I had the pleasure of growing up in the Youngstown, Ohio area to witness the careers of some of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport. Kelly Pavlik is still providing the excitement. But the names of Roland Cummings, Jeff Lampkin, and Harry Arroyo, have held a spotlight in the national boxing picture at some point. Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini was a huge success in the eighties. His career was filled many happy moments, as well as tragedy that no one can wish for.

Ray inherited the name “Boom Boom“ from his father Lenny. The elder Mancini was a top-ranked contender in the 1940’s. Lenny suffered injuries which prevented him from regaining his status while serving the United States of America in WWII. Lenny got Ray involved in boxing at a young age and had him training in gyms to prepare for what he would be the best at. After a great amateur career, Ray turned pro in 1978.

Because of his “in your face” aggressive style, Mancini was an instant hit with boxing fans and the media. Anyone who watches the first round of Mancini vs Arturo Frias will clearly understand how much heart Ray brought to the ring. This is probably one of the single greatest rounds of boxing ever fought. Both fighters connected with almost every punch and by the end of that round they both looked like they had just went 15 rounds.

Mancini fought the legendary Alexis Arguello for the WBC lightweight title. Ray was taking it to Arguello in the first half of the fight and was ahead on the cards. However, by the end of the fight, the crafty Arguello’s experience proved to be too much for a game Boom Boom. It was mancini’s first loss as a professional.

Mancini won the WBA lightweight championship from Rudy “The Jet” Carmona in 1982. Mancini got rocked just fifteen seconds into round one but regained his composure and really let loose on Carmona forcing the ref to halt the contest. He defended that title against Ernesto Espana with a sixth round TKO.

On November 13, 1982, Mancini fought Duk Koo Kim. Kim had problems makind the weight for the fight and was severely dehydrated before the fight. After 14 rounds of punishment the fight ended with Mancini named the winer. Duk Koo Kim sustained severe brain injuries during the fight and died five days after the fight. Kim’s mother committed suicide four months later, and the ref for the fight, Richard Green also killed himself in July of 1983. Mancini was never the same fighter or person, holding himself responsible for the death of Kim. A few years later, the WBC and WBA shortened title fights to twelve rounds as part of the fallout from this tragedy.

Mancini tried to regroup and defeated George Feeney, a British champion, in a lackluster ten round decision. He next fought Mexican folk hero Bobby Chacon on HBO. Mancini made short work of Chacon who only lasted three rounds with Boom Boom.

In June of 1984, Mancini lost a slugfest to Livingstone Bramble. After the first Bramble fight Ray needed 71 stitches around one of his eyes. In the rematch, Mancini lost a unanimous decision by one point on each of the judges scorecards. Mancini was coaxed back to face Greg Haugen, but had clearly lost his form and constant aggression, losing to Haugen in six rounds.

Mancini officially retired in 1982, finishing his career with a 29-5 record, racking up 23 KO’s along the way.Besides being an analyst for Celebrity Boxing, Mancini has gotten very involved in the production of films in California. Ray has not forgotten where he came from and follows the career of Kelly Pavlik very closely. He still has family in Youngstown and visits the area when he can. His legacy has seen a rare pendulum swing of the best and worst things life has to offer, yet he has still been able to succeed and be a role model to so many.

Here are some great stories from other sites to check out!

Pirates Spring Training Report  *  Pirate Revolution
Jamario Moon Interacting With The Fans  *  NESW Sports
Roy Jones Jr. — Still Fighting At Age 40  *  FanHouse
Donte’ Stallworth Drunk At Time of Accident  *  FOX Sports
Marcus Thornton : Shades of Shaq  *  Josh Q Public
Your Cleveland Cavs Are The Best Team in The NBA?  *  A Stern Warning
Cliff Lee Gets Pulverized  *  The Tribe Daily
My March Madness Fantasy Team  * Sharapova’s Thigh
Nintendo Classics:A Look Back  *  The Love of Sports
March Badness: The Ejections  *  Zoner Sports
Check these stories out!

For years now, I have attended games at both Municipal Stadium and Progressive Field (The Jake) when the New York Yankees come to town.  One of my biggest headaches in life is looking around at the crowd and wondering who the home team is.  No matter which way I turn, there is an overabundance of Yankee merchandise in the stands.  Hats, shirts, pennants, babies dressed in one piece pajamas, posters, gold chains, and keychains ~ the stuff is blinding.  The applause for the Yankees is even close to the crowd noise on behalf of The Tribe.

The Average Joe would pin this on a loyal fan base, people who traveled West to see the ballgame and maybe go to the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame afterwards.  Unfortunately, on many occasions, I run into people I know wearing the stuff, and they are from the Greater Cleveland area.  They are devout Yankee fans.  here are a few observations I have made of this group.

• Most Yankee fans like the LA Lakers in basketball, they root for the Dallas Cowboys in football, the Detroit Red Wings in hockey, and will tell you that Rocky Marciano was the greatest boxer of all time.  What all of these “favorites” have in common is that they are winners.  These are the Cleveland area fans who just can’t accept losing, so they manipulate the system at a young age and root for traditional winners.  Let’s face it, the Cleveland Sports Faithful have not had much to scream about for the past 50 or so years.  However, the loyalty of a Cleveland sports fan is so much more praiseworthy to me than the local bandwagon jumping fans of teams that win.
• The argument that Cleveland teams refuse to spend money to keep athletes gets old.  Just because the Yankees have so much more to spend does not mean that the Browns, Cavs, and Indians, do not pay well.  Let me put it to you this way:  When you play monopoly with your friends, give the Yankee fan half of the deeds and three quarters of all of the money that comes with the game.  We will call the other players Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Cleveland.  They have what is left to divide amongst themselves.  This is why baseball sadly needs a salary cap.

This debate has caused grief for many years.  I have friends and relatives who are diehard Yankee fans.  They will argue that George Steinbrenner spends money to assemble these All-Star caliber teams.  I find it ironic that New York has not won a World Series for awhile.  I also encourage those who surround me in pinstripes to go pay the $1,000 price to sit behind home plate at the New York Yankees new stadium.  Sadly, some will.

The announcer is speaking another language, but the video is universal.  Keep an eye on the slick ballboy in this video.  The ball goes out of bounds and before the goalie can get back, the ballboy hustles a new ball to the waiting passer.  I’m not much for soccer videos, but this was kind of comical.   Knowing how rowdy soccer fans can get, this kid can drink all night without going to the wallet once!

Here are some great stories that my colleagues have worked very hard to present:

Dan Rooney Appointed Ambassador To Ireland  *  Hugging Harold Reynolds

Who Will Be The Eighth Seed In The Eastern Conference?  *  PippenAintEasy

Felix Hernandez Looks Strong For Puerto Rico and Seattle  *  Josh Q Public

Jimmy Rollins Imitates Rickey Henderson  *  NESW Sports

Poor Programming At ESPN concerning Donte’ Stallworth  *  Sports Rubbish

ESPN Interview With Drew Carey  *  getin2thegame

Shawn Marion’s Dunk On Danny Granger  *  Docksquad Sports

Remembering the 1990, 91 UNLV Hoops Teams  *  Ed The Sports Fan

Cleveland Browns Release Joe Jurivicius  *  My Sports Rumors

Previewing The 2009 Cincinnati Reds  *  Sharapova’s Thigh

Click on any link to read some good stuff!

Lebron James is clearly in the drivers seat toward the NBA MVP and I will supplement you with reasons why he will win the award rather than Kobe Bryant or Dwayne Wade.  Wade has really poured it on as of late to even be mentioned in this elite MVP argument.

• Don’t forget what Wade did last year when the Heat were eliminated.  He jogged, played hard sometimes, and basically packed it in by March.  Would either Kobe or Lebron mope the way D Wade did?  I think not.
• Lebron James has gotten pulled out of games and missed quarters and halves this year becuase Cleveland was already blowing a team out.  Neither Wade or Kobe has forfeited eligible playing time to avoid risking an injury, not the way Lebron has this year. 
• Remember when Kobe put up 60 at the Garden a little over a month ago?  The next game there Lebron went off too, getting robbed of a triple double ( a more complete stat than just counting points) when someone cried to the NBA to take his last rebound that he hustled for to be removed.  Best part of Lebrons triple double is that he put 50 points with it.  He still managed to find teammates at least ten times to pass.
• Lebron James is a much better defensive player than either D Wade or Kobe.  I have never seen so many beautiful blocked shots in one season.  Don’t believe me?  Go to Google and type Lebron James blocked shots and watch the show.
• If you ask Lebron, he says “Kobe“, and if you ask Kobe, he says “Lebron“.  Nobody is saying D Wade yet. and we are running out of season.
• Wait until the playoffs and finals are over, take an objective look at who meant more to their teams success before elimination, and then vote for the guy you think deserves the hardware. 

Having followed Lebron James since the Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary days, I can honestly say this is the most complete and well-rounded of a season he has ever had.  D Wade is having a remarkable second half but was just good in the first half of the season.  Kobe Bryant is awesome, a great offensive, and good defensive player.  For my money, nobody is better than King James, and we are all witnesses.

I once went to one of those Indian pow-wow deals when I was in high school. I was wearing a Cleveland Indians ballcap and never realized it meant anything until we left when I mentioned to the friends I was with that the people seemed rude and cold toward me. It was then brought to my attention that I had Chief Wahoo on my head. Obviously, I may have offended some of the people participating. I did not do it intentionally and nobody asked me to remove the hat or to leave.

I do not feel that the artwork on the current Indians logo is racially offensive. I have a friend who is part Sioux who I asked (he is an Indians fan). He explained to me that the Washington Redskins name and logo are much more offensive because it is a generalization that stereotypes skin color. Without getting too controversial, many races would go nuts over a team name that did that.

A few more things to ponder:

• While growing up I played Cowboys and Indians. Nobody corrected me saying it was wrong, so I kept playing.
• I was raised to believe that Thanksgiving was a holiday that the Pilgrims celebrated with their friends, the Indians who occupied their fair share of the land. Kids in school still make head dresses out of construction paper this time of the year. If that would seem racially offensive, I’m sure schools would halt the gestures.
• Indians had more controversy with each other than with the early English settlers. Had they banded together, history would surely be different in a few ways.

Bottom Line: I am sorry to all people that this logo offends. I have spoken with a few Native Americans about it over time and they say the minority cries about it. Most are not offended and could care less. I am also sure that over the next twenty or so years that the logo will be changed because a new politician from Oklahoma will feel he is doing his job by creating new laws about racially insensitive sports names.

Here is a look back at some of the best stories making headlines:

Fox Sports Hooters Bracket Challenge  * Fox Sports Fantasy
Hanging Out In The Washington Capitals Pressbox * Capitals Outsider
Buckeye Football Prospects Improve On Combine Numbers * Buckeye Commentary
Siena vs Ohio State NCAA Hoops Preview * Eleven Warriors
Cavs 98, Knicks 93 * Curse of Cleveland
Big Blue vs Pistol Pete Mascot Fight * NESW Sports
The Rebirth of Darko Milicic * Josh Q Public
Fantasy Baseball Preview: Third Base * Sharapova’s Thigh

Check out these great stories!

The Dayton Flyers are pumped about gaining an at-large bid to the big dance.  I don’t think just showing up is going to be good enough.  On Friday, March 20, the 11-seed takes on 6-seed West Virginia in Minneapolis.  This is UD’s first trip back to the tournament since 2004.  They had a great season beating Akron 56-50, beating Marquette 89-75, and defeating Xavier 71-58.  They are one of three Atlantic-10 schools in this years NCAA Tournament with the other two being Xavier and Temple.

Head Coach Brian Gregory has very balanced scoring, a group of quick players who steal and dunk with any team in the NCAA, and a young bunch with only one Senior.  Leading the charge is Marcus Johnson.  He is the Flyers biggest threat from 3-point range and averages 12.2 points per contest.  Chris Wright draws attention in the paint.  Wright finds ways to get to the free throw line and averaged 12.9 ppg, as well as blocking 39 shots this season.  Charles Little and Chris Johnson add to a very well-balanced offense where no single player averaged more than 13 points per game.  As a team, Dayton averaged 67.5 points per game.

If there is one thing I am afraid of with this team it is how they play on the road.  At home, the Flyers were 18-0.  On the road, however, they were 5-6.  Fortunately, this will be considered a neutral site game, and the Flyers are 3-1 in those contests.

My cousin Frank, a Dayton season ticket holder, warned me that they would be tough before the season started.  Frank was right.  College basketball fans everywhere will take notice when Dayton moves on and the program continues to gain notoriety over the next few seasons. 

Enough Already!  How long does Pete Rose have to pay a debt to society?  He has already admitted guilt and said he was wrong for betting on baseball.  Yet the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame continues to snub debate on when the all-time hit leader will be inducted.  Is Bud Selig going to wait until he dies?  Everyone knows that Pete Rose belongs in Cooperstown to take his rightful place amongst the other legends of the game.  He made a mistake, he paid a price, he deserves to be rewarded for what he accomplished as a player. 

In my humble opinion, there are people who are members in the Hall of Fame who have probably done worse.  Constantly drinking (Mickey Mantle, Billy Martin) is not a good message to send to the kids.  Steroid abuse is the hot button right now, the abusers will probably never get in because they altered their bodies to enhance performance.  Pete Rose did not need substances to accomplish anything in baseball.

Granted, he is cocky and hardheaded.  Ray Fosse probably hates him to this day.  But when you are the central cog in something called a Big Red Machine, you deserve some praise when work ends.  Think about it.  He was simply the best hitter of our lives, maybe of all times.  How do you keep the blueprint out of the museum?  Especially for something that happened after he accomplished what he had to for acceptance into this elite fraternity. 

This argument has been hashed and rehashed over a twenty year span.  The common sense of the whole shouting match revolves around whether or not it is time – yet.  I hope baseball does not make the mistake of waiting for Pete to die before they put him in.  In closing, Pete Rose was not the third gunman in the grassy knoll, he didn’t receive sexual favors from interns, and he didn’t kill his wife.  Pete Rose belongs, and his nomination is sadly long overdue.