On this Day.....

From our friends at ...........On-this-day.com:

Today is Saturday, November 7, 2009



Today in
Sports History
1936 - The New York Americans beat Toronto in the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast of a hockey game in Canada.

1962 - Glenn Hall set an NHL record when he played in his 503rd consecutive game as a goalie.

1963 - Elston Howard, of the New York Yankees, became the first black player to be named the American League's Most Valuable Player.

1965 - Bart Starr (Green Bay Packers) was sacked 11 times by the Detroit Lions.

1968 - Red Berenson (St. Louis Blues) scored 6 goals in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Blues won the game 8-0.

1973 - New Jersey became the first U.S. state to permit girls to play on Little League baseball teams.

1983 - Ali Haji-Sheikh (New York Giants) kicked his second 56 yard field goal.

1988 - Sugar Ray Leonard knocked out Donnie LaLonde.

1991 - Magic Johnson (NBA) announced that he had tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, and that he was retiring from basketball.

1992 - The Phoenix Suns played their first game at American West Arena.

1999 - Tiger Woods became the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win four straight tournaments.

A "Tree".......in the ......."Forrest"

He stood.......six feet tall.......weighed about a buck fifty....a welterweight.....then a light-heavyweight.

He was a professional boxer.......fought the likes of "Sugar Shane" Mosey.......twice......and beat him both times.

He won 41 of 45 professional fights. 29 by KO's.....

He simply was.......the best pure boxer.......America.......never knew.

And .....why are we talking about this man.......in ....the past tense?

Vernon Forrest........was killed.......murdered.......

From news reports:

At about 11:00 pm EDT on July 25th 2009, Forrest stopped at a gas station in the Atlanta neighborhood of Mechanicsville. With him was his 11-year-old godson. As the boy went inside the gas station, Forrest went to the back of his car to add air to a low tire. As this occurred, a man robbed him at gunpoint and fled. Forrest, who was armed, went after the man and shots were exchanged. After a short distance, Forrest gave up the chase and began walking back to the gas station. It was then that the man shot Forrest seven to eight times in the back. According to police, the shooter and a second person left the scene in a red Monte Carlo. Forrest was pronounced dead at the scene and the death was ruled a homicide. On August 4th 2009 Atlanta Police arrested and charged a 20 year old man for his murder.

Senseless...........brutal.

Vernon, lived the way he boxed. No surrender......In his mind, some young punk.......would not get his hard earned money or car........without a fight.

But these thugs don't play fair..........they shot him in the back. 7 times.

And the biggest "tree"........in the "Forrest" ........was dead.

Vernon Forrest.........May you rest in peace....

Get to know him.......courtesy of our friends at ESPN:

Telegraph.co.uk

Forrest's impact felt beyond the ring

ESPN - Dan Rafael - ‎Jul 28, 2009‎

The "Real Deal"........in a "Real Mess"

Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield............

Lost a fight last night. He was pitted against a man who out weighed him by almost 100 pounds and was 10 years younger. The 7 foot Russian, Nicolei Valuev...........won the bout with a majority decision, and ended Holyfield's quest for yet another heavy weight title.

Holyfield, who would have become the oldest heavyweight champion in history had he won the World Boxing Association title, ruled out retirement, while his management team insisted their man had been 'robbed'.

Holyfield, who now has 10 defeats on his career record of 42 fights, was gracious in defeat. He said: "I thought I had won the fight, I thought I had won more rounds than he did. My goal is to be heavyweight champion of the world, I am not interested in fighting for the sake of it, I want to be a champion again. That hasn't changed."

Evander..........Evander..........wake up..........smell the coffee.....

You are 46 years old.....you have 11 illegitimate kids..........you live in a multi-million dollar mansion.........which requires millions in up-keep expenses........ You have no marketable skills out side of boxing. And this pay day was for only $500,000 .........and.......you lost.

Mr. Holyfield..........retire..........hire a lawyer.......renegotiate your child support payments....sell that mansion...........

And then .......call up George Foreman...........and see if ..........you and he...........can successfully market ..........a "Holyfield Grill"..........or........maybe..........a line of "The Real Deal"..........playing cards.

Things We Learned From the Weekend..........

Vegas.....gave us a "beat down".......


Just when I was getting the "big head" and thinking I was on a serious roll in the "Friday Picks"( 8-2 in the last two weeks).......Vegas dealt a humbling blow.

0-3 in the college picks.....and 1-1 in the pros. But oh how close it was. Betting against the point spread is a risky thing. Think about the picks......Clemson was winning......but lost in the final minutes. Oklahoma won easily.....but didn't quite cover the 19 point spread. Kentucky won.....but only by 2.....the spread was 7 1/2.

In the pros........Indianapolis laid an egg. The Colts lost........straight up. The only winner was the Chicago Bears and they had us chewing our collective fingers until finally winning, 48-41....and covering.

There is always next week.



Tampa Bay......."shamed" the devil.......

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays........who this year.......ditched the "devil".....to be known as simply the Tampa Bay Rays.....are in the World Series.

Good for them! Now , I am not a religious man , but I applaud them for the name change.

In the Rays mere 10 year existence, they had never had a winning season. They had never even won 70 games in a season.

Tampa also plays in the division of the "best teams money can buy".......as in the N Y Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and the Baltimore Orioles.

And they rose above ........with a payroll.....a fraction of the big boys.

The Rays feature a nucleus of talented young players.....drafted and developed in their farm system.

How refreshing.




The BCS.......has started its' mess...........

The first "Bowl Championship Series" (BCS) poll has come out..........This poll incorporates the "Harris Poll", the "Coaches Poll", and a computor poll to figure out who will ultimatly play for the national championship. No major surprises. 3 conferences dominate: the SEC, the Big 10, and the Big 12........with USC the lone representative from the Pac 10. Noticeably absent are teams from the Big East .......and the ACC.

The top 10:

Bowl Champ. Series Ranking

Rank	Team	Record	Pts	Last Week
1.	Texas	(7-0)	1.0000	--
2.	Alabama	(7-0)	0.9500	--
3.	Penn St.	(8-0)	0.8700	--
4.	Oklahoma	(6-1)	0.8300	--
5.	USC	(5-1)	0.7800	--
6.	Oklahoma St.	(7-0)	0.7700	--
7.	Georgia	(6-1)	0.7200	--
8.	Texas Tech	(7-0)	0.7100	--
9.	Ohio St.	(7-1)	0.7000	--
10.	Florida	(5-1)	0.7000	--

At 43.......Bernard.....is "da man"!!!

Saturday night in Atlantic City, Bernard Hopkins and his 43 year old body won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Kelly Pavlik (26).........Hopkins confused and dominated the Youngstown, Ohio native in a non-title middleweight fight.

Bernard........you have made all of us "old men" proud....

We salute you.