, is trying to regain the Browns trust. While he hasn’t had any mishaps during his current time away, hanging with the troubled quarterback should be the last thing on his priority list. Gordon, unlike the frat boy, doesn’t come from oil money and needs NFL paychecks to live the life of luxury he so desires.

josh-gordon-porsche-panamera

 

  1. Is anyone else growing tired of the cryptic messages Lebron James continues to tweet out?

 

  1. I mean, just say what you mean already or just stay silent. All this does is bring unwanted and unneeded attention to an underachieving team that consistently plays to the level of their opposition while finishing 2-5 against the Warriors, Spurs, and Raptors.

 

  1. Speaking of the Cavaliers and Lebron, maybe being the underdog is just what they need. Then again, they were the underdog against the Spurs in 2007 and against the Warriors last year after Kyrie went down and we all know how those series turned out, with both winning the deciding game at the Q. Ouch.

spurs warriors

 

  1. Spring training has begun which means baseball season is right around the corner. Opening day is less than a month away as the Indians will take on the Boston Red Sox. The pitching matchup will be fantastic with former Cy Young winners facing off in Cleveland’s Korey “KluBot” Kluber taking on David Price. Sure the Tribe didn’t sign a major name to help with its lack of power in the lineup, but I, for one, am looking forward to the development of shortstop Francisco Lindor, who just missed out on being named the American League rookie of the year last season. Lindor is a future star that the city will no doubt get behind.

 

  1. It will take some longer than others when it comes to watching soccer, but it is growing significantly both in terms of involvement and television ratings. And why wouldn’t it be? With all the rule changes, player antics, as well as 2.5-3.5 hours of game time from the “Big 3” sports, soccer games last a mere 2 hours and provide plenty of excitement. Plus there is a major league team just two hours away from us. Pipo Higuain, who plays for the nearby Columbus Crew, had the early contender for goal of the year on the season’s opening day!

 

  1. Sure there was a big time UFC pay-per-view this weekend, but let’s not forget about the great knockouts that boxing provides. Here’s what this weekend brought us in the squared circle of the “sweet science.”

 

 

 

 

  1. Speaking of boxing, on this day, March 6th in 1976, future Hall of Famer Wilfred Benitez became the youngest World Champion in history at just 17 years old when he defeated Antonio Cervantes for the WBA Super Lightweight championship of the World.
  1. Also on this day in boxing history, Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker became the WBC Welterweight Champion of the World after defeating James Buddy McGirt in 1993.

 

  1. Speaking of Pernell Whitaker, he will be one of many retired boxers that will be in attendance during the Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend June 9th thru the 12th. If you have never been, I recommend taking the easy drive to Canastota, NY. You can find all the information you need here: http://www.ibhof.com/index.html

 

  1. Living in northeast Ohio, I try to take advantage of every clear and warm day. I came across this waterfall right by my house in South Lorain just last week. Never knew one was so close.

waterfall

Bakers Dozen (Thirteen things I know that you should know too)

Posted: June 2, 2015 in Boxing, Browns, Buckeyes, Cavaliers, College football, Football, Indians
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1. The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the NBA Finals for the second time in team history and I’ve got one piece of advice for everyone out there. Enjoy it! No matter the outcome. Enjoy it! Sure I want to see them bring a championship to my city, but in the process of doing so, I’m going to soak in the entire atmosphere that being in the Finals bring. Most of you aren’t going to pay the steep price for playoff tickets (myself included) so do what I’m going to do. Buy a $5 ticket and go watch one of the road games at the Q with 20,000 other fans. While you won’t actually ‘be’ at the game, it’ll create a memory that you won’t forget. And it’s much more affordable!

2. Speaking of the Cavaliers, you know it’s a good thing when President Lincoln is also #AllinCle

3. I shared a video about Cavalier’s center Timofey Mozgov in an earlier blog and now here is a video about JR Smith. Grab a cigar and some cognac.

 

4. The MLB All-Star game is six weeks away and there are two Cleveland Indian position players that are worthy of All-Star consideration.

Second Baseman Jason Kipnis is coming off one of the greatest months in not just team history, but also MLB history and his .340 batting average is second best in the entire American League. He is in the top 10 in the AL in the following categories: Hits (2nd), runs (4th), doubles (3rd), triples (2nd), total bases (4th), on base % (4th), slugging % (9th) and OPS (6th). When it comes to the All-Star voting, however, Kipnis ranks a distant 4th, over 1.5 million votes behind the leader, Jose Altuve, of the Houston Astros.

Left fielder Michael Brantley, who finished third in last years MVP voting, is hitting .302, fifth best among AL outfielders. He is in the top 10 among outfielders in the following categories: Hits (5th), doubles (1st), RBI (4th), walks (4th), on base % (4th), slugging % (7th), and OPS (5th). Brantley is currently 7th in the All-Star voting  among outfielders, over 1 million votes behind 3rd place Alex Gordon of the Royals.

Do what I did and vote for these two as they both deserve to be on the team.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2015/ballot.jsp?tcid=ASG15_mlb_leftrailpromo

5. Speaking of the Tribe, remember when I said that reigning Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber would be just fine? Over his last four starts, Kluber is 3-0 with 50 strikeouts and  miniscule 1.41 ERA. He’s looking every bit like the Cy Young winner that we saw last season.

6. I recently heard there is a remake of one of my all time favorite movies, ‘Point Break.’  No, I’m not joking. Patrick Swayze has to be turning in his grave over this one. Why redo a movie that was already a classic and featured an ex Ohio State quarterback turned FBI agent chasing a group of bank robbing surfers? Like the Red Hot Chili Peppers Anthony Kiedis says in this scene, “That would be a waste of time.”

 

7. The latest addition to my guilty pleasure.

breds

8. I’m still a beginning smoker but I’m really enjoying it. The latest thing I smoked was St. Louis style ribs. The difference between these and baby backs are the St Louis style has more fat, which provides more flavor. I used apple wood to smoke and they turned out pretty good. I went 5 hours at 250 degrees, which was just a little too long, so I’m going to shorten them up next time.

ribs

9. Okay, back to sports. The College football season is less than 100 days away and the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season according to the Vegas odds is Ohio State Buckeye running back Ezekiel Elliot. He’s even got his own hype video. Check it out.

 

10. Speaking of college football, we recently wrapped up the 2015 Phil Steele College Football Preview magazine, AKA the college football bible. That also means we’ve released our pre-season All-American teams. Notre Dame led the way with three 1st team All-Americans. To see the entire four team list click the link below.

http://philsteele.com/All_Conference/2015/2015%20Preseason/All-American.html

11. Floyd Mayweather is expected to return to the ring in September and many are wondering who his next opponent or vitctim will be. There has been plenty of talk about England’s Amir Khan getting the next shot at the pound for pound king but after his lackluster performance last week against Chris Algieri, he’ll likely be removed from the discussion. Why not give Miguel Cotto, who fights this weekend on HBO, a rematch? He gave Mayweather a good fight when the two shared the ring in 2012. Here’s his greatest hits for those that aren’t aware of what he brings to the table.

 

12. I haven’t written since the NFL draft took place and heading into the draft I was worried about the incompetence that the Cleveland Browns were likely going to show. Well I was relieved during the first round as I turned to my cousin and brother-in-law, who were with me at the Cleveland Convention Center for the draft party, and told them that this draft proves the team is trying to win games and not sell jersey’s like last season. I think the Browns hit a home run with this draft and will start seeing immediate dividends on the field.

13. Speaking of the Browns, the odds in Vegas have the Browns over/under at 6 1/2 wins. The Browns will win more than six games this season. Those that know me know first hand that I am not a homer in any way, shape, or form so for me to come out and write this is a change in the way that I’ve thought about my hometown team for some time. They won seven games last season, have improved every position group on the roster, and competed with every team in their division last year. Yes, I know the schedule is tougher, but splitting with our division isn’t out of the question and the Browns should be able to beat teams qb’d by the Geno Smith (Jets) and Marcus Mariota/Zach Mettenberger (Titans) while also getting past the 49ers at home in December. That’s seven wins right there.

Baker’s Dozen (Thirteen things I know that you should know too)

Posted: April 30, 2015 in Boxing, Browns, Cavaliers, College football, Football, Indians, Soccer
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1. In last week’s column I wrote that the Cavaliers would bring the city Cleveland its first championship in 50 years. I should of prefaced that by adding, ‘barring injury.’ Now that Kevin Love is done for what appears to be the remainder of the season, the Cavs will more than likely get beaten by the Chicago Bulls in the next round (Yes, the Bulls will get by the Bucks). Fans and media alike have ‘loved’ to pile on Love this season unnecessarily, as those that truly understand the game of basketball were aware of his importance and what his role was with this team.  In his absence, the Cavaliers won’t be able to space the floor as they had been doing, and the open lanes that LeBron James and Kyrie Irving had been accustomed to will be gone. Tristan Thompson was valuable in his role coming off the bench, but his flaws will become much more glaring now that he will be forced to play more minutes. To use a phrase that my former colleague Kenny Roda coined long ago, OIC (only in Cleveland).

2. It’s truly a shame that Kevin Love was taken out by a dude that cannot even grow facial hair, instead opting for the peach fuzz look. In hockey there’s a term for mediocre players that are just put on the ice to get physical with the opposition. They’re called a goon. That’s exactly what Kelly Olynyk is. There’s a difference between setting a hard screen with a push like what Kendrick Perkins did to Jae Crowder and putting a guy in an arm bar and pulling his shoulder out of its socket. Truly a bush league play.

Cavaliers Celtics Basketball

3. For those that are worried about reigning American League Cy Young award winner, Corey Kluber, don’t be. Kluber AKA Klubot will be just fine. Here is a look at his numbers from last April compared to this April.

2014: 2 W, 3 L, 37 IP, 35 K, 10 BB, 2 HR allowed, 4.14 ERA, 1.51 WHIP

2015: 0 W, 3 L, 34 IP, 36 K, 7 BB, 2 HR allowed, 4.24 ERA, 1.26 WHIP

Nearly an identical start from last season, look for Kluber to start dominating hitters in the near future and hopefully the Tribe will start giving him some run support.

4. One player who could help the Indians with their hitting woes is their top prospect, Francisco Lindor. Current starting shortstop Jose Ramirez is hitting a paltry .186 and the Indians as a team are hitting just .234 which is third worst in the American League. Lindor recently went on a 10-16 stretch and appears to have come out of his own early season slump. He’s hit safely in 10 of his last 14 games. The time is right for Lindor to get promoted to the ‘Big Show.’

5. The NFL draft is here which means it’s the time of year that the Cleveland Browns usually waste their picks on garbage players. There’s a report that the Browns are attempting to move up in the draft to take Oregon quarterback Marcus Marriota. That would be a mistake. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner was a great college quarterback, but his talents favor that game, not of the NFL variety. Marriota ran an up-tempo, no huddle, spread option offense taking snaps from the shotgun in college. In the NFL he will be huddling every play, taking snaps from under center, and won’t be able to leave the pocket as frequently as he did at Oregon. He was also injury prone, and while he was never hurt in a major way, that’s sure to change when he’s hit game in and game out by NFL players. This guy has bust written all over him.

6. A lot of Browns fans want to take a wide receiver in the first round. This is another foolish option. The rules in the NFL so highly favor receivers now that an average receiver can be a good receiver while a good receiver can become a great receiver. This was proven just last year when two of the Browns undersized receivers (Andrew Hawkins & Taylor Gabriel) both had successful seasons and proved that they could make plays despite their physical appearance.  There are an abundance of receivers in the college game nowadays that enter the NFL much more ready than previously due to the spread offenses that are being run. The Browns shouldn’t take a receiver in the first or second round when they can still find value in that position later in the draft. It would be a waste of a pick to do so early. Besides, take a look at this years Super Bowl combatants. Neither the Patriots nor the Seahawks have what you would call a playmaking wide receiver. The fact is, you don’t need one to succeed in this day’s NFL. If the Browns are smart (a HUGE if there) and stay where they’re currently sloted to pick in the first round (numbers 12 and 19) they should get NT Danny Shelton, who should be there for them at twelve and if DE Shane Ray falls to them at 19, they should run to the podium and take him.

7. Speaking of Shane Ray, yeah I know he just got pulled over and the officer found weed on him. So what? Marijuana is now legal in over 30 states and will soon be legal in all 50. The majority of NFL players smoke it and it’s really not a big deal. Hell, I’m sure more than half the people reading this column are doing so while puffing on a joint right now. If Ray were a QB, that would be different. You don’t want your quarterback smoking out. But a defensive player that partakes is fine by me. There have been plenty of NFL players that were busted for weed that were among the games elite. Ray has the talent to be among the best DE’s in the league and if other GM’s are afraid to draft him, hopefully Browns GM Ray Farmer won’t be.

8. Another name being thrown out there for the Browns is running back Todd Gurley. That is an absolute joke. If the Browns would draft him, or any other RB in the first or second round, I would seriously consider jumping off the 480 bridge. The NFL is a passing league. The rules are set up for the quarterbacks and receivers to succeed. Running backs are a dime a dozen. There are no ‘featured’ backs anymore with the exception of maybe a few guys. Nearly every team has a RB by committee approach and the Browns should be no different. Why should the browns take a RB that may carry the ball 10-15 times a game in the first or second round? That makes absolutely no sense! And I didn’t even get into the fact that Gurley was hurt twice getting hit by pimple faced college kids. What’s going to happen when he gets hit by grown men? I’ll pass on that option. Besides, the Browns already have two young running backs that complement each other very well.

9. It’s fight week for one of the most anticipated boxing matches in years. Floyd Mayweather is taking on Manny Pacquiao in a fight that is five years in the making. Some people are discouraged that the fight took so long to take place but the fact of the matter is that the fight will be much more competitive and entertaining now then it would have been had they fought five years ago. Mayweather is a defensive wizard, and he’s spent the majority of his career as a ‘hit and not get hit’ defensive minded fighter. Many of his fights have been lackluster due to the fact that he has simply outboxed his foes with tremendous hand speed and perfect foot work to escape without taking any real damage. Mayweather would have taken Pacquiao to school five years ago. Now though, Mayweather isn’t as fleet a foot as he once was and has taken more and more punches in the ring over the last two years. Pacquiao still has that blazing hand speed and with his non stop aggression and constant punches coming from a variety of angles, has a chance to land some shots on Mayweather. I don’t anticipate an upset here (Mayweather is a heavy betting favorite in Vegas) but I do think these two will offer an entertaining fight that will give the fans their money’s worth ($99 on PPV).

10. My dude Casey Kulas has made it official. It’s the ‘Summer of Brisket!’

https://twitter.com/CaseyKulas/status/592474880030986240

I’m up for the challenge. If you start to smell the smoke in South Lorain, just follow your nose to La Casa De Castro. I’ll probably have enough to share.

11. There are just 126 days until the college football season begins! Pre-order the Phil Steele College Football Preview aka the College football Bible here:

https://www.philsteele.com/store/

12. Shoe pick of the week. I don’t have these but word on the street is these are the shoes that Manny Pacquiao will be wearing during the Mayweather fight.

pac shoes

13. I know most of you reading this don’t like soccer but so what. This is my column and I do. The Columbus Crew are on fire as they’ve outscored their last two opponents by a 7-1 margin! That’s like 118-3 if you were watching football lol. Oh and Kei Kamara is tied for the lead with the most goals in the MLS this season!

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