team2pass

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I do think that Bill Belichick should have faced stiffer punishment and should still face stiffer punishment for taping and saying that "I did not understand the rule clearly..."

If anyone belives this, I have lake view property just south of Orlando.  Are you intrested in purchasing it?

I fully understand and agree that this whole issue should be starting to weed itself out of the media lime light and everything should go away.  Who knows how this impacted and who still cares that the taping took place.  My problem only deals with Bill and his comments regarding the incidents.  It was said that he simply srugged it off as nothing and the violation was simply a misunderstanding of the rules.  I really bought that comment the first time and after hearing what Matt Walsh told in the meetings that "it was suppose to be hidden and secret..."

What a nice way to "circumvent" the rules.  It is not the Patriots players or the upper mangement that needed to see, read, hear the open dirty laundry over the past few months.  This all could have come to a halt the day that Bill took account for his practices.  Because he srugged it away and basically said it was not a clear understanding of the rules. 

Mind you, this is with memo's and owners meetings and off-season meeting talking about these specific practices in 2004,2005, and 2006.  I really feel that Bob Craft should have taken a harder stance and displined him even beyond those of the NFL.  He put the Patriots organization in the cross hairs for his and his staffs actions.  The whole bad part about this is that when anyone talks about the dynasty, the tag line of "But they cheated..."  will always be attached to it.  This is a shame, not for the Patriots, but for all of the NFL.  I might be an fan of an opposition team, but I thought it was great for the game to have a dominating franchaise.  I did not like the Patriots, but I respected the way the players went about thier buisness and the way the the coaches were able to break down the opposition.  I just never want anyone to think they did not do it on the up and up.  This whole process gives that doubt and this is sad to see.

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Before my time we had the golden age of Boxing.  Ali, Frazier, Forman, Louis, Liston, Rocky, Chavez, Lenord, Sugar Ray, Hitman, etc....  I grew up in the age of Mike Tyson and he was the grim reaper and now the the joke.  Even in the 90's and this decade there are some big names, Real Deal, Lewis, Oscar, Pretty Boy Floyd, etc...

Why the draft of overall audience and deep pools of talent?  This country has enough athletes to conitnue to support all sports.  The violence perception is equivlent to football, Rugby, etc.....

Is it MMA?  I truly think they can both exist and supply enough talent to keep the two sports running.

I think it goes down to dollars and cents (more like sense).

I think Dana White has grabbed the threshold of audience because they have all of the big names on public TV, basic Cable TV.  These guys are hungry to prove thier worth and they want to put on a good show.  You watch the fights on ESPN and you have the same type of fights.  Alot of punches, little defense, little regard to worry about your record and ability to get a title match or the big money match down the road.

Most of your great headline flights in Boxing go onto HBO and showtime.  Your great matchups go to PPV.  UFC has that as well, but just recently Spike had a headline event with the big names in UFC/K1 and continue to do that this summer as well.  Why did the average household have to pay 79.95 to watch Oscar V. Floyd and proceed to want their money back with the lack of on slaught.

These guys are skilled and you can watch the match un-fold.  But how many people want to sit through a giant ukranian jabbing his way to a 12 round victory with 30 punches per round.  Man you could fall asleep.

I was impressed that HBO has three fights in a row that have the big names.  Calzaghe vs. Hopkins tongiht and Oscar vs. Foster in two weeks are a start in the right direction to bring back the sport.  It is not dead, just simply out of touch with its' audience.  The audience wants to see a good fight without having to take out a loan to watch it.  How about having some fights on ABC/NBC/CBS in prime time.  Instead of the 20 million payday, take the 5 million payday and get more fans to enjoy your show.  If fans start to follow, it leads to more endorements down the road.  Money will eventually go away.  The buisness plan constructed by Don King is dead, not effective.  Golden Boy Productions is starting to follow the same path.  I bet Dana White is hoping for this to continue.  If it does, MMA is going to turn the sport of Boxing as a back burner sport.

My brother has turned from Boxing to MMA.  Myself and my friends went to UFC instead of the Floyd/Oscar fight.  It is just a better, more entertaining sport right now.  More action, more entertainement, and currently a better product......

I have to go back home, man what a pitty.  I really enjoyed the 70-80 days to go along with the very comfortable night air.  But, back to Baltimore I go.  The wind, cold weather.  Is it just me or does 40 degrees feel colder in Baltimore than 40 degrees in New York or Boston.  I have been to all and it by far is the coldest place.  I have even been to Frederickton in the winter where it is -40 easy.

Well gearing up for the game today and I will make an overall observation.  Due to time and wanting to enjoy the sun and weather out here, I will write up a number of reveiws next week in my sparetime.  A number of players will be summed up.  Anyway, I will post about today.  Might be a little late as I am currently stuck in traffic towards jupiter.

Love being down here in WiFi bliss, can post anywhere, anytime with the broadband card.

Luke Scott, the new left fielder for the Orioles who came back from a the flu bug and a groin injury, has picked up and shaken some rust off his swing.

He looks fluid at the plate and has a real soild stroke.  He confirmed my thinking with a two run shot this afternoon.  He is currently close to .300.  Before todays game, he was batting an 0 for x with a handful of strikeouts.  This changed today and he looks average in the field.  More than capable to handel the everyday job. 

I would have rather seen it happen against John Patterson, but when you are going on 0-8, you will take anything.

I hope he can build on this and get going again.