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The Last All-Star Spots
Major League Baseball announced today that Corey Hart and Evan Longoria were chosen by the internet fan vote to fill the last two All-Star roster spots. Both have had great years thus far and frankly should have been on the team already. With that said, I think Pat Burrell, David Wright, Jermaine Dye, Carlos Lee and Derek Lee all should be pretty angry. All had better numbers than someone on the either team, yet all will watch the game from a vacation spot.
The MLB needs to look at the All-Star voting system and weigh fan votes with player/manager votes or something. Although, the players did vote Jason Varitek to the All-Star team and he’s hitting a stellar .220 with 7 HR and 28 RBI as of Thursday night. I think the proper formula, with restrictions, on the amount of games played combined with different voting combinations and weights will give us a somewhat better All-Star lineup without so many homer picks.
Old Man Awesome Needs to Hang It Up
Brett Favre is rumored to have the itch to return to the NFL, namely the Green Bay Packers. Go to the drug store in Mississippi and get some anti-itch cream. It’s over Brett. I’m just as big a Favre fan as the next guy, but I think we as wrestling fans have seen how this story ends.
The wrestling business is notorious for the retirement, wait no just kidding, not-so retirement. Favre had a pitiful year in 2006 and followed it up with a year for the ages. Sure, he is no John Elway, retiring after winning the Super Bowl but few go out on top. Favre left in the right way and needs to stay gone.
The Packers have prepared for the season since Favre left. Aaron Rogers is in place to be the starter and they even got a steal in the second round with former Louisville QB, Brian Brohm. Favre, if he in fact wants to comeback, is treating the Packers like a fickle high school lover. One day in love, the next day broken up only to get back together in a week or so.
Favre has already cast a big enough shadow for a couple of lifetimes in Green Bay for quarterbacks to come. The worst thing for the future of the Packers would be for Favre to come back. Sure if he comes back and does great, it will be awesome. What if he comes back and flops, then you remember Favre like a broken down Mick Foley selling things on Raw. Please Favre don’t go on QVC.
TNA and Russoistic Logic
Thursday night I watched Impact. Usually I record it and watch it when I have time, but I’m ahead of my school work, so I watched it about a hour delayed. I noticed that watching TNA with the fast forward going is much better most of the time. You still get the idea of what’s going on. If you really want to get authentic, you can just put your radio on static and turn it up really loud, that will equal the annoyance of Don West and Mike Tenay. I remember when Tenay was the professor instead of the over-selling maniac that TNA has turned him into.
On a different note, don’t get me wrong, TNA has some great athletes and predominantly good matches most weeks. Although I’m not a fan of the convoluted tournament gimmick, the World X Cup has had some great work week after week. I wish they could find a better way of involving the international talent without some half-witted tournament with crazy scores and Russoistic logic. Also, there is no way on earth that Angelina Love tans with that much clothing on. Just a thought.
Comparing Jericho/Michaels to Angle/Styles
Watching Raw on Monday, WWE forwarded a feud for the Great American Bash with a promo exchange in the middle of the ring with no physical contact. In fact, Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels haven’t touched since HBK cost Jericho the Intercontinental Championship at Night of Champions. Despite the fact that HBK did Jericho a favor costing him the IC title, this feud has the makings of being Matt Hardy/MVP of 2008.
The heat is there and the contact doesn’t have to be. Promos and video packages can do the same thing that stupid brawls in the back or even mixed six-person tags can do. TNA, since they blatantly “borrow” things from WWE, why not watch Jericho/Michaels feud?
I’ve loved the matches between Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles. They are two great workers, and they have a great chemistry together. Similar to Jericho/HBK, they could have good matches asleep. The build around these feuds has been totally different but could have been so simply similar and successful. Styles and Angle didn’t need to fight before Victory Road. All they needed was a promo segment like the one Jericho and HBK did on Monday night. Granted, I subscribe to the same theory as Dave on this, with two guys that hate each other so close, they should be brawling. But TNA loves doing backstage interviews and stupid vignettes, why not give time to Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles to cut promos on each other and then blow us away at Victory Road.
Jericho and Michaels have been kept away from each other, largely in part to Michaels injury. But WWE handled a feud the right way with a somewhat slow build. I know I said above that I liked watching TNA in fast forward and apparently they enjoy booking that way too. Slow down TNA and build a feud without brawling and stupid bit-players and mixed six-person tags.
WWECW’s Newest Young Talent
ECW most weeks has some good young talent and decent matches. The idea of introducing new talent every couple of weeks has made ECW a lot of fun. It is somewhat exciting to see what guy they will introduce next and what gimmick they will give him. This week disappointed me.
The introduction of Braden Walker, formerly Chris Harris, was vastly underwhelming. Walker didn’t help his case being a little overweight. However, WWE did him no favors by putting him in a generic looking singlet reminiscent of Rhino. In fact, Walker looked like Rhino’s little brother. I thought WWE did one good thing with Walker’s music, but the attire definitely didn’t go with the music. I think they need to give him a gimmick similar to the one he had in TNA. The brawling country guy would suit him perfectly. He also needs to stop sitting at the catering table with JBL, Rey Mysterio and Super Crazy.
WWE also made a dumb move with the name change of Atlas Ortiz. Ricky Ortiz sounds so pedestrian and frankly just boring. I wasn’t overly impressed with his in-ring work. His size fits the WWE mold, and he has the charisma to get over. Ortiz would have been better served with the first name Atlas because it just sounds cooler than Ricky. Ricky Ortiz sounds like Tito’s little brother that works at the 7-11 and has the potential to make it but makes the wrong decisions and doesn’t. Maybe it’s just because when I hear the name Ricky, I think of Ricky Williams or Ricky from the Skid Row song “18 and Life.” Go back to Atlas. Atlas was the name of a god and that is way more wrestling than Ricky.
Matt Jones is a moron
Former Arkansas QB Matt Jones was drafted 21st overall in 2005 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was converted to wide receiver and seemed to adapt to his new position. In 12 games in 2007 he caught 24 passes for 317 yards with four touchdowns. Not blow away numbers but playing on a team with two nasty running backs, those numbers are pretty good.
Thursday morning, Jones was arrested in his college town of Fayetteville, Ark., and charged with felony possession of cocaine. Jones was approached by police in his car and had a credit card with white powder that tested positive for cocaine according to police reports. Police searched the car and found a bag with cocaine and a jar with marijuana residue.
In the world of Pacman Jones and Chris Henry, how does an NFL player still get busted for drugs? In a college town, no less. Seriously? The phrase is “lead by example” but maybe it needs to be “learn by example.” Guys have been suspended and fined countless times. Roger Goodell and the NFL have really started to crack down on the drug policy.
I guess the message here could relate to the wrestling business as well as mainstream sports. Don’t be dumb and do drugs. I know people have addictions but take a cue from other people in your industry and get help before you get suspended indefinitely or end up dead. The NFL and wrestling are full of stories of guys that scream the message “Don’t Do this or else,” yet time and time again people are getting in trouble. Behave yourself and do what you are paid to do. Do what other people would kill to be in your position doing and stop doing drugs.
My column here is an extension of the topics I cover on my radio show on WEGL 91.1 FM on the campus of Auburn University in Auburn, Ala. You can listen to the show “Handoffs and Headlocks” online at www.wegl91.com by clicking streaming and selecting a media player. The show airs during the summer on Monday at 1-3 p.m., Tuesday 1-2 p.m. and Thursday 1-3 p.m. (Note: All times are Central Standard Time).
Thank you for reading and if you would like to give feedback please send me an email at handoffsandheadlocks@gmail.com or DudleyAU@aol.com. You can also contact me on Facebook on my name in the Auburn network.
Handoffs and Headlocks: No Hype Necessary, Just That Damn Good
