Coffin Surfer

I turned it off last night early in the forth or so and I actually liked both teams at the start of the series. I want to see star players make big plays during big games, not practice free throws on every single possesion. Not surprising to learn that it came down to Wade at the line during the closing seconds.

I'm not a big fan of either Bret/Austin match or Bret in general. I find myself enjoying stuff like Hogan/Race and Lawler/Dundee far more these days. I recall the first was pretty good for what it was, though not on par with Bret/Henning KoR 93 or Bret/Owen Wrestlemania. It's an interesting one man show for the most part with Bret rolling out all of his trademark spots and bumps to carry Austin through it, especially with some great selling during the peril, going out of his way to make things like Vertical Suplexes and Abdominal Stretches much more capitvating than they had any right to be. Of course the Wrestelmania match didn't hold up at all last time I watched it. Bret's performance was terribly lacking in emotion and purpose, despite the brilliant "he's lost it" angle on the previous Raw. Austin gave a much better performance though he was too injured or possibly just too incompetent to fill his time well at this point. The match climaxes during the Ring Post Figure Four and Austin's following chair transition, far too soon before the finish which is still stellar. Of course it's about feeling but the best reviews are the ones where people can coherently explain what inspired their feelings or what they found so damn interesting.

The 12th isn't the only round Wright took off, sad since I thought he was actually in control of the fight though he didn't have the comfortable lead he obviously thought he had. A draw is a good call, though Taylor won the 12th.

Eh, I wouldn't call Faith No More(at least The Real Thing or Angel Dust) metal. A great deal of it is just "out there" pop rock. Not saying that as an insult as I love Faith No More. There more like what the alternative rock label was really meant for.

I'm sorry but I wouldn't say Ang Lee hasn't done anything that approaches John Woo's "The Killer" in any aspect. And I agree that the Hulk is impossible to take seriously, at least John Woo recoginzed that "Face Off" and "Broke Arrow" were just cheesy action movies and ran with it though I will say "Face Off" actually works better as a drama than the Hulk or even the oscar nominated "Brokeback." (laughs)

"Yeah, but I don't understand why everyone is like "INCREDIBLE! NOT ONE, BUT TWO LEAD GUITARS!!" Who really cares? I'm certain that there were dueling guitar solos elsewhere and before NYC 1977. That said, man, the riff in the title track is killer." By most accounts Television looked and sounded like they came from another planet in the NY scene or anywhere, I don't think I've ever seen them hyped because they have two guitarists. Anyway the A-side of Marquee Moon is fantastic while the B side is just very good. Lots of interesting stuff going on at the same time, especially in the Title Track and Elevation with all four instruments playing a role in the groove instead of just supporting the guitar's lead. I think this as well as the oddly subtle guitar heroics that makes the album so appealing and so much different than the usual big lead guitar sound. It's not guitars that scream out and demand attention, they plays their role in the song and compliment the other instruments. Too bad Richard Hell couldn't stay clean enough to lend classics like "Blank Generation" to the album before he got booted, oh well.

At the Drive In would be more at home in a punk tournament, now Maiden is a fucking metal band. My nominations: Ulver Agalloch Iced Earth Children of Bodom Carcass Meshuggah DOWN!-They have one great album but it's one really great album. and though they've already been said, I strongly second: X JAPAN!

"If you want to use Williams' "marketablity" as a good reason to pick him as opposed to securing a tough fight, that's one thing. But combined with his repeated attempts at avoiding a fight with his mandatory, it ends up looking suspect. " I don't think Ruiz would have been a tough fight for Vitali, he might have shelled up and protected himself better, maybe lose a majority decision in a more boring fight the media/fans would have shit on but that's it IMO. Hasim was out of the picture at this point after two lack luster deicision losses to Ruiz and an off the map Tua, it would have looked far worse if Vitali chose him over Williams. Of course Hasim was having a tune up "confidence" match at this point anyway. Brewster is the only fighter you could make a case for at this point but I'm not sure what he was up to. "Regardless of Vitali's people not liking King, it doesn't change the fact that Vitali was trying to avoid his obligations as WBC champion, as well as those of a supposed "people's champion" (I purposely left out his Ring championship title, as they decided to make a joke of it), IMO." If he really wasn't too injured to fight than yes he was avoiding his obligations. The "teased fights" Vital's people were name dropping were said to be scheluded so that Vitali could still meet the winner of the Hasim/Barrett love fest. According to the "Brock Makes his Case" article anyway. "Vitali was possibly the best of a bad lot, but his own fragility (mental or physical, depending on your view) kept him from ever proving it." That's fair.

I read the articles and others from the site and it looked it was just Vitali's people fucking with King, read their comments. Just politics, granted that's not what we need in the heavyweight division right now. "Considering Vitali's knee had been cleared, and Arum basically told him to fight or get fucked... I'll say he simply gave up on the fight." It was cleared but he said he had problems with the brace and ended up having more surgery. He really seems to be a mess physically with all the surgries, minor or major. I'm not gonna speculate on his mindset or if the injuries are real or not, but in my opinion he probably just wanted to give it up. The Lewis comments make sense if there sincere. He basically just said that's the only fight he would risk coming back for.

"Tyson was no longer considered invincible, but considering Lewis had lost just a couple of years earlier to Rahman, and cameinto the Vitali fight at a career high weight, it makes performing well against him under those circumstances a little less imprssive." If the Vitali match directly followed the first Rasim match I would say Vitali probably wouldn't have gained as much from it. It would be far more clear that Lewis' days are over. Tyson was also completely outclassed by Douglas where as Hasim/Lewis was more close until the one big punch. That's not to say Razor didn't benefit from the Tyson matches, he did get a number one contendership match against Lewis once Tyson was out of the equation and in jail. I can understand Williams being picked fresh off the Tyson win. Ruiz wouldn't have been a good fight financially or pubically. But yeah, Lamon would be interesting though. I will comment on the articles when I get more time to read them though I will say the events surrounding the Vitali/Hasim match were odd.

"Im gonna go watch my tape of Razor Ruddock beating up Mike Tyson." Wow that brings back memories. If your using it as another analogy I'm gonna have to once again disagree though. Having just been systematically demolished by a journeyman like Douglas earlier in the year, Tyson was no longer seen as the undisputed King of the Heayweights like Lewis was at the time of Vitali fight. "Those guys would have been fine, IMO. Rahman would've been decent as well (at least moreso than Maskaev & Brock, both of whom Vitali would've much rather have faced)." In 2003, Ruiz just had been defeated by a middle weight carring extra pounds while Toney had just made his heavyweight debut against a brain damaged Holyfield. Williams and Sanders were both more marketable and appealing after recent upset ko victories. I would also blame the WBC who listed Sanders and Kirk as contenders before I pointed the finger at Vitali. These are the guys they said he had to fight to get the vacated title. Hasim was next on the list but Vitali either legit injured himself or simply lost interest(his bid at politics is suspcious). "at least moreso than Maskaev & Brock, both of whom Vitali would've much rather have faced)." Evidence please?

"How about any of the other champions? Or anyone not at a career high in weight? Or near the verge of retirement? The heavyweight division was and is a pathetic mess, but even then Vitali's resume leaves a whole lot to be desired." I'm not asking again, who do you feel he should have fought? Brewster, we saw what a bad ass he turned out be, getting pounded by a guy who didn't even know how to throw a punch. Tony maybe? Ruiz?

Your comparing Quarry/Ali to Lewis/Viatli? Your joking?

Lewis retired, so he knocked out the guy he was going to fight. Tyson got knocked out, so he beat the guy that did, he beat the guy that beat his brother. Who else is out there? Hasim! Sorry man, the heavyweight division is shit.

You don't think a fighter can win respect or make a name himself in tough defeats(especially controversial ones)?

I suppose this is karma for Anthony claiming Mike Patton had benefited from ripping him off on his first Faith No More album( yeah, I don't see it either).

"No, but Kirk Johnson didn't almost KO Lennox Lewis, and everyone knows why there was so much at stakes in the Vitali/Sanders fight. Older brother, avenging younger bro's loss...." It should also be noted that Johnson was already plastered on the cover of Ring, along with Michael Grant, and some other guy as THE FUTURE OF THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION sometime around 2000 for doing much less. I bet they regret at least two of them. I believe this was around the time time Johnson shot up the rankings by knocking out glass jaw Oleg(who happens to be white! I smell a media conspiracy.)

"...?" It means that statement had lead me to believe that I'm not talking with rationale person so I'm bailing on this one and saving my time. If you want an answer, Mike took the time to explain it.

"I would argue that while Tyson had something left around the time Lewis teed off on him, he had pretty much nothing left 2 years later." Because Tyson looked so awesome struggling to knock out nobodies in Scottland. Hell, Botha gave him trouble in his big comeback fight long before the Lewis fight. "Vitali had done little to distinguish himself from previous contenders aside from luck-out and fight Lennox on a very bad night." Right.... "Vitali never dropped Sanders, which was pretty dissapointing." Oh he fell into the ropes. "Except Lewis... and Byrd." I don't think he was suppose to beat Lewis. Byrd maybe, though everyone was pretty high on him at the time. Hurting your shoulder after beating on a guy and getting koed really isn't the same thing though. "Bad luck, when he had boxing media as a whole on his jock simply for being a white guy who was competitive with Lennox? Hardly." So this is what this is all about. Out.

"Nobody's saying Lewis hadn't been in trouble, but the level of punishment and how close Vitali was to winning that fight have been overstated a good deal since." Like I said it's been a while but my initial reaction was that the stoppage was a blessing for Lewis not Vitali. Mike's description of the fight sounds more accurate to what I recall watching. " Apparently, he thought it'd simply be better not to possibly embarass himself." You nailed it there. "I'll give you that Holyfield was showing his age by the time of the Lewis bouts, but Lennox was on the sownslide of his career as well. And yes, Grant & Botha were mediocre fighters, and put away as such. But the others..." Not a natural heavyweight and a small one at that, Holyfield relied so much on sharpness; quick multiple combinations/counter punches to beat his naturally stronger opponents. With age and years of abuse(he has been in far more competitve wars than Lewis and took considerably more punishment), he simply didn't have the activity level to compete against a bigger man like that anymore. All Lewis had to do was paw with his open handed jab and keep his distance, and that's exactly what he did. "- Tua, though a one-trick pony, had earned his title shot, putting away almost every other contender he faced, save Ike." Sign O the Times. Horrible fucking fight anyway, you couldn't pay me to sit through that again. Both guys looked like shit, to be honest. "- Tyson was past his prime, but he still had enough at that point to blow past most of the scrubs in the HW division at that point. And there's no real proof that Tyson's lack of aggression in that fight had to do with anything other than the beating he took." I guess Lewis is in the elite company of Danny Williams and some Irish guy. Let's face it, the Tyson they fought wasn't that much worse than the one Lewis did. "...how was Vitali anymore legit than any number of contenders Lewis had already dispatched? His biggest claim to fame was failing to finish off an old, out of shape Lewis." He didn't get dropped by a telegraphed right hand in the early rounds. Some things are obvious by watching them, if you can't tell Vitali had more to offer than the fucking White Buffalo I would seriously question your ability to judge a fighter. Stats don't tell everything. "Wlad has the same speed (but with less awkward footwork), a better variety of punches on offense (whereas Vitali is pretty much a 1-2 kind of guy). Brains isn't an issue for either guy (fight tall, clinch in close is pretty much a no-brainer). However, Wlad's chin is still shaky as all hell, and the only thing that's improved with Stewart in his corner is his ability to clinch." at the clinch comment. Wlad's problem is he can't handle an aggressive opponent, I mean Corrie Sanders ran over him. Not because he was hurting Wlad with his devestating power but because Wlad isn't sturdy and had no clue how to avoid being hit. I can't see Viatli having that problem, in fact he didn't when he carried Sanders for 8 or so rounds before dropping him at will. I agree he'll have no trouble with Hasim. "... true, but weren't you just ripping on Lennox's resume?" I'm not praising Vitali as the best figher of the last 20 years either. I can say that unlike Lewis Vitali beat everybody he was suppose to beat though. "So all we're left with is a decent HW who might have been better than he let himself be. Nothing more." More like a good but often uninspired fighter who had shit competition and bad luck.

"Vitali started the fight out good, but it was a clean punch that cause the cut therefore Lennox punches did have more of effect on Vitali then Vitali's did on Lennox. Just re-watch the fight, had the fight continued Lennox would've KO'd him in no less then 2 rounds. Lennox was beganing to pour it on Vitali. That uppercut almost sent him down." I honestly don't recall any of this, I think Vitali almost going down would have stood out in my memory. Oh well, I haven't seen the match in sometime so I'll refrain from commenting for now. The cut analogy is terribly flawed however. I believe it was a scrapping straight right that caught Vitali on an angle(it's on the replay right?), though I honestly don't recall him ever being stunned or looking hurt. You know, ill taped gloves cause very similar cuts but again it's been a while. I do recall Lewis getting wobbled, stunned, and his face getting puffy. "What was Lewis going to prove by climbing into the ring again? He knew full well that his best days were far behind him, and he had already secured his legacy as the best HW of the past 20 years." Well, we wouldn't be having this "What IF" discussion now. He left behind a pretty big loose end. These last few years, Lewis' biggest tests were out pointing a burned out Holyfield(who still somehow rocked Lewis in the 3rd of their first fight/the only time anybody was ever in any real trouble during the series), out pointing a slug like Tua, knocking out infamous glassjaw Michael Grant and the fat ass the White Buffalo, bombing away at a stationary doped up Tyson, and trading wins with a streaky journeyman like Hasim. Finally, he gets a legit contender who at least proved he was worthy of rematch and he walks away. And please save the 20 yrs crap for somebody who can't remember back that far and wasn't born than. I grew up with Holyfield during that time and his matches against guys like Bowe, Cooper, Foreman, Douglas, and later Tyson, Moorer..etc. Win or lost, these were all legit contenders or dangerous when Holyfield faced them. Maybe not the second Moorer fight but he did have Roach in his corner and proved to be when one tough hungry bastard that wouldn't stay down. Outside of two exposing loses, Lewis was really underrated back in the day and even TKO'ed Bowe in the Olypmics as I recall(differnt Bowe than the one who fought Evander though). Still, his claim to greatness is what he's done in the past few years which I'm sorry but I don't find to be as impressive as Holyfield's heavyweight run in the 90s. "Wladimir has better footwork, offense, and arguably defense nowadays." He's slower, more one dimensional and still has shit rubber legs(his chin seems solid though for some reason). And most importanlty Vitaili is the smarter fighter, Wlad is improving though with Stewart in his corner. "The 1 fight title run against Danny Williams? Vitali benefitted by fighting a lot of scrubs throughout his career, and even after gaining prominence, his resume topped out with the average Larry Donald, an extremely fat Kirk Johnson, & semi-pro golfer/semi-retired boxer Corrie Sanders." Exactly, your not gonna see alot of heart in those matches. "But when has someone not taking their chosen field seriously a reason for excuse-making?" No it's not a reason for excuse-making, it's a big fucking problem.

I know this old but: "When Rahman comes prepared and focused, he's a threat to beat anyone" I actually kind of agree here. The Lewis fight was more than just one lucky punch, he was really game while Lewis was just there. Of course in the second fight, Lewis had his head on straight and completely outclassed him as I recall. "Lennox was going to beat up on Vitali no matter if he was cut or not. Lennox was landing good uppercuts before the stoppage. Vitali had a good 2 rounds." I'm sorry but it was more than clear who the better fighter was. I recall Lewis landing a few clean punches but they didn't have the same effect as when Vitali landed a clean shot, and he was landing alot more. Even with the early cut(which wasn't busted open by a power shot but a clean cut from a fluke angle.), Vitali was still winning the rounds and the fight was going his way before the stoppage. Lewis was already getting rocked and if it wasn't for the eye trouble... And I'm sure Lewis retired because he had nothing left to prove...right. And Vitali is obviously the superior boxer to Wlad. Vitali has everything on him but size and power. Heart? Vitali didn't need to show it much because during his title run he knocked everyone the fuck out. As far as backing out against Rahman, yeah I'm sure Vitali was terrified of him and it had nothing to do with blowing his knee out. The Byrd fight? He was a different fighter in those last few years or so though, but he did have the "boxing is not my day job " attitude for most of his career. He still kicked everyone's ass though, including Lewis and Byrd before the injuries.

I would say that was actually Hatton's problem with Collazo. Though the weight was fairly even, Collazo was naturally a bigger, stronger man. And when you have somebody like Hatton who depends so much on muscling people around, he's gonna hit a roadlbock against a naturally bigger stronger boxer. If he stays at a heigher weight, he's gonna have to learn to box smarter but at his age I doubt he can drastically change his style like that.

There's just no need to be knocking Goosebumps. The Haunted School fucking owns you and you know it. Static Age is the album to start with, right? It was originally suppose to be their debut before it got shevled during the great punk backlash of the late 70s. I personally think it's their best and it's probably a good idea to start with it. Stay clear of the overpriced collections as most of the songs feature botched mixes. One thing about Danzig that seperates from other punk vocalists, is how damn soulful and sincere he sounds despite the absurd subject matter of his lyrics. You can tell a Johnny Rotten or Jello Biafra are being sacrcastic but with Danzig there's no distinction. The result is either hilarious or moving in it's own disturbing way.

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