ESPN's Dan Rafael had the fight 119-109 Pacquiao.
The fans on ESPN were given the right to vote round by round, and voted 119-109 Pacquiao.
Kieran Mulvaney had the fight 117-111 Pacquiao. So did the Associated Press.
The winner, by split decision, AND NEW WBO WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION, TIMOTHY BRADLEY!
115-113 on all three cards, two for Bradley, one for Pacquiao.
If someone can please explain to me how that is even plausible without basically saying that Pacquiao is of no value now that the Mayerweather fight never happens, I want to hear you.
NOW.
I mean, think: The fight was at the MGM Grand: "Home of the Champion -- Floyd Mayerweather Jr.", the six-story poster and all. Why isn't this a clear case of Vegas protecting their man from the one guy who can kick his ass?
EDIT TO ADD: Foxsports.com has one: Tim Bradley was "so confident he could win" that he had tickets printed for a date of November 10, 2012 -- for a REMATCH with Pacquiao should he win.
MORE UNOFFICIAL CARDS EDIT TO ADD 2306 PDT: All for Pacquiao: Yahoo! Sports (where I got these): 117-111. Bob Arum, the promoter of both fighters: 118-110 ("I had it 10-2!") Harold Lederman of HBO Sports: 119-109.
Arum said afterward:
""This is a death knell for boxing, and I'm going to make a ton of money on the rematch," Arum said."
Saturday, June 9, 2012
And the first apparent racism incident of the tournament comes in Game Two...
And BBC's Panorama called this perfectly...
In Russia's 4-1 win over the Czech Republic yesterday, anti-racism officials have reported at least two incidents in the stadium, one in which fans apparently gave racist chants to an African-heritage Czech player, and a second in which about three dozen fans battled stewards in the stadium.
A Czech defender, according to reports, had racist chants put to him while he was taking a corner kick in the match, and some Russian fans were apparently attacking stewards after the match.
In addition, at least one apparent white-supremacist/far-right flag was seen flown in the stadium during the match.
All it's going to take is one spark to blow the entire powderkeg -- sounds like we're through two days of it, though...
In Russia's 4-1 win over the Czech Republic yesterday, anti-racism officials have reported at least two incidents in the stadium, one in which fans apparently gave racist chants to an African-heritage Czech player, and a second in which about three dozen fans battled stewards in the stadium.
A Czech defender, according to reports, had racist chants put to him while he was taking a corner kick in the match, and some Russian fans were apparently attacking stewards after the match.
In addition, at least one apparent white-supremacist/far-right flag was seen flown in the stadium during the match.
All it's going to take is one spark to blow the entire powderkeg -- sounds like we're through two days of it, though...
Friday, June 8, 2012
And, as I predicted, EURO 2012 starts off as an absolute farce!
Well, at least the two matches were completed today.
But you have to see one of the most absurd refereeing decisions in history.
Carlos Velasco Carballo of Spain saw THIS fit for a second yellow and a red. After carding Sokratis Papastathopoulos nine minutes earlier with the match 1-0 for the hosts, a slight bump in the 44th minute is enough for Carballo to send the Greek player off for a second yellow and leave the team with ten men.
(You can see the ESPN clip of the incident on the Gamecast of the match here. UEFA is already judiciously removing clips of the incident right and left from YouTube. Click on the red card for Greece at the 44th minute of the timeline just below the commentary and main "screen" of the Gamecast, and a clip of the incident will be shown. Closer replay is at 39 seconds of the ESPN Gamecast clip.)
Hell, if the referee is going to be THAT harsh, wouldn't that be a straight red for, effectively, a DOGSO (Denial Of a Goal-Scoring Opportunity) if Carballo wants to be that idiotic? If he's going to rule an elbow for that, he might as well go all the way to DOGSO, because it's clear that Papastathopoulos is the last defender who can reasonably play the Polish player until the goalkeeper about 40-50 yards away!
And then ANOTHER incident in first-half stoppage time against the Greeks (45 minutes on the timeline, replay at about 48 seconds on the clip), three minutes later, as a clear handball in the box by Damien Perquis goes uncalled, and another player goes in the book for Greece. And only a very astute captain prevented several more.
If the officials have been told to card players mobbing the referee, as the announcers note, Greece could've gotten about 4-5 more yellow cards for those two incidents.
And yet, Greece, even at 10, equalize ten minutes into the second half and should've won the game on a 68th minute penalty in which the Polish keeper was sent off for a DOGSO challenge, but his substitute saved the penalty, and the match ends a farcical 1-1.
But you have to see one of the most absurd refereeing decisions in history.
Carlos Velasco Carballo of Spain saw THIS fit for a second yellow and a red. After carding Sokratis Papastathopoulos nine minutes earlier with the match 1-0 for the hosts, a slight bump in the 44th minute is enough for Carballo to send the Greek player off for a second yellow and leave the team with ten men.
(You can see the ESPN clip of the incident on the Gamecast of the match here. UEFA is already judiciously removing clips of the incident right and left from YouTube. Click on the red card for Greece at the 44th minute of the timeline just below the commentary and main "screen" of the Gamecast, and a clip of the incident will be shown. Closer replay is at 39 seconds of the ESPN Gamecast clip.)
Hell, if the referee is going to be THAT harsh, wouldn't that be a straight red for, effectively, a DOGSO (Denial Of a Goal-Scoring Opportunity) if Carballo wants to be that idiotic? If he's going to rule an elbow for that, he might as well go all the way to DOGSO, because it's clear that Papastathopoulos is the last defender who can reasonably play the Polish player until the goalkeeper about 40-50 yards away!
And then ANOTHER incident in first-half stoppage time against the Greeks (45 minutes on the timeline, replay at about 48 seconds on the clip), three minutes later, as a clear handball in the box by Damien Perquis goes uncalled, and another player goes in the book for Greece. And only a very astute captain prevented several more.
If the officials have been told to card players mobbing the referee, as the announcers note, Greece could've gotten about 4-5 more yellow cards for those two incidents.
And yet, Greece, even at 10, equalize ten minutes into the second half and should've won the game on a 68th minute penalty in which the Polish keeper was sent off for a DOGSO challenge, but his substitute saved the penalty, and the match ends a farcical 1-1.
Karma, or a coverup? We WON'T Have Another...
Well, the streak goes on.
24 hours before the Belmont Stakes, not only will I'll Have Another not run...
... an injury has forced the horse to RETIRE FROM RACING ON THE SPOT.
Swelling in the left front leg, apparently.
Forgive me if I don't buy it.
As I said earlier this morning, the trainer of the horse is suspended in California for illegal cardon-dioxide levels, and the horses were impounded into the detention barn at least 48 hours beforehand.
It was about then that the injury was discovered.
So I'm not buying this for a second. I think there's something fishy about the whole enterprise.
And, once again, I will reiterate: There will NEVER be another Triple Crown winner. The horses cannot handle running these three races five weeks apart.
24 hours before the Belmont Stakes, not only will I'll Have Another not run...
... an injury has forced the horse to RETIRE FROM RACING ON THE SPOT.
Swelling in the left front leg, apparently.
Forgive me if I don't buy it.
As I said earlier this morning, the trainer of the horse is suspended in California for illegal cardon-dioxide levels, and the horses were impounded into the detention barn at least 48 hours beforehand.
It was about then that the injury was discovered.
So I'm not buying this for a second. I think there's something fishy about the whole enterprise.
And, once again, I will reiterate: There will NEVER be another Triple Crown winner. The horses cannot handle running these three races five weeks apart.
The Show Must Go On, Part V: Euro 2012, A Farce In The Making
Today, the quadrennial European national-side Championships, EURO 2012, kick off today in Poland and the Ukraine.
To say that this tournament should not take place is almost certainly kind to the present state of European soccer throughout the continent.
A small subset of examples:
And that's just a small subset of the issues
To say that this tournament should not take place is almost certainly kind to the present state of European soccer throughout the continent.
A small subset of examples:
- The tournament, and the two home nations therein, are beset by significant racism incidents committed by the "Ultras" (the violent fanatics) of many of the teams therein. This was brought to light very well by the BBC's show Panorama, where, in "Stadiums of Hate", a BBC crew exposed most of Poland's and Ukraine's stadiums filled with venomous violence and racial hatred, including Nazi salutes and crosses all over the stadia as well as the fans. One derby in Poland had the fans battling police before the kickoff of the match, because they couldn't battle the opposing fans, they being banned from the stadium for their safety! (Sadly, I cannot tell you to go watch the entire program, as YouTube has been asked by the BBC (and probably UEFA as well) to remove the 24-minute program from the service, and has done so.) A striking interview with Sol Campbell (an African-heritage English player, left off the squad due to a racism row with former captain John Terry) said that any fans of racial concern should avoid the tournament, lest they lose their lives in going.
- But these controversies reignited only the day before the tournament began when charges came down that African-heritage players for the Netherlands were called "monkeys" (a common racial slur used against African-heritage players in Eastern Europe) during a pre-tournament practice in Krakow, Poland. UEFA denies the claims, and the standing story is that the 25,000 people present used the Dutch training session as a forum to protest that Krakow was not one of the sites for the tournament. (And if you believe that, I have some wonderful swampland to sell you somewhere around Chernobyl.)
- Oh, I mentioned John Terry, didn't I? England certainly does not escape the discussions surrounding this tournament, as Terry was finally included in the English squad, though not in his former captaincy, even though he faces an imminent criminal racism trial once the tournament ends! This may well have caused the then-coach of the English side to be sacked (fired) by the Football Association, only for Terry to be placed on the team anyway by his successor? No wonder no sane person should be taking England for any degree of a serious threat should this tournament be allowed to complete!
- Racism isn't the only huge negative clouding the beginning of this tournament. There is serious discussion as to why the Italian team is even being allowed in the tournament at all, due to the nature of the continuing "Last Bet" investigations by Italian authorities into match-fixing, up to and including the highest club in the land, Juventus. It has become so severe that one Juventus blog has reported that the premier of Italy wishes to see all soccer activities suspended in Italy for a period of two to three years (which would not only remove Italy from this Euro championship, but the next World Cup and probably the next Euros as well in 2016). Only the full expulsion of Italy, one of Europe's premier soccer powers, from FIFA until the corruption is dealt with. It has become so bad that the coach of Italy for this tournament actually said that he would not mind if the Italians were removed from the event entirely. (This after a listless 3-0 loss to Russia.) I point you to Declan Hill's continuing blog on soccer corruption for continuing news on the Italian story.
- And Italy is not the only nation with this going on. Non-qualifiers Turkey have also seen their most prominent club (Febernache) have their head arrested, but Declan Hill reports that punishments may be far too lenient for the crimes. Turkey has still not been held to true account for many crimes against soccer, and, though it is thankful that their national side is not in the tournament, a full set of officials is in the officiating pool for the EURO 2012 tournament!
- Tickets have not been selling well for many EURO 2012 matches. The English seem to be taking Campbell's advice and not coming. As a result, at least 10,000 tickets for matches in the Ukraine remain unsold as of Monday. (Think of this with possibilities of the "Ultras" ruining the tournament entirely!) In fact, one NBC report indicates there are still unsold tickets for the Grand Final match in Kiev!
And that's just a small subset of the issues
The Show Must Go On, Part IV: The 2012 Belmont Stakes
Found another one, and thanks to Brian's Twitter for reminding me before the race happens tomorrow.
It has been 33 years since the last Triple Crown, and I really and truly believed there would never be another horse to win the three big American horse races.
But, for the twelfth time in those 33 years, we have a horse two-thirds of the way through the Triple Crown.
Shame the horse and trainer should not be allowed to participate.
You see, "I'll Have Another"'s trainer, Doug O'Neill, was suspended in the state of California for 45 days after giving one of his (other) horses an illegal performance-enhancing substance.
He claims he did not do this, but one has to wonder, especially since the California racing authorities gave him the maximum possible punishment, why is he allowed to saddle "I'll Have Another" in New York?
This is, in fact, the fourth such violation (and third in California) of his career. He was actually to be suspended for 180 days, but most of the suspension was held up if he remains on the straight and narrow.
He was also suspended in 2010 in Illinois for the same offense -- "milkshaking" excessive amounts of carbon dioxide into the horse's system.
But, in fact, as The Albany Times-Union reports, only one of the eleven trainers in the Belmont tomorrow hasn't had at least one similar offense on their record.
Probably largely as a result, the horses were placed in the normal Belmont "detention barn" on Wednesday, at least 48 hours (if not more) beyond any such previous race.
The rationale: That a clean race is run on Saturday.
How on Earth is that possible? Seriously! This race should not be run at all.
It has been 33 years since the last Triple Crown, and I really and truly believed there would never be another horse to win the three big American horse races.
But, for the twelfth time in those 33 years, we have a horse two-thirds of the way through the Triple Crown.
Shame the horse and trainer should not be allowed to participate.
You see, "I'll Have Another"'s trainer, Doug O'Neill, was suspended in the state of California for 45 days after giving one of his (other) horses an illegal performance-enhancing substance.
He claims he did not do this, but one has to wonder, especially since the California racing authorities gave him the maximum possible punishment, why is he allowed to saddle "I'll Have Another" in New York?
This is, in fact, the fourth such violation (and third in California) of his career. He was actually to be suspended for 180 days, but most of the suspension was held up if he remains on the straight and narrow.
He was also suspended in 2010 in Illinois for the same offense -- "milkshaking" excessive amounts of carbon dioxide into the horse's system.
But, in fact, as The Albany Times-Union reports, only one of the eleven trainers in the Belmont tomorrow hasn't had at least one similar offense on their record.
Probably largely as a result, the horses were placed in the normal Belmont "detention barn" on Wednesday, at least 48 hours (if not more) beyond any such previous race.
The rationale: That a clean race is run on Saturday.
How on Earth is that possible? Seriously! This race should not be run at all.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
When I say any competitive event can be fixed, I do mean it!!!
And Brian Tuohy has one you guys probably never thought of.
In one of his latest articles for Examiner.com, Tuohy reports that a number of Korean video game players have been banned or severely fined for taking part in a match-fixing scandal for the professional players of the video game Starcraft.
Let that process.
The professional competitions in Korea can be wagered upon by the general public over there. (Not surprising, as their e-athletes have such a high regard over there that an Olympic-like event, the World Cyber Games, was created for e-sports. I actually was an attendee when the WCG was held in San Francisco one time. Got to meet, and get my butt kicked by, Fata1ty. Nice guy.)
So it should come as an even lesser surprise to people reading this blog that some of the Korean Starcraft players have been busted for match-fixing.
Sixteen people were involved, with one being a professional soccer player in Korea, while a known gangster was proven implicated.
Still laughing? The 12 matches proven fixed netted the ring over $120,000 US.
Players would not only be asked to throw the matches, but then would go online where the matches could be wagered upon and wager against themselves!
The company creating the game, Blizzard (same company as Diablo III and World of Warcraft) has seized control of professional Starcraft.
One of my major disagreements with Tuohy is that I, unlike the author (who has just finished the main writing on the follow-up book to The Fix is In), do believe that any relevant competition which can be fixed probably is.
Any wonder why I feel that way after reading something like this?
EDITED TO ADD 6/9/2012: I was going to leave this to Brian, but I'm just adding this for emphasis. You can now add the Miss USA Pageant to the list, as one of the contestants resigned after stating she saw another contestant rattle off, in order, the final five contestants before the show even aired. (To my understanding, as I haven't seen a beauty pageant in years, there is a televised "semi-final" round which is supposed to be judged in between.)
She's being sued by at least one Miss USA/Universe level company.
The point I wish to make is that I disagree with Brian on one very relevant level: ANYTHING WHICH CAN BE FIXED IS FIXED. For example, they're holding the Major League Gaming Spring Championships this weekend for Starcraft. Top prize: $25,000.
Now think of all the business interests within Miss USA -- and it's leader, Donald Trump, who named Arsenio Hall his "Celebrity Apprentice" over Clay Aiken, even though Aiken out-raised Hall in the final charity challenge, and members of Hall's team were donating to Aiken to aid his winning.
In one of his latest articles for Examiner.com, Tuohy reports that a number of Korean video game players have been banned or severely fined for taking part in a match-fixing scandal for the professional players of the video game Starcraft.
Let that process.
The professional competitions in Korea can be wagered upon by the general public over there. (Not surprising, as their e-athletes have such a high regard over there that an Olympic-like event, the World Cyber Games, was created for e-sports. I actually was an attendee when the WCG was held in San Francisco one time. Got to meet, and get my butt kicked by, Fata1ty. Nice guy.)
So it should come as an even lesser surprise to people reading this blog that some of the Korean Starcraft players have been busted for match-fixing.
Sixteen people were involved, with one being a professional soccer player in Korea, while a known gangster was proven implicated.
Still laughing? The 12 matches proven fixed netted the ring over $120,000 US.
Players would not only be asked to throw the matches, but then would go online where the matches could be wagered upon and wager against themselves!
The company creating the game, Blizzard (same company as Diablo III and World of Warcraft) has seized control of professional Starcraft.
One of my major disagreements with Tuohy is that I, unlike the author (who has just finished the main writing on the follow-up book to The Fix is In), do believe that any relevant competition which can be fixed probably is.
Any wonder why I feel that way after reading something like this?
EDITED TO ADD 6/9/2012: I was going to leave this to Brian, but I'm just adding this for emphasis. You can now add the Miss USA Pageant to the list, as one of the contestants resigned after stating she saw another contestant rattle off, in order, the final five contestants before the show even aired. (To my understanding, as I haven't seen a beauty pageant in years, there is a televised "semi-final" round which is supposed to be judged in between.)
She's being sued by at least one Miss USA/Universe level company.
The point I wish to make is that I disagree with Brian on one very relevant level: ANYTHING WHICH CAN BE FIXED IS FIXED. For example, they're holding the Major League Gaming Spring Championships this weekend for Starcraft. Top prize: $25,000.
Now think of all the business interests within Miss USA -- and it's leader, Donald Trump, who named Arsenio Hall his "Celebrity Apprentice" over Clay Aiken, even though Aiken out-raised Hall in the final charity challenge, and members of Hall's team were donating to Aiken to aid his winning.
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