- March Madness has been tarnished by outrageous officiating.
- Matthew Barnaby is the luckiest son of a bitch on Earth.
- The NFL needs to look at what happened to other sports that allowed greed to halt game-play before it is too late.
- And, I’m Aaron Goins. All my thoughts on these topics and so much more (including why WrestleMania XXVII isn’t as anticipated as Lockdown 2011)… in The Highlight Reel!
NEWS and NOTES
**March Madness is in full swing and college basketball is on center stage in the sporting world. As usually, I filled on a bracket along with the majority of the country. Also, like a majority of the nation, my bracket is completely destroyed after one weekend of the NCAA Tournament. While my Ohio State-Kansas finals is still very much alive, one of my Final Four predictions, Pittsburgh, was eliminated in the Round of 32 by the Butler Bulldogs. In looking at my Sweet Sixteen predictions, eight of my predictions have already been eliminated including a #2 in Notre Dame, two #3 seeds in Purdue and Syracuse, and two #4 seeds in Louisville and Texas along with the #1 in Pittsburgh.
While my bracket has been a bust, I have to say that the tournament has been a bust because of one thing above all others: poor officiating. From Texas getting jobbed by officials in the closing moments of their loss to Arizona to the aggravated assaults being allowed on BYU’s Jimmer Fredette, the officiating in college basketball has been awful all season and has added a tarnish to the 2011 NCAA Tournament only one weekend in. I can only imagine how officiating will continue to take away from a tournament that should be looked at for its exciting unpredictability.
**Michelle Beadle earned another level of respect, love, and admiration for her performance on the March 21st episode of SportsNation. Michelle Beadle had to share the set for the entire hour with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and convicted dog murderer Michael Vick. Beadle is known for her dislike of Vick, the man, and has not let up on her opinion of him even when ignorant haters have bashed her. With Vick on set, Michelle showed the professionalism of a seasoned pro and refused to let her personal opinions affect her work. Instead of pandering to him and destroying her credibility or her personal beliefs, Beadle called “BS” on Vick when he said he did not want star treatment from officials and refused to kiss his ass like 99% of ESPN’s personalities would have done in that moment. Michelle rarely looked at him as she talked with Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis instead.
It was a great moment for Beadle fans everywhere as she proved once again why she is the best personality in sports television today. A lesser professional would have made the encounter a spectacle or would have called in sick to avoid the confrontation. Michelle Beadle showed up, stuck to her guns, and came out more awesome than when she started the day.
Of course, the sports world was shaken on March 15th when males all over were heartbroken by the news that Michelle Beadle was of the market. A moment of silence for those heartbroken (including yours truly).
Michelle Beadle announced via Twitter that she and fellow ESPN analyst Matthew Barnaby have been dating since October. Beadle said in the statement that both are happy, have let ESPN and co-workers know since they began dating and have finally decided to allow the public to know after many Twitter followers of both Beadle and Barnaby figured out the relationship via tweet analysis.
I’m happy for Michelle because she’s a wonderful woman who deserves happiness. While I wish (oh Lord how I wish) it was with me, I’ll be there to catch Michelle should she ever fall from the fingertips of Matthew Barnaby (a.k.a. the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet).
Plus, in the final tidbit of Michelle Beadle news, the cast around that right ankle is gone and the walking boot is the new fashion accessory of the spring. As I’ve told Beadle “haters” and broken bones have now found out, you can’t stop Michelle Beadle; you can only hope to contain her.
**World Wrestling Entertainment should change its name immediately because their name is a case of flagrant false advertising. TNA Wrestling is now officially the number one wrestling promotion in the world. Vince McMahon basically said so with his most recent decree: “We are NOT a wrestling company.”
Yes, in his apparent desire to kill the company his father started and destroy the business that made him billions of dollars before he dies, Vince McMahon has taken offense to the media referring to WWE as a wrestling company and now wants the media to refer to WWE as an entertainment company. Instead of holding wrestling cards with wrestling matches, WWE holds “entertainments” in arena all over the world. Seriously, this is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard in my life. I’ve thought it was asinine that the wrestlers have been referred to as Superstars and Divas for years but this new McMahon decree takes the cake.
It is ridiculous beyond belief that Vince McMahon and his yes-men (a.k.a. WWE management) want to distance themselves from the very thing that they are. All of the made-for-DVD movies, reality TV shows, and stupid in-house code words they are using to hide their reality can not stop the rest of the world from looking at World Wrestling Entertainment as what they truly are: a WRESTLING company. Considering that these endeavors to distance themselves from professional wrestling always end up as colossal failures, you’d think McMahon would proudly stand by his one golden goose. But, apparently, that couldn’t be further from the truth as Vince McMahon himself has announced to the world that World Wrestling Entertainment is no longer a wrestling company.
**The face of TNA Wrestling has changed drastically in the last month as one of the most popular stars (even as a heel) has been suspended from the company while the World Championship is now held by a 52-year old man running on fumes. No, Hulk Hogan hasn’t gotten the strap he so desperately wants. Instead, Sting returned to TNA and won the championship from Jeff Hardy in his first match back on March 3rd. However, instead of Hardy being in the hunt for the title and claiming a rematch, Jeff Hardy has allowed his personal demons to cause a joke of a main event at the Victory Road PPV (more on this in Jerk of the Week) and has been suspended indefinitely.
Sting has returned to TNA after spurning Vince McMahon’s huge offers and has been rewarded with the TNA World title. Meanwhile, Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam are attempting to invoke their championship rematches but are finding their efforts negated by the new on-screen management of TNA: Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. For everything great about TNA’s in-ring product, they negate so much via too much Hogan and Bischoff using an angle that we’ve seen run into the ground by Vince McMahon for over a decade. Still, TNA offers more wrestling and better wrestling than their counterparts (oh wait, not counterparts anymore) in World Wrestling Entertainment. Case in point: I have more interest in April’s Lockdown pay-per-view event from TNA than “the granddaddy of them all” WrestleMania XXVII.
With still weeks to go, Lockdown’s three confirmed matches have more interest for me than all of WrestleMania XXVII’s crappy lineup. At Lockdown, Sting will defend his TNA World Championship against Mr. Anderson and Rob Van Dam in a three-way-dance. Kurt Angle will face Jeff Jarrett in a final encounter and Madison Rayne will defend her Knockouts Championship against Mickie James in a Hair vs. Title match. Also, while the opponents haven’t been announced, Lethal Lockdown will return once again. Those four matches are all better than WrestleMania XXVII’s lineup.
The WrestleMania XXVII lineup for April 3rd is simply tragic. The Undertaker will face Triple H in a match that has no reasoning behind it and is something we have already seen before at WrestleMania, regardless of what Vince McMahon wants fans to believe. The Miz will defend the WWE Championship against John Cena in a match that has been promoted more as John Cena vs. WrestleMania guest host Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson than Cena vs. Miz. Since he has been an afterthought in this match, Miz absolutely has no chance at retaining his title. Also, World Heavyweight Champion Edge will defend his title against Alberto Del Rio (and possibly Christian in a Triple Threat match) in a title match that has had little-to-no mention or build-up and will probably go on second. After all, this title match is too “wrestle” for World Wrestling Entertainment.
Now, Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as referee is a main event WWE is proud of. This contest has more promotion and booking behind it than the other three main event matches combined. Quickly following that abortion in the over-hyped column is a six-person tag as John Morrison, the legendary Trish Stratus, and Snooki from MTV’s Jersey Shore face Dolph Ziggler and LayCool. Yeah, Snooki.
Randy Orton faces CM Punk and Rey Mysterio faces Cody Rhodes in confirmed matches while it is rumored that Sheamus will defend the United States title against Daniel Bryan and The Corre (Wade Barrett, Ezekiel Jackson, Justin Gabriel, and Heath Slater) will face Big Show, Kane, and some other partners in an eight-man tag match. Oh, and there will be no Money in the Bank Ladder match because there is just too much excitement to be had already. Michael Cole is going to wrestle after all.
You know, even with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff showing up on-screen more than I’d like and Sting holding the TNA World title, I would rather see that than what WWE is offering on their biggest event any day of the week. Just looking at that WrestleMania XXVII lineup is enough to make me heave. Thank God TNA is still out there and I’m not so hardheaded that I’ll allow a dislike of Hogan, Bischoff, and TNA’s management keep me from the only professional wrestling left on American television.
**What do you get when you have billionaires and millionaires arguing over an inability to divvy up $9 billion dollars? You get a lot of angry Americans whose money made that $9 billion dollar pot and an NFL Lockout.
The NFL Players Association has walked away from the table and decided to go on strike rather than continue working with the NFL Owners and the league on how to divvy up the profits from this past NFL season. So, as of right now, free agency is at a stand still and the 2011 NFL season appears to either be a shortened one or a non-existent one because of the greed shared between the millionaire players and billionaire owners.
Personally, as much as I love the National Football League, I am disgusted by how greedy these men are in this day and age. The country is filled with poverty and unemployment with no end in sight. Yet, the NFL owners and players are squabbling over money that none of them would miss if they didn’t get a dime from the nine billion dollars in question. While I believe more than likely that the lockout will end before the entire season is a loss, I will not be surprised to see half the season gone because the greed of man is a powerful foe. Not even the most popular and successful game in the world can overcome that greed.
The real story will then be the fallout from this lockout. Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it and the National Football League apparently has not studied what happened to Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, and the National Basketball Association. No sport ever comes back to open arms from the fans spit on by the wealthy athletes on strike over money they don’t even need.
**April 28th, 2011 is going to be a bittersweet day for yours truly. On April 28th, I will celebrate my 28th birthday with the reveal of the 50 Most Beautiful Women in the World list for 2011 in The Highlight Reel Plus, I will watch as the Carolina Panthers make the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. But, I will sadly watch (and probably cry) as April 28th is the day for Steve Carell’s last episode of The Office.
As we’ve all known for months, Carell is leaving the show that made him a household name this season. Michael Scott will exit Dunder-Mifflin for the final time on the April 28th episode. While The Office has already been picked up for an eighth season, I can’t help but wonder how life in Scranton will be without Michael Scott around to make things awkward, uncomfortable, and downright hysterical. April 28th is definitely going to be a bittersweet day for me as I will get a year old, celebrate the sexy woman I love, and gain hope for the Panthers while also losing a part of my favorite TV show of all-time forever.
**Poor Chris Jericho. One of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, Chris Jericho is sadly getting prepared for a comeback to World Wrestling Entertainment by appearing as a contestant on the 12th season of Dancing with the Stars. Yes, the man who was the first Undisputed WWE Champion, defeated The Rock and Steve Austin in the same night, and has main evented WrestleMania when it meant something is now a dancing schmuck on the most overrated show in television history: Dancing with the Stars. That is just sad.
**March 11th, 2011 is a day that will not be soon forgotten. That was the day that a 9.0 earthquake hit off the coast of Japan. In the wake of the earthquake, a massive tsunami along with dozens of aftershocks hit the island nation destroying cities and leaving thousands dead and many more homeless. While the aftershocks have subsided and the cleanup attempts have began, radiation leaks from many of their nuclear power facilities have left Japan in a Chernobyl state.
While I am personally glad that America has not yet used this global catastrophe as an excuse to raise gas prices to $8 per gallon, I hope that Japan can recover from this disaster without too much damage being done to the American landscape. In this day and age of every country being connected in this global economy, this disaster is ultimately going to lead to higher prices for goods in America. I just hope that Japan can recover to some semblance of itself pre-disaster before the greedy industry leaders decide to make a mint off everything from gas and electronics to food and clothes with the Japan earthquake as their justification for the price gouging.
CHEERS and JEERS
Superstar of the Week: Anthony Robles
The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were held this past weekend in Philadelphia, PA. While the rest of the results barely were a blip on the radar in the sporting world, one young man’s performance stood out as an inspiration to everyone. Anthony Robles of Arizona State won the 125-pound weight class over Iowa State’s Matt McDonough. What made this story so powerful is that Robles’ won while competing with only one leg.
Robles was born without a right leg. Refusing to wear a prosthetic since the age of three, Robles learned to move with only one leg and has excelled in athletics since his adolescence. In this, his final season of wrestling at Arizona State, Robles went 36-0 while winning the NCAA Championship at 125 pounds. He was also named Most Outstanding Wrestler for the entire tournament.
Considering the obstacles this young man has overcome just to walk without the use of a prosthetic leg, Robles’ championship in the physical sport of wrestling is truly something to marvel over. Anthony Robles is a Superstar of the Week and a superstar in life.
Jerk of the Week: Jeff Hardy
When March began, Jeff Hardy was the TNA World Heavyweight Champion. On the March 3rd episode of TNA Impact, Hardy lost the TNA World title to the returning Sting. However, the worst was yet to come. At Victory Road on March 13th, Sting defeated Jeff Hardy in the rematch in 1:28 after TNA Management had to turn the rematch into a squash because Jeff Hardy arrived at Victory Road drugged out of his mind.
Jeff Hardy has been the modern day version of Jake Roberts, Road Warrior Hawk, Kerry Von Erich, or any other wrestler from the 70s-90s for years. Those men should have been main event stars with lasting legacies as icons but allowed personal demons and addictions end their pushes. The one key difference between them and Hardy is that he actually has reached the top of the mountain in both World Wrestling Entertainment and TNA Wrestling. Jeff Hardy has reached levels of popularity only reached before by icons of the industry. Yet, time and time again, Hardy’s career has swerved off course because of his demons.
Jeff Hardy has been suspended from TNA Wrestling indefinitely and has been basically trashed on television for his unprofessional behavior. This is not the first time he’s done this in either WWE or TNA. I just wish that both companies would make this the last time Hardy did this. Regardless of how much money he brings to the table through merchandise sales and ticket sales, Jeff Hardy is too dependent on drugs to warrant having a job with any promotion. The jerk has simply run out of chances.
POWER RANKINGS - Favorite Quotes from Charlie Sheen’s Meltdown
5. “You borrow my brain for five seconds and just be like ‘Dude, can’t handle it, unplug this bastard’ because it fires in a way that is, I don’t know, maybe not from this particular terrestrial realm.”
4. “The run I was on made Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger, Richards -- all of them -- just look like droopy-eyed armless children.”
3. “I’m on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s not available because if you try it you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.”
2. “I’m not bi-polar. I’m bi-winning. I win here and I win there.”
1. “I was bangin’ seven-gram rocks and finishing them because that’s how I roll, because I have one speed, one gear. [I survived] because I’m me. I’m different. I have a different constitution. I have a different brain. I have a different heart. I got tiger blood, man. Dying’s for fools, dying’s for amateurs.”
BIG A RECOMMENDS…
Justified - airs every Wednesday at 10PM on FX
Justified has quickly become one of my favorite shows on television. Set in Harlan County, Kentucky, Justified centers on Deputy US Marshall Raylan Givens (played wonderfully by Timothy Olyphant) and his way of dealing with criminals in Harlan. Givens is a 19th Century-style officer enforcing law in modern day Kentucky; putting a target on his back from criminals and angering his fellow superiors in law enforcement along the way. Olyphant’s performance reeks of coolness to the umpteenth degree while each episode features great stories and guest performances by some of Hollywood’s more underrated talents. Justified is a fantastic show that I recommend everybody check out.
WHAT I LEARNED THIS WEEK…
I’ve learned that it is really hard when you care too much. It’s almost a fatal flaw. I’ve noticed how much I get worked up, enraged really, with idiots lately when debating things I like. Considering that I am enraged to a point of feeling my blood pressure peaking when dealing with idiots bashing people like Michelle Beadle and Carrie Underwood or things like TNA Wrestling and The Office, I really question the depths of rage I’d reach if I had to deal with people unjustly criticizing my family or close friends.
It is said that caring for people, ideas, and activities is an admirable quality to have. But, there is something to caring too much. I’ve either got to learn to care a little less or to ignore the bait when it is put in front of me. If I can avoid the bait, I can avoid the confrontations and avoid the pain and discomfort afterwards. But, it is a tough struggle that I’ll have to adapt to on my own. I can’t help but think how easy life would be if I could help educate the masses to recognize true intelligence and awesomeness. But, to quote Ron White, “I’m only one man!” One man who cares a lot about the things that matter to me in life. Whether it be family, friends, animals, idols, sports, or anything else in the world, you have a friend and defender to the bitter end when I care about you. I think that’s cool.
-- Aaron Goins
