I've been waiting awhile for something sports related to post about----once Lebron signed with the Heat and the Cubs decided to wave the white flag, I thought I might have to wait until the Bears started their preseason games to blog again. That was until I watched UFC 117 last night and saw one of the most dramatic sporting comebacks in years.
I am not a die hard UFC fan---I try to catch most of their free shows on Spike Tv and the Versus Network and I'll occasionally check out a pay per view event if there is a fight that really interests me (GSP vs B.J. Penn, Brock Lesnar vs Randy Couture, etc.). When I heard a few months ago the the main event of UFC 117 would be Anderson Silva vs Chael Sonnen, I thought that might end up a being a fight card that I skipped. Though Silva is one of the most talented and respected fighters in all of MMA, he was coming off an embarrassing match-up with Demian Maia where he spent the majority of the fight dancing around the octagon and behaving oddly. Sonnen was a fighter that I didn't know too much about and I didn't expect him to challenge or bring out the best in Silva.
Then Sonnen stepped in front of a live microphone and things changed. He talked up this fight to the extent that Muhammad Ali would have been proud. Sonnen said that he would beat Silva so badly that he would retire from the sport. He claimed Silva could speak perfect English and chose not to in order to avoid dealing with fans. He insulted Silva's jiu jitsu black belt that he received from the Nogueira brothers. Sonnen basically called out Silva and challenged his manhood at every opportunity he had. What had originally seemed like a boring fight to me became something that I was curious to see. I didn't think in my wildest dreams that Sonnen would actually be able to back up any of his talk once he stepped into the octagon with Silva, but I had to tune in live to find out how Silva would react to the poking and prodding he received from Sonnen.
Then the fight started and much to everyone's surprise, Sonnen was able to do exactly to Silva as he predicted. He beat Silva to the punch on his feet and then took him down at will. Once he got Silva on the ground, he proceeded to ground and pound him to the point that I actually thought the ref may have to stop the fight in the first round. This same scenario of Sonnen taking Silva down and pounding him continued through the first 4 rounds of this 5 round fight. Sonnen had certainly won all 4 of these rounds on the judges' score cards and only way Silva could possibly win the fight would be for him to either knock Sonnen out or submit him in the 5th round.
For about 30 seconds of the final round, Silva was able to keep the fight on his feet where he had the best chance of knocking out Sonnen, but then as he had been able to do during the first 4 rounds, Sonnen took Silva down once again and began to pound him. With about a minute and a half left in the fight and Silva looking like he was about to suffer his first loss in the UFC, Sonnen had a momentary loss of concentration. In just a split second, Silva was able capitalize on Sonnen's error and slip on a triangle choke that forced Sonnen to tap out/submit. After being dominated for 23 minutes, Silva pulled off a miracle submission and created what will go down as one of the greatest and most memorable fights in MMA history. I can now only hope that Dana White is able to sign a re-match as soon as possible--there will be no doubt that I will have to tune for that one!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Lebron
As I'm sure everyone has heard, Lebron James announced last night that he was going to sign with the Miami Heat. In the past, I've written in my blog how excited I was at the possibility that Lebron might come to Chicago to play for the Bulls. After watching the hour long special on ESPN where Lebron made his announcement, I actually found my self feeling more sorry for the sports fans of Cleveland than I was disappointed by his choice not to play in Chicago.
Being a Cubs fan, I have had my fair share of sports heart break, but at least I have been lucky enough to witness 1 Bears Super Bowl victory (and another Super Bowl appearance), 6 Bulls championships and most recently, the 2010 Stanley Cup victory of the Blackhawks. I even got to see a Chicago baseball team win the World Series in 2005 (even if it was the wrong Chicago team). If you are a Cleveland sports fan, the last time you saw one of your teams win a title was in 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship. This is not a typo---I didn't write Super Bowl, because this was 3 years before Super Bowl I was even played! The Indians haven't won a World Series since 1948---the only team that has waited longer for a World Series trophy is my beloved Cubs.
Not only has Cleveland had the longest championship drought of any major city, but they have also suffered some of the most memorable and demoralizing loses that I can recall. I remember as kid watching the Browns lose to the Broncos in back to back seasons (1987 and 1988) in games that are better know as "the drive" and "the fumble". Then of course,you can't mention devastating Cleveland loses without bringing up what is simply know as "the shot", which coincidentally was one of my favorite sports memories growing up as a young Bulls fan. Any Cleveland fans reading this have likely punched holes through their monitors already, but if you've somehow made it this far, you will be relieved to know that Major League Baseball has no interest in using the internet to promote the history of their sport, so I was unable find a clip of Jose Mesa's blown save in game 7 of the 1997 World Series. I won't even get into the saga concerning the only man who may rival Lebron as public enemy #1 in Cleveland, Art Modell.
You can now add Lebron James' departure from Cleveland to the list of heartbreaking moments for the sports fans of that city. To lose arguably the biggest sports hero in the city of Cleveland since the great Jim Brown, just as he hits the prime of his career ranks right up there with "the drive", "the fumble" and "the shot" as far as painful loses go. The next time I get ready to post a rant about how terribly the Cubs are playing, I'll pause for a minute and remember that it could be worse. I could have been born a Cleveland sports fan.
Being a Cubs fan, I have had my fair share of sports heart break, but at least I have been lucky enough to witness 1 Bears Super Bowl victory (and another Super Bowl appearance), 6 Bulls championships and most recently, the 2010 Stanley Cup victory of the Blackhawks. I even got to see a Chicago baseball team win the World Series in 2005 (even if it was the wrong Chicago team). If you are a Cleveland sports fan, the last time you saw one of your teams win a title was in 1964 when the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship. This is not a typo---I didn't write Super Bowl, because this was 3 years before Super Bowl I was even played! The Indians haven't won a World Series since 1948---the only team that has waited longer for a World Series trophy is my beloved Cubs.
Not only has Cleveland had the longest championship drought of any major city, but they have also suffered some of the most memorable and demoralizing loses that I can recall. I remember as kid watching the Browns lose to the Broncos in back to back seasons (1987 and 1988) in games that are better know as "the drive" and "the fumble". Then of course,you can't mention devastating Cleveland loses without bringing up what is simply know as "the shot", which coincidentally was one of my favorite sports memories growing up as a young Bulls fan. Any Cleveland fans reading this have likely punched holes through their monitors already, but if you've somehow made it this far, you will be relieved to know that Major League Baseball has no interest in using the internet to promote the history of their sport, so I was unable find a clip of Jose Mesa's blown save in game 7 of the 1997 World Series. I won't even get into the saga concerning the only man who may rival Lebron as public enemy #1 in Cleveland, Art Modell.
You can now add Lebron James' departure from Cleveland to the list of heartbreaking moments for the sports fans of that city. To lose arguably the biggest sports hero in the city of Cleveland since the great Jim Brown, just as he hits the prime of his career ranks right up there with "the drive", "the fumble" and "the shot" as far as painful loses go. The next time I get ready to post a rant about how terribly the Cubs are playing, I'll pause for a minute and remember that it could be worse. I could have been born a Cleveland sports fan.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Great Weekend
Despite the beating that the Cubs took on Saturday (12-0, their worst defeat since 1988), I had a very nice weekend. My former roommate from college, Albert, was in town visiting starting Thursday night. He is from L.A., so needless to say, he is a pretty big Lakers fan. I found myself silently cheering for the Celtics in game 7, but I was happy for Albert that the Lakers were able to capture their 16th championship. Any pain I had from watching Kobe hoist his 5th championship was soon forgotten as we busted into a case of beer like we were back in college. Unfortunately, my recovery time after a night like that isn't quite what it used to be.
Friday night consisted of a trip to Orchestra Hall to see the Chicago Symphony and Bernard Haitink perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The orchestra was in top form and gave a fantastic reading of the Beethoven---I particularly enjoyed Haitink's take on the third movement. Albert was extremely impressed with the orchestra and said that as great as his hometown orchestra is, the CSO is on a whole different level. I wasn't surprised to hear him say this as I am constantly amazed at the way the orchestra is able to perform week in and week out. Thank you CSO for a memorable 2009/10 downtown season.
Then came Saturday and the massacre at Wrigley---I should have known it was time to head for the exits when Howie Kendrick lead off the game with a home-run. Instead, I sat through 9 innings where the Cubs were able to amass as many hits as errors (2 of each) in a truly brutal performance. It's bad news when the loudest cheer of the game occurred when a Cubs player was able to reach first base after a dropped third strike by the Angels. The less said about this game, the better.
Saturday concluded with a huge meal in China Town and a night cap at a bar in Millennium Park. I am now looking forward to a week of digestion and detox.
Friday night consisted of a trip to Orchestra Hall to see the Chicago Symphony and Bernard Haitink perform Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The orchestra was in top form and gave a fantastic reading of the Beethoven---I particularly enjoyed Haitink's take on the third movement. Albert was extremely impressed with the orchestra and said that as great as his hometown orchestra is, the CSO is on a whole different level. I wasn't surprised to hear him say this as I am constantly amazed at the way the orchestra is able to perform week in and week out. Thank you CSO for a memorable 2009/10 downtown season.
Then came Saturday and the massacre at Wrigley---I should have known it was time to head for the exits when Howie Kendrick lead off the game with a home-run. Instead, I sat through 9 innings where the Cubs were able to amass as many hits as errors (2 of each) in a truly brutal performance. It's bad news when the loudest cheer of the game occurred when a Cubs player was able to reach first base after a dropped third strike by the Angels. The less said about this game, the better.
Saturday concluded with a huge meal in China Town and a night cap at a bar in Millennium Park. I am now looking forward to a week of digestion and detox.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Game 7 Reaction + Cubs game tomorrow
The NBA season concluded yesterday with the Lakers defeating the Celtics 83-79 in game 7 of the NBA Finals. This particular game kind of summed up the entire championship series---it was a hard fought and entertaining series, but wasn't very well played. Of course it was a dramatic game being that the stakes were winner take all, but both teams seemingly couldn't hit a shot until the last 3 minutes. The Celtics shot 41% for the game while the Lakers shot 33%, yet somehow came out the winner. It will be interesting to see where both teams go from here.
For the Celtics, I believe they need to ask themselves some serious questions. Do they want to try and make another run at the title next season with this same group of players? They are walking that fine line of either having a savvy veteran team that will compete for a championship or a having a team that will break down in December due to nagging (old age) injures and miss the playoffs altogether. Boston does have a few productive young players, but besides Rajon Rondo, I can't see any of them really making an impact over an 82 game season. Ray Allen will be a free agent this summer and based on if the Celtics do or don't pursue him, we will know what direction they are heading.
The Lakers are a different story---they may do some minor tinkering with their roster, but they are mostly set to rule the Western Conference for the next few years. The most interesting thing with them will be to see what they do with their talented but injury prone center, Andrew Bynum. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Lakers dangle him as trade bait and see it they can add a more reliable front court player.
On a completely different note, I will be attending the Cubs vs Angels game tomorrow afternoon at Wrigley Field. No matter how badly the Cubs are playing (and it's REALLY bad this year), it's always a blast to catch a game in person. I have been a bad luck charm for the Cubbies as of late--they have lost both games I've seen in person this season and going back the 4 years have lost 9 of the 12 games I've attended. Lets hope the streak will be broken tomorrow.
For the Celtics, I believe they need to ask themselves some serious questions. Do they want to try and make another run at the title next season with this same group of players? They are walking that fine line of either having a savvy veteran team that will compete for a championship or a having a team that will break down in December due to nagging (old age) injures and miss the playoffs altogether. Boston does have a few productive young players, but besides Rajon Rondo, I can't see any of them really making an impact over an 82 game season. Ray Allen will be a free agent this summer and based on if the Celtics do or don't pursue him, we will know what direction they are heading.
The Lakers are a different story---they may do some minor tinkering with their roster, but they are mostly set to rule the Western Conference for the next few years. The most interesting thing with them will be to see what they do with their talented but injury prone center, Andrew Bynum. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Lakers dangle him as trade bait and see it they can add a more reliable front court player.
On a completely different note, I will be attending the Cubs vs Angels game tomorrow afternoon at Wrigley Field. No matter how badly the Cubs are playing (and it's REALLY bad this year), it's always a blast to catch a game in person. I have been a bad luck charm for the Cubbies as of late--they have lost both games I've seen in person this season and going back the 4 years have lost 9 of the 12 games I've attended. Lets hope the streak will be broken tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Game 7
For sports fans, nothing is more dramatic than game 7 of a playoff series. Tomorrow night, the Lakers and Celtics will meet in game 7 of the NBA Finals to determine who will be crowned the 2010-11 NBA champions. Besides the NBA title being on the line, there are many other subplots that make this 7th game must see tv.
Kobe Bryant is attempting to win his 5 championship which would tie him with Magic Johnson and put him one behind Michael Jordan. I have a difficult time putting Kobe in the same class as Magic and Michael, but if he does win this 5th championship, it would be hard to argue that he doesn't merit consideration as one of the all time greats. That being said, if he happens to lose game 7 to the Celtics, it will also impact his legacy greatly. The Lakers should have a huge edge in this game playing with home court advantage (Vegas has them as 7 point favorites). I could never see Magic or Michael losing a game like this where their team was such a heavy favorite. It will be up to Kobe to not only have a great game, but to inspire his teammates to play their best basketball tomorrow night. If Kobe has another effort like he did in game 5 where he played a spectacular individual game but was unable to get anyone else on the team going, it will be very difficult for the Lakers to win. Will Kobe be willing to give up the spotlight in order to win a championship? That is something I'm very interested to see.
For the Celtics, tomorrow night may be their last chance at a title with this particular group of players. It was evident throughout the season and in certain games of the playoffs that this isn't the same team that won the title in 2008. This is especially true for Kevin Garnett, who at times has looked like he is playing on his last legs. The Garnett that used to attack the basket, challenge every shot (even after the whistle was blown) and battle for every rebound will not be available for the Celtics tomorrow night. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, the other members of Boston's big 3 from 2008 have also been inconsistent throughout this series and who know what the Celtics will get from them tomorrow. In my mind, what is most important for Boston is to get their dazzling point guard, Rajon Rondo more involved in an up tempo game. Rondo has the ability to spread the floor and get Garnett, Pierce and Allen going offensively. If that happens and the big three get hot, they can certainly turn back the clock for one more game. This is a proud group of players and despite all of the adversity they faced this season, they find themselves one game away from a second title in 3 years. If any team can pull off a game 7 victory on the road, it would be a battle tested group like the Celtics. I can't wait for the tip-off!
On a side note, this Lebron situation is getting more interesting by the day. Tom Izzo turning down Cleveland's coaching offer leads me to believe that he wasn't confident that Lebron will be returning to the Cavs. Hmmmmm.
Kobe Bryant is attempting to win his 5 championship which would tie him with Magic Johnson and put him one behind Michael Jordan. I have a difficult time putting Kobe in the same class as Magic and Michael, but if he does win this 5th championship, it would be hard to argue that he doesn't merit consideration as one of the all time greats. That being said, if he happens to lose game 7 to the Celtics, it will also impact his legacy greatly. The Lakers should have a huge edge in this game playing with home court advantage (Vegas has them as 7 point favorites). I could never see Magic or Michael losing a game like this where their team was such a heavy favorite. It will be up to Kobe to not only have a great game, but to inspire his teammates to play their best basketball tomorrow night. If Kobe has another effort like he did in game 5 where he played a spectacular individual game but was unable to get anyone else on the team going, it will be very difficult for the Lakers to win. Will Kobe be willing to give up the spotlight in order to win a championship? That is something I'm very interested to see.
For the Celtics, tomorrow night may be their last chance at a title with this particular group of players. It was evident throughout the season and in certain games of the playoffs that this isn't the same team that won the title in 2008. This is especially true for Kevin Garnett, who at times has looked like he is playing on his last legs. The Garnett that used to attack the basket, challenge every shot (even after the whistle was blown) and battle for every rebound will not be available for the Celtics tomorrow night. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, the other members of Boston's big 3 from 2008 have also been inconsistent throughout this series and who know what the Celtics will get from them tomorrow. In my mind, what is most important for Boston is to get their dazzling point guard, Rajon Rondo more involved in an up tempo game. Rondo has the ability to spread the floor and get Garnett, Pierce and Allen going offensively. If that happens and the big three get hot, they can certainly turn back the clock for one more game. This is a proud group of players and despite all of the adversity they faced this season, they find themselves one game away from a second title in 3 years. If any team can pull off a game 7 victory on the road, it would be a battle tested group like the Celtics. I can't wait for the tip-off!
On a side note, this Lebron situation is getting more interesting by the day. Tom Izzo turning down Cleveland's coaching offer leads me to believe that he wasn't confident that Lebron will be returning to the Cavs. Hmmmmm.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
It's kind of a slow sports day so I thought I would blog about one of my other passions, classical music. Those of us that live in the Chicago area are lucky enough to be around what I consider the finest musical ensemble in the world, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Coming up this week are the last concerts of their 2009-10 Orchestra Hall season and the final concerts of Bernard Haitink as Principal Conductor of the orchestra. Haitink has served in this position for 4 seasons and in my opinion, not only helped the orchestra sustain it's level of excellence between music directors but actually raised the collective level of the group. Luckily for the orchestra, Haitink will be returning next season for 2 weeks of guest conducting engagements including performances of Mahler's 9th Symphony to close out the 2010-11 season. Combine that with the first season of Riccardo Muti as Music Director and you have a very exciting season in store for both the CSO and it's patrons beginning in the fall.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Fun Sports Weekend
Overall, this was a pretty enjoyable sports weekend. The USA vs England game Saturday was very entertaining, though it feels kind of funny to be celebrating a tie game that the Americans didn't really deserve. Maybe it will give the team the confidence it needs to make a decent run in the World Cup.
Tonight, I was working the remote control pretty hard flipping between the Cubs/Sox game and the NBA finals. I started off paying more attention to the Lakers/Celtics game, but when I noticed that both Ted Lilly and Gavin Floyd had no-hitters going in the 4th inning, I began watching the NBA only between innings. History was not made in the baseball game, but it was nice to see the Cubs avoid getting swept. Even with the gem that Lilly threw, it was still nail biting time in the 9th as Carlos Marmol loaded the bases with one out in and had to work his way out of the jam. I actually think Marmol is an awesome pitcher, but watching him pitch this season has surely taken some days off my life.
As far as Lakers vs Celtics goes, it has been a very competitive, though not particularly well played series. When the Bulls got eliminated from the playoffs, I knew I only had two things to look forward to concerning basketball for the summer. Item 1 was the Lebron James sweepstakes and item 2 was cheering for whoever the Lakers were playing against. I have jumped on the OKC, Utah, Phoenix and now Boston bandwagons in the last few weeks. It's funny, because I used to love Phil Jackson when he coached the Bulls. Now, I feel like he is so smug and it's great fun rooting against him. Throw in Kobe Bryant and Sasha Vujacic and you have the makings for a very unlikable team. Lets hope this series goes 7 games so I can watch the final game on Thursday with my buddy Albert who is coming to visit from L.A. and is a huge Lakers fan.
I should also give a tip of the cap to my Dad who predicted this Celtics run before the playoffs began. I thought there was no way they could turn on the jets after finishing the season losing 7 of their last 10 games. I actually thought Miami would knock them out in the first round of the playoffs, but Celtics have proven to be the ultimate example of a team saving their best for the big stage.
Tonight, I was working the remote control pretty hard flipping between the Cubs/Sox game and the NBA finals. I started off paying more attention to the Lakers/Celtics game, but when I noticed that both Ted Lilly and Gavin Floyd had no-hitters going in the 4th inning, I began watching the NBA only between innings. History was not made in the baseball game, but it was nice to see the Cubs avoid getting swept. Even with the gem that Lilly threw, it was still nail biting time in the 9th as Carlos Marmol loaded the bases with one out in and had to work his way out of the jam. I actually think Marmol is an awesome pitcher, but watching him pitch this season has surely taken some days off my life.
As far as Lakers vs Celtics goes, it has been a very competitive, though not particularly well played series. When the Bulls got eliminated from the playoffs, I knew I only had two things to look forward to concerning basketball for the summer. Item 1 was the Lebron James sweepstakes and item 2 was cheering for whoever the Lakers were playing against. I have jumped on the OKC, Utah, Phoenix and now Boston bandwagons in the last few weeks. It's funny, because I used to love Phil Jackson when he coached the Bulls. Now, I feel like he is so smug and it's great fun rooting against him. Throw in Kobe Bryant and Sasha Vujacic and you have the makings for a very unlikable team. Lets hope this series goes 7 games so I can watch the final game on Thursday with my buddy Albert who is coming to visit from L.A. and is a huge Lakers fan.
I should also give a tip of the cap to my Dad who predicted this Celtics run before the playoffs began. I thought there was no way they could turn on the jets after finishing the season losing 7 of their last 10 games. I actually thought Miami would knock them out in the first round of the playoffs, but Celtics have proven to be the ultimate example of a team saving their best for the big stage.
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