From the Press Box

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Six starters return for the Jayettes, who can no longer be penciled in as an "automatic win" on any team's schedule.

BIG FIGHT? BIG WHOOP! (and other passing thoughts)

The latest in so-called “Big Fights” is slated for Saturday in Las Vegas, when Floyd “Woman Batterer” Mayweather takes on Manny Pacquiao, five years after they should have first fought.

There have been a few “Big Fights” in the middleweight and welterweight ranks: Leonard vs. Duran. Leonard vs. Hearns, Hagler vs. Hearns, even some of Oscar DeLaHoya fights were hyped like mad.

However, most serious followers of the sweet science, and even the casually interested fan, are generally united in believing a “Big Fight” needs to be between heavyweights. Sadly, there has not been a heavyweight worth a pugilists sweat bucket since the pre-Buster Douglas Mike Tyson days.

Now we are having the aging Mayweather v. Pacquiao hyped the high heaven. Mayweather is a thug and convicted beater of women who, while 47-0, has not had a knockout of worth since 1999, while Pacquiao has lost some of his speed and thus, will unlikely be able to floor Floyd.

I have heard, and read, that ringside seats (within three rows) are not to be had, though a pair in row one reportedly sold for $300k each. Do not have that kind of cheese in your cupboard? Not to fret: you can watch it all on pay-per-view for the low, low sum of just $100.

There is, of course, no guarantee the fight will go 12 rounds. Or that if it did, they would be entertaining rounds. The whole thing could be over in just a few minutes.

My money (I am willing to risk a dollar) says it is a (surprise!) split-decision won by Mayweather, with all sorts of acrimony and calls of “fix!” setting the stage for a rematch in 18 months worth the estimated GNP of Guyana.

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The “Big Fight” is generating all sorts of wasted air space on ESPN, especially among morning blowhards Skip “Wrong 85% of the Time” Bayless and Stephen A. “Ghetto” Smith — that is, when they stop yapping about the NBA.

Clearly ESPN has a large minority audience, and, geographically speaking, is not only based, but draws much of its viewers from, the Northeast.

The NBA remains popular there and in many other places, but as a national sport the cache of professional basketball is a shadow of its former self. Millions have lost interest and the ratings show it.

While the NBA will never fall to the low levels of NHL viewership, it is serious danger of becoming only a big city sport, and one watched only by hardcore devotees, much as hockey is (and as a huge fan of the puck it saddens me).

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Speaking of ESPN, the NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Chicago. If you have flipped to ESPN at all for more than five minutes at any time since the Super Bowl you are already aware of that. No one does shameless plugging like the Mothership.

And speaking of the draft, I will go on the public record and state that Jameis Winston will be a near-bust. He will not be the next JaMarcus Russell or Akili Smith, but he could be the next Sam Bradford — passable, but not worth the top pick or the money.

That does not make he high on Marcus Mariota, either, who I will rate the same as Mr. Crab Legs.

The steal of the draft? Georgia running back Todd Gurley, who, if he stays healthy, is the next Eddie Lacey.

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Cookies to Jim Caufield and I. This website is off and running, and if you will help the cause by encouraging your friends in the business community to advertise with us, we will continue to bring you news and sports in the style and manner you clearly appreciate. We thank you for your support!

Cookies to the community for the way they have rallied re: the incident at the kindergarten concert. The issue of immigration control/reform has valid arguments on both sides, but these can be discussed in their proper context and place, and to disrupt a concert of 5-6 year old kids was beyond the pale.

Crumbs to television commercials which run incessantly. Enough of the Buick ads, already, and same with Jan from Toyota, Flo from Progressive and Jared from Subway. Good riddance!

Finally, cookies to AMC. The cable channel has brought us Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead, Mad Men and Turn! Excellent, all of them.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Great job on your web paper – I appreciate reading it and am glad to see From The Press Box back. Keep up the good work.

  2. Debbie: Thanks for the kind words! As an Observant Reader, you will understand From The Press Box is fickle; dispatches often come in bursts. I shall try to have it appear on a more regular basis! — JW

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