Saturday, February 13, 2010

It was 20 years ago this week that Buster Douglas KO'ed Mike Tyson. I recall the exact spot where I heard the news. I was in Puerta Vallarta on a trip from work and, earlier in the day, we actually thought about watching the fight at some bar. We decided not to do it.

So, after a late dinner and some drinks, several of us were in the lobby of our hotel around 3:00 in the morning. All of a sudden, some Canadians appeared and tried to convince us that Douglas had won. I was pretty skeptical that they were trying to put one over on us, and they were pretty convincing. But still...

This was pre-Internet and barely cable days. But it was obvious by the next morning that something big had happened. Could not wait until I saw the replay when I got home. It remains the most stunning sports result in my lifetime.

BTW, Nelson Mandela was released from prison on the same day.

Meal of Links

The war in Afghanistan? It's heating up.

The Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver. In pictures. Well, they already killed a luger. The "Tour of Canada" was nice, I guess. Something about the phrase "welcome poles" reminds me of Peter Griffin saying the word, "penis". Steve Nash with a torch. I was happy to see Anne Murray was still alive. The Great One with THE torch, of course. kd lang with a great version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". When does curling start?

Craig Ferguson talks about "The Late Late Show". He has a budget smaller than Carson Daly's show.

What happened to chicks in '90s rock like Liz Phair? I still find interviews with Liz Phair pretty compelling.

I can't say enough good things about "Archer" on FX. This week's great joke was a boat named "Chum Guzzler". It's on Thursdays at 10.

Exercise Yard

This afternoon, Cleveland State played its biggest game of the year at home (hey, almost 4700 showed up), as the dreaded Butler Bulldogs came to town. Butler has remained a Top 20 team most of the year and came into the game at 22-4 and 15-0 in the Horizon League. CSU was riding a 6-game winning streak and was 9-4 in the conference.

My Dad and I arrived early to get a knit cap. Silly us, it wasn't a CSU cap but a Cleveland Clinic cap. Did they advertise that? I'm not sure.

As for the game, CSU decided on this day to come up with a dud. Although the game was 29-27 Butler, at the half, the signs were there that it was going to be a long game for the Vikings. They shot poorly and were getting absolutely hammered on the boards. Adjusting after the half, Butler started going inside a lot more and CSU had no answers defensively. Last three games, Butler has been winning by a combined one point at the half, and ended up winning each game by a combined 36 points. That's the definition of adjusting.

Stat sheet says it all. CSU shot 37% for the game, and hit on only 1 of 15 three-pointers. They were outrebounded (gulp!) 46-20. Too bad, because they caused 17 Butler turnovers and held them to 41% shooting. In a game never in doubt after halftime, CSU loses, 70-59.

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35 Down: "Suspicion" Oscar winner, 1941 (8 letters) Answer: Fontaine

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