14 years ago tonight, Felix “Tito” Trinidad handed Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker his 1st career surefire loss. Sure, Whitaker had suffered decision losses to Jose Ramirez and Oscar De La Hoya beforehand, but those were decisions were suspect to say the least. Enjoy!
Trinidad vs Whitaker
Posted: February 20, 2013 in BoxingTags: Boxing, Felix Trinidad, Pernell Whitaker
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Notes and a prediction on the Idaho Potato Bowl
Posted: December 14, 2012 in FootballTags: Chuckie Keeton, Dan Molls, Idaho Potato Bowl, Kerwyn Williams, Terrance Owens, Toledo Rockets, Utah State Aggies
Idaho Potato Bowl. Saturday, December 15th. 4:30 pm. TV: ESPN
Toledo Rockets (9-3) vs Utah St Aggies (10-2)
Offense vs Defense & Offense vs (Lack of) Defense
-Toledo’s potent offense averages 456 yards/game, while Utah St is allowing just 325 yards/game. Something has to give there. Utah St, meanwhile, has a high-powered offense of their own, averaging 462 yards/game, while Toledo’s defense is horrid, allowing 464 yards/game.
QB play
-Utah St has the best QB you may have never heard of in Chuckie Keeton. He’s thrown for over 3,000 yards, while completing over 67% of his passes, with 27 touchdowns vs just 9 interceptions. He is also a threat on the ground, rushing for over 500 yards, with another 7 touchdowns. He threw for over 300 yards in 3 of the last 4 games to end the season. Toledo will counter with Terrance Owens, who sat out the finale with an ankle injury, but had a solid season himself. Owens threw for over 2,600 yards, while rushing for nearly 400 despite not starting the season as the starter.
Williams vs Molls
-Toledo linebacker Dan Molls lead the country with an amazing 166 tackles on the season. Over the final 6 games he had no less than 13 tackles in a single game including 18 twice!! Utah St running back Kerwyn Williams will look to avoid Molls as he has rushed for over 1,000 yards and averaged 131 yards/game over the final 3 games of the season.
Another razor close finish?
-Three of the last six Idaho Potato Bowls have been decided by a single point! Utah St is a double-digit favorite in this one, and will have a definitive crowd edge. The Aggies won 6 in a row to close out the season, while the Rockets lost 2 of their last 3. No one point margin this year. Aggies win 45-27.
A few thoughts on the New Mexico Bowl
Posted: December 14, 2012 in FootballTags: Arizona Wildcats, Ka'deem Carey, Nevada Wolf Pack, New Mexico Bowl, Stefphon Jefferson
Since I work and contribute mightily to the finest College football publication in the world, Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, I thought I might as well give my insight on the bowls.
Let me start by saying, I love the bowls. While some think that the bowls are dumb and pointless, that is an ignorant statement to make. The young men playing each week strive to make a bowl game. Not every team can play for a National Championship and getting to a bowl game is a great incentive after a successful season. One of the main goals for each college team entering the season is becoming bowl eligible. Teams that make a bowl also get extra practices leading up to the bowl, which greatly helps a lot of the younger players on the roster.
Okay, without further adieu, here are a few thoughts on the first bowl game of the 2012 season:
New Mexico Bowl. Saturday, Dec 15th. 1:00 pm. TV: ESPN
Nevada Wolf Pack (7-5) vs Arizona Wildcats (7-5)
All offense, no defense
-Each team averages over 500 yards of total offense/gm, while allowing over 400 on defense!
Run, run, run
-Two of the nations finest running backs square off in this battle. ‘Zona’s Ka’deem Carey finished as the #1 rusher in the country with 1,757 yards, averaging 6.4 yards/carry, with 20 rushing touchdowns. He closed out the season in tremendous fashion, averaging 247 rushing yards over the last three games, including a record-setting 366 yard, 5 td performance vs Colorado! Not to be outdone, the Wolf Pack’s Stefphon Jefferson finished right behind Carey with 1,703 yards, averaging 5.0 yards/carry, with 22 rushing touchdowns. He is averaging 125 rushing yards over the last 6 games of the season with 11 rushing td’s in that span.
Huge schedule difference
-While both teams have identical records, Arizona has played a much tougher schedule, having taken on the likes of Oklahoma St, Oregon, Oregon St, Stanford, USC, & UCLA. Nevada did however, play one Pac-12 team this year in Cal, whom they defeated on the road in the season opener.
Blowout or close?
-The last two New Mexico Bowls have ended in blowout fashion. While Arizona will win, Nevada won’t go down without a fight. Arizona wins 45-38.
Cotto battles Trout in a matchup of top 10 contenders!
Posted: December 1, 2012 in BoxingTags: Austin Trout, Boxing, Erislandy Lara, Floyd Mayweather, Madison Square Garden, Miguel Cotto, New York City, Ring magazine, Robert Guerrero, Saul Alvarez, Showtime
Credit: Tom Casino, Showtime
Two of the top ten Jr Middleweights (154 lbs) in the world will square off at the Madison Square Garden in New York City tonight. Miguel “Junito” Cotto (37-3, 30 ko’s), ranked #2 by Ring Magazine, takes on undefeated Austin “No Doubt” Trout (25-0, 14 ko’s,) ranked #9 by Ring Magazine. The fight will be shown on Showtime and they will battle for a world title belt that shall remain nameless, as I don’t give credence to any of the corrupt sanctioning organizations.
Credit: Tom Casino, Showtime
While Trout is known in the boxing community, he is not well-known to the general public. The fact is he is an excellent boxer-puncher, a southpaw, and is a live dog tonight. Fighting in Cotto’s home away from home will not pose any kind of threat either. Trout has fought in hostile territory before, going on the road to Panama and Mexico and winning decisions. To win decisions in an opponents home country should tell you what kind of boxing lesson he had to display.
If Trout goes on to win the fight, it will be by decision yet again. Only once has “No Doubt” scored a knockout in his last eight fights, a span of over three years.
Cotto will bring the experience edge into this fight and has clearly fought much tougher opposition. Even though “Junito” has taken much more punishment over his career, he is still incredibly sharp, evidenced by his last fight when he gave Floyd Mayweather a much tougher fight than expected in a 12 round decision loss. While Cotto comes into the fight with three losses, his losses are to Pacquiao, Mayweather, and Margarito (most likey with loaded gloves). Trout is not in the same hemisphere as those guys. Not yet at least. Also Cotto has done well against southpaws. “Chop Chop” Corley, Carlos Quintana, and Zab Judah are a few of the notable names that he has not only defeated, but knocked out.
If Cotto wins tonight, it will most likely be by knockout. In his last 6 wins covering over 4 years, 5 have come inside the distance. Joshua Clottey, who has never been ko’d in 40 career fights was the only boxer to go the distance in that time frame.
The winner of this fight would be in prime condition to take on Floyd Mayweather for what would likely be the true Jr Middleweight Championship of the World. That likely won’t happen as Mayweather appears headed for a Welterweight showdown with Robert Guerrero however. Cotto meanwhile has been linked for a showdown with #3 rated Jr Middleweight contender Saul Alvarez. Another fighter that could emerge for the winner is #4 rated contender Erislandy Lara.
I feel Cotto is just too strong and experienced for Trout in this one. I do like that Trout will travel wherever he needs to get a fight, a characteristic that doesn’t go unnoticed. Trout has never faced the caliber of opponent that he’ll see in Cotto. The early rounds may be split, but Cotto’s power shots will eventually wear down Trout as I see Cotto getting another knockout. Cotto KO 9.
Cleveland State nips Bowling Green
Posted: November 12, 2012 in VikingsTags: A'uston Calhoun, Bowling Green Falcons, Charlie Lee, Cleveland State Vikings, Marlin Mason, pre-season NIT tournament, Tim Kamczyc
They needed extra time to do it, but The Cleveland State Vikings (2-0) came back from a 7 point 2nd half deficit to force overtime and defeat the Bowling Green Falcons 79-72 in the 1st round of the pre-season NIT Tournament from the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Tim Kamczyc, the lone senior on the Vikings roster , scored a team high 21 points to go along with 7 rebounds. Of his 8 field goals made, 5 came from beyond the arc.
CSU’s Tim Kamczyc. Photo courtesy of Cleveland State University
Marlon Mason (11 points, 13 rebounds) and Charlie Lee (14 points, career high 10 assists) had double-double’s for Cleveland State. Pre-season All Horizon pick Anton Grady was plagued with foul trouble all night and finished with 10 points in 20 minutes before fouling out early in the OT session.
Leading the way for the Falcons was A’uston Calhoun, who scored a game high 30 points.
The overtime session ended a Viking school record streak of consecutive games ending in regulation at 170. CSU last played an OT game almost 5 years to the day, on Nov. 17, 2007 when they defeated Florida State during the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, Fla.
CSU will play in the 2nd round of the NIT Tournament tomorrow against the winner of the Michigan/IUPUI game, who play later tonight. Tip off for tomorrow’s contest will be at 8:05. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
Ohio State wins season opener over Albany
Posted: November 11, 2012 in BuckeyesTags: Aaron Craft, College Hoops, Deshaun Thomas, Hall of Fame tip off tournament, LaQuinton Ross, Lenzelle Smith Jr, Ohio State Buckeyes, Value City Arena
Aaron Craft hit 5 three pointers and had a career high 20 points as The Ohio State Buckeyes basketball team won their season opener 82-60 over the Albany Great Danes this afternoon from the Value City Arena in Columbus.
Lenzelle Smith Jr slams home 2 of his 18 points against Albany. Photo courtesy of The Ohio State University.
The Buckeyes limited the Great Danes to just 35.6% shooting, including going just 6-22 from behind the arc.
Not only did Craft lead Ohio State in scoring, he also did an excellent job of setting up scoring opportunities for his teammates, handing out a game high 7 assists. Pre-season All American selection Deshaun Thomas scored 19 points, and Lenzelle Smith Jr added 18.
LaQuinton Ross came off the bench to chip in with 10.
Mike Black led Albany with 20 points.
The game was a part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, and the Buckeyes will continue tournament play in Uncasville, Conn., for their next game, set for Saturday against Rhode Island, of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
For highlights of the game click the link below.
Ohio State basketball open season today
Posted: November 11, 2012 in BuckeyesTags: Albany Great Danes, College Hoops, Ohio State, Ohio State Buckeyes, Value City Arena
The Ohio State Buckeyes basketball program will undoubtedly start their season today from the Value City Arena in Columbus after their original season opener, scheduled for Saturday, was cancelled.
Condensation on the court of the USS Yorktown forced the cancellation, but there will be no issues of that kind for today’s tipoff, scheduled for 2:00 against the Albany Great Danes.
The Great Danes, members of the America East Conference, enter today’s game with a 1-0 record as they defeated Duquesne 69-66 on Friday night. They are led by senior point guard Mike Black, who was selected as a pre-season All-Conference member.
Albany is expected to compete for their conference title this year after winning 19 games a season ago.
The Buckeyes are 4-1 all time vs teams from the America East Conference and today’s contest will be the first meeting between the two squads.
Cleveland State cruise past Grambling State
Posted: November 9, 2012 in VikingsTags: Anton Grady, Bryn Forbes, Charlie Lee, Cleveland State, College Hoops
The biggest question mark of the season for Cleveland State coming into the season was the backcourt. Charlie Lee did his best Norris Cole impersonation as the Vikings had no trouble with Grambling State tonight, winning 92-49.
Lee, a sophomore point guard led all scorers with 20 points while also dishing out 7 assists to go along with 2 steals in 22 minutes of action. He shot 7-10 from the field, including 2-3 from behind the mark and only turned the ball over once.
Charlie Lee
The Vikings never trailed as Grambling could not deal with the Vikings full court pressure from the outset.
Anton Grady filled up the stat sheet as well finishing with 14 points, to go along with 9 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.
All 5 Viking starters scored in double figures and freshman Bryn Forbes came off the bench to add 14 points.
Cleveland State will return to action on Monday, November 12 against Bowling Green in Ann Arbor, Michigan as part of the pre-season NIT Tournament. Tip-off is set for 6:00.
Ohio State basketball opener cancelled
Posted: November 9, 2012 in BuckeyesTags: Aaron Craft, College Hoops, Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State Buckeyes, USS Yorktown
Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas show O-H-I-O pride aboard the USS Yorktown under brighter skies. Photo Courtesy of Ohio State
I’m not sure if it’s ironic that a basketball game scheduled to be played aboard a ship was cancelled due to condensation, but that’s exactly what happened to the Buckeyes tonight. Scheduled to take on Marquette as part of the Carrier Classic on the USS Yorktown, officials could not keep water off the playing surface, exposing a dangerous option to the players, so officials of both teams agreed to cancel the contest.
Now the Buckeyes opening contest of the season will take place on Sunday in Columbus against Albany. Tip-off is set for 2:00 and the game will be televised by the B10 Network.
The journey to Atlanta starts tonight for Ohio State & Cleveland State
Posted: November 9, 2012 in Buckeyes, VikingsTags: Aaron Craft, Anton Grady, Basketball, Carrier Classic, Cleveland, Cleveland State Vikings, Deshaun Thomas, Gary Waters, Ohio State Buckeyes, USS Yorktown
The Final Four will be in Atlanta this college basketball season and both the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland State Vikings quests begin tonight.
Despite the Buckeyes losing two starters, including first round draft choice Jared Sullinger, they return two pre-season All-Amercians in forward Deshaun Thomas (1st team) and point guard Aaron Craft (3rd Team).
Tonights game will be played outdoors on the USS Yorktown in Charleston, SC against Marquette. NBC sports channel will televise.
Uniforms Ohio State will wear tonight. Photo courtesy of Ohio State
The Vikings lost four starters from last seasons NIT tournament squad and this season may be a struggle at times. The constant for the Vikings is the fact that they still have the best coach in the Horizon League in Gary Waters. Tim Kamczyc is the lone returning starter, while sophomore forward Anton Grady is easily the most talented player on the team and is expected to improve on his 8.5 ppg and 6.4 rpg averages this season.
The Vikings tip off with Grambling State tonight in the annual John McLendon game.
Castro's Kingdom 