Wrestling Gets Interesting Again

Nigel McGuiness (aka Desmond Wolfe) may have made the biggest decision in wrestling since WCW and ECW went out of business almost a decade ago. During the high point of wrestling in the mid to late 90’s (the Monday Night Wars era) it was common to see wrestlers move from the WWE(F) to ECW to WCW and surprise the world. The time of instant Internet news was still years away, and most people only knew about what they saw on television. If a wrestler’s contract was running out, or if someone was let go, you didn’t know until you either stopped seeing them, or until they showed up in another company. There was no common knowledge of who was unhappy, who wanted to go to another company, or if an injury was legit or part of an angle. Once WCW and ECW folded and the age of instant online news grew there was nothing even the casual fan didn’t know about.

The WWE has owned the American wrestling world for almost a decade. If you didn’t make it there you either went to Japan, Mexico, small Indy federations, or were out of luck. When TNA and ROH started they were one of dozens of startup companies, but unlike most, they have lasted and become successful. TNA was the place where young talent got their chance and bigger names went to have a job and an easier schedule. As time passed TNA has become the place where wrestlers who wanted out of the WWE went. They have developed their own great talents, but the big names are mostly WCW, ECW, or WWE cast-offs. Ring of Honor was another company like TNA, but instead of storylines, it was a company were hungry wrestlers went to showcase their talent. The focus wasn’t on ratings it was putting on the best pure show possible. As a result most of the best talent has left ROH for more money in TNA or WWE. Recently the WWE signed Bryan Danielson (the best pure wrestler in the world in any company) and Nigel McGuiness (a tough bad guy talent and a mouth to back it up) perhaps the best two talents on the Indy circuit. The duo finished out their remaining schedule and had a final head to head match in ROH before reporting to the WWE.

TNA had their normal television taping last Monday and a newcomer attacked the biggest name in the company, Kurt Angle. The new wrestler was Desmond Wolfe, the man formerly known as Nigel McGuiness but without trademark blonde spiked hair. As soon as news of McGuiness’s appearance the Internet went crazy as to what happened with his WWE deal. Their official stance was that he had failed a medical test due to past injuries, but McGuiness and other sources confirmed that he had a WWE contract offer in hand, had met with the company, but never signed a contract. The ironic thing is that the Desmond Wolfe name came from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon but since it was never trademarked it was able to be used. Not only did the WWE lose out on a potential breakout star, but he went and signed with the closest thing to their competition, TNA. TNA had pulled off a free agent coup that hasn’t been since the Monday Night Wars days a decade earlier. For the good of the business perhaps this will be the catalyst that helps bring the WWE the true competition they need so that the industry can thrive once again.

Favorite Quotes

I love the Simpsons and I can relate to this exchange all too well many days...

Bart : We are going to die!

Lisa : We are all going to die sometime.

Bart : I meant soon!

Lisa : So did I.

When Cars Go Too Fast

Police in Italy are showing off their special police car: a
Lamborghini, which they're driving to Amsterdam for a demonstration for
Dutch emergency services. The car is the third of its kind donated by
the manufacturer, and is capable of pursuits at speeds of up to 325 kph
(202 mph). An onboard camera system can record images of speeders, and
a GPS-enabled computer system records speeds second by second. And
there's one other special feature: a "cold box" specifically designed
for human organs. (AP)

When you have a car that can go so fast that they need include a place for your organs

to go than you are asking for trouble

THIS is TRUE: 11 October Copyright http://www.thisistrue.com

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DVD Review - X-Men Origins

With three kids and a job with odd hours, going to the movies isn’t a common occurrence. At times even watching a full DVD takes time (I got Hellboy II for Christmas and finished watching it in August). That being said it is time to review the latest movie I watchedX-Men Origins. DISCLAIMER – I never read comic books so if the movie and the original comic didn’t mesh I don’t really care. I am just covering the movie itself.

Critics seemed to despise the latest X-Men movie, but I didn’t know of a single person that saw the movie and didn’t like it. I was a bit skeptical about the movie, but I knew the action sequences would deliver. I wasn’t disappointed as the action was better than expected and the rest of the movie was nicely done. We got to follow Wolverine through his century and a half life and found out how and why he became the character he is. The story made sense and was nicely done, even setting up the beginning of the X-Men from the previous three movies. The only thing that was missing is more involvement from Gambit, and a wish he had been in the previous movies. As prequels go this was nicely done and didn’t require much time to get the viewer up to speed. I would defiantly recommend this movie, especially if you are one of the 47 people on Earth that haven’t seen any of the other X-Men movies.

Brain Enema Version 1

When you have a little bit to say about a lot of things I just get a Brain Enema

So Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize and I don’t have an issue with that. The rules are that the nominations have to be in by February (he had been in office for less than 2 weeks) and his promises of dealing with the other countries in the world were a drastic and more peaceful plan. Obama didn’t so much as win as Bush’s administration caused the world to hate us so much that anyone that was elected would have won the award.

Fred Taylor is hurt again, but should you really be surprised. He has his first fully healthy year ever and then is right back to his normal injury pattern. He has been killing my fantasy teams for a decade and he must be stopped. If he had stayed healthy he might have been one of the top five running backs in NFL history.

When an opponent travels to Virginia Tech they are leaving with a loss, it doesn’t matter who it is, VT doesn’t lose at home. There is no team that is coached as well in special team at any level, and no matter how good or bad VT is you always have to be afraid to play against them.

As much as I hated to see the Angles beat the Red Sox it was time. The Sox had owned the Angels in the playoffs and they were due. Throw a dog a bone every once in a while. The Sox were good but they weren’t a playoff team this year. While there might not have been a better team to be in the playoffs, the 2009 Red Sox were not a strong playoff team.

With the complaints about the NBA refs from last year is the league really prepared to go the entire year with replacement refs? I understand the reasoning but to lose the good refs you have is going to be horrible for the NBA.

The NHL is back! Just wanted to let you know, most people never get to see the games so you might have forgotten about hockey season.

It is nice to be undefeated in fantasy football, realize you need a running back to replace Fred Taylor and a quarterback because Aaron Rodgers and Phillip Rivers have bye weeks. Who did I pick up? Brett Favre and Michael Turner. I did okay.

Instead of a three division winners and a wild card winner in baseball’s playoffs can’t we just balance the schedule and take the four teams with the best records. Why not take the best of the best regardless of where they are located? Oh yeah TV ratings and merchandising. Never mind

Chuck Liddell is one hell of an impressive fighter in MMA but his best days are behind him. After watching Dancing With The Stars (my wife Tivoed in and I watched only Liddell) it is obvious that athletic ability doesn’t translate to being graceful. Liddell was painful to watch.

The AFC 50^th anniversary is a nice retro glimpse at the past, but the ref uniforms? They look like the mugged a barbershop quartet on the way to the game and stole their clothes. Let the teams use retro uniforms but keeps the refs with the normal zebra look.

The WWE is a rich corporate giant and the place where wrestlers go to become famous. That being said, Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate USA, and TNA all are more entertaining and have more wrestlers that can actually perform in the ring. While they might be the most charismatic people in the business, Nigel McGuinness and Brian Danielson are two of the best wrestlers alive today. Expect that the WWE will not let them show their talents and end up missing out on a huge opportunity. They did the same thing by passing or releasing Paul London, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Brian Kendrick, AJ Styles, Colt Cabana, Matt Morgan, Johnny Jeter, Daivairi, Brent Albright, etc, etc, etc.

People love to complain about customer service but most people would never want to do the job themselves. The next time you get a positive customer service experience take the time to thank them, compliment them, tell their manager, or something. Without customer service your life would be more difficult than you could ever imagine.

When it comes to home field advantage I will take any team in Colorado playing outside. Not only do you have the high altitude but snow and below freezing temperatures. Trying playing baseball or football when you can’t grip the ball because you can’t feel your fingers. That is an advantage.

Rush Limbaugh wants to head a group to buy the St. Louis Rams, and no good can come from this. Limbaugh proved he is a loudmouth that cares more about his image than running a pro sports franchise. His choices would be second-guessed based on his ESPN comments about black athletes a few years ago. The Rams can’t get much worse but they can do much better than Limbaugh.

UFC might not like it but MMA and wrestling do go hand in hand. Many of the skills are similar and there are countless moves that work in both genres. While the potential for injury in a wrestling match can be high, making a living as a developing wrestler and MMA fighter both pay little and require an immense amount of work and time. Ease up UFC and let your stars make a living.

Take back what I said about retro NFL uniforms. The Broncos look like they are wearing the rejected uniforms from Alabama and the Steelers. Not a good look even 50 years ago. They look too much like something you would see at a high school football game.

Sidney Crosby is good but overrated. Not only is Alexander Ovechkin a better all around player now that he is playing some defense and checking. Crosby isn’t even the best center on his own team, I would take Evgeni Malkin any day. Crosby is too soft and tries to do too much.

Anyone who knows me is aware of my man love for one specific football player. After getting released by the 49ers he is now leading the Patriots in sacks…Tully Banta-Cain

You Can't Help Anyone Anymore

THIS is TRUE: 4 October 2009 Copyright http://www.thisistrue.com

Get your free weekly copy of the news that amazes us all

The first Sally Harpold knew there
was a problem was when sheriff's deputies showed up at her home in
Clinton, Ind., with a warrant for her arrest. But the evidence was
clear: four months before, her husband had gotten a cold, and she went
to the drugstore and got him some over-the-counter cold medicine. A few
days later her daughter caught the cold, so Harpold stopped at another
drugstore and got her some medicine too. Once the purchase paperwork
was matched up, authorities realized she had committed the crime of
buying 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine, an ingredient of crystal meth, but
also a common decongestant for runny noses. "The law does not make this
distinction," says Vermillion County Prosecutor Nina Alexander. "I'm
simply enforcing the law as it was written." State law limits purchases
to 3.0 grams in any 7-day period. Harpold was taken away in handcuffs,
and her local newspaper ran her mug shot on the front page with the
headline, "17 Arrested in Drug Sweep". She faces up to 60 days in jail
and a $500 fine. "It's unfortunate," said Vigo County Sheriff Jon
Marvel, whose deputies made the arrest. "But for the good of everyone,
the law was put into effect." (Terre Haute Tribune-Star)

Lisa Snyder lives near a school bus
stop in Middleville, Mich. A couple of neighbors need to head for work
before the bus arrives, so Snyder said she would be happy to keep an
eye on their kids until the bus arrives. But when the Michigan
Department of Human Services heard about it, they ordered her to stop:
watching someone else's kids makes her home an "unlicensed daycare
facility" in the state's eyes. To comply with its rules, she must apply
for a license to watch the kids -- even though she doesn't charge
anything. "It's crazy," Snyder said. "I'm just helping out a couple of
friends." She asked State Rep. Brian Calley for help, but when he
called DHS they told him to bug off. He has promised legislation to
deal with the problem. (Kalamazoo Gazette)

Pictures To Make Your Life Better

Who Needs Honest Politicians?

Randy Cassingham's This is True: This is True's Current Weekly Issue

LIES, FALSEHOODS -- WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? "My campaign is not based on a
foundation of lies," said Antwon Womack, 21, a candidate for the Board
of Education in Birmingham, Ala. "My values are not lies. It's just the
information I provided to the people is false." Many key facts on his
campaign web site were li-- ...uh... false: his age (he said he was
23), his bachelor's degree in education and his title of "Dr." (he
actually dropped out of high school -- as a freshman), even his address
(he didn't actually live in the district where he was running) and
phone number. Womack said he was running for the Board "because I seen
a lack of leadership," but the revelation of his lies -- er, falsehoods
-- "is really going to hurt my political career," he said. Womack
announced he would drop out of the race "because when people read this,
there's no way I can win." But he reneged on that promise, saying that
two local politicians were supportive of him staying in the race. Both
denied supporting him and demanded he stop using their names. Womack
came in third with just 117 votes.

(Birmingham News)

THIS is TRUE: 20 September 2009 Copyright http://www.thisistrue.com

Crappy Story

Randy Cassingham's This is True: This is True's Current Weekly Issue  
Four years ago, Gary Moody was found wearing waders,
 hip-deep in the waste pit of a ladies outhouse in New Hampshire's White
 Mountain National Forest. Moody said he was searching for his wife's
 lost wedding ring, but investigators didn't buy it and filed charges. A
 federal judge spared him jail, ordering him to get psychiatric
 treatment instead. Recently a camper in Maine, a few miles from the New
 Hampshire border, said that she went into a pit-toilet restroom and "a
 man popped up out of the hole leading to the waste vault," according to
 court papers. "The man [said], 'Sorry about that, I was getting my
 shirt.'" Sure enough, it was Moody, now 47, who faces three new federal
 charges. Moody admits he never got the ordered psychiatric treatment
and has waded in outhouses "on more than the two occasions when he
happened to get caught," an investigator says, but "expressed anger
toward society because of how he was treated after he was found in the
pit of a national forest outhouse in 2005," causing him to suffer
"extreme embarrassment." 
(New Hampshire Union Leader)
You can subscribe free by e-mail and get this delivered to you every week.

Donovan McNabb Scandal

Scandal has rocked the city of Philadelphia as well as the entire NFL. In Week 1 Donovan McNabb left with a rib injury on a touchdown run. It came out today that his injury occurred before the game. While making the popular IHOP commercial that features McNabb as a waiter being tackled by a waitress for stealing tables, he was injured. The actress that tackled McNabb actually caused the initial rib injury, and the Eagles have been trying to cover up the injury ever since.

Celebrity Dead Pool

It is a tough time to be a celebrity. The recent deaths of Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze, Ted Kennedy, Oscar Mayer, the Taco Bell dog, Farrah Fawcett, and the Oxy Clean guy have put celebrities on alert that they may be next. So why not take these tragedies and (tastefully) play one of my favorite games? Enter the Celebrity Dead List. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, you pick the people you thing will die soon (no people who are already terminal) and see if you are right. Here are my top ten choices.

1. Lindsay Lohan – Only a matter of time before she has a relapse and goes out with a bang.
2. Mel Brooks – He is old, has had a full career and hasn’t exactly taken good care of himself.
3. Dick Clark – Please someone let him go, he has had a full life
4. Ryan Seacrest – Life isn’t that fair
5. ShamWow guy – He just seems like he like on crack and Red Bulls
6. Wilford Brimley – Older than dirt and when you advertise products to keep you alive then you are in bad shape.
7. Kanye West – He will be killed and nobody will try to find out who did it
8. Prince – Just a gut feeling, nobody who is built like a jockey can perform like he does for as long as he has without something giving out
9. Mel Gibson – Alcohol + pissing people off = bad combo
10. Tom Cruise – His head will literally explode

Who out there has any guesses? It’s all in good fun till someone looses more than an eye.

Retro TV? Save Me

All things retro may be the fad but can we leave well enough alone when it comes to televison? Nobody wanted 90210 to come back and now we have Melrose Place too. I never watched it the first time and I am sure as hell not watching it now. Do you really want to watch a show about rich kids in high school played by actors that are more concerned about menopose that getting pregnant? I think not. If you bring back a show bring back Saved By The Bell. Dustin Diamond always needs a job, the money from Showgirls must be running out forElizabeth Berkley, and Slater could get off of the male version of the View. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see any old remakes of television shows, but at least make a show that can make fun of itself. Have the washed up actors/actresses return as failures in life to make it realistic. At least it would be better than fake reality shows about nothing. (Well maybe a little)

Tarantino Fixes .... Pretty Woman

For most guys the most feared thing we ever can encounter is spending $30 to go to a movie theater and watch a horrible chick flick. A sappy love story, no action, no killing, nothing blown up, it is like paying to be tortured for two hours. What men need is for these awful movies to be made more guy friendly. Imagine Ghost with actual ghosts, the Titanic where the rich passengers go below decks to fight with the poor travelers, and Dirty Dancing where Patrick Swayze is an undercover assassin. What I propose is the master of guy movies Quentin Tarentino remakes these “classics” in his normal style. Sit back and enjoy the first of many in the series “Tarentino Fixes... ”.

The first movie to fix is none other than Pretty Woman. A few changes keep the plot the same but make the movie much more watchable. Richard Gere would be the head of an import/export company in town to buy off politicians to let his mob in town. While in town he would rent out a hooker (Julia Roberts) to keep him company, no need to change that, just thrown in some more skin. Gere would use Roberts to influence the politicians, giving them Roberts or any other woman they wanted. When Jason Anderson found out that Gere was falling for Roberts he was going to kill him and take over the mob. Roberts’ friend would then kill off Alexander before he could take out Gere. The killing would cause Roberts to leave Gere in fear for her life and try to escape the town. Gere would use all methods at his disposal to track her down until finally finding her at an abandoned warehouse. No white knight riding in on his horse, you get Gere taking Roberts away in a limo with the movie ending. You never know what she does, it she stays with him, she tries to leave, she gets killed for knowing too much info, you just never know.

The Rich Get Richer, The Dumb Gets Dumber

As a Patriots fan I would like to thank the Oakland Raiders once again for helping our team improve. In the past the Raiders accepted a lowly 4^th round pick for Randy Moss, who had one of the best seasons ever at his position. In the offseason the Raiders gave up one of their top pass rusher, DE/OLB Derrick Burgess for a 3^rd and 5^th round pick. In yet another stupidly stunning move the Raiders gave up their first round pick in 2011 to the Patriots for fiver time Pro Bowl DE Richard Seymour. On paper that seems like a decent trade, but the Raiders were robbed yet again.

The Patriots have the best defensive line in the AFC with or without Richard Seymour. They have amazing depth and talent to spare. In fact the Pats had too many people up front, and trading Seymour was a stroke of genius. With the money the Patriots save they have cap room to sign the best Nose Tack in football Vince Wilfork, the key to the entire Patriots’ defense. They may even have some money left over to try and resign Pro Bowl Left Guard Logan Mankins. Not only did the Pats save money to help keep their team intact, the also got the Raiders’ 2011 1^st round pick. At this point in his career Seymour isn’t worth more than a mid to late 2^nd round pick, and the Raiders pick will probably be in the top 10 overall. (Sorry silver and black fans, your team isn’t going to get better any time soon).

So the Pats clear a roster spot, enough cap space to resign their best defensive player, and get a future high draft pick, all without giving up much more than a Pro Bowler in name only? The Patriots need to keep the Raiders on speed dial but they only have a few good players left. You can only fleece the same team so many times before they run out of assets. The Raiders might just take a bag of magic beans for All Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, but his broken wrist might drive the price down to half a bag of beans. Someone might want to wake Al Davis and tell him to turn his team over to the NFL before things get worse.

Tedy Bruschi, My Memory

A dozen years ago NFL training camp was a much more fan friendly place for the New England Patriots. You had access to the players as they arrived, when the came off the practice field, and at various other points at Bryant College where camp was held. It was at that small campus where I first ran across a truly great individual. His future doesn’t seem to include a bronze bust in Canton , but his place in Patriots’ history as well as an inspiration for others is secure. Tedy Bruschi was a great football player and his retirement is a great opportunity to share the story of one of the best athletes I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

As a college football fan I was amazed by the stifling defense of the University of Arizona . The “Desert Swarm Defense” was nearly impossible to run against and featured an imposing pass rush. I became an instant fan, staying up late to watch games or even taping them to watch the next day. (This was before Internet streaming videos, DVRs, and YouTube, so if you wanted to see a game you stayed up or taped it on a VCR. Ancient times). That defense was amazing but the focal point was an undersized defensive end named Tedy Bruschi. He was barely recruited out of high school but he became one of the most feared pass rushers in NCAA history. Upon his graduation Bruschi found himself in a situation like that of dozens of college stars, he was a “tweener”. Bruschi was too small to play defensive end in the NFL and too slow to be a linebacker, but he was too talented to pass up. In the third round Bruschi was selected by the New England Patriots with a role that was yet to be determined.

I was standing outside the walkway between the practice field and the locker room as the Patriots came of the field on their first day of training camp. Everyone was yelling at players as they walked by exhausted about twenty feet away. Some players came over and signed autographs but most just walked on by. When I saw Bruschi walked by I yelled out to him as loud as I could. He stopped dead in his tracks and spun ninety degrees to look me square in the eyes. He then walked over to me with a determined look in his eyes and I thought I was a dead man. He asked me how I knew who he was, and my mind went blank. As I stood there in my Arizona hat I suddenly started spitting out stats, plays from his college career, anything my auto pilot brain had retained. He stood there in amazement before finally laughing and stating “You are the first person to actually know who I am. Man, I’m in the NFL.” Every day I was there after that Bruschi would go out of his way to come talk to me. When was the last time a pro athlete would find you in a crowd, know your name, and talk shop with you, a complete stranger?

Tedy Bruschi started out as a special teams star and bounced between defensive end and outside linebacker at the beginning of his career. As his skills and knowledge of the game increased he was moved to inside/middle linebacker (mostly as an injury fill in) but he went on to become a dominant force on five different teams that made it to the Super Bowl. While Bruschi’s accolades are well known, it is the human side of him that made him a fan favorite.

An Open Letter to Brett Favre

Dear Brett Favre,

You are a living legend and will go down in history as one of the best quarterbacks ever to put on a helmet. The problem is that you refuse to put your helmet down and become history. You need to stop as this is getting ridiculous. You have been subjecting fans to potential retirements for years, and you are not the MVP winning gunslinger you once were. You should have left Green Bay and headed straight for your Wrangler jeans commercials and stayed there. Instead you held the Packers hostage before ending up in New Jersey. You did start out well for the Jets, but don't only did the wheels come off, but your axels broke, the engine cracked, the car split in half, all before plummeting off a cliff into a lake of acid.

It is tough to give up what you love to do, and retiring isn't easy. You joined the likes of Joe Namath, Joe Montana, and Johnny Unitas as quarterbacks who left their home and became a shell of their former selves. Leaving Green Bay for New York and single-handily keeping the Jets out of the playoffs should have been the last of your career. You are now going to play for your long time enemy in Minnesota after retiring (again) so you didn't have to go through training camp. You are the football equivalent of Ric Flair. You can still put on a good show sometimes, but you need a good supporting cast to help carry you to a good match. In Minnesota you have Adrian Peterson but sub-par receivers. You may be able to help the Vikings battle for the playoffs, but you need to realize you can't keep doing this. The fans don't want it, the organizations don't want it, and the NFL doesn't want it. Stay home. Go ride your tractor on Sundays. If you want I bet you can drive down to Alabama and Forrest Gump will let you mow his football field for him. Brett, stop tarnishing your legacy and make way for the players half your age that actually are on the rise. Football will survive, but if you keep pulling the same stunt every year you may not. Now go take some Prilosec, slip on your Wranglers, and go work on that Geritol endorsement deal.

You Make the Call

Is this photo racist? Is it artwork? Is it a tribute to the Joker? Is it offensive? Anti-Obama?

Your call and it proves art is open to interpretation. Cool idea especially if others were made of different people. Not a believer in the caption but everyone has their opinion.

(No I am not an Obama hater, I just like the work.)

Google Chrome Reviewed

Welcome to the new age of the Internet, the era of Google Chrome. Does the world really need a new web browser with Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and countless other options? The answer is no, but did the Net need another email company or instant messenger service when Gmail debuted? There is no dispute that Google is the best search engine out there, and they are slowly taking over the complete Internet experience. You have your search engine, email, IM, blogs, and now even your browser all through one company. Convenient and monopolistic, but not in an evil AOL type way.

So how does Google Chrome stack up against the other competition out there? Well I predict that within 18 months Chrome will be more popular than Firefox and be the standard for all those non-Mac users that hate Internet Explorer. Chrome has a setup similar to Firefox but it throws in its own phrases for the options menu (Under the Hood, Minor Tweaks, etc). One very attractive feature is an automatically enabled blocker that prevents against redirects to known virus sites. Chrome is very user friendly, storing your most frequently visited sites and most recent sites on the homepage. The only negative I have seen is an occasional need to refresh once you have been on the same page for a few minutes, but that seems to occur mostly on pages that say they are not Chrome compatible. All in all Chrome puts Internet Explorer to shame but it hasn’t quite passed Firefox for my browser of choice.

Celtics Better But Lacking Fan Favorites

It is a great time to be a Boston Celtics fan, but I can’t help but be a bit sad. While the team will have a healthy Kevin Garnett andRasheed Wallace to rule the post, the paint seems somewhat empty. Leon Powe, one of the hardest working players I have ever seen, is recovering from an ACL injury and will probably not be back. Glen “Big Baby” Davis , a fan favorite if there ever was one, is a free agent without a place to play. The Celtics don’t have the salary cap room or roster spots for either man, and they were crucial to the C’s success. Wallace is better than both men and fills a more pressing need, but it is tough to see such great guys jettisoned. Sports are a business, but these moves make an improved team a little bit less likable.

The Return of the Sports Heel

Every generation has its bullies in the world of sports. Mike Tyson was once one of the most feared men on the planet, and he brought boxing huge amounts of media attention, both positive and negative. While everyone remembers his infamous ear biting and low blows, I have always been a fan of his words more than his actions. The wrestling fan in me always loves a good promo that can whip a crowd into a frenzy. Tyson knew how to talk the talk, and was the best at athlete with a mic in his hands since Ali. Hearing Tyson threatening to eat Lennox Lewis’s children was disturbing but brilliant. Tyson’s verbal ability has never waivered even with his questionable mental stability and side show atmosphere on the rise. While Tyson’s boxing career may be over, he will always stop the presses when he opens his mouth. The bad guy promo torch may now have been passed to a new athlete in an increasingly popular sport.

MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and the UFC is the alpha male company in the mixed martial arts world. The UFC received a bad rap from its Fight Club style beginning, but it has grown into a well organized, officially sanctioned, and extremely profitable organization. With the recent 100^th Pay Per View for UFC, a new king of the heels may have been crowned. Brock Lesnar started as a dominant member of the WWE, but grew tired of the physical grind and hectic schedule. He gave up millions of dollars per year to try out for the NFL and eventually enter the world of MMA. Lesnar’s natural abilities as a wrestler and his intimidating size made him a natural and he was soon on the fast track to success. Lesnar was signed by the UFC after one pro bout, but ran into a rookie mistake against veteran Frank Mir. Lesnar was pounding Mir until he made one false move and was forced to submit. A rematch would be a huge sell, and in the meantime Lesnar won the UFC title from Hall of Fame star Randy Couture. At UFC 100 Lesnar would get a chance to avenge his only professional loss. He destroyed the trash talking Mir and left him a bloody mess. Lesnar’s post match taunting of Mir and the crowd (as well as a few hand gestures for good measure) left him smiling amongst a chorus of boos. Despite a public frowning on Lesnar’s action, UFC had to be thrilled with the further acceleration of the new bad boy of the octagon.

Brock Lesnar quickly became just what the UFC needed, not just a larger-than-life star, but a person people could pay to boo. Lesnar is the person you love to hate, the no nonsense star that has talent and knows it. He is better than everyone else and could prove it everyday. He is a money making machine built like a modern day Goliath. Not only can UFC make millions of hisstar power, but the person that eventually takes his title will instantly become a larger than life star. What better way to build a hero than by constructing an indestructible villain for him to defeat? Lesnar is a natural villain and stepping up his verbal abuse of his opponents only make him more hated, thus more marketable. Barring injury, Lesnar could compete in MMA for another decade. He has the ability to be the new face of MMA, allowing veterans like Chuck Liddell, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, and Randy Couture to pass the torch to the new and ever improving sport of MMA