Will Bryce Harper be LeBron James or Todd Marinovich?, Manny "The Destroyer" Pacquiao Will Never Destroy Miguel Cotto & Yankees Destroy Mets, Will They Defeat the Red Sox? posted by Colin Linneweber

Will Bryce Harper be LeBron James or Todd Marinovich?

Ron Harper announced earlier this week that his prodigious son, Bryce, will forego his final two years of high school eligibility to pursue a professional baseball career.

Bryce, 16, who was the first high school sophomore to be named a first team All-American by Baseball America and has been called “the Lebron James of baseball” by Sports Illustrated, will take classes at the College of Southern Nevada over the summer and receive his GED in the fall.

If everything goes as projected, Bryce would be eligible for the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft and most analysts predict that he will be selected with the first overall pick by the Washington Nationals.

Harper, a catcher who batted .626 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI’s in 2009 for the Las Vegas High School Wildcats, is an unquestioned physical marvel and he has a legitimate chance to flourish one day in the professional ranks.

Nevertheless, many skeptics have been critical of Bryce’s father for placing such an inordinate amount of pressure on his teenage son and for making a mockery of our nation’s educational system.

“There are going to be critics. I can’t worry about what people think,” Ron Harper said. “People are going to see what they want to see and say what they want to say. I think this prepares him for life, playing the game of baseball.”

The patriarch of the 6’3”, 205 lbs phenomenon continued to defend his decision and he assured his detractors that his son will be afforded with a quality education.

Manny "The Destroyer" Pacquiao Won't Destroy Miguel Cotto posted by Colin Linneweber

Puerto Rican icon Miguel Cotto defeated Joshua Clottey via split decision to successfully defend his WBO welterweight title Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In the first round, Cotto (34-1) landed a solid jab that floored Clottey (35-3) and the reigning champion seemed destined to easily control the contest in front of his many supporters who attended the card on the eve of the Puerto Rican Parade.

However, the entire bout was altered in the third round when Clottey, 32, accidentally head-butted Cotto, 28, and opened a severe laceration over the titleholders left eye.

With blood profusely flowing from his wound for the remainder of the fight, Cotto exhibited tremendous grit, determination and courage and he was able to withstand Clottey's relentless assaults despite his injury.

“Gutsy,” boxing promoter Bob Arum said of Cotto’s performance. “I think Clottey was very good. Cotto had to fight with adversity with that cut eye the whole fight. He could have taken the easy way out. I saw a lot of rounds where he couldn’t collect himself because the blood was running through his eye.”

If a boxer suffers an accidental injury and the pugilist’s corner or a ring doctor decides to put a halt to the fight, the contest can be sent to the scorecards and judged after five rounds.

Like a valiant warrior, the thought of escaping with such a flimsy victory was never a legitimate option that Cotto considered.

“I’m never going to use any excuses in any of my fights,” Cotto stated.

Cotto vs. Clottey will give boxing fans what they want...A fight! posted by Jake Hefelfinger

Miguel Cotto (33-1) returns to the ring this Saturday to face a very tough fighter in Joshua Clotty (35-2). This fight promises to be action packed and sure to please boxing fans. If you want to see 2 good boxers actually go toe to toe and fight than this is the fight for you. Both fighters are known for not backing down and standing tall. My prediction: Cotto in 10.Continue reading "Cotto vs. Clottey will give boxing ..."

Manhattan College Signs One-Armed Man to Play Hoops, Jim Leyritz Has "Never Had a Problem with Alcohol” & After the Tragic Loss of Exodus, Can Mike Tyson Keep Living? posted by Colin Linneweber

Manhattan College Signs One-Armed Man to Play Hoops

Kevin Laue, a 6'10" center from Pleasanton, Calif. who was born without a left hand due to a restriction of prenatal blood circulation, recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play Division I basketball for Manhattan College this coming autumn.

Laue, a redhead with size 17 shoes who averaged 6.9 points and 7.4 rebounds as a postgraduate for Fork Union Military Academy (Va.) this past season, impressed Jaspers Head Coach Barry Rohrssen with his play at one of the premier prep schools in the country and he decided to complete his recruiting class by adding the big-man from the Bay Area to his roster.

"Being a baseball fan, Jim Abbott left a great impression on me," Rohrssen said, referring to the former Yankees and Angels pitcher who was born without a right hand and hurled a no-hitter for the Bombers in 1993.

"Some of the things he did inspired a lot of people with similar problems and just people as a whole. I think with a guy like Kevin, playing at Manhattan and being in New York City, presents an opportunity that can be rewarding for Kevin and also have a ripple effect for everyone involved."

Manhattan College, a Roman Catholic liberal arts school located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, plays in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and they concluded their 2008-2009 campaign with an overall record of 20-13 after they lost in the quarterfinals to Fairfield University in March.

Scouts, Inc. stated Laue is “a prospect that could instantly help a number of low-major Division I programs” and they raved about his “quick leaping ability.”

Filipino "Pac Man" Destroys English "Hit Man" & Will Joba Fall Like "Doc?" posted by Colin Linneweber

 Filipino "Pac Man" Destroys English "Hitman" 

Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao annihilated Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton Saturday night to capture both the light welterweight IBO and The Ringchampionships at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 knockouts) knocked Hatton (45-2, 32 knockouts) down to the canvas twice in the first round before he finished the decided mismatch with a vicious left hand to “The Hitman’s” temple at 2:59 of the second round.

"I didn't have to count," Referee Kenny Bayless said after he took one glance at Hatton, 30, the battered 2005 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year.

"I'm surprised the fight was so easy," admitted Pacquiao, 30, who became the first Filipino and Asian boxer to win five world titles in five different weight classes. "He was wide open for the right hook. I knew he would be looking for my left."

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, was not at all astounded by “Pac-Man’s” vast supremacy over Hatton.

"The fight was no surprise to me," Roach said. "We know he (Hatton) always pumps his hands before he throws a punch. He's a sucker for the right hook."

“The Mexi-cutioner,” who was nominated the 2006 and 2008 Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year and entered the pugilistic affair as a 2-1 favorite, cemented his title as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world with his dismantling of the Englishman hailed as the “Manchester Mexican.”

Jack Johnson: The Black Man No White Fighter Could Beat Fairly & Jay Cutler is No Jason Campbell posted by Colin Linneweber

Jack Johnson: The Black Man No White Fighter Could Beat Fairly 

Arizona Senator John McCain and Long Island GOP Representative Pete King asked the first African-American President in United States history to grant the original black Heavyweight Champion of the World a posthumous pardon for his racially motivated 1913 conviction for violation of the Mann Act. 

The lawmakers request was inspired by Ken Burns’ documentary Unforgivable Blackness on boxing legend Jack Johnson. 

“For more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and notorious African-American on earth,” said Burns of the pugilist who completed his career with 89 wins in comparison to a measly 2 losses and was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954. “This was a man who Muhammad Ali emulated,” Burns continued. “But Muhammad Ali did his fighting in a decade dedicated to civil rights. Jack Johnson did it in a decade in which more African Americans were lynched than at any other time.” 

Johnson, an impenetrable defensive wizard in the ring who scholar Molefi Kete Asante nominated one of the 100 Greatest African Americans in history, was a bigoted Klansman's most mortifying nightmare. 

The third child and first son of former slaves, the “Galveston Giant” blatantly ignored conventions regarding the social and economic statuses of blacks in American society. 

Johnson banged white women, drove expensive cars and donned flamboyant clothing that would have made a pimp blush.  

Adams follows his own path (Yahoo! Sports)

Don't like how Ken Adams does things? Then hit the road. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

More evidence points to Arguello death a suicide (AP)

Investigators have released new evidence that points to suicide in the death of former boxing champion and Managua mayor Alexis Arguello. The rising star of the governing Sandinista party, a movement he once bitterly opposed, died at his home of a single gunshot to the chest early Wednesday. Assistant judicial police chief Glenda Zavala says traces of gunpowder were found on the 57-year-old... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Indiana begins MMA regulation today (MMAJunkie.com)

A bill that calls for the Indiana Athletic Commission (formerly the Indiana State Boxing Commission) to... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Pryor recalls epic brawl with Arguello (AP)

Nearly three decades ago, a ferocious puncher and a brilliant ring tactician waged one of boxing's epic brawls under the twinkling lights of the Orange Bowl in Miami, a fight so big that few remember Roberto Duran was on the undercard. After 14 back-and-forth rounds, Aaron Pryor brutally knocked out Alexis Arguello to retain his junior welterweight title. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Arguello's life a profile in courage (Yahoo! Sports)

Alexis Arguello was an unforgettable figure in boxing lore. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports