My friend is out in Vegas right now for the big fight. He’s a huge boxing fan and even though he’s not going to the fight itself, he is going to the weigh-in tomorrow. The weigh-in takes place at the MGM and tickets were $10 each. My buddy posted earlier today that scalpers were selling them for $400 each.
That’s $400 to watch two men be weighed. Of course, you could fork out a few thousand more to actually watch them fight, so $400 to be part of the circus is a bargain.
It’s the perfect example of supply and demand. And sports-fueled insanity.
Flipping through Netflix recently and stumbled upon The Sheik, an interesting documentary about former WWF star The Iron Sheik (Khosrow Vaziri). It’s like other wrestling documentaries with its rag-to-riches-to-rags storyline, tales of debauchery on the road, and gruesome injuries that limit the wrestler’s post-spotlight life.
Growing up as a WWF fan in the late 70s and early 80s, the Iron Sheik was one of my favorite heels (bad guys), along with Rowdy Roddy Piper. His tag team matches with the Russian Nikolai Volkoff were legendary and they were the perfect foils during the Cold War. No other tag team inspired the venom of the crowd like the Sheik and Volkoff.
The movie is sad, though, as the Sheik struggles with addiction and health problems caused by his life in the squared circle. He’s a proud father if not a perfect one, and he’s had to deal with the murder of one of his daughters. Thankfully, there is a bit of redemption for this former superstar: family friends help the Sheik become an Internet sensation, translating his unique Sheik-speak into 140-character blasts on Twitter.
I was filled with a warm nostalgia while watching the film and couldn’t help but root for The Sheik to find better health and happiness. I think it’s good enough to recommend to non-fans, but those who used to put their younger siblings in the Camel Clutch will find a lot to like about The Sheik.
I haven’t been to a Los Angeles Galaxy game this season, but I heard something today that reminds me of being at the StubHub Center cheering on my favorite futbol team: the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” The last time I listened to this song was during the MLS Championship game in December, when the Galaxy won their fifth MLS Cup. Like other teams, the Galaxy play the song after scoring a goal and sometimes the team supporters will start up that infamous chorus chant during random moments.
I’ve heard Seven Nation Army numerous times during Premier League matches and, according to the song’s Wikipedia page, it was the unofficial anthem of Italy’s World Cup win in 2006. I think it’s great that an American song has become so ingrained into sports across the pond. It’s like we finally paid back the debt owed for countless plays of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” at all of our sporting events. Considering how much I enjoy each song and how they’re both perfect songs to sing along with a crowd, I’d say it’s been a fair trade.
I’m wondering if all sports fans feel like I do about next Saturday’s Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. I’m excited, but it’s tempered by a few facts: both fighters are past their primes, the pay-per-view is $100, and there’s a chance that the fight will be a big stinkbomb. If Mayweather truly is head-and-shoulders above Pacquiao, then we’ll get another Floyd dancefest, featuring 12 rounds of defense and counterpunching. In other words, I’ll be asleep by round six.
I’m betting on Manny knocking out Money, though. Floyd was smart to wait five years as Pacquiao went through a few wars and sustained damage, but I think it’s going to come back and haunt Floyd. He hasn’t had to fight anybody in Manny’s class and hasn’t faced anyone with Manny’s power. Floyd won’t be able to dance away from Manny. He’s going to have to take some huge shots and while the fight won’t justify its $100 price tag (or the tens of thousands of dollars that actual attendees will be paying), it should be an exciting match.
Nobody will be asleep due to boredom. Only Floyd will, thanks to a thunderous left from the Pac Man.
There’s a great deal over on stubhub.com right now. Only $128, 705.25 for two ringside seats to the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. That’s less than $65,000 per seat!
If I had 128,705 friends I could borrow a dollar from each of them and be in Las Vegas next Saturday night.
Note to self: make more friends before the next Fight of the Century.
My buddy scored a fantastic deal at Scholl Canyon Golf and Tennis Club: $10 for a round of golf, including the cart. It was the first time either of us had played the course and we had a great time. The course winds through the canyons of Glendale, with some nice views of the city.
The highlight of the day was his eagle on the 15th. After sticking the green, he nailed a 50-foot putt. We both whooped it up like he’d won the Masters.
Since Scholl Canyon is an executive course (par 60), my way-under-100 score doesn’t count for my Break 100 goal. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get more deals like this so I don’t break my bank account in pursuit of my goal.
Mention those two names and sports fans know exactly what you’re talking about: the greatest fight in boxing history. Three rounds of toe-to-toe action featuring two hall-of-famers, thirty years ago today.
I watched the fight with my dad, brothers, cousins, uncles, and friends at my uncle’s house. The room was abuzz with excitement and my most vivid memory was everybody screaming and shouting from the opening bell until Hearns finally crumpled to the canvas.
Everybody knew we had just seen history. I’ve watched my share of sports during my lifetime and this was one of the few, and definitely the best, examples of the event living up to the hype. It was exhilarating, the once-in-a-lifetime fight that thrilled during every second of the match.
The hype for the latest Fight of the Century has been building for years. Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather are set to square off in less than a month and it’s relatively quiet right now on the media front. Thankfully, we’re not getting daily write-ups about the fight (although I’m sure that will change with about two weeks to go). There won’t be a 24/7 or Total Access reality series, since the event is basically selling itself, but you can follow each fighter on social media to see what they’re doing every day.
I’m not as excited about Pacquiao-Mayweather as I would’ve been a few years ago. As I wrote earlier this year, both fighters are past their primes and fans will need to temper their expectations for a war like Hagler-Hearns. We’re more likely to get another Hagler-Leonard, which means Floyd will use his better boxing skills to weasel his way to a decision. Just as Leonard did nearly three decades (!) ago, he’ll do just enough to win the match.
And this is exactly why I’ll always be a Pacquiao and Hagler fan rather than a Mayweather and Leonard fan. Pacquiao and Hagler are fighters. Mayweather and Leonard are boxers. You can argue that boxers understand the sweet science. You can also argue that it’s called a prizefight, not a prizebox.
As noted here, one of my goals for this year is to break 100 on the golf course. Unfortunately, I have not been able to play as much as I’ve wanted to in 2015. It’s the end of March and I haven’t gotten out to a regulation course yet. I’ve played a few executive and par-3 courses, but need to stretch my legs and play a par-72 soon. The summers in the Inland Empire can be brutal for golfers and it isn’t easy playing in the stifling heat.
The photo above is from my last trip to a par-3 course. I had not swung a club in awhile and had my ups and downs during the nine holes, but managed to stick the last green with my pitching wedge. My nephew nearly matched my shot and we both had a chance for a birdie. We both missed, but tapped in for par.
I realized that it might not be realistic to break 100 this year, but as long as I don’t miss any chances to golf with my nephew, I’m okay with it.
I had just posted how happy I was to see more and more Filipino Americans and Asian Americans in the news, when history was made: my beloved Los Angeles Lakers starting backcourt was Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Lin. Although these two will never be confused with Magic and Scott or Kobe and Fisher, it was A Moment due to the fact that they were the first Asian American starting backcourt in NBA history.
Lin is a Chinese American and well-known for Linsanity, the two weeks where he absolutely ruled New York and the sports world. It was the feel-good story of the year, not only for Asian Americans, but for sports geeks like myself.
Clarkson is a Filipino American who joined the Lakers this year and after stints in the Development League, made it to the big team.
Confession: I did not actually watch the game, something I could not have said just two years ago. Since the Lakers bungled the Dwight Howard signing, I’ve lost interest in my team, due to mismanagement (primarily in ownership; yes, that means Jim Buss) and a lack of talent. I support the team, obviously, but after watching a lifetime of games where the Lakers were contenders (if not for the title, then at least a solid playoff team), it’s tough to get excited about a team that has no shot of doing well in the postseason, let alone actually qualifying for it.
Still, the moment was not lost on me and it wasn’t lost on Lin, either. That’s his Instagram photo above, which he captioned with a note about the history he and Clarkson made. Here’s hoping they can somehow drag the Lakers back to respectability next year.
