Patriot League

Yesterday the Lehigh Men's lacrosse team defeated Bucknell to win the Patriot League Championship. The Lehigh faithful will now wait to see who we face in the NCAA tournament. Well done boys!

Philly Fighter

It has been a good April for fight fans. Showtime aired the exciting Alvarez v. Trout fight this past Saturday. This coming Saturday features Danny Garcia v. Zab Judah.
Garcia is a Philly born and trained fighter with lightning fast hands who counter punches like the Wehrmacht counter-attacked in WW II. I have seen Garcia fight live here in Philly in July 2010 and again in October of that same year. His tough North Philly style and the amount of punches he threw with accuracy really impressed be back then. His rise to hold the WBA and WBC light welterweight belts has therefore been a pleasure to watch and no surprise. The fact that he is from Philly is a great bonus.
Garcia's bout against Judah is on Showtime and should be a great fight to watch. Judah is in his mid 30's and has perhaps lost a step and while he has fought some of the best..he seems to lack the heart needed to overcome a losing round...and thus he has lost to some of the best. He does have skill and can certainly be dangerous.
He also seems to lack class as he exhibited yesterday in Brooklyn. The Garcia team was conducting a press conference at a local sporting goods store. Judah and some of his ill-mannered entourage came into the store to disrupt the proceedings and exchanged taunts and expletives with Garcia's father...Judah embraces the NYC thug persona and his crew of lick-spittles began a "Brooklyn,Brooklyn" chant to further annoy the store owners and everyone in attendance.
This Sportsman hopes Danny Garcia silences Zab Judah and puts him on the canvas face down. Prediction: Garcia TKO's Judah in  the 5th.

Another Train Wreck

The Washington Post recently ran a piece about Allen Iverson's post NBA miasma. He was a 4 time scoring champ...a 6 foot Georgetown minted phenom. He earned around 150 million dollars in the NBA and reportedly has a 30 million dollar trust from Reebok that he cannot touch until he is 55.However, he is apparently broke, divorced and maybe circling the drain. Who knows.
What I do know is that when he lived down the street from me...he was not a model neighbor. More than once I was doing yard work and threw A.I. a waive as he drove by. He ignored me. The charming Mr. Iverson shocked the neighbors and the Philly media when he threw his wife out of the house.The poor woman was naked and abused and had to seek help from next door.He blared music at all hours and had parties with loads of sycophants and hangers on who seemed more suited to an episode of "Cops" than a party on Monk road.
 A guy I know who has a body shop for high-end vehicles reported that Iverson routinely brought in his Bentley for repairs on the dented hood. It seems he let his kids stand on the car to watch them play hoops in the driveway and additional damage was done by errant balls. He spent money like Pryor in "Brewster's Millions" and supported an entourage of thugs and sketchy characters that lurked around the area. He created a criminal media circus when he flashed a gun at some perceived wrong-doer and had helicopters hovering over the area for days. During that fiasco, fans would come driving by and yell:" Yo, where Iverson's house at" looking to rubberneck the ballplayers current adversity.
One Summer evening while we were having drinks on the porch, Iverson rolled up to the stop sign directly across from my house. He exited the car and slowly walked around the brand new top of the line silver Mercedes sedan. He was out-fitted in his usual Gangsta regalia of do-rag, long shorts,NBA jersey and high tops.  We sipped our drinks and wondered what he was doing slowly walking around his vehicle. We solved the puzzle when he got in and drove away.As the Mercedes turned we saw that it had wheel spinners installed on each wheel....you know, those absurd rigs that make the garish after market chrome wheels spin even when the car was stopped. Iverson apparently needed to inspect the new feature to make all four wheels were operational. As he passed I threw him a wave as usual. As usual he ignored me.

Suggestion

A poll today among Sportsman here in S.E. Pennsylvania resulted in the following suggestion for dealing with dead Boston Bomber No.1: Put his head on a stick and display it in Boston Common. Barbaric? Perhaps...Deterrent effect: Considerable. This is about where our emotions are running today.

Masters

I do not play golf. I am not even much of a fan. However, I watch the Masters every year and enjoy the competition and tradition very much. It seems we have another fan around the house.

Last Summer while my daughter was working in Virginia as a counselor at a riding camp, she found 2 feral kittens...abandoned on the side of a rural road. She adopted them...took them to the vet..kept them at the Barn at Camp...then brought them home.Now these little wankers live on the Main Line  (cue the Jefferson's theme song.) They acclimated well and surprisingly get along with the resident hunting dogs.

This weekend while watching the Sunday final round of the Maters, the male of the pair seemed obsessed with watching golf. He parked his butt by the TV and stared at the screen for long stretches of time.

Angst and Sanctuary

 The practice of law can supply a fair dose of angst and aggravation. Managing fighters can heap additional stress and problems on top. In the law, clients can be unreasonable, other lawyers can be difficult and the rent and payroll have to get paid no matter what. In boxing, opponents go MIA, other managers try to extort extra money the day of a fight, bouts get canceled, State Commissions decline to certify  a kid to fight on the card.

When these vagaries start to overwhelm and exasperate...one can take refuge in a nice lunch at a quality joint. The local Oyster house here in the Quaker City affords one such refuge. A platter of fried oysters and chicken salad is a Philadelphia classic. This unique combination has seemingly always been on the menu at City clubs and restaurants. Likewise, snapper soup, made from turtles of the same name, is a Philly classic and a personal favorite. Yesterday I sought sanctuary with this lunch line up and a good book. I emerged nourished and ready to wade back into the fray.

Fighting for the Prize

It has been quiet around here. That is a welcome respite after the cacophony of NOLA.We  returned from our trip to New Orleans last Tuesday. Suffice it to say, we raged on Bourbon street, dined at Commander's Palace, won money at the casino...full report on all that later.
Returning to work and getting all things in order for the fight this weekend has precluded the usual blather from being posted. The Heavyweight I manage fights in Union City,NJ this Saturday. As manager, I have had a difficult time dealing with the opponent, getting the contracts squared away, getting my fighter to the NJ medical screening and all related details. nevertheless, once that bell rings for round 1...we are back on track. Stay tuned.