I've decided to blog again for a UFC event. I had fun last time. However, I promise it won't be as insane as the last time.
Let's start with the preliminary card. These fights aren't scheduled to air, but may in case of needing to fill time on the Spike TV/Rogers Sportsnet card and the PPV card. I'm only going to do the full round-by-round blogging for the PPV card.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Middleweight bout: Jesse Forbes vs. Ryan Jensen
Jensen defeated Forbes via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:06 of round 1.
Lightweight bout: Aaron Riley vs. Joe Brammer
Riley defeated Brammer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Light Heavyweight bout: Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabaté
Diabaté defeated Cane via TKO (strikes) at 2:13 of round 1.
Lightweight bout: Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe
Lowe defeated Lowe via TKO (strikes) at 3:28 of round 1.
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SPIKE TV/ROGERS SPORTSNET CARD
Lightweight bout: Efrain Escudero vs. Dan Lauzon
Result: Efrain Escudero def. Dan Lauzon via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27). Escudero had a point deducted in the 3rd round for a low blow.
They aired the Luiz Cain vs. Cyrille Diabate prelim fight.
Welterweight bout: Amir Sadollah vs. Dong Hyun Kim
Result: Dong Hyun Kim def. Amir Sadollah via unaminous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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UFC 114: RAMPAGE vs. EVANS PPV CARD
Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez vs. John Hathaway
Pre-Fight - Hathaway is using "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones as his walk-out music. Good start! Diego Sanchez comes to the cage with some hip hop music. Entrance music win goes to Hathaway.
Round 1 - Referee Herb Dean calls the night's first pay-per-view bout. Both fighters rush to the center. Early punches from Sanchez up top before he looks for a takedown. Hathaway sprawls against the cage, though Sanchez maintains pressure. Hathaway spins off the cage and throws an elbow.Sanzhez uses the moment for a quick takedown, but Hathaway pops up and they move away. Sanzhez walks into a straight. Right hand from Hathaway scores. Sanchez rushes in with a show and wipes at his eye as he moves away. Sanchez shoots, and Hathaway times a knee perfectly. Sanchez drops, and Hathaway follows. Hathaway pounding from the top, adn Dean watches closely. Sanchez somehow survives the onslaught and pulls guard underneath. Hathaway postures up. Elbow scores from the top and stuns Sanchez. Punches follow, but Sanchez agian regains his defense. Hathaway's reach problematic on the floor. Less than a minute. Sanchez rolls underneath. Another left hand lands sharply from the top. Sanchez appears to have landed an illegal upkick, but action carries on to the bell.
Round 2 - Sanchez moves forward again to open the second, but Hathaway is there to deliver punishment on the feet. Trade shots from both fighters, though Hathaway clearly landing better. Left hand from Sanchez lands. Sanzhez lands another left and avoids a counter. Hathaway kicks low, and Sanchez seizes the moment to take the fight to the floor. Hathaway works to his knees and then his feet, but Sanchez wraps up the left leg. Can't get a takedown, and he backs away. Two minutes left. Hathaway jabs. Right hand from the Brit. Pace slowing a bit as both look to pick their shots. Left from Hathaway. Sanchez moving forward but missing. Big right from Hathaway to the face. High kick from Hathaway blocked. Right hand again from Hathaway. Traded shots in final seconds in a nice flurry from both. Closer round.
Round 3 - Sanchez still pressing, but the range is really an issue. Both land in a flurry. Sanchez misses with a combination, and Hathaway lands a low kick. Sanchez rushes forward but doesn't land. Hathaway counters and does. Methodic pace. Sanchez searching for holes, but Hathaway hands are quick. Sanchez shoots, but Hathaway stands him up and lands a knee. Right hand from Hathaway. Sanchez unafraid to throw, but he eats counters each time. Sanchez shoots, and Hathaway defends agin. Two minutes remain. Left hand from Hathaway. Right follows. Hathaway picking Sanchez apart. Hathaway's face bloodied from Sanchez's advances, though he's giving as much as he gets High kick from Hathaway. Sanchez moves forward with another stiff combination, but he eats return fire. Hathaway looks for the takedown, and the two hit the deck shortly before popping back up. Sanchez short on a high kick. He rushes in and Hathaway redirects him to the floor. End of the fight, and Hathaway has turned in a masterpiece.
BMW's score: 30-27 for John Hathaway
Result: John Hathaway def. Diego Sanchez via unamanous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Light Heavyweight bout: Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz
Pre-Fight - Brilz comes out to "Bro Hymn" by Pennywise. The punk in me is going nuts right now! Little Nog comes out to some hip hop. Brilz wins on entrance music.
Round 1 - Referee Yves Lavigne returns for the evening's second pay-per-view contest. Distance between the two early. Brilz misses on a soft low kick. Nogueira's hands chest-high. Nogueira rushes in with a knee that lands. Brilz shoots, but Nogueira pushes down and scampers away. Low kick from Nogueira, but Brilz catches it and pushes the fight down. Nogueira pulls guard underneath. Nogueira looks to set-up a triangle choke, but Brilz pulls away and lifts his left leg into half-mount. Nogueira pops out the back door. Brilz looks at a choke briefly, though Nogueira turns and moves to his back. Nogueira again scrambles out the back and looks to secure a leg as he does. Instead, the two stand, and Nogueira scores a trip and takes the back. Nogueira pulls away with nothing there, and the pair resets with less than two minutes. Brilz kicks low and shoots, but Nogueira moves away. Brilz shoots a single. Nogueira defends with his back to the cage. Moderate pace at end. Nogueira lands a right hand at the bell.
Round 2 - Early low kick, and Brilz shoots in. Nogueira grabs a guillotine and cranks it, but Brilz pulls his head out after a few tense moments. Brilz locks in his own Guillotine from the rop and cranks, then rolls over while maintaining the hold. Brilz's corner yells that Nogueira is out, though he keeps his hands raised. An athletic commission official actually opens the cage door momentarily. Nogueira somehow survives the scare, though Brilz keeps top position. Brilz tries again for the guillotine, but this time Nogueira scrambles out easily and is now in north-south position. Nothing there, and the two stand. Nogueira throws two punches on the feet, but Brilz shoots in again. Both look to be tiring. Nogueira pulls away. jab scores for Nogueira. Brilz land s nice overhand right. Brilz shoots another single, though Nogueira simply pulls his leg away. Brilz shots have run out of steam and he misses another. He does score with his hands. Knee lands for Nogueira. Brilz teeing off and lands several wild shots, though he doesn't rush in to follow. Round ends.
Round 3 - Brilz takes the center. Nogueira paws a jab. Brilz shoots in, and Nogueira grabs a guillotine as he falls, but there's nothing there. Nogueira sweeps beautifully to the top and tries to throw a few ground-and-pound shots. Brilz scrambles up and offers another exhausted shot. Nogueira sprawls out. Brilz drops down and Nogueira eventually pulls away. Nogueira lands left hand that staggers Brilz briefly. Halfway through, and Brilz shoots in. Nogueira sprawls out, but Brilz chewing up clock time. Brilz turtles, and Nogueira stalled out to the side. Nogueira looks for D'arce choke from the position though lets it go. back on the feet Knee from Nogueira, then a left hand. Brilz looks spent and in survival mode. Another takedown. Nogueira sprawls again. Brilz turtles with a minute left. Nogueira has a crucifix underneath, though Brilz scrambles out. Slick transitions form two tired combatants, Brilz rolls to top, but Nogueira sweeps easily. Time running out. Brilz tries to scramble away. Nogueira tries to pound from the top until the bell.
BMW's scorecard: 30-27 Brilz
Result: Antônio Rogério Nogueira def. Jason Brilz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Post-Fight Thoughts: This was a complete highway robbery. I totally agree with the crowd chanting "Bullshit!"
Heavyweight bout: Todd Duffee vs. Mike Russow
Pre-Fight - Rossow comes to the cage with Shinedown's version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man." Good choice, but the original owns all. Can't make out Duffee's entrance music. Nevermind. It's some song from the "Walk Hard" movie. Rossow wins. Duffee looks like Brock Lesnar, only 40 pounds lighter.
Round 1 - Heavyweights in the cage, and Josh Rosenthal will be the third man in action. Duffee moves forward quickly, but Russow avoids a Hague. Russow lands a few shots up top, but Duffee explodes and wobbles his foe. Duffee doesn't overcommit and resets. Hooks and uppercuts in abundance. Duffee scoring, but alertly backing away to avoid a counter. Russow shoots, but Duffee shrugs it off. Right hand and left straight land for Duffee. Two minutes in. Duffee patiently attacking. Right hand lands. Uppercut narrowly misses. Russow showing a capable chin, but Duffee seems momenths away from landing the on shot he needs. Right hand again from Duffee. Two minutes left. Duffee backs away and resets. Russow jabs and misses. More jabs and straights from Duffee, but he backs away and resets. Right iuppercut lands from Duffee. High kick blocked by Russow. Blood trickling down Russow's torso at the bell. All Duffee.
Round 2 - Duffee again stalking early. Duffee's hands a bit low, but Russow hasn't shown he can strike yet. Russow shoots briefly, but Duffee just moves away. Russow backs up to the cage, but Duffee returns to the center. Russow lands a right that catches Duffee's attention. Duffee lands a few of his own before shrugging off another takedown. Russow with a left. Duffee wings an overhand right that misses. Duffee patient, almost too patient. Duffee switching stances and looking for openings. Russow has yet to show that he'll threaten, but Duffee only wants to fight in the center of the cage. Duffee's attack slowing. He's winning, for sure, but crowd wants more pressure. Duffee lands a stiff counter on a Russow punch, then resets. Stuffed shot from Duffee. One minute left. Boos from the crowd. Russow shoots in and Duffee moves away. Right for Duffee, then a left. Duffee fighting safe, and crowd doesn't approve.
Round 3 - Duffee jabs and backs away. Duffee looks fresh and Russow looks tame, but the youngster is disciplined in his plan. Right lands for Russow. Duffee returns favor then scampers away when Russow charges. Russow shoots, but Duffee is a brick wall. Duffee landing straights, but he refuses to unleash completely. Two minutes in, and Duffee opens up a bit as Russow moves to the cage, but the shots largely miss. Russow scampers away. Back o the center. Right hand from Russow lands on the button, and Duffee is out before he hits the mat. Astonishing come-from-behind win.
Result: Mike Rossow def. Todd Duffee via KO at 2:34 of the 3rd round.
Post-Fight Thoughts: Okay, I did NOT see that coming! Rossow was getting owned, and lands a one-punch KO out of NOWHERE! OUT. COLD!
5 minute break as they air the Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe prelim fight. That's the second time Guillard stops a fight with a viscious blow to the body...this time, KNEES!
Middleweight bout: Michael Bisping vs. Dan Miller
Pre-Fight - Miller is using CCR's "Run Through the Jungle" for his walk-in music. Gotta love the classics. Bisping enters to "Song 2" by blur. WOOHOO! :)
Round 1 - Referee Steve Mazzagatti in the cage for the night's co-main event. Delay in getting the fighters in the cage as Bisping received a finger to the eye while having Vaseline applied to his face pre-fight. It definitely bothered him, though he doesn't appear to have any issues as the fight starts. Nose-to-nose on the pre-fight staredown, and Miller pushes Bisping away. Miller punches first. Chants of "U-S-A" early. Low blow from Mille, but they pause only seconds. Bisping lands a right straight. Miller looks content to box early. Bisping jabbing well. RIght hand catches Miller's chin, but he absorbs it. Miller working the body with a few punches. Right straight for Bisping, but Miller answers with an uppercut. Bisping finding a home with his right. Miller continues to work the body and chest. Bisping getting the better of the boxing early. miller yet to look for the floor. Another right from Bisping. Miller kicks low. Miller lands a right hand, but Bisping counters immediately. Two minutes remain. Both fighters scoring in exchanges. Bisping pressing the action and landing a bit more frequently. Nice right from Bisping, but Miller takes it. Miller lands a nice left that snaps Bisping's head back. Flurry at the bell.
Round 2 - Bisping lands a few early jabs. Miller continue to work the body, but he has yet to look for a takedown. Miller kicks low again. Bisping answers with an inside leg kick. Bisping continues to press the action. Miller kicks low and Bisping nearly catches the attack. Miller's back to the cage, but Bisping lets him out. Right hand for Bisping connects. Miller's head pops back, but he's in there. Bisping boxing continues to prove effective two minutes in. Miller still looks content to box. Miller proving he can take Bisping's best shots, but he's letting rounds slip away. Bisping kicks high. Miller finally shoots, and Bisping scampers away. Another stiff right from Bisping. Bisping continues to find a home for the right hand. Miller's face showing the obvious wear with blood from the nose. One minute remain. Miller still light on his feet, still willing to engage, but he's far behind. Bisping shuffles and bobs and weaves. Miller lands a nice right at the bell.
Round 3 - Hug to open the final frame. Miller still game to fight, but he has yet to implement his preferred attack. Bisping lands a right. Miller scores with one of his own. Bisping backs away to regroup. He wasn't wobbled, but it stung. Miller blocks a high kick. Miller lands to the body with a right hand. Miller still pressing forward, but Bisping is quicker on the draw. Still no sign of a takedown from Miller. Finally on the ground with 2:45 left after a double-leg from Miller. Bisping with a closed guard. Bisping wall-walks back to his feet, and that's that. Miller continues to score to the body. Carbon copy oif the entire fight with the boxing. Miller to the body, Bisping to the head. Miller shoots, but Bisping spawls well, spins off the cage and moves away. Straight right for Bisping. Time winding down. Miller pushes in with the necessary desperation, but Bisping up to the challenge until the final bell. It's a shutout for Bisping.
BMW's Score Card: Bisping 30-27.
Result: Michael Bisping def. Dan Miller via unamanous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight bout: Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans
Pre-Fight - Feud recap video lasted like 5 minutes! Rashad enters to some lame rap music. (yawn). What the fuck was Rashad doing when he entered the cage? Is he watching Anderson Silva tapes? Rampage enters to a song I don't recognize. Then again, if it's not rock, I usually don't know it. And we have the Rampage Howl! About time we see a return of that! Twitter post says Rashad entered to "Shook Ones, Part II" by Mobb Deep.
Round 1 - Referee Herb Dean in the cage for the evening's highly anticipated main event. Crowd on their feet for the entrances, though they are unquestionably favoring Jackson. Jackson moves forward quickly. Evans wobbles Jackson with a right hand and charges in. Jackson looks to have recovered as they clinch against the cage. Jackson's back against the cage and Evans works a few short punches and knees. Jackson hanging on with an overhook on the left side. Jackson throws a few short knees inside. Evans drops for a double, but it's not there. Dean finally calls for a restart with a little less than three minutes. Jackson's eyes look clear. Jackson in the center, and throws two punches as a distraction before landing a takedown. Side control for Evans. Jackson gains hafl-guard then works to his feet. Evans presses Jackson into the cage. One minute left. Jackson can't escape off the cage as Evans works the body quickly. Not enough, and there's another restart with less than 30 seconds. Evans leaps in with a right, but Jackson counters well. He can't follow before the bell.
Round 2 - Distance to open the second. Evans moving quickly, changing levels. Jackson in the center looking to pounce. Evans moves in and avoids a few powerful Jackson hooks while clinching and working the fight to the cage. Knees traded inside. Crowd doesn't like the tactic, but Evans persists. He backs away and catches a Jackson right but resets. Evans leaps in with a left and again works for a takedown. Jackson backs up to the cage for another clinch. Halfway through the round. Boos from the crowd as Evans works the clinch game. Dean restarts again. Two minutes left. Jackson misses with a big left. Evans changes levels and avoids a Jackson right. Jab for Evans. Combo for Evans and into the clinch. jackson knees inside, but there's little zip as he moves backward.Evans drops for the takedown. It's not there, but he moves to the back. Jackson spins out, and they clinch until the bell.
Round 3 - Jackson jabs early, but Evans still changing levels with his head and remaining at a safe distance. Jackson leaps in with a right, but Evans avoids and looks for a takedown. Jackson shucks it off and they reset. Jackson lands a left and stuns Evans. He sets up on top and continues to deliver damage. Dean rushes over and the crowd goes insane. Evans rolls, scrambles and ties Jackson up, halting the onslaught. Evans sits up and works back to his feet. Evans controls the head as Jackson looks for a takedown, but Evans scampers away. Halfway through the frame. Jackson stalking, but he's not exploding. Evans throws a combo and moves away. Jackson misses a right hand, and Evans scores a takedown. Jackson with the butterfly guard. Jackson trapped on the cage and Evans lands a few punches from the top. Jackson rolls, but Evans continues to apply pressure from the top. Jackson turtles, and Evans moves to the back. Jackson stands with 40 seconds left, but Evans dumps him again. Left hands from Evans. Time running out for Jackson. He works back to the feet, but Evans scampers away at the bell and seals the win.
BMW's Score Card: 30-27 Rashad Evans
Result: Rashad Evans def. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson via unamanous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Post-fight notes: Rashad Evans now gets a shot at Mauricio "Shogun" Rua for the UFC Lt. Heavyweight Championship. I could see this happening in November or December.
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That does it for the coverage. I'll probably do another post tomorrow giving my overall thoughts and some aftermath notes.
One note to make, Ryan Jensen got the Submission of the Night in the only match to end in a submission tonight, sadly, it didn't make air. Mike Rossow is probably getting KO of the night. Either him, or Melvin Guillard.
Goodnight, all.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Chapter XIII: Say Goodbye
It's funny, I was going through some old CD's and I stumbled upon Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee's last solo album Tommyland: The Ride released in 2005 in conjunction with the book he wrote and released around the same time. I remember one of the songs on the album always had me singing along. Say Goodbye featuring (of all people) Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter on acoustic guitar and backing vocals (despite the group he's associated with, he does lend his vocals nicely to the song during the chorus).
Now, you can knock me for liking a song featuring a member of a boy band, but this is a rock ballad. Different genre.
Regardless, this song really brought to mind some thoughts I've been having. I'll try to go in order, but in order to get to the exact thought that was at the root of it all, I'll have to take you on a journey. Who knows, this may be the most I feel comfortable in terms of opening up.
When it comes to my life, I've always been (for a lack of a better term) a loner. I do fine by myself, and rather enjoy my time alone. Because of this, it's also become hard for me to open up to a lot of people, and thus I live my life rather guarded. What you learn about me is what I allow you to learn. Growing up, there were always a lot of rumors concerning the finer aspects of my life, and I would always say to those who would hear such rumors that if they ever wanted to know the truth of something to ask me, and I would provide them with the truth if I felt they needed to know it.
Needless to say, once I graduated High School, I chose to cut myself off from nearly everyone I knew. The only people I really associated with were a couple of friends, and this girl I dated for (technically) four and a half months following my high school graduation. I put technically in there because for the last few weeks of our relationship, I moved to a town an hour away due to a job I had taken. We didn't see each other in that time until I came home for a weekend in which we went to a wedding for one of her family members, and promptly broke up afterwords.
With the breakup, I continued working in that other town for another couple of months before transferring back to my hometown. After I moved back, I would see her once or thrice at local hockey games. Talk about awkward moments. It's funny how we got together, at least I find it that way looking back. She was sitting at the same table the gang I used to hang out at sat about a week and a half before prom, and I made mention that I wasn't going to be going as I didn't have a date. I was going to ask my boss to work that night. She quipped up saying that she would go with me, so not only did I have 10 days to find a suit (had to get it custom made, too! Damn thick neck), I had to figure out all that dumb flower/corset crap.
On the way to the prom, she dropped the line "You do realize this kind of makes us boyfriend and girlfriend, right?" Me, being the dumbass I was, simply said "Cool." If anything, I lost so much money on her, that I was lucky I had money for myself...especially after my boss cut me to 5 hours/week after I said that I could work full-time again. Honestly, the move was a breath of fresh air.
The thing is, while I'm not the same person I was in high school, there are still some things the same. I keep my inner circle to a limited number of people, and if you plan to break into it, it takes A LOT of work. I might let you in a little bit, but I'll keep you at arm's length when it comes to the deep stuff. There are many layers to me, my personality, and my being. I don't often use this phrase anymore, but it still holds true to me. "To know me will take a lifetime. To understand me will take forever."
To date, I truly feel only two people understand me. My father, and someone I deeply, truly love and respect on a level that goes beyond any label of friendship. Going to the layer above understanding to knowing, including the two that I feel understand me, I add my mother, my surviving grandparents, a couple of cousins, and a few friends. While I love my mother more than I could ever put into words, there are little traits in both our personalities that keep her from moving into the understanding category. I hope she doesn't take offense to this, because none is meant. She and I both know that there are times where both our personalities clash, and it's because we both lack a deeper understanding of each other.
Now, we get to the reason I decided to write this blog entry. When I become friends with someone, I'm someone who'll be there for that person. If I can help them, I will. However, I do have my limits, whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, or otherwise. The friend I mentioned in the understanding category above asked me for a major favor. I couldn't give a response right then and there, because there are so many factors I'd have to work out. Would I be working? Would I be able to afford it? Would my knee (which to this day, six years after seriously injuring it still bothers me) hold up? Would I be able to handle travelling back alone? I can't answer those right now, and thus I haven't given my friend an answer.
That, and the fact that some of the people I've befriended over the past year have brought me to a feeling that they don't give off the feeling as though we're still friends brought me to completely distance myself from them, and depart from their lives so that our respective lives may continue down whatever seperate paths they may lead to. Should our paths converge again in the future, I'll still treat those people as a friend. They've done nothing to deserve nothing less. I just feel that for now, our lives are best spent apart. I wish those people who are walking those paths away from the one I'm on nothing but peace, happiness, and prosperity. One only knows they deserve it.
However, no matter how we look at it, there's a time when the chorus to that Tommy Lee song Say Goodbye ring true. I'll leave them with you.
Every time I walk away I see a picture of a face
It's a photograph that makes me wonder why
Now I stand here on my own
And I'm finally letting go
Its time to say goodbye
Now, you can knock me for liking a song featuring a member of a boy band, but this is a rock ballad. Different genre.
Regardless, this song really brought to mind some thoughts I've been having. I'll try to go in order, but in order to get to the exact thought that was at the root of it all, I'll have to take you on a journey. Who knows, this may be the most I feel comfortable in terms of opening up.
When it comes to my life, I've always been (for a lack of a better term) a loner. I do fine by myself, and rather enjoy my time alone. Because of this, it's also become hard for me to open up to a lot of people, and thus I live my life rather guarded. What you learn about me is what I allow you to learn. Growing up, there were always a lot of rumors concerning the finer aspects of my life, and I would always say to those who would hear such rumors that if they ever wanted to know the truth of something to ask me, and I would provide them with the truth if I felt they needed to know it.
Needless to say, once I graduated High School, I chose to cut myself off from nearly everyone I knew. The only people I really associated with were a couple of friends, and this girl I dated for (technically) four and a half months following my high school graduation. I put technically in there because for the last few weeks of our relationship, I moved to a town an hour away due to a job I had taken. We didn't see each other in that time until I came home for a weekend in which we went to a wedding for one of her family members, and promptly broke up afterwords.
With the breakup, I continued working in that other town for another couple of months before transferring back to my hometown. After I moved back, I would see her once or thrice at local hockey games. Talk about awkward moments. It's funny how we got together, at least I find it that way looking back. She was sitting at the same table the gang I used to hang out at sat about a week and a half before prom, and I made mention that I wasn't going to be going as I didn't have a date. I was going to ask my boss to work that night. She quipped up saying that she would go with me, so not only did I have 10 days to find a suit (had to get it custom made, too! Damn thick neck), I had to figure out all that dumb flower/corset crap.
On the way to the prom, she dropped the line "You do realize this kind of makes us boyfriend and girlfriend, right?" Me, being the dumbass I was, simply said "Cool." If anything, I lost so much money on her, that I was lucky I had money for myself...especially after my boss cut me to 5 hours/week after I said that I could work full-time again. Honestly, the move was a breath of fresh air.
The thing is, while I'm not the same person I was in high school, there are still some things the same. I keep my inner circle to a limited number of people, and if you plan to break into it, it takes A LOT of work. I might let you in a little bit, but I'll keep you at arm's length when it comes to the deep stuff. There are many layers to me, my personality, and my being. I don't often use this phrase anymore, but it still holds true to me. "To know me will take a lifetime. To understand me will take forever."
To date, I truly feel only two people understand me. My father, and someone I deeply, truly love and respect on a level that goes beyond any label of friendship. Going to the layer above understanding to knowing, including the two that I feel understand me, I add my mother, my surviving grandparents, a couple of cousins, and a few friends. While I love my mother more than I could ever put into words, there are little traits in both our personalities that keep her from moving into the understanding category. I hope she doesn't take offense to this, because none is meant. She and I both know that there are times where both our personalities clash, and it's because we both lack a deeper understanding of each other.
Now, we get to the reason I decided to write this blog entry. When I become friends with someone, I'm someone who'll be there for that person. If I can help them, I will. However, I do have my limits, whether it be physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, or otherwise. The friend I mentioned in the understanding category above asked me for a major favor. I couldn't give a response right then and there, because there are so many factors I'd have to work out. Would I be working? Would I be able to afford it? Would my knee (which to this day, six years after seriously injuring it still bothers me) hold up? Would I be able to handle travelling back alone? I can't answer those right now, and thus I haven't given my friend an answer.
That, and the fact that some of the people I've befriended over the past year have brought me to a feeling that they don't give off the feeling as though we're still friends brought me to completely distance myself from them, and depart from their lives so that our respective lives may continue down whatever seperate paths they may lead to. Should our paths converge again in the future, I'll still treat those people as a friend. They've done nothing to deserve nothing less. I just feel that for now, our lives are best spent apart. I wish those people who are walking those paths away from the one I'm on nothing but peace, happiness, and prosperity. One only knows they deserve it.
However, no matter how we look at it, there's a time when the chorus to that Tommy Lee song Say Goodbye ring true. I'll leave them with you.
Every time I walk away I see a picture of a face
It's a photograph that makes me wonder why
Now I stand here on my own
And I'm finally letting go
Its time to say goodbye
Monday, May 24, 2010
Chapter XII: A Month of Fun
Growing up, despite having played basketball and trying my hand at tennis, the two sports I enjoyed playing the most were baseball and football. No, not that football where you put on 40 pounds of padding. THAT football, where you actually use your feet, and unless you're the goalkeeper, you cannot use your hands.
June 11, 2010 will be a great day for me because the FIFA World Cup of Football begins in South Africa. I can only imagine when the opening match between South Africa and Mexico begins, the crowd will be ELECTRIC!
I only played two seasons of the game in Jr. High, and really, it was the last sport I played full-time before going full-boar into music. I always had great memories playing, and will always cherish the first place medal my team won in my second year after finishing in last place the first year I played.
But let's get to the big, month-long event. 32 countries, one month, a shitload of games. CBC will be airing all the games in Canada, while in the US, games will be split between ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, likely depending on the schedule as there are some games that are due to run at the same time, but in different venues. I'd imagine there's going to be an online feed, which will be great for me. I'll have one TV on one game, and a computer on another game.
Now, with every global event, there's a wave of controversey. You know that a lot of cities want to make themselves look better than they are, so they try to get rid of the problems. One of those problems is the eviction situation. To "clean up the city," a lot of people living in the "slums" have been relocated to other areas outside those cities so that the "slum" areas can be reworked into rentable units for visitors. This has brought on a lot of protests, and really, I can't blame them. Rather than trying to create jobs for these people so they can afford a better way of life, they kick these people out of their small homes, and try to cater to outsiders. It's a problem that exists everywhere, but doesn't seem to get solved.
Thoughts on Human Rights aside, I'm excited. There are a few countries I'm hoping fall flat on their faces, and there are a few countries I hope make it far. Of course, with my Underdog Complex, I'll be cheering for the little guys out there...with the exception of Brazil and Italy. Those are the only two "favorites" I'll be cheering for.
As we get closer to June 11th, I'm going to talk a bit more about the FIFA World Cup, and I'll probably give some reflections on the tournament as it progresses.
Until then, chant with me!
Olé! Olé-Olé-Olé! Olé! Olé!
BMW
June 11, 2010 will be a great day for me because the FIFA World Cup of Football begins in South Africa. I can only imagine when the opening match between South Africa and Mexico begins, the crowd will be ELECTRIC!
I only played two seasons of the game in Jr. High, and really, it was the last sport I played full-time before going full-boar into music. I always had great memories playing, and will always cherish the first place medal my team won in my second year after finishing in last place the first year I played.
But let's get to the big, month-long event. 32 countries, one month, a shitload of games. CBC will be airing all the games in Canada, while in the US, games will be split between ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, likely depending on the schedule as there are some games that are due to run at the same time, but in different venues. I'd imagine there's going to be an online feed, which will be great for me. I'll have one TV on one game, and a computer on another game.
Now, with every global event, there's a wave of controversey. You know that a lot of cities want to make themselves look better than they are, so they try to get rid of the problems. One of those problems is the eviction situation. To "clean up the city," a lot of people living in the "slums" have been relocated to other areas outside those cities so that the "slum" areas can be reworked into rentable units for visitors. This has brought on a lot of protests, and really, I can't blame them. Rather than trying to create jobs for these people so they can afford a better way of life, they kick these people out of their small homes, and try to cater to outsiders. It's a problem that exists everywhere, but doesn't seem to get solved.
Thoughts on Human Rights aside, I'm excited. There are a few countries I'm hoping fall flat on their faces, and there are a few countries I hope make it far. Of course, with my Underdog Complex, I'll be cheering for the little guys out there...with the exception of Brazil and Italy. Those are the only two "favorites" I'll be cheering for.
As we get closer to June 11th, I'm going to talk a bit more about the FIFA World Cup, and I'll probably give some reflections on the tournament as it progresses.
Until then, chant with me!
Olé! Olé-Olé-Olé! Olé! Olé!
BMW
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Chapter XI: How I Dress is Not How I Am
A lot of people upon meeting me will notice how laid back and casual my appearance is. T-shirt, pair of jeans, baseball cap, white sneakers. That's how I'm usually dressed. The only reason I can give for it is because it's what I'm most comfortable in. Many people get thrown off, because I have such a serious look facial-wise most of the time. Truth is, while I do have a stone-face exterior look, I'm a complete wise-ass (sometimes a jack-ass, often times just an ass).
People that know me, or come to know me realize that I have a unique sense of humor, and an extremely different view of the world than pretty much anyone else they've met in their lives. While most people see the world in black-and-white or grayscale, I see the world in pure color. I see the sides of the stories that most people ignore. I'll argue a fact that might seem irrelivent to others, but yet is quite relevent. To some people, it's a put off. To those who get me, find it a fresh breath of air because they know they're getting a fresh perspective.
But back to the subject. Sure, I could go around wearing a suit and tie, looking like how I am in my lovely profile picture (which was taken as a joke to some friends), but to be honest I can't stand wearing a tie. I have a big, thick neck, and I don't really like having something closed around it. What I love about t-shirts is that they're loose around the neck. I can't stand long-sleeved shirts, so sweat shirts, hoodies and the real fancy dress shirts are out of the question.
Regardless, I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy. While to some it may make me seem too laid back and unprofessional, just remember these words: Appearances are often deceiving.
I'm beyond unpredictable. Just when you think you've figured me up, I'll come at you from another direction.
You've been warned :)
BMW
People that know me, or come to know me realize that I have a unique sense of humor, and an extremely different view of the world than pretty much anyone else they've met in their lives. While most people see the world in black-and-white or grayscale, I see the world in pure color. I see the sides of the stories that most people ignore. I'll argue a fact that might seem irrelivent to others, but yet is quite relevent. To some people, it's a put off. To those who get me, find it a fresh breath of air because they know they're getting a fresh perspective.
But back to the subject. Sure, I could go around wearing a suit and tie, looking like how I am in my lovely profile picture (which was taken as a joke to some friends), but to be honest I can't stand wearing a tie. I have a big, thick neck, and I don't really like having something closed around it. What I love about t-shirts is that they're loose around the neck. I can't stand long-sleeved shirts, so sweat shirts, hoodies and the real fancy dress shirts are out of the question.
Regardless, I'm a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy. While to some it may make me seem too laid back and unprofessional, just remember these words: Appearances are often deceiving.
I'm beyond unpredictable. Just when you think you've figured me up, I'll come at you from another direction.
You've been warned :)
BMW
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Chapter X: R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010)
First off, again I apologize for the space between blogs. There hasn't been much to write about the past few days. The weekend was fairly quiet, at least until Sunday when I found out that one of my favorite singers, Ronnie James Dio passed away after a long battle with stomach cancer.
"Who is Ronnie James Dio?" you might ask? The answer is quite simple: He is quite possibly one of the smallest, and most powerful hard rock & metal singers in history. At 5 feet, 4 inches tall, Dio has an amazing voice that would just blow you away any time you heard him sing. His songwriting skills were second-to-none. He could tell amazing stories through his songs, no matter the subject. You knew when you heard Dio that you were about to be transported on an amazing, magical, musical ride that would likely take you to another plane of existence without the need for any other substance than the music being provided to your ears.
My introduction to Dio happened by chance when I was listening to a classic rock FM station during my teenage years, and I heard "I Could Have Been a Dreamer," from his band's "Dream Evil" album. I was so amazed that I had to find out who was singing. Being the serious music fan that I am, I did my research and discovered that he took over as the singer for Black Sabbath after Ozzy Osbourne left the band, and ended up recording some of the best material Sabbath ever put out. "Heaven and Hell" (which would later become the name of the band to differenciate from when Ozzy would reunite with Sabbath and perform one-offs) is quite possibly one of the greatest metal songs of all-time. Of course, you have Dio's signature song "Holy Diver" which has been covered numerous times by numerous artists. However, nothing beats the original if you ask me.
When I saw all the tweets about his death, I kinda lashed out because official confirmation hadn't been released, yet. However, when I finally read that it was true, my heart broke. Even though I was never fortunate enough to have met Dio or to have seen him in concert, his music touched me to my very core.
I would like to thank Ronnie James Dio for 43 years of incredible music. While you may no longer be with us, your music will live on forever. Below I've put a couple of links to some of his songs on Facebook.
\m/
Rainbow - Man on the Silver Mountain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9nfVrusSMg
Rainbow - Stargazer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SedQcg-65a8
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EL67mjv1nM
Black Sabbath - Sign of the Southern Cross http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgjmxYL04V4
Dio - Holy Diver http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64coD-rx9sk
Dio - Rainbow in the Dark http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUXSTY9AW-s
Heaven and Hell - Bible Black http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNltsEop2dQ
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Chapter IX: A Thursday Update Shorty
It's been a few days, but it's not without reason. School, assignments, and NHL playoff hockey has been taking up my time a lot. Had a fun field trip with my Marketing class on Tuesday, a workshop on Wednesday, and a guest speaker this (Thursday) afternoon.
Looking at the second round of the NHL playoffs, has this not been an exciting round? You have San Jose finally getting the monkey off their backs, eliminating the Detroit Red Wings; You have Roberto Luongo failing, causing Vancouver to lose to Chicago, Montreal pulling off the mother of all upsets for the second round in a row by eliminating Pittsburgh; and Boston vs. Philadelphia going to a game 7 tomorrow night. Even though my team (Ottawa) was eliminated in the first round (as expected), I'm still enjoying the playoffs. Oddly enough, I've predicted the loser for 2 of the 3 finished series thus far. Should Philadelphia manage to pull off the biggest of all comebacks, I'll be 3 for 4, and also quite happy with the overall result.
I apologize for the short blog update. I'm just feeling really tired today. I'll probably have something more profound tomorrow. In fact, I think I might have something good for tomorrow. Just have to think about it, a little.
Later,
BMW
Looking at the second round of the NHL playoffs, has this not been an exciting round? You have San Jose finally getting the monkey off their backs, eliminating the Detroit Red Wings; You have Roberto Luongo failing, causing Vancouver to lose to Chicago, Montreal pulling off the mother of all upsets for the second round in a row by eliminating Pittsburgh; and Boston vs. Philadelphia going to a game 7 tomorrow night. Even though my team (Ottawa) was eliminated in the first round (as expected), I'm still enjoying the playoffs. Oddly enough, I've predicted the loser for 2 of the 3 finished series thus far. Should Philadelphia manage to pull off the biggest of all comebacks, I'll be 3 for 4, and also quite happy with the overall result.
I apologize for the short blog update. I'm just feeling really tired today. I'll probably have something more profound tomorrow. In fact, I think I might have something good for tomorrow. Just have to think about it, a little.
Later,
BMW
Monday, May 10, 2010
Chapter VIII: Stargate: Universe of Controversy?
Okay, so I didn't have time to get to the second thought I woke up to yesterday.
On Friday, one of the new TV series that started last fall, "Stargate: Universe" aired what was being touted online as one of the most controversial episodes ever in science fiction.
Let me give you some background on one of the main recurring characters, Camille Wray, played by the extremely talented Ming-Na. The character is a lesbian, and in true science fiction fashion, no real big deal is made about her sexuality. See, in the science fiction genre, someone's sexual orientation is accepted 99% of the time. However, this is the first time in the Stargate franchise where we have a gay/lesbian character. I was happy to read that one of my favorite franchises decided to catch up with the changing times.
The premise of the series is that a group of people working on a remote planet, trying to unlock the 9th ceveron on the Stargate (a device that allows for inter-planetary travel through a wormhole). A group of space raiders decide to attack the base set up on the remote planet, forcing the workers to flee through the gate, and end up stranded on a ship millions/billions of light-years from Earth. In order to communicate with Earth, they use a weird communication device that allows a person to trade consciousness with another person. To put it into English, you activate said device with these little stones, and you end up in another person's body, and that person ends up in your body. Simple, right? Well, we're going to get to the part where there was initially some controversy.
The episode, called "Sabotage" had the group stranded on the ship dealing with the ship's warp drive blowing up, causing them to be stranted. The only person they know of that can help fix the problem is back on Earth. Thing is, that woman is a quadriplegic, completely unable to move, and requires a respirator. Picture Christopher Reeves post-accident. The first attempt to use the communication stones to bring this woman to the ship fails because the first ship-board body switcher felt claustrophobic. At the same time, an alien race encountered a few episodes earlier, who have the ability to hijack the communication stone process, took over that woman's body leading to the warp drive sabotage.
The nice this is, we get to see the true unconditional love between Camille and her partner (we have yet to establish if they're married or not, so I'll just use the term "partner" for now), and how deeply they care for each other. The interesting thing is, we learn that the woman who is now inhabiting Camille's body has feelings for one of the series' main characters, Dr. Rush. GLAAD had issues with this because here you have a heterosexual woman in a lesbian woman's body kissing a man. Honestly, I don't see the problem. It's science fiction. Boundaries are always crossed in the genre. What a lot of human rights people had a problem with was the casting discription of the quadriplegic woman, saying her body was rendered useless because of her childhood illness. While the casting discription could be grounds for some backlash, watching the episode, I was left with good feelings because we got to see different sides of ever-growing characters.
In this day and age, I think we make too big a deal over sexual orientation. While I'm heterosexual, I have friends who are both gay, bisexual and lesbian. We all get along. I've never had a problem with them, and they never had a problem with me (except when the heavier metal comes on the car stereo, or when country comes on theirs, but that's just musical taste). It makes me groan when I read that someone "coming out of the closet" is a bigger story than the failing educational system, or the failing economy. It seems as though idiotic sites like TMZ has taken over the important shit, which is sad, and makes me glad I don't follow trends and follow my own beat. You should follow your own. Not TMZ's.
BMW
On Friday, one of the new TV series that started last fall, "Stargate: Universe" aired what was being touted online as one of the most controversial episodes ever in science fiction.
Let me give you some background on one of the main recurring characters, Camille Wray, played by the extremely talented Ming-Na. The character is a lesbian, and in true science fiction fashion, no real big deal is made about her sexuality. See, in the science fiction genre, someone's sexual orientation is accepted 99% of the time. However, this is the first time in the Stargate franchise where we have a gay/lesbian character. I was happy to read that one of my favorite franchises decided to catch up with the changing times.
The premise of the series is that a group of people working on a remote planet, trying to unlock the 9th ceveron on the Stargate (a device that allows for inter-planetary travel through a wormhole). A group of space raiders decide to attack the base set up on the remote planet, forcing the workers to flee through the gate, and end up stranded on a ship millions/billions of light-years from Earth. In order to communicate with Earth, they use a weird communication device that allows a person to trade consciousness with another person. To put it into English, you activate said device with these little stones, and you end up in another person's body, and that person ends up in your body. Simple, right? Well, we're going to get to the part where there was initially some controversy.
The episode, called "Sabotage" had the group stranded on the ship dealing with the ship's warp drive blowing up, causing them to be stranted. The only person they know of that can help fix the problem is back on Earth. Thing is, that woman is a quadriplegic, completely unable to move, and requires a respirator. Picture Christopher Reeves post-accident. The first attempt to use the communication stones to bring this woman to the ship fails because the first ship-board body switcher felt claustrophobic. At the same time, an alien race encountered a few episodes earlier, who have the ability to hijack the communication stone process, took over that woman's body leading to the warp drive sabotage.
The second time the communication stones are used, Camille Wray is the one doing the body switching. So now, we have a fully mobile lesbian woman's consciousness in a heterosexual quadriplegic woman's body, and a heterosexual quadriplegic woman's consciousness in a lesbian woman's mobile body. Thanks to the magic of television, we're shown the actual person's consciousness being played as shown in the photos below.
The nice this is, we get to see the true unconditional love between Camille and her partner (we have yet to establish if they're married or not, so I'll just use the term "partner" for now), and how deeply they care for each other. The interesting thing is, we learn that the woman who is now inhabiting Camille's body has feelings for one of the series' main characters, Dr. Rush. GLAAD had issues with this because here you have a heterosexual woman in a lesbian woman's body kissing a man. Honestly, I don't see the problem. It's science fiction. Boundaries are always crossed in the genre. What a lot of human rights people had a problem with was the casting discription of the quadriplegic woman, saying her body was rendered useless because of her childhood illness. While the casting discription could be grounds for some backlash, watching the episode, I was left with good feelings because we got to see different sides of ever-growing characters.
In this day and age, I think we make too big a deal over sexual orientation. While I'm heterosexual, I have friends who are both gay, bisexual and lesbian. We all get along. I've never had a problem with them, and they never had a problem with me (except when the heavier metal comes on the car stereo, or when country comes on theirs, but that's just musical taste). It makes me groan when I read that someone "coming out of the closet" is a bigger story than the failing educational system, or the failing economy. It seems as though idiotic sites like TMZ has taken over the important shit, which is sad, and makes me glad I don't follow trends and follow my own beat. You should follow your own. Not TMZ's.
BMW
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Chapter VII: UFC 113 Aftermath
Waking up this morning, I had two thoughts. "What happened after UFC 113" and "Wow, there wasn't that much controversy in an episode of Stargate: Universe as initially I was lead to believe there would be."
Let me address UFC 113 first. The second thought will be addressed in the next blog.
I thought the fights that were shown were great. We had clear, decisive winners in all but one of the seven fights shown; We had a title change which is always fun to see, especially considering there are only 5 title holders in the UFC because there are only 5 weight classes; We had serious drama after a number one contender's fight; And we saw the destruction of a fighter similar to his last loss.
I went around the internet, and I found out some interesting things concerning the aftermath of UFC 113.
* Following his loss against Matt Mitrione, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson is expected to be released from his UFC contract.
* Following his sucker punch post-fight on Josh Koscheck, Paul Daley has not only been KICKED OUT of the UFC, but Dana White has said he'll never be back. Good. We don't need idiots like that in MMA. Sure, it's okay to play the villain, but to do something so classless? No thanks. While I still don't like Koscheck, I won't give hate on him for that situation. Still, I loved the shot on the Habs.
* Alan Belcher was awarded Submission of the Night; Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (new Light Heavyweight Champion) was awarded Knockout of the Night; and Jeremy Stephens vs. Sam Stout was properly given Fight of the Night honors. All four men received a tasty $65,000 bonus for their efforts.
* Jason MacDonald suffered multiple injuries during his fight. "Broken tibia and fibia and dislocated ankle," MacDonald posted on his Twitter account late Saturday night. "Surgery tomorrow (Sunday) night." Sucks for MacDonald, as he was a VERY late replacement, and was working to get back into the UFC again. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.
* I expect more releases to come either today (Sunday) or Monday.
-----------------------------------------------------
Stay tuned sometime on Monday for "Chapter VIII: Stargate: Universe of Controversy?"
Let me address UFC 113 first. The second thought will be addressed in the next blog.
I thought the fights that were shown were great. We had clear, decisive winners in all but one of the seven fights shown; We had a title change which is always fun to see, especially considering there are only 5 title holders in the UFC because there are only 5 weight classes; We had serious drama after a number one contender's fight; And we saw the destruction of a fighter similar to his last loss.
I went around the internet, and I found out some interesting things concerning the aftermath of UFC 113.
* Following his loss against Matt Mitrione, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson is expected to be released from his UFC contract.
* Following his sucker punch post-fight on Josh Koscheck, Paul Daley has not only been KICKED OUT of the UFC, but Dana White has said he'll never be back. Good. We don't need idiots like that in MMA. Sure, it's okay to play the villain, but to do something so classless? No thanks. While I still don't like Koscheck, I won't give hate on him for that situation. Still, I loved the shot on the Habs.
* Alan Belcher was awarded Submission of the Night; Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (new Light Heavyweight Champion) was awarded Knockout of the Night; and Jeremy Stephens vs. Sam Stout was properly given Fight of the Night honors. All four men received a tasty $65,000 bonus for their efforts.
* Jason MacDonald suffered multiple injuries during his fight. "Broken tibia and fibia and dislocated ankle," MacDonald posted on his Twitter account late Saturday night. "Surgery tomorrow (Sunday) night." Sucks for MacDonald, as he was a VERY late replacement, and was working to get back into the UFC again. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.
* I expect more releases to come either today (Sunday) or Monday.
-----------------------------------------------------
Stay tuned sometime on Monday for "Chapter VIII: Stargate: Universe of Controversy?"
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Chapter VI: UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun II
I'm going to give my thoughts, fight-by-fight (rather than round-by-round) on the fights that air on the PPV. As for the prelim fights that didn't air, I'm just going to post the results and some notes.
PRELIM LINEUP:
John Salter def. Jason MacDonald via TKO (injury) - Round 1, 2:42. -> MacDonald looks to have broken his ankle when going for a takedown. UPDATE: Jason MacDonald update: Broken left leg. Had to be put under to reset his left ankle. Surgery next week <- according to The Score's Sid Seixiero
Mike Guymon def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Joey Beltran def. Tim Hague via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28).
Johny Hendricks def. T.J. Grant via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28). <- Grant was deducted a point for a kick to the groin (was the second one of the fight).
Marcus Davis def. Jonathan Goulet via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:23.
Joe Doerksen def. Tom Lawlor via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 2:10.
PPV LINEUP
Patrick Cote vs. Alan Belcher
WALK-INS
- Alan Belcher walking to the cage with "Little Wing" by Jimi Hendrix playing.
- Patrick Cote walking out to Wavin' Flag. Automatically wins on entrance music.
- Bruce Buffer's French has gotten better. WAR BUFFER!
- Crowd's already going with the Cote song
ROUND ONE
- Belcher with kicks to start.
- Cote looks good for his first fight back in the UFC after blowing his ACL at UFC 90.
- Belcher hits Cote with a groin kick Full foot on the nuts.
- Cote with a nice flury on the inside.
- Belcher with a lot of kicks to the midsection
- Cote goes southpaw and hits some shots
- Cote checks a head kick attempt
- More Cote chants
- Cote's right side ribs are swlling
- Cote with a takedown into Belcher's guard, dropping shots
- Belcher has a butterfly guard
- Cote passes to half-guard
- Cote going for a kimura.
- Cote still going for it
- Belcher gets free and gets on top
- Belcher is trying for an arm triangle, but lost position. In side control.
- Still working on the ground, Belcher on top in half-guard.
- Another arm-triangle attempt, and Cote's cut.
- Flury to end the round.
- 10-9 Cote
ROUND TWO
- Round starts, but Belcher has no mouth piece
- Trading strikes in the stand-up
- Cote's knee looks fine.
- Still boxing on the feet
- Cote with some short kicks, and Belcher responds
- Cote stalking with punches
- Belcher's only response are his kicks, and a knee on the clinch
- Up against the cage, Belcher is pushing Cote.
- Trading shots on the cage, Belcher throws an elbow.
- Cote with some good shots off the cage
- Cote catches a knee and gets a takedown, pushes Belcher against the cage
- Cote leaving himself open to some shots
- Back standing.
- Crowd still with faint Cote chants.
- Belcher with a Face Buster front suplex and transitions into a rear naked choke
- It's deep. Cote taps.
- Cote's trainer claiming he got head spiked, but it was reall a face buster. Only thing spiked was Cote's nose.
Alan "The Talent" Belcher def. Patrick "The Preditor" Cote via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:25 of the 2nd round.
"Kimbo Slice" vs. Matt Mitrione
WALK-INS
- Mitrone walks out to "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Somewhere, Mike Brown is cursing.
- Mitrione almost KO's a photographer
- Kimbo comes out to some hip hop. Skynyrd wins on my books.
- Man, Kimbo looks ripped
- I wonder what'll happen if Kimbo gets grey in his beard?
- Mitrione can't stop smiling.
ROUND ONE
- Mitrione throws a high kick, but misses.
- Kimbo catches the high kick and goes with two takedowns
- Mitrione with a triangle, and gets powerbombed.
- Slice hanging on, free of the triangle.
- Mitrione slips and gets in side control
- Kimbo with a limited ground game trying to get somewhere.
- Mitrione moves Kimbo into half-guard.
- Mitrione showing good control.
- Kimbo finally landing strikes
- Back to the feet, Mitrione with a knee
- Kimbo with ANOTHER takedown.
- Kimbo with a punch to the face, and Mitrione up against the cage.
- Mitrione looking for the triangle again. Not in deep
- Kimbo out of the triangle.
- Kimbo lets Mitrione up.
- Kimbo hitting with the right hand, and Mitrione tries for another high kick
- Mitrione with a knee and a kick that both land.
- Kimbo with shots to the body, and another knee.
- Kimbo got hurt and is down. Kick and a punch.
- Mitrione with a nice side choke.
- Kimbo trying to hang on to end the round.
- Kimbo survives.
- I give that round 10-9 Mitrione for submissions.
ROUND TWO:
Mitrione faking with punches, but Kimbo lands some.
Kimbo trying for another takedown, but it's stuffed. Kimbo has Mitrione up against the cage.
Mitrione with a knee,and some lefts off the cage
Nice inside leg kicks by Mitrione.
Kimbo's limping BADLY.
Leg kicks GALORE! You can hear them!
Mitrione's going for a Gator Roll, but is letting Kimbo up.
More leg kicks!
Now Mitrione landing combination strikes, and smiling while doing it.
Kimbo has Mitrione against the cage, but doesn't have the strength to get a take down
Mitrione with a big knee to the outer thigh.
Mitrione cranking the neck.
Mitrione with another knee to the midsection and leg.
Kimbo's getting OWNED right now, not even moving.
Mitrione with a mount, and raining down blows.
More bombs from the mount.
Kimbo is doing NOTHING to get out.
Mitrione going for an Americana arm lock.
Doesn't work, Mitrione goes back to the bombs
Referee FINALLY steps in and stops it.
Matt Mitrione def. "Kimbo Slice" via TKO (Strikes) at 4:24 of the 2nd round.
- Love the "Sanction Ontario" banner shown from the upper deck.
Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens
WALK-INS:
- What's with the wannabe hip hop/dance crap fighters are coming out to? Jeremy Stephens, I thought you had musical class.
- Poser music continues with Eminem for Sam Stout. UGH!
- Crime Scene Cleaners...nice sponsor.
- I think this fight will be hard to type. Apologies if I miss anything.
ROUND ONE
- Stout throws a leg, gets caught, Stephens takes Stout down
- Trading punches off the ground.
- Stout gets up, but eats a knee.
Stephens takes a leg kick and a left hook
Stout eats a right and Stephens taunts.
Leg kick from Stout off a head fake
Nice body punches and counter-body punches by both men.
ANother left hook to the body by Stout,
Trading leg kicks now
Stout got knocked down by a right
Stephens lets Stout back up and gives Stout a knee to the head.
Stout is bloodied
Stout throwing some kicks and punches
Stephens lands a spinning back fist
Great pace
Stephens is LANDING that left hand
Nice leg kick checked by Stephens.
This is pretty technical thus far
90 seconds left, both are trading punches and looking for angles
Stout is really landing that left hook to Stephens' body.
Stephens with a kick to the body, but Stout with a punch in return
Stephens with a good right.
Stout with a nice 2-punch 1 kick combo
Nice body kick by Stephens.
Round ends, I have to give that 10-9 Stephens based on the two knock downs.
ROUND TWO:
Stout's right eye looks like it's swelling as round 2 starts.
Trading punches and kicks by both men
Nice leg kick, but Stephens isn't checking.
Stephens lands a big shot and goes in with a flying knee.
Stout is down, and going for a kimura.
Stephens is hitting body shots to try and get Stout to let go
Stephens has Stout against the cage and lets Stout up.
Back on the feet, trading rights.
While Stout looks technical in his strikes, Stephens has more power.
Nice left hook by Stepens, followed by a checked kick by Stout
Stephens looks to be slowing down from the leg kicks, but is still landing those jabs.
Stout is scoring with the leg kicks
Great pace to the fight. Neither man is slowing much.
Stephens going for a takedown, but settles for a hard punch.
Two nice inside leg kicks by Stout. That leg has to be hurting.
High kick by stout gets blocked.
Stephens lands another left hook.
Stephens is swinging for the fences, and Stout tries the same.
I'd have to go 10-9 Stout based on those leg kicks. 19-19 going into the final frame.
ROUND THREE:
Stout starts with a flury of punches, but lands a kick that went low. Wow, groin shots galore tonight.
Field goal kick is shown on the replay.
And we're back to action, and they're picking up the pace.
Stephens lands a nice body punch and a kick.
Stephens in the clinch, takes a knee.
Stephens with a flying knee attempt.
Stout with a body kick attempt.
Stephens eats a jab on the inside.
Both men are trading punches.
Stephens hitting the face hard, Stout going with the leg kicks.
Stephens hits a leg kick that's checked.
Nice big knee by Stephens in a quick clinch.
Both exchange punches, but Stout with a kick.
Stout is pounching, landing bombs and gets Stephens on the gound.
Elbows raining down, and there's a lot of blood coming from somewhere.
Stout is in Stephens guard.
He lets Stephens up.
Stephens' leg is fucked up.
Another flying knee attempt by Stephens.
60 seconds left, and this has been a great fight. Leg kicks are doing their job on Stephens
Stephens is still getting those punches in.
Stephens is swinging for the fences again.
Stephens with a takedown, but lets Stout up and gives Stout a knee.
GREAT FIGHT!
I give Stout the 3rd 10-9. 29-28 on my card for Stout. Now we wait for the judges.
Jeremy Stephens def. Sam Stout via Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
They're airing the Tom Lawlor vs. Joe Doerksen fight, but I need a break.
Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley
NOTES:
The winner of this fight will become the #1 Contender for the UFC Welterweight Championship, and will coach vs. Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre during the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will air this fall. Talk about a prize. Your future: Getting owned by GSP. In Koscheck's case, for a second time (See: UFC 74).
WALK-INS
Let me know when the fighters start choosing good walk-out music, please? Daley disappoints.
FINALLY! Good entrance music! Nothing like some Red Hot Chili Peppers doing Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground"!
TapouT FTW! RIP Mask
No touch of the gloves! NICE!
ROUND ONE
Daley starts with a flying knee that missed
Both are now stalking each other.
Daley with short punches, not doing much.
Kos shoots in and gets the takedown. Now in Daley's guard
Daley gets up, but is slammed down hard by Kos, who goes into side control
Kos as a leg tied up by Daley, but is landing a few shots and is pushing Daley against the cage.
Kos in half-guard now.
Kos with great control over Daley right now.
Crowd is booing. I hate it when a crowd boos great ground work.
Daley in full guard trying to push Kos away.
Kos now has Daley's back, trying to get the hooks in for a rear naked choke.
Kos has the hooks, Daley's trying to get out.
Kos fighting for the rear naked choke.
Kos has a palm-to-palm rear naked choke
Daley gets out and knees Kos while he's still down.
Referee takes a point away from Daley.
Kos' nose looks cracked.
Replay makes it look like he took a toe to the eye.
Kos is trying to delay this
Slow motion from another angle shows a possible knee grazing.
We're back underway.
Nice uppercut attempt by Daley
Kos fighting for the takedown.
Round ends
No use of replay to argue calls in Quebec (dummies), which could have reversed the point deduction.
10-8 Kos for the takedowns.
Referee reverses his point deduction.
Revised: 10-9 Koscheck
ROUND TWO
Crowd chanting "Fuck You Koscheck"
Koscheck lands a nice shot, and gets a third takedown.
Kos in side control
Crowd is chanting "GSP" as Kos continues to control on the ground.
Daley moves Kos into half-guard
Kos moves into mount for a second, but goes back to half-guard.
Crowd boos the chess match on the ground.
Paul Daley needs to work on his ground game a bit more.
Kos landing a few shots from the top position.
Kos trying to move to either mount or side control
Kos is trying to free himself again, but every time Kos moves to side control or mount, Daley moves back into half-guard.
Kos posturing up and landing some good shots.
Kos still doing work, moves to the back, and trying to work the hooks in.
Kos looking for another rear naked choke, but time is running out. 30 seconds left.
Kos with shots from the rear body triangle.
As the round ends, it's another 10-9, almost 10-8 for Kos.
They show a shot of GSP on the big screen, and the crowd goes apeshit.
GSP is doing the commentary for the French broadcast.
ROUND THREE
Daley is trying to land punches, but they don't seem to connect. Reminds me of Dan Henderson trying to wind up
Kos moves to the left to avoid most of the punches
Daley with a head kick attempt.
Daley just landed two stiff punches and a LEGAL knee.
Kos trying for a takedown
Kos gets the big takedown. That's 4 in this fight. Crowd instantly boos. Starting to remind me of New Jersey and their disrespectful crowds.
Another "Fuck You Koscheck" chant as Kos rains down some shots.
Kos in side control, trying to score points.
Kos is completely dominating on the ground.
Kos in full mount after moving to side control.
Daley is trying to buck, but isn't working.
Kos is mixing punches with position control.
Kos keeps trying for an arm triangle hoping to goad Daley into giving up the back.
Daley escapes to half-guard
Kos keeps raining blows.
Daley is trash talking Kos.
Round ends, 10-8 Daley, and Daley punches Kos after the fight ends. Pure lack of class. Referee jumps in and restrains Daley.
Daley is probably looking at not only a suspension, but a pink slip
Josh Koscheck def. Paul Daley via Unaminous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
WALK-INS
Shogun with lame techno music
Machida with Linkin Park
SIXTH ROUND
We start with a leg kick and a flury of punches from Rua
Machida with a couple of strikes
Another kick from Rua with a punch
Yet another kick, checked
Machida with a takedown into half-guard
Rua looking for something, and they're back on their feed
Rua with inside knees to the thighs against the cage.
Shogun going forward with punches
Machida with another takedown
Rua gets back but takes a knee to the body
Rua with another series of knees to the inner thighs.
Machida with a knee on the break
Machida keeps switching stances
Machida is knocked down and Shogun pounces
Machida is KNOCKED OUT BY A FLURY OF PUNCHES ON THE GROUND!
NEW UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!
The crowd is going nuts!
Replay shows Shogun hit Machida with a clipping blow to the left temple that knocked Machida down
Shogun landed a few blows on the ground, but stopped when he realized Machida was out.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida via KO at 3:35 of Round 1 to become the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
POST-FIGHT
Machida's awake, but his left eye is FUCKED UP!
They're now airing the Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet prelim fight. I'm going to relax the rest of the night and just put what fights are being aired and work on my overall thoughts.
They announced that Alan Belcher got Submission of the Night. Well-deserved. I wouldn't mind seeing him get the winner of Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
This was a great pay per view, and totally erased the bad taste I had in my mouth after UFC 112 when Anderson Silva took a giant shit on the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. With the exception of the pure crowd hatred for everything Josh Koscheck, I thought the crowd was great. The fighters could use an upgrade in their walk-out music, but that's just the metalhead in me. I don't plan on doing this for EVERY MMA event. Might just stick with the UFC events, and give general thoughts on the others. Either way, I had fun. Sure, my notes aren't pretty, and I may have missed a couple of things, but I did my best.
I'm not a pro at this. I Wouldn't mind working my way to the status people like Kevin Iole (@KevinI), Dave Doyle (@yahoodoyle), John Morgan (@MMAJunkieJohn), Loretta Hunt (@LorettaHuntMMA), Maggie Hendricks (@MaggieHendricks) have attained as the elite in MMA reporting, but I'm happy just being the crazy fan I am. The people I just listed are only SOME of the major players in MMA reporting, and if you aren't following them on Twitter, you should be. I have a lot of respect for these people. They know their shit, and deserve to be recognized for it.
For the record, I went 2-3 on the PPV. I got Mitrione and Shogun. Missed on Stout, Daley and Cote. Oh well, can't win them all.
Alright. I'm signing off for the night. I hope this blog provided some insight and a somewhat detailed look at the fights. Have a good night, everyone. And to all the mom's out there, Happy Mother's Day.
Bryan M. "BMW" Willett
PRELIM LINEUP:
John Salter def. Jason MacDonald via TKO (injury) - Round 1, 2:42. -> MacDonald looks to have broken his ankle when going for a takedown. UPDATE: Jason MacDonald update: Broken left leg. Had to be put under to reset his left ankle. Surgery next week <- according to The Score's Sid Seixiero
Mike Guymon def. Yoshiyuki Yoshida via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Joey Beltran def. Tim Hague via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28).
Johny Hendricks def. T.J. Grant via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28). <- Grant was deducted a point for a kick to the groin (was the second one of the fight).
Marcus Davis def. Jonathan Goulet via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:23.
Joe Doerksen def. Tom Lawlor via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 2:10.
PPV LINEUP
Patrick Cote vs. Alan Belcher
WALK-INS
- Alan Belcher walking to the cage with "Little Wing" by Jimi Hendrix playing.
- Patrick Cote walking out to Wavin' Flag. Automatically wins on entrance music.
- Bruce Buffer's French has gotten better. WAR BUFFER!
- Crowd's already going with the Cote song
ROUND ONE
- Belcher with kicks to start.
- Cote looks good for his first fight back in the UFC after blowing his ACL at UFC 90.
- Belcher hits Cote with a groin kick Full foot on the nuts.
- Cote with a nice flury on the inside.
- Belcher with a lot of kicks to the midsection
- Cote goes southpaw and hits some shots
- Cote checks a head kick attempt
- More Cote chants
- Cote's right side ribs are swlling
- Cote with a takedown into Belcher's guard, dropping shots
- Belcher has a butterfly guard
- Cote passes to half-guard
- Cote going for a kimura.
- Cote still going for it
- Belcher gets free and gets on top
- Belcher is trying for an arm triangle, but lost position. In side control.
- Still working on the ground, Belcher on top in half-guard.
- Another arm-triangle attempt, and Cote's cut.
- Flury to end the round.
- 10-9 Cote
ROUND TWO
- Round starts, but Belcher has no mouth piece
- Trading strikes in the stand-up
- Cote's knee looks fine.
- Still boxing on the feet
- Cote with some short kicks, and Belcher responds
- Cote stalking with punches
- Belcher's only response are his kicks, and a knee on the clinch
- Up against the cage, Belcher is pushing Cote.
- Trading shots on the cage, Belcher throws an elbow.
- Cote with some good shots off the cage
- Cote catches a knee and gets a takedown, pushes Belcher against the cage
- Cote leaving himself open to some shots
- Back standing.
- Crowd still with faint Cote chants.
- Belcher with a Face Buster front suplex and transitions into a rear naked choke
- It's deep. Cote taps.
- Cote's trainer claiming he got head spiked, but it was reall a face buster. Only thing spiked was Cote's nose.
Alan "The Talent" Belcher def. Patrick "The Preditor" Cote via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:25 of the 2nd round.
"Kimbo Slice" vs. Matt Mitrione
WALK-INS
- Mitrone walks out to "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Somewhere, Mike Brown is cursing.
- Mitrione almost KO's a photographer
- Kimbo comes out to some hip hop. Skynyrd wins on my books.
- Man, Kimbo looks ripped
- I wonder what'll happen if Kimbo gets grey in his beard?
- Mitrione can't stop smiling.
ROUND ONE
- Mitrione throws a high kick, but misses.
- Kimbo catches the high kick and goes with two takedowns
- Mitrione with a triangle, and gets powerbombed.
- Slice hanging on, free of the triangle.
- Mitrione slips and gets in side control
- Kimbo with a limited ground game trying to get somewhere.
- Mitrione moves Kimbo into half-guard.
- Mitrione showing good control.
- Kimbo finally landing strikes
- Back to the feet, Mitrione with a knee
- Kimbo with ANOTHER takedown.
- Kimbo with a punch to the face, and Mitrione up against the cage.
- Mitrione looking for the triangle again. Not in deep
- Kimbo out of the triangle.
- Kimbo lets Mitrione up.
- Kimbo hitting with the right hand, and Mitrione tries for another high kick
- Mitrione with a knee and a kick that both land.
- Kimbo with shots to the body, and another knee.
- Kimbo got hurt and is down. Kick and a punch.
- Mitrione with a nice side choke.
- Kimbo trying to hang on to end the round.
- Kimbo survives.
- I give that round 10-9 Mitrione for submissions.
ROUND TWO:
Mitrione faking with punches, but Kimbo lands some.
Kimbo trying for another takedown, but it's stuffed. Kimbo has Mitrione up against the cage.
Mitrione with a knee,and some lefts off the cage
Nice inside leg kicks by Mitrione.
Kimbo's limping BADLY.
Leg kicks GALORE! You can hear them!
Mitrione's going for a Gator Roll, but is letting Kimbo up.
More leg kicks!
Now Mitrione landing combination strikes, and smiling while doing it.
Kimbo has Mitrione against the cage, but doesn't have the strength to get a take down
Mitrione with a big knee to the outer thigh.
Mitrione cranking the neck.
Mitrione with another knee to the midsection and leg.
Kimbo's getting OWNED right now, not even moving.
Mitrione with a mount, and raining down blows.
More bombs from the mount.
Kimbo is doing NOTHING to get out.
Mitrione going for an Americana arm lock.
Doesn't work, Mitrione goes back to the bombs
Referee FINALLY steps in and stops it.
Matt Mitrione def. "Kimbo Slice" via TKO (Strikes) at 4:24 of the 2nd round.
- Love the "Sanction Ontario" banner shown from the upper deck.
Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens
WALK-INS:
- What's with the wannabe hip hop/dance crap fighters are coming out to? Jeremy Stephens, I thought you had musical class.
- Poser music continues with Eminem for Sam Stout. UGH!
- Crime Scene Cleaners...nice sponsor.
- I think this fight will be hard to type. Apologies if I miss anything.
ROUND ONE
- Stout throws a leg, gets caught, Stephens takes Stout down
- Trading punches off the ground.
- Stout gets up, but eats a knee.
Stephens takes a leg kick and a left hook
Stout eats a right and Stephens taunts.
Leg kick from Stout off a head fake
Nice body punches and counter-body punches by both men.
ANother left hook to the body by Stout,
Trading leg kicks now
Stout got knocked down by a right
Stephens lets Stout back up and gives Stout a knee to the head.
Stout is bloodied
Stout throwing some kicks and punches
Stephens lands a spinning back fist
Great pace
Stephens is LANDING that left hand
Nice leg kick checked by Stephens.
This is pretty technical thus far
90 seconds left, both are trading punches and looking for angles
Stout is really landing that left hook to Stephens' body.
Stephens with a kick to the body, but Stout with a punch in return
Stephens with a good right.
Stout with a nice 2-punch 1 kick combo
Nice body kick by Stephens.
Round ends, I have to give that 10-9 Stephens based on the two knock downs.
ROUND TWO:
Stout's right eye looks like it's swelling as round 2 starts.
Trading punches and kicks by both men
Nice leg kick, but Stephens isn't checking.
Stephens lands a big shot and goes in with a flying knee.
Stout is down, and going for a kimura.
Stephens is hitting body shots to try and get Stout to let go
Stephens has Stout against the cage and lets Stout up.
Back on the feet, trading rights.
While Stout looks technical in his strikes, Stephens has more power.
Nice left hook by Stepens, followed by a checked kick by Stout
Stephens looks to be slowing down from the leg kicks, but is still landing those jabs.
Stout is scoring with the leg kicks
Great pace to the fight. Neither man is slowing much.
Stephens going for a takedown, but settles for a hard punch.
Two nice inside leg kicks by Stout. That leg has to be hurting.
High kick by stout gets blocked.
Stephens lands another left hook.
Stephens is swinging for the fences, and Stout tries the same.
I'd have to go 10-9 Stout based on those leg kicks. 19-19 going into the final frame.
ROUND THREE:
Stout starts with a flury of punches, but lands a kick that went low. Wow, groin shots galore tonight.
Field goal kick is shown on the replay.
And we're back to action, and they're picking up the pace.
Stephens lands a nice body punch and a kick.
Stephens in the clinch, takes a knee.
Stephens with a flying knee attempt.
Stout with a body kick attempt.
Stephens eats a jab on the inside.
Both men are trading punches.
Stephens hitting the face hard, Stout going with the leg kicks.
Stephens hits a leg kick that's checked.
Nice big knee by Stephens in a quick clinch.
Both exchange punches, but Stout with a kick.
Stout is pounching, landing bombs and gets Stephens on the gound.
Elbows raining down, and there's a lot of blood coming from somewhere.
Stout is in Stephens guard.
He lets Stephens up.
Stephens' leg is fucked up.
Another flying knee attempt by Stephens.
60 seconds left, and this has been a great fight. Leg kicks are doing their job on Stephens
Stephens is still getting those punches in.
Stephens is swinging for the fences again.
Stephens with a takedown, but lets Stout up and gives Stout a knee.
GREAT FIGHT!
I give Stout the 3rd 10-9. 29-28 on my card for Stout. Now we wait for the judges.
Jeremy Stephens def. Sam Stout via Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
They're airing the Tom Lawlor vs. Joe Doerksen fight, but I need a break.
Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley
NOTES:
The winner of this fight will become the #1 Contender for the UFC Welterweight Championship, and will coach vs. Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre during the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will air this fall. Talk about a prize. Your future: Getting owned by GSP. In Koscheck's case, for a second time (See: UFC 74).
WALK-INS
Let me know when the fighters start choosing good walk-out music, please? Daley disappoints.
FINALLY! Good entrance music! Nothing like some Red Hot Chili Peppers doing Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground"!
TapouT FTW! RIP Mask
No touch of the gloves! NICE!
ROUND ONE
Daley starts with a flying knee that missed
Both are now stalking each other.
Daley with short punches, not doing much.
Kos shoots in and gets the takedown. Now in Daley's guard
Daley gets up, but is slammed down hard by Kos, who goes into side control
Kos as a leg tied up by Daley, but is landing a few shots and is pushing Daley against the cage.
Kos in half-guard now.
Kos with great control over Daley right now.
Crowd is booing. I hate it when a crowd boos great ground work.
Daley in full guard trying to push Kos away.
Kos now has Daley's back, trying to get the hooks in for a rear naked choke.
Kos has the hooks, Daley's trying to get out.
Kos fighting for the rear naked choke.
Kos has a palm-to-palm rear naked choke
Daley gets out and knees Kos while he's still down.
Referee takes a point away from Daley.
Kos' nose looks cracked.
Replay makes it look like he took a toe to the eye.
Kos is trying to delay this
Slow motion from another angle shows a possible knee grazing.
We're back underway.
Nice uppercut attempt by Daley
Kos fighting for the takedown.
Round ends
No use of replay to argue calls in Quebec (dummies), which could have reversed the point deduction.
10-8 Kos for the takedowns.
Referee reverses his point deduction.
Revised: 10-9 Koscheck
ROUND TWO
Crowd chanting "Fuck You Koscheck"
Koscheck lands a nice shot, and gets a third takedown.
Kos in side control
Crowd is chanting "GSP" as Kos continues to control on the ground.
Daley moves Kos into half-guard
Kos moves into mount for a second, but goes back to half-guard.
Crowd boos the chess match on the ground.
Paul Daley needs to work on his ground game a bit more.
Kos landing a few shots from the top position.
Kos trying to move to either mount or side control
Kos is trying to free himself again, but every time Kos moves to side control or mount, Daley moves back into half-guard.
Kos posturing up and landing some good shots.
Kos still doing work, moves to the back, and trying to work the hooks in.
Kos looking for another rear naked choke, but time is running out. 30 seconds left.
Kos with shots from the rear body triangle.
As the round ends, it's another 10-9, almost 10-8 for Kos.
They show a shot of GSP on the big screen, and the crowd goes apeshit.
GSP is doing the commentary for the French broadcast.
ROUND THREE
Daley is trying to land punches, but they don't seem to connect. Reminds me of Dan Henderson trying to wind up
Kos moves to the left to avoid most of the punches
Daley with a head kick attempt.
Daley just landed two stiff punches and a LEGAL knee.
Kos trying for a takedown
Kos gets the big takedown. That's 4 in this fight. Crowd instantly boos. Starting to remind me of New Jersey and their disrespectful crowds.
Another "Fuck You Koscheck" chant as Kos rains down some shots.
Kos in side control, trying to score points.
Kos is completely dominating on the ground.
Kos in full mount after moving to side control.
Daley is trying to buck, but isn't working.
Kos is mixing punches with position control.
Kos keeps trying for an arm triangle hoping to goad Daley into giving up the back.
Daley escapes to half-guard
Kos keeps raining blows.
Daley is trash talking Kos.
Round ends, 10-8 Daley, and Daley punches Kos after the fight ends. Pure lack of class. Referee jumps in and restrains Daley.
Daley is probably looking at not only a suspension, but a pink slip
Josh Koscheck def. Paul Daley via Unaminous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
WALK-INS
Shogun with lame techno music
Machida with Linkin Park
SIXTH ROUND
We start with a leg kick and a flury of punches from Rua
Machida with a couple of strikes
Another kick from Rua with a punch
Yet another kick, checked
Machida with a takedown into half-guard
Rua looking for something, and they're back on their feed
Rua with inside knees to the thighs against the cage.
Shogun going forward with punches
Machida with another takedown
Rua gets back but takes a knee to the body
Rua with another series of knees to the inner thighs.
Machida with a knee on the break
Machida keeps switching stances
Machida is knocked down and Shogun pounces
Machida is KNOCKED OUT BY A FLURY OF PUNCHES ON THE GROUND!
NEW UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!
The crowd is going nuts!
Replay shows Shogun hit Machida with a clipping blow to the left temple that knocked Machida down
Shogun landed a few blows on the ground, but stopped when he realized Machida was out.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida via KO at 3:35 of Round 1 to become the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
POST-FIGHT
Machida's awake, but his left eye is FUCKED UP!
They're now airing the Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet prelim fight. I'm going to relax the rest of the night and just put what fights are being aired and work on my overall thoughts.
They announced that Alan Belcher got Submission of the Night. Well-deserved. I wouldn't mind seeing him get the winner of Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
This was a great pay per view, and totally erased the bad taste I had in my mouth after UFC 112 when Anderson Silva took a giant shit on the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. With the exception of the pure crowd hatred for everything Josh Koscheck, I thought the crowd was great. The fighters could use an upgrade in their walk-out music, but that's just the metalhead in me. I don't plan on doing this for EVERY MMA event. Might just stick with the UFC events, and give general thoughts on the others. Either way, I had fun. Sure, my notes aren't pretty, and I may have missed a couple of things, but I did my best.
I'm not a pro at this. I Wouldn't mind working my way to the status people like Kevin Iole (@KevinI), Dave Doyle (@yahoodoyle), John Morgan (@MMAJunkieJohn), Loretta Hunt (@LorettaHuntMMA), Maggie Hendricks (@MaggieHendricks) have attained as the elite in MMA reporting, but I'm happy just being the crazy fan I am. The people I just listed are only SOME of the major players in MMA reporting, and if you aren't following them on Twitter, you should be. I have a lot of respect for these people. They know their shit, and deserve to be recognized for it.
For the record, I went 2-3 on the PPV. I got Mitrione and Shogun. Missed on Stout, Daley and Cote. Oh well, can't win them all.
Alright. I'm signing off for the night. I hope this blog provided some insight and a somewhat detailed look at the fights. Have a good night, everyone. And to all the mom's out there, Happy Mother's Day.
Bryan M. "BMW" Willett
Interlude I: Around the Blog
This is just a quick side blog, thus the "Interlude I" title.
As you can see, I changed the colors, rearranged the layout, and added a spot on the side where my Twitter feed would show up. I moved the music player to the right of the screen because it wasn't taking up the whole width of the window. I'd like to find a way to custom-size these windows (if possible).
With the Twitter feed, I was hoping to keep it so you didn't have to put your twitter name & password in to view the feed, but I got pounded by a bunch of lame bots, so I had to re-protect my tweets. Sorry, but if you REALLY want to know what I'm tweeting about, you'll take the extra 5-10 seconds to put in your twitter username and password. I may just remove the feed and put a link so you can follow me on Twitter without the feed. I'll figure something out.
If I'm not TOO tired after tonight's UFC 113, I might try to blog my thoughts on the event. Or maybe if I'm able to pull it off, I may blog as I watch, and just keep updating it after each fight. Who knows? If I go route 2, I'll post a link.
Anyhoo, that's it for the quick "Around the Blog" update.
Later,
BMW
As you can see, I changed the colors, rearranged the layout, and added a spot on the side where my Twitter feed would show up. I moved the music player to the right of the screen because it wasn't taking up the whole width of the window. I'd like to find a way to custom-size these windows (if possible).
With the Twitter feed, I was hoping to keep it so you didn't have to put your twitter name & password in to view the feed, but I got pounded by a bunch of lame bots, so I had to re-protect my tweets. Sorry, but if you REALLY want to know what I'm tweeting about, you'll take the extra 5-10 seconds to put in your twitter username and password. I may just remove the feed and put a link so you can follow me on Twitter without the feed. I'll figure something out.
If I'm not TOO tired after tonight's UFC 113, I might try to blog my thoughts on the event. Or maybe if I'm able to pull it off, I may blog as I watch, and just keep updating it after each fight. Who knows? If I go route 2, I'll post a link.
Anyhoo, that's it for the quick "Around the Blog" update.
Later,
BMW
Friday, May 7, 2010
Chapter V: Sweet Taste of Life, The Math of Sports & Underdogs
Started the evening of May 5, 2010...
I just sat back and enjoyed a nice, big, cold glass of lemonade. Boy, did it ever taste good. The moment the taste hit the buds on my tongue, it brought me back to the best moments of my childhood. Playing baseball in the summers; family vacations; family get-togethers. To me, that drop of lemonade touching my taste buds brought to me the sweet taste of life :)
Continued the morning of May 7, 2010...
Apologies for that. I just got really distracted after I wrote that paragraph. Couldn't focus back on writing. Thus, I'm not going to give this entry an official Chapter number. Instead, this will be the first Interlude.
Last night I did some TV watching, mainly in the form of a couple of NHL games, and the latest episode of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. I think they should just call the season "Survivor: Villains Own the Heroes" as there aren't many "Heroes" left. I've already seen who makes the final vote, but I won't spoil the next couple of episodes for anyone. I just kinda hate how they crammed 2 eliminations into 1 show, Ultimate Fighter style.
Wow, how insane was the third period of the Montreal vs. Pittsburgh game? Probably some of the most intense hockey I've seen in a long while. A lot of people are bitching about the dirty goals Montreal got. I suppose a perfect old school wrap-around, stuffing it under the goalie's leg pad, and then banking it in off the skate of the opposition could be seen as dirty goals, but a goal is a goal. In the case of the wrap-around, the puck was across the line before the net came off. Sadly, people at the arena don't really get to see the replays we do on TV. Oh well. Series is tied.
As for the Detroit vs. San Jose game, wow! That was a fucking mudhole stomping. It was like pro wrestling legend Stone Cold Steve Austin opening a huge sized can of Whoop-Ass before stomping that mudhole in someone's ass and then walking it dry. 7-1 is not a pretty score, especially in the playoffs. ESPECIALLY in the 2nd round. If this was the first round, I could understand. But when one player lights the lamp 4 times (unofficially 5, but one goal was taken away and given to a teammate upon further review), and assists on 2 other goals, I would like to apply a term gamers use. "You Got Pwned!"
Tonight, we got Vancouver vs. Chicago and Boston vs. Philadelphia. I'm hoping Vancouver can come back and tie the series, because I'd rather see a good Canadian team continue on. Oh yes, I just hated on Les Canadiens. I'm an Ottawa fan. With the Pittsburgh vs. Montreal series, it's a case of me just not wanting Pittsburgh to advance. We've had Detroit and Pittsburgh in the finals the past 2 seasons. We don't need it again. Sure, they could sell it as a rubber-match if they were to both make the finals, but let's be honest. Do we really want that?
Look at NASCAR. The same guy has won 4 years in a row. Attendance and TV ratings are falling. Why? Nobody wants to see the same guy (or team) win over and over and over again. I do my research, people. The NHL in the United States is already on thin ice. They don't get the same ratings in the USA as they do in Canada. Dominance in sports is NOT a good thing. Sure, some could argue that the rest of the league/organization needs to catch up to said person/team, but do you think the people are willing to wait around for it? If you think so, you must me a very closed-minded and closed-eyed person who doesn't take the time to look around.
Let me make the math easy for you: Less people watching = less programming. Less programming = less people wanting to attend. Less people wanting to attend = higher ticket prices. Higher ticket prices = even less people wanting to attend. Make sense? You know it does.
For all the trash talking and the obscure points I make when trading barbs on Twitter or Facebook, I try to put a realist aspect into things, not just a blind "I cheer for this team because it's where I'm from" or "I cheer for this team because their players are hot" fandom. Yes, I use the story for my cheering the Ottawa Senators NHL team as wanting to be different than the rest of my family who are traditionalists by cheering for either the Montreal Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs. I've been an underdog my entire life. I've never really been the favorite. I've never been the popular one. Supporting the underdog in a situation comes natural for me, because I see myself as an underdog in this life. I suppose I get annoyed when I see people so set on supporting the overwhelming favorite instead of having the guts to take a chance and cheer for the underdogs.
Or maybe it's just because I'm not afraid to be different, and settle for a stereotype.
Besides, isn't it a better feeling when the underdog wins? Speaking from experience, I can tell you it does. Winning at ANYTHING feels a lot better when you're the one expected to lose, rather than being the one expected to win.
Defy expectations. Support the underdog. You might be surprised at how better you'll feel cheering for the "little guy."
I've changed my mind. This is getting a Chapter numbering.
BMW
Special shout out to Ryan Goshorn who won my Facebook lyrical challenge.
I just sat back and enjoyed a nice, big, cold glass of lemonade. Boy, did it ever taste good. The moment the taste hit the buds on my tongue, it brought me back to the best moments of my childhood. Playing baseball in the summers; family vacations; family get-togethers. To me, that drop of lemonade touching my taste buds brought to me the sweet taste of life :)
Continued the morning of May 7, 2010...
Apologies for that. I just got really distracted after I wrote that paragraph. Couldn't focus back on writing. Thus, I'm not going to give this entry an official Chapter number. Instead, this will be the first Interlude.
Last night I did some TV watching, mainly in the form of a couple of NHL games, and the latest episode of Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. I think they should just call the season "Survivor: Villains Own the Heroes" as there aren't many "Heroes" left. I've already seen who makes the final vote, but I won't spoil the next couple of episodes for anyone. I just kinda hate how they crammed 2 eliminations into 1 show, Ultimate Fighter style.
Wow, how insane was the third period of the Montreal vs. Pittsburgh game? Probably some of the most intense hockey I've seen in a long while. A lot of people are bitching about the dirty goals Montreal got. I suppose a perfect old school wrap-around, stuffing it under the goalie's leg pad, and then banking it in off the skate of the opposition could be seen as dirty goals, but a goal is a goal. In the case of the wrap-around, the puck was across the line before the net came off. Sadly, people at the arena don't really get to see the replays we do on TV. Oh well. Series is tied.
As for the Detroit vs. San Jose game, wow! That was a fucking mudhole stomping. It was like pro wrestling legend Stone Cold Steve Austin opening a huge sized can of Whoop-Ass before stomping that mudhole in someone's ass and then walking it dry. 7-1 is not a pretty score, especially in the playoffs. ESPECIALLY in the 2nd round. If this was the first round, I could understand. But when one player lights the lamp 4 times (unofficially 5, but one goal was taken away and given to a teammate upon further review), and assists on 2 other goals, I would like to apply a term gamers use. "You Got Pwned!"
Tonight, we got Vancouver vs. Chicago and Boston vs. Philadelphia. I'm hoping Vancouver can come back and tie the series, because I'd rather see a good Canadian team continue on. Oh yes, I just hated on Les Canadiens. I'm an Ottawa fan. With the Pittsburgh vs. Montreal series, it's a case of me just not wanting Pittsburgh to advance. We've had Detroit and Pittsburgh in the finals the past 2 seasons. We don't need it again. Sure, they could sell it as a rubber-match if they were to both make the finals, but let's be honest. Do we really want that?
Look at NASCAR. The same guy has won 4 years in a row. Attendance and TV ratings are falling. Why? Nobody wants to see the same guy (or team) win over and over and over again. I do my research, people. The NHL in the United States is already on thin ice. They don't get the same ratings in the USA as they do in Canada. Dominance in sports is NOT a good thing. Sure, some could argue that the rest of the league/organization needs to catch up to said person/team, but do you think the people are willing to wait around for it? If you think so, you must me a very closed-minded and closed-eyed person who doesn't take the time to look around.
Let me make the math easy for you: Less people watching = less programming. Less programming = less people wanting to attend. Less people wanting to attend = higher ticket prices. Higher ticket prices = even less people wanting to attend. Make sense? You know it does.
For all the trash talking and the obscure points I make when trading barbs on Twitter or Facebook, I try to put a realist aspect into things, not just a blind "I cheer for this team because it's where I'm from" or "I cheer for this team because their players are hot" fandom. Yes, I use the story for my cheering the Ottawa Senators NHL team as wanting to be different than the rest of my family who are traditionalists by cheering for either the Montreal Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs. I've been an underdog my entire life. I've never really been the favorite. I've never been the popular one. Supporting the underdog in a situation comes natural for me, because I see myself as an underdog in this life. I suppose I get annoyed when I see people so set on supporting the overwhelming favorite instead of having the guts to take a chance and cheer for the underdogs.
Or maybe it's just because I'm not afraid to be different, and settle for a stereotype.
Besides, isn't it a better feeling when the underdog wins? Speaking from experience, I can tell you it does. Winning at ANYTHING feels a lot better when you're the one expected to lose, rather than being the one expected to win.
Defy expectations. Support the underdog. You might be surprised at how better you'll feel cheering for the "little guy."
I've changed my mind. This is getting a Chapter numbering.
BMW
Special shout out to Ryan Goshorn who won my Facebook lyrical challenge.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Chapter IV: Having To Do It Yourself
Ever have one of those moments where you look at your peers and feel at a complete loss for their shortcomings? I'll get to the details in a moment, but let me lay the groundwork for you. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the only days of the week where I have full days. What I mean by "full days" is that I have classes in both the morning and afternoon. Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, I have only morning classes. That's how my class schedule worked out for Term III which started mid-April, and goes to mid-June. Today, the class line-up is Intermediate Spreadsheets (learning how to use Microsoft Excel in more detail) and Introduction to Database (learning how to use Microsoft Access) for the mornings, and in the afternoon, I have a Marketing class. Sales & Marketing is what I'm planning on majoring in next year, so you can almost say I live for Tuesday & Thursday afternoons (I have the same line-up for Thursday, too).
Now, to the details of my rant. This morning, we had to hand in assignments that will go towards the tests we're doing today (Database) and Thursday (Spreadsheets). For the past couple of days, the printer set up in this classroom for us to use has been out of paper, and nobody could give a damn to go down two floors to the supply office, sign their name in a little box, and be given a stack of 500 sheets to fill up the classroom printer. The reason it's annoying me so much is becuase I had to do it last time, about a month ago. With everyone standing around complaining, I already explained to the masses how to get paper for the printer. You can imagine how annoyed I was when nobody was going to step up and take responsibility for it.
It probably wouldn't have been so bad if my knee wasn't hurting pretty good. I'm guessing it's from the effects of it being somewhat cold and damp yesterday, and quite warm this morning. It truly makes me wonder if I'm the only one who actually gives a damn in the class whether or not we get stuff passed in the right way, at the right time.
All I can say is I'm glad I have a pair of headphones and can crank some of the tunes playing on the music player I've added to the blog. And as I type this, a smile comes to my face as the late-Johnny Cash's cover of Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage" begins to play. I kinda regret not having been able to see him perform in concert except for on television. I can only imagine how much fun his live shows must have been. See, the thing about Cash is that I don't see him as a one-genred artist. He's done so much during his lifetime. Country, Rock, Gospel, Folk, Soul, Pop, he pretty much did it all. When I read of his passing a couple of years ago, I shed tears because of how the world would be darkened by one of the brightest lights had phased out. While the fire of his memory lives on through his family, and the massive music catalogue he produced, it's not quite the same.
Alright. I've ranted enough. On my Facebook, I posted some lyrics to one of my favorite songs in hopes someone gets it right. Whoever does, I'll give a shout out to in a future blog.
BMW
Now, to the details of my rant. This morning, we had to hand in assignments that will go towards the tests we're doing today (Database) and Thursday (Spreadsheets). For the past couple of days, the printer set up in this classroom for us to use has been out of paper, and nobody could give a damn to go down two floors to the supply office, sign their name in a little box, and be given a stack of 500 sheets to fill up the classroom printer. The reason it's annoying me so much is becuase I had to do it last time, about a month ago. With everyone standing around complaining, I already explained to the masses how to get paper for the printer. You can imagine how annoyed I was when nobody was going to step up and take responsibility for it.
It probably wouldn't have been so bad if my knee wasn't hurting pretty good. I'm guessing it's from the effects of it being somewhat cold and damp yesterday, and quite warm this morning. It truly makes me wonder if I'm the only one who actually gives a damn in the class whether or not we get stuff passed in the right way, at the right time.
All I can say is I'm glad I have a pair of headphones and can crank some of the tunes playing on the music player I've added to the blog. And as I type this, a smile comes to my face as the late-Johnny Cash's cover of Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage" begins to play. I kinda regret not having been able to see him perform in concert except for on television. I can only imagine how much fun his live shows must have been. See, the thing about Cash is that I don't see him as a one-genred artist. He's done so much during his lifetime. Country, Rock, Gospel, Folk, Soul, Pop, he pretty much did it all. When I read of his passing a couple of years ago, I shed tears because of how the world would be darkened by one of the brightest lights had phased out. While the fire of his memory lives on through his family, and the massive music catalogue he produced, it's not quite the same.
Alright. I've ranted enough. On my Facebook, I posted some lyrics to one of my favorite songs in hopes someone gets it right. Whoever does, I'll give a shout out to in a future blog.
BMW
Monday, May 3, 2010
Chapter III: Winding Down
I didn't think I'd have the chance to type so much, today. I apologize if you're sick of it, already. I usually have a lot on my mind, and having the chance to get some of it out, it's great.
So I tried out the new Halo: Reach beta, which is basically an all-multiplayer beta, which I think is great. Why give away any of the single-player element? In my short time playing Halo 3 and Halo: ODST, I've noticed that it's mostly about the multiplayer. In these days, the multiplayer aspect is what sells games. Without it, you're basically screwed.
Well, I didn't get to try it much. 3 games, and that was it. The server is seriously messed up. I honestly don't think they were set up for this many users. At one point, there was over 200,000 people playing online. I swear, it got annoying waiting 20+ minutes for a server to open up, and even after that, there's no promise you'll even get in a game. I gave up for the day to relax and enjoy some television. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day.
An update from a random thought I posted in Chapter I, my friend Kevin said that Floyd Mayweather's trunks were full leather. No fur, save for the walk-out stuff. Still, I'm surprised there's no PETA protest, as they seem to protest, and in the case of an olympic athlete, go as far as to threaten violence on anyone that uses fur. I'm not saying they're right or they're wrong. They haven't done anything to me for being a meat eater, and until they do, I won't have a problem. However, I will say it's not cool to threaten someone for wanting to live their life the way they want to.When it comes to living your life, it's your own decision. The only one responsible for your choices in life is you. Unless you're living in a country where such freedoms do not exist, nobody should prevent you from doing what you want to do as long as its within the confides of the law. Anyhoo, I'm done ranting. I like to poke fun at things that produce silly headlines, and usually when PETA is in the headlines, it's usually something silly that's involved.
Speaking of silly headlines, did anyone see the one about a Vancouver politician saying that the Canucks was the only team left in the NHL playoffs that's truly Canadian? That seemed to piss off a Quebec politician who demanded a game misconduct. Maybe they should field road hockey teams, where the loser leaves politics?
Alright. I'm gone. Time to enjoy some baseball. Go Jays Go!
BMW
So I tried out the new Halo: Reach beta, which is basically an all-multiplayer beta, which I think is great. Why give away any of the single-player element? In my short time playing Halo 3 and Halo: ODST, I've noticed that it's mostly about the multiplayer. In these days, the multiplayer aspect is what sells games. Without it, you're basically screwed.
Well, I didn't get to try it much. 3 games, and that was it. The server is seriously messed up. I honestly don't think they were set up for this many users. At one point, there was over 200,000 people playing online. I swear, it got annoying waiting 20+ minutes for a server to open up, and even after that, there's no promise you'll even get in a game. I gave up for the day to relax and enjoy some television. Hopefully tomorrow is a better day.
An update from a random thought I posted in Chapter I, my friend Kevin said that Floyd Mayweather's trunks were full leather. No fur, save for the walk-out stuff. Still, I'm surprised there's no PETA protest, as they seem to protest, and in the case of an olympic athlete, go as far as to threaten violence on anyone that uses fur. I'm not saying they're right or they're wrong. They haven't done anything to me for being a meat eater, and until they do, I won't have a problem. However, I will say it's not cool to threaten someone for wanting to live their life the way they want to.When it comes to living your life, it's your own decision. The only one responsible for your choices in life is you. Unless you're living in a country where such freedoms do not exist, nobody should prevent you from doing what you want to do as long as its within the confides of the law. Anyhoo, I'm done ranting. I like to poke fun at things that produce silly headlines, and usually when PETA is in the headlines, it's usually something silly that's involved.
Speaking of silly headlines, did anyone see the one about a Vancouver politician saying that the Canucks was the only team left in the NHL playoffs that's truly Canadian? That seemed to piss off a Quebec politician who demanded a game misconduct. Maybe they should field road hockey teams, where the loser leaves politics?
Alright. I'm gone. Time to enjoy some baseball. Go Jays Go!
BMW
Chapter II: Music Player
Well, as I type this, I'm waiting for the download for the Halo: Reach beta to finish. I'm looking at it right now, and it reads 64%. Man, my internet connection is slow. Wish it went faster than 165kb/sec. When I lived in Saint John, I would sometimes reach almost 1MB (or 1024kb) per second. Would be nice to have those speeds again. Maybe then I'd be able to host games again, instead of having to rely on others. (I plan to update the % of download as I type)
Oh, looks like I'm at 65% now. Typing makes time fly? No idea.
Anyways, to the topic of this entry. The music player. As you can see at the top of the page, I've added a music player from Playlist.com. I've been using this site for a while now, and it's always good for loading up songs I really enjoy. I've put together a good list of songs that (66% now) I'd want to share with you, ranging from a good number of the genres of music I listen to. (67%) If there's something you hear that you don't like, go ahead and go to the next track, or just stop it altogether. Who knows? You might hear something you really like.
I plan on expanding the playlist a little more, depending on whether or not I find the right songs. (68%)
Anyhoo, I think this is a good enough update as to what I've added to this blog page. If I add anything more, I'll blog about it, too.
Woah, the download just jumped from 68 to 81%...weird. I'm scared, now. I'm gonna go before I jinx anything.
Enjoy the tunes.
BMW
Oh, looks like I'm at 65% now. Typing makes time fly? No idea.
Anyways, to the topic of this entry. The music player. As you can see at the top of the page, I've added a music player from Playlist.com. I've been using this site for a while now, and it's always good for loading up songs I really enjoy. I've put together a good list of songs that (66% now) I'd want to share with you, ranging from a good number of the genres of music I listen to. (67%) If there's something you hear that you don't like, go ahead and go to the next track, or just stop it altogether. Who knows? You might hear something you really like.
I plan on expanding the playlist a little more, depending on whether or not I find the right songs. (68%)
Anyhoo, I think this is a good enough update as to what I've added to this blog page. If I add anything more, I'll blog about it, too.
Woah, the download just jumped from 68 to 81%...weird. I'm scared, now. I'm gonna go before I jinx anything.
Enjoy the tunes.
BMW
Chapter I: A Weekend of Movies, Hockey and Boxing
I didn't think I'd have the time to write the first "official" entry of this blog so soon. However, while it's fresh in my mind, I'd like to get stuff going.
First, I suppose I should give a little bit of an introduction. My name's Bryan Willett. I'm 27 years old, and I live in a small northern town in New Brunswick, Canada. I'm currently in college taking Business Administration, about to wrap up my first year. I travel daily to-and-from classes, amassing nearly two hours of driving per day. I don't mind it, but by the end of the week, my knee is hurting (we'll get to that later). I'm a gamer, which means I play video games. I list myself as semi-pro in that category because I sometimes play in competitions, but most time play for fun. I'm huge into sports (mixed martial arts, hockey, soccer and baseball being among the top), and I'm an avid music fan, listening to ALMOST anything.
Now that you know a little about me, I suppose I'll get to the subtitle of Chapter 1. This weekend, I enjoyed a few NHL playoff games (even though the team I cheer for is no longer playing for - for that, I curse Pittsburgh and their annoying Penguins), a few movies (including a very funny one called "The Losers" based off the DC Comics series), and a boxing match that became a serious one-sided affair.
Let's start with the hockey, because that's where some of the amusement comes from. So far in the playoffs, every team I've gone "GO xxxx GO!" for has lost, and have since been eliminated. So, I've decided to take this to another level and proclaim myself "The NHL Prophet of Doom," where whoever I cheer for will lose the next series. Thus far, I've picked Pittsburgh, Detroit, Boston and Chicago to lose their series. As of this writing, Pittsburgh vs. Montreal is tied 1-1; San Jose leads Detroit 2-0; Vancouver leads Chicago 1-0; and Boston leads Philadelphia 1-0. Game 2 for both the Boston/Philadelphia and Vancouver/Chicago goes tonight. While my predicting doesn't guarentee a sweep, I would love to see everything come to fruition. Can you tell I enjoy being the villain, yet? :)
Onto the movie I saw with a very close friend on Saturday. A nice action film called "The Losers" was on tap. For those not familiar with "The Losers," it's a comic book series produced by Vertigo Comics, which is a division of the DC Comics universe. Fans of the TV series "Supernatural" would know the movie's star Jeffery Dean Morgan who plays John Winchester, the father to the brothers. Zoe Saldana, who played Uhura in the "Star Trek" remake, Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four" movies, and the forthcoming "Captain America: The First Avenger" movie) and Jason Patric ("The Lost Boys", "My Sister's Keeper") also star. The movie is about a group of US Special Forces operatives who get screwed over by their mysterious boss, and are left for dead. It's a revenge story (which are usually fun), filled with a lot of action and explosions. While it didn't do that well with the critics, my friend and I enjoyed it. I would recommend it if you have a couple of hours to kill.
After I got home from the movie, I was happy to learn I hadn't missed the Floyd "Money" Mayweather vs. "Sugar" Shane Mosley fight. I'll be honest, I was pulling for Mosley, but kida knew Mayweather would come out with the win. It was good to actually see Mayweather in a bit of trouble in the 2nd round, but it also left me disappointed because after Mosley couldn't finish Mayweather off, he went into a total holding pattern. I call this the "BJ Penn Effect" because of Penn's tendency to almost give up if he can't finish the fight early, or be dominant througout each round (see: Penn vs. St-Pierre I & II, Penn vs. Hughes II & Penn vs. Edgar). In my mind, Mosley suffered that mental lapse and made it look like he had blown his wad early. I give all the credit in the world to Mayweather, who weathered the storm (and was almost knocked down) only to come back and sweep rounds 3-12. The only problem Mayweather has now is that nobody's really going to want to see him fight until he faces Manny Pacquiao. With Mayweather's demand for Olympic-style drug testing rather than abiding by the State Athletic Commission's way of doing things, I honestly don't think this is going to happen any time soon. Pacquiao has a thing about needles. Whether it's a childhood phobia or something, I don't know. I honestly stopped paying attention to the whole thing when it became evident that the deal to have Mayweather and Pacquiao fight was going to fall through. Regardless, unless one side relents (which probably won't happen), we're pretty much going to be stuck with a tie for the best pound-for-pound boxer in Pacquiao and Mayweather's division.
Random Thoughts:
I'm surprised that PETA didn't have prostestors at the Mayweather vs. Mosley fight, especially after Mayweather came to the ring not only wearing pure leather, but what looked to be dyed black mink fur not only on his walk-out robe, but his boxing trunks, too. I wonder if my friend Kevin Iole - who is one of the best boxing/mixed martial arts reporters out there - can confirm the fur being on the trunks. Interesting to note, Mayweather had a full-blown chinchilla thing going during his Wrestlemania 24 match with Paul "Big Show" Wight.
If Michael Cammalleri's sick soccer-like goal in yesterday afternoon's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins where he kicked the puck up in the air, and batted it into the net, isn't one of the top goals of the entire 2009-2010 season (playoffs included), whoever's in charge of making the list should be fired. I'm not a Montreal fan, but that was amazing. Right up there with Jeff Carter's goal off the puck drop.
The Halo: Reach multiplayer beta goes live in a few hours. I'm kinda glad I have a 120GB hard drive for my X-Box 360, as the download is 1.2GB. Thing is, I don't think I'll be playing it at all today. Sadly, the maximum speed I get at home is 164kb/second. What's worse is that I'm willing to bet I have to stay IN the game, and not back out of the download screen for it not to stop, which means I won't even be able to play any other games offline. Thankfully, I have a plan in place if that happens. It's called TV series on DVD :)
Hope you enjoyed the first "official" entry. If you have any comments, feel free to leave them. Like I said, I may actually respond.
Until then, BMW has spoken.
*NOTE* This was edited at 8:33pm GMT to fix the name of the Philly player that scored off the faceoff.
First, I suppose I should give a little bit of an introduction. My name's Bryan Willett. I'm 27 years old, and I live in a small northern town in New Brunswick, Canada. I'm currently in college taking Business Administration, about to wrap up my first year. I travel daily to-and-from classes, amassing nearly two hours of driving per day. I don't mind it, but by the end of the week, my knee is hurting (we'll get to that later). I'm a gamer, which means I play video games. I list myself as semi-pro in that category because I sometimes play in competitions, but most time play for fun. I'm huge into sports (mixed martial arts, hockey, soccer and baseball being among the top), and I'm an avid music fan, listening to ALMOST anything.
Now that you know a little about me, I suppose I'll get to the subtitle of Chapter 1. This weekend, I enjoyed a few NHL playoff games (even though the team I cheer for is no longer playing for - for that, I curse Pittsburgh and their annoying Penguins), a few movies (including a very funny one called "The Losers" based off the DC Comics series), and a boxing match that became a serious one-sided affair.
Let's start with the hockey, because that's where some of the amusement comes from. So far in the playoffs, every team I've gone "GO xxxx GO!" for has lost, and have since been eliminated. So, I've decided to take this to another level and proclaim myself "The NHL Prophet of Doom," where whoever I cheer for will lose the next series. Thus far, I've picked Pittsburgh, Detroit, Boston and Chicago to lose their series. As of this writing, Pittsburgh vs. Montreal is tied 1-1; San Jose leads Detroit 2-0; Vancouver leads Chicago 1-0; and Boston leads Philadelphia 1-0. Game 2 for both the Boston/Philadelphia and Vancouver/Chicago goes tonight. While my predicting doesn't guarentee a sweep, I would love to see everything come to fruition. Can you tell I enjoy being the villain, yet? :)
Onto the movie I saw with a very close friend on Saturday. A nice action film called "The Losers" was on tap. For those not familiar with "The Losers," it's a comic book series produced by Vertigo Comics, which is a division of the DC Comics universe. Fans of the TV series "Supernatural" would know the movie's star Jeffery Dean Morgan who plays John Winchester, the father to the brothers. Zoe Saldana, who played Uhura in the "Star Trek" remake, Chris Evans ("Fantastic Four" movies, and the forthcoming "Captain America: The First Avenger" movie) and Jason Patric ("The Lost Boys", "My Sister's Keeper") also star. The movie is about a group of US Special Forces operatives who get screwed over by their mysterious boss, and are left for dead. It's a revenge story (which are usually fun), filled with a lot of action and explosions. While it didn't do that well with the critics, my friend and I enjoyed it. I would recommend it if you have a couple of hours to kill.
After I got home from the movie, I was happy to learn I hadn't missed the Floyd "Money" Mayweather vs. "Sugar" Shane Mosley fight. I'll be honest, I was pulling for Mosley, but kida knew Mayweather would come out with the win. It was good to actually see Mayweather in a bit of trouble in the 2nd round, but it also left me disappointed because after Mosley couldn't finish Mayweather off, he went into a total holding pattern. I call this the "BJ Penn Effect" because of Penn's tendency to almost give up if he can't finish the fight early, or be dominant througout each round (see: Penn vs. St-Pierre I & II, Penn vs. Hughes II & Penn vs. Edgar). In my mind, Mosley suffered that mental lapse and made it look like he had blown his wad early. I give all the credit in the world to Mayweather, who weathered the storm (and was almost knocked down) only to come back and sweep rounds 3-12. The only problem Mayweather has now is that nobody's really going to want to see him fight until he faces Manny Pacquiao. With Mayweather's demand for Olympic-style drug testing rather than abiding by the State Athletic Commission's way of doing things, I honestly don't think this is going to happen any time soon. Pacquiao has a thing about needles. Whether it's a childhood phobia or something, I don't know. I honestly stopped paying attention to the whole thing when it became evident that the deal to have Mayweather and Pacquiao fight was going to fall through. Regardless, unless one side relents (which probably won't happen), we're pretty much going to be stuck with a tie for the best pound-for-pound boxer in Pacquiao and Mayweather's division.
Random Thoughts:
I'm surprised that PETA didn't have prostestors at the Mayweather vs. Mosley fight, especially after Mayweather came to the ring not only wearing pure leather, but what looked to be dyed black mink fur not only on his walk-out robe, but his boxing trunks, too. I wonder if my friend Kevin Iole - who is one of the best boxing/mixed martial arts reporters out there - can confirm the fur being on the trunks. Interesting to note, Mayweather had a full-blown chinchilla thing going during his Wrestlemania 24 match with Paul "Big Show" Wight.
If Michael Cammalleri's sick soccer-like goal in yesterday afternoon's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins where he kicked the puck up in the air, and batted it into the net, isn't one of the top goals of the entire 2009-2010 season (playoffs included), whoever's in charge of making the list should be fired. I'm not a Montreal fan, but that was amazing. Right up there with Jeff Carter's goal off the puck drop.
The Halo: Reach multiplayer beta goes live in a few hours. I'm kinda glad I have a 120GB hard drive for my X-Box 360, as the download is 1.2GB. Thing is, I don't think I'll be playing it at all today. Sadly, the maximum speed I get at home is 164kb/second. What's worse is that I'm willing to bet I have to stay IN the game, and not back out of the download screen for it not to stop, which means I won't even be able to play any other games offline. Thankfully, I have a plan in place if that happens. It's called TV series on DVD :)
Hope you enjoyed the first "official" entry. If you have any comments, feel free to leave them. Like I said, I may actually respond.
Until then, BMW has spoken.
*NOTE* This was edited at 8:33pm GMT to fix the name of the Philly player that scored off the faceoff.
Prologue
This is just a welcome note for the readers.
Here, I will be talking in more detail about what interests me, and what disgusts and annoys me. No topics will be untouched. If there's something I feel the need to talk about, I'll talk about it. Of course, I invite comments, and may even respond to a couple from time-to-time.
There's one thing I've never believed in and that's censorship, and you won't see any censorship with this blog. If you're offended by language, or possible controversial content, consider this your one and only warning.
Of course, the way I have this set up is that each entry will be a "chapter," as this is The Book of BMW. Consider this entry the prologue to the story we're all going to share.
Expect "Chapter 1" sometime in the next couple of days.
BMW
Here, I will be talking in more detail about what interests me, and what disgusts and annoys me. No topics will be untouched. If there's something I feel the need to talk about, I'll talk about it. Of course, I invite comments, and may even respond to a couple from time-to-time.
There's one thing I've never believed in and that's censorship, and you won't see any censorship with this blog. If you're offended by language, or possible controversial content, consider this your one and only warning.
Of course, the way I have this set up is that each entry will be a "chapter," as this is The Book of BMW. Consider this entry the prologue to the story we're all going to share.
Expect "Chapter 1" sometime in the next couple of days.
BMW
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