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Boxing

Nov 22 in Sports History: Before Mike Tyson went insane



Devil on his shoulder

In 1986: Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history at 20 years old after he knocked out Trevor Berbick. Tyson, like he did to many fighters early in his career, made quick work of Berbick (who in an odd piece of trivia was Muhammed Ali’s last opponent), knocking him out in the second round. After winning the WBC title from Berbick, Tyson went on to become the undisputed heavyweight champion the following year by claiming the rest of the alphabet soup titles. Berbick, sadly, quickly declined after the Tyson fight and was recently murdered in Jamaica. (nytimes.com)

In 1917: The National Hockey League was formed as a result of the disbanding of the National Hockey Association. Charter members included the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Arenas and Quebec Bulldogs. It didn’t get off to a great start, as the Bulldogs dropped out of the league before playing a game; while the Wanderers played six games before their home arena burnt down. The Arenas won the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey League. The next season was tougher on the fledgling NHL, as only three clubs fielded teams and the Stanley Cup Finals were cancelled after five games due to an influenza outbreak that killed Canadiens defenseman Joe Hall. (nhl.com/history)

In 2003: The Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers played the first outdoor game in NHL history. The game was played at the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos’ Commonwealth Stadium. 57,167 fans braved the well-below zero temperatures to witness two historical games. First, an exhibition called the Mega Stars game featured Oilers versus Canadiens greats, including Wayne Gretzky (who suited up in blue and orange for the first time since being traded in 1988) and Mark Messier for Edmonton. In the night cap, the NHL squads played an official game, with the Canadiens prevailing 4-3 on a late Richard Zednik goal. It was so cold that most players had to wear thermal underwear and ski caps under their equipment. (cbc.com)

Categories
Boxing

Just when you thought Mike Tyson couldn’t sink any lower


You gotta hand it to Mike Tyson. After hitting bolivia a few times, he still manages to outdo himself and gets to an all time low. You hear about him willing to fight women and you think, ok, that’s the end of the line, but then a story like this comes out and you just have to shake your head. What could you it possibly be you ask? Is Tyson going to fight kids? Kangaroos? Two midgets at the same time? Nope. Mike Tyson is going to become a man whore.

In an interview with the LA Times, Heidi Fleiss said that Tyson would be her #1 stud:


I said to him, ‘You going to be my stud?’ And he said, ‘Heidi I don’t care what any man says. It’s every man’s dream to please every woman no matter how old, how young, how fat, how pretty, how ugly, it’s every man’s dream to please every woman and especially get paid for it.’ And, he goes, ‘Hell yeah, I’ll be your number one stud.’

Actually, we’d prefer Tyson to work a stint at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch. That episode of Cathouse would be the highest rated show of all time on HBO.

Categories
College Football

Odds and Ends: The OTHER college football brawl


In the all the hullaballoo over the Miami-FIU brawl last week, overlooked was the brawl that broke out after the Holy Cross v. Dartmouth game. After winning the game on an 18 yard field goal, Holy Cross players started dancing on the D at midfield. Understandably, the Dartmouth players were displeased and a melee developed. The two schools proved that they might be Div I-AA in football but they could brawl as well as the D1 schools. While no one brandished a helmet like a battle axe, there were crutches waved about. Police are reviewing the videotape and arrests could be made. Unfortunately we don’t have pics or video of the fight but we do have a photo of Keggy the Keg, greatest unofficial mascot outside of the F&M Fightin’ Amish.

In other news…

[Yahoo]: Fassel fired. Somewhere in New Orleans, Sean Payton is laughing his ass off

[Inside Bay Area]: Macha’s relationship with players and not ALCS loss lead to firing

[Foul Balls]: Mike Tyson Could Be Beating Women in a Town Near You

[MLB.com]: Dominican Republic police issue warrant for Juan Uribe

[Can’t Stop the Bleeding]: Keep your kids away from this mascot

[There’s Your Karma Ripe as Peaches]: Leinart and Urlacher might share the same STD! (How could Tony Kornheiser not mention this?)

Categories
Boxing

Mike Tyson’s World Tour


It looks like Mike Tyson has found another way to make money. After being reduced to “training” in front of a Vegas buffet for money, we didn’t think there was much left for Tyson to do embarass himself. Tyson will announce in a press conference today that he’s returning to the ring with “Mike Tyson’s World Tour”.

Tyson said that he was through with boxing after his last fight in June but the call of the money was too much.
Is there any question that this is just a traveling freak show? Imagine the opponents on this world tour: a sumo wrestler, a russian wrestler, an indian guy with extending arms…

Links:
[USA Today]: Tyson to fight in ‘World Tour’

Categories
Boxing

Odds and Ends: Mike Tyson is sad


We guess it’s not really news that Mike Tyson is a sad freak show but this latest story is just another reminder of how far he’s fallen (and how much of a crook Don King is). Tyson was reduced to “training” in a makeshift ring next to the slot machines at the Aladdin hotel just to make a buck. Would anyone really be surprised if they woke up to find out that Mike Tyson had killed himself? It seems that’s the way his life is heading.

In other news…

[Sports Collectors Daily]: Flea market find: Old Ruth piece has air of mystery

[SI]: Why college football is better than the NFL

[NFL.com]: Vinatieri might have a broken bone in his ankle

[Yahoo]: 26% of Baseball Fans Think Yankees will Win 2006 World Series

[Webpronews]: Can MySpace Save Boxing?

[Indy Star]: Indianapolis aims to host 2011 Super Bowl

Categories
Olympics

July 19 in Sports History: Ali lights the flame

In 1996: In a touching ceremony, Muhammed Ali lights the in the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. Struggling with Parkinson’s Disease, Ali receives one of the warmest ovations in Olympic history. Ali won a boxing gold medal in the 1960 Games. IOC President Juan Antonio Samarach gave what would prove to be an ominous speech, saying, “We still live in a world where human tragedies persist.” A week later, two people were killed and many more injured in a bombing in the Olympic Village.

In 1991: This is a day Mike Tyson would like to have back. While in Indianapolis, Tyson met a Miss Black America pageant contestant named Desiree Washington. At around 1 A.M., they went to Tyson’s hotel room. Six months later, Tyson was convicted of rape and served three years of a six year sentence in an Indiana prison. Tyson would not fight again until 1995.

In 1918: Demonstrating how differently baseball players were treated back then and today, Secretary of War Newton Baker declares that baseball is a “non-essential occupation,” and thereby not exempt from being drafted in the first World War. As a result many players were sent to fight or work in shipyards or other defense industries. The league would shut down in early September.

Categories
Boxing

June 28th in Sports History: Dinner with Tyson

In 1997: Blogging was invented! No, we can’t quite verify that, but the possible reason for the creation of sports blogging could have been this moment: Mike Tyson bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear in the boxing ring! (You can’t write or say that without exclaiming it). In a pay-per-view rematch of their bout the previous November (won by Holyfield), the two fought into the third round. There appeared to be a lot of hugging and holding in the middle of the ring; but in truth, Tyson was gnawing into Holyfield‘s right ear. Referee Mills Lane penalized Tyson two points and let the match continue; Tyson then went for the left ear, and was disqualified immediately as he spit the chunk into the ring (it was later found and surgically repaired). Tyson claims that Holyfield was intentionally head-butting him. An absolute melee ensued, and the violence spread from the ring into the MGM Grand Casino, where shots were fired. Tyson was fined three million dollars and had his boxing license revoked by the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Categories
Boxing

June 27 in Sports History: Spinks gets $10M for 91 seconds



91 seconds of work

In 1988: Mike Tyson knocked out previously undefeated Michael Spinks in 91 seconds at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. The fight, which was hyped for months as the true test to Tyson’s dominance, was over before many people even got to their $1,500 ringside seats. It was the fourth shortest heavyweight fight in history and was believed to be the climax of Tyson’s career as the undisputed heavyweight champion. The fight was so short, HBO was able to show a slow motion replay of the entire bout. Spinks collected about ten million dollars for his troubles.

In 1999 The Seattle Mariners played their final game in the Seattle Kingdome in front of 56,000 fans. Ken Griffey Jr. homered for the Mariners in the 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers. The Mariners played over 1,700 games in 22 seasons at the Kingdome. A few memorable moments include Griffey Jr. and his father, Ken Sr. both playing in the same game together, the Mariners one-game playoff win over the Angels to clinch the AL West in 1995, and Junior scoring the winning run of the first ALDS in the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 5 against the Yankees. Fans and city officials celebrated the final game at the Kingdome with banners and ceremonies, prompting sportscaster Keith Olbermann to wonder: “Why? It was a dump.