Raw Report
Date: 04/09/07 from Bridgeport, CT.
The Big News: Raw’s streak is over, after a dull, poorly booked retread of a show.
Conclusive Finishes: 3 of 5.
Show Analysis:
Shane McMahon came out to start the show. He said that the McMahon name typically garners respect but lately it has been met with laughter. He said that he will bring respect back to the name, and challenged Lashley. Lashley came out to a much better reaction than last week, and Shane challenged him to a title match. Umaga then came out, but Shane told Umaga to return to the back and slapped Armando. Lashley suggested he put up his title against Shane’s hair, and Shane accepted.
Mickie James and Candice Michelle defeated Melina and Victoria. The heels worked over Candice, with Melina delivering a suplex and body slam. Victoria missed a somersault leg drop and Mickie tagged in. Mickie gave Victoria a huracanrana and gave Melina the Charlie Thesz press. Candice hit a spinning heel kick on Melina and Mickie hit the leaping implant DDT on Victoria for the pin. I’m glad they are going back to a feud with women that can go in Mickie and Melina. Backstage, Mick Foley arrived with a kid from Make-A-Wish, who was made honorary GM for the night.
Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade defeated Ric Flair and Carlito to earn a tag title shot at Backlash. Carlito alluded to Flair telling him off, and said that while it pissed him off at first now he realizes it was a good thing. He said they would win their match and earn a title match at Backlash. Cade and Murdoch worked over Flair, mostly brawling and using punches. Flair hit some chops and tagged Carlito. Carlito used a back drop, drop kick, knee lift and clothesline. However, he missed the springboard elbow and Cade and Murdoch used the high low for the clean pin. Carlito was angry afterwards and left annoyed with Flair. Evidently WWE is progressing into full burial mode for Carlito.
Backstage, Coach wanted to say something to Shane, but Shane wasn’t having any of it. He wouldn’t let Coach get a word in and Coach just gave up and left. Elsewhere, Shawn Michaels said nice guys don’t finish first in WWE, and that’s where he wants to be. He said he needs to win his number one contender’s match against Randy Orton, and he wants it more than Orton. Orton came in and said Michaels already had his shot. Michaels threatened to kick Orton’s teeth down his throat.
Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton fought to a no contest. They started out slow with chain wrestling. Michaels’ eye was busted open. He went after Orton’s leg until he was sent into the post. Edge came to ringside, and Michaels almost won with a rollup while Orton was distracted. Orton worked over Michaels, but Michaels came back with a swinging neck breaker. At that time there was a ref bump. Michaels hit an inverted atomic drop and elbow off the top, but Edge distracted him as he went for sweet chin music.
Michaels and Orton went to the floor, where Orton hit the RKO and threw Michaels back into the ring. Orton yelled at Edge and they got into a confrontation that concluded with Edge spearing Orton and throwing him back in. The referee started to count both men out, but they got up at 9. Michaels hit sweet chin music, fell on top of Orton, and they did a double pin finish.
This was the most contrived and fake looking double pin ever, made worse by the fact Michaels was completely on top of Orton and Orton had no part of his body over Michaels. Thus it made absolutely no sense when one of the referees declared Orton the winner. The match itself was a real disappointment. They gave them a ton of time and they spent a while setting up a match, but just at the point the match was starting to build towards a climax they immediately went into the overbooked garbage finish. As the coup de gras, they played Edge’s music. Okay.
Randy Orton complained to Shane McMahon about the finish to the match backstage, but Shane said he had his own concerns. Mick Foley was backstage again with the kid from Make-a-Wish. Coach confronted the kid and said he makes the big decisions on Raw. The kid had an announcement, but was cut off by Edge and Coach.
Matt and Jeff Hardy defeated the World’s Greatest Tag Team. Haas and Benjamin worked over Jeff briefly, but he made the tag to Matt. Matt came in with a double bulldog and side effect. Matt hit the twist of fate and Jeff hit the swanton for the pin. I like Haas and Benjamin a lot, but it’s smart to put over the tag champs strong right after they won the belts. It helps to build the titles as significant.
They aired a hilarious advertisement for The Condemned. They tried to frame it as some sort of thought provoking and socially significant commentary on society. The comedic highlight was the director talking about how long it has taken for the theme of reality television going too far to arise, as if that theme hasn’t been explored a million times already. I mean, Running Man came out 20 years ago now.
The Cutting Edge featured Edge saying that Coach agreed he should be the number one contender. Orton and Michaels came out. Michaels said he is better than Edge and Orton, and wants a rematch with Cena at Backlash. Cena came out, knocked all three challengers, and said he would face any of them. Coach came out and made Cena vs. Orton and Edge in a handicap match with the person scoring the pin winning the title. He said that would be the final decision, but then Foley came out with the honorary GM. The kid made Cena vs. Orton vs. Edge vs. Michaels. This was booked to be a big face pop, but the crowd barely reacted to that announcement.
Lashley beat Shane McMahon via disqualification. Despite the fact they announced Shane’s hair would be on the line and he lost, and despite the fact they even had a barber’s chair out there, Shane didn’t lose his hair. They didn’t even bother to explain why the stipulation was being ignored. I didn’t know that hair only changed hands via pinfall or submission. This wouldn’t fly in Mexico.
Shane jumped Lashley with a spear, and sent Lashley into the post. He hit a baseball slide, and sent Lashley into the steps. He worked over Lashley with punches. Lashley retaliated with an overhead belly to belly, clothesline, back body drop, and fall away slam. All of that was really sloppy, by the way. Shane then punched the referee for the DQ. Umaga, Vince and Armando then came down and beat Lashley into the ground. Shane hit Lashley in the head with a chair, and Lashley bled. Vince announced Lashley vs. Umaga, Shane and Vince for the title at Backlash. You could hear people chanting “boring” at the end of this, which is not exactly the reaction you want to your “main event feud.”
Final Thoughts:
I didn’t like this show at all. It centered around two major angles, but both angles sucked big time. They didn’t make sense. They didn’t deliver what they promised. They felt contrived and phony. And they spent a whole lot of time teasing something new would happen only to end up exactly where they started. The top feuds on Raw are stale and Lashley is way too bland to build around as a top face. Hopefully it’s just a case of wanting to draw things out a little bit further into Backlash, and they have some solid ideas of where they are going after that point.
The Big News: Raw’s streak is over, after a dull, poorly booked retread of a show.
Conclusive Finishes: 3 of 5.
Show Analysis:
Shane McMahon came out to start the show. He said that the McMahon name typically garners respect but lately it has been met with laughter. He said that he will bring respect back to the name, and challenged Lashley. Lashley came out to a much better reaction than last week, and Shane challenged him to a title match. Umaga then came out, but Shane told Umaga to return to the back and slapped Armando. Lashley suggested he put up his title against Shane’s hair, and Shane accepted.
Mickie James and Candice Michelle defeated Melina and Victoria. The heels worked over Candice, with Melina delivering a suplex and body slam. Victoria missed a somersault leg drop and Mickie tagged in. Mickie gave Victoria a huracanrana and gave Melina the Charlie Thesz press. Candice hit a spinning heel kick on Melina and Mickie hit the leaping implant DDT on Victoria for the pin. I’m glad they are going back to a feud with women that can go in Mickie and Melina. Backstage, Mick Foley arrived with a kid from Make-A-Wish, who was made honorary GM for the night.
Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade defeated Ric Flair and Carlito to earn a tag title shot at Backlash. Carlito alluded to Flair telling him off, and said that while it pissed him off at first now he realizes it was a good thing. He said they would win their match and earn a title match at Backlash. Cade and Murdoch worked over Flair, mostly brawling and using punches. Flair hit some chops and tagged Carlito. Carlito used a back drop, drop kick, knee lift and clothesline. However, he missed the springboard elbow and Cade and Murdoch used the high low for the clean pin. Carlito was angry afterwards and left annoyed with Flair. Evidently WWE is progressing into full burial mode for Carlito.
Backstage, Coach wanted to say something to Shane, but Shane wasn’t having any of it. He wouldn’t let Coach get a word in and Coach just gave up and left. Elsewhere, Shawn Michaels said nice guys don’t finish first in WWE, and that’s where he wants to be. He said he needs to win his number one contender’s match against Randy Orton, and he wants it more than Orton. Orton came in and said Michaels already had his shot. Michaels threatened to kick Orton’s teeth down his throat.
Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton fought to a no contest. They started out slow with chain wrestling. Michaels’ eye was busted open. He went after Orton’s leg until he was sent into the post. Edge came to ringside, and Michaels almost won with a rollup while Orton was distracted. Orton worked over Michaels, but Michaels came back with a swinging neck breaker. At that time there was a ref bump. Michaels hit an inverted atomic drop and elbow off the top, but Edge distracted him as he went for sweet chin music.
Michaels and Orton went to the floor, where Orton hit the RKO and threw Michaels back into the ring. Orton yelled at Edge and they got into a confrontation that concluded with Edge spearing Orton and throwing him back in. The referee started to count both men out, but they got up at 9. Michaels hit sweet chin music, fell on top of Orton, and they did a double pin finish.
This was the most contrived and fake looking double pin ever, made worse by the fact Michaels was completely on top of Orton and Orton had no part of his body over Michaels. Thus it made absolutely no sense when one of the referees declared Orton the winner. The match itself was a real disappointment. They gave them a ton of time and they spent a while setting up a match, but just at the point the match was starting to build towards a climax they immediately went into the overbooked garbage finish. As the coup de gras, they played Edge’s music. Okay.
Randy Orton complained to Shane McMahon about the finish to the match backstage, but Shane said he had his own concerns. Mick Foley was backstage again with the kid from Make-a-Wish. Coach confronted the kid and said he makes the big decisions on Raw. The kid had an announcement, but was cut off by Edge and Coach.
Matt and Jeff Hardy defeated the World’s Greatest Tag Team. Haas and Benjamin worked over Jeff briefly, but he made the tag to Matt. Matt came in with a double bulldog and side effect. Matt hit the twist of fate and Jeff hit the swanton for the pin. I like Haas and Benjamin a lot, but it’s smart to put over the tag champs strong right after they won the belts. It helps to build the titles as significant.
They aired a hilarious advertisement for The Condemned. They tried to frame it as some sort of thought provoking and socially significant commentary on society. The comedic highlight was the director talking about how long it has taken for the theme of reality television going too far to arise, as if that theme hasn’t been explored a million times already. I mean, Running Man came out 20 years ago now.
The Cutting Edge featured Edge saying that Coach agreed he should be the number one contender. Orton and Michaels came out. Michaels said he is better than Edge and Orton, and wants a rematch with Cena at Backlash. Cena came out, knocked all three challengers, and said he would face any of them. Coach came out and made Cena vs. Orton and Edge in a handicap match with the person scoring the pin winning the title. He said that would be the final decision, but then Foley came out with the honorary GM. The kid made Cena vs. Orton vs. Edge vs. Michaels. This was booked to be a big face pop, but the crowd barely reacted to that announcement.
Lashley beat Shane McMahon via disqualification. Despite the fact they announced Shane’s hair would be on the line and he lost, and despite the fact they even had a barber’s chair out there, Shane didn’t lose his hair. They didn’t even bother to explain why the stipulation was being ignored. I didn’t know that hair only changed hands via pinfall or submission. This wouldn’t fly in Mexico.
Shane jumped Lashley with a spear, and sent Lashley into the post. He hit a baseball slide, and sent Lashley into the steps. He worked over Lashley with punches. Lashley retaliated with an overhead belly to belly, clothesline, back body drop, and fall away slam. All of that was really sloppy, by the way. Shane then punched the referee for the DQ. Umaga, Vince and Armando then came down and beat Lashley into the ground. Shane hit Lashley in the head with a chair, and Lashley bled. Vince announced Lashley vs. Umaga, Shane and Vince for the title at Backlash. You could hear people chanting “boring” at the end of this, which is not exactly the reaction you want to your “main event feud.”
Final Thoughts:
I didn’t like this show at all. It centered around two major angles, but both angles sucked big time. They didn’t make sense. They didn’t deliver what they promised. They felt contrived and phony. And they spent a whole lot of time teasing something new would happen only to end up exactly where they started. The top feuds on Raw are stale and Lashley is way too bland to build around as a top face. Hopefully it’s just a case of wanting to draw things out a little bit further into Backlash, and they have some solid ideas of where they are going after that point.
posted by Todd Martin at 11:58 PM
27 Comments:
As always, Todd, your review is spot on. I found the show to be extremely bland, which begs the question or questions:
WWE puts so much into the build for WM, why doesn't it take some time off afterwards - maybe a week or two? I could live without the television shows for a time - or I least I sure hope I could - and everyone, including the writers, might come back from the hiatus fresh and eager to write logical stories.
But what do I know?
- Matt in Anchorage
My understanding of the "rules" of pro wrestling is that if all four shoulders are on the mat, there should be no count (see Savage v. Flair at WM 8). Anyway, that finish was terrible and they could have accomplished the same thing a lot easier with a time limit draw or double countout.
Even worse was the bait and switch in the main event and the announcers totally ignoring it. And Vince wonders why the media questioned whether there would be any hair cutting at Mania? Those of us "in-the-know" knew exactly how that would go down. But I guarantee some casual fans logically decided to not buy the show because they surmised that there would be a bait and switch. That would be quite reasonable given that WWE bait and switched twice in March alone for Raw's main events.
Saw the opening segment, which had good heat, and the main event. Lashley really needs to stop being afraid of hurting guys and just go out there and wrestle. They're big guys, they can handle it. Although, I don't know how comfortable most of yall would feel tossing your career, I mean the boss' son head over heels when the last guy you remember seeing do it dropped em on his neck the first time. The Big News was what the WWE did for the "make-a-wish kid" by the way, his name is Michael Pena.
I'll attribute the boring chants to the people that were gaurenteed a head shaving and instead got the burial of the world champion. The build of the Lashley character begins. I see what they're doing with him in putting him in the spotlight over the next few months, this will make him a star, whether some people like it or not.
I missed Mickie James again this week, I think it's safe to assume she's still hot and can still wrestle.
Ric Flair has the chance to help Carlito through this feud, the people are gonna cheer him and everyone knows it, but can Flair be affective in getting Carlito over instead of himself. He was always one to get on Hogan, here's another chance years removed from what he did for countless other guys to once again contribute to the future of this business. If ya got faith in anything, have faith in Flair to pull it off.
When was the last time we saw a great faction in WWE? Evolution? How has Randy Orton evolved?
If Raw does a decent number without Cena wrestling, and the only promoted match as Orton and HBK, either Meltzer's spoilers really get the fans to tune in or WWE is alot stronger than most people care to admit.
I like how some weeks its considered burying when WGTT gets beat, but when its in a tag title match that they don't deserve after just losing a week ago to Flair and Carlito it's "strong" for the tag titles. Unbelieveable.
What's strong for the tag titles, is putting them on a real tag team and featuring them on PPV's.
Todd, coming off of mania, what are your Backlash make a wish main events kid?
Oh yeah, I saw Kevin Love play for the first time...if you think he'll have a bigger impact in LA for UCLA than Mayo will for USC as an institution and as a basketball program you're delusional.
Why am I not surprised that the final Pride show was a "disaster"....It's gonna be like that weird phase in WWE where they were all about WCW and taking what they did and making it their own and then after they bought it they just tried to make it seem like it never really existed. I wonder how well that'll go over in Japan? Probably as good as Chuck looked in a Pride ring with Jackson. There is 0 chance UFC ever does anything with Matt Lindland. Why isn't Sylvia getting a rematch? Oh that's right...he doesn't want it. What Serra did was great, but all it did was give the people who say "anyone can become an ultimate fighter", although ignorantly stated at times, more ammunition. And what's that say about Matt Hughes striking? Koshcheck is a wrestler, he will always be a wrestler, and he would make alot more money as a wrestler. And he'd get a lot more fucked up as a wrestler. Stick to UFC. All that energy Sanchez pulls out of rain clouds don't stand up to the energy he pulls out of a Snoop Dogg blunt wrap. Guess he's not straight edge.
I'm not sure taking time off is a good idea for WWE, because they make money on their TV shows and there's always the possibility some people might not come back if you mark off a clear ending at some point for fans to say "well that was good, maybe I'll come back in a year or so." But really they shouldn't be tired after Mania, because they should have spent time before thinking where they were going, rather than just recycling their previous ideas.
I totally agree on bait and switch in general. You should just avoid doing that altogether because it risks having fans not take any of your stipulations seriously as you bring up with Mania.
The goal of Flair vs. Carlito will not be to get Carlito over. WWE office hates Carlito and I expect the feud if anything to bury Carlito with Flair winning the major matches. Not advocating that, but that's probably what's going to happen.
I don't understand the contradiction at all in my comments on the WGTT-Hardyz match. WGTT frequently gets beat, and when you get beat clean as a sheet in 4 minutes you're getting buried. Last night was pretty much a burial as well but I thought it fine in that context because at least it had the goal of getting over the tag champions and by extension the tag titles. I don't think they announced that as a title match so WGTT losing last week doesn't matter.
If you ask me now how to book Backlash, my answer would be pretty much the same as what WWE is done, because that is what they set up. It is not good booking to just blow up everything like Russo does and start over. You need long term booking at all times, where you are setting up future matchups even as you are paying off the current matchups. In order to have a different focus for Backlash, they should have been planting those seeds in February and March. The basic problem is just that Lashley is boring, the McMahons have been stale for years, and without the unique Trump angle the whole dynamic fell apart as far as sustaining interest.
"Oh yeah, I saw Kevin Love play for the first time...if you think he'll have a bigger impact in LA for UCLA than Mayo will for USC as an institution and as a basketball program you're delusional."
Save that and wait two years. I think it will end up making you look very silly. One thing I think you miss in this whole discussion is that I'm a total pessimist when it comes to people I'm rooting for. My enduring memories of every sport are my teams letting me down (Caps blowing leads in the playoffs every year, Bullets making some new exciting move every other offseason like Pervis Ellison, Rod Strickland, Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Mitch Richmond and so on and always stinking, Redskins under the Norv Turner/Michael Westbrook/Heath Shuler/Gus Frerotte era, Orioles' bloated payrolls and losing teams plus the Jeffrey Maier incident, Sakuraba and Rampage getting knocked out by Wanderlei over and over again...etc.). So I tend to enter into any discussion about a team or person I'm rooting for with very realistic expectations if not overly pessimistic ones. With that said, Love is exactly what UCLA needs - an inside offensive presence who can bring pressure inside and scoring there while also being a great passer who can dump it out to the perimeter for easier shots. Plus he's a team oriented player, good defender, hard worker and unselfish. He'll fit in perfectly with that team and I expect him to win a championship. Mayo I see playing for USC one year, scoring about 25-30 points a game on a team with a record slightly worse than last year and going out in the first or second round of the tournament. And with the media scrutiny on him there will probably be some bad press at some point as well. If you wanted me to set objective odds on which player would have a more positive influence on his program, I'd have Love easily the 3 or 4 to 1 favorite. So save that one.
Matt Serra has been training and competing in this sport for a great many years. The only way his victory gives ammunition to the "anyone can become an ultimate fighter" argument is if the person arguing against that is completely ignorant as well.
Josh Koscheck would make more money as a wrestler? Huh? There's no money in amateur wrestling, and if you think Vince is pushing and giving a big money contract to a 170 pound guy who may or may not be able to work you haven't been paying attention to his product the past few years.
The goal of Flair vs. Carlito will not be to get Carlito over.
I didn’t say it was the goal, I said it would be good for the business.
If I remember they got tossed in one of the battle royals pretty early and lost the week before, maybe it’s the opponent I had a problem with. That they could have put over the titles more by putting them on the PPV. Cade and Murdoch earned the spot though. Is Matt Hardy a RAW wrestler?
If you ask me now how to book Backlash, my answer would be pretty much the same as what WWE is done.
I didn’t ask ya what you thought of what they’ve done.
One thing I think you miss in this whole discussion is that I'm a total pessimist when it comes to people I'm rooting for.
So you’re the guy from Major League II that wants to blow up the stadium and talk shit to Rick Vaughn and then when the team starts winning again turn your hat around? All that does is increase the probability that you won’t be wrong in your assessments and then if you are proved wrong you accept the gratification of your team winning. That’s not being a fan. I’d rather have high expectations for people, as far as I’m concerned the sky’s the limit on every season and if they let me down, they let me down. That’s just me. The minute Michael Westbrook swung on Stephan Davis everyone knew that era was doomed. Macklin was a good signing. You know you were pushin for Steve Spurrier.
Love beats OJ in Los Angeles? Right.
If UFC can ever put up a number bigger than Oscar and Floyd next month, I'll be shocked.
If you're trying to incite me, you're doing a good job. No, I'm not an asshole fairweather fan. Have you noticed a trend in pretty much all my favorite teams and how I still write about them here? I hope for the best, but expect much less because to do otherwise would be idiotic given past precedent. I didn't know "being a fan" meant naive unjustified optimism. Particularly since you were just giving me shit for perceived bias. So I'm either a naive fool or an unloyal asshole. Gee, that's fair.
I thought your argument with Mayo was that he would mean more for USC than Love will for UCLA because of the relative strength of their programs already. But you're actually picking USC with Mayo to beat UCLA with Love straight up? Good luck with that one.
I don't agree with your stance that to be optimistic is to be naive. I agree it's difficult to be realistic without being negative, however it is possible to be optimistic while being realistic. You stated yourself to be a pessimist, how then are you not to be criticized for bias?
If you're a pessimist how can you objectively comment on sports or pro wrestling from week to week when you "habitually see the worst" in all situations no matter how entertaining the product? Unless you're just pessimistic when it comes to public opinion.
For instance, how are you forseeing these bad situations for OJ Mayo (first round knockout, bad press) yet you see nothing but promise and a championship in Kevin Love's future?
That is my arguement, and hell, I'll take em straight up, against the spread, however you wanna slice it. Who was the last big time recruit that went to USC? Nick Young? How highly recruited was he? I'm willing to bet he wasn't being mentioned in the same breath as many current NBA players. Mayo will bring more with him to USC than Love will to UCLA, from talent to endorsements. Based on tangible facts alone, Mayo will have the bigger impact. Love win a championship? I know Howland brought defense back to UCLA, but until he brings a phenom in there they ain't winning a title. They had their chance a year ago, and this year as well and got beat by the same squad. How do you not prepare better for that showing? Kevin Love is a versatile big man, but he's no phenom. USC on the other hand is a program on the rise with the #1 player in the country coming to their school with tons of publicity and top tier recruits to follow should the story turn out in a positive way. All Kevin Love is going to do is eat up a spot on the roster for the next 3 years.
Texas is much better off than say a Florida State or a Michigan State right now when it comes to the future of their basketball program. I'd give UCLA a ringing endorsement and compare them to a Georgetown, but I don't think they can get their guys to stick around. Witout AAA, it all falls apart. And he is out of his mind if he goes back to school.
Not trying to incite ya, I'm just not a supporter of pessimistic Redskin fans.
It's one thing to be pessimistic and still be happy when your team wins, it's another to shit all over the team then turn fairweather when they start winning (It's a third thing altogether to bring up any Major League other than the original. Shitty, shitty movies they were).
Us Cleveland fans, we're raised to expect the worst every year, and well we do. That doesn't mean that we're not rooting for the teams. It just means we tend to focus more on the fact that the back end of our bullpen is anchored by a 42 year old and the poor man's Bob Wickman, and that we're platooning in three different positions. It means we look at the fact that we have a quarterback who takes too long to get rid of the ball, a sieve of an O-line and no running game. Do we want the Indians and Browns to win? Of course. Doesn't mean we expect it.
And I'll put my money on OJ Mayo bringing relatively little to USC long term and being a colossal flop in the pros. It'd be one thing if Mayo were a model citizen like Oden or Durant, but he has generally been a twat and has openly admitted, and so has Tim Floyd, that he is at USC simply because it gives him the best opportunity to market himself. I'm with Todd, they get to the second round at best, because Mayo will be far more focused on scoring than on winning.
USC will likely get some decent recruits due to Mayo's presence, but it'll be a flash in the pan, and they'll eventually fall back to where they've been.
Optimism or pessimism can be grounded in reality, or not. I know friends that are really smart and do well in most everything they do, and yet they are incredibly pessimistic from time to time about particular endeavors, like the result of a test. Yet, 5 of 6 times they’ll do very well on the thing they fear. The pessimism is just an unjustified fear. On the other hand, if you’ve lived in Haiti for 40 years and you’re pessimistic about your country’s chances of becoming a stable democracy, well that pessimism is based on very rational reasons.
We were discussing UCLA and USC, and you were basically implying that I’m just boosting the school I go to against the more likely future. And my response was to point out that if anything I tend to expect the worst from my teams, because that’s usually what they give me. So why am I so high on UCLA basketball? Well, because the optimism is totally justified. And that was my point from the beginning. You’re not going to get proclamations about any of my DC teams winning a championship any time soon, because there are few reasons to believe they will. But UCLA is in fantastic shape right now, and things look to still be on the rise. The optimism and pessimism isn’t unrelated to the reality on the ground – it’s fundamentally shaped by that.
USC has actually landed some decent recruits pre-Mayo. Nick Young was actually not highly recruited out of high school. But Gabe Pruitt, Lodrick and Rodrick Stewart, Davon Jefferson, Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett all were. They’ve got a decent core. It’s just Mayo is going to screw up the whole identity of the team, which last year was an unselfish, defense oriented squad. I saw them a number of times last year and was always impressed. But they’re screwing with what worked last year by bringing in Mayo. They’re going to go from being like UCLA to being like Arizona of last year.
I also doubt how much of Love you have seen given how dismissive you are of him. This is a kid that was ranked the #1 recruit in the country by ESPN/Scouts Inc., #3 in the country by Scout and #5 in the country by rivals (higher than Mayo in 2 of those 3). ESPN/Scouts gave him a higher score than they have given any other high school basketball player and higher than any football player in the country from the past two years. He won every major high school MVP award. He broke a 50 year Oregon state scoring record. He averaged 37 points and 15 rebounds a game his senior year while shooting 67 percent from the floor. He’s an amazing passer, blocks shots, has a shooter’s touch and plays tough defense. He’s been studying tapes since he was a kid. He gets compared to Wes Unseld and Elton Brand. If Love doesn’t qualify as a phenom I don’t know what exactly a phenom is. He’ll be one of the best college players in the country the first moment he steps on the court. He’ll be as good if not better than Mayo, and the fundamental difference is he will make the team better.
And as an aside, let me wholeheartedly back Dean’s comment on Major League. I just purchased the new Major League DVD. Great movie. But much like the Matrix, I refuse to acknowledge that there were any Major League movies made after the first.
But much like the Matrix, I refuse to acknowledge that there were any Major League movies made after the first.
Good man.
And since I just noticed it after leaving here,
Arron Afflalo's going pro. How much does that hurt the Bruins?
Losing Afflalo will hurt. He was the top option on offense and a great defender. It doesn't worry me too much because the team is deep and everyone else is returning, but it will take some adjusting at first. It will be interesting to see what Howland does with the lineup. I think he'll start Michael Roll, a solid but unspectacular SG who gets flack from a lot of UCLA fans. The guy with the biggest upside though is Russell Westbrook, a freshman last year who is a natural 2 but played the 1 because of lack of depth. If they play him at the 2 and use him as a scoring option he could be a real player in a hurry. He reminded a lot of people of Darren Collison his first year, as far as a guy that looked spectacular in limited minutes and then blew up second year when given the opportunity. And I know I've kind of beat down this point already, but Love will improve everyone on offense. He is an incredible outlet passer, and with the speedy Collison at the point they are going to get tons of transition points with Love lobbing it down the court. Then in the half court game he can draw a double team down low and then shoot it out to Roll, who is a great post up three point shooter. Losing Afflalo will probably hurt more than losing Jordan Farmar, but Love and the best player in Los Angeles Chase Stanback are going to be valuable additions along with the growth of the current team.
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Okay. That was one snide cheapshot too many. You're welcome to disagree with me on ANYTHING. But there's a distinction between discussion and simple trolling and I'm getting sick of the latter.
There's one thing I want to ask all of you...why is there such an addiction to college sports in the US? In Canada, no one could give a rats ass if U of T was playing UBC or any other Canadian univeristy....why is it so important down there?
....why is it so important down there?
Because of the emphasis on education and how much money is actually invested into the programs. The sports are entertainment and the alumni of the schools who are spread out among all fields of have strong ties to thier schools and there is no better way to breed entertainment then pitting one group against another.
I can't believe Todd censored my comments, that's ridiculous, I never once said anything disrespectful or profane to you personally or anybody else who has commented on this board.
I commented on the topics and arguement that I started and if you can't handle being told that your points are incorrect or do not apply to what I'm trying to say, you're in the wrong field.
Is it because I called you out as not being an Expos fan pre-Nationals?? If so, that's weak. Because I proved my point. All I did was make my arguement and you censored me. That's crazy. This will be my last post ever on this blog.
The Mayo-Love bullshit was a longstanding commentary that wasn't gonna last til October, but it was interesting and it gave birth to new topics and discussions. What you did was underhanded and immature. It was a civil arguement, not a personal attack.
I didn't censor anything you said. That would imply I cared about the content. As I said, make whatever points you want. What I don't care for is the tone and intent of the remarks, 65 percent of which seem directed at harassment and trolling. I deleted that specific post for 2 reasons:
1) It started out "While that's all very long-winded of you" and then basically ignored everything I said. The connotation was "I don't care what you're saying," which is disrespectful and particularly irritating to me given I was responding to points you brought up.
2) You made a snide remark about Arron Afflalo being "smarter than the average UCLA student." The content of the remark didn't offend me, but it struck me as yet another remark intended to bait rather than discuss.
You're welcome to post here if you would like, but if you're leaving that's fine too.
So...judging from his post, I'm under the assumption he used the idea that you weren't an Expos fan but then became a Nats fan as proof that you're fairweather.
If that's the case...so what? Is it so wrong that people in Oklahoma City are fans of the Hornets, even if they weren't fans when they were in Charlotte and New Orleans? It's fairweather if Dallas fans root for the Stars even if they weren't North Star fans? It's one thing to go "well, the Indians suck this year, so I'm going to root for the Cardinals, they're playing well." It's another thing to get a sports franchise in a sport that your city hasn't had in awhile, or ever. If Cleveland got an NHL franchise, expansion or relocation, you can bet your bottom dollar I'd be rooting for them.
More importantly, who gives a fuck if you're fairweather?? Sports are there to be enjoyed. If someone doesn't enjoy rooting for a bad team, what's wrong with them rooting for a good team? If they're enjoying themselves, more power to them. People put way too much into being a "true" sports fan.
2) You made a snide remark about Arron Afflalo being "smarter than the average UCLA student." The content of the remark didn't offend me, but it struck me as yet another remark intended to bait rather than discuss.
This is where you're wrong to judge my intent or "tone" (cause I said something). The comment was intended as a simple play on words because I had just stated the day before he announced that he was out of his mind if he stays. Nothing more. More often than not, unless I highlight things people have stated when speaking to them its because I agree with the points that they have made or their arguement was strong enough to the point that I didn't care to dispute it.
You deletin my comments was wrong.
Justify it however you want.
And for the record, the comment was "Smarter than your average Bruin".
I think its fair to get it right when you're gonna quote me.
Frankly, I think Tyson works for WWE anyway, given his views of Lashley, and Raw in general. He will not be missed.
As for saying that Nationals fans who didn't like the team before they moved to D.C. are "fairweather"... that is quite possibly the stupidest thing I have ever heard. How do you even argue with someone who makes a point like that?
Is that Mike Tyson or Tyson Tomko posting? Can't we all get along...it's just a blog.
Just for the record:
OJ Mayo is the next big bust
Is that Mike Tyson or Tyson Tomko posting? Can't we all get along...it's just a blog.
That better not have been a shot at Tyson Tomko. Don't rip on the Problem Solver!
Hey! If I can talk baout RAW for a minute.....
Did anyone else think the second ref was woefully out of position Monday in the Michaels-Orton match? The first ref counts one, then looks over and sees the second ref just now crawling across the ring. I think the second ref was supposed to be on the other side of Orton, counting Michaels' shoulders down 1-2-3 at the same time the other ref was counting Orton's shoulders down. Either the ref was out of position, or Michaels was supposed to fall with his shoulders on the other side of Orton. Either way, someone was out of position.
Definitely agree on the second ref being out of position on Raw. One of the refs had to walk towards this "double pin" and literally point over one man with his shoulders down to the other guy with his shoulders down on the other side. It didn't help the rather implausible scenario.
As for saying that Nationals fans who didn't like the team before they moved to D.C. are "fairweather"... that is quite possibly the stupidest thing I have ever heard. How do you even argue with someone who makes a point like that?
Believe it or not there are Expos fans who are extremely bitter about losing their team A. And extremely pissed off that a whole new group of people are claiming the team as "theirs" B.
That's a start. But then if I was just here to stroke ego's, well,...I'd be this guy "Just for the record:
OJ Mayo is the next big bust ".
Long live the Expos and baseball teams who can't afford to keep talent. Wait, that's kind of the Nationals, by the way Todd, what did you guys get in return for your three best players (Soriano, Guillen, Vidro) this past offseason?
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