I know since I took over boxing has taken a back seat. In research I found that Michael Sedor was the only writer for this blog that cover boxing in depth but never covered any MMA. Everyone else stuck to wrestling and MMA. I’m not discrediting Michael, he did a great job covering what he did. I can’t say that you’ll be seeing any boxing news from me right away. I may dig something out here the beginning of next week, but I can’t make any promises.

The question here is: How do you think I have been doing thus far? Also, are you happy to see MMA coverage return to J&B? Below is a quick poll, which you can also use in the sidebar. Let me know what you think of MMA being covered once again on J&B. It seems to me that Pro-wrestling and MMA are a bigger draw these days than boxing. That’s just my personal opinion. Anyway, cast your vote. Thanks.

~Scott

Post from: EveryJoe

Jab And Grapple 2.5 What Do You Think So Far?

I used to be a huge Wrestling fanatic awhile back but have since kind of made Monday night raw something to watch every now and then. However it looks as if I’ll be getting back into the game as well as bringing a whole lot of MMA to Jab And Grapple. I follow a lot of UFC but I really like the WEC and watching Tapout too. I use to come here every now and then when MMA was covered by the writer awhile back and I was kind of disappointed that it wasn’t covered here anymore.

Well it’s back and I’ll do my best to bring the latest news, fight schedules and results the best I can. I’ll cover the wrestling shows as much as humanly possible and see if I can’t pick up some spoilers when I can! It might be a bit of a bumpy start, but bear with me. It will get a whole let better!

Cheers, ~Scott

Post from: EveryJoe

Back In The Cage

Oh, and the below picture? Nothing feels better than a massage.

Image details: Look Good served by picapp.com

This week’s theme at the b5media Sports Channel is “Feelin’ Good.” Today we highlight the feel good stories, charity work and other positive aspects from the world of sports. Oftentimes, we hear more about the negative news and don’t accentuate the positive impact of athletes and sports.

Let’s look at our rundown about what has us feelin’ good about sports today.

• Allison at BCS Frenzy talks about Fighting Illini coach Ron Zook and Coaches vs. Cancer.
• Blake at All Poker Addicts tells us about what makes him feel good in poker.
• Michael at Jab and Grapple discusses the WWE and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
• Sandy at Green Posse tells us about warming up before golf to make sure that you feel good.
• Jeanne at Light the Torch was feeling good about her interview with gymnast Paul Hamm.
• Cherie at Dejuiced lets us know about Greg Oden and his charity work.
• David at Every Morning Quarterback talks about the NFL rookies and their visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
• Tony at Inside the Ballpark discusses Astros first baseman Lance Berkman and his charity work with kids.
• Tim at Do You NASCAR talks about Marcos Ambrose and the Wood Brothers return to prosperity.
• Don at Getting Reel tells us about Elton Luce Jr. and his support of The Armed Forces Foundation.
• Jyle at The Footie discusses the many charities of David Beckham.
• Ryan at College Fastbreak talks about former Tennessee guard Chris Lofton and his quiet victory over cancer.
• Stephen at Hoops Fantasy lets us know about David Robinson and his Carver Academy.
• Stephen tells us more at Knuckle Curve concerning Josh Hamilton’s battle back from injuries and drug use.
• Joe at Ladies Court discusses how the Phoenix Mercury are giving back.
• Lyndsey at Girls Dig Sports talks about “Lil’ Bit” Shannon Bobbitt and her road to the WNBA.
• Jodie at Gossip on Sports tells us how a sports bra saved an alpine hiker.
• Erica at Rackets and Balls lets us know that John McEnroe is selling a Warhol portrait to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
• Jeanne at Hockey Beat tells us about the NHL’s “Hockey Fights Cancer” campaign.
• Kori at The Fantasy Kickoff discusses George Martin’s cross country journey to support Heroes of Ground Zero.

Post from: EveryJoe

b5 Media Theme Day: Feelin’ Good About Sports

My response might as well also be a response to today’s wire service reports that disgraced NBA ref Tim Donaghy’s attorney told investigators that relationships among officials, coaches and players “affected the outcome of games.” Whoa, whoa, whoa. That’s a big statement.

Click here or scroll down to see my response.

But first is up Mike from www.fpsrantings.com’s comment to my post:

We could say the same thing for boxing. The fights are, after all, scripted as well (I smell home cooking every time). Pro basketball may have its share of point-shaving controversies and wacky referees but at the end of each game, the team with the most points win. There’s no need for a judge to decide.

Boxing, on the other hand, is controlled by said judges. Knocking down an opponent is not a guarantee for a win. A judge and his subjective perceptions determine a match’s outcome–not performance. Boxers have their guaranteed pay as well, so losing and getting money isn’t exclusive to professional basketball.

And the injuries? The drama isn’t for boxing alone, and to presume so is erroneous. Who are we to say that there is no drama behind a basketball player’s injury when we don’t know what happens behind closed doors? I’ve read so many interviews about NBA players who could not seem to get out of the mental anguish brought by an injury despite having completely recovered.

I’ve even heard of a pro basketball player in the Philippines whose life was drastically changed because of a freak spinal injury during a game that not only affected his career, but his entire life as well.

Just because boxing is a full-contact sport (they say basketball is one too because of its roughness), it doesn’t mean its “drama” is real compared to other sports that don’t involve beating the living crap out of each other through the use of fists.

I’m just sayin’. ;)

My response:

Thanks for the comment Mike.

You’re not wrong in saying there’s not home cooking, dives, fixed fights and other nasty problems in boxing. It is and probably always will be the most corrupt and corruptible sport. Although tennis is coming close.

For me to suggest that shady judges, craven promoters, and casino cash don’t sometimes decide fights is disingenuous at best. But as a fight fan I can accept the unfairness and the sport’s apparent crookedness because of the great equalizer of the knockout and because boxing never pretends to be above the fray.

Boxing never boasts of its innocence. The sport never insists that things are fair, that the judges aren’t corrupt, and that money doesn’t matter. You as a boxing fan must accept this complex and paradoxically unsporting sporting climate. If you remain naive then you will ultimately be jilted, feel betrayed, and leave your love sullied by her numerous peccadilloes.

But at least the sins are out in the open and at least there is the promise of a knockout, the promise that the playing field might somehow be leveled. No judge can outscore a knockout punch, no referee can pretend it didn’t happen.

The NBA is my favorite team sport and I have been a die hard New York Knicks fan since birth. Being a Knick fan doesn’t preclude me from loving the game. I watch as many games as possible and have in the past subscribed to the all-consuming beauty of the NBA League Pass.

That said, the playoffs always crush me with their pre-ordained scripts, corrupt officiating, and unimaginable double standards. There are too many examples to cite but as a Knick fan we’ve been aided and harmed by more than a few. The Heat bench clearing incident, the Hubert Davis four-point play, the inability to ever call a foul on Michael Jordan, Knick Bavetta.

David Stern and the NBA’s response to the above was always self-righteous sanctimony. “How dare you call our impartiality into question.” “What motivation do we have to be corrupt?” “We are perfect and above judgment.” “Our league is fair.”

But it’s not. The best teams don’t always win. Foul calls, missed foul calls, allowed rough play, technical fouls, and suspensions all drastically change the outcome of games. Referees decide who wins to a greater extent than even the players. Of course the pre-ordained team still must hit the shots. And that doesn’t always happen. But for example, how confused must the Hawks have been in Game 7 when the same drive-to-the-hoop style that they won with in Atlanta suddenly elicited no whistles in Boston?

So when I say that the drama of the NBA is closer to the drama of the WWE it’s directly related to their laughable insistence of their personal innocence and sainthood. The WWE denies with a wink and a nod but the NBA does it with heavy-handed condescension. Boxing reveals their warts, treats you like an adult, and insists you accept them.

Again thanks for the comment,
Michael

Am I off base again? As always, please let me know.

Photo Sources: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Boxing, WWE, NBA: Drama, False Outcomes, Corruption, and Hypocrisy

I recently updated my b5 profile with the intention of explaining how www.jabandgrapple.com could cover both the scripted fun of pro wrestling entertainment and the unexpected life-threating tension of professional boxing. My answer wasn’t that they both take place in rings and involve some sort of combat.

No, my explanation was that they are bookends of the sporting world with everything else existing in between their emotional bounds. Friday night was evidence of this evocative breadth. WWE’s SmackDown and ESPN’s Friday Night Fights were broadcast simultaneously and my Motorola DVR only allowed me to watch one at a time while taping both. I was forced to delve into both without distraction.

First up was the glorious costumed cabaret fun of SmackDown. The Undertaker was trying to take revenge out on a supposedly wheelchair-bound lady. People were fired, lives were affected, fear, trouble, mayhem, betrayal and loss were the pervasive themes.

We all know, however, that the situations were fake. That in the end the performers’ lives aren’t affected as far as career longevity and/or actual intended danger. Sure, unexpected tragedies can and have occurred but The Undertaker’s choke slam really isn’t endangering opponents; the Great Khali wasn’t really bleeding profusely from the mouth a few weeks ago. Their career paths are decided by scriptwriters and their salary, however modest, isn’t dependent on them winning.

Once SmackDown ended I switched over to the very real career arc of Chris Byrd, a 37-year-old who had just lost 37 pounds in an attempt to compete at the light heavyweight level. Things didn’t work out that well for the former heavyweight champion as he was beaten badly and knocked out in the ninth round. Byrd then deliriously apologized to his wife and handsome young son; he felt he had let them down.

The drama was real, the pain evident, and the tragedy too much to bear. Here was a man who put his life on the line in the ring and couldn’t bear the failure that he wrongly perceived himself to be.

Shortly after the fight doctors diagnosed Byrd with a separated shoulder and administered painkillers. Then the situation nosedived. His wife explained to ESPN, “They gave him Valium and morphine and we couldn’t wake him up,” she continued. “I was so scared. We had to rush him to the hospital.”

Byrd was revived late Friday night and returned home but the psychological pain will not end. Byrd will presumably not fight again at least not on the same championship level he was accustomed. He understands that he should retire.

His opponent Shaun George added after the fight “There’s going to come a point where you have to give it up. That’s the hard part because you love the sport. It’s sad for anybody, but especially someone like Byrd who is a two-time heavyweight champion.”

For me, the pathos was too much to bear, especially after watching its polar opposite at SmackDown.

So I turned the channel to the end of the Boston Celtics-Cleveland Cavs playoff game. I love the NBA but after the Byrd fight it seemed so superficial and so far removed from man’s essential struggle. So scripted and so much closer to pro wrestling than what I had just viewed.

Lives aren’t going to be affected by the Celtics loss no matter how angsty Kevin Garnett portrays himself; no matter how aloof and affected Ray Allen appears to be. They’ll pull in their guaranteed million dollar contract accept their loss, continue performing to David Stern’s script, move on and compete until their bodies can’t move. Just like Bruno Sammartino, just like Hulk Hogan and just like Ric Flair.

If Chris Byrd were to go back in the ring he might be killed, the fact that he’s still an elite boxer doesn’t matter. His skills just aren’t elite enough.

Think I’m off base? Comment below and tell me what you think.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

The Real Drama of Boxing vs. the Fake Drama of the WWE and the NBA

Take a quick look around the channel:

• David from Every Morning Quarterback offers the top NFL free agency winners.
• Jodie from Gossip On Sports brings you the five best coach rants.
• Tim from Do You Nascar provides the latest in NASCAR with the Chase update.
• Rich from College Fast Break provides the top 25 college basketball rankings.
• Allison from BCS Frenzy talks about the best college football rivalries.
• Sandy from Green Posse discusses the best of the worst in golf so far in 2008.
• Jeanne from Hockey Beat shows you the best hockey non-fight.
• Stephen from Hoops Fantasy chooses the best fantasy basketball players today.
• Geoff from Knuckle Curve continues his Where Are They Now series.
• Joe from Ladies Court analyzes the top WNBA off-season additions so far.
• Sasha from Light the Torch tells you what team USA basketball needs to do to win.
• James from NBA Obsessed discusses the best NBA player pickups this season. He also chimes in about the worst GM in all of sports at Squib Kick.
• Kori from The Fantasy Kickoff talks about the best fantasy prospects in the 2008 NFL Draft.
• Jyle from The Footie shows you the worst soccer fake ever. Be sure to check out more from Jyle at our newest blog – Sneaks ‘N Gear.
• Blake from All Poker Addicts wants to know if you are entering the 2008 World Series of Poker.
• Al from Dejuiced talks about the Miami Heat who have gone from the best to one of the worst teams in just a few years.
• Erica from Rackets and Balls tells you about the oldest collegiate tennis player – a 60-year-old woman!
• Don from Getting Reel talks about changing with the conditions when things aren’t the best.
• Dinnie from Six and Out discusses who is not on the Forbes greatest athletic achievements list.
• And don’t miss out on the latest from Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence. He is itching for baseball season to start at Inside the Ballpark.

If you want to join the sports team at b5media, we are looking for a few good bloggers. Learn how to apply.

Post from: EveryJoe

b5 Sports Roundup: Best and Worst

At the b5media Sports Channel, we live, breathe, eat and sleep sports. And though diehard sports fans may understand the passion, outsiders may just think we are crazy.

For the reading pleasure of sports fanatics and non-sports fans alike, we offer to you the reasons we love sports.

• Blake breaks down his poker obsession and why you should play at All Poker Addicts.
• Allison recaps the National Championship Game and let’s you know why she loves college football at BCS Frenzy.
• It’s only two months away from March Madness and Rich proclaims why he loves college basketball at College Fast Break.
• David offers plenty of reasons why he loves football at Every Morning Quarterback. Plus, don’t miss his latest podcast at Big Play Radio NFL Football.
• Get real with Don as he let’s you know why he loves fishing at Getting Reel.
• It’s not just about the good looking guys, Jodie tells the truth about why she loves sports at Gossip On Sports.
• Are you excited about golf season around the corner? Sandy is! She fills you in on the top 10 reasons she loves golf at Green Posse.
• Are you a hockey freak? Or you think it’s all fighting? Jeanne gives you the low down on why she loves hockey at the Hockey Beat.
• Do you want to run your own team? Stephen provides all the reasons why he loves fantasy football at Hoops Fantasy.
• MMA, wrestling, boxing … you can find it all from Kris. He lets everyone know why he loves fight sports at Jab and Grapple.
• Is it for the chicks? Geoff explains his baseball love at Knuckle Curve.
• Joe recaps events in his childhood that led to his love of sports at Ladies Court.
• The Olympics in Beijing will be here before you know it. Sasha offers the five top reasons she love the Olympic Games at Light The Torch.
• Did you get your first tennis racket before you could walk? Erica didn’t, but she explains her passion for tennis as an adult at Rackets and Balls.
• Why do you love cricket? Why should you love cricket? Dinsa has the answers at Six and Out.
• While James breaksdown the Giants-Bucs game, he talks about why he loves NFL football at Squib Kick. And don’t miss more from James at NBA Obsessed.
• Jyle provides the top ten reasons why he loves soccer. Find out why you should love it too at The Footie.
• You want a comprehensive A to Z list on why you should love sports. T.O. breaks it down at Ultra Sports Bet.
• Don’t miss out on more sports news and commentary at Dejuiced.com and Do You Nascar.
• When you visit the sports channel, don’t forget to visit Inside the Ballpark. This is the latest addition to our group of fabulous blogs. Written by Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence, this blog gives you an inside look at major league baseball.
• Do you want to know why Kori loves fantasy football? Check out The Fantasy Kickoff and find out!

Thanks for reading! Leave your comments on one of our blogs and let us know why you love sports!

Post from: EveryJoe

Why We Love Sports

This new blog features major league baseball player Hunter Pence of
the Houston Astros. We are very excited about Hunter joining us on the
b5media Sports Channel.

Hunter will personally pen a weekly blog post to detail the latest
happenings in his life as an Astro. Additionally, this blog will be
updated on a daily basis to keep everyone updated on Hunter and the
Astros. Hunter is entering his second season for the Astros after
completing a very successful rookie year. As a rookie, Hunter hit .322
with 17 homeruns and 69 RBIs. He also collected 30 doubles, nine
triples and 11 stolen bases.

Hunter’s first blog post is up today. Check it out at
InsidetheBallpark.com.

Post from: EveryJoe

New Blog: Inside The Ballpark

Post from: EveryJoe

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas

This past week Rocky Balboa, the 6th movie in the series of film hit the big screen and although I haven’t had a chance to see it yet it seems to fulfill the typical “rocky” storyline although it is an improvement over the latter films from the series.

So what do I find so enjoyable about the series of films. Great actor in Sylvester Stallone, great plots, great writing, all around great series. So what do you think? Do you have a favorite boxing or wrestling movie? Like Rocky? Seen the new movie? Feel free to comment on this post about your favorite sports movies.

Post from: EveryJoe

The Best Boxing Film Series – Rocky