Super Six Saturday!

Woke up this morning with a simple plan:


To jumpstart my metabolism and get back on the road to ripped after two weeks of relative sloth. Part A of the plan consisted of a trip to the gym, and Part B included a couple of hours at Toronto's Salsa Church.


Last time I was there they said the back of my head was so pretty they took a picture of it.



Also pictured, Stacy "SMB" White, the coolest Canadian Hoosier in all of Indiana.


After that, back to the Penthouse to watch the opening rounds of the Super Six World Boxing Classic.


Like I said yesterday, it's a big deal. And like I said yesterday, even at the height of Maple Leaf Madness I managed to get a non-local boxing story into the newspaper.


But sometime this morning, just before tuning into "Thrilla in Manila," (outstanding...we will discuss here soon) I scrolled through the guide and learned that the football team representing my school, the finest academic institution in the Big Ten would kick off against Magic Johnson's alma mater at noon.





Just that quickly my Super Saturday Sweat-a-Thon turned into a Super Saturday of Sloth. 


Ah well.


As long as it's super. It'll be even more super once my Cats smash the Spartans.
Kickoff is in five minutes.


Settling into the couch right about.......


Now.

Boxing Does Something Right

Yesterday we riffed on Bernard Hopkins' full frontal assault on mixed martial arts' manhood, and in response many of my readers -- okay, two of them... all two of them -- pointed out that the frustrating tendency of top boxers to avoid each other isn't exactly macho, either.



Sadly, this might be the closest these two ever come to meeting. As a bodybuilding contest, it's a draw


Point taken. 


As excited as we all are about the resurgence of the sweet science since May 2007, when Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya clashed in the biggest non-heavyweight pay-per-view ever, true fans realize that old problems could undermine recent progress. 


Fans both hardcore and casual understand that the biggest fight in the sport in 2010 would be a showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, provided Pacquiao defeats Miguel Cotto in November. But as the Cotto bout draws closer, the Mayweather fight looks less and less certain. 


As predicted by the World's Greatest in September, Pacquiao's people are looking for reasons not to make this fight happen.


By now we know the drill. A fight we want to see bogs down in negotiations, marketable fighters pursue less lucrative options, and the maddening dance continues.


That's why I'm so excited about the Super Six Boxing World Boxing Classic.


Six of the top supermiddleweights in the world matched in a round robin tournament to determine the division's top fighter.


No bickering over contracts and purses. That's was all done month ago, the eventual settling of differences making this event possible.


No ducking tough opponents to safeguard spotless records. Four fighters enter the tournament undefeated, but all realize an "0" must go.


And no lacklustre matchups giving boxing fans reasons to watch something else. 


Just big fights between top contenders, and an impressive documentary detailing the beyond-the-ring struggles required to put this event together.





How big a deal is this event?


Put it to you this way:


In a hockey-obsessed city, with the the local team attracting unprecedented attention for their unprecedented suckitude, I managed to sell my editors on a story about the tournament, even though it includes neither Canadians nor hockey players.


That's big.


Look for the story in Saturday's Star. And if you can't track down the paper I'll post the link here.

Recommended Reading

Part I – The NFL’s Jackie Robinson
     Now that I think of it I know just who Woody Strode was.
       In grade 11 history class we watched Spartacus, and the only scene that sticks with me today is the one in which the King (can’t remember his name) forces Spartacus to duel to the death against a tall black slave with sculpted muscles.  But instead of finishing off Spartacus, the slave rushes at the king and is killed by soldiers.

     I remember telling my dad that I never knew Romans had black slaves. And now I remember him telling me that the guy who played the slave was Woody Strode, a football star at UCLA and one of the first black men to play in the NFL.

     It’s funny how “facts” can crowd out memories.

     If you’d asked me last week which player re-integrated the NFL in 1946 I would have told you it was battering ram running back and Hall-of-Famer Marion Motley.        
     Would have bet my left pinkie on it.

     And right now I’d have nine fingers because, like the link says, Motley and Bill Willis were the first African-American players to join the AAFC, which didn’t merge with the NFL until 1950.

     It took Alexander Wolff’s story in the Oct. 12 issue of Sports Illustrated to remind me of what my pops had already taught me:

     The Jackie Robinsons of pro football weren’t Motley and Willis, but Strode and Kenny Washington, who signed with the Rams in 1946.

     Both men were stars at UCLA, standouts even among other future pros, so why was it that neither could secure and NFL contracts until they had reached their late 20s? What kind of pressure did the African-American news media apply to the Rams’ ownership to force them to do the right thing? And why has Motley’s story supplanted Strode and Washington’s as the accepted narrative of how the NFL’s unofficial color line was broken after 12 years of segregation?

     Wolff’s piece answers those questions and more.

     Reading it you can only imagine the danger these two pioneers faced as the only two black players in a deadly sport.

     And that is the one (small) beef I have with the piece.

     Strode and Washington entered the NFL as trailblazers but a previously unpublished interview with Strode reveals they didn’t leave the league feeling like heroes.

"Integrating the NFL was the low point of my life," Strode told SI in an unpublished interview before his death. "There was nothing nice about it. History doesn't know who we are. Kenny was one of the greatest backs in the history of the game, and kids today have no idea who he is…If I have to integrate heaven, I don't want to go."

Strong words, and if I could change anything about the piece I’d include a few more on-field anecdotes detailing the reality that inspired them, the flagrant racism these two men encountered and overcame daily at practices and in games. 
     We learn about what they put up with in college – from All-America snubs to cheap –shotting opponents – but I’d like to know a little more about what happened in the NFL to push Strode to the stunning conclusion that he’d rather go to hell than integrate heaven.
     But again, a nit-picking grievance of a strong story.
     Wolff takes a topic that’s been covered relentlessly for a generation and still uncovers something fresh, forcing us all to re-think what we think we know about the integration of big-time pro sports.
     If you have the time, it’s worth a read. And if you don’t have the time, find it.

Part II – Slavery by Another Name

Discovered this one last month in a bookstore at the Tampa Airport, tucked away in the bottom row of paperbacks in the American History section. Like Wolff’s story, it forced me to reconsider my knowledge of a subject about which I’d considered myself an expert.

Photo borrowed from www.slaverybyanothername.com
On one level, the continued existence of slavery in the U.S. shouldn’t surprise a guy like me.

I’ve known for a long time that the Emancipation Proclamation didn’t free us all – that slaves in Union states like Maryland kept slaving right until the end of the Civil War.
      I also knew the Thirteenth Amendment didn’t ban slavery outright, that bondage is still legal in the U.S. if it’s part of a convict’s sentence. A good friend of mine – mentor, author and thinker Gary Freeman – is one of several very smart people working hard to close the loophole, but still it persists.
     In addition to all that many (and I hope most) of us are aware that whites employed numerous techniques – sharecropping, poll taxes, terrorism -- to keep Black citizens in the post-bellum South in a state of near-slavery.

Knowing all that it’s not tough to imagine that Southern states, even after the Civil War, would not just condone, but endorse, encourage and profit from Black bondage.
     That a network of so-called law enforcers would arrest Black citizens on the flimsiest charges, apply a series of fines, then sell these “convicts” to industrialists and plantation owners, who would pay the fine then force prisoners to work until they had satisfied the debt.
     That defined prison terms could morph into endless cycles of debt that bled into lifetimes spent performing soul-sapping, backbreaking, and uncompensated labour.

Photo borrowed from www.slaverybyanothername.com

     All of that is pretty easy to imagine if you’re familiar with the history of the post-reconstruction South. But imagining is one thing – confronting the jarring reality that all these things actually happened is quite another.
     And this book will jar you.
     Using and meticulous research and in painstaking detail author Douglas Blackmon tells the stories of the men and women on both sides of the system of Neo-slavery that drove much of the South’s economy deep into the 20^th century.
     He introduces us to John W. Pace, the Alabama plantation owner who purchased black convicts by the dozen and forced them to work on his farm.
     And to Warren Reese, the U.S. Attorney who was among the first to prosecute southerners for post-bellum slave trading.
     And to Green Cottinham, a black man born free but who died a slave in an Alabama coal mine.
     I know this post is starting to read like liner notes, but understand the publisher didn’t put me up to this.  Understand, too, that I wouldn’t waste space here if the book didn’t move me.
     More precisely, it kicked me in the gut with its brutal and unashamedly honest depiction of genocide for private and public profit, a system that reigned in the south for nearly three generations after the Civil War.
     Pick it up if you get the chance. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an enlightening one.

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.