Say Hello to the Bad Guy

After a much needed corporate retreat to Dewey Beach, the I'll Be Frank staff is tanned, well rested, and ready to work. We will be working harder than Dane Cook trying to make his jokes funny.

A few things in the world of sports happened during our sebatacle:

1. George Steinbrenner died. The Pirates quickly traded Pedro Alvarez and Ryan Doumit to the Yankees for a reserved seat at the funeral, a funeral wreath, a funeral procession flag, and a minor leaguer to be named later.

For anyone interested TBS will be airing a tribute to Steinbrenner, by showing 10 episodes of Seinfeld, in which Larry David portrayed the Yankees' boss. All this week from 7-8 p.m on TBS.




2. The National League won their first All-Star game in years. America didn't care to watch Marlon Byrd battle Matt Thornton. The game experienced miserable ratings and the few people who did watch it, didn't even get to see Omar Infante's amazing utility work put to use.

3. Miami Heat beef up roster with signings of Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and Zydrunus Ilgauskas. Heat roster goes from Olsen Twins thin to D.J. Tanner chubby.

4. T.O. feels shunned by NFL. I understand he is a nuisance and a negative force in the locker room, but Donte Stallworth killed a man, went to jail, has injury problems, never had a season comparable to T.O., and yet he is signed, and Owens is jobless. Hardly makes sense to me.

5. John Daly shot a 66 at the British Open. The last time he saw a 66 was when he split 6s at a blackjack table at an Indian casino after a weeklong bender that followed losing endorsements from 84 Lumber and Hooters.

To get back into the swing of things I will now continue with the rasslin' countdown starting with wrestlers 15-7.

Quick recap of wrestlers 25-16:

25. Doink
24. Yokozuna
23. Captain Lou Albano
22. "Double J" Jeff Jarrett
21. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
20. British Bulldog
19. Vader
18. Harlem Heat
17. Sgt. Slaughter
16. Diamond Dallas Page



15. The Rock (WWF 96-04)



Do you smmmmmeeellllllllll, what The Rock's cookin'?

Wrestling's first third-generation superstar, The Rock gave up a career as professional football player to follow the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

The Rock was a defensive lineman on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes' National Championship team. After an injury left him sidelined, he was replaced in the starting lineup by his back-up Warren Sapp. Ever hear of him?



The Rock began his career as Rocky Maivia, a clean-cut character lacking experience in the ring, but within 3 months he was already the Intercontinental Champion. With the rise of the Attitude Era led by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Maivia joined the Nation of Domination and took over a heel persona.

While with the Nation, The Rock began to perfect his patented third-person promos by hurling insults at the crowd.

Because of his entertaining interviews and rising popularity, the WWF tossed The Rock into the spotlight as he became the youngest WWF Champion in history. As with most wrestlers he had a constant flux from hero to villian status, but because of his in ring persona, interviews, eyebrow raising, and self-proclamation as the "People's Champion," The Rock remained a fan favorite until his early retirement in 2004.

Arguably the best set-up to a finishing move in the history of wrestling. The lead up to the People's Elbow was as entertaining as any of The Rock's Hollywood movies.

The Rock may just be the most charismatic and entertaining wrestler in the history of the industry. The delivery of his famous catch phrases and his on-mic interviews were some of the greatest in the history of the sport. His in-ring performances, gimmicks, and mannerisms, are no less inspiring than his performance in the Razzie nominated "The Tooth Fairy."

His acting career has even had some high marks, as is evident by him landing a co-starring role with X to the Z, Xzibit, in The Gridiron Gang. True acting magic. Sort of like Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman in Shawshank.




14. The Ultimate Warrior (WWF 87-92,96 WCW 92-96)



Probably the most coked-out and steroided wrestler of the late 80s, The Warrior was known for his high-energy entrances, where he would run at full sprint into the ring and shake the ropes as if they were electrifying him.

The Warrior was recognizable by his zubaz pants-esque face paint.



The Warrior was kicked out of the WWF for a supposive positive steroids test. Steroids in pro-wrestling? No way.

His early exit did not come before one of my first memories of pro wrestling.

The Warrior was locked in a coffin by the Undertaker and Paul Bearer during Bearer's Funeral Parlor segment. After repeated attempts to free The Warrior by WWF officials, they finally were able to open the coffin to reveal a lifeless Warrior. After being revived by CPR, The Warrior led a crusade against the Taker.

In his mission to beat the Undertaker, The Warrior was befriended by Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Roberts offered to lead The Warrior through 3 tests that would give him "knowledge of the dark side" and help him defeat the Undertaker.

Test 1: The Warrior was re-locked inside a coffin.
Test 2: The Warrior was buried alive.
Test 3: The Warrior was put in a room full of snakes and told that the answer he was looking for, was waiting for him in a chest in the middle of the room. After manuevering his way to the chest, he opened it only to reveal a King Cobra, which bit The Warrior in the face. In a weakened state, The Warrior learned that Roberts was in collaboration with The Undertaker and Paul Bearer, and left The Warrior with a final remark, "Never trust a snake."





13. Triple H (WCW 94, WWF 95-Present)



The first current wrestler to make the list rings in at #13.

I don't remember this but Triple H burst into the pro wrestling scene in 1993 for WCW under the hilarious name: Terra Ryzing. Come on WCW that is just Terra Bull.

He didn't really make an impact until his jump to the WWF in 95 when he dumped the Terra Ryzing moniker and introduced himself as "The Connecticut True Blood" Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He was quick to offer promos about proper etiquitte and subsequently poke fun at Northeastern elitists.

Hunter wasn't very well received until he started making his ring entrances with a different valet on his arm. He was escorted by numerous Playmates, but none more famous to the wrestling community than Sable. The first true WWF diva, Sable, was the blonde bombshell, that all the men sitting at home with salsa stains running down their t-shirts fantisized they could be with.



Triple H never made the leap to superstardom as the blue blood, that progression would take place when he replaced his equestrian regala for tshirts and leather as he and Shawn Michaels formed D-Generation X. With the catch phrase "Suck It" and the crotch chopping sign, Triple H had arrived on the main stage.

His departure from D-X for a solo career is comparable to Beyonce leaving Destiny's Child. Just mentioned Destiny's Child because it gives me reason to post a picture of Beyonce.



Triple H dubbed himself "The Game" and started a feud with his real-life father in law, WWF Chairman, Vince McMahon. Rivalries with top-stars Steve Austin and The Rock propelled Triple H into championship contention.

Currently he has held the World Championship 13 times.

Triple H has gone through many gimmick and character changes throughout his career, but with the departures of Austin and The Rock during the mid-2000s, he has been the glue that has held the WWF together. He has ushered in new talent, while still remaining at the top of his game. For this the 13X champ, gets #13 on our list.








12. Mick Foley (WCW 91-94, WWF 96-08)



The split personalities of Mick Foley during his run in the WWF were legendary. He began as Mankind with promos that warned of his arrival. In the videos, he would be sitting in boiler rooms, talking to rats while spontaneously screaming "Mommy." It was a dark and tortured character that resembled the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He wore a mask to hide his suppossed mutulated face, and would rip out his hair. He would use the "mandible claw," in which he would stick his fingers down an opponents throat to get them to submit.

Mick's next character was Dude Love, a laid back hippie that was the free-loving opposite of his Mankind persona.



Next he introduced Cactus Jack, the extreme, hardcore wrestling persona of Foley. While using the Jack character, he teamed up with extreme wrestling legend Terry Funk and they became the tag team of Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie. As Jack, Foley showed off his crazy side, resorting to hardcore tactics such as using barbed wire bats, leather straps and Dumpster matches.



In '98 Foley switched back to Mankind to take on the Undertaker at King of the Ring. In what has been regarded as one of the greatest matches in wrestling history, Foley and the Taker destroyed each other, as well as, the cage in their Hell in a Cell match. Foley received numerous injuries as results from taking two falls from the top of the cage. The first fall had the Undertaker throwing Foley from the top of the cage and onto an announcer's table some 16 feet below. After witnessing the fall, Jim Ross shouted, "Good God almighty! Good God almighty! They've killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!"

The second fall occured when The Undertaker choke slammed him through the top of the cage. As he fell to the canvas, a chair landed on Foley's head, knocking out his tooth and leaving him unconscious. After waking up he was able to continue wrestling. That wasn't the end for the pain. Foley was slammed twice onto a pile of tacks, leaving his skin impaled by the nails.

I don't care how fake wrestling is; falling from 16 feet and crashing through a table has to be ridiculously painful. Then to actually get knocked unconscious and get up, only to be slammed into a pile of nails, that is insane. I know wrestling is "pretend" but just think what has to be going through your mind as you send a man, with a family and kids, flying 16 feet through the air onto the ground. It was almost like they really hated each other. Check out the clip below to see how gruesome it really was.

That match sent Foley into main-event status, and cemented him as the most hardcore of the WWF wrestlers.




11. NWO (WCW 96-00)



4 Liiiife.

The NWO started off as a gang-style take over of WCW. Started by Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, NWO gained extreme momentum when Hulk Hogan legdropped partner Randy Savage and declared that he was sick of his image and was joining Nash and Hall as The Outsiders. Hogan soon became Hollywood Hogan and grew a beard underneath his signature handlebar mustache.



Others to soon join NWO:

WCW president Eric Bischoff
Ted DiBiase
The Giant
nWo Sting
Syxx
Vincent
Miss Elizabeth
Nick Patrick
Buff Bagwell
V.K.Wallstreet
Masahiro Chono
Big Bubba Rogers
Scott Norton
Randy Savage
Dennis Rodman
The Great Muta
Konnan
Curt Hennig
Rick Rude
Brian Adams
The Disciple
Dusty Rhodes
Scott Steiner
Louie Spicolli

After some internal rifts, mainly the non-renewal of Syxx's contract and the removal of Scott Hall from television, a new faction of the NWO was born. The Wolfpac.

Led by Nash, Hall and Savage, The Wolfpac challenged Hogan's NWO Hollywood, for supremacy of WCW.

Personally, I was always a Wolfpac guy. They just seemed to be having more fun and with the Red and Black it was just Tooooo Sweeeeeeeet.

My favorite Wolfpac member had to be Konnan or K-Dogg. He was supposed to be a sterotype for a Mexican gang member: The backwards bandana, baggy pants, shirt open except for the top button.



The NWO was great for WCW. WWF had dominated the wrestling world in the early '90s, but their top wrestlers' contracts were beginning to run out. Wisely, WCW snatched up these free agents, and billed them as "The Outsiders" Of course everyone who was a WWF fan knew these characters, but once they jumped to WCW they took on new names and personas. NWO was a great way to incorporate the new wrestlers, as well as, grow their fan base. During the late 90s, WCW and Monday Nitro, with the help of the NWO, made WCW the top wrestling commodity on t.v.




10. Lex Luger (WWF 93-95, WCW 87-92, 95-01)



Arguably my favorite wrestler during his run with the WWF. I couldn't wait for the weekly feuding between Luger and the Indian stereotype Tatanka. In fact one time, as a kid, I was competing in a trivia contest, and not being a comic book fan, came across a question that read, "Who was Lex Luther's arch-enemy?" Not knowing, at the time, that Lex Luther was the nemesis of Superman, I thought it was a typo and the question meant to refer to Lex Luger. Naturally, I knew that Luger and Tatanka hated each other and thus wrote in Tatanka as my answer.

Luger like The Rock played football at the U.. Luger, however, toiled in the professional ranks with short stints in the CFL, NFL, and USFL.

Luger was in a motorcycle accident and had a metal plate put into his arm, which he incorporated in the ring. He would pat his bicep, supposively where the plate was, and destroy opponents with a vicious clothesline, before subjecting them to the torture rack.

Luger became my favorite wrestler after he successfully body slammed Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid during a 4th of July celebration and emerged as an American hero. As I stated before I vividly remember the Luger/Tatanka feud because they were portrayed as friends and allies before Tatanka turned on Luger and joined Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation. Luger joined with the British Bulldog to create the Allied Powers and battle the Corporation.

Luger then jumped ship and re-joined WCW and revisited his past role as a heel, when he opposed Hogan for the World Heavyweight title. During his second go-around in the WCW, Luger was an intregal part of WCW stance against the Outsiders and the NWO. Eventually Luger would turn on the WCW and join the Wolfpac.

Luger like most wrestlers of this time period fell from grace rather quickly. Once their star faded, they were forced out of the business. Following wrestling Luger faced a few legal problems. In 2003, Luger was arrested for a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, better known as the Macho Man's manager Miss Elizabeth, in which Luger was accused of hitting her. Elizabeth had two bruised eyes, a bump on her head, and a cut lip. Two days later he was arrested again for driving under the influence after rear-ending another car.

His legal troubles continued a few weeks later when Luger was arrested after a search of the residence revealed a number of illicit controlled substances, including anabolic steroids, OxyContin, synthetic growth hormone, testosterone, and Alprazolam. The search was a result of the death of Miss Elizabeth from the mixing of hydrocodone, Xanax,and anabolic steroids with vodka. The death was ruled an accident, but Luger pleaded guilty to 14 counts of drug possession, 13 of them felonies.

In October of 2007, Luger suffered a spinal stroke that left him in a quadriplegic state. Luger issaid to be able to stand on his own for short periods of time and walk using a walker. The once chiseled body-builder has withered away to 170 lbs.





9. Macho Man Randy Savage (WWF 85-94, WCW 94-00)



Oohhhh Yeeeah!!

The WWF named Savage their greatest champion of all time. They credited him for bringing "a higher level of credibility to the title through his amazing in-ring performances. Best known for his raspy voice, energetic performances and knack for winning titles, Macho Man is an all-time great in the the realm of wrestling. Among his 20 titles, Savage is the 7-time World Heavyweight champion: a 2-time WWF Champion, 4-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 1-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion, and Also a 1-time WWF Intercontinental Champion.

Over his long career he has feuded with some of the giants of the wrestling industry: Hogan, George Steele, Bruno Sammartino, and Ric Flair to name a few. But it wasn't until he teamed up with Hogan to become the Mega Powers that his superstardom arose. The Mega Powers battled mostly with The Mega Bucks a team comprised of Ted Dibiase and Andre the Giant.



The Powers dissolved after Hogan accidently eliminated Savage during the '89 Royal Rumble and took Savage's manager Miss Elizabeth as his own. At Wrestlemania V, Savage lost the WWF title to Hogan after holding onto the title for 371 days, becoming the sixth longest reigning WWF Champion in history. No wrestler after Savage would hold the title for more than a year until John Cena did it nineteen years later.

2 years later at Wrestlemania VII, Savage faced off against the Ultimate Warrior in a Career-Ending Match, with the loser having to retire. Savage lost the match even after delivering five consecutive elbow drops in which Warrior somehow managed to kick out of. The Warrior was able to procure victory after several flying clotheslines and shoulder blocks. After the match, Savage was attacked by Queen Sherri as he lay in the ring. This attack was too much for Miss Elizabeth, who happened to be in the audience. Elizabeth rushed to Savage's aid, fighting off Sherri and reuniting with her one-time love to huge crowd ovation.

Savage eventually returned to the ring to feud with Jake Roberts and Flair before uniting with the Warrior as a tag team known as the Ultimate Maniacs. He continued in the WWF for a few more years with great success, but like most wrestlers of the era, his contract ran out and he joined WCW.

While at WCW, it wasn't hard for him to just re-create his WWF image. It was popular with the fans and he was good at it. In the WCW, he began to feud with old rivals, most notably Flair. The rivalry lasted a while and was only flushed out by the turning of Hogan against his old friend Savage.

Savage was the victim of the attack, in which Hogan revealed himself as the 3rd member of The Outsiders. After a short battle with Hogan, Savage's contract expired and he left WCW.

The exit was short-lived, as he returned at SuperBrawl VII to this time help Hogan, in defeating Roddy Piper and declaring himself a member of the NWO. The NWO reaked havoc throughout WCW, before internal issues started to tear the faction apart.

At the Spring Stampede in '98 Savage was given the opportunity to face Sting for the WCW Heavyweight Championship. Feeling that he was the only member of NWO that deserved the title, Hogan tried everything he could do to stop Savage from winning. But with the help and protection of Kevin Nash, Savage defeated Sting, despite tearing his ACL during the match. The next night, Hogan challenged Savage for the title. When it looked as though Hogan would win, Nash, for the second consecutive night, came to Savage's aid and powerbombed Hogan. Savage was unable to take advantage of this help, but held onto the title after a Bret Hart interference.

The clash with Hogan allowed Savage to join Nash and Scott Hall as members of the Wolfpac.

After a run in the Wolfpac, Savage turned on Nash and left the group. He became rogue and debuted a new look and heel character. He had new music, a slick-backed ponytail and a 22-year-old girlfriend.

In 2000, his WCW contract expired again and he left the company for good.

As good as Savage was as a wrestler, I will always remember him as a spokesman for Slim Jim. There would always be an explosion, followed by that raspy voice peddling the product. Pure advertising genius. I love Slim Jims, I don't know anyone who can honestly say that they don't like that beefy, spicy goodness. I know when I need a little excitment, all I have to do is snap into a Slim Jim.







8. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WCW 91-95, WWF 95-10)



The beer guzzling, middle finger waving, authority defying texas rattlesnake was identified by WWF owner Vince McMahon as the most popular wrestler in the company's history.

Of course he was the most popular of all-time, along with his numerous catch phrases there were two things you could count on with Austin, he was down for a fight anywhere, anytime and with anyone, and secondly that he would gladly accept beers, s thrown from the audience, smash them together, and down them in the middle of the ring.

He was as anti-corporate as Peter Gibbons from Office Space. Austin hated Vince McMahon, and their feud was always entertaining, as McMahon was usually made to look like a fool.

Still to this day anytime I hear glass breaking, I think of Austin's entrance and expect a ruckus to ensue.

Austin didn't care who he offended, did not adhere to the concept of political correctness, and gave a performance that really played to the crowd. To the fans, Austin was just another backwoods tough guy that didn't take crap from "the man" and thoroughly enjoyed a cold beer and dishing out a big ol' can of whoop ass.

For Austin his career started off in the WCW where he was portrayed as the very antithesis of his Austin character. In his run at WCW he was known as Stunning Steve Austin and was part of a tag-team known as The Blonds. With a flowing mane of blonde hair, and a narcissistic attitude, he was the very person that the Stone Cold character hated. While never even coming close the the success and fame he would have in the WWF, Austin was still able to become the WCW Heavyweight Champion on two different occasions.

After moving to the WWF, he became known as the Ringmaster, and wrestled under the manangement of Ted Dibiase. After a short run as Dibiase's Million Dollar Champion, Austin took on the role of Stone Cold.

With the invention of Austin 3:16, which would become one of the most popular catch phrases in the industry's history, Stone Cold escalated to stardom. The 3:16 idea began during a feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Austin and Roberts, who was portraying a born-again Christian, battled in the finals of the '96 King of the Ring. After beating Roberts, Austin said, "You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!" And the legend of Austin 3:16 was born.

At the '97 SummerSlam, Austin wrestled Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship. A stipulation was added to the match, that said, if Austin lost he would have to kiss Hart's butt. During the match, Hart botched a piledriver and dropped Austin on his head, resulting in a legitimate broken neck for Austin and temporary paralysis. As Hart stalled by baiting the audience, Austin managed to crawl and pin Hart to win the Intercontinental Championship.

Austin wasn't even afraid to scuffle with Mike Tyson. After McMahon declared Tyson "the baddest man on the planet," Austin took offense, confronted Tyson and after threatening the former Heavyweight Champion of the world, began a brawl in the middle of the ring.



Other than his uncensored vocabulary, beer drinking, and bird flipping, Austin will be most remembered for his feud with McMahon and his family. Every incident turned into an event. Whether he stole Vince's limo and set it on fire, or drove a monster truck into the arena, every McMahon/Austin confrontation was classic. On one instance, after being fired by McMahon, Austin kidnapped his boss, drug him to the ring, held him at gunpoint and threatened to shoot the owner of the WWF. After pulling the trigger, it was revealed that the gun was a toy, as a flag appeared with the words BANG 3:16 on it. Austin made sure to share with the audience that McMahon had indeed peed his pants in the middle of the ring.



Austin was arguably the most popular wrestler in history. He was the face of the Attitude Era, when rebels such as the NWO, ruled the wrestling world. Austin was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009.

A list of his accomplishments:

2 x WCW Heavyweight Champion
1 x WCW Tag Team Champion
2 x WCW Television Champion
6 x WWF Champion
2 x WWF Intercontinental Champion
4 x WWF Tag Team Champion
1996 King of the Ring
3 x Royal Rumble Champion ('97, '98, '01)
2009 Hall of Fame inductee





7. Razor Ramon/Scott Hall (WCW 91-92, 96-00; WWF 92-96, 00-02)



After a year stint with WCW as the Diamond Studd, the 6'7" 280 lb, Scott Hall transferred to the WWF and began to pitch an idea of a Cuban bully from Miami in the mold of Pacino's Scarface.

Immediately WWF brass took to the idea of a shady but flashy and stylish Cuban bully. Armed with a Cuban accent, enough bling to make Diddy jealous, and a finishing move known as The Razor's Edge, Hall dove right into the Razor Ramon character. With classic sayings, such as "Chico" and "Say Hello to the Bad Guy," a star was born.

What an entrance the guy made, a nice leisurely strut to the ring. Greased long hair flowing over an opened vest that revealed a sweater of chest hair. A Fort Knox worth of gold swaying from his neck, as he made his way directly to the camera and tossed his patented toothpick right at the lens. When Ramon finally made it to the ring, he was accompanied by a display of fireworks that would make the Pirates SkyBlast jealous, all the while Ramon mouthed words to the camera with an arrogant smirk on his face. A truly classic entrance.



Ramon got thrown into the spotlight early in his WWF career as he interferred in a WWF Championship match between Randy Savage and Ric Flair. Ramon's interference allowed Flair to win the title away from Savage. This led to a Ramon/Flair tag team matchup at Survivor Series againts Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. However, Warrior was fired, and Mr. Perfect took his place. Razor and Flair lost the match because they were disqualified for constantely double teaming their opponents.

For most of his WWF career Razor Ramon was in the mix for the Intercontinental Championship.

Razor went on to begin a feud with Shawn Michaels over the Intercontinental Championship. Ramon had defeated IRS for his first title at the 94 Royal Rumble. However, Shawn Michaels had vacated the title because of a suspension, and felt he was the rightful owner of the belt. Upon return from suspension, Michaels had fabricated his own Intercontinental Championship belt and began wearing it on-air. In what would become the 1994 Match of the Year, Ramon and Michaels faced off in a ladder match at Wrestlemania X. Whatever wrestler that was able to successfully climb a ladder and retrieve both belts that were suspended above the ring, would become champion. After an intense and grueling match Razor was able to climb the ladder and grab the title.



The feud with Michaels would continue as Ramon lost the title to Michaels' body guard Diesel, Ramon's future NWO co-founder Kevin Nash, due to interference by Michaels. At the 94 SummerSlam, with Chicago Bears' great Walter Payton in his corner, Ramon regained the title from Diesel as Michaels inadvertantly hit his bodyguard with some Sweet Chin Music.

Ramon would then go on to feud with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title. After losing the title to Jarrett at the '95 Royal Rumble, the rivalry continued into Wrestlemania XI, where Ramon won by disqualification, due to interference by The Roadie, and Jarrett kept the belt. To combat the interference at WM XI, Ramon faced off against Jarrett and the Roadie in a handicap match, and won.

Solidifing himself as the king of ladder matches, Ramon defeated Jarrett to become the first ever three-time Intercontinental Champion. However, this win was accidental. Jarrett was written in as the winner of the match, but was injured to the point where he couldn't keep Ramon from climbing the ladder and reaching the belts. In order to not break performance, Ramon finished the match and won the belt. Three days later, a healthy Jarrett, regained the title.

Micheals had defeated Jarrett for the IC title and Ramon was given another shot, in what was promoted as a WM X ladder rematch. This time around Michaels was victorious and kept the belt. A few weeks later, Michaels forfeited the title to Dean Douglas, and Ramon was able to beat Douglas to earn his 4th IC championship.

After losing the IC title to newcomer Goldust at the '96 Royal Rumble, it was time for Ramon to once again rejoin the WCW.

Hall's first appearance on WCW television after leaving the WWF was an unannounced interview where he appeared from the crowd in street clothes, claiming to be "an outsider. In the following weeks he was joined by Kevin Nash, and the two claimed they were going to begin a hostile takeover of WCW. At the '96 Bash at the Beach, Nash and Hall became known as The Outsiders. With the help of a mystery partner, they took on Sting, Lex Luger, and Randy Savage. The mystery partner was revealed to be Hulk Hogan, and the three formed the NWO. The NWO grew as Syxx-pac, The Giant, and Buff Bagwell joined.

At Halloween Havoc in '96, Hall and Nash defeated Harlem Heat for their first Tag-team championship. The team would go on to win matches against the Nasty Boys, Faces of Fear, and the Steiner Brothers to keep their title. Because Eric Bischoff was a member of the NWO, he would use his power to allow Nash and Hall to keep their titles whenever the lost them.

With Nash and Syxx out with injury, Hall focused on his solo career, and in what would become his greatest moment in the WCW, he won the 60-man Battle Royal at World War 3 in 1997, to earn a shot at the WCW Heavyweight Championship.

In the title shot he earned from winning at World War 3, Hall lost the title match to Sting, due to interference from Dusty Rhodes. An upset Hall threatened to cause Havoc on the WCW because of the loss. In order to keep him in check, Bischoff suspended Hall from television. During his absense, the NWO was split into 2 warring factions, one led by Hogan, the other led by Nash. Upon his return, Hall joined Nash in the Wolfpac.

However at Slamboree, Hall and Nash defended their Tag-Team titles against Sting and The Giant. In a surprise move, Hall turned on Nash and cost them the titles. This move made it clear that Hall would join Hogan in NWO Hollywood.

Hogan lost the WCW World Heavyweight championship to Goldberg, and blamed the defeat solely on Hall. Hogan and Hall were matched up against each other on Nitro. It appeared that Hall was finally sick of Hogan and was ready to leave NWO Hollywood. Nash, in an effort to regain his friendship with Hall, was ready to jackknife powerbomb Hogan, when he was again attacked by Hall. Hall solidified himself with Hollywood.

Soon Hall's character began to grow out of control, often bringing alcohol to the ring. These issues mirrored Hall's real life substance abuse problems, which led to a physical confrontation between Hall and the Wolfpac at a bar.

Hall and Nash finally faced off against each other at the '98 Halloween Havoc. Nash destroyed Hall with 2 Powerbombs, but in an act of mercy, left the ring and was disqualified by count-out.

After being ousted by NWO Hollywood, Hall began referring to himself as The Lone Wolf. Hall needed a tag-team parter to face Scott Steiner and Horace Hogan, but declared he would fight them himself. To protect an old friend Kevin Nash said he would join Hall for the match. Nash and Hall proved to be formidable once again.

To repay Nash for his friendship, Hall dressed up as a security guard and used a stun-gun on Goldberg, that allowed Nash to win the WCW Heavyweight Championship, and deliver Goldberg his first career loss.

With Nash and Hall back to seeing eye-to-eye, Hall won the U.S. Heavyweight title from Roddy Piper at SuperBrawl IX, but had to forfeit it a few weeks later due to injury. During the injury, Hall and Nash would show up to television tapings and declare that "the band was getting back together."

Once he returned from injury, Hall defeated Goldberg, Bret Hart, and Sid Vicious, in a Texas Tornado Ladder match to win his 2nd U.S. Heavyweight Championship. A few weeks later he also defeated Rick Steiner to win the WCW Television Championship, and simultaneously hold two titles.

In typically Hall fashion, he vacated the T.V. title by throwing it in the trash, and was forced to give up the U.S. title because of another injury. However, Nash and Hall eventually teamed up and defeated Bret Hart and Goldberg for their 6th Tag-Team Championship.

Personal problems once again arose for Hall, and his time with WCW was soon over. In all, while at WCW, he won 7 Tag-Team titles, 2 U.S. Heavyweight titles, and 1 Television title. But what Hall will be most remembered for, is the founding of the NWO, and the impact it had on wrestling in the late '90s.

In 2008, Hall was arrested during a roast of the Iron Sheik in New Jersey. During the roast, comedian Jimmy Graham joked, "After The Sheik and Hacksaw Jim got caught snorting coke in the parking lot, his career fell faster than Owen Hart." An enraged Hall charged the stage and knocked Graham off the podium, then grabbed the microphone frand yelled about how he was disrespecting Hart. Graham described the incident on his MySpace page, adding that he loved Hart as a wrestler and as a man and believed Hart would have laughed at the joke. He also claimed that Hall was drunk at the time of the attack.

Moving Day

The British Open, at St. Andrews, on a Saturday is a prime example of what moving day can be like with opportunities for both high/low scores. Unlike the US Open, where everyone is trying to stay above water, or even the Masters where the recent winners have been out in front, this year's Open Championship, due to course and weather has resulted in an ever changing leaderboard. After bogeying the first hole with a missed 6 footer it looked like Louis Oosthuizon was going to come back to the field, especially with Paul Casey's first nine 31 and Henrik Stenson in the midst of a 67. Few would have predicted that after that opening bogey Louie would steady the ship and not make another bogey for the entire round or miss another putt within 8 feet. He hit the ball as solid as he did the first two days and though he left himself more mark and steady second putts then you would like he showed major winning nerves making them.



Oosthuizen (-15)

Casey (-11)

Kaymer (-8)

Stenson (-7)

Canizares (-7)

Westwood (-7)

D. Johnson (-6)

Barnes (-5)

O'Hair (-5)

Goosen (-5)

Watney (-5)



This is the top ten going into Sunday after Casey's inability to make birdies on the back nine, allowing Louie a comfortable 4 shot lead, as he looks to overtake Louis Stevens from Even Stevens as the most famous Louis since Capt. Lou Albano. Impressive round for Stenson, who is becoming an annual Open contender and Martin Kaymer, who is a threat at every major. As those two were playing there way into contention, others expected to contend at the beginning of the day like Calcavecchia, Hanson and Jimenez, who found themselves on the wrong side of par even as Jimenez was hitting the shot of the tournament with his bank off the wall on the road hole.

Tiger continues his 0 for post affairs and ridiculous apology as his putting led to a 73 today and (-3) for the tourney. It is hard to believe he is going to miss major chances at Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, leaving his chase of Jack in doubt for the first time in memory. Westwood continues his pursuit of a major and today was the same story as he was good, but not good enough and will need great play and luck tomorrow to have any chance.

Dustin Johnson is the top American as his 69 today left him at (-6) one stroke better than fellow young American's Barnes, O'Hair, and Watney. They are all five under and are tied with the only former major winner on the board in Goosen. Dustin Johnson's major play will have people quickly forgetting his final round this year at Pebble Beach, as he looks like a great bet to win multiple majors and surpassing the injured Kim as the best of the next wave of American players who will contend in majors.

This Saturday night leaderboard has the feel of future major leaderboards when the likes of Tiger, Mickelson, Els, Furyk are past their primes and a new breed of US and international names have taken the stage. As a golf fan and not a network program director it is nice to see.

Casey will have the home field advantage, and his front nine dominance of St. Andrews should put even more pressure on Louie, who will look to win a major in only his second made cut in a major. Can the farmer's son hold on to win at the home of golf, or will a more accomplished young player chase him down? I can't wait to find out tomorrow and my only prediction is that it will take a great final round to beat Louie.

LeBron-Voyage Cleveland

It's over, it's finally over. After months of speculation, non-stop coverage on sports channels, and a 1-hour television special LeBron James is finally a member of the Miami Heat.

I agree that the t.v. special was absolutely ridiculous. 100% ubsurd. No other athlete gets that coverage. .

I do, however, feel that LeBron wasn't the mastermind behind this coverage. ESPN probably called him up, offered him some sort of figure that started with a 1 and was followed by a trail of the number of NBA titles he has won, made a donation to The Boys and Girls Club, and sold ad space for a ridiculous amount. How couldn't ESPN make money off of this. The LeBron dealings are all that we have be force fed for weeks. Every male in the U.S. had their opinion on where he was going to go, or stay. Every guy, NBA fans or not, was ready to hear the announcement. At 9 p.m. last night, all of those guys had their dials turned to ESPN. Advertising heaven.

Not that I need to tell you, but James joins Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to become as formidable a trio as the league has ever seen. The Heat decided their best bet to win a championship was to employ what is becoming known as the Celtics' model. Bring in 3 stars, ie Garnett, Allen, Pierce in Boston, and hope to surround them with servicable people around them.

Yes, while the idea of one team having James, Wade, and Bosh seems like being in a fantasy league where one guy has two teams and trades with himself, you have to remember there is not much wiggle room to mold a roster to support these guys.

After last night, Miami is looking like a favorite to win the East, but currently they only have Mario Chalmers under contract.

To create some financial space, the Heat shipped the #2 pick in '08, Michael Beasley, the man with more personality issues than the WWF's Mick Foley, to the T-Wolves for a 2nd round pick. The Heat basically get nothing but Beasley off their books, and the T-Wolves get a young forward who allows them the ability to shop Al Jefferson.

As it stands right now, once the contracts of the Big 3 are signed, the Heat roster looks slimmer than the Olsen twins at a casting call for a remake of Ally McBeal.


Looks like Uncle Jesse and Joey burnt the spaghetti again.

The Heat are still going to need a few guards, a center, and some big bodies to bang with Dwight Howard if they hope to win the East, because there is no way Bosh's body-type can handle the amount of abuse it will take as the only big man. The free-agent talent pool is shallow and Pat Riley and the Heat don't have much money to work with.

The Celts were lucky to land Eddie House and James Posey for small contracts, and I'm sure that some NBA vets will look at the situation in Miami; living in South Beach, playing with LeBron, D-Wade, and Bosh, and say to himself, yeah that works for me, give me $1 mil and we have ourselves a deal. That is going to happen, but who is even out there?

Allen Iverson? T-Mac? Mike Miller? Larry Hughes? Jason Williams? Mike James? Shaq?Matt Bonner? Rafer Alston? Matt Barnes? Devean George? Juwan Howard? Brad Miller? Joe Smith? Ben Wallace?

I mean there might be some servicable guys on the market, certainly a few of them will take a cut to play with Team USA in Miami, but will it be enough to make a sustained run to a title?

Don't get me wrong, I like the chances for the Heat to win the East, even with guys like Adam Morrison, Eric Devendorf, and Chris Taft, but do they have enough to get past the Lake Show? That is the question.

No question James and Wade, all-stars on the list for guys with first names for lasts, make up the best duo that we have seen since Budnick and Donkey Lips terrorized Camp Anawanna on Salute Your Shorts.



It's going to come down to how they share the responsibilities in Miami. I'm not sure we have seen an alpha-dog situation like this before. Two players, in the primes of their careers, programmed to carry average teams solely on their backs, while playing a physically demanding style of game. Both, in the past, were forced to be Mr. Clutch, forced to carry the team in crunch time, and forced to be the SuperStar that he is. How will this mash? They did a pretty good job in the Olympics in China, but that was for a short period of time, how will that translate over an entire season.

Now how good would that Slam Dunk Contest between James and Wade be? Teammates and Rivals, think of the marketing possibilities.

With the additions of Bosh and James, the Heat now have 3 of the top-5 picks from the 2003 draft. A draft that has produced some really servicable players.

1. LeBron James - Cleveland
2. Darko Milicic - Detroit. Think Motor City would like a re-do?
3. Carmelo Anthony - Denver
4. Chris Bosh - Toronto
5. Dwayne Wade - Miami
6. Chris Kamen - LA Clippers
7. Kirk Hinrich - Chicago
18. David West - New Orleans
21. Boris Diaw - Atlanta
23. Travis Outlaw - Portland
27. Kendrick Perkins - Memphis
29. Josh Howard - Dallas
47. Mo Williams - Utah

I can't blame LeBron for leaving Cleveland. I really can't. He did everything he could for that city for the past 7 years, and they should be grateful that they actually had a sports team that they could cheer for. Of course he fell short of bring a championship to Northeast Ohio, but it is not entirely his fault. He made the team competitive, single-handedly. He produced game in and game out. He won 2 MVPs, what more can you ask for.

The team and coaching staff surrounding James while in Cleveland was pathetic. Mike Brown could actually do the unfathomable and coach A.C. Slater to a loss against Vally.

There was no way a team with Mo Williams and Antwan Jamison as the second and third fiddles were going to win a championship. Year in and year out, Cleveland did nothing to help improve their team. Bring in Shaq? Yeah good try. With the talent on the market this off season, they still did not bring anybody in that could shoulder the load when James had a rare off night. They wanted the James to do all the work, carry the team to a championship with average players. Not going to happen in today's game. A consistant and reliable second option is a necessity.

Then the owner of the Cavs comes out and says that Cleveland will win a championship before James will. My question is With Who? For your sake Dan Gilbert I hope you enjoy your lottery picks the next 5 seasons. Maybe the combination of those 5 will equal the greatness of LBJ. Gilbert, who has berated LeBron after his decision to go to the Heat, is acting like a spoiled brat who didn't get that new pony for Christmas. Well Danny Boy if you would have actually given LeBron people to play with then maybe he would have felt he had a chance of winning with the Cavs. Like LeBron said he doesn't want to be a 31-year-old with bad knees and no titles.

Then there is the rumored sexual affair between LeBron's mom and his former Cleveland teammate Delonte West. True or not, how could LeBron wanted to share a lockerroom with that scum bag. Look at West, he is opitome of scum, and for LeBron to think that there was even a chance that his mom, Gloria, was sharing a bed with him; now that is unexcusable. Once this rumor arose, Cleveland should have sent West packing. He has had is off-court issues in the past, so this wouldn't have been unwarrented.

For future reference Cleveland, assuming you will still have franchises by the time you get another star, you need to cater to your star athletes. Make them feel comfortable, give them a supporting cast not a group of players from the Island of Misfit Toys. And for heaven's sake, if one of your players is rumored to be having a sexual relationship with your star's mother, ship that clown out of town.



On a side note, when I googled Delonte West, an ad for Herpes treatment appeared. Thought that seemed about right.

Other NBA free-agent signings:

New York Knicks: Amar'e Stoudemire 5 years $100 million; Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, Ronny Turiaf via trade from Golden State.

A guy with a bad eye, bad knee, and a questionable relationship with the head coach, not a recipe that, to me, should add up to $100 million. But if he can follow through on his promise to bring Melo and Tony Parker to NYC, then it might just be worth it. Couldn't imagine how good Parker would be in a D'antoni offense.

Stoudemire plays the same position as David Lee, so New York shipped their best player, Lee, to Golden State for Randolph, Azubuike and Turiaf. Lee will once again toil in mediocrity. His talents might never get to be fully displayed on a winning team.

Chicago Bulls: Carlos Boozer 5 years $75 million

Especially with Boozer in place, I thought this was the place LeBron needed to go to win a championship. It had all the pieces necessary to win right now. The Bulls already have a point guard, Derrick Rose, who is ready to soar into Superstardom, a hustling, rebounding, defensive machine in clown-boy Joakim Noah, think Anderson Varejao times 5.

With Boozer in place that is another 10+ boards per game guy, who is a legitimate 2nd scoring option and low-post presence, that LeBron has never gotten to play with. Throw in Deng as your fifth starter and that is a heck of a team. A team poised to win now.

Even without LBJ, the Bulls should be able to make a nice run in the East. Boozer, Rose and Noah are not comparable to James, Wade, and Bosh, but they do have a much better supporting cast.

Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki 4 years $80 million, Brenden Haywood 6 years $55 million

The Mavs were able to sign two 7-footers but that is about all they have in common.

Dirk did the noble thing and stayed in Dallas. Although, I don't believe there was much threat of him leaving anyways. He didn't take the max amount which would have been around $96 million, and allowed Dallas some extra money to spend. He is the best player in franchise history and I'm sure he will retire a Mav.

Haywood is another try at getting the all-ellusive center for the Mavs. They have wasted millions upon millions of dollars on 7-footers like Erick Dampier and DJ Mbenga, but have never found a center that was useful.

Hey Mark Cuban, I hear Shaq is a free agent. He will be glad to take a few million dollars off of your hands.

Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce 4 years $61 million ; Ray Allen 2 years $20 million, Jermaine O'Neal 2 years $11.5 million

Good re-signs of Pierce and Allen. Both are in the twilights of their careers, but as they proved this past Spring, they might just have a little juice left in the tank.

O'Neal is a puzzling signing. He is also old, after finishing his 14th NBA season, but the Celts got him for a lot less than the $23 million he was making last year, but I guess he is a replacement for the injured Perkins and lethargic Rasheed Wallace, who was lazier than Stu Scott's eye.

Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson 6 years $123.7 million

Yeah great Atlanta, you got one of the top free agents on the market. Too bad he isn't even in the same stratosphere as James and Wade. This was a no-brainer for Johnson. Where else was he going to get that kind of money. Plus he doesn't have to pack up his things and move to a new city. 6 more years of Lil' Jon and Jermaine Dupuis.

Yes, Atlanta, he was your best player for the past few seasons and led your team to the playoffs, but if you remember this past Spring when you got swept. Yeah so good luck with that.

LA Lakers: Steve Blake 4 years $16 million

Obviously they think this was it for Derek Fisher. I'm assuming Blake would be the starter, since he has held that role before, and Farmar will remain the back-up. Fish had a great career, I'd like to see him catch on with a team if the Lake Show decided not to keep him. He has been an intregal part of all of Kobe's championships, that is why LA reached out and brought him back to LA from his hiatis to Utah and Golden State.

Not to mention he was part of the wildest finish I have ever seen in an NBA game.



Memphis Grizzlies: Rudy Gay 5 years $82 million

Another no brainer. Gay had to take this deal, had to. $82 mil is no joke for a young player who will never reach superstar status. The Grizz have a chance to be decent with Gay and Marc Gasol for a couple years, but don't you think they wish they got a little more in the Pau Gasol trade.

Phoenix Suns: Channing Frye $30 million; Hakim Warrick 4 years $18 million

Again Steve Nash will have to work his magic to make this team competitive. No wonder Steve Kerr quit.

Milwaukee Bucks: John Salmons 5 years $40 million; Drew Gooden 5 years $32 million

The Bucks were actually a competitive team last season, and showed glimpses of the potential they have for the future. If Bogut can stay healthy they might challenge for home-court in the first round of the playoffs.

Salmons has been a big part of teams' turn-arounds the past few years as a trade deadline acquistion, and deserves this pretty decent sized contract. Now the Lou Albano wannabe can decorate his goatee with diamonds.

Geez, Drew Gooden has made a boatload of money in the NBA for basically doing nothing. I can't remember a memorable season that he's had, but it seems I always see his name flash across the sports ticker after signing for millions of dollars. To be tall.

Well now is the time to rob a bank in Cleveland. All the police will be busy watching the bridges for jumpers now that the biggest name in the Cleveland sports lexicon is Jake Delhomme.

The Not Quite Real World

I have to admit I have drifted in and out of seasons of the Real World like Max Talbot does the NHL regular season while the Challenges have become can't miss TV. Since the Real World is a feeder to the Challenges you want to be well informed on the new competitors before your Challenge draft and good casting can always keep you interested and invested in a Real World season. The 24th edition of this MTV staple has the cast returning to New Orleans 10 years after the memorable first N.O. cast. I am never a big fan of returning to cities previously used, but N.O. is a safe bet that can be used multiple times like Miami, LA, NY, and Las Vegas. My suggestion would be to go back overseas, the Paris and London seasons were underrated and the overseas element adds to the overall show. The original N.O. cast had members go on to future success' like marrying Bailey from Party of Five (Kelly), performing as a musical guest on The Chappelle show (David), and becoming a Phoenix Suns beat reporter (Matt). Along with fellow cast members who made the rounds on the Challenges (Jamie, Melissa, and Julie). Like hoops coach at UCLA these are tough shoes to fill, but after the premier this cast looks more like Ben Howland than Walt Hazzard.

Knight: He started out very strong with the first clip showing him playing pick-up hockey with friends in Milwaukee Wisconsin. During his back story we learn he was a fairly successful high school player in the Jarkko Ruutu mold with a scholarship waiting until he blew out both of his shoulders. Put on painkillers for those surgeries he became addicted and subsequently completed a rehab program. He was shown in a meeting with his Rehab counselor and they were talking about his move to N.O. I am not an addiction specialist though I watch plenty of Intervention, but I don't think a recovering addict should be entering the Real World environment, on the good decision meter this seems on par with the NBA naming Isiah Thomas as their commish in waiting. Overall he seems like a good dude in the athletic all American mold, but not nearly as cool as Wes, Ace, and my all time favorite Eric Nies who all filled this same role on previous seasons. NBA ref Jack Nies could officiate 50 Finals' and he still wouldn't match the stature his son has for hosting "The Grind".

McKenzie: Describes herself as a typical Florida beach girl from Jupiter. She is in a sorority at UCF, is proud of her drinking personality and said "I black out easily" in the first 20 minutes of the show. Something tells me sorority girls saying they black out easily gets MTV producers as excited as NFL GM's when they hear the words raw speed. After this season she could pass Daunte Culpepper and Brandon Marshall as the most popular former UCF students. She comes off innocently with an Annalynne McCord like vibe and was the only roomate that did not want to share a room with a member of the opposite sex. During their first night out, naturally on a Wednesday she was hit on repeatedly and managed to show her drinking personality by continuing to pound beers after losing the ability to speak. Over/Under at 5 episodes before she mentions that she has been at parties with Tiger.

Jemmye: Pronounced Jimmy she is a bartender from rural Mississippi who wants to do "Crazy shit with other crazy people." She lives with her mother and when her mother asks her about meeting a guy in N.O. Jemmye states that she is only looking for a guy to fill her needs, again this is a conversation with her mother. On her application video she wore a bikini top to show off her tattoo's and had to unbutton her jeans to show off her sixth. This is like running a flea flicker when you are winning by 30 points in the fourth quarter, the game is over now and you are just showing up your opponent. She was one of the first to get to the house and MTV had to blur out her pose on the steps while meeting her new housemates to avoid a Brittany limo shot. She is shown downing shots and using Knight as a prop while dancing on their first night out and later tells him she has never slept with a white guy, which Knight is determined to change. After one episode she immediately merits first round consideration in a Challenge draft as she has shown she can compete with Jenn and Paula in the you never know what they are going to do next category.

Preston: He is from Boston and is a dead ringer for Rajon Rondo, but the comparison ended when the first words out of his mouth are "I have an amazing sense of fashion". In a complete stunner along the lines of Germany being good at soccer he tells us that he is openly gay and is not afraid to show it and tell it like it is. The first roomate he meets is Jemmye and he remarks that she looks like a complete stripper and he loves it, they get along amazingly well and become roomates. His thoughts on his new experience of being cast on The Real World "I am going to explode like glitter." After 5 minutes with Preston it is easy to see that he will be involved in plenty of drama in the house.

Ashlee: Originally from New Jersey and currently resides in Boston where she was a college basketball player at Northeastern and currently sells power tools. Everyone in the house comments on her Angelina Jolie like lips when meeting her and though she is different than McKenzie and Jemmye she draws the same attention from the straight guys in the house. She tells Eric that she has been single since college and her roomate in the house ends up being Knight after some last minute shuffling. From the start with her basketball background she seems like a threat to do well in any future Challenge and is an under the radar cast member this season.

Eric: At 24 years of age, he is the oldest of the cast members and resides in Arlington Virginia where he works for the State Department in security for diplomatic relations. The Real World house is a long way from that job and he must have a lot of vacation days or he is embarking on his side job as a stand-up comedian. He seems to take on the Yoda role in the house and you can see that his former job in the State Department will help him with all the upcoming disputes in this house. He first meets Ashlee and though only a small part of the discussion is shown in a "Wow moment" he correctly guesses that Ashlee's last boyfriend was black.

Sahar: She is a Muslim from an all Muslim community in Dearborn Michigan who has only ever lived with her parents. She is from a sheltered upbringing and thinks that living in this environment will help her break away from home and allow her to chase her dreams as a singer/songwriter. Claims she is single but did meet a guy a month before leaving for N.O. and is talking to him on the computer the first night she arrives in the house. Not as outgoing or friendly as McKenzie, Jemmye, or Ashlee, but Eric is overhead telling his brother that he thinks she is the best looking of the four. Looks like she will be in the middle of the age old struggle of the boyfriend back home vs. the new guy she is sharing a house with in N.O. Eric has to be a -500 favorite as few old boyfriends outlast the allure of the cast mate hookup.

Ryan: A hairstylist from Tempe Arizona who comes from a family of hairdressers with his grandfather and father preceding him in the family trade. In the biggest shocker of the premier episode states that he is not gay, but is extremely sensitive and emotional leading to his roomate Eric stating that he is the most emotional man he has ever met. After one episode he is on pace to rival Puck and David as the most hated man in the history of the franchise. He immediately picks a fight with Knight and refuses to room with him because of his overall jock mentality. He tells Jemmye she is asking to get raped due to her choice of clothing for their first night out on the town. After failing to impress McKenzie with a full court press he goes with Preston to a gay bar where he allows a guy to buy him drinks and then flips out when one guy kisses him on the cheek. After Preston tries to convince him it is a compliment, he remarks that he wants to kill himself after being kissed by one of Preston's kind. This leads to the ensuing requisite drama and Ryan seems to get more agitated that Preston will not fight with him and in the process calls Jemmye trailer trash after busting into their room. Cooler heads prevail as he and Preston discuss their overall outcast backgrounds over a cigarette and promise to get coffee and and discuss this more in the future. For a prediction that I don't need Eric to make I think we have not seen the end of these two clashing this season.

All-Stars and Stripes

It was only fitting that on our nation's 234th birthday, America's pasttime would unveil it's 2010 All-Stars for the game in Anaheim.

Like with all the major sports, the MLB All-Star game has lost the luster that it once possessed. It's like Baywatch Yasmine Bleeth compared to a post-BASEketBall Yasmine Bleeth.





The Mid-summer classic just isn't the same since the infamous Bud Selig tie in 2002. How could it be a tie proves that the game is meaningless. Without a winner or loser, how can the game be justified as a competitive contest.

To combat this lament, MLB decided to award the league that wins the game home field advantage in the World Series. Good concept, but means nothing seeing that the AL has won 12 in a row, excluding 2002's tie.

Much like the NBA Slam Dunk contest, the Home-Run Derby is the most anticipated aspect of the All-Star festivities. There is no sense in denying that the Dunk contest is floundering due to a lack of committment from big-name players, how can fans get excited about seeing DeMar DeRozen and Shannon Brown dunk off against Gary Coleman.



Dunk contests just aren't exciting anymore. The dunks are all recycled, there isn't much more that can be done. Say what you want about Vince Carter, but his performance in 2000 pretty much ruined it for everyone else. A LeBron-less Dunk Contest is worthless.



While the NBA struggles, the Home-Run Derby still is able to create some memorable moments. Josh Hamilton in '08, Sosa and McGwire following up their historic 1998 seasons with a classic derby in Boston, these are moments that we will remember from All-Star festivities.

All-Star games and the events surrounding them are based on the notion that the best of the best will compete against one another. With a collection of the best that each sport has to offer, you'd expect awe inspiring moments that give you goosebumps and provide talk around the water cooler.

Being that the Slam-Dunk Contest and the Home-Run Derby are the highlights of their respective sports All-Star celebrations, it should be put up to a fan vote to determine who participates in these events. Barring injury, the players voted in should have to compete. The players make millions and millions of dollars because of fan support, they should have to give one night back in the spirit of pure entertainment. I don't want to hear the excuse that preparing for a Derby will screw up a swing; these players try to put on a show for during BP each night, a few swings in early July won't hurt anything.

If the NBA pitted LeBron and Wade against each other, how would that not draw interest.

Not sure that an All-Star game that includes David Garrard even counts. Sorry NFL.

Back to the 2010 MLB All-Stars: (# of All-Star appearences)

Starters for the AL:

C - Joe Mauer MIN (4) - .303 3 HR 34 RBI
1B - Justin Morneau MIN (4) - .344 17 HR 55 RBI
2B - Robinson Cano NYY (1) - .343 16 HR 55 RBI
3B - Evan Longoria TB (3) - .298 12 HR 59 RBI
SS - Derek Jeter NYY (11) - .281 8 HR 39 RBI
OF - Ichiro Suzuki SEA (10) - .328 3 HR 24 RBI
OF - Josh Hamilton TEX (3) - .340 20 HR 61 RBI
OF - Carl Crawfort TB (4) - .316 7 HR 41 RBI
DH - Vladimir Guerrero TEX (9) - .331 18 HR 70 RBI

AL Pitchers:

Clay Buchholz BOS (1) - 10-4 2.45 ERA 64 K
Trevor Cahill OAK (1) - 8-2 2.74 ERA 56 K
Fausto Carmona CLE (1) - 7-7 3.69 ERA 57 K
Neftali Feliz TEX (1) - 22 SV 3.00 ERA 40 K
Phil Hughes NYY (1) - 10-2 3.83 ERA 86 K
Cliff Lee SEA (2) - 8-3 2.34 ERA 89 K
Jon Lester BOS (1) - 10-3 2.76 ERA 118 K
David Price TB (1) - 11-4 2.42 ERA 90 K
Mariano Rivera NYY (11) - 18 SV 1.11 ERA 32 K
CC Sabathia NYY (4) - 10-3 3.33 ERA 93 K
Joakim Soria KC (2) - 22 SV 2.56 ERA 38 K
Matt Thornton CHW (1) - 4 SV 10 Holds 2.94 ERA 47 K
Jose Valverde DET (2) - 18 SV 0.51 ERA 33 K

AL Reserves:

C - Victor Martinez BOS (4) - .289 9 HR 38 RBI
C - John Buck TOR (1) - .274 13 HR 40 RBI
1B - Miguel Cabrera DET (5) - .339 20 HR 69 RBI
2B - Dustin Pedroia BOS (3) - .292 12 HR 41 RBI
2B - Ian Kinsler TEX (2) - .299 3 HR 26 RBI
SS - Elvis Andrus TEX (1) - .289 25 RBI 55 RUNS
3B - Alex Rodriguez NYY (13) - .276 12 HR 62 RBI
3B - Adrian Beltre BOS (1) - .341 12 HR 53 RBI
INF - Ty Wigginton BAL (1) - .246 14 HR 43 RBI
OF - Torii Hunter LAA (4) - .292 14 HR 58 RBI
OF - Vernon Wells TOR (3) - .274 19 HR 48 RBI
OF - Jose Bautista TOR (1) - .236 21 HR 52 RBI
DH - David Ortiz BOS (5) - .259 17 HR 54 RBI

Snubs:

P - Jered Weaver LAA - 8-3 2.82 124 K
P - Justin Verlander DET - 10-5 3.85 103 K
P - Andy Pettite NYY - 10-2 2.82 78 K
1B - Kevin Youkilis BOS - .299 17 HR 54 RBI
1B - Paul Konerko CHW - .296 20 HR 57 RBI
OF - David DeJesus KC - .325 5 HR 35 RBI
OF - Alex Rios CHW - .303 13 HR 45 RBI 22 SB
OF - Magglio Ordonez - .312 10 HR 50 RBI

My opinion:

The AL starters are legit, except for maybe Ichiro. Reserves such as Hunter and Wells have the numbers to start, but someone like Rios, who didn't even make the team, has the most deserving stats. Since the White Sox were given only one representative, why give it to a holds guy like Thornton. Yeah he is having a good year, but it's just that, a good year. Not a great year like Rios or Konerko, right now they are offensive studs. Granted they play in star-rich positions, but their efforts should be merited.

Weaver has the most strikeouts in the league, an under 3 ERA, and 8 wins. To me that is very deserving of a spot on the team. Pettite also has the stats that would do an All-Star justice, but it appears that he got ousted by his teammates Hughes and Sabathia, so I guess it's better than having 7 Yankees on the team.

Ken Griffey Jr., who retired earlier this year, received over 1 million votes. In his career Junior racked up more than 55 million All-Star votes.

Starters for the NL:

C - Yadier Molina STL (2) - .229 3 HR 31 RBI
1B - Albert Pujols STL (9) - .305 20 HR 60 RBI
2B - Chase Utley PHI (5) - .277 11 HR 37 RBI
3B - David Wright NYM (3) - .315 14 HR 64 RBI
SS - Hanley Ramirez FLA (3) - .298 13 HR 52 RBI
OF - Ryan Braun MIL (3) - .295 11 HR 51 RBI
OF - Jason Heyward ATL (1) - .251 11 HR 45 RBI
OF - Andre Ethier LAD (1) - .320 13 HR 49 RBI

NL Pitchers:

Jonathan Broxton LAD (2) - 17 SV 2.02 ERA 52 K
Chris Carpenter STL (3) - 9-2 3.16 ERA 105 K
Matt Capps WAS (1) - 22 SV 3.19 ERA 32 K
Yovani Gallardo MIL (1) - 8-4 2.58 ERA 122 K
Roy Halladay PHI (7) - 9-7 2.42 ERA 112 K
Tim Hudson ATL (3) - 8-4 2.44 ERA 58 K
Ubaldo Jimenez COL (1) - 14-1 2.27 ERA 107 K
Josh Johnson FLA (2) - 8-3 1.82 ERA 115 K
Tim Lincecum SF (3) - 8-4 3.28 ERA 121 K
Evan Meek PIT (1) - 0.96 ERA 42 K
Arthur Rhodes CIN (1) - 14 Holds 1.09 ERA 32 K
Adam Wainwright STL (1) - 12-5 2.24 ERA 123 K
Brian Wilson SF (2) - 22 SV 2.04 ERA 49 K

NL Reserves:

C - Brian McCann ATL (5) - .265 10 HR 34 RBI
1B - Ryan Howard PHI (3) - .293 15 HR 59 RBI
1B - Adrian Gonzalez SD (3) - .291 16 HR 51 RBI
2B - Martin Prado ATL (1) - .335 7 HR 36 RBI
INF - Omar Infante ATL (1) - .309 1 HR 22 RBI
SS - Troy Tulowitzki COL (1) - .306 9 HR 34 RBI
SS - Jose Reyes NYM (2) - .277 6 HR 32 RBI
2B - Brandon Phillips CIN (1) - .308 11 HR 28 RBI
3B - Scott Rolen CIN (6) - .302 17 HR 56 RBI
OF - Michael Bourn HOU (1) - .260 1 HR 20 RBI 25 SB
OF - Marlon Byrd CHC (1) - .309 9 HR 35 RBI
OF - Corey Hart MIL (2) - .286 19 HR 61 RBI
OF - Matt Holliday STL (4) - .298 11 HR 39 RBI
OF - Chris Young ARI (1) - .264 15 HR 57 RBI

Snubs:

1B - Joey Votto CIN - .312 19 HR 57 RBI
P - Billy Wagner ATL - 17 SV 1.35 ERA 52 K
3B - Ryan Zimmerman WAS - .286 14 HR 44 RBI
C - Miguel Olivo COL - .307 11 HR 39 RBI
1B - Adam Dunn WAS - .275 17 HR 49 RBI
2B - Dan Uggla FLA - .271 16 HR 49 RBI
2B - Kelly Johnson ARI - .264 13 HR 36 RBI
SS - Rafael Furcal LAD - .338 4 HR 28 RBI
OF - Andrew McCutchen PIT - .295 7 HR 24 RBI 20 SB
OF - Jayson Werth PHI - .283 13 HR 48 RBI
OF - Carlos Gonzalez COL - .295 14 HR 52 RBI
1B - Prince Fielder MIL - .262 18 HR 36 RBI
P - Heath Bell SD - 23 SV 1.72 ERA 49 K
P - Stephen Strasburg WAS - 2-2 2.45 ERA 53 K

My opinion:

First off how is Omar Infante on the roster. He is only owned in 4% of all Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball Leagues. That stat there should be enough to prove he does not deserve to be on the list. He has 1 HR and only 9 extra-base hits. That's not enough for an All-Star, not by a long shot. You have infielders, like Votto, who is battin over 300 with almost 20 HR and 60 RBI, Furcal, Fielder, Johnson and Zimmerman, who have all put up numbers that are worthy of a spot on the NL roster. The game is in Anaheim, so there will be a DH; you're telling me a bat like Adam Dunn would not be useful as a DH. He could be the ultimate DH in baseball if he played in the AL.

Sticking to the Baywatch reference, because it is the 4th of July and nothing is more American than large-chested women running in slow motion down a beach, picking Infante would be like wanting to date Stephanie over C.J., Neely, Summer or Caroline.



There also is no reason that Molina should be the starting catcher. He is hitting .229, with no power. Guys like McCann and Olivo are hitting near 300 with some power numbers to go with. They should be in the game, not Molina.

I like fan-voting and all, it allows us fans to feel like we have had a hand in the game, but managers and coaches should be allowed to veto voted-in starters, if they are completely ridiculous. Like why is Tracy McGrady making starting lineups. Just doesn't make sense. For it to be a true star-of-stars game, the best players should be on the field at all times, no Molina or Infante.

With that said, the fans did a great job in selecting, an under-the-radar guy like Andre Ethier to start. He isn't even the most famous player in the Dodgers outfield; he plays 3rd fiddle behind Manny and Rhianna's boyfriend. He's just like McLovin in Superbad. He is a secondary character behind Seth and Evan, but when given the opportunity, he dominates and steals the show.

At the tender age of 40 Arthur Rhodes finally made an All-Star team.

Can't argue with Meek getting an All-Star nod. He is having a great year, gives the Pirates a closer of the future, and allows them to try and get something out of Dotel before the trade deadline. I can't say that I am anything but surprised that McCutchen didn't get the Pirates bid. I knew there was only going to be one spot for a Pittsburgh player and I fully expected that to go to McCutchen. Nonetheless, congratulations Evan Meek, you will make a good Cub, Red Sock, or Yankee someday.

Argentina vs. Germany Diary

9:20: When the quarterfinals were determined, Argentina vs. Germany looked like the best quarterfinal game to write a running diary about. But after the Dutch upset of Brazil and the unbelievably exciting Ghana vs. Uruguay game yesterday this game is going to have to live up to the considerable hype to compare with those two.

9:25: These two teams really don't like each other, as the trash talk all week has confirmed. Though trash talk doesn't have the same feel when it has to be translated. That is the best case for learning multiple languages for young soccer/tennis/hockey players. The history between these two is remarkable, starting with their last meeting that the Germans won on PK's on home soil in the 06' World Cup followed by a scuffle that was about as rough as a Hilton sister squabble over shoes.

9:27: In the last Cups both countries won; Argentina in 86' and Germany in 90' each team beat the other in the finals. They have met five times in world cup play and Germany is (3-1-1). It is hard to believe that perennial power Germany is a +210 dog while Argentina is +120, but Messi and Tevez are a potent combo while Germany's young team is not as known on the world stage. Germany looks like great value to me.

9:30: Weekend coverage switch to ABC, as ESPN is the all Lebron all the time channel until he makes his decision hopefully by this weekend. Ex-German coach Jurgen Klinsman joins the young Rodman-like versatile Chris Fowler and Mr. USA soccer Alexi Lalas in the studio. Jeremy Schapp covers the feud angle in the first segment of pre-game coverage.

9:45: One of the best things about soccer coverage is the no commercials during play, so ABC really has to make up for that during pre game coverage. Whoever greenlighted "Rookie Blue" has to be the same person that thought Kate Gosselin would be a good choice for "Dancing with the Stars" and a potential "Bachelorette" candidate.

9:52: Another great thing about the Cup; the anthems and the kids who get to walk out with the players, is this like a NHL game where they get to play for 10 minutes at half time? If so ABC should televise that. Mandatory shot of Maradona and the Argentina coaching staff that is roughly the size of the population of Uruguay, customary grey matching suits all around, like a summer wedding.

9:58: Shots of the German crowd don't seem as spokesmodel worthy as the shots during the England game. German coach Jugen Loew who seems to be the real deal as a coach continues to sport the Miami Vice look of blazer over a colorful T-shirt. This is first thing USA soccer needs even before a game breaking striker, they need a coach with a dressing style to match other world powers. My vote is for Pat Riley especially if he loses Wade and Lebron this summer. This is the same guy who didn't draw up a play in the second half of the Heat's finals clinching game and just repeated "Stick together, don't give up anything easy, take it to the hoop, and you are tougher than our opponent". That same philosophy and attitude could work in soccer and his fashion sense would match anything the Dutch, German, and English coaches bring out every four years.

10:04: The Germans off to a great start as three minutes in Mueller scores off a set piece from a Schweinsteiger (who has been the MVP of this tournament so far) free kick and the header deflects just enough to beat the goalie. This is like an early knock down in a boxing match and we will see if Argentina can respond to adversity better than Brazil or Britney Spears.

10:10: Up and down like an 80's NBA game as both teams seem happy to attack and Argentina looks like they don't want to defend. Early observations; Argentina can't give up too many set pieces and Messi is dropping back in the defensive zone to start the attack. First yellow card on Argentina due to a German acting job Wilt Chamberlain wishes he could have produced in "Conan the Destroyer" which is airing right now on Encore.

10:16: Germany has had the better of the play and have really dominated possession, and in turn have taken Messi and Tevez out of the game. For the first time all tournament Maradona might have to do more than roll out the balls and jump around hugging people.

10:22: Argentina's best threat so far as Messi threads a pass just out of Tevez's reach and Messi continues to show his skill without scoring. Germany comes right back on a counter and Klose misses a gimme from right in front as his shot from a standstill sails high. Klose has been as sure of a lock as poor officiating in this tourney. Could be a point in the game to re-visit later.

10:28: Decent Messi run where he beat two but was forced right and couldn't cross, Argentina does seem to be getting more possession, while Germany seems happy to hang back and clog Argentina's running lanes and then countering opportunistically.

10:31: Messi skies a free kick after Tevez won a free kick on a run where he forced the official into a block/charge call. Surprised more stikers don't employ this tactic as the officials seem to want to make calls.

10:35: A surge by Argentina leads to offensive zone time, two shots on goal and a free kick as Mueller gets a handball yellow card that will force him to miss the semi's if Germany advances. Announcers point out the inconsistency of cards, which is really affecting this tournament . This rule continues to seem out of date and once you get into bracket play cards really should be wiped out after every game. Card determinations are as subjective as which girl is the best looking from the cast of "Dazed and Confused", everyone has a different opinion. Goal is wiped out as Argentina has more people offsides than Tiger has girlfriends.

10:44: Quick shot of Charlize Theron during a lull in the action, how much better is that than a promo for "Rookie Blue". Did I mention how much I love games without commercials.

10:46: Halftime as the early German goal has held up and they have done a Celtic- like job of defending and frustrating the Argentina attack while generating chances on the counter. A camera in the Argentina locker room and a translator would be a can't miss for this halftime.

10:50: Much needed bathroom break for myself and the dog as we look to grab a bagel and bone for the second half.

11:02: And we are back, scratch the bagel we are going with the always underrated leftover Arby's beef and cheddar. Twelve minute halftimes, that is shorter than a 3 batter half inning of any baseball team other than the Phillies.

11:10: Argentina continues their surge but can't get many chances as time ticks away and Argentina gets more frustrated. A counter attacking goal in the next 15 seems like a distinct nail in the coffin possibility.

11:20: The German goalie Neuer reminds me of Antti Nemi, a little shaky but clean for the most part due to a team emphasis on defense. Very surprised by how many so called powers are shaky in net, Brazil and England were ruined by terrible net minding. If I am raising an athlete in those countries I am buying goaltending gloves and a different color jersey for his first birthday.

11:21: Not only is Jurgen Loew in the discussion for best dressed but his shut down of Rooney and now Messi is the reason his team has to be the World Cup favorite right now. Now I think Riley might need some soccer coaching clinics on the weekend as Loew is making a case for what tactical sense is needed.

11:24: There it is. Klose with the nail in the coffin as Germany shows their tournament long trait of staying calm with the ball in the offensive box as Podolowski was Gretzky-like with the ball and delivered one on a platter for Klose to finish. His earlier miss is totally forgotten, like a San Jose Shark regular season.

11:30: Germany dominating the play and getting their third goal on a great play in the offensive end by Schweinsteiger as he continues the German trend of confidence with the ball in the scoring area. Argentina has thrown in the towel like the Cavs in the playoffs, as Messi is playing the Lebron role and Maradona as Mike Brown.

11:37: Martin Tyler just informed me you can't be offsides on a throw in, Quarterfinals of the Cup and I am still learning.

11:42: Germany looking like a college hoops team that puts in the walk-ons and tries to get them a hoop while the starters wave towels and cheer from the bench.

11:45: Messi gets a shot but Shweinsteiger is there to deflect it like he has been all tourney and Messi will have to wait four years for redemption.

11:46: The rout is official as Germany picks apart Argentina for their fourth goal as World Cup closer Klose scores again, his 14th world cup career goal leaves him only one behind Ronaldo with at least two games to go.

11:48: Mercifully the whistle is blown and Germany moves on while Maradona, Messi, and Argentina are put out of their misery and will dread that flight home. My guess is Maradona is headed for a Jim Morrison like bender in some third world country, while Messi will want to be dropped off in Barcelona. Tough two days for South America the group stage story of the Cup as Brazil and Argentina are sent home by two European tactical teams and Uruguay needed an epic collapse by Ghana to advance. Paraguay will need a Brian Austin Green like effort to beat Spain and advance two South American teams which looked like a lock a few days ago.

11:58: Final thoughts; Germany looks on a mission with great coaching, Schweinsteiger and offensive players with poise and speed, who can distribute and finish. This game wasn't as exciting as Uruguay/Ghana, but was more important in terms of determining the World cup winner.