Posts Tagged ‘Sports Talk Radio’

OneWorld MMA Presents: DC; Pro Fights

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

By Tommy Comeau

OneWorld MMA - DC Pro Fights; Saturday, November 19th, 2011; Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center was home to the action on Saturday November 19, 2011 as OneWorld MMA presented us with an exciting night of local fights with their “DC; Pro Fights” offering.  Fernando Yamasaki presided over the evening’s bouts which included a number of competitive and spirited mixed martial arts contests.  Mark Gonzalez (Director of Operations) and OneWorld MMA did not disappoint, as the evening was filled with fireworks.

Anthony “Father Time” Horn got things going in dominating fashion, defeating Jeff Manalansan via 1st round TKO.  Horn controlled the pace of the bout with solid wrestling before scoring a take-down, improving his position securing side control, and coaxing the referee stoppage with strikes on the ground.  Brian Nielson brought a win back home to the MMA Institute in Richmond, VA with an impressive 1st round guillotine submission victory over Joe Slaughter in a 170 lb division match up.  Stephen Govan nearly put Philip Estes to sleep in round 2 of his bout with a slick rear naked choke, taking his back to earn an impressive submission victory, and Francisco Salguero dropped a razor close 3-round decision to DeJuan “D-Train” Hathaway in one of the most competitive bouts of the evening.  Hathaway took the first two clear cut 10-9 rounds before Salguero came roaring back in the 3rd with the highly animated, Team Yamasaki support crew bringing the collective energy level up in the cage with their support.  Salguero ended the final round with Hathaway mounted, ready to continue his barrage of strikes, but it was too little, too late for the Team Yamasaki stand out.

DeJuan Hathaway defeats Francisco Salguero

In the most highly anticipated bout as far as War Room Sports was concerned, former radio show (The War Room) guest and rising 170 lb. threat Kyle Sefcik took a step back on his way up the Mid-Atlantic Region’s MMA fight scene ladder.  Sefcik went toe-to-toe with Mario Martinez in a fight that was pure hustle and grit from start to finish.  Sefcik started off the bout aiming to put his wrestling base to work, looking for take-downs early against Martinez, who appeared the larger fighter from press row and had The War Room crew and their local D.C. MMA Correspondent wondering how he came within 20lbs of the 170lb weight limit for the contest.  Sefcik struggled to do so however, and resorted to trading blows, standing with the short but powerful Martinez.  Martinez appeared the sharper striker with crisp strikes landing with respectable power and accuracy.  Sefcik stood in the pocket, showing great cardio, fantastic will, and a solid chin, as he absorbed shots from Martinez on his feet as he continued to press the action with a relentless pace.  Although he showed promise, Sefcik was stopped in his tracks late in the second round on the fight doctor’s recommendation, with a cut under his left eye that would require 10 stitches.  Visibly worse for the wear, Sefcik remained in high spirits after the bout, claiming he was “just getting warmed up” when interviewed by The War Room post-fight.

Kyle Sefcik vs Mario Martinez

If you’re a true MMA-head, get your fix inside The War Room.  Whether you’re looking for analysis and commentary on the mainstream with UFC coverage, or a localized, in-depth look at the Mid-Atlantic fight scene, The War Room has you covered.

Tommy Comeau, for War Room Sports

 

Tommy Comeau (lft) & Dana White (Current President of UFC)

Tommy Comeau lives in Washington, DC and is War Room Sports’ Mid-Atlantic Region MMA Correspondent.

Yes We Lost The Eagles vs Bears Bet And We Paid Up!

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

The Spoils of War:
We sent some Philly snacks to go along with the Cheesesteaks we owed to the fellas of Rank Top 5 Sports Talk Radio in Chicago after the Bears beat the Eagles in our “Monday Night Wager” game. (November 7, 2011)

Click below to listen to the episode of The War Room in which the wager was made:
The Monday Night Wager: Chi-Town vs Philly (Ep 64)

The Tim Tebow Experiment

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

The Tim Tebow debate has been an ongoing topic since he was preparing for the 2010 NFL Draft and it has been a hot topic during the 2011 NFL season.  Tebow is arguably one of the top 20 college football players of all time, was a great leader of men at the University of Florida, and a model citizen from what we know.  With all that said, he had flaws as a passer in college that I and others thought would hinder his ability to be a solid quarterback in the NFL and a successful passer in or out of the pocket.  Many call my opinions and the opinions of others “hate”, but it’s far from it.  I just call things the way I see it.

The Denver Broncos felt pressure from fans to start Tebow during training camp, but decided to go with last year’s starter Kyle Orton instead.  Head coach John Fox felt as though he was the more accomplished passer and would give them the best chance to win.  Denver went 1-4 in his five starts at QB and going into the bye week, Fox let it be known that there might be a change.  Eventually Tebow was named the starter and he would get his chance to prove that he could play in this league.

In four starts, Tebow has a 3-1 record and the Broncos are a game out of first place in a weak AFC West division.  The Broncos have had to totally get rid of the passing game because their starting quarterback has below average ability passing the ball.  Here are Tebow’s passing stats in his four starts: 43-95 45%, 526 yards, 6 TD’s, 1 INT, and a passer rating of 79.5 to go along with 14 sacks.  Can I ask you a question?  If I read you these stats without telling you who the player was, what would you say?  You would tell me he stinks and will never win in this league with those types of passing numbers, right?  He is horribly inaccurate, holds the ball too often, and has problems delivering the ball on time.  With those deficiencies, there’s no way in hell he’s the quarterback of the future in Denver or for any other NFL franchise.

Tim Tebow and the Broncos have been winning games by running the read option offense for now, but can you seriously tell me that they can win like this consistently?  The life span of an NFL running back is about 3-5 years if he’s lucky, so there’s no way this guy’s going to last, taking these hits.  Quarterbacks are protected in the pocket as passers, not when you are running the option; they are treated like a running back.  It’s only a matter of time before he gets knocked out while running the ball or after pitching the ball to one of his backs.  NFL players are too big, too fast for this style of offense to work week to week, let alone for years.  This is the NFL, not West Point, not the Naval Academy, and not Colorado Springs, Colorado.  2-8 for 69 yards passing is not going to win you a Super Bowl.

I received all the confirmation I needed when it comes to Tebow yesterday when I read the direct comments from his head coach when asked about his team’s new offense: “If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.”  There you have it folks, even his own coach knows his limitations.  It’s blatantly obvious people.  Just watch tonight as the Jets defense makes mince meat out of Tebow. I’m not the type to toot my own horn, but as I told Philadelphia Eagles fans when Casey Matthews was drafted that he couldn’t play, I said the same about Tebow and his long-term ability to win games.  He had a nice run, but tonight he and this option offense will be exposed.

Catch me on Twitter @BrandonOnSports

Brandon Pemberton of Brandon on Sports, for War Room Sports

Is Eagles WR DeSean Jackson Broke?

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

By Devin McMillan

Is DeSean Jackson broke? We all know that the embattled star receiver has been in the midst of a contract dspute with the Philadelphia Eagles since the end of the lockout. So if he is indeed having financial problems, is it affecting his performance on the field and did it play any part into him being deactivated for last Sunday’s game vs the Arizona Cardinals, for missing a team meeting? Rumors have been swirling around Philadelphia and have been made even more interesting by the comments of Eagles’ sideline reporter Howard Eskin in the video below.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Devin McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports

The Jerry Sandusky Interview with Bob Costas

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Is Michael Jordan Really a Sellout?

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

By Devin McMillan

Charlotte Bobcats majority owner Michael Jordan walking into a labor meeting last week.

 

Last week, before the news of child sexual abuse at Penn State University rocked the sports world, the newswire was abuzz with another story.  It had been rumored that certain circumstances in the NBA labor negotiations were causing current NBA players to see their childhood idol and proverbial hero, Michael Jeffrey Jordan, in an entirely different and negative light.  Much of the subsequent conversation surrounding  this topic was sparked by a column written by Jason Whitlock for Fox Sports, labeling “His Airness” as a “sellout” for being the “hard-line front man” for NBA ownership’s eagerness to roll back the amount of revenue shared with the players on a yearly basis. 

Jason Whitlock calls “MJ’s” stance the “ultimate betrayal” due to the fact that the league is now filled with young, Black players who grew up worshipping Jordan and purchasing his overpriced shoes and apparel, ultimately helping to make him and his brand the financial titans they are today.  He thinks Michael Jordan is betraying the same players’ union that went to bat for him and forced the Bulls to pay him $30 million per, in his final two seasons in Chicago.

Though all the aforementioned information is indeed fact, there is one huge flaw in this overall line of thinking.  Michael Jordan is no longer an NBA player.  He is the owner of an NBA franchise.  On behalf of that franchise, Jordan has recently been engaged in negotiations where he’s sat on the other side of the table from the players.  Michael Jordan is no longer obligated, nor would it be intelligent for him to think along the lines of, or fight for the wants/needs of NBA players.  He is majority owner of the small-market Charlotte Bobcats; a team that has struggled in the standings as well as in the stands.  The team’s average attendance last season was 15,846, leaving 16.9% of Time Warner Cable Arena’s seats empty on a nightly basis.  The team does not have a transcendent superstar, nor could they afford to keep one succeeding the years of a rookie contract, if they were lucky enough to acquire one in the draft in the first place.  His team also resides in a city that has once already failed as an NBA market, losing its first NBA franchise to New Orleans.  The franchise has been losing money since the moment Jordan purchased it from BET founder Bob Johnson in February of 2010.

So why is it again that Jason Whitlock, NBA players, or anyone else with interest in this story, thinks that Michael Jordan should go out of his way to be the voice of the NBA player in these negotiations, to the detriment of his business?  I don’t think anyone should be labeled a sellout for giving a damn about their bottom-line as a business owner.  The current economic landscape of the NBA is not beneficial for many owners of small market franchises.  So why shouldn’t they fight to change it?  Why is there a growing sentiment that Michael Jordan owes the current crop of NBA players anything?

This isn’t the first time Michael Jordan’s name has been synonymous with the term “sellout”.  Jordan has never been of similar pedigree of socially-conscious superstar athletes of the past, such as Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Jackie Robinson, etc.  He has always garnered criticism for never lending his name or using his power, influence, or iconic status to get on the front lines of any pressing social issues.  So, if social activism is what you look for in your influential, superstar athletes, call him a sellout for that.  You’d still probably be toeing that fine line of ignorance, but at least the sentiment would be somewhat understandable to at least a certain rational portion of the population.  But to imply…or to flat out say that a business owner is a sellout for looking out for the best interest of his business, is absolutely ridiculous, in my opinion.

I attribute this line of thinking to the overwhelming “employee mentality” prevalent in our society.  Everyone wants to walk around calling themselves “bosses” but think in a manner opposing everything a boss stands for.  I often hear fans sing cries of empathy for athletes while lauding the position of ownership in sports.  No one (obviously Jason Whitlock included) puts themselves into the shoes of the men who invest hundreds of millions of dollars into sports franchises.  People who live lives content with working for comfortable pay while making the next man rich do not seem to understand the risks involved with investments on this level…or any other level for that matter.  They’ve been brainwashed to believe that the person who could potentially get injured on the next play takes all the risks in a labor relationship.  But none of the “employee-minded” realize the risk of leveraging a fortune to run a sports franchise.  When your biggest work-related investment is a full gas tank or a functional bus pass, I expect you to think this way. 

For Jason Whitlock or anyone else to hold these types of expectations of Michael Jordan just because he was once a player is reminiscent of how struggling Black people expected their struggles to be eradicated because Barack Obama got elected president.  Michael Jordan is a team owner now and Barack Obama is president of America, not Black America.  He would have had to have been elected the president of Zamunda to remotely have a shot at fulfilling those silly expectations. 

In actuality, I wish this story wasn’t even about Michael Jordan.  I say this because I’m certain that many people will agree with my sentiments, albeit for the wrong reasons.  People will agree, not due to any profound business-related points I may have think I’ve made regarding this topic; but simply because negative-speak about “MJ” has been deemed as blasphemy in many circles.  Well, this isn’t one of those circles.  Michael Jordan has personality flaws, just like the next man.  If you’ve ever met your hero in person, outside of a camera-filled setting, then you probably know exactly what I mean.  It is also trendy in many circles (especially Black ones) to vehemently oppose anything written by Jason Whitlock.  I don’t subscribe to that methodology either.  As with any sportswriter or writer in general, each piece is met with the same high level of objectivity and my opinion of that particular piece will be formed as I read it.  I don’t allow myself to form an overall opinion of the man based on each of his individual writings.  Whitlock has written plenty of material that I have absolutely agreed with, but he has also written plenty that I’ve thought to be utter malarkey (to borrow a term from my sports media colleague, Brandon Pemberton).

So yes, Michael Jordan has made a fortune selling overpriced shoes, sugarless juice, and horsemeat burgers to idol-worshipping, Black, inner city youth.  Feel what you will about that fact, but keep in mind that we all had a choice.  Yes, Michael could have been more active in the plight of “his people”, but I guess that just wasn’t his thing.  Yes, MJ’s “brand” has always been more important to the man than anything that you and I have tried to deem important for him.  However, Michael Jordan’s example taught today’s players how to be “brands” in the first place.  Without the path that he laid, the Lebrons, the Kobes, the Wades, and the Durants of the world would have never even begun to realize their full earning potential in this league.  “MJ” has done more than enough for these players.  He doesn’t owe them anything more.

Devin McMillan of The War Room, for War Room Sports

Kyle Sefcik Drops By The War Room!

Monday, November 14th, 2011

MMA Fighter & DJ Kyle Sefcik will be in The War Room this Thursday, November 17th to discuss his upcoming November 19th pro debut in the Welterweight division in Washington DC!

Tune in Thursday, November 17th at 6pm ET to hear our conversation with “K-Sef”!  To tune in, go to www.WarRoomSports.com and click the “Listen Live” button…or dial 323-410-0012 to listen LIVE by phone.

In the meantime, join the War Room Sports Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/WarRoomSports and follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/WarRoomSports (@WarRoomSports)!

If you are in the Washington, DC area and are interested in attending the One World MMA DC Pro Fights on Saturday, November 19th, to see Kyle and others, click HERE for the details.

Finally, if you own an Android phone or tablet…an I-Phone, I-Pad, or I-Pod, please go to your Market and/or App Store and download the FREE War Room Sports mobile app!  It’s the VERY BEST way to stay up on all of our media content!

Subconscious Prejudice Part II: True North Strong and Racist?

Monday, November 14th, 2011

By Maggie Mangiel

Truth hurts.  People cannot speak their minds nowadays without others over-analyzing what they have said and “go off on different tangents”.  I’m talking about the response I have received from my latest blog entry, the “Subconscious Prejudice”.  Most have missed my point to put it lightly.  Moreover, some said I was “ignorant”.  What?  Really?  I attended university, speak three languages, and have a near genius IQ; I extend my middle finger to those people; yes that is so lady-like.  My concern here is for those who have been eluded by my point and purpose of the article.  I could care less about those who did not realize that what they referred to as “ignorance” was my writing style.  I tend to use cynicism and humor, and nothing is funnier than generalization and stereotyping people (I watch too much of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart).  However, some people even went as far as calling me racist, and some leapt “as high as the ceiling” and said that there is no such a thing as racism in Canada.  Try telling that to the black hockey players.  Do you not remember the banana peel at the Flyers/Red Wings game at the Labatt Centre in Ontario, or the minority kids’ struggle to “fit-in” in hockey that was just aired on CBC not long ago?  We do not have to go as far as Ontario; let’s stay right here with our own former Oilers player, George Laraque, and his new tell-all autobiography, “The Unluckiest Tough Guy” and how he chronicled growing up as a victim of racism.  He wrote about how his elementary school bus driver called him the “N-word”.  Yes that happened…HERE…in Canada.  I do not understand why people become angry and deny its existence.  Pretending it is not there will not obliterate it.  We need to face and address it.  There is racism, discrimination, prejudice, and whatever you like to call it, right here in the True North Strong and Free, and it seems to be more prominent in my line of work.  We need to stop burying our heads in the sand and wish it gone.

Nonetheless, my topic was not racism.  I was talking about prejudice in physique competitions and modeling; there is a big difference between the two.  But now, you leave me no choice.  I am just gonna have to talk about racism; there is no turning back.  Like Chris Rock said, “racism will never stop; it’ll only multiply”.  I want to know why is it that white women go to great lengths and spend as much money as possible to acquire “booty” and full lips but this society still considers a black woman who has them naturally, less attractive?  Why do I not see women like me in the sport or the beauty magazines that I read?  Why do magazine editors choose not to put models, especially women of color, on their covers?  Some editors have been reported to go as far as saying, “black doesn’t sell”.  Are they saying that whoever is buying the magazine is interested in the color of the person on the cover and not the contents of the magazine?  What are the implications of the answer to that question?  Walk into a newsstand, randomly pick 3 Canadian sport magazines and tell me how many Asians, African Canadians, Hispanics, or even East Indians are on the covers, or even featured in them.  One of the leading fitness magazines in Canada has this annual issue of the hottest Canadian fitness models.  In their first issue, published in 2010, they included less than 10% of women of visible minority (one black model, yes the token).  Yet, Statistics Canada states that in 2006, 4 years earlier, (stats are taken every 5 years and the results for 2011 will be out in Feb 2012) visible minority women made up 16.4% of the female population.  Is this not a diverse country and do we not pride ourselves in our multiculturalism and shove it in peoples’ faces every chance we get?  Where is the diversity in the Canadian fitness industry?

Even when I look at the American magazines, I can count on one hand the number of black models and athletes that I have seen on the covers or inside their pages this year; despite the countless number of hard-working, attractive African American models in the industry.  In the beginning of his modeling career, one of the top fitness models in the world was told by an editor that the magazine would be happy to give him a spread but cannot put him on the cover because he is black.  Yes, that happened in this day and age when the leader of the free world and the president of the United States of America is a black man.

This was my point, and that was what I wanted everyone to consider.  I am not one to run around blaming the color of my skin for my shortcomings.  When I decide to do something, I give it my best, and when I fail I am always clear on the cause, and my race, so far, has never been one of the reasons.  Being a dark-skinned female does not define who I am; it is only a part of what I am.  I am a proud Canadian and very fortunate to live here.  I pay my taxes; therefore I refuse to travel and compete in the U.S.  Sometimes I feel that I do not enjoy all the privileges this country has promised me, and I do not want my children to feel the same, so I had to say something.  If I do not speak up, who is going to do so on my behalf?

Maggie Mangiel, Fitness Model & Personal Trainer, for War Room Sports

Penn State Must Do FULL House Cleaning

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

Yesterday a little past 10pm EST, Penn State’s board of directors held a press conference announcing that Joe Paterno would no longer be coaching the Penn State Nittany Lions.  This whole situation is flat out disgusting and it befuddles me how this type of thing could happen on a college campus, and people know about it and not go overboard to stop it.  I actually forced myself to read the whole 23-page grand jury testimony and it was hard to not get choked up while reading what that piece of trash Jerry Sandusky did to these innocent children.  Penn State students rioted and defaced property after hearing of Paterno’s firing.  But this is bigger than football.  We are talking about the abuse of children here.  Football takes a backseat, obviously in my eyes, but the cult-like Penn State fans are more worried about “Joe Pa” than the victims, and they are a sick group of individuals.

Okay, so the school’s president was fired, Paterno was fired, the athletic director resigned, and the director of business and finance (who also was in charge of campus police) was forced to resign.  They all had some sort of part in enabling Sandusky to abuse these children over the years and deservedly lost their jobs, but lost in the sauce somehow is wide receivers’ coach Mike McQueary.  The same man, who at 28 years old, witnessed the sodomy of what he believed to be a 10 year old child, and instead of stopping the act, by any means necessary, went and called his father.  His father told him to come home and they then told Paterno what he had seen that night.  What happened to calling the police, getting the kid out of harm’s way, or even kicking Sandusky’s ass for the unforgiving act he was committing?

Even with McQueary’s negligence, he somehow still has his job and it’s been reported on numerous credible media outlets that he will coach this Saturday, rather it be on the sideline or up in the press box.  Penn State started the process of cleaning things up yesterday, but how does McQueary survive after his part in this?  There’s no legit explanation that anyone could give the public on why he gets to stick around, and it would be a disgrace if he has a pair of headsets on this weekend as Penn State hosts Nebraska on Senior Day.  I don’t know what else is going to come out concerning this whole story, but nothing would surprise me at this point.  I just know everyone who was involved should go, and that MUST include McQueary.  BOTTOM LINE!

Catch me on Twitter @BrandonOnSports

Brandon Pemberton of Brandon on Sports, for War Room Sports

Innocence and Guilt: The Penn State Scandal

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

By Stephanie C. Curry

On Tuesday, I woke up and was disgusted at the way the Philadelphia Eagles had played the previous night, but that quickly took a back seat to what I heard on the radio and on the news.   I sat there flabbergasted at what I was hearing and seeing over the airwaves. 

I have not been able to think of anything else but this story, simply because I am a mother of a young boy and I am a friend to mothers with young boys.  I am also human.  It makes me wonder about the person sitting next to me.  When did we make it okay for adults to take advantage of vulnerable children who are raw and clean of the taint of this world?  How did we as a society let this happen?

These are the questions that I ask when I read and hear that former Penn State University defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky is being accused of sexually assaulting young children, on Penn State’s campus no less.  These are men of authority, men that sometimes are the only father-figure that a young athlete or young male who may have lost his way knows.  Then the father-figure, the role model, abuses that authority and trust that was given to them.

There are so many ways I could go with this unfathomable incident.  You have a 60 year old man preying on young boys.  You have the cover up.  You have the destruction of young lives before they begin.  Where would you like me to start?

Here is where I am going to start.  This makes me not want to sign my son up for little league.  This makes me want to keep my child indoors and bottle him up, but I cannot do that because he will never grow.  Instead, I am going to have to trust a coach when he tells me that my son is in good hands.  It makes me look at every person who comes in contact with my son suspiciously.  This is just me personally, but I am quite sure that I am not the only mother or father who has thought just that.  My heart goes out to the children who were abused by this man.  My heart also goes out to the parents of these children who have to pick up the pieces and try to give their child a sense of normalcy.

I read some parts of the grand jury report and I had to stop because it bought me to tears, then to anger.  I mean, the things that were described in this report could drive people to do things that would most certainly break the law.  With that being said, how can a man walk in on this act and not do anything but walk back out the door?  How can not one person think, “I need to take this to the police?” There are a lot of questions but no answers. 

Here is my opinion; if your hand touched this in any way and your first thought wasn’t to go to the police or at least follow up, then you are just as guilty.  This is a child…an innocent child.  You don’t want to blame Joe Paterno, why?  Why I ask you?  In the volatile state this country is in, we are quick to attach blame to anyone who would take it, but yet people are sitting here protecting someone who knew details about child abuse.  Even if it is a minute amount of information, it should have been discussed with someone other than people on the inside of the University.

I am sickened, saddened, but most of all enraged.  I mean, this was supposedly going on for a long time and not one person thought to take a closer look at what was happening.  What in the name of heaven were these guys thinking about?  Protecting a legacy, protecting themselves?  Because now the legacy has been soiled, and protection of oneself is now null and void.

The only thing that will be remembered is that several children’s innocence was stolen by a greedy man with a diseased mind.  People like Mike McQueary who witnessed an act of child abuse and “Joe Pa” who heard of the incident, could have stopped this.  They could have kept another child out of harm’s way.  So for those of you that think that these men should not be to blame, shame on you. 

Here are my final thoughts:

If you saw a kid being thrown into a van kicking and screaming, would you stand there and watch it happen?  If you saw a child get hit by a car and the car drove off, would you write down the license plate?  If you saw anyone being physically assaulted in the street, would you just do nothing?  If you heard someone screaming for help, would you walk the other way?  What if that was your son, daughter, niece, nephew, granddaughter, or grandson?  Would you not want someone to help? 

I am only 5 feet and 2 inches tall, but I promise you nothing would have stopped me from getting to that man and protecting that child.  NOTHING.

Stephanie C. Curry, for War Room Sports