Das bin ich » what fans want. Fans tune in to see two guys be violent

Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss the IOC and Russias policy towards homosexuality, the poor defence of the Toronto Blue Jays, the stellar defence of Los Angeles Angels outfielder J.B. Shuck and the Canadian mens basketball team. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to the pressure being exerted on the International Olympic Committee and its partners over Russias violent and despicable oppression of homosexuality in advance of the 2014 Games in Sochi. Russia is sending mixed messages; public support of homosexuality will or wont be allowed, but its policies are abhorrent, either way. Opponents are pushing boycotts, none of which seem likely, though its a worthy debate. Either way, this has a chance to be a critical moment in the global push for equal rights. The world will be watching, someone will speak up and the IOC and its sponsors will have a small and unlikely chance to prove that their amoral globe-trotting sporting carnival has any morals whatsoever. Steve Simmons, Sun Media: My thumb is down to the Toronto Blue Jays, and no, Im not going to squawk about starting pitching this morning. Its about their defence - which has been described by one American League scout as being similar to a slo-pitch softball team. Thats not meant as a compliment. Ive been watching this team from its infancy and honestly, I cant remember a Jays club as poor defensively as this one. Its one thing to be near the bottom in earned runs given up. Its another thing entirely to marry that with being near the bottom in unearned runs allowed. Its a formula that adds up to a last place finish. Gary Lawless, Winnipeg Free Press: Thumbs up to the future of Canadas senior mens basketball team which has gone from a witness protection program to one of promise. New GM Steve Nash gave the program buzz and substance all in one make-it-look easy, no-look pass. Not long ago Basketball Canada had difficulty attracting NBA players but now, according to coach Jay Triano, theyll find themselves in a position where theyll be strong enough to cut an NBA player. Nash and Triano can look at their top end talent and see Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, Andrew Nicholson and Joel Anthony. First overall pick Anthony Bennett and lottery selection Kelly Olynyk and also on the radar as is 2014 projected no. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins. Nash calls this new era the golden age of Basketball in Canada. Fair enough. The fun part starts now as we get to watch and see if they can transform from paper tigers to giant slayers. Dave Hodge, TSN: Steve talked about shoddy defence by the Toronto Blue Jays -- well, on Friday night, a sensational defensive play by Angels outfielder J.B. Shuck reminded the Jays how important plays in the field can be--they can be as good as a Jose Bautista homer, if they can rob Jose Bautista of a homer. Undoubtedly this play made Bautista say something stronger than "shucks". The otherwise little-known J.B. Shuck had a long run to the left-field corner -- he had the ball and the wall to deal with, and he had to leap to make the catch, and then he disappeared.... with the ball in his glove. It was one of those plays that made everyone who saw it happen "live" say the same thing in unison -- "Sportscentre highlight." Indeed, it was. Air Max 90 Offerta .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Air Max Saldi Outlet . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. https://www.scontatescarpeoutlet.it/nike-air-max-720-italia-scarpe-outlet-c3266.html . -- PGA TOUR Canada member Steve Saunders took a three-stroke lead Saturday in the Web. Air Max 90 Italia . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. Air Max Outlet . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Each week, ESPN.com writer Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts.This week, Okamoto speaks with current UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. A former Bellator MMA champion, Alvarez (28-4), 31, defeated Rafael dos Anjos by first-round TKO in July to capture his first UFC title.?1. With UFC 202 fast approaching on Aug. 20, who are you currently leaning toward winning Nate Diaz-Conor McGregor?II?Eddie Alvarez: I think Conor gets deflated again. Hes going to trip over his own shoelaces like he did the last fight. I feel like Nate does the same thing to him, puts him away the same kind of way. The reason I think so is I dont think Conor has made enough changes. I watched some of the stuff he has put online, some short videos, and that was all I needed to see. It looks like hes fighting the exact same. He didnt innovate. He feels he has the right style and all he needs is better conditioning ... I beg to differ. So I think he loses again.Brett Okamoto: Ill have a prediction ready for next weeks UFC 202 Picks section. In the meantime, Ill admit I dont completely co-sign Alvarezs opinion of McGregor. I think theres strong evidence he has made adjustments. He has tailored a camp specific to Diaz (something he hasnt done in the past). He has abandoned some of the (probably unnecessary) cardio methods he has used in the past for a more scientific approach. Hes working very closely with nutritionist George Lockhart?and will do so all the way up to the fight, which he didnt do in March. He has always believed hes better than Diaz, so he was never trying to reinvent anything -- just fine-tune. Whether he has done enough of that (and whether he can prevent old habits once the fight starts), well see.2. UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping says his first title defense will come against Dan Henderson at UFC 204 on Oct. 8. Love it or hate it?Alvarez: I like that fight. I think Dan has more than earned his keep in this sport. Any good that happens to Dan Henderson is deserved, because this guy has put his time in. The thing is, when were looking at rankings, its tough to say theyre really subjective. No. 1 doesnt always deserve to be there. So its hard to say one guy deserves a shot over another based on these subjective rankings. I just feel like you make the biggest fights possible and at this point, thats the biggest fight possible. To say that Dan Henderson doesnt deserve something, no matter what it is, seems crazy to me. I give him a huge chance against Bisping. And Bisping doesnt like me. He has got something against me, so I actually hope Dan knocks him out.Okamoto: I definitely dont love it. I really dont hate it either, but if I have to pick a side, I guess Im more hate than love on this one. Call me old-fashioned -- title shots should be based on merit, not storylines. Dont get me wrong, this is a great storyline. Not only do you have Henderson, at 45, getting one final crack at the belt he has never won. You get their UFC 100 history added to it. Plus, the fact its Bisping in Manchester? Plus, Hendo saying hell retire, win or lose? It doesnt get better than that. But I cant get past the other contenders of this division who are so clearly more deserving of a shot than Henderson. I really dont agree with the message this sends to somebody like Ronaldo Jacare Souza. Apologies for being a buzzkill on this one, but Im against it.3. As a brand-new welterweight champion, does Tyron Woodley deserve to pick his first title defense?Alvarez: I think its really up to the promotion to make the fight. At the end of the day, the UFC is the one who makes the decision. He can have a preference. I have a preference. Every champion has a preference, and theres nothing wrong with that. But if the promotion is leaning toward a certain guy, you go with that guy. Its not really up to us. It would be cool to see Georges St-Pierre come out of retirement to fight Woodley, to see how hes able to fare in the new world. He has been out of the sport for a while. Ive always been a fan of GSP so seeing him come back and take that fight would be cool, for sure.Okamoto: Woodley deserves to have an opinion on who he fights next. Every fighter deserves that. Every fighter should have that. Say who you want to fight. Good things happen whhen you do.dddddddddddd. Does he deserve to handpick who he fights next? I would say no. As the champion, especially a new champion, you have to fight the No. 1 contender. Right now, the No. 1 contender is Stephen Thompson. I spoke to Thompson last week and he said something I agreed with and Ill repeat it here: If Woodley had already defended the title three or four times, then hed have my support in calling his next opponent. At that point, he has earned the right to say, Ive clearly established Im No. 1, Ive separated myself from the pack -- now, I want a money fight against a big name who maybe isnt ranked No. 2. But as a brand-new champion with zero title defenses? I think he needs to fight the No. 1 contender.4. If WSOF bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes signs with the UFC, how would he do and who should he fight first??Alvarez:?[Note: Alvarez and Moraes train together under striking coach Mark Henry.] He will kill everybody who stands in his way. He should fight [UFC champion] Dominick Cruz right away. Marlon doesnt need to prove himself. Marlon is proven. If fans dont believe hes at the top because of who he has fought, surely they should base it on who he trains with daily. From what Ive seen him do in the gym, even against myself, Marlon has the ability to destroy any 135-pounder. He could move up in weight, hes that talented. If he didnt get a title shot, I think T.J. Dillashaw would be an amazing matchup. I would love to see that. I just dont see anyone in that division matching Marlons power. And usually when guys have power, they lack technique. Marlon has both.Okamoto: Alvarez described it -- what makes Moraes fun is the power. Hes a hard hitter with some of the nastiest kicks in the division, regardless of promotion. The talent level he has fought against in WSOF hasnt been awful, but its simply nowhere near the level hed face in the UFC. Thats just reality. I really enjoy watching Moraes fight. Do I think hed be a champ in the UFC? Thats a pretty stacked division at the moment. The addition of former flyweights John Lineker and John Dodson, the?return from injury of Raphael Assuncao, the?emergence of Cody Garbrandt, Aljamain Sterling?and?Bryan Caraway?-- 135 pounds is deep. If Moraes signs with UFC, I think hed prove to be a top-10 bantamweight, and Id pair him with Dodson in his debut.5. The Association of Boxing Commissions has approved a new scoring criteria. Changes include a finer definition of 10-8 rounds and added emphasis on aggression as a secondary scoring tool, not primary. Will these changes lead to better scoring?Alvarez: I wasnt aware that happened. The thing that could work better, I feel, is rewarding the guy whos trying to push the fight and finish the fight -- be a little more violent. That should be scored on heavily. If theyre saying score that less, I dont like that. When I fought back in Japan years ago, that was a big factor. A big percentage of who won the fight was which guy was willing to push forward and look for a finish. If thats not pushed, youre not leaning toward action. Youre not making rules in favor of what fans want. Fans tune in to see two guys be violent and go after each other. What youre doing with that new rule is making a fighter actually be a little more hesitant and calculated and that could be bad for the entertainment aspect.Okamoto: I think it makes scoring less vague, which is a plus. For years, takedowns were overvalued. Fighter A would land far more significant offense, but Fighter B would score a takedown, hold top position for one minute of a five-minute round and win the round. Thats not how its supposed to work. The new criteria asks judges, very definitively, to score impact, which is a nice way of saying damage. The change concerning 10-8 rounds is positive as well, in that it essentially encourages judges to use 10-8s. For a long time, 10-8 rounds were something judges avoided. A fighter had to come within a breath of ending the fight to earn a 10-8. More liberal use of that score is a very good thing, in my opinion. I dont think fans will necessarily notice real obvious shifts in how fights are scored, but long-term, I do think this is an improvement. ' ' '