r games while winning National League Play
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r games while winning National League Play
Talk me down, Im on the boxing ledge.I love boxing as much as anyone and devoted most of my professional career to it, but it is hard to be a boxing fan right now. Too many fights we all want to see do not get made (Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin is just one).Even when they sometimes do get put together, its often torturous getting there (Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao).Even when a great match is made fairly easily with no drama, which happens from time to time, we get the bad news of an injury forcing it to be canceled (Orlando Salido-Takashi Miura).The whole Canelo-GGG thing is a farce with Golden Boy Promotions wanting to delay the biggest fight in boxing until this time next year because Alvarez somehow needs a year-plus and three fights (at least) to become a real 160-pounder. For goodness sake, he was the lineal middleweight champion of the world even though he insisted on fighting at 155 pounds. What a joke.Yes, weight classes exist for a reason, and there is a difference when fighters put on a lot of weight, but come on. If youre an elite fighter, which Alvarez is, those pounds dont make much of a difference. To me, the jump from junior middleweight to middleweight has always appeared to be one of the easiest weight class changes.Did the great Felix Trinidad need multiple fights to put on five stinkin pounds? No. Tito went from unifying junior middleweight titles in his epic knockout win of Fernando Vargas right into a tournament at middleweight and won a title in his first fight in the division by stopping William Joppy in devastating fashion.Did Sergio Martinez need years to go from junior middleweight, where he held a belt, to middleweight? No. His first fight at middleweight was a classic with Paul Williams. Yes, Martinez lost that fight, which could have gone either way, but it did not in any way hurt his career. He won the title from Kelly Pavlik in his next fight. And that loss to Williams? He avenged it with one of the sickest knockouts I have ever been ringside for.So, even as Alvarez runs for cover, Golovkin cant get the next biggest in the division made while waiting for him. GGG wants to face his mandatory challenger (and junior varisty titleholder) Daniel Jacobs, in the next-best fight in the division.?It should be an easy fight to make right? After all, the WBA has ordered the fight and upheld the usual 75-25 split and the fight was penciled in for Dec. 10 on HBO. The Golovkin side was even willing to give Jacobs more than 25 percent, but not the 40 percent he petitioned the WBA for in a purse bid split. A 67-33 split sounds right, and its not like there are untold riches here because it is not a pay-per-view fight. That means there is a cap on the revenue the fight can generate between the HBO fee, the gate, sponsors and a few territories for international television that HBO wouldnt own. I talked to an expert on this stuff and we estimated there is about $5 million to $6 million in the fight total before expenses.Yet Jacobs (meaning his adviser, Al Haymon) has dragged this nonsense out for so long that they said they couldnt get it done in time for Dec. 10 and will look to early 2017. Why in the world would a normal fight (and this is no superfight) need so long for a deal to be made? The process began in late September yet they cant do it until January (at the earliest)? That is not normal, especially since the WBA should have simply held the purse bid and let the chips fall where they may.The cratering of GGG-Jacobs leads me to another issue here -- it cost Golovkin, who prides himself on activity, a chance at a third fight this year. Jacobs, meanwhile, has fought just once in 2016, which is a disgrace for a healthy, vibrant fighter with options.That is one of boxings biggest problems: lack of activity for top guys. How can anyone expect to reach any level of serious stardom when the public and press see you fight once or twice a year? Guys fight and then go into hiding for 10 months. Its insane. The worst offender is Haymon and his Premier Boxing Champions stable. There are an absurd number of PBC-affiliated titleholders, contenders and name fighters with a shocking lack of activity. Jacobs is far from the only guy with one fight this year.How about Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Adonis Stevenson, Andre Berto, Jermell Charlo, Erislandy Lara, Vanes Martirosyan, James DeGale, Badou Jack, Anthony Dirrell, Andre Dirrell, Austin Trout, Adrien Broner, Rances Barthelemy, Gary Russell Jr., John Molina Jr., Jose Pedraza, Edner Cherry and Lee Selby? Peter Quillin and Lamont Peterson have not fought at all this year. This list is by no means complete, either.Thurman is one of the best young fighters in boxing. He holds a welterweight world title, he is undefeated, packs a big punch, has a solid fan base at home in the Tampa area and is a great interview. But he has fought once in a terrific fight against Porter. One fight a year for a guy of his caliber is unforgivable.Then there is a guy like Danny Garcia, who was a bona fide junior welterweight champion with a strong resume, exciting style and tons of options. And then he stopped facing anyone who mattered for three years other than his debatable win against Peterson in 2015. His 2016 will have been a waste -- a fight in January against faded former titleholder Robert Guerrero to win a vacant welterweight belt and a meaningless, abomination of a mismatch with Samuel Vargas next month.Supposedly, if Garcia wins, it means we will get Thurman-Garcia in March. But did Garcia really have to scrape the bottom of the barrel for the Nov. 12 fight? Its embarrassing.And dont get me started on middleweight titlist Billy Joe Saunders, a non-PBC fighter who has done nothing for the past year but hold his title hostage by turning down fights.Im also tired of fighters arguing over weight. True catchweight fights are fine when there is a considerable weight difference and it makes sense. Too many fighters are demanding silly catchweights over a couple of pounds. All fighters should have the mentality of welterweight Kell Brook, who didnt argue about jumping two weight classes when offered a shot at Golovkin.Weight issues cost us what I think would have been a popular fight this fall between two future Hall of Fame stars -- Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez -- because they were quarreling over a couple of pounds. Its a damn shame. It also means Cotto wont fight at all this year and Marquez not in the past two. (Although he at least has a legitimate reason of having been injured.)One reason for the lack of fighter activity falls at the feet of the networks. Showtime has not had a Showtime Championship Boxing card since July. Its next one isnt until December. A quarter of the year without its flagship series?After launching the PBC in 2015, Haymon spent millions of investor money on a lot of meaningless bells and whistles (Hans Zimmer music anyone?) and even more pathetic mismatches. Now, to zero surprise, there are inevitable cutbacks that dramatically reduced the number of cards in the second half of this year. From mid-September to the end of the year there will only be two PBC cards, both on Spike.And I havent forgotten about you, HBO, the self-titled heart and soul of boxing. Not this year, my friends.From mid-June until late November, HBO will have had only three network cards (not including pay-per-view replays): Sergey Kovalev-Isaac Chilemba (on several hours tape delay), Andre Ward-Alexander Brand (one of the worst matchups on paper and fights in the ring in network history) and the fine split-site show featuring Golovkin-Brook and Roman Gonzalez-Carlos Cuadras. The next network fight is not until Nov. 26 (although its a good one, Vasyl Lomachenko-Nicholas Walters).Other than the bright light of the Francisco Vargas-Salido fight of the year contender in June, it has been a hideous year for HBO boxing so far, having given us the likes of Dmitry Mikhaylenko-Karim Mayfield and Felix Verdejo-William Silva.Hopefully, 2017 will be better. It cant get much worse. Now get off my lawn. Orange Air Zoom Training Shoes .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. White Air Zoom Running Shoes . The 18th player to shoot 60 on the tour, Jamieson settled for par on the final hole when his 15-foot birdie chip grazed the edge of the hole and stayed out. After opening with rounds of 66 and 73 to make the cut by a stroke, he had 11 birdies in the bogey-free round. http://www.cheapnikeairzoom.com/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Womens Air Zoom Training Shoes . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Blue Air Zoom Running Shoes . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves, last in the majors with 65 homers, will finally have a right-handed power bat in the lineup when they open a three-game series Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Turner Field.Matt Kemp, acquired late Saturday, had 23 homers with San Diego and the Braves are counting on him to be a part of their reboot going into a new ballpark in 2017 and a return to contention by 2018.We look at this as probably the first piece of starting to look at what were going to do this winter, as far as adding other pieces into this mix, Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said.Meanwhile, the Pirates are still hoping to make it to the postseason for a fourth straight year despite trading closer Mark Melancon on Saturday and possessing a 52-51 record after being swept in a weekend series at Milwaukee.Were not giving up on anything, Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. Were not lowering the bar. Were not settling.Left-hander Tony Watson will take over as the closer and the Pirates were busy Monday ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline making other pitching changes.Right-handed starter Ivan Nova was acquired from the New York Yankees for two players to be named later and veteran left-hander Jon Niese was sent back to the New York Mets in exchange for former Pirates lefty Anthony Bastardo.Then right at the deadline, left-hander Francisco Liriano was sent to the Toronto Blue Jays along with two prospects for right-hander Drew Hutchinson, who has spent most of the season in Triple-A.Liriano is owed $13 million next season and had struggled mightily in 2016, going 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA.The Braves started their massive teardown and rebuild two years ago,, dealing away veteran players rather than acquiring them.dddddddddddd The 31-year-old Kemp, though, fills a need; the remaining three years on his contract are partially covered by the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, and the deal subtracted unwanted Hector Olivera.The Braves, quiet at the Monday afternoon deadline, held on to veteran reliever Jim Johnson, who saved four games while winning National League Player of the Week on Monday.Gerrit Cole, coming off a career first, will start the series opener for the Pirates against the Braves Mike Foltynewicz.Cole (6-6, 2.78 ERA) threw the first complete game of his career on Wednesday against Seattle and is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in three career games against the Braves.He allowed three hits and one run to the Mariners, striking out six without allowing a walk. Of his 94 pitches, 70 were strikes.The right-hander was on the disabled list for a month with a strained right triceps before returning to the Pirates rotation on July 17.Foltynewicz (4-4, 4.30 ERA) gave up five runs in three innings on May 19 in a loss at Pittsburgh, but has pitched much better at home than on the road this season. The right-hander has a 2.83 ERA in Atlanta compared to 5.40 on the road.The series is Pittsburghs last visit to Turner Field. They have good memories at the 20-year-old downtown ballpark that was once the main facility of the 1996 Olympics.The Pirates clinched a spot in the 2014 postseason at Turner Field and celebrated in the visitors clubhouse.Pittsburgh took three of four games against the Braves in Pittsburgh this year. 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