The Lure of the Ring

The undefeated welterweight champ, Floyd Mayweather joined the long list of pro athletes to step into the wrestling ring on Sunday night. What is it that draws pro athletes to the spectacle of pro wrestling?

First, there's money. While the WWE hyped up a 20 Million pay day for Floyd, the reality is he made about 2 Million. While it's nowhere near his payday for a blockbuster fight, this was a quick payout and offered exposure to a new fan base. Mayweather didn't have to train for months, cut weight, or face the pressure of defending his undefeated record. Plus, he's increased his potential buy rate for his next PPV fight. The bottom line . . . he got paid to have FUN! and increased his future earnings potential.

Sure, wrestling is fake, and filled with bizarre story lines. But, it's an escape for pro athletes. A place where they can use their strength and speed to put on a show.

So, while many sports writers criticize those who align themselves with the wild world of "Sports Entertainment", I'm jealous. Offer me two million to have fun, and see if I take it.

Some athletes that seem to agree with my logic include; Muhammed Ali, Karl Malone, "The Fridge", Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Dennis Rodman, "Pac Man" Jones, Mike Tyson, and plenty more . . . OK, OK the last three names and "logic" don't belong in the same paragraph, but you get my point.

Curry Will Return For Junior Season

LINK TO ESPN STORY

Kansas Provides the Kryptonite

I refuse to use any Cinderella references when referring to Davidson. They proved they belonged on this stage. Stephen Curry shot a pedestrian 9 for 25, and yet the Wildcats had a shot to win the game at the buzzer.

Davidson's defense kept them alive, forcing 13 turnovers and holding the Jayhawks to 59 total points.

In the end the Wildcats shot themselves in the foot, shooting 5 for 12 from the foul line. Couple that with Curry's cold streak late in the 2nd half, and it was too much to overcome.

The "White Lobster" did his part to keep the dream alive, scoring 11 points in the 2nd half. In the end though, the Jayhawks were too athletic on the defensive end and forced Davidson out of their comfort zone just enough to pull out the win.

Many, including me mocked the "experts" for predicting four #1 seeds would make it to San Antonio. Well I guess I'm the idiot now.

I'll be crying myself to sleep tonight over this one, and I'll be missing Stephen in the Final 4.

Curry is human after all, Santa's not real, and Elvis really is dead . . . but we'll all dream again next March.

Forget Elite 8, It's Elite XC!

While North Carolina was busy becoming the 2nd #1 seed (please God, don't allow all 4 #1's to be in the Final 4) to advance into the Final Four this evening, my eyes were glued to an extremely entertaining MMA contest between Cung Le and the defending Strikeforce middleweight champion, Frank Shamrock. As I suspected Shamrock pulled an excuse out of the bag and quit on his stool following the 3rd round. It's a shame that this fight couldn't have gone on, because things were really heating up in the 3rd. Both men were rocked in the round, with Cung Le finishing the stronger of the two. On his way back to his corner, Shamrock dropped to his knees and the fight was ended early due to a "broken arm".

Shamrock is such an actor, I don't know what to believe from him. While I doubt the legitimacy of his injury, I certainly appreciate the spectacular fight.

Complete Play By Play Results Courtesy of Sherdog

Where Are You Now . . . Darius Washington?

Watching the Memphis Tigers destroy Michigan State on Saturday night got me thinking, what in the world happened to Darius Washington? You remember him; the guy who missed two key free throws in the 2005 Conference USA championship game. Well if you pondered this mystery, here is your answer:

Went undrafted in 2006

Signed by PAOK Thessaloniki of Greece on Nov. 2006

Played 18 games in 2007 for the Spurs where he averaged 8.2 minutes per game, 2.9 PPG on 44% shooting, and 1.1 RPG.

Signed by CEZ Basketball Nymburk of Czech Republic in March 2007. Washington was named the MVP of the 2007 Czech All Star game, and his team went on to win the Czech National Championship and the National Cup.

Signed by Aris Thessaloniki of Greece in Jan. 08 and is currently playing in the Euroleague.

Now, the question is: Can Memphis (one of the worst FT shooting teams in the nation) win a national championship, or will a new Darius Washington step up to the line and miss them when they count the most?