TUF 4.7

Major Points

• Rich Franklin is still at the gym to train with the guys. We don't really seem him do much in the way of training. He does point out that he's afraid to touch some of the guys, due to the staph outbreak. Which is in no way the fault of the UFC. Some of the guys also think Rich is a bit of a jerk.
• Most guys think Rich is really there to scout out potential opponents. Rich believes he will be facing the winner of the Middleweight group. Anderson Silva probably believes otherwise.
• Dana points out that bringing in Franklin was done for the betterment of the fighters. Of course, he makes this point in an interview, and not in the gym to the actual guys.
• To celebrate his victory, Pete Sell gets drunk. And I mean DRUNK. Thankfully, a) Drago is a funny drunk, and b) the other guys in the house don't get upset with Drunken Drago. No doors were broken, and no beds were urinated on. Unfortunately, even drunk, Drago doesn't drop I Must Break You.
• Rich Franklin does some training with Matt Serra. Rich's advice? Drop to one knee so the guy can't kick you. Serra thanks Rich for the unconventional training strategy.
• At the house, Rich's advice is mocked. For some reason, most of the guys don't think limiting your mobility and reach during a fight is the best strategy. Much hilarity ensues.
• Charles McCarthy asks Rich about the advice. McCarthy is surprised to learn that Franklin was serious. The rest of the house is dismayed to learn that McCarthy squealed.
• Patrick Cote demonstrates some personality, drawing a humourous cartoon of Captain Miserable, doing a funny skit with Serra, and threatening to get drunk and go hunting for Rich Franklin.
• Refusing to let it go, Serra asks Randy Couture about Rich's advice. Couture questions the wisdom of such a strategy.
• Serra is fighting Pete Spratt. Because we've already had Spratt's UFC clips, its all Serra baby.
• Serra is 4-4. He currently seems to be focusing more on training other guys than on fighting. Serra seems to get screwed by judges.
• Nobody gives Spratt much of a chance against Serra. Spratt says he is going to surprise some people. Or, you know, not.
  
• Serra beats Spratt in the first round. Spratt put up a good fight, and by good fight, I mean Spratt managed to avoid getting taken down on Serra's first attempt, but Serra got full mount and rained punches. Eventually, Big John McCarthy got around to stopping the fight.
  

The Good

• Its nice to see Patrick Cote showing some life. Of course, I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Cote is fighting Jorge Rivera next week. Cote's blinged Maple Leaf on his hat is pretty cool. And I'm skeptical of nationalist symbols.
• Serra should be in good shape for his next fight.

The Bad

• Rich Franklin came across as boring, rude, and arrogant. I'm not saying he is those things, but that's how he came across. Not good for their poster boy champion.
• For the love of all that is good and holy, can somebody buy Shonie Carter some shorts? Any footage of a Shonie fight always features his packagetastic speedos. Congratulations Shonie, you have a penis. Seriously, pixelate that. We have the technology.
• Is it Matt 'The Terra' Serra', or Matt 'The Terror' Serra? Is he scary or dirt?
• Was Dana's rant about the guys not taking advantage of Franklin's expertise made before or after the knee advice? If before, okay, I can see that. But if that is any indication of the help Rich did offer when he was asked, then Dana has no right to be upset.
• Dana continues to rewrite UFC history. Just call him Winston Smith.

The Ugly

• Watching the drunken antics of Drago had me reminiscing about the juvenile, violent outbursts exhibited by former TUF competitors. This season is much better behaviour wise.
• Hmmm, its 10:45 and the fight hasn't started yet. Wonder if this is going to be over quick? OMG, it WAS! How can I parlay this newfound psychic ability into a lucrative career?
  

Next Week

• It's Chuck! Hey guys, another UFC champion is coming to visit us! Hopefully Ken Shamrock will come by in two weeks so they can watch fight tapes.
• Patrick Cote is fighting Jorge Rivera.

Exploring All The Angles - v 3.0

Yeah, so I went with the cheap pun this time. Rather than just rambling on about my thoughts on TNA's signing of Kurt Angle (which I will probably still do), I've instead chosen to offer the thoughts of some of the other professional wrestling writers who populate the Internet, to give a sense of the reaction from the Internet Wrestling Community as a whole. I will probably add to this list over the span of a few days, as more information becomes available and more people reflect on the news.

"TNA has made a decision to look at medical advice and the bright red warning flags with a negative attitude. They're defiant. Just look at Rhino's attitude in the promo. They will be quick to use the "three-dates-per-month" schedule as justification. Right now, any schedule is too much for Angle considering the health position he was in just three weeks ago. Don't tell TNA that. They slept well Sunday night knowing they have Angle on the roster, a prime time slot, and justification for this desperate decision." - James Caldwell, PWTorch.com, "Remember that Rhino promo? It was TNA's justification for signing Kurt Angle"

"Angle isn’t getting help. Rather, he is simply moving on to a different pro wrestling company. He won’t have to work as grueling of a schedule, which is a positive. However, TNA needs him a lot more than WWE did, which will force him to go all out in his matches to try to justify his role in the company. He will still be in the same problematic environment with the same temptations and dangers. WWE’s intervention didn’t help Angle at all." - Todd Martin, Smashmouth Driving, "Noble Intentions and Undesirable Consequences"

"Kurt Angle Update: TNA, a WWE rival, announced yesterday that they have signed Angle. This will end terribly, and possibly sooner rather than later." - Adamannapolis, "A Very Bloggy Monday"

"TNA has lost its internal voice of reason. TNA has become an enabler to wrestlers seeking an environment where they can freely continue to use performance-enhancing drugs. Kurt Angle cannot stop himself from wrestling, which sadly will lead to his death if he isn’t stopped...Since being fired by the WWE and no longer having to conform to the guidelines of WWE’s “wellness” policy, it’s no coincidence that Angle has reportedly put on 20 pounds of muscle in a little under a month. It will also be no coincidence when TNA is holding a tribute show for Kurt Angle if someone in TNA management doesn’t take appropriate action soon." - Sean Radican, PWTorch.com, "RADICAN'S BLOG: Who Will Take a Stand in TNA?"

"The real question out of all of this is whether Angle is healthy enough to even be doing it. There have been some reports that Angle has been taking the time to rest up, and repair his personal life. But once back in the ring, the problems that drove him out could come back full force.
They could come back worse. The easier schedule could actually accentuate Angles [sic] problems, letting him think he can do more than he really can, since he can “rest up”. And some of his problems, while perhaps not bothering him as much as they were, are still there. Angle does like to take short cuts. He was said to be seeing a pain specialist. Those kinds of treatment are usually to help one adapt to not being able to do as much as a person used to. They are not quick fixes. They take time to actually doe [sic] the work of healing.
One other thing to consider is that the TNA locker room is very different from the WWE. Drug testing for one, is not done. TNA also botched Sting.
Yet, Angle in TNA is a gamble worth taking for TNA. Angle is a big name. Angle has fans, fans that will want to see what this is all about. Angle in TNA does lend legitimacy to the promotion, one that needs it a lot. Not that TNA was a real promotion, but with Angle, it makes them more than just some crappy wrestling show, but one that is truly trying to compete with WWE. That has it’s own good and bad sides." - Wevv Mang, LordsofPain.net, "Snake On A Plane And Angle In TNA"

"Of course the best thing would be for Angle to probably retire, or at least sit out for several months, but anyone who has followed him and this story knows that isn't going to happen. If he was going to work, the best place would have been WWE on a special schedule, but if not, this is the best place because of the schedule. The idea that TNA would hire someone WWE fired for fear of his own health is both abhorrent, predictable and I don't think the downsides were even worried about too much because of the potential upsides. But from the minute he was let go, everyone wanted the guy." - Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 09/25/2006 Update

"The concept of putting Angle in the X Division was something that came to me when I was leaving the pay per view and was talking to some friends of mine about possibilities for matches involving Kurt Angle with the wrestlers in TNA as well as some independent matches if Kurt Angle would be available to work independent shows for companies like Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, or Pro Wrestling Guerilla." - Richard Trionfo, PWInsider.com, "From the Pit: What To Do With Kurt Angle in TNA" (Popup/Potential Malware Warning)

"I’m scared for Kurt Angle. I was scared for him in WWE, and I was happy when they released him, hoping he would finally deal with the problems and issues in his life. And maybe be able to return to the company that made him some day when he was ready. But it’s obvious now that he hasn’t done that, and I don’t see this turning out very well at all. I hate to say it, and I hate to be morbid. But I’m just being honest, something Kurt hasn’t done with himself in a long time. I don’t see this story ending well. I sincerely hope to God that I’m wrong....I do know the answer to one question, and that is when it comes to morals, ethics, and doing what’s right, The Carter’s, Panda Energy, and TNA are no better than Vince McMahon. Vince is not known for his morals and ethics in the wrestling business, and even he knew he couldn’t keep Angle on the roster. Even he knew that Angle’s problems were too big to just sweep under the carpet, and that he would have to part ways with one of his best homegrown creations for the betterment of everyone involved. TNA apparently didn’t see it that way. What does it say about them when Vince McMahon looks like the moral and ethical one of the bunch? Chew on that one for a while." - Dan Wahlers, WrestlingObserver.com, "It's On Your Head Now, Dixie"

"Lastly, one thing that we all agree on is for Kurt to turn around the things that brought him down in WWE. While only time and probably a surgery can do anything about his neck, what he can do is his dependency on pills. How much those two are inter-related only he knows. Kurt is a well-educated man and he knows his body and well being better than anyone. He has made more money than the vast majority of us will ever see. I do not think that he has blown all of it and the money he is making with TNA could not be so much that he would endanger his future. Hopefully his new job can allow his body some rest some and allow him to be the performer he wants. I know I will be watching and despite what many have said so will you." - Scott Whitt, The Great Scottland, "See Kurt Jump"

What is the over/under on how long Kurt Angle stays in TNA? I think the world of Kurt and hope he gets totally healthy much sooner than later. Perhaps being a part of TNA will work for Kurt as it relates to travel and in ring demands. I do think this genre is much better suited for Angle than mixed martial arts, UFC, etc. I wish Kurt well on his new opportunity and that is true, damn true. - Jim Ross, JR's Blog, "The Night the Lights Went Out in OKC"

"Kurt Angle- This matter is really getting a great deal of feedback and may be borderline over analyzed. Kurt needed time off to deal issues he has throughly discussed on his own website. As I understand it the WWE and Kurt mutually agreed to release Kurt so he could heal physically and mentally and then puruse other options including coming back to the WWE if he was healthy and chose to. No one betrayed anyone here. Kurt needed to step away from the WWE and heal. It was that simple. For anyone to say Kurt was “held back” is a little far fetched to me. Kurt made a ton of money in the WWE and earned a worldwide reputation. What else was he supposed to do while in the WWE? This business is about making cash, plain and simple. Kurt made big money and got famous in the WWE. He deserved all his accolades and the rewards that went with them. TNA is not going to become an overnight sensation with or without Kurt Angle. One man does not a company make. I perceive and am told that there are conflicts of interest issues in TNA but that’s hearsay because I am not there. I hope everyone in TNA are all successful and finally reach profitability." - Jim Ross, JR's Blog, "Still Responding to Emails"

"Kurt Angle was one of the most talent performers in recent WWE history. If he was healthy, I'd be all for him headlining in TNA. But last time I checked, Kurt Angle has a badly damaged neck, and is risking his continued mobility every time he steps in the ring. There hasn't been an announcement as to the date of Angle's first TNA match. Maybe it won't happen at all. Angle's a driven man, who badly needs to find a career that doesn't involve taking bumps." - Pat McNeill, PWTorch.com, "McNEILL: The State of Things: Holly, DX, Angle & Russo"

Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is

Once again, my Pro-Line picks for today's football games.

1:00 Games

CIN @ PIT, TIE Game. Odds: 2.80
TEN @ MIA, MIA by 04 pts. Odds: 1.20
WAS @ HOU, WAS by 04 pts. Odds: 1.80
CHI @ MIN, CHI by 08 pts. Odds: 2.30
GB @ DET, DET by 04 pts. Odds: 1.60

Total Odds: 22.26
$2 bet = $44.50

4:00 Games

STL @ ARZ, TIE Game. Odds: 3.40
PHI @ SF, PHI by 08 pts. Odds: 1.80
BAL @ CLE, BAL by 04 pts. Odds: 1.30

Total Odds: 7.96
$2 bet = $15.90

Kwik-Pix

WAS @ HOU, HOU by 04 pts. Odds: 2.80
JAX @ IND, JAX by 04 pts. Odds: 4.00
PHI @ SF, PHI by 08 pts. Odds: 1.80
STL @ ARZ, ARZ by 08 pts. Odds: 2.20
CAR @ TB, TIE Game. Odds: 3.20
BAL @ CLE, CLE by 04 pts. Odds: 4.50

Total Odds: 638.67
$2 bet = $1277.30

History Bites

"The golden rule of wrestling is those who constantly learn are forced to watch the product of people who never do." -- Dave Meltzer

As has been reported elsewhere, and has become quite the topic for discussion in the wrestling community is the decision by TNA to bring back Vince Russo. That's right, the master of Crash-TV. The man who gave us the 'Viagra on a Pole' match in WCW. The man who gave us Terri Runnells miscarriage in WWE. And the man who gave us Sports Entertainment Xtreme in TNA. He's back.

The reaction in the Internet Wrestling Community has not been enthusiastic. Well, unless you consider enthusiastic negativity to be an enthusiastic response. And I am on the side of those who think this be quite possibly the worst move possible for TNA.

Interestingly enough, in the past month I just re-read R.D. Reynolds' Wrestlecrap, as well as watching TNA's Phenomenal: The Best of AJ Styles DVD. Both of these serve to reassure me that Vince Russo is not the cure for TNA's ills, if there are any ills to be had.

Wrestlecrap, mediocre writing aside, is an excellent examination of some of the bad decisions that are the hallmark of Vince Russo's booking. His desire for revenge at the expense of the wrestlers, his obsession with catering to smarks, his love of swerves, and his lack of long-term planning are Russonian staples, none of which serve the interests of a wrestling company looking to become competitive in the face of a national monopoly.

The Styles DVD, while it does showcase one of the industry's top talents, is also oversaturated with Russo. To such an extent that I found myself enjoying the DVD less than one would expect. Russo made himself a centerpiece of the organization in his first run, and I believe it stands to reason that he will do so again. Unfortunately, Russo is not what people want to watch on their television sets when they tune into professional wrestling. Or, likely, any other type of television programming. People didn't want to watch Russo in WCW, they didn't want to watch him in TNA on PPV, and they won't want to watch him on TNA on SpikeTV.

Evidently the reason for this otherwise inexplicable decision is that TNA higher-ups and Panda Energy's Dixie Carter are concerned over the recent ratings drop that TNA has been experiencing. My dubiousity (is that a word?) regarding Nielsen ratings aside, I think TNA needs to look internally before looking for external solutions to the problem.

TNA has made some important and impressive moves in the past year. They brought back Sting, and, in my opinion, they have used him fairly well. They managed to keep Rhino when Vince came looking for people to add legitimacy to WWECW. They have elevated Samoa Joe. They have kept AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels fresh and entertaining. They brought in Homicide, who, despite his not yet having the opportunity to showcase his true potential, is an incredible talent. They brought in Jim Cornette, a brilliant wrestling mind and still one of the best talkers in the business. And they brought in Christian Cage, who turned down a new WWE contract to sign with the group.

The problem is that, despite all these good things, their bad decisions have been far more serious. They brought in Kevin Nash, and put him in a program that belittled and betrayed TNA's most important alternative to WWE programming, the X-Division. They brought in Earl Hebner, who offers absolutely nothing to a wrestling organization. They haven't fired Larry Zybysko, the most useless waste of space in wrestling today.

But TNA's most egregious mistake can be summed up in two letters. JJ. Double J. Jeff Jarrett. Since the beginning of the promotion, Jeff Jarrett has been presented as the centerpiece of the organization. A bitter cynic would say that TNA was founded simply as a vanity project for Jeff, a way for him to prove to the world that he's a main event player. Unfortunately, he's not. Back in Jarrett's WWE days, Steve Austin refused to do a program with Jarrett because he didn't feel Jarrett was in a position to feud with him. And in retrospect, Austin was right. Jarrett is the kind of guy who should never have risen above the mid-card in a national promotion. Sure he may have been over like Grover in Memphis, but Memphis ain't the rest of North America.

Despite all the positives that TNA has accomplished, they have all been undermined by Jeff Jarrett's ego. Sting was put in a main event program...with Jarrett. Raven finally won the title, then lost it...to Jarrett. Rhino won the title, then lost it...to Jarrett. Since his arrival in TNA, Jim Cornette has been feuding with...Jeff Jarrett. In one of TNA's most memorable moments of the year, Christian Cage beat Jeff Jarrett for the title, celebrating his victory in the ring, surrounded by TNA fans. Then, in one of the most moronic decisions ever, Cage lost the title in the overly convoluted, and insultingly planned, King of the Mountain match...to Jeff Jarrett.

Starting to notice a pattern?

In those periods when Jeff Jarrett isn't the champion, when he isn't the centerpiece of TNA, people are interested. But those periods are few and far between.

Bringing in Vince Russo is not going to solve TNA's problems. I believe he's only going to make them worse. Russo is 'friends' with Jeff Jarrett. (The word friends is quoted because friend isn't a word that can ever really apply to a relationship in the world of professional wrestling, which thrives on politics and manipulation.) He's not going to deal with the 800 lb. gorilla that is Jeff Jarrett. He's going to mess with the things that were working. He's going to make stupid decisions that don't entertain the viewers. He's going to destroy the things that could make TNA standout, and try to mimic WWE's bad decisions. Mimicing WWE is not the way to go, as their declining ratings show.

Vince Russo is not being brought in to save TNA. He's being brought in to save Jeff Jarrett. His goal will be to make Jeff Jarrett the star he believes himself to be. Unfortunately, that will never happen. Jeff Jarrett is TNA's greatest weakness, and until the people in TNA realize that, TNA will never succeed.

TUF 4.6

Look at me, posting the day after and everything. I'm so responsible. Or, I'm horribly irresponsible, because I still have to go to the library and pick up a book by Orrin Klapp to read for my thesis' first chapter. Stupid theoretical framework. Anyway, on with the show, this is it.

Major Points

• Charles McCarthy is sulky. Or depressed. Or just too sad to play dodgeball. Or, as he would have you believe, so empathetic that Mikey Burnett's loss to Din Thomas is affecting him greatly. His housemates have nicknamed him "Captain Miserable." And, despite the taunting, he's enough of a good sport to wear a homemade "Captain Miserable" cape and pretend to fly.
• Shonie exacerbates the situation by adding 'personality' to McCarthy's shopping list. And McCarthy blames Pete Sell, leading to much hilarity. And again, no use of abject fluids in the execution of this prank.
• Personally, I attribute McCarthy's moroseness to being named after a ventriloquist's dummy.
• Evidently Jorge Rivera's partner is expecting a child while he is in the house. Randy shows up and tells Jorge that he has a new daughter, and gives him an AMP'D mobile phone with which he can see video of his new crap factory. Clever. Product placement disguised as a tender heartwarming moment.
• I'm impressed that Jorge made the decision to come to the house with a child on the way. Especially when you consider Season 3's Noah abandoned the house because his girlfriend MIGHT have been told he is cheating on her, and he wants to clear things up. That's dedication.
• Rich Franklin shows up as a guest trainer. Considering he is might be fighting the middleweight TUF4 winner, he probably wants to scout potential opponents. Plus, he hasn't fought since March 03, so Dana probably wanted to remind people he was around, and still champion. Of course, he is scheduled to fight Anderson Silva at UFC 64, so who knows what will happen there.
• Franklin doesn't align himself with either team, and makes clear that there is no Team Franklin. Really Rich? You mean, exactly the same way as there is no Team Couture or Team St. Pierre? Shocking.
• The next middleweight fight is announced. Pete Sell vs Charles McCarthy. McCarthy says he was planning on that, and has been training for Drago. Which, of course, won't help one bit if he makes it to the next round.
• Speaking of Drago, how can he use that name and not drop "I Must Break You?"
• The fight goes three full rounds. In the third, Sell is on top, even getting full mount, with McCarthy going for some submissions. He doesn't seem to be fighting enough though, and the judges give Drago the match.
• We get a couple of replays of McCarthy in pain when he thinks he blew his knee out. Including a cool slomo one.
• Next week, Matt Serra finally gets in the ring, facing Pete Spratt.

The Good

• Because Drago is already one of Serra's fighters, he probably had an easy time of it, but Matt Serra is a definite factor in Team Mojo's success.
• Showing Pete Sell's controversial loss to Nate Quarry was interesting, because it already sets up a match for Sell, even if he doesn't win TUF4.
• I was glad Dana allowed Jorge an opportunity to learn of his daughter's birth. The whole "cut off from the world thing" is stupid enough, but a man deserves to know when he has another mouth to feed.

The Bad

• Okay, they gave Jorge Rivera a CELL PHONE so he could see video of his new daughter. Call me crazy, but couldn't he also use that PHONE to CALL his partner to talk to her. Have people forgotten that's what cell phones were originally intended for? Or did I just have a Helio moment?
• When they announced the fight before 10:30, my roommate looked at me and said "It's going three rounds." That is not dramatic foreshadowing. Thats predictability. If the producers would just mix it up once, people wouldn't know how long a fight was going to be based on the time it starts.

The Ugly

• Thankfully, the length of the fight meant that there was no need to add filler. Which means less opportunity for ugliness.
• Although, the use of a child's birth to plug a cell phone isn't pretty.

Looking forward to seeing what Serra can do in the ring next week. He's been built up fairly strong, so he should impress. Unless the whole Serra build was done to swerve us. How delightfully Russonian that would be.

Overheard at Western: There are inappropriate analogies, and then there's this.

Overheard at Western: There are inappropriate analogies, and then there's this.

Right now, this is my favorite thing in the world.

UWO culture never ceases to provide me with inappropriate delights.

TUF 4.5

Yeah, I could have posted this sooner. But I didn't.

Major Points

• With the drama of the Jeremy Jackson eviction out of the way, Team No Love now has an opportunity to replace their libidinous teammate with one of their defeated comrades. Rather than a dramatic decision making process, which I'm sure is what Dana and the producers wanted, TNL instead chooses to flip a coin to decide between Willie McGinest Pete Spratt and Rich Clementi, the man whose tattoo provided TNL with their name. Clementi loses, thus raising the question of whether his tattoo means he doesn't love anyone, or nobody has any love for him.
• Shonie likes to swim. Unfortunately, Shonie's overactive creativity has now inspired him to attempt the construction of a "floatie" from discarded plastic bottles. Naturally, Shonie decides the best way to do this is to throw all the bottles into the pool. Evidently, despite his artistic nature, Shonie has not heard of planning or design. After much debate over the bottles, which involves other people clearing the pool of them, only to have Shonie throw them back in, Shonie finally constructs his floatie. By filling a garbage bag with bottles and floating on it. Given that Shonie took all the bottles out of a garbage (possibly, hopefully recycling) bag in the kitchen, I can't help but think there were a number of unnecessary steps in the whole process.
• Shonie also doesn't sleep much. So naturally he plays pool, one of the quieter pastimes, at 3 am. Basically, much of the non-fighing aspects of this episode revolved around Shonie being annoying. And yet, there was no urine or knifeplay involved.
• Pete Spratt is considering not fighting, and instead allowing Clementi to fight. This due to Spratt's lack of faith in his abilities. But Clementi continues to suffer a paucity of affection, and Spratt chooses to return to the competition. I think this is a good move by Spratt, as it keeps him in Dana's good graces.
• TNL headfakes choosing Matt Serra to fight this week, then goes with TNL's Mikey Burnett versus TM's Din Thomas. They figure Din will be weakened by the staph infection running rampant in the house. But certainly not from the mats!
• Din's recap recaps Din. Mikey Burnett's is much more interesting, as he is a pre-Zuffa fighter, so UFC gets to do their "no rules, no weight-class, underground" spin on UFC history. Mikey does have a good line, saying the UFC was "more spectacle than sport." Sorry Mikey, spectator sports are, by definition, spectacle.
• Din beats Mikey. Fairly handily too. I hope Mikey gets another chance, maybe as another Ross Pointon kind of fighter. You don't expect him to win, but you know he'll show up.

The Good

• I like Din Thomas. He's got a good chance of winning this thing.

The Bad

• The UFC history spin. Look, I'm not an expert on UFC history, but I know a bit. And watching them spin the UFC history this way is annoying. Its right up there with Vince McMahon and his "smoky bars" history of professional wrestling.

The Ugly

• Why do the fighters still do a walk/van ride of shame? Aren't they all still in the house? Did they make Mikey Burnett drive back the house alone, while the rest of the guys came in another van? Isn't that a waste of gas? For this, kids are getting killed in Iraq?

This episode didn't particularly capture my attention the way past episodes have. Maybe it was just being tired, or dreading my first tutorial the next day. I'll find out tomorrow night when I watch 4.6. At least I'm sure it will be better than ER.

The End of Hockey?

Bell Globemedia bidding $1.4B for TV hockey rights -- CHANNEL CANADA

I could have gone with a cheesy title like "NHL on Thin Ice?" But I'm above such puns.

I can't believe I missed this story when it first happened. Thats what happens when you spend most of your summer watching 90210 reruns and lusting after Shannen Doherty, rather than keeping an eye out for interesting sports media stories.

Anyway, this whole thing was brought to my attention by a friend of mine as we were discussing the Oilers' chances this season, and being media students, he mentioned this story. My interest piqued, I did some digging, and found the above article. You can also search the Globe and Mail's website, but any stories on the subject are now "archived" meaning you have to buy a $14.95 per month subscription to read them. Or go to your local library and find a hard copy there. Here's a link to one of the stories, if you really want to spend $14.95 a month.

The gist of the story is that Bell Globemedia, one of Canada's largest media conglomerates, is planning on offering $1.4B over 10 years for the rights to NHL broadcasts in Canada when the CBC's contract with the league is up in 2008. So basically $140M a year. That's more than double than the $65M per year the CBC is currently paying. Most insiders agree that if this happens, the CBC will be unable to post a competitive bid.

The problem with all this is that it will mean that most people who do not have cable or satellite service will no longer be able to watch hockey in Canada. While it is claimed that CTV will broadcast some games on their actual broadcast channels, such as CFTO, CKCO, or whatever the hell the call letters for their Calgary station are. (This raises an interesting question, when did stations stop using their call letters? And when did the CRTC stop requiring them to do so? Or have they?) But I digress.

The problem here is that CTV does not have the broadcast reach that the CBC does. While CKCO may claim to be the CTV station for Kitchener-Waterloo and London, as well as the rest of Southwestern Ontario, I have never been able to get a decent CKCO signal using just an antenna. And London, despite being a small town disguised as a city, is one of Canada's more populous cities. A quick glance at CTV's local stations page shows just how weak their coverage is. What about Windsor and Sarnia? For that matter, what about the good people of Detroit who watch CBC hockey coverage? What this shows is that people who want to watch hockey will be forced to abandon their antennas and purchase cable or satellite subscriptions. Which is, of course, good for Bell Globemedia, who are providers of Bell Expressvu satellite service. Media concentration at its finest.

Of course, there are other possible outcomes to this scenario. One is that this deal, should it happen, will be the death knell for the CBC. Long hindered by poor funding, out of control bureaucracy, and a mandate that can't possibly be met under current conditions, the CBC relies on hockey as a major source of revenue and publicity. Without the NHL, the CBC will likely find itself turned into a second rate PBS, with pledge drives hosted by Rick Mercer and Gordon Pinsent, showing reruns of British comedies. The Canadian government, both the current one, and the governments of the past, have not considered the CBC important, instead choosing to permit media concentration to persist, all the while abandoning any notion of giving the CBC the funding they need to provide Canadians with a proper public broadcaster. While some may argue that there is no longer a need for a public broadcast outlet, in this day and age of multiple channels, others argue that the fact that Canadian broadcasting is essentially run by Rogers, Bell Globemedia and CanWest Global (especially with the pending absorption of the essentially worthless CHUM Group into BGM), indicates that the need for a public broadcaster is even greater today than it was fifty years ago.

The end of Hockey Night in Canada on CBC will also mean the end of a Canadian institution. The memorable hockey moments provided to Canadians via HNIC are too numerous to count. The fact that Foster Hewitt, the voice of HNIC for so many years, has the award for hockey broadcasting excellence named for him, should give some indication of the importance of the CBC to hockey and to Canada. An argument could be made that hockey on CBC is so integral to Canadian culture that it should be protected at all costs. Arguments over the value of Canadian culture have been made before, as in the case of dual-run American magazines in Canada, that saw the Canadian government attempting to limit the incursion of American magazines into Canada.

One final potential outcome of all this is the death of hockey itself. Okay, maybe "death of hockey" is a bit hyperbolic, but possibly the death of the NHL. Still reeling from the public backlash over its multiple labour difficulties, the NHL cannot afford to alienate its most dedicated audience, Canadians. It is entirely possible that, with regular hockey broadcasts taken away from them, that some people will simply abandon the NHL altogether. While this likely won't happen with Leafs fans, most of whom have little else to cling to, it could happen to others, it could happen in other places. People could simply abandon NHL franchises, and turn to other alternatives for their hockey fix. Or curling, which plays at roughly the same level of excitement as hockey. And if that happens in Canada, the NHL is finished. They have overplayed their hand in the United States, to the point that the NHL receives zero dollars for its contract with NBC, and only slightly more for their contract with the American OLN. Hockey in the United States gets ratings that make the XFL look positively robust. So it is not the American market that is going to keep the NHL alive. Sure it might (and thats a very big might) be the future of the NHL to become a major American sport, but it should not be the NHL's primary concern in the short term.

And should Canadians choose to abandon the NHL, Bell Globemedia could find themselves with an albatross around their necks, weighing them down in much the same way that Major League Baseball does Fox. And by the time the BGM contract is up, the NHL could find themselves negotiating a Canadian contract from the same position of weakness that they negotiated their American contracts.

If the NHL leaves the comfort and familiarity of the CBC for the financially enticing siren song of Bell Globemedia, it could spell disaster for the CBC, the NHL, and hockey itself in Canada.

Sunday Pix

Well, things didn't exactly work out so well last week. Undaunted, I continue forth.

1:00 Games

OAK @ BAL, BAL by 08 pts. Odds: 1.40
HOU @ IND, IND by 04 pts. Odds: 1.15
CLE @ CIN, CIN by 04 pts. Odds: 1.20
BUF @ MIA, MIA by 08 pts. Odds: 2.20
DET @ CHI, TIE Game. Odds: 3.90
NYG @ PHI, NYG by 04 pts. Odds: 2.50

Total Odds: 41.44
$2 bet = $82.90

4:00 Games

STL @ SF, STL by 04 pts. Odds: 1.80
ARZ @ SEA, SEA by 04 pts. Odds: 1.40
NE @ NYJ, NE by 04 pts. Odds: 1.50
TEN @ SD, SD by 04 pts. Odds: 1.20
KC @ DEN, TIE Game. Odds: 3.90

Total Odds: 17.69
$2 bet = $35.40

Kwik-Pik

BUF @ MIA, BUF by 04 pts. Odds: 3.30
NYG @ PHI, PHI by 04 pts. Odds: 2.10
ARZ @ SEA, TIE Game. Odds: 3.60
TB @ ATL, ATL by 08 pts. Odds: 1.80
CLE @ CIN, CLE by 08 pts. Odds: 7.50
KC @ DEN, TIE Game. Odds: 3.90

Total Odds: 1313.51
$2 bet = $2627.00

The Lost Art of Walking

One of the joys of spending time on a university campus is also one of the greatest pains. Lots and lots of walking. I like walking around the UWO campus. For the most part, its a fairly attractive campus, with the possible exceptions of the UCC Concrete Beach, TD Waterhouse Stadium, and the construction around Thompson arena. But most of the rest of the campus is fairly attractive.

But when did people forget how to walk? In the past week, I've seen students walk into the middle of traffic without even checking for oncoming traffic. I don't know if these kids are drunk, stoned, unfamiliar with the notion of automobiles, or just so infused with such an inflated sense of entitlement that they believe the laws of both physics and the road shouldn't apply to them because their daddy is a lawyer/doctor/some other arrogant and often meaningless career, but I'm shocked. It seems that every year, at least one Western student dies in traffic, either riding a bike or as a pedestrian. And you know what...they probably deserve it. Whats more amazing is that the rest of the brain-dead children don't learn from their mistakes.

Also upsetting is the inability of people to understand the relatively simple concept of traffic flow. Sidewalks are constructed to handle roughly two people side by side. Perhaps three, depending on how anorexic the people are. But let's just say two is the average.

With that in mind, why do people feel they have the right to walk side by side as people walk towards them? It doesn't matter if they're chatting to a friend, or passing somebody, the fact remains that these people are getting in my way. Whats more annoying is that they see there are people walking towards them, and they don't feel any obligation to move out of the way. Its the same sense of entitlement that permeates almost every aspect of UWO life.

Here's the problem with the walkers, and they don't understand. I'm a fairly large man. In fact, given my travels around campus, I would say I am one of the larger men at Western. (Thats not bragging, as one should not be proud of one's morbid obesity.) I also carry a large duffel bag, often laden with at least three or four heavy books. Should I so desire, I'm sure I could easily send one (or more) of these children sprawling into the mud like a doughboy crawling through No-Man's Land. I choose not to, however, mainly because I like to make people think I'm a nice guy.

Its even more interesting when I'm walking around campus with my buddy Presto. Presto happens to be in a motorized wheelchair, which certainly poses some interesting options for navigating the hilly/stair-dependent UWO campus. When we're trying to make our way across campus, I'm amazed that people don't realize that Presto's chair has the potential to inflict damage. ITS A METAL CHAIR, POWERED BY AN ELECTRIC MOTOR!!! At what point do you not realize that this machine can hurt them? Look, I'm not expecting them to part like the Red Sea, but it would be nice if people would realize that there are 10,000 other people on campus.

One of these days, I'm going to just walk where I want to walk, without considering what may happen to other people. If kids get knocked into the dirt, too bad. If some little plastic gets pushed out of the way, too bad. If some moron gets their cellphone knocked out of their hands, too bad.

I probably won't do this, but its a nice thought.

Lazy Sunday

If you held a gun to my head and forced me to come up with something I liked about Canada, I could actually come up with two. And oddly enough, they both involve Sundays.

The first is Alan Cross, whose Ongoing History of New Music is one of the best music documentary programs ever produced. I like to set my alarm for Sunday @ 9am, and then just lie in bed listening to his show, which my local Corus station, FM96, plays for two hours on Sunday mornings. Alan Cross is a national treasure, and should be listened to by anybody with eardrums.

The second thing I like about Canada is our legalized sports gambling, Pro-Line. I can go down to my local Mac's and buy a ticket making my picks for the weekend's football games. I can actually bet on a whole host of sports, but I only bet on football. From what I can tell, the only major sporting event missing from Proline is NBA, which they used to offer, but the NBA forced them to drop it when Toronto was trying to get the Raptors. Seems certain NBA stars at the time had a small problem with gambling. *cough*MJ*cough*

Of course, the only drawback to having sports gambling overseen by the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Commission is that its not as simple as picking one team to win, or cover the spread. Instead, I have to pick a minimum of three games, and up to a maximum of six. I usually play the straight Pro-Line, wherein you choose a game, and then select one of five outcomes: Visitor by 8, Visitor by 4, Tie (either team wins by three points or less), Home by 4, and Home by 8. These outcomes are all given a value of at least 1.1, and once you have selected your three to six games, those values are multiplied together to determine your odds, and then multiplied by the value of your bet to determine your potential winnings. Riskier picks means better money, but is harder to win. Playing six games also increases your potential winnings, but means you have to get that many more picks correct. So its obviously in the house's, or government's favour. But its still fun.

What I tend to do is to play one ticket with the 1:00 games, one ticket with the 4:00 games, and another ticket that I call the Kwik-Pik, where I find the range for the day's football games, then make six random selections.

Here are my picks for this week:

1:00 Games

NYJ @ TEN, TEN by 04 pts. Odds: 1.90
BUF @ NE, NE by 08 pts. Odds: 1.50
SEA @ DET, SEA by 04 pts. Odds: 1.30
PHI @ HOU, PHI by 04 pts. Odds: 1.50

Total Odds: 5.56
$2 bet = $11.10

4:00 Games
DAL @ JAX, TIE Game Odds: 2.80
CHI @ GB, CHI by 04 pts. Odds: 1.80
SF @ ARZ, ARZ by 04 pts. Odds: 1.30

Total Odds: 6.55
$2 bet = $13.10

Kwik-Pik
NYJ @ TEN, TEN by 04 pts. Odds: 1.90
SEA @ DET, DET by 08 pts. Odds: 6.20
IND @ NYG, TIE Game Odds: 3.10
CHI @ GB, CHI by 08 pts. Odds: 2.40
NWO @ CLE, NWO by 04 pts. Odds: 2.50
ATL @ CAR, TIE Game Odds: 3.50

Total Odds: 766.88
$2 bet = $1533.80

Right now, things aren't looking so good for my 1 o'clock or my Kwik-Pik. But I've still got my $13.10 4:00 ticket.

TUF 4.4

This post is late, as I was at my live fantasy football draft on Thursday night. More on that later. I got home in time to watch the "fight" and I taped the rest to watch today.

I guess this episode explains why we got the Jeremy Jackson recap last week, as this week the Test lookalike got the boot for being led around by his hormones. In addition to Jackson's rampaging lust, the episode featured the outbreak of another disease, this time a staph infection running wild like Hulkamania over the fighters.

What's really interesting is the way that the staph infection helped to cause Jackson's eviction. GSP took Team No Love to the YMCA. He claimed it was because he wanted to give the team a change of pace, but I suspect it was because the gym mats, and everything else in the gym was being disinfected because, well, let's face it, they were nasty. While there, Jackson caught the eye of a pretty young lifeguard, who he invited to the house. He then snuck over the wall to meet her, all of which was caught by the cameras. The next day, the house got a phone call that morning workout was cancelled, and Dana was coming for a visit. Dana gave a mini-speech about respect and responsibility, then kicked Jackson out. Idiot.

We then got the fight announcement, which would be No Love's Travis Lutter versus Mojo's Scott Smith. This wasn't part of Mojo's original gameplan, but the staph breakout forced them to change things up. Smith's background is interesting, because he has an 0-1 UFC record, but that loss is pretty controversial. Essentially, he and David Terrell were locked up against the cage, and the ref called for a break. Smith broke, and Terrell didn't, taking Smith down and choking him out. Which makes no sense. Hopefully the referee, who I couldn't identify has been banned from ever refereeing another fight, of any kind, ever again. The fight also took place only a few weeks before the show started shooting, so it looks like Smith was offered a spot in the house as a kind of peace offering by Dana.

But once the action took to the octagon, it was like watching a replay of Smith's other fight. Lutter took him down quickly, and choked him out. The only thing missing was an incompetent ref. Lutter just outclassed Smith and won easily. I think Smith should consider dropping down a weight class, as Lutter looked much larger than him.

Anyway, enough recapping, on to my uninformed opinions.

The Good:

• Lutter looked really strong. His fight was quick, and he should be fresh and ready when it comes time for him to fight again.
  
• In a sick sort of way, the staph infection was a good thing for the show. It forced Team Mojo to change up their plans, and gave No Love the Coin of Doom (TM). That only adds to the drama of the show, and made things more interesting.
  
• I liked Dana's explanation of staph infections, and what they mean for fighters.
  
• I also liked the Travis Lutter/Pete Sell smack talk. It wasn't overly insulting, didn't degrade into a hissy fit, and set the stage for a fight later. Those two minutes did a better job of building a fight than an entire episode of Raw.

The Bad:

• Okay, I like women's butts. I'm really more of a breast and leg man, but I like a nice butt. However, there is no reason why the butts of the ring girls should feature so prominently in the show's opening credits. The ring girls are not part of the show, and they should not be featured in the opening credits. Particularly not their posteriors.
  
• I didn't like Dana's damage control over the staph infection. Dana, don't blame everybody else. Obviously you need to avoid any admissions of guilt for legal purposes, but don't play lawyerball either.
  
• I was torn as to whether to put this here or in ugly, but I'll put it here. Jeremy Jackson. No pity. Absolutely none. You talked about all your problems, most of which seem to stem from, or at least involve, bad relationships with women. I'm not saying I take pleasure in Jackson's suffering, but I can't feel bad for the guy. You can't go for six weeks without some action? This isn't Big Brother man. I'm pretty sure they'll leave you alone in the bathroom for five minutes. Or less. Mikey Burnett made the best point about no piece of ass being worth $50,000.

The Ugly

• Those staph infections do not look pretty. Hopefully they aren't going to cause further problems or evictions.
  
• Did you know the Blade: The Series finale is next week? Did you care? Dear God, can you please stake this thing before we get stuck with another Ultimate Fight Night built around a Blade premiere?

Randy & GSP Sightings
Randy: 3, one talking
GSP: 3, one talking, one in which he looked like that guy who wore a robosuit to hang out with bears. I think he's dead now.

The Devil You Know

This makes me happy. (Scroll about halfway down the page) Sort of. Brent Bozell, for years the head of the "Parents Television Council" (PTC) is stepping down from his position of power with the organization. He is being replaced by Tim Winter, who has served as the secretary of the group.

I really don't like the PTC. And I'm not talking in that, "I don't like brussel sprouts" kind of way. (Actually, I kinda like brussel sprouts, but that's neither here nor there.) I'm talking in the "I don't like genocide" kind of way. For years they were the bane of the WWF/E's existence, waging a war on Smackdown and what they perceived as the evils of professional wrestling. Of course, sports entertainment wasn't their only target. They've also gone after shows like Family Guy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a veritable plethora of other shows that offended their self-defined sense of "family values."

(Former US vice-presidential candidate Joseph Lieberman (and probably former Democratic Senator of Connecticut) was once on the PTC advisory board. I must admit that I was torn during the 2000 federal election, as I feared Lieberman's impact on the FCC had he achieved the vice-presidency. But in a concession to the greater good, I was rooting for Gore. Then Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris took the issue out of the hands of the voters.)

Bozell, and the PTC's, obsession with the deleterious effects of professional wrestling came to a head with the Lionel Tate murder case. Tate, then 12, was accused of killing a 6 year old girl. It was alleged, as part of Tate's defense, that his imitation of a professional wrestling move led to her death. This was disproved in court, and Tate was found guilty. But the specious association with professional wrestling stuck to the Tate case, to the point that even today, any reference to the case often mentions professional wrestling. The PTC assisted with this, making claims about the effects of professional wrestling on young people.

The WWE rightfully took offense, and filed suit against the PTC. They won, forcing Bozell to publish a retraction of the allegations, which, amongst other things, said "that it was wrong for MRC [Media Research Center], PTC, their spokespersons and myself to have said anything that could be construed as blaming WWE or any of its programs for the deaths of the children." Also included in the retraction was the admission that "I want to be clear that WWE was correct in pointing out that various statements made by MRC, PTC and me were inaccurate concerning the identity and number of WWE Smackdown! advertisers who withdrew support from the program. Many of the companies we stated had “withdrawn” or pulled their support had never, in fact, advertised on Smackdown! nor had any plan to advertise on Smackdown!" Of course, WWE's victory was somewhat hollow, as the Tate taint remains. But after this happened, the PTC went to great lengths not to mention professional wrestling much anymore. In fact, if you go to their site, you will find a link to their "ratings" of television programs. Smackdown does not appear on that list. If you go to their Friday television listings, they have UPN listed as showing Major League Baseball on Friday nights. So PTC is staying away from wrestling, likely as a result of the lawsuit.

But it doesn't mean that the PTC has stopped trying to tell people what they are allowed to watch on television. The "Nipplegate" incident at the Superbowl provided the PTC with a new target to attack, that being the declining moral values of American broadcasters. The ludicrous fines imposed by the FCC on CBS for the appearance of the offending nipple (which, of course, is attached to that most offensive breast) were likely influenced by the hyperbolic response of the PTC. And, of course, the new more conservative American church state that has been reinforced by men like George W. Bush, John Ashcroft and his ilk.

But the PTC is a dangerous, dangerous organization. I am all in favour of people voicing their opinions. I write letters to companies that piss me off. If I'm ever offended by something I see on television, I exercise my right to choose, and change the channel. (Unless its The O'Reilly Factor, then I keep watching. That guy is funnier than Stephen Colbert. Nobody could honestly say those things and mean them.) But the PTC goes too far. In 2004, FCC chairman Michael Powell said that complaints to the FCC had increased 14,000 to 240,000. For some, this was proof that the people of America were standing up against the obscenity-spewing, nipple-exposing, violence-causing, homosexual monster that is the American broadcast media.

However, it was later revealed that 99.8%, or 239,520, of those complaints came from the PTC. Essentially, the PTC uses their website to encourage people to write letters of complaint to the FCC and advertisers, even providing a web form for people to do so. Actual viewing of the program is not required. Neither is actually being offended by the program. The PTC website provides people with all the tools they need to file a complaint with either the FCC, a sponsor, or the network.

The problem here is a complex one. Should these people be denied their right to complain? Of course not. But should a few people be able to dictate what people are able to watch? Absolutely not. My dad hates plenty of things on television. When I go visit him, and he's feeling particularly evangelistic, he'll tell me about something he saw on Showcase or Bravo that he didn't approve of. But I don't let his opinions change mine. I like what I like, and he likes what he likes. And he's smart enough to know that if there's something on television he doesn't like, he can change the channel. And if he gets really offended, he can call his satellite provider and change the channels he subscribes to, thus affecting the station financially, without exerting unfair pressure.

As much as I hate the Nielsen ratings system, aren't they the most accurate measurement of what people want to watch? The PTC likes to target Desperate Housewives, but that show is highly rated. So if 100,000 people complain about the show, but 12.8 million people were watching, what does that say about the country's opinion of the show? Sure there might not be enough programming aimed at a younger audience on television. But is taking the programming that is better suited for a mature consumer the way to go?

The question now remains. What will Tim Winter do with the PTC? Will he continue in Bozell's footsteps, trying to tell America what to watch? Or will he take the group in a more constructive direction, encouraging a more democratic media, and working WITH broadcasters to create media designed with the public interest in mind? Because I'm not saying there aren't offensive things on television. But the key to changing the media lies in education, not oppression.

So enjoy your time off Mr. Bozell. Find a hobby. Read a book. Watch some PAX or Disney Channel. Or maybe, just maybe, you can travel. Go out and visit America. Go to large urban centres and small rural peripheries. Open your eyes and realize that just because YOU don't enjoy something, doesn't mean that nobody else does. I'm offended by right-wing ideologues like Pat Robertson or Charles Colson spewing their bile and hatred on television. Should I use your FCC complaint form to complain about people saying that Hurricane Katrina was a punishment from God? Or should I, as I actually do, tell myself that they have a right to believe what they believe, a right to think what they think, no matter how wrong headed it might be, and that unless they are advocating violence against others, there is no reason why they shouldn't be able to say the moronic, hate-filled, and wrong-headed things they do? I choose the latter.

I'm on the left, and that's my right.

TUF4.3

The Good

• During TUF3, I was constantly upset with the incredibly juvenile antics of the fighters in the house. Obviously, some of that stems from the ridiculous fact that they are trapped in this house with no outside contact. That makes sense on a show like Big Brother where there is no premise to the show. But in this day and age of television subscription packages, V-Chips and blocked channels, I'm pretty sure that Dana could give the guys a TV that only gets TV Land and Comedy Central. At least that would give the guys something to watch. But I digress. The joke played by Jorge Rivera and Rich Clementi on Shonie Carter was a good one. They didn't destroy what he made, they didn't let it get out of hand, and they had a good laugh. Sure they misspelled YOUR, but thats forgivable. They didn't destroy Shonie's work, they didn't let the joke get out of hand, and they all had a good laugh. The maturity of this batch of fighters is much greater than TUF3.
  
• I liked the flashbacks to Jeremy Jackson fights. I know they've done them for all the fighters before their fights, but thats why the Jackson vignettes were so good. Because he didn't fight. But by creating these expectations, what we got was a well-done swerve. It was clever editing on the part of the producers, and played with the expectations of the audience.
  
• I'm also enjoying the Shonie moments. The producers obviously have to focus on Shonie, because he's an entertaining personality. But they give the other fighters an opportunity to talk about Shonie, ensuring a more balanced portrayal of the fighters.
  
• I'm also growing to like Matt Serra more and more. This show allowed us to not only see a more vulnerable side of Serra in watching Royce Gracie lose to Matt Hughes, but we also got to see him corner another fighter to victory.

The Bad

• I don't understand the point of trying to create a feud between Serra and Marc Laimon. Particularly since Laimon isn't a fighter. The point of a feud is to build to a payoff fight. That was the whole point of TUF3. But we're not going to get a Laimon/Serra fight. So why waste time on their rivalry? Why not focus on some of the other fighters, or show us some more of their training?
  
• I'm torn on having Dana White mention other MMA organizations. On the one hand, it tells people that UFC isn't the only game in town. On the other, it gives Dana the opportunity to dismiss them as small potatoes, especially since he doesn't mention their names.

The Ugly

• I've mentioned this countless times before. And I will continue to mention it until somebody listens. The audience knows how long the fight is going to last by the fight's start time. This week, the fight didn't start until 11:55. And the fight only lasted a couple of minutes. If the producers are serious about presenting a more dramatic show, they will ensure that all fights start by the 45 minute mark on the show at the latest. Even if the fight is an eight second KO, people won't be expecting it. This is a serious production problem, and needs to be remedied.
  
• Okay, now I had no intention of going to see Crank in the theatres. The commercial during UFC 62 guaranteed that. But the "special sneak preview" tonight has me questioning whether I will ever watch it. Not because the commercial was obtrusive or obnoxious, but because it makes it look like Crank is a truly terrible film. The dialogue is awful, the fights are lame, and the acting doesn't exactly seem to be of Oscar calibre. And most importantly, "Turn Me Loose" by Loverboy is not fight music.

Randy & GSP Sightings

Randy: 3
GSP: 2