Williams

The TNA X-Division Title.  Once upon a time it was the very cornerstone of the company itself.  This was what set TNA apart from the WWE.  They even went as far as using a six sided ring to give their high flyer’s more ways to do pull off new and exciting moves.  But that was then, and this is now. 

    Back then, you had some of the biggest names in TNA making the X-Division the thing to watch.  A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Petey Williams, and Low-Ki (now Kaval in WWE)  just to name a few.  It wasn’t unusual for an X-Division match to steal the show at a pay per view, and be more exciting than the main event.

     So what happened?  Three little words.  Hogan and Bischoff.  Despite the last few weeks being better than average, and the recent improvements on Impact, the X-Division is still on the back burner.  Since the Hogan/Bischoff regime has taken over the focus has been all on the World Title, and the pushing of the heavyweights.  Now I do understand the importance of having a strong World Champion, and the building of new stars to challenge for that Title, but you should not kill the very thing that got the company noticed in the first place.  Especially since its those fans, the ones that started watching TNA because it was so different, that are starting to turn their backs on the show they once loved.   Why bother watching something that is now just like the WWE, but not as good, when you can just watch RAW or Smackdown?

     So what can be done to fix this?   Well that answer is very simple.  Just allow the X-Division to do what it does best, and that is to have exciting matches.  There should always be at least one match on Impact, and a Title defence on every pay per view.   But how can this renewed focus begin?  Well for starters, they can bring back/start using the current talent that has been for the most part sitting the bench.  Homicide has already quit the company, so they should act fast before his actions trigger a domino effect among the others who are not being used.  People such as Eric Young,  Kiyoshi, Suicide (put somebody new under the mask), Amazing Red,  and Generation Me.  It would also be a great idea if they brought back something like the World X-Cup tournament.  Seeing talent from around the World compete, even if for a short time, in the X-Division is exactly the kind thing that would bring in some new fans, and remind the older ones why they started watching TNA in the first place.  It would also be a good excuse to bring back Petey Williams, but that’s just my opinion. ( I miss seeing my home town boy)

    But one of the very first things that should happen, is to end this boring, tired, going nowhere angle of Doug Williams “schooling” the X-Division guys while sucking all the fun out of his matches.  Take the Title off of him, and lets get back to some real action.

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An interesting discussion I was having recently revolved around the question of the Yankees and retired numbers: who, among current or former Yankees, is in line to be added to Monument Park?

I’m going to break this into 3 parts: the locks, the already retired, and the current players.

The Locks:

Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera

I’m lumping these two together because they are both obvious. Even if they never played another game, both would be in the Hall of Fame and would get their jerseys retired. It’s just a matter of when at this point.

Chance: 100%

The Already Retired:

Bernie Williams

It is sad that Bernie kind of lingered his last year and simply didn’t announce his retirement. In fact, he still has never announced his retirement. That doesn’t change the fact though that he was the Yankees’ best player during their late-90s championship run and was an above average player up until the very end of his career. He also played his entire career as a Yankee. Awhile back, I made a case for him being a Hall-Of-Famer and – while most commenters wrote in to say he was not one – I still don’t think the idea is that far fetched (if you remember, I wrote it partially as a response to Jim Rice’s induction to the HOF, since Williams is a superior player to Rice).

So does his number get retired? I think so.

Chance: 90%

Paul O’Neill

It was pretty clear back in 2008 that the Yankees had no intentions of retiring O’Neill’s number 21. After all, they did issue it to LaTroy Hawkins. Hawkins was subsequently booed repeatedly, to the point where he changed his number. So clearly, many Yankee fans want O’Neill’s number retired. Should it be though? Paul was undoubtably a very good player for the Yankees, but he played half his career in Cincinnati. He posted a good number of solid seasons in NY, but considering he did not play a premium position, his value was not close to that of a Jeter or a Williams. So, much like teammate Tino Martinez, O’Neill will likely have to settle for being revered by fans for his role as good player on a great team.

Chance: 5%

The Current Players:

Jorge Posada

When I have the retired number conversation with people, they tend to forget about Jorge. Fans revere Posada as a member of the late-90′s teams and now a member of the “core 4,” but in some ways he is actually underrated. Much has been made of his mediocre defense, but it often goes overlooked how rare it is to have a catcher continue to perform offensively the way Posada has for 15+ years. The most comparable player to him, according to BaseballReference.com, is Carlton Fisk, who is in the Hall of Fame (and to that end, I’ll have a post exploring Jorge’s HOF chances relatively soon; here’s a hint though: they’re better than you may think). No one would argue that Posada is a great defensive catcher, but even now at age 38, he’s never become the sort of liability of a Mike Piazza type, who you can run on at will.

Like Bernie, I think Posada is a lock if not for all the other great players around him. Even so though, I think he gets it.

Chance: 90%

Andy Pettitte

Andy’s a tough case. He played 3 seasons in Houston (including what may have been his best season). He’s only had a few seasons in NY where he was really good (oddly enough, this year was shaping up to be one of his best before his injury). In terms of counting stats, Pettitte is right there with Ron Guidry, but he never had a period of dominance like Gator. In Andy’s favor though, no other Yankee starter from the period really has a chance and part of what defined the late-90s Yankees was their great starting pitching. I think it’s more likely that he doesn’t get his number retired, but if he wins another title in NY and/or has another strong season for the Yanks next year, his case will continue to build.

Chance: 40%

Alex Rodriguez

This is even tougher than Pettitte, because there are so many factors involved. If you simply look at the numbers, it would seem to be a no-brainer. Sure, much of his career was played in Seattle and Texas, but he has had a dominant stint with the Yankees that compares favorably to Reggie Jackson. Like Jackson, A-Rod now also has his signature postseason – 2009, where he destroyed the Twins and Angels and had a productive World Series as well. Many Yankee fans don’t like him, but can irrational hate be enough to not retire the guy’s number? If he ends up staying healthy and productive and breaks Bonds’ record, then it’s a sure thing. As of right now, it’d say it’s just better than 50-50.

Chance: 60%

We could of course speculate on some of the newer Yankees as well, such as CC Sabathia, Robinson Cano, and Mark Teixeira, but it seems to me the players I’ve mentioned are the only ones who have already posted a career worthy of consideration.  Monument Park could start getting a bit crowed in the coming years, but that is an excellent problem to have.

Most Commented Posts

• November 24, 2009 -- Yankees 2010 Lineup Projections
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The Hogan and Eric Bischoff era is here.    It was with a lot of fanfare that these two men arrived in TNA, with promises of taking the company all the way to the top.  They wanted to move  Impact to Monday nights and challenge RAW.  They did, and they failed.  They also made a lot of other moves that didn’t please the fans, such as bringing in their running buddies.  Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Sean Morely, and the Nasty Boys.  These men  took up space that was better suited for younger, up and coming talent.  Another thing that seemed to happen was the X-Division, the Womens Division, and even the Tag Team Division, seemed to be put on the back burner.

         There were of course a couple of other minor changes.  Getting rid of the 6 sided ring, in favour of a traditional 4 sided one.  This initially got a negative reaction, but that faded fast.  And of course there is the ramp that goes all the way up to the ring.  That disappeared for the Hardcore Justice Pay Per View, and was still missing during the “Whole F’n’ Show” on Thursday.  We can only hope that those in charge decide to be rid of it for good, as it gives the high flyers much more room to do their thing.

     And that brings us to what is going on in TNA right now.  It seems that somebody in the head office is actually starting to listen to the fans, or at the very least has a better grasp on what we want to see.  Lately we have seen the tag team action heat up, with the best of 5 series between the Motor City Machine Guns, and Beer Money Inc.  Hopefully they can keep that momentum going and start building the sort of division that used to  boast some of the best tag teams around. 

     The Ev2.0 angle looks like it will continue into a feud between that group and Ric Flairs, Fortune.  Not a bad Idea at all considering the popularity of the former ECW wrestlers.

     The removal of the dead weight, i.e. Hall, Waltman, etc…. and the focus being put back on the people that can deliver, such as Jay Lethal, Mr Anderson, Jeff Hardy and A.J. Styles.

    The return of Abys, as “The Monster”  Face it, not one person liked this guy as the ultimate Hulkamaniac.

    But what else can TNA do to continue this forward momentum?   For starters, they need to get the X-Division back in action like they did with the tag team.  Get that Title off of Doug Williams, and put it on somebody that can excite the crowd.  They learned this lesson with Rob Terry, the former “Global Champion”  Now they need to do it with Williams.

     They also need to go on a hiring blitz, and re-boot the Knockouts Division as well.   Getting Awesome Kong back would be a good start, but overall they are very thin in the talent department.  Adding 6 more Knockouts would certainly shake things up.  Either familiar faces such as Micky James, if they could get her, or Maria Kanellis, or even some women from the indies.  Either way, they need to inject some new blood into the mix.

     For now though, I am happy to see that TNA is actually starting to improve.  Slowly but surely they are getting their swagger back, and its a good thing for all us fans.  We can only hope that this trend continues.

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"What Matters: Boldness. Really, this is all about Cam Long. The kid has got to be that guy, both on and off the court. When Mason was its best Long was a selfish ballhog, and we mean that in a good way. Long must show up, and demand things of his teammates. Luke Hancock taking the frosh to soph jump is important, too, but a distant second.

It’s Good If: Long yells at a teammate during an early season game (then hits a three); Mike Morrison and Ryan Pearson become a consistent Batman and Robin combination on the baseline; Johnny Williams provides a measure of bulk.

It’s Not Good If: Mason has six different leading scorers in its first eight games. Mason is the ultimate in expect the unexpected, and that’s not good; Andre Cornelius starts the season slowly. Jim Larranaga defers to upperclassmen, and the coach will have a decision to make if Sherrod Wright or Bryon Allen are outplaying ACorn. 

Look Out For: Wright. He didn’t shoot it well and his assist-to-turnover ratio was horrible (14/34). But that’s typical freshman stuff. I see consistent minutes and three double-figures games down the stretch, when most freshman have hit the wall. 

One Stat: Mason played five games against the top three teams (ODU, NU, Pugs). The Patriots were 1-4 in those games, and Cam Long scored 27 total points (5.4ppg), never getting more than seven in any one game. He missed 11 of 12 threes. 

Jim Larranaga: “(Freshman) Bryon (Allen) is a powerful guard who can score at the rim and from the perimeter as well as create for his teammates.” 

In Summary: The only thing I’m certain of is that Mason will finish somewhere between first and 12th. I have them third based on talent level and coaching acumen, but nothing would surprise me out of this group. Maturity may tell the tale. Vegas builds casinos on people who think they’ve got a team like Mason figured out."

Here’s my free fantasy football top picks for the NFC South as of June 2010.  I’m updating my list as you read, but this will give some noobs a look at my fantasy football cheat sheet for these teams. You can keep updated with  more FREE fantasy football top picks to start your own fantasy football pics when you visit http://JohnnyNFL.com and sign up.

Atlanta Falcons

WR Roddy White- White is one of the most consistent receivers over the last three seasons in the entire NFL. He will likely have around 80 catches for 1000 yards and double digit or close to it TD’s again this season, making him a valuable early round choice as your number one fantasy WR, especially in PPR leagues.

RB Michael Turner- Turner will again be one of the top RB’s taken, but beware of ranking him too high. Turner might still turn out to be worthy of a top 10 pick, but I wouldn’t move him up into the top five or seven just yet. First of all, Jason Snelling proved last season that he could take on an increased role and be an effective runner and receiver. Jerious Norwood will also be healthier and a steal a carry here and there. Plus the fact that Ryan will likely get to throw the ball more now in his 3rd season means Turner will still be a valuable number one RB, but just a tad below where most might think.

TE Tony Gonzalez- Gonzalez was just getting comfortable with the offense last season and still had 83 catches. There’s no reason to think Gonzalez won’t again be one of the top 5 TE’s in football in 2010. Gonzalez can be a nice mid round addition as a starting TE for any fantasy team.

WR Michael Jenkins- Jenkins quietly gets better season after season and this year could hold some decent fantasy value. With the team likely to give Ryan a chance to throw the ball more, Jenkins could turn out to be a nice late round addition as a 3rd WR or flex player for your fantasy squad.

QB Matt Ryan- While Ryan may not be the best fantasy QB, he is certainly not the worst. Ryan should present a good starting option in most weeks, but could have some weeks where his production is lacking as well. Ryan can be a good choice in the later rounds of the draft if you are desperate for a starter, but will provide more value as a nice backup.

RB/FB Jason Snelling- Snelling showed he can respond on a part-time basis, and should see more action in 2010. While I wouldn’t consider him a priority, he could provide backup help at RB and start as a bye week replacement if the situation was right.

Carolina Panthers

RB Jonathon Stewart- Stewart showed he could start last season, and should get the nod eventually in 2010. In essence, however, it really doesn’t matter. The offensive line has been built to run the ball, and DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart are very good at it. There will be nothing wrong with having Jonathon Stewart as your number one fantasy RB in 2010.

RB DeAngelo Williams-Ditto. With young QB’s and the only real receiving threat still being Steve Smith, the Panthers are going to run the ball whenever they can. Williams or Stewart, your fantasy team will be fine.
WR Steve Smith- With teams being able to double team him, Smith’s production may not be what it once was, but that doesn’t mean he still can’t be a vital part of your fantasy success. Smith has the ability to make plays no matter how many people are around him, and should again be the top WR for the Panthers and a good 2nd WR for your fantasy team, who may even slide into the one slot on occasion.

QB Matt Moore- Notre Dame product Jimmy Claussen is expected to battle Moore for the starting job, but I don’t think either will experience fantastic results. The offensive line still needs help in their pass blocking, and the WR’s and TE’s still have to prove they can show up on a weekly basis. Moore or Claussen should be considered nothing more than a late round pick as a backup that may fill in occasionally if the matchup is right.

New Orleans Saints

RB Pierre Thomas- It almost doesn’t matter who you take on the Saints, they are usually going to get their share of the offense. Thomas runs the ball with a vengeance and will even catch the ball if the defense leaves him unguarded. Thomas should again be able to have a number of 100 yard games behind an offensive line that run blocks as well as they pass block. Thomas should be a nice top 10 fantasy pick as a starting RB.

WR Marques Colston- While Brees does spread the ball around, Colston is still the most consistent and productive WR on the team. He has the size and speed to make him dangerous no matter where the Saints are on the field, and he has the hands to make him dangerous just moving the chains. Look for Colston to be a valuable 2nd or 3rd round pick as a number one WR.

QB Drew Brees- There’s no reason to thin Brees’ success in New Orleans won’t continue. With an offense that is loaded with explosive talent, including an offensive line that was good enough to ship Jamaal Brown to the Redskins,  Brees should be one of the top 2 QB’s taken and should be gone by the second or third round of your draft.

WR Robert Meachem- Meachem should take over as the starter across from Colston, which will be trouble for the rest of the league. Meachem had over 1000 yards and 12 TD’s last season and he was only starting part-time. Expect no less than number one WR numbers from Meachem as a nice early round pick for your number one WR.

RB Reggie Bush- While Bush may only be the 2nd option running the ball and maybe the fourth option throwing the ball, Bush’s value is still more than most. In PPR leagues, Bush is especially valuable, but the yardage he gets is also valuable in any league. He will also score some TD’s, making him a nice flex player and even a possible number 2 RB for your fantasy team.

WR Devery Henderson- Henderson has been a big playmaker since coming into the league, but he isn’t a player that is going to have many games of multiple receptions. Henderson presents some value as when he does catch the ball he usually does it downfield and creates some big plays. His overall consistency is questionable, however, making him a nice flex player or 3rd WR. Counting on him for anything more may not be good for your fantasy standings.

TE Jeremy Shockey- Shockey is a good TE, but his propensity for injury and the fact that the Saints have so many other weapons makes him a shaky fantasy choice. While he may provide value on certain weeks, he is just not consistent enough to be a valid fantasy starter.

Tampa Bay Bucs

TE Kellen Winslow- Winslow had a pretty good season last year, and considering the Bucs receiving corps is still lacking in talent, Winslow will likely be their number one target in 2010. Winslow will be a good starting TE for your fantasy team that can be had in the later rounds of the draft.

RB Cadillac Williams- Williams earned his starting RB job back after battling back from injuries in both knees. Williams should again be responsible for carrying the load in Tampa, and will likely get some help from Derrick Ward as well. Williams will likely have some good games this season, but as defenses will likely be able to stack up against the run, how many will be the question. Look for Williams in the later rounds of the draft as a possible flex player for your fantasy football team.

RB Derrick Ward- While Ward may have value on certain weeks, it is not likely that he will present much value other than a fill in role for your fantasy squad. Should Cadiilac not be able to remain healthy, Ward could be a nice flex option on a steady basis.

Follow me and get instant updates to my fantasy football picks and rankings http://twitter.com/johnnynfl

Here are some of my observations from the Hall of Fame game...

• Tony Romo looked pretty good, but he overthrew Roy Williams a couple of times. He did make some nice passes earlier in the first drive.
• Stephen McGee started very hot, but the pressure really got to him. He made some nice throws on the run, but he locked on to his receivers too often. I think his problems can be corrected, and he could turn out to be a solid pro.
• J.T. O'Sullivan played very poorly. He overthrew two open receivers deep, and one of those passes was intercepted. The pressure constantly got to him.
• Jordan Palmer started on the rough side, but he put together some nice plays in the fourth quarter. His appearance is incredibly similar to his brother's.
• Tashard Choice had some nice runs on the perimeter that were set up by some nice blocking. Choice did let up a sack in pass protection.
• Herb Donaldson fumbled on his first touch, but he made up for it with several solid runs.
• I was a little disappointed by Bernard Scott; I thought he would have been more polished.
• Brian Leonard suffered an ankle injury.
• Jermaine Gresham did not see a single pass thrown his way.
• John Phillips preformed on a very high level, but according to several sources around the league, he has suffered an ACL injury.
• That leaves Jason Witten and Scott Sicko as the Cowboys only healthy tight ends. Sicko did a nice job gaining yards after the catch. All of the Cowboys tight ends did a very good job run blocking.
• Matt Jones was the Bengals' star in the receiving corps. Jordan Shipley, Hudgins, and Purify also made some plays.
• With the exception of Alex Barron, I thought the Cowboys offensive line played pretty well.
• The Bengals line was a different story. Otis Hudson let up a sack and he was not the only one.
• Stephen Bowen was a star. He got to the quarterback and caused problems. The same goes for Victor Butler.
• Geno Akins and Michael Johnson constantly provided pressure; the same goes for Jonathan Fananae.
• Brandon Sharpe and Brandon Williams intercepted passes. Sharpe returned his for a touchdown, and Williams was a few yards away.
• Jamar Wall locked down Chad Ochocinco; he also saw some time on special teams. I was very impressed by his performance.
• Pacman Jones made some plays, but he made a few mistakes. He bobbled a kick return, but made up for it with the yards he gained.
• Brandon Ghee made two big hits, one of them was ill advised, on a punt returner who called a fair catch.
• Chris Cocker went down with an injury on punt coverage. I have not heard any reports on the seriousness of the injury. Gibril Wilson will replace him if he goes down for an extended period.
• David Beuhler did a very good job on kickoffs, but he has very bad accuracy. None of his fieldgoals went straight through the uprights.

Williams driver Rubens Barrichello has accused Michael Schumacher of nearly killing him and "sending him to heaven" in a 200 mph horror move during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Brazilian said, "I am lucky to be alive. It was a go-kart manoeuvre.

"If he wants to go to heaven, in the event he is going to heaven, I don't want to go before him.

"Thank God, I was lucky the wall finished where it did because I was millimetres from it."

The crazy manoeuvre happened five laps from the end of the race, after Barrichello overtook Schmacher into 10th place.

But in the push for a point, he almost ended up as part of the pit wall.

As they got side by side, the former Ferrari teammates almost became one.

In order to keep his position, Schumacher tried to squeeze out Rubens. In his attempt, the German almost made Barrichello collide with the concrete barrier.

It was an obvious and deadly move, which the officials clamped down on. Stewards have hit the Mercedes man with a 10-place grid penalty at the Belgium GP.

Barrichello did not enjoy the experience. "It was the most dangerous move against me that I've ever been through. It was horrible.

"What we want from racing is to have battles, but to be fair.

"I said to the stewards we are two of the most experienced guys out there, and if Michael does that, it means kids can do that too.

"I am just very glad and very lucky we're here to talk."

The two drivers don't have the best friendship on the grid. "I won't speak to him because it won't resolve things. You know Michael. He will always feel that he is right," Barrichello said.

"But I'm a just guy and justice was done in a way because he has been away for three years and he hasn't changed a thing. He is still the same guy. What has been done to me is literally over the top."

However, Schumacher believes he didn't do anything wrong, saying, "There's not much to say. I had a line of about five centimetres and I was making it obvious to him to go on the other side.

"But he chose not to. Certain drivers have certain views, then there's Rubens.

"He had fresher tires, my job was to get the last corner spot-on.

"It was a hard fight and this is what we are here for, but I accept that the FIA stewards saw it as too hard."

He seems to be the only person who thinks his block was fair.

Many people in F1 have classed it as lethal, dangerous, crazy, and horrendous. Not the same as what Schumacher thought. 

In the rest of the race, Hamilton was forced to retire, Button finished well down the field, and Webber finished first. This means Webber leads Hamilton by four points in the drivers' standings.

Haven’t done one of these in a long time, but a glance at my Google alerts shows more than 500 notices, so here goes.

• Bruce Markusen at Hardball Times, conducted this interview with Dan Epstein , author of Big Hair and Plastic Grass . HT also ran this review of The Eastern Stars (upshot: “The Eastern Stars leaves the reader with a much clearer impression of where these players come from, and the lives led by their parents and grandparents. But it doesn’t do much to explain why San Pedro has been responsible for so much baseball greatness, and it leaves the prospects themselves just as opaque as they’ve always been.”
• Howard Bryant, author of The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron, will present and sign his new biography of the baseball legend at Book Soup, 8818 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, Los Angeles, on Monday, Aug.  2 at 7 p.m. For info, call 310-659-3110.
• Any link to baseball is better than no link at all: The Wall Street Journal ran this book review of The Man Who Sold America , the biography of major advertising maven Albert Lasker . So what, you may ask? So this: “A major investor in his beloved Chicago Cubs, Lasker persuaded owner William Wrigley to change the name of Cubs Park to Wrigley Field—Lasker wanted to help the chewing-gum magnate sell more product. When the 1919 Chicago Black Sox scandal threatened the sport, Lasker came up with the plan to restructure major-league baseball and appoint Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as its czar.”
• Macleans , Canada’s answer to Time and Newsweek , published this review of Sean Manning ’s Top of the Order: 25 Writers Pick Their Favorite Baseball Player . Upshot: “When it comes to real, living players, though, the contributors to this book often seem to be working out their own conflicted feelings about the game.”
• The Chicago Tribune ran this nice little piece on local boy Josh Wilker , author of Cardboard Gods .
• On his Baseball Past and Present site, Graham Womack discusses Ted Williams ‘ Hit List , written by Williams and Jim Prime. What’s particularly interesting is the question of methodology  for books written pre- and post-Internet. “Williams compiled his book in an age before high-speed Internet and statistical repositories on the Web made such comparisons instantaneous. For being only 15 years old, the book seems from an entirely different era, when subjective analysis by writers or a legend like Williams was the best baseball fans could get. Now, anyone with a computer can be an expert.” Perhaps not an expert, but players have to be careful from making claims about their careers, because, as Casey Stengel used to say, You can look it up.”
• I feel for this guy: A Seattle baseball fan/book lover is selling his collection of some 800 fiction titles via Craig’s list . Or maybe you’d like The SABR Review of Books , via eBay.
• Baseball-Fever has a discussion on “what books had an impact on you ?”
• In acknowledgment of today’s trade deadline, here’s a review of Traded: Inside the Most Lopsided Trades in Baseball History , from waswatching.com (must be some kind of record for most uses of “trade” in the same sentence).
• The Huffington Post combines its reputation as trend-setter/arbiter-of-taste with baseball with this essay on how to fix the game , according to contributor Prof. Peter Dreier (with a reference to Robert Elias and his “fascinating new book, The Empire Strikes Out.”)
• Finally, congratulations to Bill Madden , author of Steinbrenner: The Last Lion of Baseball , who was recently inducted into the writers’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In an article on Northjersey.com , Madden said, “I’ve always considered myself to be more of a historian than a writer. I believe through the books we’re able to pass down from generation to generation the history of baseball, and that’s what I tried to do.”

Show me a baseball fan who wouldn’t want to work at the Hall of Fame?

When I was seven, my father took me to my first game at Yankee Stadium and promised a trip to the Hall of Fame. We made it upstate to Cooperstown a few years later, and that visit hooked me on baseball…for life.

I saw six eventual Hall of Famers play in that first game in 1958 — Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and Enos Slaughter for the Yankees, and Nellie Fox and Luis Aparicio for the White Sox.

Throughout the years, I’ve watched Williams and Musial, Mantle and Mays, Aaron and Bonds, Marichal and Ryan. Was there to see Williams, Mantle and Maris homer in the same game. Cheered as Willie Mays hit a grand slam at Candlestick Park.

And I’ve been lucky enough to see many monumental baseball moments, some of them historic moments, Hall of Fame moments.

I’ve witnessed home runs by Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone that doomed the Red Sox. I’ve seen two World Series wins by the Yankees, a perfect game by David Wells, Roger Clemens 300th win and Barry Bonds 500th stolen base and record-breaking 756th home run. I’ve  been to Yankee Stadium old and new, Fenway, Wrigley, even the old Polo Grounds, where I saw Jim Hickman hit for the natural cycle.

With more than 30 years experience in writing and editing — as a sportswriter and later in high-tech corporate PR — my qualifications are impeccable. More importantly, if the Hall of Fame is looking for someone with a passion for the national pastime, well I’m on the Cooperstown shuttle right now.

That’s why they call me the SportsLifer. And here are some of blogs I’ve posted on baseball and the Hall.

Hall of Fame Blogs: A Sampler

Former Yankee Owner Jacob Ruppert Belongs in The Hall

Nine for Cooperstown: These Active Players Headed for Hall

The Ins and Outs of Baseball’s Hall of Fame

The Rock Should Be A Lock for Baseball’s Hall of Fame

Guidry Vs. Koufax: A Hall of A Compare

The WWE has SummerSlam, and over in TNA, they have Victory Road.  I have to say first off, that on paper, this looked to be a pretty solid Pay Per View.  And  for the most part, Victory Road did not disappoint.   So let us move on to the match results.

Douglas Williams vs Brian Kendrick…..Ultimate X match……..winner….Douglas Williams.

     It seems that TNA is going back to some of the things that used to work for them in the past.  Such as opening a Pay Per View with an X-Division match.   And this one happened to be an Ultimate-X match, for the X-Division Title.   Now the stipulation for this one was, that it can be won in the typical way (taking down the big red X, or Title Belt).  Or by submission.  I had a bad feeling that this would not be a very good match, and I was half right.  It was a good match.  A good, normal match.  But for an Ultimate-X match, it was lousy.  I will be one very happy camper when somebody takes the X-Division Title away from Williams, so we can go back to seeing what these guys do best.  High Octane, fast paced action.   To see an Ultimate X match won by submission is just sad.

Brother Ray vs Jesse Neal vs Brother Devon……….winner…..Brother Ray.

     Here is one feud that I don’t see going anywhere.   Ray and Devon need each other, because as much as Ray has spouted off in interviews that Devon is nothing without him, its also true that Ray would be nothing without Devon.  And we have Jesse Neal in the mix, getting pounded for some apparent disrespect that Ray feels he got from his trainee.  Ray is mad at Jesse, Devon is mad at Ray, and it all makes for a boring match with Devon being locked in the back until the very end, when he finally gets free, makes it to the ring, and accidentally gets speared by Neal.  Ray hits a Bubba Bomb on Jesse, and its over.  Hopefully this whole situation ends soon too.

Angelina Love vs Madison Rayne…….winner…….Angelina Love.

     Madison Rayne has been billed as the Career Killer for the last couple of months, after using the stipulation that should she win, her opponent must retire.  This has eliminated both Tara, and Roxxi, and in this match for the Knockouts Title, it threatened the Career of Angelina Love.  It was nice to see a decent Knockout Match, since they seem to have all but put the Knockouts Division on the back burner.  Rayne has been allowed to show off some of her skills, and Angelina is always fun to watch.  This was a good back and forth match, that ended with a bit of controversy, when a mysterious woman rode up on a motorcycle and interfered in the match.  Which ended up getting Madison DQ’ed.  Which in turn, (per stipulation) made Angelina the new Knockouts Champ.   But just who was under that motorcycle helmet anyway?

A.J. Styles & Kazarian  vs  A Mystery Team………winners…..Styles and Kazarian

     Going into this match, Styles and Kaz had no idea who they would be facing, until they were announced.   It turned out to be, the Global Champion Rob Terry, and his partner Samoa Joe.  This was definitely a surprise, and it was nice to see that they included the Global Champion, since they haven’t had any other uses for him recently.  As far as the Match itself, this was one great tag team war.  Even Terry seemed to be doing a good job, which is saying a lot considering the other three talents in the ring.   These are the kinds of matches that TNA needs to have more of.  And of course by the end of the match,  A.J. and Kaz seemed to be getting along, and working well together, which was Flairs real reason for teaming them up in the first place.

Matt Morgan vs Hernandez……..winner….Hernandez.

     Two of TNA’s biggest and strongest men, locked in a steel cage.  It certainly sounds like you can’t go wrong.   And I’m happy to say, it didn’t.   I half expected this one to fail, just because Hernandez still seems to be a bit sloppy in the ring.   But thankfully it wasn’t all that bad.  Most of it seemed to be Morgan, beating the hell out of Hernandez, and at one point he could have just walked out of the cage and won, but he decided to come back in and inflict more punishment.  That turned out to be a mistake.  After beating up Hernandez a bit more, he handcuffed him to the ring ropes, then climbed to the top of the cage.  But while Morgan was perched on top,  Super Mex broke the cuffs, and dived head first through the cage door, busting it open for the win.  One of the most unique endings I have ever seen for a cage match.

Ric Flair vs Jay Lethal…..winner……Jay Lethal.

     This is probably one match that the card could have done without.  With all due respect to Ric Flair, this feud could have ended with this match being on Impact.  It was almost painful to see Lethal, have to slow down so much, just so Flair could look half decent.  After many eye pokes, and the typical Flair Fail, from the top rope, Lethal locked in his own figure four, and made the Nature Boy tap out.

Beer Money vs The Motor City Machine Guns…….winners……M.C.M.G’s

     Like the crowd at the Impact Zone chanted at the end of this, all I can say is…FINALLY !!  Like the tag match earlier in the night, this one was terrific.  But that is always the case when The Guns are in a match.  This is how Tag Team Wrestling should be, and its the type of tag matches that helped put TNA on the map to begin with.  Plenty of momentum switches, and even a false finish, that lead to the match being re-started.  But in the end, the fans got what they have been craving for so long.  The Guns, have won the Tag Team Championship.

Kurt Angle vs The Pope…….winner……Kurt Angle.

     Not one single person would have bet against Angle in this match.  His quest to move up the ranks until he gets to number 1 will not be stopped.  At least not this early on.  And to The Popes credit, it really didn’t matter to him if he won or not.   Either way, these two put on a great show, and would probably have one hell of a feud under different circumstances.  But this was a one off, and now Angle can move on to his next victim.

Rob Van Dam vs Abyss vs Mr Anderson vs Jeff Hardy…….winner…..Rob Van Dam

     I normally do not like 3 and 4 way matches, because they tend to get bogged down with too much going on, or people having to sell a move, and laying outside the ring for extended periods of time.   This was a little bit better than that.  In fact, I didn’t really notice the down time of the people that weren’t involved in the main action too much.  This was about as good as a 4 person match can get, with enough action and mayhem to keep you entertained until the end.  Which saw RVD hit a 5 star frog splash on all 3 of his opponents at the same time, then pinning Anderson, who was on the bottom.

     My final thoughts on Victory Road is that, despite a slow start, the card kept getting better and better.  It seems that the people at the top are finally listening to the fans, and giving us the type of matches we want.  I hope this is a sign of things to come.  I would rank this one a B +

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