Mixed Messages on Mixed Martial Arts

Last week on the “Grill Room” on Sun TV, one of the topics that we debated extensively, was the announcement from the Canadian Medical Association, calling for all provincial governments to ban professional Mixed Martial Arts. The statement they issued about their concerns made perfect sense, from a medical point of view.

I say that in spite of the fact that I trained in kick boxing and kung-fu as a teenager, at Twin Dragon Kick Boxing and Kung Fu, from 1973 through 1976, for the purposes of learning self defense, getting in better physical shape, and developing self confidence. My goals were achieved in all those areas, due to the superior instruction I received at Twin Dragon, which is still in operation, at several locations in the Toronto area.

I think that those who are old enough to make legal decisions that affect their daily lives, should have the right to decide if they want to put themselves at risk for possible brain damage, by participating in a professional sport where their heads will be pounded by fists and elbows. As opposed to being completely dismissive of the Canadian Medical Association, the Ontario government should have considered adopting legislation,if it’s not already in place, that would prohibit those under the age of 18 from practicing the sport, even in a sparring scenario, without head and face protection, and to consider banning the use of elbow hits to the head completely.

I doubt that you need to be a brain surgeon to figure out that repeated blows to an unprotected skull, by an elbow or fist, will probably cause trauma of some kind. We have all come to learn through research on football and hockey injuries, even with helmet protection, that blows to the skull that cause the brain to move, are dangerous in terms of concussion and long term damage to the brain.

The most puzzling statements that emerged from all of this, were from Tom Wright, the head of UFC’s Canadian operations, as detailed in the Toronto Star story by Daniel Girard last Thursday: “ he was disappointed the doctors brought forward the motion to ban professional MMA without first consulting his organization or having the medical evidence to back up claims that competitors face extraordinary risk of injury.” Wright was more direct in the comments attributed to him in the same story, in his remarks to Toronto’s 680 News: “ Clearly potential for injury is no different than it is in football and hockey, and indeed significantly less than it is in boxing.” Wright is the former commissioner of the Canadian Football League.

It is a little hard to believe that Wright could possibly state that there is no difference in the potential for injury with an unprotected skull, as in MMA, where blows to the skull are delivered with elbows and fists, in comparison to football and hockey, where the object of the sport is completely different, and blows to the head do occur, but those incidents are not the focal point of the sport, or a strategy to win games, and can result in penalties in certain situations.

The questioning of the credibility of an entire medical association, as Wright is clearly doing, makes this approval for professional Mixed Martial Arts in Ontario, look like a cash grab, which it obviously will be for those promoting the events, for the local economy, and for the provincial government in tax revenue, with estimates in the Toronto Star story at $6 million in local economic activity, that may result from hosting a professional MMA event.

That’s all well and good, especially with a still shaky economic environment. Having said that, it would be appropriate to hear something other than complete dismissal of the concerns of Canadian medical professionals, as it pertains to the potential for serious neurological problems, for those who participate in the sport.

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Luna Vachon Found Dead

It is with a heavy heart that we here share the news that Montreal native, Luna (Gertrude) Vachon has passed away at the age of 48. Details surrounding her death are scarce at this point but we know that she was found by her mother in her mother's home earlier today.

Luna was the adopted daughter of the great Butcher Vachon and the niece of Mad Dog Vachon and Vivian Vachon. Though he wasn't officially her godfather, the family often referred to Andre the Giant as such.

Luna was married several times, most recently to our friend Gangrel (David Heath). The two split in 2006 but as Gangrel has said on Tha O Show in the past, the two remained the best of friends.

Earlier this year, Luna's house had burned down and she lost most of her personal possessions, including all of her wrestling memorabilia and career keepsakes.

We will have more on this sad story as it becomes available.

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Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation Presents $32,000 To Charity

PRESS RELEASE: Tuesday, August 24th 2010 will mark an important day in history as the Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation will present the Milton District Hospital Foundation a cheque with proceeds from the inaugural Tigers Wrestle Fest, which hit the Milton streets during its annual festival.

Tigers Wrestle Fest was a vision of Wrestling Legend Tiger Jeet Singh, his son former WWE Superstar Tiger Ali Singh and their good friend Troy Newton of Troy's Diner in Milton. A festival within a festival to showcase local amateur athletes while promoting health and fitness.

While the street festival in Milton has been taking place every year for the past four years garnering over 25,000 visitors each year; this year that number nearly doubled with the addition of the Tigers Wrestle Fest. A wrestling festival with free admission, sponsorship proceeds going to support the Milton local hospital foundation and a professional wrestling demonstration is just a snap shot of what the spectators came out to see.

In keeping with the mission of the Tiger Foundation of supporting health care and education, the proceeds of the event were donated to the Milton District Hospital Foundation. Even in its first year the event raised $32,000 to support the foundation. The money raised for the hospital will be used to help the hospital purchase essential medical equipment not covered by the Government. "This very generous and welcoming community is blessed with an abundance of talented, young amateur athletes from many fields of which wrestling is one part," remarked an extremely happy Tiger Jr. "We are pleased that the local community had the opportunity to participate, see our best amateur athletes in action, while supporting the Milton District Hospital Foundation. With God's grace we are hoping to have TigerFest as an annual event!"

TigerFest would not have been possible without the support of the Presenting Sponsors Royal Park Homes, Andrin Homes, Century Grove Homes and Gold Sponsors Scotia Bank (Thompson & Main Street) and Ace Gifts Plus.

Not only did Miltonians and residents of the GTA come out in full force to see their favourite wrestlers Tiger Jeet Singh and Tiger Ali Singh, but fans even traveled from all across Canada and some even flew in from India and Japan placing Milton on the wrestling community's map. The South Asian community came out to in droves to see their community icons. "I can't explain how touched we are," recounted a visibly moved Tiger Jr. "The Tiger Foundation is all about supporting worthy causes anywhere on the planet; we don't discriminate! We are extremely grateful to both the Milton residents, the South Asian community and all of our generous sponsors for helping us build the profile of our Foundation so we can continue to build awareness and support for deserving causes around the world."

Visit tigerjeetsingh.com

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No Dealing Damon From Detroit

I’ve mentioned many times over a number of years on the radio, and probably a time or two in this blog, that one of the nicer professional athletes to deal with from a media perspective, is Detroit Tigers DH, Johnny Damon.

From the first time I met him, and that was probably was when he was still with Kansas City, he was always one of the more approachable baseball players, and would almost always find time for an interview.

During the discussion, he would provide intelligent answers, and not rush through it, as though it was the last thing he wanted to do. As opposed to an arrogant athlete, Damon actually seems to be a sensitive individual, who does care about people.

The former Yankee comes across, as though he can still relate to the average working man. He speaks as though he has an understanding, for the day to day struggles of the average person, to pay bills, and make it through life’s ups and downs. His personal wealth from being a star athlete, has not clouded his perspective on the real world. Maybe he has a greater sensitivity to people in general, because he struggled with stuttering as a youngster, according to Wikipedia.

With all that in mind, it wasn’t surprising to me that he decided to remain with Detroit. His split from the Red Sox management and some of the fans, doesn’t seem to have been very pleasant for him. As previously mentioned, he does seem to be a sensitive kind hearted soul. Even though some of his former Boston teammates, like Jason Varitek and David Ortiz, tried to persuade him to return to the team that he played a major role with, in rallying Boston from a 3-0 deficit against the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, ( 2 home runs and a grand slam in game 7.) and then helping them to win the team’s first World Series since 1918, by sweeping St.Louis, he will remain in Motown for now.

The injury riddled Red Sox ( without Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Cameron, Hideki Okajima, Jason Varitek,Kevin Cash, Eric Patterson, Jarrod Saltalamacchia. ) were 5.5 games behind the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays before Tuesdays games had begun. The Tigers were 10 games back of the AL Central leading Minnesota Twins, and almost out of reach of the wild card spot, at 14 games back. They have gained one game back from the Twins as of Wednesday.

In understanding Damon’s sensitivities, you could almost read between the lines of his comments, in terms of his feelings about the possibility of returning as a Red Sox player. According to ESPN.com, Damon stated: “ I had a great time playing there. I told the team what it would take, in terms of dollars and years – but it got ugly when it became apparent that resigning me wasn’t a priority.” Damon also told ESPN.com, that “ the broken relationship with the Boston fans has ‘absolutely’ left a scar on his psyche………..”

During an extended pre-game show on the Red Sox NESN telecast, due to rain, veteran baseball journalist and Massachusetts native Peter Gammons, referred to an incident in Boston, where Damon was walking through the streets of Boston with his wife, and was on the receiving end of some harsh comments from a Boston fan. Gammons said that Damon took it personally, and said that he thought that the Tigers DH would be worried how the Boston fans would receive him as a returning player. ( This obviously stems from his move to the Yankees and a feeling of betrayal for many Sox fans. ) Gammons stated that from his perspective, he would be welcomed back by Red Sox nation.

With his exceptional class and down to earth demeanor, Damon is the sort of player who will be applauded by almost everyone, almost everywhere that he goes, other than in Boston, where there are still some bitter and broken hearted Red Sox fans, who have quickly set aside the contributions of the Kansas native, to their beloved baseball team.

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Tha O Show: Episode 182

O-sters! Tha world's greatest online radio show hosts, Big Daddy Donnie and your bro Dan-e-o do it like no else can on the 182nd edition of "Tha O Show"! Along with "Fatty" Frank Fronte, tha boys deliver a true "banger"! This week's episode features a UFC star, the debut of a new member and segment of the program and the return of a favourite in Tha Nation of O! On this week's show, you'll get... "Tha Os And NOs" featuring an all new edition of "C.I.F.G.". "Tha Pit Stop" with The Notorious T.I.D., who is joined by none other than Canadian UFC fighter, Sam Stout! Regretfully, technical difficulties do interrupt this segment. We apologize in advance... Tha debut of "Pretty Ricky"! AND "Tha Round Table" featuring the one and only Vampire Warrior a.k.a. Gangrel! Taking you out, naturally, is the Vampire Warrior's Theme, "Fangin' & Bangin'" from OBLIVION! Tha Indy Wrestling Album! Purchase Gangrel action figures from Amazon.com by clicking the images below.

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Heyman To Sign With Strikeforce?

Paul Heyman may not re-enter the world of pro wrestling after all.

Following Saturday night's show in Houston, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said "we'll have an announcement probably in a couple weeks" in regards to a deal between Heyman and the MMA company.

Coker would not specify Heyman's role in the company. Coker did, however, confirm that there was a meeting between the two parties last week in New York, and that he was hopeful a deal could be reached.

(See the 7:02 mark in this video for Coker's comments on Heyman.)

I'll comment on how this affects the pro wrestling side of things, and leave the MMA side to be discussed by TID and others.

To put it simply, I think this is bad news for TNA. It appears as if they're missing an opportunity to bring in a guy who has a unique vision on how to turn TNA into a more profitable and entertaining company.

From my view, the sticking point in the Heyman-TNA deal is not the ownership/stock options that Heyman is demanding -- I think Dixie Carter would, or has, offered that. Instead, I think Dixie is letting loyalty get in the way of a good deal.

Dixie wants to protect the likes of Hogan, Bischoff, Russo, Jarrett, and others who Heyman would certainly let go if brought in. It's well-known that Heyman would want to make changes to the front office and roster, but I don't think Dixie will give him that absolute control.

Dixie Carter is the anti-Vince McMahon, and it's hurting her (and her company) in this situation.

Hopefully, between now and and the time a potential deal with Strikeforce is finalized, TNA gets their shit together, swoops in, and brings Heyman into the fold.

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2010 NFL Season Preview

With the second week of NFL pre-season games almost wrapped up it's time for those who haven't already to start getting geared up for the 2010 NFL Season. It appears as though the NFL is geared to have a stellar seasons.

There are several story lines to watch, as well as perennial favorites appearing ready to be a dominant force. "America's Team" is the nickname of the Dallas Cowboys and they appear to be one of the favorites in the NFC. Barring an injury to quarterback Tony Romo the Cowboys are solid. Though they face the third toughest schedule in the league, statistically speaking.

The question mark lies at the position of the number one wide receiver. Last years breakout star Miles Austin is likely to play the slot. That leaves Roy Williams, coming off a hugely disappointing year and rookie Dez Bryant, with incredibly high expectations competing for the number one position.

The New Orleans Saints, last years Super Bowl Champions may challenge again, but the deadly Super Bowl hangover may be lurking. The Saints face the 27th toughest schedule, out of a possible 32 teams. The Saints have a slight drop off in talent from their Super Bowl Championship team, but not enough to cause great concern.

The Minnesota Vikings will see the return of quarterback Brett Favre, but see question marks around a key target from last season, Percy Harvin. Harvin faces severe migraine attacks, and collapsed earlier this week due to them. The Vikings lost backup running back Chester Taylor, but gained rookie running back Toby Gerhardt.

In the AFC the San Diego Chargers have dealt with slight changes, and the trade of WR Vincent Jackson looms, but with their schedule being tied for the 29th strongest in the league they are expected to again be ac contender. The Chargers have won the last four AFC West Division Championships, and have won 18 straight games in the final month (December) of the season.

San Diego lost both Ladanian Tomlinson and Antonio Cromartie, though both players have fallen off from their peak's in the last few seasons. The Chargers drafted Fresno State running back Ryan Matthews in the first round, and Cromartie was replaced by Nathan Vasher and there are several capable defensive backs already on the roster.

The Indianapolis Colts appear to be strong again, though their key question mark remains at the head coaching position. Jim Caldwell was a long time assistant under Tony Dungy, and some have said, much like Dave Campo (Dallas Cowboys) gained the job through the Peter Principle (Dilbert principle). Caldwell has been a largely unsuccessful Head Coach in the past at the college level.

The AFC and NFC have many of the usual suspects at the top. Though there are a few candidates to surprise, or even continue to surprise. The Arizona Cardinals lost quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Though in the NFC West they are still a favorite to win, with the San Fransisco 49ers appearing to be their biggest competition.

The Baltimore Ravens appear to be strong than last year with the addition of Anquan Bolden, and the Miami Dolphins appear to have the ability to reach the playoffs again. The Houston Texans appear to be on the cusp of a playoff berth and if quarterback Matt Shaub can stay healthy, and with the contract situation with superstar wide receiver Andre Johnson settled the sky seems to be the limit for the talented Texans.

When it comes time for the Conference Championship games in January the Cowboys, Vikings, Saints and Cardinals have the ability to be there in the NFC. In the AFC the Colts, Patriots, Chargers and Jets seem to top the rest at this point. In the NFL however anything can change and none of those teams may be there.

2010 will be an exciting season for the NFL, but that's nothing new for those that follow the NFL. With both the NFL, NCAA and High School football starting in the next few weeks it's football fan heaven from now until February.

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TNA = Trying New Approaches

TNA is doing all that it can to separate itself from that PG rated, globally traded zeppelin that hangs over the industry known as WWE.

They have stepped their game up in so many ways, injecting a "shoot" backstage personality into their product with film clips during Impact and then the Reaction "post show" show.

Contests are fast-paced and athletic, blood is not spared from TV, and it really is showing action in nonstop fashion…totally!

Yes, it's overbooked and yes, some of the elements of the show seem lost, but you have to respect when a company with a wealth of talent can maximize it's use. In an odd twist, per capita it appears that there are more so called "old timers" in TNA than in the Fed.

What seems to be working very well, is that the vets are being used to keep the younger talent roster in the company buoyant in the mix of it all. Whereas WWE's hottest angle is Nexus vs. WWE, we see TNA being "invaded" from multiple angles. From Fortune to EV 2.0 to "They" & Abyss to Hogan & Bischoff, to Sting & Nash, TNA has sold itself as a place where people come with their posses to fight it out.

The tensions and stories are being built in the ring, on the mic and backstage. It is contrived, but in more of a TMZ kind of way. It's a bunch of worked shoots and it's a slight bit chaotic by design. If it's too organized, then it's too Fed-like, so sit back and enjoy the demolition derby.

I'm not sure what the deal is with Rob Van Dam being "injured" and causing the World Title to become vacant, but it does seem that Rob was doing a lot of heavy lifting lately. The tournament is making for some good, bad and ugly matches on TV. In my opinion, Kurt Angle will come out of this in the top position, making for a last match (or a series of matches) against a returning RVD. I could be wrong, but I hope I'm not. The fact that they're pushing the final almost 2 whole months away to Bound For Glory tells me that the next PPV, No Surrender will be more based on the faction feud aspect of TNA's landscape.

Fortune vs. EV 2.0 will be interesting and honestly the best way to use both factions at the moment. Flair at the head of Fortune shows what Nexus is missing, which is a solid veteran at the helm selling the younger guys to the audience.

I've been absent from Tha O Show lately, and I'd like to apologize for not reporting more frequently. I won't make excuses (and I know most of you won't give a fuck anyway) and instead I will tell you that I will be offering my opinion on the product and it's progress on a more regular basis.

Previously I was trying to recap the show injecting my thoughts from minute one to minute 120, but I don't think that y'all want this. I mean, lots of people are recapping the action, and quite frankly, that's a lot of work for very little value to Tha O Show which is largely more of an entertainment platform.

So, I'll throw in some more dick jokes next time.

Your feedback is appreciated.

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Coaching And Cussing

So who was right, between New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and former Colts and Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, as to whether or not it matters if a professional coach in any sport, not just football, uses foul language for any reason during practice or a game ?

I certainly admire Tony Dungy for all that he has accomplished with both Indianapolis and Tampa Bay. He should and does get a lot of credit, for the Buccaneers team that went on to win a Super Bowl under Jon Gruden (2002 season), especially it’s defense ( known as the “Tampa 2”). Dungy has always conducted himself with class and distinction. I remember how the Colts players were all in admiration when their coach was eulogizing his son, Jamie, 18, who took his own life on December 22, 2005, and how even in that most tragic of circumstances, he used his own sorrow as a teaching tool for his players, so they might gain something from his loss.

It certainly would be difficult to live up to his standards, the way Dungy carries himself, in both words and actions. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to reach for a higher standard, that we can all accept and live by. On the one hand, I am certain that almost all coaches in professional sports, and at the elite level of the amateur ranks, also cuss when they are frustrated or angry for any reason. At the same time, when you consider that Dungy has coached and succeeded at the highest level of his sport,and been a Super Bowl winner with the Colts during the 2006 season, his comments about swearing should not be ignored either, just because he sets the bar at a higher level than most people expect, in terms of personal conduct.

It was not surprising that Dungy spoke with Rex Ryan, and hopefully the Jets bench boss might become more cognitive of what he is saying. I would guess that he probably will be more cautious in his choice of words, although I doubt that he will stop swearing entirely. At the very least, you can bet that when the Jets coach is about to speak in angry words, he will probably be thinking of Dungy, and what he might say about Ryan’s choice of words, even if he disagrees with Dungy entirely. That may have been what Dungy intended all along. I’m sure he is not worried about being Rex Ryan’s buddy. Dungy is a strong enough character, that he is not concerned with winning popularity contests. He probably feels that strongly, about setting a higher standard for those in the high profile position of being an NFL coach.

Ryan was completely correct in telling ESPN.com: “ Just because somebody cusses doesn’t make him a bad person. Just because a guy doesn’t cuss doesn’t make him a good person.” At the same time, Tony Dungy strongly encouraging clean language usage, doesn’t make him wrong either, and might end up having a positive impact on Rex Ryan or others in the coaching profession as well .

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Tha O Show Radio Program: Episode 181

O-sters! Your favourite radio show hosts, Big Daddy Donnie and your bro Dan-e-o are back to hit you with their 181th edition of "Tha O Show"! Episode 181 is here everybody! This one is short and sweet but still can't be beat! We've got some deep talks, some shit talks, and some musical talks. It's ALL here! On this week's show, you'll get... "Tha Os And NOs" featuring the highlights and lowlights of the past week in the worlds of pro wrestling, MMA, sports and pop culture. "Tha Pit Stop" with The Notorious T.I.D. focusing on MMA finally being legalized in Ontario. The return of "Tha Black Prophet". AND in "Tha Round Table" former WWE Women's Champion, Jazz!!

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Tha Raw Report

Before I say anything I would like to officially say that the new WWE Tag Team Championships are horrendous. It's one big gimmick. It's butterfly belt cringe worthy. I may be the only person that feels that way, but either way, it's bad, bad. Maybe they didn't have any other options.

Can somebody please tell me who Darren Young pissed off? I'm not a fan of Darren Young, but I could hardly tolerate his verbal burial at the beginning of the show. Speaking of the beginning of the show, why is John Cena allowed to bury whoever, whenever.

Wade Barrett is getting better each week, but why do they have to cut promos against John Cena? Cena is utterly awful. He's a damn comedian now. I don't understand how he's still being taken seriously by anyone. This has to be entertaining someone in the back who love this. Or maybe it's a rib on Cena. Whatever it is, it sucks.

I didn't like David Otunga's part at the end of the first segment. "Shoot, that's fine with us." Really? I did however like that they teased them ready to turn but didn't until the end of the night when Young lost to his twin. So I'm assuming Darren Young will be future endeavored within the next few weeks. Maybe Young and Johnny Jeter or Mike Mondo can start a tag team somewhere. They can be "The Castaways," or something.

The entire night was devoted to Nexus vs. Team WWE. The problem however is that the matches that should have been the two best ended less than cleanly, but weren't horrible. Does WWE really think that having certain guys lose is their burial? Here's a gripe about newer wrestling on TV. Why can't matches end in a pin that doesn't involve the finisher. Sunset flip, schoolboy, crucifix, small package, cradle, la magistral, you know what I'm talking about.

Justin Long, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis were not good at all. It was quite bad actually. They seemed lost, and like they were forced to be there. The segment to give the Hart Dynasty the new belts wasn't bad though. I liked the presentation, though not the belts. I don't like it when people just show up with a new version of the belt. This way it puts an emphasis on the belt, er, championship.

I have never been a big fan of Michael Cole. He and Taz were great together as far as comedy. But his constant trashing of Daniel Bryan is great. I had two issues with the Bryan/Tarver match. One was something I liked too. I like his Chris Benoitesque music, but I hated the fact that it wasn't The Final Countdown.

My second issue was the fact that when he was going crazy on Tarver in the corner when the ref backed him out he didn't scream, "I have til 5!" If anybody in Staples Center knew that, and they probably did they place would have gone crazy. Bryan sold the Skull Crushing Finale perfectly.

The Miz cut one of the best promo's in a long while backstage. While he did that, I couldn't help but notice that Alex Riley was there. I didn't at first, I actually didn't even notice he was talking until I looked at his face. I had to google him. He's 29, facially he's 49. He's another guy I probably should, but just don't like.

So the anonymous "Raw" GM has animosity towards Bret Hart? One, Donnie you're an ass for not telling us, or at least the ones that have been here for a long time. Two, are they teasing Dynamite Kid now? Triple H? Michaels? Who?

I think Justin Gabriel has potential to breakout and be a mega star. I'm not huge on spot monkey matches, but a match between Gabriel and Bourne is apparently an internet dream match right now. Gabriel works his style nicely, and believably worked a match against Orton. He didn't go super cruiserweight in an attempt to beat him, he worked right with him for what little time he was allowed.

I understand they're trying to keep the Nexus angle hot, but for the love of God can we turn John Morrison heel and give this guy a push? He's handcuffed as a face, but he's been great as a heel before, and could possibly be better this time around. That has to be why he grew the beard.

Slater and Edge was another countout match, but at least this way it wasn't somebody else causing it. It was Slater manipulating the clock, or at the very least realizing where he was and what was going on and taking advantage. A pretty veteran move. Slater comes away with a countout, but looks good in doing it.

"Raw" isn't what it once was, but it's watchable to say the least. I'm not going to be overly negative, or overly positive. I'll just say that it isn't a chore to watch, and there are enjoyable moments each week instead of each month. One final note is that I'm enjoying the women matches in WWE more than I have in a long time.

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Tha Biggest Shocker Of Tha Summer

The entire Internet, or most of it either verbally stated they wanted, or secretly wanted Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan as the seventh member of Team WWE. We got what we asked for. Aside from the finish to the seven on seven elimination match the entire SummerSlam event was well above average.

The card seemed a little rushed at times to give adequate time for the main event, but it played out nicely. I wasn't incredibly pleased with Nexus interrupting and ruining the Dolph Ziggler/Kofi Kingston Intercontinental Championship match, but I can look over that as it put immediate focus on the main event.

Ziggler and Kingston had a damn good match going, and while the popular thing to do is hate Vickie Guerrero I have to say that I love her character. She generates heat, she plays her part nicely and she gets it. She isn't just a token valet she gets involved at the right spots and draws her heat at the right spots.

I doubt Ziggler will be a future World Heavyweight/WWE Champion, but I don't see why he couldn't pull it off. At the same time he could be one of the guys to run with and work some prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship. That may be a long shot due to WWE booking, but it could happen.

I also want to hammer home the fact that Melina and Alicia Fox put on a damn good match. I'm not even going to classify it as a womens match. It was simply a more than solid match by the two best (healthy) female workers in the company. Melina looked great, and I don't mean that in a Jerry Lawler perverted way.

LayCool interrupting Melina's celebration played out quite well. It got them some screen time, and a SummerSlam paycheck, so it worked great for McCool and Layla, and it built them heat as heels and made Melina a bigger babyface. When Alicia Fox went back after Melina, LayCool throwing her outside showed their dominance.

I honestly don't understand why Big Show needed to go over against the S.E.S clean. Punk hasn't been booked to look even somewhat strong on a PPV this year. His closest to saving face was the Fatal Four Way for the World Heavyweight Championship. He's over. He's one of the best promo guys period. I understand Big Show winning, but not pinning Joseph Mercury and Gallows. Joseph Mercury?

The segment between Kane and Sheamus backstage was better than I thought it would be. Kane came out looking strong and Sheamus didn't come out looking weak. Which would be a theme for the show. I think for this upcoming Taker/Kane feud the mask should come back, but I'll get back to that later.

Sheamus and Orton gave me a pleasant surprise as well. I figured the match would be decent, and it wasn't a five star classic, but it surpassed decent. Enough back and forth to not bury anyone and through the backdoor they kept the door open for more matches. Orton won the match but Sheamus kept the championship.

If Sheamus had lost the title he wouldn't get another shot while Orton had it. Conversely if Orton had lost the match he wouldn't get another shot while Sheamus was champion. Both men did what they needed to do. Orton won, Sheamus retained. I don't see them not wrestling at Night of Champions.

I didn't want to see Kane and Mysterio. I'm so sick of Rey Mysterio it's hard to watch "SmackDown." The two put on an incredibly competitive match. All credit goes to Kane for making Rey look good and somewhat believable. I did pop for Rey's flip to his feet when Kane slid him out of the ring to the floor. It's the small things that make you still love it.

The casket was incredibly shallow, and there were several people staring at the ring apron near the finish. "Did it move?" It was almost funny. It was actually nice to keep guessing since the casket opened a few times without Taker in it. The only possible thing I would have changed was to make the match itself a casket match.

Though making a casket match would have either meant Rey regained the World Heavyweight Championship, or Kane beat down both Rey and Taker. They could have pulled a Taker/Rey switcharoo in the casket but that would have been a little too much, so I understand why it wasn't.

Taker did a hell of a job selling his weakness after his time in a vegetative state. He literally looked worse. While the angle came off great on TV I wonder how well his conversation with Rey came off in the arena. I'm guessing the live audience only saw them in the corner and didn't hear their conversation.

I was honestly dreading the return of Undertaker because an Undertaker/Kane feud isn't new. It isn't fresh, and it isn't something that a whole lot could be done with that hasn't been done before. Or so I thought. I could still be right, but SummerSlam shocked me.

Letting Kane beat Mysterio clean and then leave Taker laying is going farther to build, or actually re-build him as a monster heel. Opening up the return of the mask in some way, shape, form or fashion. He can run with this for quite a while. Let him get his run in with the World Heavyweight Championship. If they booked this correctly he could carry it until WrestleMania and drop the belt to Taker then.

Continuing with shockers, I was sorely disappointed when Miz agreed to be the seventh member of Team WWE. It didn't make sense. The only reason to have that happen would be to turn him face. He's the hottest singles heel they have. He's got Nexus level heat, and his in-ring segment where he told the crowd to raise their hands because they can't say his catchphrase was great.

When Miz made his way to the top of the ramp and Cena cut that promo I didn't expect Bryan Danielson the way Cena built it up. It was Daniel Bryan though and he had a great showing. Michael Cole's best work of the night was his Bryan bashing. There is something there, and there is something there with Miz/Danielson.

When I saw Daniel Bryan lock in the crossface (though a variation) on Darren Young it got a verbal O. The next big discussion will of course be was it a work all along, or did the WWE decide he didn't need to be gone for the full 90 days? It actually doesn't matter. I do think however some type of build to him being #7 would have garnered more buys for SummerSlam.

On a humorous WWE screwed up note, they put up a Daniel Bryan returns to WWE topic, but removed shortly thereafter, as it is currently gone. Bryan's return opens the door for his feud with The Miz to continue, as evidenced by him replacing Miz, and by Miz getting him eliminated. It also opens the door for Bryan to be a champion in WWE relatively soon.

The elimination main event went off well and everybody got some time to shine. We also saw "vintage Chris Jericho." Bret Hart looked nothing like he used to, but he looked much better than I expected and I was happy to see The Hitman spend some time with the new members of the WWE.

His elimination was the only possible way it could have went down. Taking a huge bump was out of the question. Count out, disqualification or heel turn would have been the only way for him to be taken out of the match with minimum risk. I know there are some around here who aren't fond of Hart, but seeing him back in the ring is far from horrible.

My only solid NO of the night was the finish. I loved the way Miz got Bryan out. It just made sense. It set up for a few different conclusions. Instead of any of those we got Cena's superman shtick. On the night many thought would be the death of John Cena the babyface he became "stronger."

When Cena came down the ramp in a new t-shirt, hat and sweetband combination I said aloud he's staying babyface. No way they'd debut new gear for him and turn him heel that night. I didn't even mind the quick pin after Gabriel missed the 450. That worked well, and set up for Wade Barrett to get his moment alone.

Instead though, after Cena got beat down by two of his teammates and took a DDT on the concrete he springs up and locks in an STFU on a basically fresh Barrett who just couldn't fight out. Guys have fought to the ropes before, but Cena was apparently still too strong to let that happen.

WWE dropped the ball on the finish of the match and consequently on the finish of the pay-per-view. But the rest of the show made up for it. While it isn't totally forgivable, it wasn't something to make the show be considered bad. Nexus is far from dead, or at least it should be. It remains to be seen how the WWE runs with them now.

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MMA To Be Legalized In Ontario

Huge news will be broken later today as the Government of Ontario's Ministry of Consumer Services will announce that MMA will be legalised in the province with the first professional events to be held in 2011.

This moves clears the path for companies like the UFC and so many others to start running shows in what Dana White referred to as "the top mma market in the world".

It is expected that Ontario will adopt the same rules and will not look for concessions / changes.

More information on this as it becomes available.

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Lance Cade Dead at 29

Tha O Show has just received word that former WWE star Lance Cade (Lance K. McNaught) has passed away at the age of 29 due to massive heart failure.

Cade was a 3 time WWE Tag Team Champion and an 11 year veteran, trained by Shawn Michaels.

Cade was released by the WWE October of 2008 while he was a key figure in a storyline with Chris Jericho. His release was related to a seizure that happened on a WWE flight, apparently caused by an overdose. There were reports that this was not the first incident of this type for Cade and management was at their breaking point with him.

Lance was scheduled to work the August 28th show for World Wrestling Today that has been heavily promoted on Tha O Show.

Lance Cade is survived by his two daughters, Natallye (7) and Laryssa (2). Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

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Maestro Publishes Book

Last night, I had the honour and privilege of attending the book release party of my idol and bredren Wes "Maestro" Williams. Better known to hip-hop fans as Maestro Fresh-Wes, his new book Stick To Your Vision has just been released, offering readers the opportunity to self-motivate and overcome the onset of stress brought on by haters.

Wes has been very successful through the years, not only as a musician but as an actor and now an author. As someone who he inspired greatly, I am proud to highly recommend this book. My autographed copy will be read soon but skimming it has already got me very impressed. Get your copy today.

Last night's party at The Drake Underground was like a family reunion of sorts as hip-hop notables from all over Toronto attended to watch their hero accept his accolades in addition to performing classics like "Drop The Needle", "Let Your Backbone Slide" and naturally, "Stick To Your Vision".

Word has it that Maestro and a bro you know will be collaborating on a track in the near future. More details to follow. In the meantime, grab that book and get up on some knowledge that is sure to help you reach your goals and achieve your dreams.

Check our Vid-e-o section in the right side bar for some classic Maestro videos.

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Managing People - The Wrong Way

It’s amazing how often I’ve spoken with people who work for large corporations or are in positions of power with successful organizations, and how often accomplished individuals have pointed out that the largest part of being successful, is being able to manage people and communicating effectively.

This may not exactly seem like the stuff of genius, but I’ve been offered this advice going back to the days of taking out canoe trips at summer camps in Ontario, more than 30 years ago. It’s true at that rather simple level of work, and it obviously plays out in the high pressure, big bucks world of professional sports as well.

Fabio Capello, the manager of England’s national soccer team, announced after the Lions had eked out a 2-1 friendly win over Hungary at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, that David Beckham, England’s most capped outfield player with 115 appearances, would not be involved in any more competitive matches.

Capello said he hopes that Beckham can play in a November match with France, so he can be given a final salute by the fans. According to the Associated Press, you shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for that to occur. With Beckham still under contract to the L.A. Galaxy of MLS, and the fact that he has stated that he wouldn’t retire from international soccer, while still playing professionally, sources have told the AP that the midfielder will not accept Capello’s offer. “ It would seem strange to say you are not retiring then to signal your retirement in a benefit match……It’s not going to happen.”

The major difficulty with all of this, is that it has become clear that Capello had not conveyed his intentions to Beckham directly, prior to informing the fans and media. On the surface, this would seem to be a public relations nightmare. How is it possible, that one of soccer’s and England’s most popular ambassadors, would not receive the courtesy of an advanced notice by Capello?

It should be elementary common sense, that a gentleman and world class sports icon, would get at least that measure of respect. The manager had earlier stated, that Beckham could still play a role in the 2012 European Championship, when he was ruled out of the World Cup, after surgery to repair his left Achilles tendon last March. If Capello can’t handle interaction with a national hero like Beckham effectively, it makes you wonder how he communicates with the rest of his players, and if that was at all a factor, in the poor showing by the Three Lions in the World Cup earlier this summer. A gaffe like this by Capello on such a basic function, should raise a few questions about his people skills and ability to lead the team.

As reported by ESPN soccernet, Capello responded to media questions about the 35 year old Beckham, and his status with the team.

“I hope when David is okay he can play here the last game at Wembley in a friendly to say goodbye and thank you very much to the crowd. I won’t be picking him for any more competitive matches. ………Did I phone him before I went on television ? No. I think I will speak with him. But I think David knows he has no future with the international team because we have to change. We tried to speak with him.”

The response by Beckham’s agent to BBC Sports, seemed sharply different than the message conveyed by Capello. “For your info, there has been no discussion of retirement. He will always be available for his country, when fit and if needed he will be there.”

The reaction to this news from national team-mate and England captain Steven Gerrard, gives a sense of the esteem that he has among his peers. “He was a fantastic captain. I’ve learnt a lot from David and it’s been a pleasure to play alongside him.If he has played his last game, he’ll certainly be missed because, both on and off the pitch, he’s a great guy.”

Fabio Capello may be a brilliant soccer manager, although that is not a widely held belief in the U.K. right now. Aside from his strategic sophistication in the sport, he will have to improve upon his ability to communicate. A further fiasco beyond this botched bye bye to Beckham, could leave Capello up a creek without a paddle.

Strike one for the manager was the underachievement by England in South Africa. The second strike is mishandling the David Beckham announcement. As they say in baseball, it’s three strikes and you’re out. For Fabio Capello, there may also be a three strike rule. He needs to start hitting some soccer style home runs. With references in the English press to Capello like “Dumb And Dumber”, or “ Blundering England manager … battered reputation sinks even further”, it seems that he may be approaching the point of no return in terms of his credibility, with the fans, the media, the team, and certainly David Beckham.

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Tha O Show: Episode 180

O-sters! Your favourite radio show hosts, Big Daddy Donnie and your bro Dan-e-o are back one day early to hit you with their 180th edition of "Tha O Show"! Episode 180 includes all the craziness you've come to expect from Tha Bros of O...plus more! For example, this week "Fatty" Frank Fronte makes good on a bet and joins a new race, tha crew contemplates a career change and new venture into the world of music and a former WWE Superstar makes his debut! Check it out now by pressing play, launching in a new window or downloading the mp3 now! On this week's show, you'll get... "Tha Os And NOs" featuring the highlights and lowlights of the past week in the worlds of pro wrestling, MMA, sports and pop culture. "Tha Pit Stop" with The Notorious T.I.D. who recaps last Saturday's UFC 117 event. A preview of this coming Sunday's WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view - something tha boys haven't done in a while! AND in "Tha Round Table" former WWE Superstar and DX member, Billy Gunn a.k.a. former TNA star, Kip James!! (a.k.a. Mr.Ass a.k.a. Kip Sopp a.k.a. The One a.k.a. Rockabilly...you get the picture.) Click the links below to purchase Billy Gunn action figures from Amazon.com

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Lessons In Leadership

Do you fancy yourself as a leader, or have aspirations to become one? If so, some real life scenarios have just been played out, providing brilliant illustrations of some of the characteristics of what a leader does.

Steven Gerrard, as captain of England’s brutally disappointing World Cup team, recently told ESPN Soccernet, that the Lions deserve to be booed when they play their first home friendly against Hungary, since returning from their awful showing in South Africa. The Liverpool midfielder and striker, went so far as to say that if he were sitting with the fans, that he might be inclined to hiss as well

This is exhibit “A” in terms of leadership. Gerrard has taken full responsibility for the team’s failure, and not offered excuses for their flop . By suggesting that he might razz the team if he were a fan in the seats, the Merseyside native is empathizing with them, and encouraging them to ventilate. The fans will admire his sporting courage in admitting failure,and taking the usual punishment, in the likely form of some kind of verbal barrage. That is the one of the few ways a fan can be heard, when they feel shortchanged, other than staying away from the games entirely.

The Reds captain said: “ I’m expecting a mixed reaction……I’m sure there’ll be some boos but we have to take it on the chin. We deserve it, we let them down. Hopefully, with time, we can show them we are a good team and that we’re desperate to make them happy.”

Another important dynamic of leadership, is not blaming others for a failure, even if they may deserve some, or a lot of it. Gerrard did exactly that in praising England manager Fabio Capello, who has received some criticism for the way his team underachieved on the world stage in June and July. “I’ve got big faith in this manager. It would be very stupid and naive not to have that moving forward. He’s a fantastic manager. You can’t shift all the blame onto the manager in these situations. We have to share the blame and take it on the chin together.

“All the players will listen very carefully over the next couple of days and looking forward. Obviously things didn’t work out in South Africa so we have to listen to the man who has the experience and follow his lead.

“The manager spoke on behalf of us all yesterday. For me there are no excuses at all. The simple message is we have to show how sorry we are by our performance on the pitch.”

Fans for the most part, are fairly forgiving of failures, both the professional and personal kind. All they ask for,is some form of apology, whether it be in a verbal communication, or as Gerrard was suggesting, by performing to the level of ability that most followers want to see, and with the kind of effort the team would reasonably expect from themselves.

Leadership like that, is what the Three Lions need from the Liverpudlian.

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Tha Raw Report: Raw Is Nitro

I really hate to say this, but all "Raw" was missing tonight was a third hour, Mean Gene, Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. We saw a triple turn from one guy, a partial turn from another, and of course the "united front" against the Nexus World Order.

I like the Nexus, and I like the team vs. team angle. I just like it more at Survivor Series. I don't want this angle to be blown off too soon. They could get a long, long run out of this. Let things build, don't go crazy, have team WWE win at SummerSlam and the Nexus self-destruct.

The best match on "Raw" in the last few months was Alicia Fox and Melina tonight. I like that both of them can work and neither of them are afraid to attempt difficult spots (for WWE). Melina may be one of the top workers in the WWE period, and I've been on the Alicia Fox bandwagon for a while now.

Melina's return added a lot to the division, and may be the return with the most impact in a while. Maybe it's because there aren't as many female workers and each return can be given more attention, or maybe the creative team just doesn't know how to book certain people and Melina is one they can get right.

I usually hate on the Diva bikini fests, and I wasn't overly thrilled with the one tonight, but I guess if they give me a real match, and a solid match, I can deal with the parading of the boobs. Plus, out of the six, five are super attractive and the sixth is attractive. Plus it got Santino on TV. TV-PG struck again with it's one piece bathing suits. Am I the only one that thinks Tamina is sexy?

Back to the Nexus angle. I criticized the WWE for making the Nexus angle their biggest push for SummerSlam buys. The last few pay-per-views have done poorly, and one of them was the second lowest number of buys in company history, better than only "ECW" December to Dismember. That's scary.

The one thing they did right with the angle was to make Nexus look super strong, but they made team WWE look too weak, but I digress. Another small thing they've done right is having the website show the mysterious shadow figure as the seventh man of team WWE.

That may actually garner some more interest and draw in a few more buys than they would have gotten. Plus it can get some discussion started, some much needed buzz for the E. Will it be a legend? Will it be a guy that they're going to push now. Booker T's name will come up I'm sure. I just brought it up, so discuss. Plus someone somewhere will say "It's going to be Bryan Danielson." No it won't, but that'd be awesome.

Speaking of awesome it isn't "Raw" if it doesn't involve The Miz. He may be the guy on Team WWE, but, God I hope not. Don't turn him face yet, don't have him cash in the case yet. Have him come out after the Sheamus/Orton match, but before he can cash it in get dropped with an RKO or a Brogue kick.

As I've previously stated, I want him to just stop carrying the damn thing, and while people won't forget about it completely, out of sight, out of mind. Then boom he suddenly pops up and cashes it in. His first promo as WWE Champion will likely be insanely awesome. There goes that word again.

Randy Orton is an over face. No doubt about it. I like the guy, I do, but turn him back heel and give him a manager. Maryse and DiBiase are good together, being a valet is about a lost art. The even bigger lost art though is the heel, male manager. Estrada got too over. What the hell is too over? If the manager gets bigger than one star, give him a few. Jimmy Hart. Bobby Heenan. Matt Striker could be the next one.

The reason Orton doesn't need to be a babyface right now is because he's better on the mic as far as not stumbling, but, it just isn't confident. Orton himself has acknowledged it. So if he doesn't want to be on the mic, don't put him there or give him a mouthpiece.

Did the babyface challenger really attack the heel champion from behind? I repeat, did the crowd loving good guy hit the heel WWE Champion in the back as he was leaving the ring? The WWE crowd is truly mind-boggling. They were going to cheer the punt? Welcome to bizarro world. Logic no longer exists.

The anonymous General Manager thing is growing on me, but is anyone else worried this could go as awry as the "higher power" thing from the ministry? They're building this thing, and if they do decided to name one, chances are he isn't going to live up to what people are expecting.

Maybe they should just keep it anonymous. If it isn't a huge name it may not work. If it's going to be Cole let him slip a few times saying I instead of the anonymous GM and then immediately stumble or correct himself to gauge crowd reaction. If it gets a shit reaction change it. He simply may not work in that position.

On a side note, the NXT guys put on a solid match. Could someone please explain to me why in the blue hell are Joe Hennig and Windham Rotunda going by gimmick names? Horrible gimmick names at that. Husky Harris for Rotunda? Husky? Damn. Michael McGillicutty for Hennig? An ECW female gimmick last name? Damn.

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Tha Classics Part 2

Back in the day before the internet was good for anything (they say its existed for years but come on…) when someone showed up in wrestling you didn’t have any warning. They just appeared and either you said “Hey, I just saw this guy on ESPN” like I did with 123 Kidd or you remembered them from WCW, USWA, or whatever. No spoilers. No twitter updates about it. Hell, the dirt sheets came out every few months so by the time someone debuted it was old news.

So when Goldust showed up with his vignettes I didn’t know what to think. I had seen flamboyant wrestlers. I had seen strange wrestlers. I had seen creepy wrestlers. But at this point in my poor childhood I had never seen someone combine all three of them. Not since Goldust has anyone made a vignette that made me go “What the hell is this guy about?!” He made me feel uncomfortable. Yeah. That’s the best way to put it. Goldust made me feel uncomfortable.

When he made his Raw debut against Savio Vega who was just on episode 177 of Tha O Show he didn’t even use his finisher. He worked Savio’s arm most of the match and use it in a pin that could not be kicked out of. When I was younger I thought it was a kinda lame way to debut but as a grown ass man it makes perfect sense.

His feud with Razor Ramon at The Rotal Rumble was so cool. Watch Goldust in the corner before the match starts! Sending telegrams to the ring for Razor. Drawing a heart on his chest with Razor written in the middle When they finally hooked up that match was awesome for the commentary alone.

I cant believe that all these years later he still wrestles. People like to talk about who is overrated and who is underrated. Goldust is underrated. This guy has gone through so many different changes to his look, he left for WCW and became a new character, he popped up in TNA as someone else, and seamlessly appeared back in WWE looking to be in better shape than he has in years. Goldust can make me laugh, make children cry, or make parents do a whole lot of explaining later on.

Though I grew up liking far more technically sound wrestler, Goldust will always hold a special place for his all out strangeness. Click here to watch his match against Savio, here to watch some of his vignettes, and here for his match versus Razor Ramon.

In the words of my late brother.

"Thats fucking Dustin Rhodes?!"

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Tha O Show: Episode 179

O-sters! It's that time of week again, as Big Daddy Donnie and your bro Dan-e-o hit you with their fangin' and bangin' 179th edition of "Tha O Show"! And with all the props in the world going out to The Vampire Warrior, this week's episode showcases the debut of a vampire of a different variety. Along with "Fatty" Frank Fronte and a returning CurtB to Tha O Zone Lair, this week's show also features another return of a long-time friend of tha crew. Check it out now by pressing play, launching in a new window or downloading the mp3 now! On this week's show, you'll get... "Tha Os And NOs" featuring the highlights and lowlights of the past week in the worlds of pro wrestling, MMA, sports and pop culture. "Tha Pit Stop" with The Notorious T.I.D. who previews this Saturday's UFC 117 event. Former WWE Superstar, Kizarny, who is better known to his Ontario Indy Wrestling homeboys as The Original Sinn, joins the show for a candid chat about his recent nuptials to another former WWE Superstar, among other things. AND in "Tha Round Table" another former WWE Superstar, Kevin Thorn joins Sinn and tha boys for a Fatal Five Way of Fun! Taking you out this week is the brand new cut from young Toronto lyricist and future superstar, Guapo of the Saints. He drops his crazy new joint "Guapo Goes In" from the just-released album, Pack Up The Moon & Dismantle The Sun! Download it FREE now! Click below to purchase Kevin Thorn & Kizarny merch from Amazon.com!

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Athletes As Role Models

I remember as a 15 year old die hard Toronto Maple Leafs hockey fan, one of my heroes was Toronto tough guy Brian “ Spinner” Spencer. He was as intimidating as anyone from his era of NHL fighters. He would drop the gloves with anyone who wanted to try him, and in his relatively short time with Toronto, and the National Hockey League, he carved out a space for himself. While with the blue and white, he helped make a somewhat placid team, a lot bolder because of his pugilistic prowess. Spencer was with the Leafs from 1969 till 1972, and was in the NHL until 1979. ( GP- 553, G- 80, A- 143, (-53 ) PIM- 634 )

Unfortunately, the Fort St. James, B.C. native led a tragic life. In his first season with the Leafs, Spencer’s father Roy, wanted to watch his son on a Hockey Night In Canada telecast, of a Toronto – Chicago game, where Brian was a scheduled intermission guest, in December of 1970. The game being shown in British Columbia was a Vancouver Canucks match. In a rage, his father drove a long way to the nearest CBC TV station, and demanded at gun point that they switch over to the Maple Leafs telecast. The RCMP responded, and Roy Spencer was shot dead. Within a week or two of that terrible event, Brian scored a hat trick against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Maple Leaf Gardens, also on Hockey Night In Canada, and the fans gave Spencer a standing ovation.

After the 1971-1972 season, he was picked in the expansion draft by the New York Islanders. After spending the duration of his career with the Islanders, Sabres, and Penguins, I didn’t hear much about him again, until I read about him being in prison in Florida in 1987, according to Wikipedia, on charges of kidnapping and murder, which were later dismissed by a jury in 1988. Former Leafs captain Dave Keon, was trying to help Spencer, and would visit with “Spinner” while he was incarcerated. Tragically, not long after he was freed from prison, he was shot and killed, allegedly in a drug deal, as detailed by Wikipedia.

Years later, when I was working at the Fan 590 as a talk show host, I got to know some of his former teammates in Toronto. The stories they conveyed to me about him as a family man were disturbing. It was hard for me to believe the terrible allegations about the tough guy, whose number 15 was on the first Leafs jersey that I purchased. As a fan of Toronto and Brian Spencer, I can still recall when he signed a hockey card for me, outside of Maple Leaf Gardens during training camp of 1971. I remember how thrilled I was when he opened the doors to his gold Cadillac with Oklahoma license plates, ( The Leafs had a farm team then in Tulsa.) and took the time to speak with me and my friend, who were hanging around, just hoping to get a glimpse of our hero. To a 15 year old, he looked like a 6’4” bodybuilder. No wonder he won so many fights. How sad it was for me, that the rest of his life never came close to matching the heroic image I first had of him.

I recall Spencer’s troubled life, being the first realization I had, that some of the people we admire, just like non celebrities, have their frailties, faults, and failings, some worse than others, as was the case with Spencer. Years later, I remembered hearing that one of the original members of the rock music icons, The Doors, advised that fans should admire the late Jim Morrison, legendary lead vocalist, for his music, while understanding that the there were undesirable aspects to his existence that should not be copied. Hopefully, parents give that same advice to their children about the current generation of heroes.

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Samoa Joe Suspended!

One of the patron saints of O, Samoa Joe has suspended by TNA. Apparently management is displeased with Joe's general attitude and the final straw was an incident that took place at the July 13th tapings for iMPACT!.

Joe was working Jeff Hardy in a ten minute Broadway. Prior to the match, Joe was very vocal to those involved in putting the match together that there should not be a countdown when the time was nearing the end because that would spoil the finish.

It's true. I've said this so many times ... as soon as the audience hears "2 minutes left" they know what's up. The drama and shock value is a million times higher if you suddenly just ring the bell and announce that time's up.

With 30 seconds left in his match with Hardy, Jeremy Borash started a countdown. After the match, Joe was livid and yelled at various crew members and people in the production truck (believed to be David Sahadi, Keith Mitchell and Vince Russo with TNA president Dixie Carter present).

Also, one of the stories going around is that management (i.e. Bischoff / Hogan) are upset with Joe's weight. I feel like I need to paraphrase Jules Winnfield and say "I wouldn't go so far as to call him fat - the brotha is Samoan, what's he supposed to do?"

Joe's size is what makes him special. If he was 215 pounds, his ring work would look like about 200 other guys. The ability to be as explosive and agile at his size is what sets him apart. And "they" want to take that away from him? Hell, I'd be pissed too.

Joe is the second notable star to be suspended by TNA this year - the first being Awesome Kong who was subsequently granted her release. Joe is currently not scheduled for any upcoming TV tapings or house shows.

Add to all this the fact that Melina recently posted a pic on Twitter of herself with John Morrison, Gregory Helms and Joe and the rumors are already flying like crazy.

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LeBron Thanks Akron

LeBron James decided that certain people in Ohio, were deserving of some gratitude from him. So he took out a full page ad in the Akron Beacon Journal, thanking them for supporting him. There is no mention of Cleveland in his Akron thank you note. James plans on appearing at an annual bike-a-thon that he sponsors in Akron.

As reported by ESPN.com, James thanks the residents of his hometown for their support and love,and says he will always come back to the city that he refers to as the “ central focus “ of his life.

The letter from James is certainly a great gesture, but unfortunately for the Miami Heat superstar, there should have been a letter that was addressed to the fans who paid to watch him play in Cleveland.That message should have been communicated by LeBron to the fans of the Cavaliers, before he made his formal announcement of his departure from the Buckeye state. In fact, an advertisement in a Cleveland paper,detailing his departure,and thanking the Cavs fans for their support, would have been better received, than the one hour soap opera he was featured on,as the vehicle for making the announcement of his NBA plans.

The feelings in Cleveland were already quite bitter about his decision, so the advertisement in Akron, with no references to the city where he played for seven years, will be another layer of salt on their wound.

The ad in the Akron paper states: “ It was here where I first learned how to play basketball, and where I met the people who would become my lifelong mentors. Their guidance,encouragement and support will always be with me…..It’s where I started, and it’s where I will always come back to. You can be sure that I will continue to do everything I can for this city, which is so important to my family and me. Thank you for your love and support. You mean everything to me.”

Those final two sentences, would have meant the world to the city of Cleveland, and the Cavs fans in particular, especially before the rest of the world knew where LeBron was heading. The letter was a great idea, but from this point of view, James missed the most important target for this type of message, by about 35 miles.

Stormin Norman Rumack has been a respected sports radio broadcaster for nearly two decades. You can learn more about Norm by visiting his official website latenightvampire.com

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Outspoken Ozzie

Every now and then, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen drops a figurative bomb, with serious allegations, but one that may also contain some important information, that might need to be investigated, or perhaps you may conclude that the sometimes controversial skipper,has spoken out of turn, and is misinformed. It definitely seems in this situation, that there is a serious lack of communication between Guillen and Major League Baseball.

The outspoken native of Venezuela, is outraged that Asian players are given privileges that Latino players are got granted, from his point of view. He also claims that he is the only one, who is trying to steer young Spanish speaking athletes, to avoid performance- enhancing drugs, as highlighted in the ESPN.com story.

“ ….why do we have Japanese interpreters and we don’t have a Spanish one. I always say that. Why do they have that privilege and we don’t? Don’t take this wrong, but they take advantage of us. We bring a Dominican kid…..go to the minor leagues. Good luck. And it’s always going to be like that. It’s never going to change.”

Guillen has a son, Oney, who plays Class ‘A’ ball, and claims that a Korean prospect has a translator, who “made more money than the players.” The Sox manager added that “ we had 17 Latinos and you know who the interpreter was? Oney. Why is that? Because we have Latino coaches? Why? I don’t have the answer. We’re in the United States, we don’t have to bring any coaches that speak Spanish to help anybody. You choose to come to this country and you better speak English.”

Guillen didn’t pull any punches on the subject of performance enhancing drugs, as it pertains to Latino baseball players. “It’s somebody behind the scenes making money out of those kids and telling them to take something they’re not supposed to. If you tell me, you take this ……you’re going to be Vladimir Guerrero, you’re going to be Miguel Cabrera……I’ll do it.Because I have seven brothers that sleep in the same room. I have to take care of my mother and dad…..Out of this, I’m going to make money to make them better.”

Both Major League Baseball and the Chicago White Sox responded to Guillen’s statements, and disagreed with him.

MLB spokesman Rich Levin said: “We spend more time and effort educating our Latin players about PED use than we do our domestic players in the United States. We test extensively in the Dominican and Venezuelan leagues, and we’ve increased the testing every year.”

The White Sox response was similar: “ The White Sox do not agree with the assumptions Ozzie made in his comments yesterday…….Major League Baseball and the White Sox provide a number of programs to help our foreign players with acculturation, including English language classes and Spanish language presentations related to the risks of and testing for performance enhancing drugs. The team also has Spanish-speaking staff assigned to serve as liaisons for our Latin American players.

As detailed by ESPNChicago.com, the Sox concluded by assuming that Guillen may not have been aware of MLB’s off the field activities.

“Ozzie may not have been fully aware of all the industry wide efforts by Major League Baseball and its clubs to help our players succeed in the transition to professional baseball, no matter the level of play or their country of origin.”

The one thing that is crystal clear, is the degree of disconnect between Guillen and MLB. The fact that they seem so out of touch with each other as to what really goes on in terms of education and training, is almost as alarming as the original allegations by Guillen. How is it possible that one or the other, could be so far apart in their perspective of their own profession ?

It looks like either Guillen, MLB, or maybe both to varying degrees, may have some homework to do on these serious issues.

Stormin Norman Rumack has been a respected sports radio broadcaster for nearly two decades. You can learn more about Norm by visiting his official website latenightvampire.com

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Tha "Raw" Report

I said last week that I don’t like the fact that the “Raw” team is clashing because of the “Ego” thing. I also stated that the rumors of WWE being down on Jericho for “leaving” to go host “Downfall” may actually be true. I don’t know though if that’s the reason why Jericho is in this goofy storyline right now. This whole combustible Team “Raw” thing is tired and irritating.

I’m sure several people like it. If it were slightly tweaked I may love it too, but even I can't put my finger on why it isn't working. I just think though that with The Nexus being the absolute shit as far as strength, in an early N.W.O way, this could have added some drama, but it’s only adding slight confusion and irritation.

The only positive to the entire Team “Raw” tension involves Khali. Having the Nexus plant the seeds of trust to him, only to turn on him later is the only thing about the match build that’s making sense. It can’t last long, but it’ll last just long enough to not matter in the grand scheme of things. When one angle sold pay-per-views that angle was so full of emotion it was running out of the cracks.

The Nexus angle isn’t one that just screams “emotionally invest in me!” The best part of tonight’s angle was the R-Truth/Edge confrontation, up until WWE being TV-PG ruined it. It sort of squashed the heat when Truth said “your rear end.” It would have had more of an impact had he been allowed to say ass. The reaction died at that point. Immediately following that segment a commercial for the DVD release of “Kick Ass” was aired.

I really hate to harp on the TV-PG thing and I try not to, but every week it rears its ugly head and either kills, dulls or just plain ruins a segment. Maybe the use of profanity and blood isn’t a good idea, but this is wrestling. Men punch, kick, slam and hurt one another every single night. How does that even qualify for TV-PG to begin with? It’s a work yes, but at the same time we’re told, “Please don’t try this at home.” This can’t really all be because of Linda running for office. Can it?

Moving on. John Cena desperately needs to turn heel. SummerSlam is a prime opportunity for him to turn against the WWE team and join the Nexus, but honestly I don’t know if it’d even work. Joining Nexus is just about the only way he could turn heel. They turned Austin heel at WrestleMania X-Seven, but that was by aligning him with Vince. Austin/McMahon was one of, if not the biggest feud of the 1990’s.

Cena hasn’t had that. The closest thing that he has is Edge. An Edge/Cena union would probably be a colossal screw up waiting to happen. If Cena turned on Orton, it’d likely keep Cena face and turn Orton back heel. Orton’s been a face for a cup of coffee, Cena has since late ‘04. Cena’s a baby face, even if half the crowd and a quarter of the overall audience boo him.

Nice to finally see Melina back in the ring, and she got a damn good reaction. I have a sneaking suspicion that she and Alicia Fox could put on a series of great ladies matches if given the time and the opportunity. Alicia Fox cut a pretty solid promo as well. Now that there are women who can work I don’t see why they wont let them work. Not sure who’s doing the women’s division now. Finlay may still be there. If not, Scott D’Amore may be busy with Maximum Pro, but then again, maybe not.

I’m an Orton fan, that’s no secret. Sheamus isn’t nearly as bad as everyone makes him out to be. With that being said I find it odd that I’m in no way excited about their match at SummerSlam. SummerSlam is/was my second favorite pay-per-view of the year behind Mania. The Jeremy Piven inspired SummerFest was no slouch either. That last six main events, or semi-main events were good and had something to be excited about. This one though, just doesn't jump off the screen or page at you.

Since ‘04 the listed main events have been, Benoit-Orton, Hogan-Michaels, Edge-Cena, Cena-Orton, Undertaker-Edge (Hell in a cell), and Jeff Hardy-Punk in a TLC match. Orton/Sheamus and Kane/Mysterio just doesn’t do it. I think WWE is making a serious mistake in putting all their eggs in the Nexus basket for this one. It isn’t going to get them the buys they want.

I understand that maybe, the WWE is finally transitioning into “new” main events and main event guys. Orton has been on the list twice since 2004, actually three times in the elimination chamber in ‘03, though in ‘03 he was in there so Triple H could have the numbers game in his favor against Goldberg.

He’s nowhere close to a fresh face, but he’s still solid. Celebrity involvement, or a big angle other than Nexus at the forefront of the card would have been great. Some may consider Taker/Kane/Rey from “SmackDown” a big angle, but “SmackDown” gets a fraction of the “Raw” ratings and Mysterio is still over, but a large percentage of that is 13 and under.

Back to Sheamus, why the hell did Goldust job to him? Like Uso getting jobbed out to Orton last week. Feeding under card guys to the main event isn’t good. Parity booking is never good for anyone, especially the guys getting buried for no reason. Goldust still has potential, and actually looks like he’s close to the top of his game.

“Raw” isn’t a bad overall show, I won’t say that. If it was unwatchable I simply wouldn’t watch it, and there are times over the last little while I haven’t. I can blame not watching it on work, but I have a DVR so I can watch it at anytime, I just chose not to at one point. The Money in the Bank concept has always been good, so I spent money on that pay-per-view. I’ll likely spend the money on SummerSlam, but it’ll likely be with relatively low expectations.

If the expectations are low, it’s increasingly hard for it to be a letdown. I know that sounds bad, but it’s true. The WWE has the potential future main event guys on the roster right now. It just remains to be seen if they can run with them. If Morrison turns heel he is ready to be a World Champion. DiBiase can be a World Champion by WrestleMania. Bourne can easily be U.S. or IC Champion. It just remains to be seen if the company will actually move forward.

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