Radio Hit -- Da Art Of Storytellin'

No, not Outkast and The Ruler, though I'm sure that song brings a lot of us back to simpler times (for me, senior year at the Harvard of the Midwest).

Instead, I'm talking about the half hour I spent in the studio this afternoon with Sarah Meehan, host of Underscore on Hardcore Sports Radio (Sirius Channel 98). We've been trying to connect since late August, when producer Corey Erdman called to ask if I'd like to appear on the show to talk about "Long Shots," the narrative project that won me a National Newspaper Award a few years back.

Of course, I accepted the invitation, eager for any opportunity to talk to sports fans about how great I am. But when I stepped into the studio today the conversation quickly veered off into the handful of topics that give me greater pleasure than talking about myself does -- the relevance of newspaper sports sections, the effect of social media on the mainstream press, the future of sportswriting in a digital word.

In short, we explored the Art of Storytelling in a world that seems to have outgrown narrative.

If you missed the previous link to the podcast and want to hear my impassioned yet rational explanation of how narrative will never die, click here.

Could have talked all day, but I had to do all the damage I could in the allotted 25 minutes. I'm pretty sure I gave listeners something to think about without saying anything that'll get me fired. These days folks are sensitive about what employees say in public.

Anyway, if you're a media junkie or just a Morgan Campbell fan with time on your hands, please click the links and listen.

In the meantime, pardon me while I flop on the couch and continue my research for next week's assignment.

It's a rough life...

A Radio Hit

I know some of you guys just can't get enough of me. Between my damn near daily reports on the Toronto Blue Jays and my frustratingly intermittent blog posts, I'm hoping I've made a few fans, and that at least a handful of them are interested in how I'll spend the off-season.

Well, next week I head to wherever the the National League Championship Series starts for one more week of baseball before the off-season truly begins -- although with a new GM and plenty more changes coming for the Blue Jays I'm not sure how much of an off-season I'll really have. Anyway, I'm pulling for the Dodgers and Rockies because I love L.A. (especially when the rich uncle is paying) and I've never been to Denver, but I've resigned myself to a Cardinals/Phillies NLCS. So Morgan Campbell fans in StL and Philly, look for me next week.

But if folks need their fix now, tune into Hardcore Sports Radio (Sirius, Channel 98), where I'll appear on the The UnderScore with Sarah Meehan this afternoon.

I'm a familiar face at HSR studios, and a regular contributor on Pound for Pound Radio with Jason Abelson.

Doing what I do best, talking trash and talking boxing...but mostly boxing... on Hardcore Sports Radio

But this is my first time on the Sarah, so I'm excited.

As far as I know our we'll start by discussing "Long Shots," an eight-part serial narrative I published in the Star, and the winner of the 2003 National Newspaper Award for Sportswriting. The honour doesn't count for much at the office anymore, but it's nice to know that Sarah still cares.

Beyond that the conversation could head anywhere, and I'm excited to see where it might lead. If you're interested too, tune in today (Wed. Oct. 7, 2009) at 3pm. I should be on the air by about 3:30.

Till then, time to get moving on my day job.

Diamond Crooks Takin Over

DONTE'S DRAMA

I don't know how closely you guys follow news out of Buffalo, but Bills' free safety Donte Whitner's home was robbed this weekend, and the thieves, who were probably "friends" of Whitner's, took $400,000 worth of jewelery.

Sonny Cheeba? Geechy Suede? Y'all got my ice? I spent a lotta Lucini on that!

Whitner's business spokesperson, Patrice Horton, won't specify what pieces of jewelery were stolen, but does confirm reports that the total value of what's missing is $400k.

Damn.

I feel bad for Whitner, but would feel worse if he had lost $400k in the stock market, or in real estate, or in bad investments with Bernie Madoff. If those things happened I'd know that he was at least trying to make the money he works so hard for ($2.7 mil per season) work for him. But to take the equivalent of 15 percent of you pre tax income and sink it into jewelry is unthinkable to me.

Now, I'm not judging too harshly. It's not like I've never spent money foolishly. I've got Camp Lo's second album, so I know a little about bad buys.

Somebody pulled a heist, but they just don't know who. I wonder how we do heistin' jewels, how we do!

I could see dropping that kinda of money on an artifact that would will increase in value, but I suspect those thieves didn't steal $400,000 worth of antique jewelery. And, really, what is the resale market like on medallions that spell DONTE in diamond-dipped platinum?

It's pretty soft, I'm guessing.

But what really rattles me about this whole affair is that Whitner's "business spokesperson" is the person who confirms the initial report of the theft. So Whitner has the foresight to hire (what we can only assume are) professionals to help handle his "business," but lacks the vision to store his jewelry stash somewhere other than a safe deposit box?

Makes no sense.

I'd like to think this robbery will teach athletes across the country to guard their goodies more carefully, recent... history...tells us that athletes have been and will continue to be targets for robbers. So if Whitner didn't learn from those before him to keep his treasure chest someplace secure, we can't assume anyone will learn a thing from what happened to him.

We can only hope, then shake our heads when it happens again.

Didn't I Predict This?

First of all, this is not a Floyd Mayweather blog.

Yes, it seems like I only post these days around big fights that involve him somehow and no, that's not a coincidence. Few sports intrigue me the way boxing does and Money May is still the most intriguing athlete in the game, so it makes perfect sense that his first fight in 21 months shocked me out of my blog malaise.

Once again, now that I'm here I promise to do better.

Now lets talk boxing.

DIDN'T I TELL YOU...

That this was going to be a high level tuneup for Mayweather?

Well, I didn't tell all of you, but if you're one of the select group who discusses big fights with me via email then you know what I thought of Marquez:

A fine fighter and nonpareil drinker of piss, a relentless Mexican Warrior with a solid chin and highly refined skills, but no match for a bigger, stronger, faster, smarter fighter in Floyd Mayweather. And if you follow boxing closely and don't let Mayweather's antics taint your opinion of his skills, then you could see this fight for what it was -- a chance for Mayweather to earn a big paycheck and test himself against a high quality fighter without taking much of a risk.

I mean, did we really think a fighter who had never been north of 135 could do damage against the former (and future?) pound for pound king?

Now I know why you drank all that piss in training. Cuz you knew I was gon beat it out of you! You a smart dude, JMM.

Of course not.

This fight unfolded the way I thought it would, with Mayweather boxing early, stalking in the middle rounds, potshotting late, pitching a shutout and setting up....

A SHOWDOWN WITH MANNY PACQUAIO?

Yeah, I think two things that happened this week will combine to push this fight back indefinitely.

First, Mayweather weighed in at 146 for a bout that had a contracted weight of 144. Second, he looked damn good, dismantling a fighter who has pushed Pacquiao to the limit -- twice.

This isn't to imply that Pac Man is scared of Mayweather. He's just not stupid, and after 12 months of very careful matchmaking jumping straight into a welterweight bout with Mayweather is just plain dumb.

If Mayweather had looked average I could have seen Pacquiao's handlers trying to make this match as soon as he's through with Miguel Cotto (a fight that's far from guaranteed), because that's been their M.O. ever since Pacman moved up from lightweight. Fight Oscar, but only if he agrees to dry himself out to 147. Fight Ricky Hatton, but only after Mayweather and that deadly left hook turned him out. Fight Cotto, but only after he looked slow in slogging out a decision over Josh Clottey, and do it at a catch weight (145) that you know he'll have trouble making.

My guess is that after (or if) Pacquiao gets past Cotto, he pushes the price WAY up on Mayweather and hits him with a laundry list of conditions before agreeing to the bout. Look for him to demand this bout take place at 144, knowing Mayweather won't want to make that weight. And don't look for him to budge from that either because, again, after Saturday's performance I'm not sure how badly Pacquiao's people want this fight.

BUT WHAT ABOUT SUGAR SHANE?

What about him?

Who wants some of this? Manny? Floyd? Don't make me beg, now!

A great fighter who looked too good for his own good in blasting Antonio Margarito last January. Besides Paul "The Punisher" Williams, he's the one fighter in the welterweight mix that I think has a legit shot to beat floyd -- the stick, the strength, the speed.

But that's his problem.

Neither Floyd nor Pac is going to tangle with him for less than (I'm guessing) $15 million, but the last time we saw a $15 million fighter Pacquiao was beating the brain cells out of him. I think both Mayweather and Pacman would love to have a win over Shane on their resumes, but not at these prices. And neither one is going to put him on before next fall if the two of them can meet in a megabucks fight next spring.

Sorry, Shane. That's just sense.

BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERS BECAUSE BOXING'S A DEAD, RIGHT?

Wrong.

The pay per view numbers won't come out for few days, so we'll have to wait before finding out who won the battle between Money Mayweather and UFC 103 but if my own highly unscientific observations mean anything, the sweet science is a long way from last rites.

Watched the bout at Wing House, a breastaurant and sports bar on the North Side of St. Petersburg, where I'm covering the Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays.

This place TVs tuned to both boxing and UFC, and a standing room only crowd as diverse in race (Black folks, White folks and a sprinkling of Mexicans) as it was in age (I saw no fewer than three people in there holding damn-near newborn babies).

Now if the rumblings about boxing's demise were true we would have seen it in this bar tonight. If the UFC has overtaken boxing in terms of mainstream appeal then this group of sports fans, prestented with both options, should have chosen to watch the fight that looks like gay porn with a referee.

Tito Ortiz finishes an unidentified opponent with the Deep Throat choke. "Tito, it's just too big," he said.

Instead, they chose to watch the fight that looked like, well, a fight.

Mayweather and Marquez engage in non homoerotic violence. Prefer MMA to this? Says a lot about you.

It's not that they ingnored the live broadcast of Rich Franklin getting his chin dented yet again. It's just that they paid much more attention to Money May's boxing clinic. And when the bell sounded to end the 12th round the crowd thinned quickly, even with a pair of mixed martial artists still rolling around the octagon like lovers.

Go figure.

Then figure it out.

Boxing ain't dead.

My Thoughts On Boxing

First, we'll focus on the local....

As first reported by the World's Greatest Sportswriter on his 9-to-5, Brampton, Ont. native, two-time Olympian, and perennial damn-near world class cruiserweight Troy Ross is finally scheduled to fight for a world title.

He's got an opponent, Ola Afolabi; and a date, June 20. Only thing this WBO world title bout doesn't have is a venue. But if it comes to the GTA, you know who will be all over it, bringing you guys both the stories and the stories behind them.

It'll be a pretty big deal if they can pull it off. Clearly, it's not Pacquiao vs. Mayweather (more on that in a minute), but it's a viable complement to the Rumble at Rama series that since 2007 has brought big-time pro boxing back to an Ontario market that been dormant for two decades.

Will keep you all posted at the 9-to-5, and any interesting info I can't squeeze into the paper you can find right here, so stay tuned.

Now let's change the focus from the local to the global, as in Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and the quest to become (and remain) the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet.

Folks have been asking me to weigh in on the subject since last Saturday, when Mayweather announced his comeback, and Pacquiao flattened Ricky Hatton.

Mostly, the questions come from people who know me as a Money Mayweather proponent (as long as he's not rapping, that is) curious as to how the Pretty Boy can last six rounds against the Pac Man. These guys point out that Mayweather needed 12 rounds to decision Oscar De La Hoya and 10 to dispatch Hatton, while Pacquiao finished Oscar in eight and blasted Hatton in two.

And honestly, only a hater or a fool would dismiss Pacquiao's spectacular performances lately. There's no ignoring his uncanny combination of speed, power and aggressiveness, and how those tool could give anyone fits, not to mention a concussion.

Still, after Mayweather beats up on Juan Manuel Marquez on July 18 (and he will, guys... let's be serious), he'll handle Pacquiao whenever those two connect.

Why am I so sure Mayweather can tame the man who so thoroughly dominated two guys who made Mayweather work?

Because past results don't make fights.

Styles and circumstances do.

Again, not to diminish Pacquiao's spectacular run, but we need to look at these performances in context. The Oscar he destroyed in December 2008 was not the Oscar that Mayweather decisioned in May 2007.

The Oscar that faced Mayweather did so as junior middleweight after a training camp with Freddie Roach. He was a comfortable at the weight and equipped with a game plan, but couldn't impose it on a far superior boxer.

Feliz cinco de Mayo. Tu regalo? Un left hook! iQue golpazo!

Eighteen months later, with a different trainer, he faced Pacquiao drained from making the 147 pound limit. During pre-fight instructions Roach (who trains Pacquiao) saw I.V. marks in De La Hoya's arm, remnants of a desperate attempt to re-hydrate after the weigh in. At the bell Oscar and his I.V. marks tried to match speed with the division's fastest fighter, a flawed strategy that cost him dearly.

Oscar's pace, meet Manny's pist! Next time we pight in the Pilipines!

So yes, Pacquiao got rid of Oscar much more quickly than Mayweather did, but consider the circumstance then ask yourself if such a depleted fighter would have lasted any longer against Floyd.

Doubt it.

As for Hatton, both Mayweather and Pacquiao dominated him and the divergent results are due, once again, to styles and circumstances.

True to his style, Mayweather beat Hatton by attrition, breaking him down to the body before that emphatic, dramatic 10th round.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, bored in from different angles, launching big shots in volume -- as is his style.

But the fact that Floyd scored his knockout first is important, because Mayweather provided the blueprint for how to flatten Hatton.

I mean, how else did Pacquiao's camp figure out Hatton would walk into left and right hooks all night?

D'ya fancy a poonch up? I'll smash your fist with me noggin, yeah.

Exactly.

Circumstances.

So it really doesn't matter how good Pacquiao looked against Oscar and Hatton because neither of them is Floyd.

And Paquiao's not bullet-proof. He can, in fact, be hit, and by people much slower than Mayweather.

Pac-Man swallows a big right from Morales. Recovers after consuming power pellets between rounds.

Folks ask me how Floyd plans to deal with a quick and powerful southpaw who attacks from odd angles, and we have a clue in the way he handled Zab Judah -- he'll box, he'll stalk and he'll bang to the body.

But how will Pacquiao deal with a bigger man who is nearly as fast? Someone with footwork and a jab, the sharpest boxing mind of his generation and more power than his detractors like to admit?

Tough to say.

After feasting on a steady diet of Mexicans and a big helping of Hatton, Pacquiao has proven he can dismantle any fighter who leads with his chin.

Great.

But if he fights Floyd suddenly he can't commit to rapid-fire power shots because he can't be sure they'll land. Suddenly he'll have to deal with jabs and right hand leads upsetting his timing. And even if his game plan works, suddenly he'll have to solve a fighter who makes mid-fight adjustments better than anyone in the sport.

So to me the bigger question isn't whether Money May can handle Pac Man, but whether Pacquiao can become the first fighter to figure out Floyd.

I'm not saying he can't do it.

I just don't think he will.

Mayweather by decision.

Whenever it happens.

Only in Canada: A ban on starter pistols?

Today's hot link comes to us from my colleague at the Toronto Star, David Grossman.

Apparently there's a growing movement among high school sports officials to ban the use of starter pistols at track meets.

Seriously.

A group of officials and school board types say that starter pistols are dangerous because they symbolize violence.

Yes, somehow the symbolic violence of a starter pistol is more damaging to our youth than the actual violence of sports like wrestling, football and the state religion in Canada -- hockey.

And somehow the symbolic danger of a gun with no bullets is more real than the actual danger of semi-trained teenagers throwing javelins (an event derived from throwing spears -- ban it!), putting shots (also known as "cannon balls" -- Ban It!) and pole vaulting (which was how ancient warriors leaped over the walls surrounding cities -- BAN IT, PLEASE!).

Since we're so concerned about the destructive effects of symbolic violence, we should also ban basketball (all that "shooting), baseball (all those hits and runs... don't people know that's a felony?), and history class (much too much talk about war).

Sprinters await the sound of the whistle at the 1988 Olympics.

In place of starter pistols some folks are suggesting track meets switch to buzzers or whistles, but I've got a better idea.

Simon Says.

Simon Says "take your marks."

Eight sprinters settle into the blocks.

Simon Says "Set."

Eight bodies uncoil part way, poised to explode down the track at the next command.

GO!

Three sprinters burst from the blocks...

HEY! I didn't say "Simon Says!" Lanes 2, 3 and 7 are all disqualified!

Look, Linford. I didn't say "Simon Says."

Makes sense to me.

It's probably time we re-thought this whole track meet thing, from the starter pistol to the finish line.

After all, we shouldn't rewards kids at a track meet simply because they can run fast.


Our youth need to learn just as real violence should never trump symbolic danger, the race shouldn't go to the swiftest or best prepared, but to the one who follows asinine rules.

Contreras y Ramirez -- What didn't make the paper...

You wouldn't know it by checking this blog lately, but I'm still covering baseball at the Star, working toward becoming the world's greatest, walking 'round the planet earth making money and having fun.

Latest stop, Chicago, where I covered the Jays/Sox series and interviewed Chicago's Cuban twosome, Jose Contreras and Alexei Ramirez about the recent warming of relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

Upset at his team's performance in the World Baseball Classic, Fidel begins training for a comeback...

Now that you've read the story, here's the story behind it:

Although both men are optimistic that they might one day reunite with relatives back home, neither feels comfortable returning to the island as long as one of the Castro brothers runs it. Yes, the U.S. now allows Cuban emigrants to travel to the island freely, but Contreras explained as far as the political establishment is concerned, guys like him -- high profile athletes who defect for big money contracts in the U.S. -- aren't just emigrants.

They're traitors.

So until Cuba has a ruler more sympathetic to guys who leave the island to chase their dreams, Contreras says he'll continue living in the U.S., seeing his relatives when they receive special clearance to travel to the Dominican Republic, and pining for a return to his island.

Those are pretty important details, and I'm sure you're wondering why they're missing from the story. There might be an explanation that makes sense, but for now we'll have to blame a newspaper industry that still doesn't know how to interact with the Internet.

The story I filed was a little too long for the space reserved for it in the newspaper, so a few paragraphs had to go. I get that. But why those paragraphs couldn't run online, where space isn't restricted, is a mystery I still haven't solved.

A little further behind the story....

If you've been following this blog (and I know some of you were before I went AWOL), then sabes que yo he estado practicando mi espanol. Todavia no es perfecto pero esta mejorando un poco cada dia.

Still, that doesn't qualify me to interview guys like Contreras and Ramirez en espanol, so a day before sitting down with them I enlisted White Sox media relations staffer Lou Hernandez to translate.

Understand that I don't always need the help. Jays shortstop Marco Scutaro, for example, is a good sport. He lets me practice my Spanish on him in interviews and I usually understand about half of what he's telling me. And earlier this month I started interviewing Tigers slugger Magglio Ordonez when I heard his halting English and stopped him short.

"Si estas mas comodo hablando en espanol," I told him. "Podemos hacer la entrevista en espanol."

He sighed in relief and we moved on.

So while we waited for the translator I chatted with Contreras en espanol, and learned that he loves Toronto -- especially Babaluu -- but hates the cold weather up here.

I told him I felt his pain.

He and Ramirez were also intrigued that I've actually been to Cuba, and when I showed Contreras the Cuban tourist money I still carry in my wallet he explained proudly to a disbelieving Dominican teammate that the money is worth as much as U.S. cash.

While talking with Contreras I got to use one of my favourite Spanish words: Aunque.

Translation: "Even though."

As in, "Aunque Canada es mi pais, Chicago es mi ciudad."

And interviewing Ramirez allowed me my first ever opportunity to use a phrase I've been eager to drop in conversation: Vale la pena.

Translation: Is it worth the sorrow/heartache/trouble.

Like Contreras, Ramirez talked a lot about the difficulty of leaving relatives behind in Cuba, so I asked him si "vale la pena estar aqui?"

For the record, he said si, vale la pena because he's living an entire family's dream by playing in the majors.

Anyway, as my former AfAm studies professor Charles Payne used to say, I said all that to say this:

I'm glad I made the effort to learn more Spanish over the winter and I'll be back in the classroom as soon as time and my budget allow it.

After Ramirez finished his interview Hernandez told me he had never spoken so freely to a reporter since coming to the White Sox last season.

Now it might have been simply that he was in a talking mood that afternoon. He might have been just as talkative with any of the other reporters who stalk locker rooms before and after games looking to scavenge a quote or two.

But I'm betting I'm the first mainstream reporter to ask him in (halfway decent) Spanish how he felt about the political situation back home. And I know I'm the first person to interview him who has also seen Manolito Simonet in concert.

Pretty sure that scored some points too.