Sports: Couture Crushes Toney, Clarett Comes Back, OchoCinco Finds Love & More!

Football is finally here, officially. The College game kicks off tomorrow with a nice slate of games for your viewing pleasure. By the way, if you are going to watch any game make sure it’s the Pittsburgh vs. Utah battle! This game has major ramifications for both teams and, more importantly, the nation. If you are like most people you’re probably extremely excited to once again have the oblong ball bouncing around the Nike turf. Football rules the nation when it comes to sports entertainment. So with football getting underway soon (and it sure will take over just about every topic known to man) I figure this may be one of our last weeks to still have a chance to talk other sports, rather than all football.

Wait, I didn’t say we wouldn’t talk football! We absolutely have to, especially with Maurice Clarett coming back. That’s right I said Mo Clarett! The once upon a time RB phenom from Ohio St has once again inked a deal to play professional football. Not with the NFL though but rather with the UFL’s Omaha Nighthawks. It’s a one year deal to play for the United Football League’s fifth franchise, the Nighthawks. It came one day after the former star running back received a tryout for the squad. Remember Mo was the guy who tried to skip his sophomore and junior Seasons to enter the NFL draft in 2004. Well, that failed along with his brief stint with the Denver Broncos, and he soon started to walk a troublesome path which ended with a 3 ½ year prison stint. By all accounts he is in great physical condition (which everyone should be who comes out of prison) and at 26 is still fairly young. I’m glad to see Mo get another shot at the sport he loves. I wish him the best of luck in everything he does. Not just in football but life. Maybe he can cash in and get a reality show, since everyone else seems to be getting one. He can call it Mo from the O! The show can be about his journey back to football, kind of like the Mike Vick project.

Speaking of celebrities and their reality shows, there are reports that The Ultimate Catch aka The Ocho Cinco show on VH1 is all for nothing. Even though the show is ongoing with Chad sifting through countless groupies, he is supposedly in a relationship with Celebrity Basketball Wives participant Evelyn Lozada. Yeah her—Antoine Walker’s “never was, wish she could have been, make believe” wife. I keep asking “why do we have these reality dating series?” Not one of the so-called “Love Seekers” ever stays with the person they chose (writers note: if there is one please enlighten me). Not even the king of the dating shows, Flavor Flav. He wound up marrying one of his old flames, one of his Baby’s mamas. VH1 must think we are some fools; they are definitely trying to play us like it. Chad didn’t even try to hide it, he came out and said he is dating basketball “never was a” wife Evelyn. Sad, not even the media man himself cares about what happens to the show. Please VH1, for all of our sakes, pull the plug on this or at least release some kind of statement. Of course they won’t because they have money sunk into production and to think were in a recession.

Remember last week when I told you about Michael Jordan’s sons Marcus and Jeffrey’s wild night in Las Vegas? Remember I also posted the message that Marcus tweeted--about them spending 35 K in a nightclub and 50 k in one day? Well I’m pretty sure he won’t be tweeting anything like that again anytime soon. Not only did he receive calls from pops and mama, he also heard from the Nevada Gaming Regulating Board. They want to know how he and his brother really spent that money; they have their own idea as to how it was spent. I doubt anything really happens to the brothers but you can be sure the younger brother of Uncle Sam, Nevada Bob will definitely make sure all of their money is in order.

Last but not least, I must say something about UFC 118 this past Saturday. Especially about the James Toney/Randy Couture so called fight. First off, the whole card turned out to be garbage minus the Nate Diaz/Marcus Davis fight. Second, for all the arguments I hear from MMA fans about how much cage fighting is so much more exciting then boxing Saturday was an example of why people need to look in the mirror and third, well third is a bit more interesting. Saturday was supposed to be the match everyone was waiting for, the boxer vs. the mma fighter, the battle to settle the score. Instead we got an embarrassing exhibition of both sports. James Toney for all he is worth is not a MMA fighter let alone a boxer at this age. For UFC to run him around like he is still one of the best boxers in the world is crazy. He can’t even get a fight in boxing right now. As far as Randy goes he is 47 years old and has always been a grappler/wrestler. He wasn’t the right guy to put in the cage vs James because we all knew he would go for the take down immediately, which is what he, did. Why not put a stand up fighter in there i.e. Chuck Liddell and watch him and Toney throw blows. Instead we got 3 minutes of a waste of time. Now we all must hear MMA fans scream how much better it is then boxing. Lets see Couture get in the ring with Toney then I tell you my final feeling on the whole ordeal! Stay tuned the next few weeks for more thoughts on this topic.

2 Minute Drive…

So much for the Miami Heat not being able to fill their roster because of a lack of money. With the signing of their 2nd round choice, Da’Sean Butler, they will now have 18 players on the roster when training camp opens. The question now becomes can any of those final 10 or so players really make a difference.

Mannywood is no longer! It’s more like “Manny with Children” now. Manny Ramirez is now a member of the Chicago White Sox. He was claimed off waivers by the team and suited up yesterday for the first time. It’s definitely a move of desperation by the White Sox as they trail the Twins by 4 games. Maybe he can spark the team the way he did the Dodgers a few years ago. Even if he doesn’t, it should be entertaining with him and Ozzie Guillen in the same locker room.

As if there isn’t already enough news from the Cincinnati Bengals camp (just read the Ocho Cinco article above), they released WR Antonio Bryant a few days back. That wouldn’t be much news except for the fact that he is a pretty good WR, but they just signed him this year to a 28 million dollar contract. Seven Million of that is guaranteed and has already been paid to him! His knee seems to be not as healthy as it was once thought, but to completely release him is stupid. Hopefully the move doesn’t come back to hurt them or any of the members reality show ratings.

One million dollars! That’s what Troy Polamalu’s hair is worth. Head and Shoulders has insured Troy’s locks just in case something happens to the mane during the season. I wonder how much dreads go for these days?